A number of games and associated DLC is set for removal from the Xbox 360 Marketplace on February 7th, 2023. Of interest to SEGA fans, the titles from our favorite company include: DAYTONA USA, Jet Set Radio and Sega Vintage Collection: Alex Kidd & Co. It is unknown why these are the titles being pulled, but if you want them best to get them now! The full list can be found here.
As part of their A Very Discotek New Years livestream, Discotek Media laid out their plans for 2023 as well as some new announcements. Last year the company revealed that at long last the Japanese language version of the Sonic X anime would receive a release in 2023. Now we have a release date window as well as work in progress cover and disc art! The two disc set, which collects the entire series in standard definition on blu-ray disc (which they call “SD on BD”) will release in April of this year with packaging that will sit nicely alongside their already released English collection. The release will also feature bonus content including openings, endings, storyboards and the original pilots.
Once the series goes up for pre-order, we’ll be sure to let you know!
On this SEGA News Bits Live, Barry has some beef with action figure scalpers! Also, Cosmic Smash is apparently back as a VR game, plus a quick look at the Wonder Boy Anniversary Collection.
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UPDATE: Since SEGA shared the news, England based VR developer Wolf & Wood quote tweeted SEGA’s tweet with an eye emoji and the #csmashvrs hashtag. While they are not confirmed to be the developer, it seems pretty obvious that they are developing the game. Wolf & Wood’s VR titles include Hotel R’n’R, The Exorcist: Legion VR and A Chair in a Room: Greenwater. Their games have released to platforms that include PSVR, SteamVR and Oculus. You can check their website out here!
Several social media accounts for a SEGA project titled CSVRS have appeared, directing users to a teaser website (csmashvrs.com) with a countdown clock ending 20 days from now. The teaser site for CSVRS presents trippy music over a grid of circles with different images appearing within, including eyes, tunnels and a game of Pong being played.
All signs point to a revival of Cosmic Smash, the Japanese arcade and Dreamcast exclusive game from Sega Rosso. The name “CSVRS” points to it being a VR game. Worth noting, SEGA of Japan has not teased this yet, so it is possible it is a SEGA Europe creation much like how SEGA Hardlight handled a sequel to ChuChu Rocket!.
We will share more news as we hear it!
On this SEGA Talk, we return to the 1980s and take to the skies in the super scaler Thunder Blade! We discuss the development of the “taikan” arcade machine, the downgraded SEGA Genesis and Master System ports and the M2 developed Nintendo 3DS port that returned Thunder Blade to greatness.
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On this episode of SEGA Talk we break the ancient seal to talk about Shining Force II, a sorta sequel to the first Shining Force game. We dive deep into development, look at characters and strategically try to say Japanese names. All this and more on SEGA TALK!
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We’re only a few weeks into 2023, but that doesn’t mean we can’t look back and talk about our favorite and most disappointing SEGA and ATLUS games of 2022! Special guest Sonic Yoda from SEGA Driven will also be featured, selecting HIS (and by extension Europe’s) favorite game of 2022. Also, Patreon picks and Discord member picks!
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Enjoy The Ride Records, who have previously released the first Sonic the Hedgehog movie soundtrack to vinyl, and the sequel to audio cassette, have announced a 2XLP vinyl release for the Sonic The Hedgehog 2 soundtrack! The release is set to drop at noon ET this Friday, January 13th on their website. The records are in hand and are set to ship mid-January, so no long pre-order waits!
After the break, learn more details about the release and check out some photos.
Bitmap Books has been hard at work on their next visual compendium book, this time centering on the SEGA Mega Drive/Genesis, but today they have announced the project is cancelled. Past visual compendium books have been a mix of official and unofficial releases.
SEGA fans might remember years back Bitmap Books covered the Master System, in fact we newsed, interviewed, backed and reviewed Bitmap’s endeavor. While the Master System book was officially licensed, their now cancelled Mega Drive book was unlicensed. According to Bitmap, they attempted to obtain the license, SEGA declined and they then attempted to go the unlicensed route.
Unfortunately, SEGA threatened legal action and now the project is cancelled. Given Bitmap Books is in the UK, I have to wonder if this is another case of SEGA Europe being jerks to well intentioned publishers. Some years back, The Dreamcast Junkyard attempted an unofficial book acting as a checklist for every Dreamcast release. SEGA Europe told them to take it down or suffer legal action.
You can read more here, and hey if you work for SEGA and are reading this: rethink this. It is a shitty way to treat publishers covering video game history.
Translated by the same team behind the original Sakura Wars game for the SEGA Saturn, the sequel, Sakura Wars 2: Thous Shalt Not Die, will be receiving a fan translation for the SEGA Saturn. The project was worked on last summer for a year in a half. Not only that the game will be translated, the team has released the special edition demo of the game for everyone to try out.
Sakura Wars 2: Thou Shalt Not Die, is the sequel to the original game developed by Red Company and SEGA for the Sega Saturn and was released in Japan in April 1998 and ported to other systems, including the Dreamcast in September 2000. The game takes place one year after the first game following Ichiro Ogami and the all-female Flower Division of the Imperial Combat Revue as they fight against new supernatural entities in Tokyo as well as hostile political forces led by Keigo Kyogoku.
Not only Sakura Wars 2 is getting a fan translation, the third game in the series is also receiving one as well. It’s only a matter of time that all four main Sakura Wars games will be available to play.
Here is the link to the demo and screenshots to check out to below.
This time on SEGA Talk we humbug the holidays away as we talk all things The Grinch! We talk about his humble beginnings and how his story became a Christmas phenomenon! Also did you know there was a Grinch SEGA Dreamcast game?
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As the year winds to a close, join us as we chat about all the Sonic the Hedgehog happenings in 2022! From the second movie to Sonic Origins, and Sonic Frontiers to Sonic Prime. What were the highlights and the lowlights, and what could SEGA learn going into 2023? We’ll discuss all this in a round table discussion featuring SEGAbits writer Dakota and Sonic Retro writer David the Lurker!
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The new developments on Sega Genesis/Mega-Drive just keep on coming. This time, it’s the new cyberpunk themed 2D fighter Insane Pain, with its impressive pre-rendered 3D graphics and blood and gore effects. The Germany based developers Blast Process Games have released the game in its ROM form on their itch.io page and are preparing an online store in their website to sell physical copies of the game along with collectable trading cards and t-shirts with the game’s characters.
Make sure you check in after the break for more information.
On Thursday, December 15th, Sega has added 4 more of their own Genesis classics to the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack online subscription service. Alien Storm, Columns, Golden Axe II, and Virtua Fighter 2 are immediately accessible after updating the Sega Genesis – Nintendo Switch Online app to it’s latest version. Japanese players get the same four games in their own update as well, and this is despite the fact Virtua Fighter 2 Genesis did not originally release in Japan. (Although it was developed by Sega of Japan.)
Of course, these four games are all some of the usual mainstays in Sega’s many Genesis compilations, including the Sega Genesis Classics Collection also available on Switch and other consoles, (Golden Axe II is also on the recently released Sega Genesis Mini 2) so chances are many of you are already quite familiar with these games. If you still wanna hear me ramble on about what these games are, then make yourself comfy and check in after the break.
We dive back into the conspiracy world of The Conduit, with High Voltage Studio’s sequel Conduit 2. We dive deep into the conspiracies that shaped the game, the changes made and look at the bizarre cliff hanger for the sequel.
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If you want to give us feedback, suggest a topic for the next podcast or want to ask a question for us to answer on the next episode you can add them as a comment below or send theme directly to our email. Make sure you use subject line ‘SEGA Talk’ and as always, thanks for listening!