Author Archives: George

‘SUPER MONKEY BALL BANANA MANIA’ Rated by the Australian Classification Board

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There has been quite a bit of rumors on the fact that there will be another Super Monkey Ball game. Some of the rumors call it Super Monkey Ball Retro but it seems the Australian Classification board, which rates games for the region, has let it slip: SUPER MONKEY BALL BANANA MANIA!

So what do we know? The game will be rated PG and have mild violence, with online interactivity. The title will also be ‘multiplatform’ and the rating was done earlier today.

It seems SEGA is gearing up to have a epic year if all those rating leaks are anything to go by including: Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown and Lost Judgment.

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SEGA closes sale on SEGA Amusements International and what it means for the future of western SEGA arcades

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Back in March, SEGA Amusements’ Roger Penninton left the company after 31 years of service. Considering how SEGA’s Japanese management device was hit hard during Covid-19 which ended up selling 85% of the company back in November of 2020. I had a gut feeling big changes were also coming to SEGA Amusement International and I was right.

While most people write off SEGA Amusement International (prior where known as SEGA Amusement Europe) as just a company that distributes SEGA’s Japanese arcade games to the West; they actually have development teams that are creating original titles. One of the recent titles included Daytona USA 3 (or is that Daytona Championship USA?). All the way back in 2016, the company even wanted to try their hands at making OutRun 3!

So who bought SEGA Amusements International and what does this mean for the future? Oddly enough, the management team working within SEGA Amusement International including industry veteran Paul Williams. For what I read, nothing much will change as the company will still be ‘SEGA Amusements International’, still distribute SEGA’s arcade titles outside of Japan and still work on their own original titles.

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New Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World Trailer highlights voice actors

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For the first time in Wonder Boy history, the in-game characters will actually have voices in Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World, a remake of the 1994 SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive classic Monster World IV. I’ve been pretty iffy with this title but slowly, as each trailer releases, its been getting me more interested. My only issue is the game costing $39.99, considering Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap cost half of that when it released.

Regardless, this new trailer is showing off some of the Japanese voice actors that will be voicing the colorful cast of characters.

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Sakura Wars: Columns 2 English Fan Translation Launching May 3rd

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If you’ve been around the SEGA Dreamcast scene, you’ve probably been seeing some past Japanese only games receive English fan translated patches. Now it has been confirmed that the English fan patch for Sakura Wars: Columns 2 will be launching on May 3rd. 

While the gameplay of Sakura Wars: Columns 2 is, well Columns, it also has a story mode with decision making, much like a full scale Sakura Wars title. Its nice to check off another previously Japanese title off the list as getting a English translation.

Keep your Dreamcast ready, Sakura Wars: Columns 2 launches May 3rd, 2021!

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SEGA PlayStation 3 PSN Titles To Buy Before Sony Shuts Down the Store

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Come August 27th, 2021, the PlayStation Network Store for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable and PlayStation Vita will be closed forever. That means all those great, PSN exclusives titles (and other easier to get digital titles) will be gone for good. At least, the ability to buy them legally. I thought it would be cool to look at some of SEGA’s PSN titles that are worth buying, some being exclusive, others not so much.

Sadly some of SEGA’s digital backlog has already disappeared, namely OutRun 2006: Coast to Coast (PSP) and After Burner Climax (PS3) due to licensing issues. But SEGA still has a few cult classics that are must buys, lets look at those titles:

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SEGA of America Producer and Designer Michael Latham, best known for Eternal Champions, passes away

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SEGA of America’s Michael Lathan has passed away, as reported by SEGA-16’s twitter account. Michael started his gaming character at Rainbird Software where he would localize computer games for the American market, he would then move to Mediagenic where he was a producer for Ghostbusters II and Tongue of the Fatman before the company went bankrupt in 1991.

“It was simply the most fun of any job I ever had. Everything just exploded, and for a young guy in the business it allowed me to do so much so fast. I entered the company as a producer, quickly moved up to run my own production group, and even became a VP before the age of 30, thanks to the unbelievable growth and talented people I worked with. It’s so hard to have all the right people in the right places, and when you do, you get hit companies and products. We were on movie sets, meeting with sport teams, going backstage at concerts – all kinds of exciting projects – and the development teams were still small and you really knew everyone you worked with unlike the mega development teams of today’s games.” – Michael Latham talks working at SEGA during the early 90s

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Streets of Rage 4 announces Mr. X Nightmare DLC, will also come with free content update to base game

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Looks like the listing from Dot Emu on SteamDB was true, the new add-on DLC for Streets of Rage 4 is being titled Mr. X Nightmare. The DLC is set to have Estel Aguirre as playable, new game modes, new moves, new weapons, and even new tracks by Sonic Mania fame Tee Lopes.

But what if you just got Streets of Rage 4? Well, Dot Emu isn’t leaving the base game behind as this update for the DLC will also include free upgrade to the base game that will include Mania + difficulty, Training mode with tutorial, New color palettes, and more stuff to be announced in the future.

The steam page for the DLC is already up, if you guys want to add it to your Wishlist. This trailer has me hyped, lets go!

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Castlevania: Resurrection prototype for Dreamcast unearthed after 22 years

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Back when the SEGA Dreamcast came out, there were a lot of games that never got actual releases. Over the years some of these games leaked and fans have been able to experience “what could have been”. Now, 22 years after its initial reveal, Castlevania: Resurrection for Dreamcast has finally had its prototype leaked to a French Dreamcast preservation website.

According to an old IGN article, the ‘first’ Dreamcast installment of Castlevania series was placed on indefinite hold after the company said they lacked resources to develop the title. The article even ends suggesting it would be the last time we’d hear about the title. Ha! Wrong! Here we are today.

Castlevania: Resurrection was first teased way back in November 1998, the game was suppose to be a reboot for the franchise and star Sonia Belmont and a new character called Victor Belmont.

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Shenmue Anime could release as early as November 2021 [Update]

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According to Shenmue Dojo, we could be getting a release of the Shenmue Anime, which was announced last year, as early as November 2021. So how do we know this? Well, some keen eye Shenmue fans noticed a tweet by @TMSent_jp which is the studio animating the project

It sadly looks like the original tweet has been taken down by the studio. Maybe they had a upcoming announcement? Since we haven’t even seen a frame of animation, I assume this is a leaked announcement. We do know its suppose to be a 13 episode series that covers all of the first game and a part of the second.

What are your thoughts on the whole Shenmue Anime project?

Update: According to Adult Swim/Cartoon Network’s Creative Director @Clarknova1, Shenmue: The Animation “will definitely NOT release in 2021.” Meaning that TMS tweet was probably deleted for the obvious mistake. /Update

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Shadow Man: Remastered coming to PC on April 15th

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Do you guys remember the game Shadow Man? This action-adventure game by Acclaim launched on almost all platforms back in the day including Windows PC, Nintendo 64, PlayStation and of course the SEGA Dreamcast.

Well the game is coming back as Shadow Man Remastered, while we know its coming to PC on April 15th, its also coming to Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and PlayStation 4 (no dates set yet). Also did you know the game had a sequel called Shadow Man: 2econd Coming on PlayStation 2? Wow.

Check out the press release and screenshots:

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Limited Run Games releasing an English package version of the SEGA Astro City Mini

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The guys at Limited Run Games announced this morning that they will be selling a English package version of SEGA Toys’ Astro City Mini, Astro Mini Style Kit and the Astro City controller starting on March 26th! Above you can see the difference between the English and Japanese packaging.

You can also see the Limited Run Games product pages with more information here:
Astro City Mini – Astro City Mini Style Kit – Astro City Mini Gamepad

The Limited Run version of the SEGA Astro City Mini will only be limited to 3,500 units, which will probably make this version sought after in the collectors market compared to the regular Japanese version. As far as I know, the SEGA Astro City Mini unit included inside the English packaging is exactly the same as the Japanese retail unit. The Limited Run Games version will retail for $129.99, so get your F5 key fixed and get ready to refresh your browser!

UPDATE: Limited Run Games have clarified that some of the games are in English, some are in English and Japanese and some are completely in Japanese as denoted on their site. We compared to the Japanese unit and it lines up with the games on that model. So the unit itself is exactly the same as the Japanese unit, there are no new ROMs. The packaging is what has been updated.

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Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remaster coming May 25, 2021 to the West

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It looks like Nintendo of Europe have issues a press release earlier today that listed Atlus’ Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remaster for release on May 25, 2021; as reported by Persona Central.

The press release also detailed what time pre-orders would open on the eShop. Pre-orders will open tomorrow on March 19, 2021 at 2:00 PM PDT / 5:00 PM EDT. The pre-order period will end on May 24, 2021 at 11:59 PM local time. While we got all this information due to Nintendo leaking it, Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remaster will not only be on Nintendo Switch but also PlayStation 4.

Any of you guys picking up this remaster before playing the upcoming Shin Megami Tensei V? Oh wait, is that suppose to come out sometime?

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SEGA Amusements’ Roger Pennington leaves company after 31 years

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SEGA’s arcade division has been taking a lot of hits since Covid-19 with the company selling a majority of its Amusement management business in Japan and now the company has announced that a 31 year veteran Roger Pennington will be leaving the company. The website Global Amusements and Play has a good write up on Roger.

He began his career with Deith Leisure as a financial controller, Deith Leisure would then be taken over by SEGA. Roger and Bob Deith would grow the UK Amusement division branch to have a £100m turnover and 250 employees.

“It has been an enjoyable 20+ years working with Paul and building a new team which has become a second family. We have seen our own game development grow and no longer rely solely on Sega Japan for games. Rebranding the company to Sega Amusements International Ltd (SAI) a few years ago and focusing on becoming an international company selling machines all over the world to major operators and distributors. SAI has truly become a global company which not only manufactures and develops games but also distributes 3rd party product and operates games,” 

Roger Pennington will be replaced by Siraj Elkhawad moving forward. Welcome aboard and we hope 31 years of more arcade action!

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