I’m not at all surprised to see something like this online, as we’ve already discussed on the forums how they totally ripped off the licker from Resident Evil. Not only that, they also totally ripped off movies as well.
This time SEGA is accused of ripping off 4 character designs from one game, Left 4 Dead. You see the pictures and decide if they are too similar, to me they are.
[Source: AndriaSang]
No footage online that I have seen, but some information about the tech demo has made it online already. The tech demo shown isn’t nearly ready for prime time and is still in concept stages, but is already said to look as good as Conduit 2.
But how? Seems that High Voltage actually ported over assets from Conduit 2 to the 3DS for the demo. As for the story in the 3DS version of the game, the developers said they would like to explore the Conduit universe more, maybe make a prequel.
I will have to wait and play Conduit 2 before I can say if I would like a Conduit 3DS game published by SEGA.
[Source: NintendoWorldReport]
Yesterday we brought you news that Game Gear games were heading to the 3DS’ Virtual Console service! Today, we’ve got details on the first few games to hit the service. Currently, these games are only confirmed for Japan. Full list after the break.
According to a post on the Cheapassgamer forums, K-Mart will be having a “buy one, get one free” deal on Yakuza 4. If you buy the game, you get Yakuza 3 for free! Not only that, but you get 10,000 SYWR ($10) in rewards points that you can use on your next purchase. Whether or not Sega is supplying more copies of Yakuza 3 for this, or if this is just clearing out overstock is unknown. Before this is speculated as just rumor, please note the the poster on these forums has been very reliable on K-Mart sales in the past.
It seems we’ve come a long way from the days when Yu Suzuki was prevented from talking about Shenmue III in any form with the media. Shenmue III discussion began again earlier this year in an in-depth 1up.com interview with the iconic developer. Today the subject once again came up, during a GDC interview conducted by Sega superstar Mark Cerny.
The talk, which took the form of an on-stage interview, covered a wide variety of topics, ranging from his decision not to work on Virtua Fighter 5 (“I don’t want to continue the same games and series. I always want to be making new games”) to his interest in both the 3DS and NGP, to the imminent death of the arcade industry, to, eventually, Shenmue.
“Of course I want to make it,” he said. “Sega I think is going to let me make it, I think it is just up to the budget.”
So it seems that SEGA would need somebody to help front the money.
Regarding Shenmue Online, he regretted that the project was cancelled but expressed interest in once again returning to it if given the opportunity.
Though the discussion was only a small part of the interview and what was said wasn’t particularly surprising, websites such as Gamespot have used it as the main draw of the story, and it has generated a sizeable number of enthusiastic comments.
All this media attention can only be a good thing.
[Source: Gamespot]
Regular Show was a pleasant little surprise in Cartoon Network’s slate of new shows last year. Featuring the kind of off the wall storylines and strange character designs not often seen in animation today, it is something I tune into every now and again. Perhaps the biggest surprise, though, was an easter egg even some SEGA fans would miss.
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.
