News
Genesis/Mega-Drive inspired portable FM synthesizer “Liven Mega Synthesis” now up for pre-order
Do you fancy yourself an electronic musician? Are you especially fond of the Yamaha 2612 sound processor that was most notably found in the Sega Genesis/Mega-Drive as well as several old school arcade systems, including the Sega System 32? If you answered yes to both, have I found the tool for you: The Liven Mega Synthesis, now available for pre-order from manufacturer Sonicware for $239 USD.
The Liven Mega Synthesis is designed completely around emulating the iconic sound of the YM 2612 chip, along with the accompanying 8-bit PCM and PSG sounds, in excellent quality with tons of options for composition and editing. While it can record and play music far beyond the limitations of Genesis hardware, it also includes a “Legacy Mode” that allows it to more strictly match the specific sound of a Genesis console on any given track. All this comes in a six track sequencer with ten special effects to apply to each, including reverb, distortion, low pass filter, high pass filter, and crusher.
It’s also got the backing of the one and only retro game composer legend Yuzo Koshiro, who has created 32 preset sounds and 8 special patterns for you to try applying to your own music. This is all included along with 320 preset game sounds and 64 PCM drum tracks.
Check in past the break for the pre-order link, as well as examples of the Mega Synthesis’s preset patterns.
Japanese porn video includes an unexpected tour of an early 2000s arcade
Twitter/X user @suddendesu stumbled upon a Japanese porn video titled 超ハード変態娘 変態羞恥感じる露出女！！(roughly translated, it’s “A super hard perverted girl. An exposed woman who feels perverted and embarrassed! !”). How he stumbled upon it? I won’t judge, I’ve found my fare share of video game related gems in weird old Japanese porn videos (Google “Cosplay International” for some real weird Space Channel 5 content).
Secret code for Clockwork Knight 2, unlocking the original Clockwork Knight, discovered after 28 years
Tell me, Sega Saturn fans: Do you own a North American copy of Clockwork Knight 2, but not the original Clockwork Knight? Well guess what? You actually do own a copy of the original Clockwork Knight after all.
It turns out the North American version of Clockwork Knight 2 contained a secret code all along that unlocks access to the game’s prequel, right off of the same game disc. For many years, this code was actually rumored to exist in old video game magazines, but until Christmas Eve, 2023, it was never actually confirmed to exist. Now we know for sure. It is indeed real, it works, and you can access it with a simple button combination from the title screen.
Check in after the break if you wanna see what this long rumored code is, then you can try it for yourself.
Homebrew Genesis/Mega-Drive port of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night demo now available
Genesis/Mega-Drive homebrew developers are at it again. For a long time now, retro game developer and YouTuber Pigsy, has been hard at work porting Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, the legendary sidescrolling adventure from the PlayStation and Saturn, to the Sega Genesis. Call him crazy, but he’s made some great progress, and now he’s ready to prove it with a playable demo that you can download right now. Pigsy has made a video of the demo, shown above, but also prepared a demo that’s able to run on real Genesis hardware using an Everdrive flash cartridge. You can also play it with an emulator or with the MiSTer FPGA console too.
You can check the description of the video above for the download links, or find them here past the break.
The Video Game History Foundation unveils never-before-seen cut levels from Sonic the Hedgehog 2
We’re a little late reporting on this, but we just could not let it go. Not when it concerns one of the most important Sonic games of all time. Celebrated video game preservationist Frank Cifaldi, of the Video Game History Foundation, has come into contact with some American artists formally employed at Sega Technical Institute, where Sonic 2 was developed, and with their help, has unearthed some never before seen artwork and information about cut content from Sonic 2. He’s even learned about a whole different Genesis/Mega-Drive game the studio was working on that got canned in order to bring all hands on deck for Sonic 2.
You can see the video right up above and check in past the break for a summery of what was shown off in the video.
Free Hello Work uniform DLC for Like A Dragon Infinite Wealth being offered via email newsletter
Need an excuse to have Sega deliver all your Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth news for you? How about a free Hello Work suit for game protagonist Ichiban Kasuga? If you sign up for Sega’s e-mail newsletter for the game, they’ll send you a free DLC code for the Hello Work suit to equip Kasuga with. If you don’t know what Hello Work is, it’s the employment center from Yakuza: Like A Dragon, where characters can switch job classes, opening everyone up to new skills in combat, which can also be done in Infinite Wealth. Anyway, it’s no Sonic Soap shoes, but you know what they say about looking a gift horse in the mouth.
Check in past the break for the link to the newsletter, and remember, they only give you a code for one platform. If you plan on buying Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth for multiple consoles, or if you haven’t decided yet which one you wish to play the game on, consider signing up with multiple e-mail addresses for multiple codes. You can always give extra codes to friends or family.
SEGA News Bits Live: Christmas Blast – Past, Present & Future SEGA
On this Christmas day SEGA News Bits Live, Barry looks back on SEGA Christmas past, present and future! What was the worst video game gift you received? What was under the SEGAbits tree this year? Who is behind the upcoming SEGA revivals? Click play and find out!
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If you enjoy our SEGA News Bits segments and want to support us: Give us a sub and give this video a thumbs up so it shows up on more like-minded fans YouTube recommendations. You know, how that YouTube algorithm is.
Marza Animation Planet posts Sonic The Night of the Werehog short on YouTube for the first time
You’re probably thinking: “I’ve seen this already on YouTube, why is this news?”. Well, aside from Sonic Unleashed articles being an easy way to increase traffic, it is notable that Marza Animation Planet has posted their short film Sonic The Night of the Werehog on YouTube officially for the first time as the video has always only existed thanks to fan rips or low resolution uploads from SEGA PR. It’s nice to see SEGA and Marza showing Sonic and his ghostly friends some love again, as we had a Halloween sequel posted just a few months ago. Check the short out for yourself straight from the studio that made it!
Key art revealed for upcoming 3D Golden Axe game showcasing main characters and enemies
The new SEGA game news keeps coming today as we have a fresh look at the upcoming 3D action adventure Golden Axe! Unlike Jet Set Radio and Crazy Taxi, Golden Axe has a brand new logo and potentially could be using simply the name Golden Axe as the final title. This would made sense, as the series has not seen a new game in a number of years and only the arcade original and Genesis/Mega Drive port have used the name. Also revealed is key art of the main cast and enemies including the dreaded Death Adder. While the characters look a little too “World of Warcraft” for my tastes, they do retain the look of the classic trio with new twists. It is likely this is either a reboot or a sequel set years later starring a new cast, as aside from the dwarf looking like Gilius Thunderhead, the male and female look a bit different from the Ax Battler and Tyris Flare fans remember.
New artwork for upcoming Shinobi game revealed in SEGA Sammy report
While we can only speculate that developer Lizardcube (Streets of Rage 4 and The Dragon’s Trap remake) is behind the upcoming 2D Shinobi game, new key art utilized in a SEGA Sammy Holdings Inc. report screams Lizardcube aesthetics. Little else is revealed, aside from the player taking up the Oborozuki sword to slay evil. It also appears that the game will stick with the title Shinobi, unless they tack on some more words or some numbers. Personally, I think it has been long enough since the last Shinobi game to use the same title again. The artwork also looks great, and we can’t wait to learn more about the upcoming title!
New details emerge for upcoming Jet Set Radio and Crazy Taxi games
A recent SEGA Sammy Holdings Inc. report has revealed new details for the upcoming Jet Set Radio and Crazy Taxi games. First up, Jet Set Radio will see an open world setting and will allow players to make friends, increase their fans and “create a movement”. Fans speculate that this is a nod to the recently revealed news that Jet Set Radio is likely to be an online “games as a service” title. It is likely the friends you make will be real, and the fans you make are either other online players or the amount of graffiti you leave around town will increase your popularity and in turn your street cred. The in-game graphics show Beat in addition to returning characters Cube and Gum, who were also in leaked artwork earlier this year.
New Streets of Rage game title revealed in SEGA SAMMY report, developer potentially revealed
A recent report from SEGA parent company Sega Sammy Holdings Inc. has revealed a new look at the upcoming Streets of Rage game, including the games potential title! Streets of Rage Revolution promises a return to the side-scrolling beat ’em up action series in a whole new (well, new as of the mid 90s) dimension: 3D! While Streets of Rage 4 gave fans a throwback title with modern 2D animated graphics, the upcoming Streets of Rage Revolution will evoke later 3D beat ’em up titles like SpikeOut and Zombie Revenge. While the developer has not been announced, fans speculate Mighty Fight Federation developer Komi Games Inc. is behind the title based on shared visual styles and recent job postings.
While the fourth title was licensed out and published by Dotemu, Streets of Rage Revolution will likely be published by SEGA so as to bring their legacy franchises back under the SEGA umbrella. The game will still be developed externally, like Sonic Mania. It’s nice to see SEGA finally showing some pride for their past franchises outside of Sonic!
Memorial service for fictional Like A Dragon characters, named “Like a Dragon: The Men Who Perished Exhibition”, being held in Japan
Any fan of the Like A Dragon (Formally “Yakuza”) series will know that these games’ stories have never sugarcoated the mortality of its entire cast. Many characters, some loved and some loathed, have met grim fates in virtually every game ever released bearing the names Like A Dragon and Yakuza. Now, Sega, in collaboration with Parco shopping centers, is giving fans in Japan the chance to pay their respects to many of these characters with the Like a Dragon: The Men Who Perished Exhibition, a series of funeral events for every character in this series that has died up to this point.
At three separate events planned for Tokyo, Nagoya, and Sapporo in the next two months, you can attend traditional Japanese funeral services for these characters to offer flowers and prayers and to purchase exclusive merchandise. Some merch you can purchase fits right in with a funeral service, like incense sticks, mini-headstones, and handkerchiefs. Others are more fun, typical merch, like t-shirts, handbags, bookmarks, and acrylic standees. You can also use your smartphone to see images of the deceased characters with AR on site.
The first exhibition will be in the Parco center in Ikebukuro, Tokyo from December 30th, 2023 to January 13th, 2024. Next is the Nagoya Parco from January 20th to February 4th. Finally, there’s the Sapporo Parco from February 16th to February 25th. If you happen to be in Japan during January or February 2024, be sure to stop by one of these sites to pay your respects to your favorite Like A Dragon characters.
That’s the most important info out of the way. Now check in after the break for details that include spoilers for the Like A Dragon series. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
SEGA Filed Four Trademarks Of Classic Titles – Including Altered Beast, Kid Chameleon, and Eternal Champions
UPDATE: To follow up with this article, SEGA has filed eight more trademarks of their classic IPs which includes Alex Kidd, After Burner, Crazy Taxi, House of the Dead, Outrun, Shinobi, Streets of Rage, and Super Monkey Ball. We’ll keep you all updated when more news arrive!
Following up with the recent announcement during the Game Awards, SEGA has filed four trademarks of their classic IPs which includes Jet Set Radio (which was recently announced at the Game Awards), and three more titles such as Altered Beast, Kid Chameleon, and Eternal Champions.
With these trademarks being filed publicly, we might see more games in development from SEGA down the line or it could be something completely different from what we could expect. Until then, we will keep you all posted if there are any official announcements regarding these titles. Let us know what you all think of this news in the comments below!