SEGA Talk #100: OutRun 2 (2003)

SEGA Talk podcast celebrates 100 episodes by covering the sequel to the first game ever covered on this podcast. OutRun 2! We look at why its considered the ‘true’ sequel to OutRun, the many versions and why can’t you buy it digitally anymore? All this and more, on SEGA TALK!

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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!

Arcade 1up Announces Deluxe OutRun Cabinet featuring OutRun, Turbo OutRun, OutRunners, and Power Drift

It has only been a couple of months since Arcarde1up surprised us with the Golden Axe: Revenge of Death Adder cabinet and now they come and shock us again with a replica cabinet of the iconic OutRun Deluxe! Pre-orders are up on their site and will cost you a cool $499.99 USD (yo send me one for review, I’m poor!).

The cabinet will include the following games:

  • Outrun™

  • Turbo Outrun™

  • Outrunners™

  • Power Drift™

Going to be honest, this is the sickest cabinet that Arcade1up has produced and that is saying a lot considering each new cabinet gets me to want to buy one. UPDATE: Some things I wanted to update about that Sean Tagg posted on Twitter: The device doesn’t have Ferrari licenses so all the original games are going to be modified and the cabinet will omit Ferrari logos, the cabinet doesn’t have SEGA logos and the steering wheel is made out of foam.

[Via: Arcade1up]

SEGA Game Gear Micro Hardware Review – Bite-Sized Nostalgia

In June 2020, SEGA revealed the Game Gear Micro. Prior to the full announcement, fans speculated on if this would be the successor to the SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive Mini, how big the actual device was, how many games would be on the handheld and if it would receive a western release. Once the details were confirmed, internet reaction – specifically from westerners – was largely negative. With dimensions of 80×43 mm (about the size of a Dreamcast VMU) and four colors featuring four unique games each, the Micro truly was living up to its name. Micro in size, micro in game lineup, and micro in not living up to expectations set by the Genesis/Mega Drive Mini.

Now, five months later, I have the full lineup in hand (literally, I can hold all four in one hand!) and can make my own determination on the Game Gear Micro. Is it worthy of an import?

The SEGA AGES lineup expands with Out Run for Nintendo Switch

Yu Suzuki’s classic Out Run (or OutRun) is now available on the Nintendo Switch for $7.99. The SEGA AGES release sports motion controls, a ranking system, music tracks from the 3DS release and new arrangements of songs from the Genesis and Master System releases as well as Out Run 2006: Coast 2 Coast which was released in… well, 2006.

Play the game today and in the comments below, tell us how many times you flipped the car.

SEGA AGES OutRun releasing January 10th in western territories

Back in November in Japan, people got the experience the thrill of the drive on their Nintendo Switch with SEGA AGES OutRun. Now people outside of Japan are going to get their chance to experience OutRun once again, as confirmed by SEGA of America. The game will be available on the Switch’s eShop on January 10th, effectively next week as of this writing. This version of OutRun will contain features from the 3DS iteration, such as a 16:9 aspect ratio, the added songs “Camino a Mi Amor” and “Cruising Line”, and the ability to customize your car to handle differently, along with several new features like two new songs “STEP ON BEAT” and “RADIATION”, a ranking system, and optional gyro controls.

So maybe next week take a break from the winter weather for a nice summer drive with SEGA AGES OutRun, whether at home or on the go.

[Source: SEGA Twitter, Nintendo Website]

SEGA AGES OutRun trailer showcases Japanese release

Last week we shared details and screens from the SEGA AGES release of OutRun for Nintendo Switch. Now we have a cool trailer showcasing the game! Available now in the Japan, the game is due out in the west in 2019. This version of the game will run in 60fps with widescreen support, standard and gyro controls, and more!

New SEGA AGES titles revealed, Sonic and Thunder Force IV releasing next week

We have some SEGA AGES news for all your Nintendo Switch owners out there! It has been revealed that Sonic the Hedgehog and Thunder Force IV will release September 20 to the Nintendo eShop priced at ¥999. Don’t let the Japanese price throw you, this will be a worldwide release.

Also revealed are more games in the SEGA AGES lineup! In addition to the above titles and Phantasy Star, Alex Kidd in Miracle World, Gain Ground and Space Harrier fans can also expect Columns II Online Battle, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, OutRun and Thunder Force AC. No further details have been revealed, but we will be sure to share release dates once we learn of them.

[Sources: Famitsu, My Nintendo News, Japanese Nintendo]

What franchise can SEGA resurrect that would excite you?

Its hard being SEGA, the company has a long history of delivering cult classic games and continuously moving on. This has lead to the company always being ‘ahead of its time’ due to them giving their developers freedom and always moving forward, but it also makes older fans miss key franchisees. For example there is a huge fanbase for franchises like Jet Set Radio, Streets of Rage, Golden Axe, Shining Force (original, not whatever we have now), Shinobi, OutRun, Phantasy Star, Virtua Fighter, and honestly the list can go on forever.

But the question here is, what franchise would you love to see SEGA resurrect?

We all have different tastes, so it should be interesting to read what you guys want. Personally, I have a hard time picking one franchise. Its like trying to pick which one of your kids you like best. Can I want them all? I guess if you forced me into a corner it would be cool to have a legit follow-up to OutRun 2. But what about you?

Former Sega Enterprises, Inc. president and CEO Thomas Gill Petit has passed away

Sad news for SEGA fans. We’ve learned that Tom Petit, co-founder of Sega Enterprises, Inc. (USA) and president and CEO of the company for eight years, passed away at his home in Durango, Colorado on November 21, 2017. Tom worked in the video game industry for more than 28 years, with leadership positions at Atari, Nintendo and SEGA.

I’ll admit, in assembling information about Tom’s time with SEGA, I could not find a lot. I still do not have a firm idea of when he was at SEGA, though he did appear in news stories from 1986-1991. I came across an interview he did when the SEGA arcade game Time Traveler released in 1991 (seen above) and found this fun article on Tom and David Rosen at the 1986 JAMMA Arcade Game Show where OutRun was unveiled. I am also under the impression that Tom was the president and CEO of the coin-op side of things for America.

In 2004, Tom retired from the industry and started a career in ranch real estate development. His hobbies included fly fishing and scuba diving. A memorial service is planned for the summer of 2018, and you can leave a tribute here. We’ll provide more information on Tom Petit’s career as we find it.

SEGA Talk: Our Favorite OutRun Spin-offs

The SEGA Talk Podcast hit the open road last week with the first episode featuring SEGA’s iconic OutRun. Now, as promised, we have our first SEGA Talk video highlighting our discussion of our favorite OutRun spin-offs! The OutRun franchise is unique, as while there are really only two main series games, there have been a whole assortment of spinoffs – all existing in the racing/driving genre. Learn our favorites in the video above, and in the comments below sound off on YOUR favorite OutRun spin-off.

If you enjoy our SEGA Talk YouTube series segments, make sure you subscribe to our channel as we try to update it weekly. Thanks!

SEGA Talk Podcast #01: OutRun (1986)

Here at SEGAbits, we’ve been thinking about ways to expand our content. If you guys didn’t know, SEGA Talk was a show on our YouTube channel, but we have decided to transform it into a podcast. If you are subscribed to our YouTube channel, don’t fret! We will be uploading small segments of the podcast with some visual dazzles to entertain your eyeballs. So what is the SEGA Talk podcast all about? Each episode of SEGA Talk will focus on a SEGA game, a big SEGA event or a SEGA console. Listen in on our debut episode as we chat about the history of OutRun, OutRun spin-offs and discuss themes behind the game. If you like the episode make sure to give us a review on iTunes, we would appreciate it.

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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!

Yakuza 6 adds Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown and Puyo Puyo to play spots

2978944-screen+shot+2015-12-14+at+11.47.46+amYakuza series is known for having a variety of play spots, mini-games throughout the map to enjoy and Yakuza 6 is no exceptions. While Yakuza 5 had a full playable arcade port of Virtua Fighter 2, it seems that Yakuza 6 will have Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown which is freaking amazing. I think I’m getting a little a ahead of myself with excitement so let’s talk about all the new Yakuza 6 play spots that have been revealed by Famitsu:

The SEGA Five: SEGA Games That Would Thrive in Virtual Reality

SEGAVRWhile not every single gamer is sold on Virtual Reality just yet, mostly due to the fact that it is rather expensive to even get a headset and compatible computer, the people that have experienced it all think its the future of gaming. While this is still open to debate, what I do know is that Virtual Reality has opened the door for older types of genres that SEGA pioneered in their long history to thrive. So today on The SEGA Five we will be discussing five genres that SEGA can revive with the help of Virtual Reality.

Before we get started I just want to say that these ideas are to make the games Virtual Reality compatible and not exclusive. I think this would mean that more gamers will be able to enjoy the games, VR headset or not.  The number of gamers with Virtual Reality headsets is too low to spend money on exclusives right now. So let’s get to it.