Interview: Sonic Mania Composer Tee Lopes

Yakuza: Kiwami 2 shows off gameplay footage, reveals playable Cyber Troopers Virtual-On arcade

September 21, 2017 by George

SEGA and the Yakuza Studio has been showing off gameplay of Yakuza Kiwami 2. SEGA has shown off fighting mechanics, story cutscenes, new play spots, and of course the new Goro Majima construction fighting mini-game? You can see the Goro Majima gameplay after the jump.

Another play spot that SEGA showed off was a photograph mode that lets you chat up with models and snap photos. Seems that your job is to make them react and snap a photograph at the right time. It uses real life footage for the girls, sort of how they did video chat in Yakuza 6. You can see that gameplay after the jump as well. The last gameplay video has you exploring the city as Goro Majima and reveals a playable Virtual-On arcade machine. That’s pretty neat.

SEGA developed Dx2 Shin Megami Tensei: Liberation gameplay

September 21, 2017 by George

SEGA showed off their joint mobile project with Atlus (SEGA is developing, Atlus is writing it) called Dx2 Shin Megami Tensei: Liberation. In the mobile game you play a protagonist that joins a group who call themselves “Liberators”, a secret organization that protects the world. The game features turn base battles, demon fusions and demon negotiations, just like past Atlus Shin Megami Tensei titles.

SEGA has also posted up a application for the Android version which will give you the latest game information, campaign news, videos, and more about Dx2 Shin Megami Tensei: Liberation. SEGA promises that a ‘Dx2 Shin Megami Tensei: Liberation Info‘ app will be launching on iOS soon. It seems that SEGA is really making a big deal about this project and thinks it will be a huge success. What is your vibe from watching 11 minutes of gameplay (from the video above)?

[Source: Gematsu]

A Certain Magical Virtual-On shows off gameplay, looks amazing

September 21, 2017 by George

I wasn’t so sure on how to feel about the upcoming A Certain Magical Virtual-On, a game that is set to cross over A Certain Magical Index manga with SEGA’s own mech franchise Cyber TroopersVirtual-On. I was a bit on the edge because I thought the game might have been a licensed cash grab. Also the game didn’t debut in arcades, like most Virtual-On previous entries, seeing all these broken traditions got me nervous.

Now that SEGA went out and showed us a lot more of A Certain Magical Virtual-On, I’m excited to get my hands on it. While it looks great in motion and really kept the feel of the Virtual-On franchise, the games have always been about its controls. We will be having hands-on previews of A Certain Magical Virtual-On very soon, but for now lets enjoy the gameplay presented above. What are your thoughts?

Sonic Forces on PC confirms use of Denuvo DRM

September 21, 2017 by George

It seems that SEGA will still continue to use Denuvo DRM in their upcoming PC port of Sonic Forces. The Steam page for the game has updated confirming that it will be using the anti-tamper DRM software that has a lot of people online rather heated. If you guys didn’t know, Sonic Mania got a two week delay to launch late with Denuvo DRM. One of the big issues with all of this is that SEGA never warned customers that Sonic Mania would feature the infamous DRM. The only other new thing listed in the Sonic Forces steam page is that the port will be co-developed by Sonic Team and Hardlight (in-house studio that made the Sonic Dash series), at least I take this news that the PC version is a port.

As for my opinion, I have quite a few games with Denuvo DRM and really can’t tell the difference between Denuvo or any other form of DRM. While may be the case for me personally, it isn’t the case with online users. The Denuvo DRM carries baggage associated with it and SEGA using it, in my opinion, is a bad PR move. What are your thoughts on Denuvo DRM and Sonic Forces? Are you still going to get the game on PC or are you thinking of dropping it altogether?

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Dreamcast cult classic Roommania gets spiritual sequel called ‘Project One-Room’

September 21, 2017 by George

Japanese developer FuRyu has announced the upcoming Project One-Room (not the final title), which is planned on being a new PlayStation 4 title to pay homage to the Dreamcast cult classic Roommania #203. The title was announced at SEGA’s booth at the Tokyo Game Show 2017.

FuRyu’s producer Masaru Oochi happens to be a big fan of Roommania #203. Project One-Room will have you, the player, assume the role of God who interferes by throwing invisible balls in a room where the protagonist lives. Since this is a PlayStation 4 title, there will be physics based on your invisible ball throws.

Serani Poji, the fictional pop idol who made the music for Roommania #203 will also be returning for this project to create completely new music. If you have never heard of Roommania #203, I don’t blame you since its a Japanese only title. But if you have a chance, I recommend checking out the soundtrack.

We will be getting more information on Project One-Room soon since FuRyu will be holding a Tokyo Game Show 2017 conference on September 23 at 15:00 JST. Is SEGA returning into the realm of creating quirky, unique and odd ball titles? Are you ready for this?

[Source: Gematsu]

Fist of the North Star reveals more story, new characters and play spots details

September 21, 2017 by George

SEGA has updated the official website for Fist of the North Star (Hokuto ga Gotoku) website offering new details on the story, four new characters and even details on play spots within the game. Of course there are also new screenshots. I won’t go into great detail about the story right here, you can visit Gematsu who translated the website news themselves. The story goes into more detail but its piratically the same.

As for the new characters confirmed, the first one is Souther (voiced by Hiroki Touchi) the man who calls himself ‘Emperor’. This man is the sole successor of the Nanto Houhouken martial arts style. A prideful warrior that looks down on his weaker opponents and holds a secret you will discover. Next we got Jagi (voiced by Hidenari Ugaki) one of Kenshiro’s brothers who also studied Hokuto Shinken. Envious of Kenshiro, he wears a strange helmet and is an unpredictable person. Uighur (voiced by Naomi Kusumi) is a man that runs the prison known as Cassandra, which is considered a death sentence by many since no one leaves alive. Nadai (voiced by Masato Obara) is the founder of Eden. A accomplished man that created Eden within a generation but died suddenly several years ago.

Hit the jump to talk about the new minigames.

Jet Set Radio 6″ Beat action figure now available to pre-order

September 20, 2017 by Barry

We’ve been following this figure for what feels like over a year, and while other figures revealed around the same time released months ago, this one remained elusive. Thankfully, we can now report that the long awaited – and for a time presumed cancelled – Jet Set Radio Beat action figure is now available for pre-order! The second in the Game Classics series, which featured Arthur of Ghosts ‘n Goblins fame previously, Beat sports a blocky look which perfectly matches the Dreamcast Jet Set Radio graphics (minus, of course, the cel shaded outline).

Beat comes with a spray can and two sets of hands, measures about 6″ tall and releases this December with a retail price of 7,538 yen. Amiami has the figure for 15% off at 6,390 yen (about $57) and if you pre-order the Space Channel 5 Ulala figure you can combine orders to save on shipping.

SEGA News Bits: Shadow playable in Sonic Forces, Free Prologue DLC Discussion

September 19, 2017 by George

SEGA has just announced that Shadow the Hedgehog will be playable in upcoming Sonic Forces. While you can replay Modern Sonic stages with him, he will also have his own story that serves as a prologue to Sonic Forces via Episode Shadow. This DLC will be free for everyone and seems to add more layers to Sonic Force‘s story. On this episode of the SEGA News Bits we discuss our thoughts on Shadow the Hedgehog being playable, our predictions for Episode Shadow prologue story and discuss what other characters in Sonic’s history deserve their own episode story. Let us know what you think of Episode Shadow the Hedgehog in the comments below.

If you enjoy our SEGA News Bits segments and want to support us: Give us a sub and give this video a like so it shows up on more like minded fans YouTube recommendations. You know, how that YouTube algorithm is.

Shadow playable in upcoming Sonic Forces DLC Episode Shadow

September 19, 2017 by Kori-Maru

Via the Microsoft store comes news that Shadow the Hedgehog will be playable and have his own side story in Sonic Forces as part of the DLC bundle titled EPISODE SHADOW with newly updated stages and the ability to play in over 10 Modern Sonic levels. Here’s a glimpse of the description for the DLC.

“Get EPISODE SHADOW to uncover the untold story of the new villain, Infinite, and rediscover three updated stages playing as Shadow. Plus, play as Shadow in over 10 Modern Sonic based stages!

Experience the full story behind the new villain’s rise to power and as you find renewed replayablity across Modern Sonic stages. The fate of Sonic the Hedgehog’s world is in your hands – Join the Uprising.”

The DLC will be part of the digital bonus version for only $39.99. Pretty sure that this will satisfy people who would enjoy playing other characters in a main Sonic game besides our main hero since the Adventure series and Heroes. What your thoughts on this Sonic Forces info?

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A Certain Magical Virtual-On hits Japan on February 15

September 19, 2017 by George

SEGA has announced during Sony’s Tokyo Game Show conference that A Certain Magcial Virtual-On will hit PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita on February 15, 2017. Well, at least in Japan. A Certain Magical Virtual-On will cost 7,900 yen ($70.77 USD) on PlayStation 4 and 6,900 yen ($61.81 USD) on PlayStation Vita. The game will also have a limited edition that will cost 12,490 yen ($111.89 USD) on PlayStation 4 and 10,990 yen ($98.45 USD) on the PlayStation Vita.

What does the Limited Edition come with? The PlayStation 4 Limited Edition will be called ‘Discipline 55‘ and come with “Chronicle 20” novel (500+ pages) and “Cyber Troopers Virtual-On Official Sound Data 18” soundtrack CD. The PlayStation Vita version is being titled “A Certain Magical Archive” which comes with a Encyclopedia of Index-Librorum-Prohibitorum novel (100+ pages) and A Certain Magical Index soundtrack CD. So it seems that SEGA will make the PlayStation 4 extras Virtual-On related and the PlayStation Vita A Certain Magical Archive extras.

[Via: Gematsu]

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SEGA’s Fist of the North Star hits Japan in February 22

September 19, 2017 by George

SEGA’s Fist of the North Star (Hokuto ga Gotoku) has a release date, for Japan at least. The title will launch in February 22, 2018. That means that before we get Yakuza 6 (in March), Japan will get both Yakuza Kiwami 2 and Fist of the North Star (Hokuto ga Gotoku). While its a bummer that we have to wait for these two titles, its nice to know we have a lot of content coming (hopefully) in the near future.

The announcement was made at Sony’s press conference at Tokyo Game Show. Above you can see the new Fist of the North Star (Hokuto ga Gotoku).

Return to the Fantasy Zone as “Space Harrier II” joins the SEGA Forever lineup

September 18, 2017 by Barry

The SEGA Forever lineup of classic console games on mobile devices has slowly been expanding since the service was announced two months ago. So far, we’ve mainly seen SEGA Genesis games and pre-existing mobile games based on Dreamcast titles, and while the latest addition doesn’t break this trend it is a cool game. 1988’s Space Harrier II was a launch title for the SEGA Mega Drive in Japan, and was special as it was a console-exclusive sequel to an arcade classic. While fans debate whether Space Harrier II was a worthy sequel, most fans of the franchise can agree that the sequel does not see a lot of love when it comes to rereleases. So with that in mind, it’s great to see it joining the SEGA Forever lineup.

Since launching the service, SEGA has been updating the emulator and added some additional visual options for graphics and controls. As an iPhone 7 owner, I’ve seen an increase in quality, but I can’t speak for all devices and operating systems. Check it out for yourself, as it’s free-to-play.

Check out all the SEGA & Atlus’ merchandise for Tokyo Game Show 2017

September 15, 2017 by George

Its that time of year again, when SEGA of Japan loads up Tokyo Game Show with a ton of amazing SEGA merchandise that makes us westerners scream, “Take my money!” I would say that SEGA’s Tokyo Game Show 2017 lineup is actually really good compared to last year, so expect a ton of great merchandise to follow. SEGA is not only set on bringing you merchandise for upcoming games like Sonic the Hedgehog, Yakuza, Puyo Puyo, Hatsune Miku, and a ton more. But they are also doing Retro SEGA console merchandise which is very appealing. To add the cherry on top SEGA will also be selling Atlus merchindise including Persona 3, Persona 4 and Persona 5 stuff!

So lets get into it:

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SEGA unveils PopoloCrois: Narcia’s Tears and the Fairy’s Flute for Smartphones

September 15, 2017 by George

SEGA has teamed up with Epics to announce PopoloCrois: Narcia’s Tears and the Fairy’s Flute for iOS and Android smart phones. SEGA is set to hold a official announcement presentation at this year’s Tokyo Game Show 2017.

The story of the game has been translated by Gematsu, as the following:

“At the fairy king Media’s request, Prince Pietro and the forest witch Narcia set off on a journey. A great mission awaits the two who have grown to become adults…Pietro and Narcia, who overcame hardships in order to prevent the resurrection of chaos, “Darkness,” moved the hearts of the heroes, “Braves,” all over the world.And then they encounter Zamad, a fated prayer of the holy land, Bilca Village.Prince Pietro and prayer Zamad. Two people of different backgrounds, guided by fate for their paths to cross. PopoloCrois: Narcia’s Tears and the Fairy’s Flute is a Popolocrois filled with love and friendship. An emotional story will once again begin.”

The game will have 3D graphics, which sort of reminds me of a higher upscaled Nintendo 3DS game. SEGA is set to hold the press conference on September 23 from 10:30 to 11:00 JST. The show will feature Epics developement producer Tetsuji Kitazawa and Noboru Yamazaki of Robins. Check out the graphics after the jump: