Round Table: Our Favorite SEGA Games of 2012

Another year, another batch of SEGA games for us to play, critique, argue over, and enjoy. As is tradition here at SEGAbits, our writers have come together and each have selected their favorite SEGA games of 2012. Looking back, 2012 offered up a number of excellent rereleases, sequels to franchises both old and new, crazy and unique mobile and digital titles, and not a single crappy licensed Marvel title in sight. So, from all the games SEGA had to offer, which ones did we like best? Find out after the break!

Sonic Jump is now free on iOS devices (limited time only)

UPDATE: Game is free until New Years. Hey! Don’t blame me. I got this info from other Sega/Sonic sites that never mentioned “limited time” either. XP

For those who haven’t “jumped” at the chance to buy Sonic’s latest mobile game, now’s the best time! Sonic Jump on iOS devices has gone free to play for a limited time only. Does this mean the game is doing so bad, they have to give it away? Nah, more likely, the in-game app purchases are doing so well they can make more money by making the game free and bringing in more players. With tons of missions, levels and more and more characters to unlock each month, it’s hard to resist the allure of buying more rings and power-ups. In fact, I recommend picking up the 2X rings power up to collect rings twice as fast.

BTW, with the game constanly improving and adding more levels, should I change my original review, or leave it as the way it was at the time? Let me know in the comments.

First 4 Figures teases Ryo Hazuki statue

First 4 Figures, makers of the many Sonic the Hedgehog statues, has revealed a teaser for a Shenmue Ryo Hazuki statue. The teaser, which can be seen in full after the break, shows Ryo in his iconic “wanna wrestle?” pose. Price and size have yet to be known, but given F4F’s past releases, this statue could go from $130+ and could reach 12 inches tall. Some fans have noted that Ryo’s face seems off. It could just be the lighting, or perhaps Ryo has changed a little since we last saw him in Shenmue 2. The statue’s announcement follows the release of Insert Coin’s Ryo Hazuki jacket hoodie and t-shirt, as well as Ryo’s cameo in Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed and his win in the All-Stars Racing DLC character poll spearheaded by fans. Could all this be building towards Shenmue 1&2 HD in 2013? After the break, the full statue teaser image.

Fan made: Alex Kidd in Miracle World in HD!

If All-Stars Racing Transformed Christmas gift wasn’t enough for you, another SEGA icon gets the HD treatment! This time, it’s SEGA’s early mascot, Alex Kidd, who gets to shine in a HD remake of the Sega Master System classic “Alex Kidd in Miracle World” The fan made project and sprites is redone by MCBRemakes from Brazil. Love how they used Alex Kidd’s sprites from the official box art. What do you guys think? Hit the jump to see the game in action.

SEGA CD Month – My Life With SEGA returns with Batman Returns

Well, SEGA CD Month – Hell, this year – has come to an end. Before we call it a night, the bat, the cat and the penguin have something to show us; Batman Returns. While the movie split both critics and audiences, this game has been met with praise due to it’s impressive pseudo-3D graphics, exciting gameplay and kick-ass soundtrack….

But is there more hiding beneath that cowl? Let’s take a peek.

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Sakura Taisen Paris: Hana-gumi Revue Mont Paris 2012 live on NicoVideo on 12/28


With just 15 years of stage shows, the Sakura Taisen series is still going strong in Japan. A new stage show will be performed at the Aoyama Theater and features the return of the Paris Kagekidan (Flower Division) from Sakura Wars 3 who are also the voice actors for the characters in the game series. The play will also feature new variety and two new characters. There will be 3 performances live on December 28th-29th on Nico Nico Video so everyone can get a chance to see Noriko Hidaka sing “Good Morning, Boujour”. Hope to see the Teikou Kagekidan gets the same treatment next year. Check out the list of the cast and a preview video by hitting the jump.

Our Christmas Card to Sega

Hey folks! Since Sega was kind enough to send out their own Christmas card, I thought I’d send one out to them. Our main artist Jet at E.C.C. Comics (Sonic Eggs, Horse Power) worked for a long time on this piece, including a good chunk of Christmas day. Hope Sega and you guys like it!

SEGA Tunes Holiday Special: Featuring Sakura Wars and Shenmue!

How do you know something is big in Japan? When the above exists. I’m sure many of you have heard of Sakura Wars, SEGA’s series of strategy/dating simulator games that until recently never made it outside of Japan, but did you know that the franchise has also been used as the source material for a variety of stage shows dating all the way back to 1997?

The above video is from a Christmas stage show that the cast of the games performed back in 1998. In it, you can see many of the core cast members of the original Sakura Wars being portrayed by their voice actors as they sing a variety of Christmas tunes. Its hard to believe that there was once a SEGA franchise big enough to warrant this amount of production.

So pour yourself some eggnog, sit back and enjoy some pleasant Christmas-y SEGA tunes. Given that this is Christmas, we can’t exactly just give you one song now can we? Check below the fold for more Christmas music from both Sakura Taisen and Shenmue.

Sonic franchise pack available for 77% off on Steam

Steam is having their holiday sales, which means all PC gamers will be broke by new years. If you want to join in on the sale, but where waiting for some SEGA stuff to hit discount then you are in luck. The Sonic franchise pack is 77% off, giving you 15 Sonic items (not games, since some of it is DLC). You’ll even get newer stuff like Generations and All-Stars Racing (not Transformed).

But hey, a big pack isn’t for you? Single items are being discounted up to 50%. Check it out. There is also the SEGA publisher pack for $70 (sadly low on the Sonic).

Patch released for Sonic Jump on Android

A patch was released today for Sonic Jump on Android devices. Fixes the text scaling issues that caused microscopic text, among other issues. So if you were having issues with Sonic Jump on your device. Go download the patch from the Play Store and see if it fixes the issues you were having. Let us know in the comments if the patch fixes the issues you were having or not. It fixed the issues I was having with microscopic text.

Shining Ark gets Shining Wind character cameo

If you live in Japan, you might want to know that if you pre-order the next Shining RPG, Shining Ark, SEGA will be giving you a crossover character from Shining Wind for free. You will get Rouna Murasame, she won’t have story elements but will be playable during battle.

Sucks that we won’t see this game in the west. Shining Ark comes out February 28th on the PSP.

The Cave’s new character trailer got me interested

Above is the trailer for SEGA and Double Fine’s new game, The Cave. This is the second character trailer, if you missed the first one, you can see it here. This one introduces some of the characters you will be able to play as when the game comes out next month. I’m really liking the time traveling character. Which one tickles your feathers?