Sonic and Puyo Puyo’s Special Menu Items at Osaka Mall

A Twitter post announced a collaboration with The Grand Game at Osaka’s Grand Front Complex in Japan with the Sonic the Hedgehog & Puyo Puyo franchises as part of their special menu for the location’s 10th anniversary event. From now until May 14th, attendees can visit the arcade and try out some themed foods like a Sonic latte & a Puyo pancake. Attendees can also take pictures at a photo op with cutouts of Sonic & Puyo characters and can play various games, such as a giant UFO crane machine & a Pac-Man themed golf course shaped from the level mazes.

First 4 Figures reveals Amy Rose statue

First 4 Figures has unveiled the Amy Rose resin statue on Twitter, which will be available for pre-order on November 8th to commemorate the release of Sonic Frontiers. The team used the Sonic Advance Yuji Uekawa design as a base for the statue, even coming equipped with her Piko-Piko Hammer. An exclusive and definitive edition will also come with an interchangeable hand that features a miniature Pink Amy Chao. More details will be revealed at later dates, and you can sign up for the email letter to get notifications or follow First4Figures on Twitter for when more info drops.

First4Figures reveals Sonic 30th Anniversary statue

First4Figures dropped a new teaser trailer for the upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog 30th anniversary resin statue. With more information releasing on April 5th, the trailer shows a quick glimpse of the statue: with Sonic doing the iconic run through the goal ring and a 30th anniversary pop-art logo (reminiscent of all the previous press pictures seen). Pre-orders will be avaiable after the stream, with a giveaway contest being promoted to win a figure. Be sure to tune into the F4F Youtube page on April 5 for more information!

New SEGA UFO A La Carte 3 revealed – Check it out in action

The official SEGA Youtube channel revealed the first follow-up to the UFO A La Carte arcade machine series since 2009. A video was released showcasing the UFO A La Carte 3, the newest UFO machine developed by SEGA and the first under the GiGO license. The new catcher has bubbled pull strings to pull down using a fork-like gripper, with prizes on the end or next to it. How it works is you try to line up the gripper with the string to center it and it pulls the prize string down. You might have to get it a few times in order to win the prizes, which include plushes, keychains, figures and more. The video shows a small tutorial on how to use and is very familiar with other UFO machines with the two button layout. No information for distribution or a release date has come up but you can check out the video above.

Yakuza and Judgment series localization producer Scott Strichart steps down

For all the wonderful writing that is in the Yakuza and Judgment franchise, it isn’t hard to notice that it comes straight from a Japanese company, mainly for a Japanese audience. And sometimes the transition is rocky when providing it for different languages. The team of RGG’s English localization team doesn’t give enough credit for the way they provide and translate the stories, characters, and events of the games and Scott Strichart (senior localization producer) has stepped down.

SEGASonic Railway in Japan closes down

Another SEGA attraction is now closed down after about 7 years of service. The Sonic Railway in the Lalaport Fujimi City shopping center in Saitama, Japan is no more after January 10. The train station had a miniature sized train cart (fully operational with buttons and lights for kids), affixed with blue and yellow and had Sonic pictured on all sides (with the front and back doing the pose from Sonic 1). It also showcases a small track with crossings, make-shift bridges, and a garage which houses additional carts. Some additional carts were used as collaborations as well, such as Gautama and Hello Kitty. The attraction (also loosely named “Sonic Station”) was for all ages and gives you a small introduction on how train carts and stations operate on a basic level in Japan.

SEGA’s Ikebukuro GiGO arcade in Tokyo set to close on September 20, 2021


In a Twitter post on August 2, the Ikebukuro SEGA arcade branch has announced that they will be closed on September 20th. They explained that the lease contract for the building that houses the arcade has expired and is ready for renovation. The arcade opened up in 1993, housing many arcade classics as the rising SEGA boom was taking over during the 90s (a 28-year open service). They also wish to provide the same premier customer service that brought in customers since opening. Currently celebrating the 28th anniversary, exclusive prizes can be won via UFO catcher machines or be bought for the month of August.

Sonic Revolution Announced for 2021 Online Event

Sonic the Hedgehog’s 30th anniversary keeps getting better with the announcement of Sonic Revolution, the 7th year that the event has been concurrently going and is the 2nd one to be online. The event has been a Los Angeles-located Sonic convention but due to the Covid-19 virus, the event will be hosted online through the Sonic Revolution Discord servers. Front runners Shanye (@sonicremix) and Licide (@Angelidia) are back to bring the biggest Sonic fan convention in the world on June 19th and 20th, 2021.

Catherine Full Body Review – A vintage full-bodied delight with slight sulfites (PlayStation 4)

It’s always pleasing to see a video game that thinks outside the box. Even if it isn’t a masterpiece, the time you had with it would usually stick with you for the rest of your life. That was the feeling I had when I played 2011’s Catherine for Xbox 360. While not perfect, it was impressed how it pulled me into its world. This year’s enhanced version, Catherine Full Body, brings the Stray Sheep bar and crew back with some new faces and features, with an emphasis on a “fuller package”.

Note: We received this game for free from SEGA of America for review purposes.

SEGA AGES Puyo Puyo Review – A Great Surprise for Puzzle Fans (Nintendo Switch)

M2, in collaboration with SEGA, has been doing a great job with the SEGA AGES series of arcade and Genesis ports. Despite being rereleases, there are quite a few new options and features not found in the original releases of games. Add in the portability factor, and you have an attractive new way to play classic SEGA titles. This latest release for the SEGA AGES series sees a never localized port of Puyo Puyo from the arcade will take some puzzle lovers by surprise.

SEGA AGES Space Harrier Review – The Best Version of the Game Yet! (Nintendo Switch)

SEGA has been on a roll lately with their releases of past arcade titles on the Switch. What is unique about these rereleases however is that they come with a variety of different and new options never been done on original release or as a port. And with both TV and portability uses to be had, some might pick up a few if not all the titles available, as they enhance the game play in wonderful fashion. That’s why it is easy for me to say that this port of Space Harrier is the best version of the game.

New gameplay trailer for upcoming Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD

You might go bananas once you see the new Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD gameplay trailer. The one-minute trailer shows off some courses and bosses from the original Wii version, in beautiful 1080p and 60 FPS to boot. Since this is a multi-platform release, motion controls have been taken out to give the game a more classic control setup that Monkey Ball is known for. If you pre-order the game, you also get a sticker set of Aiai and his friends. The game is coming out October 29, 2019 for Playstation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch with a PC Steam release slated for later.

New showcase trailer for SEGA Genesis Mini revealed

SEGA of America’s Youtube channel released a short showcase video or the upcoming SEGA Genesis Mini, which is slated to release next month. In the video it opens with a little “blast from the past”, with 90’s Claymation Sonic from the classic Japanese commercial with the “SEGAAAA” jingle accompanying it. It follows up with a brief showing of the size difference between the original & the mini and what games are to come, including Tetris and Darius. The latter also brings it its’ first North American release, although it is an in-house port by M2 and SEGA of Japan since it was an arcade cabinet originally.

Youtuber “Balena Productions” releases statement on troubling situation

Steve Page, creator of Balena Productions and various SFM videos such as Christmas with Sonic and Sonic Zombies, has released a statement about his current situation with Youtube. According to the Balena Productions Discord chat, Page said that half of his ads with disabled on his videos and has tried to work it out with his channel manager, only to have Youtube say that his videos are “working as intended”.

Steve is one of the very first Youtubers that I’ve watched, even back to the SonicDood3 days. It breaks my heart to see someone who wanted to follow his passion and get so far, only for the Youtube guidelines and algorithms to take hold of his channel unfairly. Source Film isn’t an easy thing to do and takes a lot of time, but the quality that holds up is why I keep coming back. All we ask here at SEGABits is to at least show some support. I know that the community is strong and can hopefully get Steve, his girlfriend Riana, right-hand man Apoc Hedgie, and others back up to where they need. Click the link to find out more about the situation and how you can help in any way you can.