Jet Set Radio Vita free for PSN Plus Members on 11/20

Jet Set Radio will finally be out on Playstation Vita November 20th, but if you’re a member of Playstation Plus, the game will be free*. This is done to help promote Playstation Plus’ debut on Vita. Jet Set radio is only one of six free* games that will be available next week. The other games include Uncharted: Golden Abyss, Gravity Rush, Wipeout 2040, Final Fantasy Tactics and the awesome Mutant Blobs Attack.

*Free, outside of the $50 a year and the fact that if you stop being a member, you no longer own the games and they’ll no longer work.

 

Watch the Valkyria Chronicles anime now on Crackle in North America

You read that right. Crackle, Sony’s free streaming video service which is available on PS3, XBOX 360 and online, includes many anime programs which they own the rights to. Turns out, one of them is Valkyria Chronicles. It includes all 26 episodes subtitled. This is a great opportunity for fans to see this rare anime which hasn’t been released on DVD yet. Watch the full series at Crackle’s site now! Or watch it on your PS3 or XBOX 360 via the Crackle app.

SEGA announces release dates for Jet Set Radio Vita and Mobile

While the HD version of Jet Set Radio has been out since September, fans were left wondering when the Vita and mobile versions would be announced. SEGA’s blog has the answers! Jet Set Radio is heading to iOS, Android Devices and Playstation Vita. Vita players get the game on the 20th of November, and iOS and Android fans can buy the game on the 29th of November. In North America, the game will be a PlayStation Plus Vita Instant Game Collection launch title. PS Plus members can enjoy Jet Set Radio for free from November 20th through December 31st. After the break, screens of the Vita and mobile versions!

SEGA Tunes All Stars: Vyse’s Theme

With All Stars just a week away, now seems like the perfect time to start posting Tuesday Tunes again, focusing tunes for the characters and tracks featured in the game.

Skies of Arcadia is an upbeat game that eschews the usual heavy drama common in Japanese RPGs for optimism and a thrill for adventure. Embodying this is Vyse, a young idealistic air pirate who wants explore the world and do things no one else has ever done before. The above track is the perfect theme for the character, embodying Vyse’s energy and optimism.

I’ve got Fina’s character theme below the fold for another dose of Skies of Arcadia auditory glory!

Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed hits shelves early, and new details emerge…

… but we aren’t going to write what they are! Why spoil the surprise? Instead, we’ll leave it up to readers if they want to head on over to the original Gamefaqs post where the spoilers began, or check out our forums where we’re discussing the new bits of information in spoiler tags. Until SEGA or Sumo Digital share things officially, we won’t be posting blurry photos of television screens or descriptions of the new tracks in news posts. Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed releases officially later this week!

First 4 Figures teases Shadow the Hedgehog statue

First 4 Figures are at it again, teasing another of their Sonic the Hedgehog statues. This time, the company are adding Shadow to their line of modern era statues, which began with Sonic the Hedgehog. The Sonic statue as well as the Shadow statue have yet to release. Both are available for pre-order, with Sonic slated for a Q1 2013 release, and Shadow slated for an unspecified date. First 4 Figures, however, has revealed the pre-order date, which begins November 11th. Personally, I find these statues to be incredibly cool but far outside my price range. It’s a shame First 4 Figures never expanded their awesome, and affordable, classic Sonic vinyl figures. Still, those who have been collecting all of these statues as well as the Shadow fans out there should be very happy to hear the news.

Sonic the Fighters Achievements Revealed

The achievements for the HD rerelease of Sonic the Fighters have been revealed, and they seem rather easy to attain. I’m sure plenty of folks would get all the achievements within minutes. There are a total of 12 achievements to earn, and all together are worth 400 gamerscore points. I wish there was a Super Sonic achievement to make it a bit more challenging. Hit the jump to see the achievements.

Review: Sonic Adventure 2 (XBLA/PSN)

SEGA’s rerelease of Jet Set Radio was, in my opinion, excellent. After the so-so Dreamcast Collection rereleases, the first game of the SEGA Heritage Collection was a breath of fresh air. HD visuals, widescreen support and SEGA trying their best to retain as much of the original game as they could. My hope was that this trend would continue with the next two Heritage titles. Does Sonic Adventure 2, a game that is considered one of Sonic’s best 3D outings, carry on the SEGA Heritage quality or is it a step back? Read on to find out!

SEGA Five: A Salute to the SEGA All-Stars Part 4

I can’t believe that four weeks have passed since we began this salute to the SEGA All-Stars appearing in Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed! Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 can be viewed at those handy links. If you’re all caught up with us, let me introduce you to our five All-Stars for this week: Ulala of Space Channel 5, Shadow of Shadow the Hedgehog (oh, and some franchise called Sonic the Hedgehog), Sonic’s not-quite girlfriend Amy Rose, Aiai’s wife MeeMee and our flagman of the game Ristar.

New Sonic All Stars Racing Transformed trailer shows off the Wii U’s features

This morning, Sega put up another trailer for Sonic and All Stars Racing Transformed. This time, the focus is on all the features of the Wii U version. Features shown include 5 player split-screen, 10 player online, rear view and weapon view cameras, optional tilt control and more. If the video is indicative of the Wii U version, it’s looking pretty smooth. Now you know why this is the version I’m picking up with my launch Wii U.

And you too can pick Sonic and All Stars Racing Transformed on Wii U, 360 or PS3 when it races into stores November 18th.

32X month – My Life With SEGA kicks things off with a hardware review and T-Mek

Apologies for the day delay. Blame Hurricane Sandy, the Nintendo Wii U and Mitt Romney. In any case, here is your weekly dose of My Life With SEGA. This week, A.J. starts off 32X month by doing a very special hardware review, followed by a classic episode in which A.J. takes on T-Mek for the, you guessed it, 32X.

Oh yeah, ladies and germs; I’m reviewing the 32X. Not just a game, but the hardware itself. 18 years ago this month, Sega unleashed their 32-bit peripheral upon the American public. While it’s earnings were initially strong, it soon crashed harder than the Hindenburg….

How? Why? Well, here’s my take.

After the break: T-Mek!

Pier Solar HD project hits Kickstarter, Dreamcast named as one of the platforms

We’ve written about the indie SEGA Genesis game Pier Solar a number of times, and here we are writing about it again. WaterMelon Co., the team behind the original game, are taking to Kickstarter in hopes of funding an HD version of the game for a number of platforms including the SEGA Dreamcast. Other platforms include Xbox 360, PC, Mac and Linux. As you can see above, and at their Kickstarter page, the game is making a big graphical leap! If fully funded, the project appears to have an estimated completion date of December 2013. All the details concerning the project can be found over at their Kickstarter page, but after the break check out the SEGA related bits.

Cool art print: The Genesis and SNES as giant fighting robots

The internet is never short of crazy fan made SEGA goodies. From Daniel Dussault comes an awesome piece of fan art which depicts the 90’s console war as two console-inspired robots in battle. The piece originated at the Fangamer VERSUS Attract Mode Art Show during PAX Prime 2012. Now, SEGA (or Nintendo) fans fans can own their very own print of the piece by hitting up the Fangamer site. The print is $20 and measures 24″ x 16″. Hit up the link for more images of the print and make sure to share it with your friends!

Thanks to SEGAbits reader and forum member Randroid for the heads up!

Sega posts Employment Ad related to the Virtua Fighter series. Is something special coming up?

Just two days late posting this great news but other than that, Sega of Japan posted a Job Ad for 3 part time positions to work with AM2 and on the Virtua Fighter series. The job description includes assisting with production, organizing/creating events, and working on the VF.net mobile website. They are also looking for fans of the VF series. The deadline for the ad ends on December 7th and the job begins on Febuary 1, 2013. Could AM2 be working on a new Virtua Fighter anniversary title, Fighting Vipers, or VF6? Either way, I’m excited about it. Our forum members are even talking about it right now.

Retro Review: Sakura Taisen


Sakura Taisen (Sakura Wars) is a Strategy RPG adventure series that features a unique sim-based story system developed by AM7 Team Shinobi (Overworks) from SEGA along with Red Entertainment. The series first began in 1996 for the Sega Saturn and spawned several sequels, including OVA adaptations, TV anime series, a movie, and other merchandises. While the game was a successful Sega IP in Japan, it never had a release in the West until the release of the fifth game, which was released and published by NIS America. However, the series has had a cult following within the Sega & anime community fan base with english releases of anime videos. Want to know what I think about the game and how awesome it is? Read on to find out.