Nintendo just announced at their GDC keynote that the 3DS Virtual Console will have TurboGraphx-16 and SEGA Game Gear titles. That is right, now you will be able to put down that battery hogging Game Gear and be able to play your titles on the go on the 3DS.
As for titles at launch, none where named. I would not be shocked at Sonic titles being the first to hit the service. Especially since this year is Sonic’s 20th anniversary.
[Source: Joystiq]
Yakuza of the End demo will be hitting PSN in the upcoming Japanese update. So if you have your Japanese accounts at hand, get ready to download this. The Japan store is weird and takes down demos all the time, so play it safe!
The demo lets you play as Shun Akiyama (From Yakuza 4) and shows the game’s Gun Shot Battle system. You will also be able to play with partners and play spots like the hostess club and Boot Camp section. Awesome.
[Source: AndriaSang]
Sonic is turning 20, that is a big number for any franchise, since Sonic is SEGA’s biggest franchise ever… you know they are going to do it big. SEGA Europe just expanded their license teams to get products out to you by Sonic’s 20th anniversary come June 23rd.
“We have some surprises lined up for Sonic’s anniversary. We’re working on a number of retail initiatives across different sectors. Ideally, we would like to tie in different merchandise to create a strong branded presence in stores. We want to team up with multi-territory partners in publishing, apparel and collectibles such as trading card games and stickers,” said Henno. “We also have interest in categories such as wheeled items, outdoor sporting goods and bedding in the UK and internationally.” – Sega Europe’s head of licensing Sissel Henno
SEGA’s licensing teams will be hitting trade shows to meet new potential partners. These trade shows include Brand Licensing Show in Budapest, Bologna Book Fair and Kazachok Licensing Show in Paris. We shall see what surprises SEGA has in store for Sonic’s birthday.
[Source: MCV]
It’s been a while since the last major Japanese release for SEGA but the wait is finally over, Phantasy Star Portable 2 Infinity was released in the same week as the new handheld 3DS. Whilst Phantasy Star Portble 2: Infinity posted some impressive numbers below, it does not tell the full story;
Position / Platform / Title / Weekly numbers / Lifetime numbers
01 [PSP] Phantasy Star Portable 2: Infinity 206,654 / NEW
When the first Phantasy Star Portable was released, it managed to sell in the region of 360,000 units and the sequel, PSP2, managed 280,000 whilst the newest entry into the series shows further steep decline for sales in the series, perhaps the bubble is slowly bursting, but who knows, yearly releases are bound to have an effect, so it’ll be interesting to see the result when Phantasy Star Online 2 is released, although with the PC market in Japan, I would not be surprised about the level of sales being lower.
The original shipment for Phantasy Star Portable 2 Infinity was around 330,000 so expect strong sales for next week too. Although will it still be number one in a week’s time? Doubtful as the new Dissidia is released for PSP, but it may still hold onto second place.
Famitsu had an interview with Japanese developers about the NGP and their thoughts on it. Here is what Satoshi Sakai and Toshihiro Nagoshi had to say.
Shenmue Town (referred to here as Shenmue City) was developed for Yahoo’s mobile application and DeNa Mobage-town portal in Japan, since they have the highest market share. But what about a smartphone app release? Yu Suzuki hints that they looking into it
“From the start, I’ve been thinking of this as a multiplatform game, So I’m thinking about smartphone strategies right now,” he said, hinting that he’s looking at both iOS and Android. Suzuki said that the platforms should be fine for a port, but that “the experience definitely needs to be customized for the smartphone.” – Yu Suzuki
As for other games Yu Suzuki has in mind for the future, he says he is imagining what he can do.
“Since Apple just announced their AirPlay initiative that allows you to play music and send a single out from your phone to multiple devices, that in the future you’ll be able to beam games out of your phone to play on widescreen TVs in massively multiplayer environments. You could play against other people with your iPhone as your controller.” – Yu Suzuki
I hope that the smartphone release of Shenmue Town gets a western release, I would pay for this app. You heard me SEGA? Pay, with real money! Yu Suzuki has responded to the name ‘Shenmue City’, which we and other press have been calling the game. He says that he would call the game ‘Shenmue Town’ because its too small to be a city. If Yu Suzuki says it, then we follow. The game will now be referred to as Shenmue Town.
[Source: Gamasutra]
We are holding a super duper Dreamcast Collection giveaway. You can thank SEGA America’s awesome community team for the prizes. Go ahead, send them a love letter.
So what are we going to give you? 3 lucky readers will be able to win one of the following.
There are 3 ways to win.
Enter over at SEGA Network affiliate The Dreamcast Junkyard for a chance to win!
Contest will run for one week, will end next Tuesday on March 8th. Good luck.
Here’s a very Japanese advert if I ever saw one! The lengthy advert highlights the three game play modes featured in Super Monkey Ball 3D.
The Classic Super Monkey Ball game play which we all know and love. Monkey Race which is a bit of a Mario Kart knock off and Monkey Fight, which is a bit of a Smash Bros knock off… Yeah.
Why they felt they needed to change Race and Fight from the frankly great fun party games they were in Super Monkey Ball Deluxe is beyond me but even more strange in my opinion is the omission of Monkey Target, easily the best party game the series ever had. Oh well, maybe next time.
Courtesy of TouchArcade, The Appera and IntoMobile come a collection of hands-on Sonic & SEGA All-Star Racing gameplay videos. The game looks quite impressive for an iOS title, especially one that seems to be for all platforms and not just the beefed up iPhone 4 and iPad. Despite being only a pre-alpha build, impressions have been positive!
After the break, check out two more videos featuring B.D. Joe in Tokyo-to, a look at Blizzard Castle and a tour of the menus.