Japan

New Initial D Arcade Stage Zero trailer hits the net

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SEGA’s long running arcade series Initial D, which is based off a manga and anime with the same name, is ready to launch its 9th arcade release (give or take due to re-releases under new titles). But this isn’t being called Initial D Arcade Stage 9, it is being titled Initial D Arcade Stage Zero! You are probably asking yourself why this arcade game is being called Initial D Arcade Stage Zero and that’s because its being based on the New Initial D The Movie which a retelling of the early chapters of the Initial D manga. Even the designs in this game are being taken directly for the new movie which is setting to reboot the franchise for a new audience.

Initial D Arcade Stage Zero will also be the first arcade title in the franchise to feature a 6-speed gear shifter and will have completely new background music. You can check out more information about Initial D Arcade Stage Zero on the game’s official website.  While the title does seem to have some pretty low quality graphics, the game play seems fun enough. What is your take on the Initial D franchise of SEGA games? Let us know in the comments below.

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Gravity Rush 2 to feature Phantasy Star Online 2 themed DLC

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Gravity-Rush-2-Costume-PSO2_12-16-16Sony Interactive Entertainment Japan Asia have announced that Gravity Rush 2 will feature Phantasy Star Online 2 costume collaboration DLC. Back around September, Phantasy Star Online 2 featured Gravity Rush 2 themed DLC and now it seems that Sony will be returning the favor to SEGA’s online RPG.

The Gravity Rush 2 x Phantasy Star Online 2 collaboration outfits will be free to download, so no extra purchase required. This is what the DLC includes:

  • “Crazy Kitten” Costume
  • “Rappy” Photo Item
  • “Phantasy Star Online 2 Container” Photo Item

This Phantasy Star Online 2 DLC has only been announced for Japanese release and since Phantasy Star Online 2 hasn’t been released in English countries who knows if it will make it overseas. Gravity Rush 2 hits PlayStation 4 in Europe on January 18, January 19 in Japan and January 20 in America/UK.

[Source: Gematsu]

 

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SEGA announces Dark Souls inspired game Soul Reverse for Arcades

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SEGA has announced the next upcoming SEGA-AM2 arcade game Soul Reverse, which is looking quite a bit like a Dark Souls type of game. While people will fight and point out that SEGA-AM2 already dabbled into dark fantasy with their arcade game The Quest of D, you’re right. I’m wrong. But it seems this title is trying to cash in on the ‘Souls‘ name with a title like Soul Reverse. It is also true that SEGA previously announced Soul Reverse as a mobile phone title, that should already be out on iOS and Android, but the arcade version is its own build that is 70% complete as of today.

SEGA has revealed one of the characters in the game, Luce, who will be voiced by Japanese actress Nanami Yamashita (you can see her in the screens). You can view the trailer for Soul Reverse above and see screenshots after the jump.

[Via: Segalization]

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SEGA releasing a Yakuza 6 demo soon

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Yakuza-6_2016_10-27-16_029SEGA has recently announced via a live stream hosted by Famitsu that Yakuza 6 will be getting a playable demo in Japan before its release, which is December 8th. The Yakuza 6 demo allows players to experience the first chapter of the game.

SEGA has also confirmed that the Yakuza 6 demo will be level capped but save data will transfer over to the full game. This is a great way to get into the game early before you purchase Yakuza 6, considering that the first chapter in Yakuza games is always a bit slow. The demo will also allow you to visit all the play spots within the designated areas, which is fantastic because there are plenty of great looking play spots in this game. While the Yakuza 6 demo is only for Japanese audiences, its rather easy to make a Japanese PSN account. Are you guys going to give Yakuza 6 demo a chance?

Yakuza 6 hits Japanese store shelves on December 8th, 2016. While there hasn’t been a western release date for Yakuza 6, the franchise isn’t dead considering we are still getting Yakuza 0 in January 2017. If you want a English release of Yakuza 6, make sure you support the release of Yakuza 0!

[Source: Siliconera]

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Check out SSFC2016’s Virtua Fighter 3 tournament

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A Virtua Fighter 3 tournament in 2016? Not surprising, this Virtua Fighter 3 tournament was held in Japan during SSFC2016 which is a multi-game tournament that likes to showcase unique fighting games including unreleased titles. They even held showcase tournaments for games like Project Justice, Kenju, and many more. Personally I love when people showcase older forgotten fighting games in these types of ways, very fun to see.

It makes sense that they would use Virtua Fighter 3, since it is that one last title that was still comparable to the first two games before the big leap in Virtua Fighter 4. What is your general opinion of this Virtua Fighter 3 tournament? Should they have showcased a more underrated SEGA fighting game?

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SEGA News Bits: Tokyo Game Show 2016 Impressions

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Another Tokyo Game Show 2016 has passed, and in this SEGA News Bits your hosts George and Barry are joined by SEGAbits’ Tokyo Game Show 2016 correspondent Steve aka ap0c. Steve shares with us his firsthand impressions of what SEGA had to show at the event. Yakuza 0, Valkyria: Azure Revolution, Puyo Puyo Chronicles and more are covered in this special SEGA News Bits!

In the comments, let us know what SEGA or Atlus titles you are most excited for from the event.

You know the drill. If you like our SEGA News Bits segments, please give us a like and subscribe on our YouTube page. Thanks!

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SEGA Retrospective: The Deeper Arcade game – An oxymoron that became one of SEGA’s pillars

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Arcade? When you ask the modern western gamer about such a concept, they will likely know about the genre of “arcade” in today’s market of downloadable games on console, PC and smartphone. Home and mobile ports of classic coin operated titles. But twenty years ago, people would visit actual venues to play games they could otherwise not to, offering considerable advantages in graphics, controls and cabinet designs.

Putting a coin into a machine should get you more enjoyment that you expect out of it. That has been the ethos of SEGA’s coin-up division for as long as existed. Immediate, visceral, thrilling; all of that should be encapsulated into the experience. One session should not go longer than 3 minutes. Often times games offer more depth as well, which is best summed up by the phrase “easy to learn hard to master” – which can be said of countless fighting games.

But different cultural perspectives can transform one concept considerably, and this can be applied to arcade games. Back in the glory days of arcades, westerners played in an arcade maybe once a month or even once a week at most. However in Japan, with its density of population, going to an arcade can become simply a part of your everyday routine, similar to how westerners play their games on home and mobile platforms. But what could one keep coming back to the arcade, time and again? Cards. Yes. Magnetic cards.

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Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice Japanese Pre-Order Items Are Very Tempting

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It seems that SEGA of Japan will be having some really tempting Sonic the Hedgehog 25th Anniversary themed pre-order items for the upcoming Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice (called Sonic Toon in Japan) on the Nintendo 3DS. The Japanese site ebten.jp (You can buy the set on Play Asia outside of Japan) has two versions Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice, one being just a pre-order for the game and a Sonic 25th Anniversary set  which comes with the following:

  • Flat acrylic cut outs of Sonic the Hedgehog doing random poses and even has one of him sleeping. There are 7 patterns in total and it comes with a stand to display the cut outs (one at a time of course). Perfect to put around your desk. Note: while it looks like classic Sonic, he still has green eyes.
  • Sonic 25th Anniversary Mug which is a blue wrap around design featuring a white outline of Sonic’s head. On the other side of the mug we have a small cute, chubby classic Sonic.
  • Sonic 25th Anniversary 3D Crystal which looks pretty awesome (video of how it looks below). It is a crystal cube with 3D stereoscopic laser engraving of classic Sonic doing his famous finger wage pose and the Sonic 25th Anniversary logo in the back. The crystal changes color depending on the angle as well! The item is 50 × 80 × 50mm in size.
  • Sonic 25th Anniversary Nintendo 3DS theme. This digital theme will cycle through eras of Sonic’s 25 years as you select things in the Nintendo 3DS main menu. So far this digital Nintendo 3DS theme has only been shown for the Japanese release. You can see that in motion after the jump.

So how much is this all going to cost you? The Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice 25th Anniversary pre-order set costs 9,504 yen not including shipping (about $95 USD) and comes with all the items pictured here along with a copy of Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice. The set won’t ship until the games Japanese release date of October 27th, 2016. Of course since the Nintendo 3DS is region locked, that a Japanese copy of Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice would be useless but look at the sweet 3D crystal! Want to see more of that Sonic 25th Anniversary 3D crystal in action? Hit that jump.

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Etrian Odyssey V Debut Tops Japanese Charts

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etrianodysseyvIt seems that Japan went crazy for Atlus’ Etrian Odyssey V: The End of the Long Myth as it was the top selling new game released in Japan last week. Etrian Odyssey V managed to sell 92,518 units. The chart tracked from August 1st to August 7th, considering Etrian Odyssey V came out on August 4th it would mean it did 92,518 units in only three days. In second place came Bandai Namco’s Dragon Ball Fusions that manage to sell 77,509 copies. and that’s a game based on a highly popular IP.

It seems that the Nintendo 3DS can still move software since the top five selling games happen to be on the Nintendo 3DS. Etrian Odyssey V hasn’t gotten a western release date yet, but I wouldn’t be surprised when it does considering all the past titles in the series have been released outside of Japan.

To see the full Japanese sales charts, hit the jump.

[Via: Gematsu]

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Sakura Wars 20th Anniversary event coming to Japan in September

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The Japanese SEGA franchise Sakura Wars is turning 20 years old, and to celebrate it, a special event will be hosted in Japan. Titled “Chisa Yokoyama’s Sakura Wars 20th Birthday Party”, it will feature a total of five talk events from the varies voice actors who have been involved with the franchise in both the games and the special OVA Sakura Wars: The Radiant Gorgeous Blooming Cherry Blossoms. This event will span between September 23rd to September 25th, which is coincidentally a few days before the release date of the SEGA Saturn version of Sakura Wars that started it all.

Sakura Wars has not made a presence for itself outside of Japan, but in Japan it’s one of the most beloved franchises from SEGA. Combining strategy RPG and visual novel elements, the series has had the longevity to produce 5 mainline titles, several prequels, gaiden, and spin-offs titles, and anime and manga. Most games take place in an alternate universe in the early 1900’s after the first World War, with the key difference from our timeline is that it involves advanced steam powered machinery and the concept of spiritual power or reiryoku (霊力).

For information on pricing, talk events scheduling, and location, click the Read More tag.

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Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice gets first Japanese trailer

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If you have been sitting around wanting to see more direct capture footage of Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice (or as its called in Japan Sonic Toon), then Sega Japan’s got you covered. Above is their trailer for the game introducing each character that will be in the final product.

While the Sonic Boom brand name has been hit hard due to two stinkers, SEGA has delayed Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice almost a year to try and get it right. The game is also being developed by Sanzaru Games which have developed good games in the past, namely Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time. What are your guys thoughts on Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice so far?

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D4 and EGG Project release new Madou Monogatari collection

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After the success of the first collection with Madou Monogatari 1-2-3 and Madou Monogatari ARS, a new compilation has been released for Windows in Japan regarding to the Madou Monogatari series called Madou Monogatari yu~ Kyoku Taizen-Tsu MD & DS by companies D4 and EGG Project. In this collection contains the Mega Drive version of Madou Monogatari I and varies DiscStation titles, along with the original cover from the Mega Drive Madou Monogatari I and an OST. In addition, the first collection that contains Madou Monogatari 1-2-3 and Madou Monogatari ARS is receiving a reprint until September 2016.

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Sonic and Puyo Puyo 25th anniversary museum exhibit will happen in Japan

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sonicpuyopuyomuseum

It’s been announced that a special museum exhibit for the 25th anniversary celebrations of Sonic the Hedgehog and Puyo Puyo will be hosted at the Huis Ten Bosch Game Museum between May 3rd to May 7th. This exhibit will have two floors dedicated to both franchises, with a selection of games highlighting their history. Meanwhile, a giant screen will display the games Sonic Generations and Puyo Puyo Tetris outside the venue. Merchandise from both franchises will also be available at the venue.

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Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA X gets high praise from Famitsu

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On this week’s Famitsu issue, the Japanese magazine reviews a bunch of new games including the PlayStation Vita version of Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA X.

Here are all the reviews:

  • Dance with Devils (PSV) – 8/7/8/7 [30/40]
  • Dead or Alive Xtreme 3: Fortune (PS4) – 8/8/8/8 [32/40]
  • Dead or Alive Xtreme 3: Venus (PSV) – 8/8/8/8 [32/40]
  • Hatsune Miku: Project Diva X (PSV) – 9/9/9/9 [36/40]
  • Nobunaga’s Ambition: Sphere of Influence Sengoku Risshiden (PS4) – 9/9/9/8 [35/40]
  • Nobunaga’s Ambition: Sphere of Influence Sengoku Risshiden (PS3) – 9/9/9/8 [35/40]
  • Nobunaga’s Ambition: Sphere of Influence Sengoku Risshiden (PSV) – 9/9/9/8 [35/40]
  • Shirogane x Spirits (PSV) – 7/6/6/6 [25/40]
  • Trackmania Turbo (PS4) – 8/8/7/8 [31/40]
  • Trackmania Turbo (XBO) – 8/8/7/8 [31/40]

That’s right, it was the highest rated game of the week by getting all 9s. If you don’t know how Famitsu reviews work, they get four writers to review one game and rate it from 1-10; adding up the scores in the end. Thus Hatsune Miku: Project Diva X gets a 36 out of 40.

[Via: Gematsu]

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Club Sega Shibuya location has closed

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Some sad news for SEGA fans at the start of the week. We learned that Club Sega Shibuya has closed its doors as of yesterday. News of the arcade’s closing became known with the posting of signs outside the arcade, politely advising customers of the impending closure. The location’s website also has a message, which also gives the January 31, 2016 closing date as well as a thank you to customers for their patronage. No word on why the arcade had closed, though it may simply have to do with the fact that it is a dwindling business in the country. There has also been speculation that the closure could have to do with the renovation of Shibuya Station, which Club Sega sits just outside of.

Club Sega can still be found in Akihaba, Nagoya-Fushimi and Nishiguchi. For a full list of operating SEGA amusement centers, check out this link.

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