Here is one of those Dorkly Bits videos that people on the interweb seem to be into. In this one Sonic the Hedgehog gets engaged. I’m sure this is the first time something like this has happen, I mean, fan fiction writers take note.
“It’s a tight family at Sega, so any talk of restructuring and refocusing is always a difficult time in any business and we’re always kind of mindful of that. But as a studio we’re growing to beyond 200 people at the moment and we’re still hiring, and we’re still looking to expand and we’ve got a number of really intense and interesting products on the horizon, both Total War and non-Total War and the refocussing at Sega on the distinct brand IPs, whether that’s Sports Interactive or Sonic or Aliens or Total War itself is really exciting for us as a studio, because we’re already seeing evidence of that improved support, that idea of really getting behind those IPs and really making the most of them.” – Brand director Rob Bartholomew
Creative Assembly does make a point, its always good for a studio to get more support. If only SEGA West cared this much about games like Anarchy Reigns and Rhythm Theft, right?
Here is the first edition run of Project X Zone. Looks pretty awesome, right? What do you get?
A 48-page full color book that includes all the various games, also promotional art and much more.
You also get the “Crossover Soundtrack CD” that comes with music from the game.
So how do you get it? Well, its only for the first print run, once the package runs out it will be gone forever. This version and the regular version will cost the same, so if you are planning on importing it, do that now.
Another sad day in SEGA land folks, SEGA has announced today that they will be closing their European and Australian offices. Koch Media will be the distribution partner for the European territories, except for Benelux, which will be handled by Level03 Distribution. Australia territory will be handled by 5 Star. SEGA UK will remain open as the European HQ. So it isn’t all that bad.
“SEGA is entering a new and exciting phase that will position the company as a content led organisation maximising sales with strong and balanced IP such as Sonic the Hedgehog, Total War, Football Manager and the Aliens franchise. The company will benefit from a clear focus and realigned strategy for our digital business and packaged goods and we are confident that this will lead to a successful future.” – COO of Sega Europe Jurgen Post
This goes with the rumor they sort of predicted during E3, only that the rumor wasn’t 100% right. Actually still think the guy just guessed and happen to hit some of the mark. What do you guys think? Is this ‘new and exciting phase’ for SEGA or is this bad?
I was never fortunate or rich enough growing up to own a 32X. Actually I never meet anyone around the time that actually had one. So its good to see A.J. crack down some 32x reviews, even if the game pisses him off.
“It’s another “classic” episode from the vault. If you thought my review of Cliffhanger was scathing, just you wait until you endure the horror that is Motocross Championship for the SEGA Genesis 32X.”
Now, just because they promise 200 characters, doesn’t mean there will be 200 playable characters. It just means there will be a ton of cameos, some will be villains others NPCs. If you haven’t heard about Project X Zone, it will feature characters from SEGA, Namco-Bandai and Capcom in a tactical RPG on the Nintendo 3DS.
I know what you are saying, “When is the game out?” Sadly, the game hasn’t been announced for release outside of Japan and I doubt it will make its way out of there. Namco x Capcom on the PS2 stayed Japan exclusive as well.
George and Barry the Nomad this week are joined by My Life with SEGA creator A.J. to whine about games being delayed (Anarchy Reigns and Aliens: Colonial Marines), Yakuza 5 and tons of on topic movie stuff. Sit back, relax and enjoy our soothing voices.
Hey guys, you guys heard the bad news that Anarchy Reigns isn’t coming out till early 2013 in the West. Don’t fret, Buy.com has a pretty damn good deal. Pre-order the game now and get it when it comes out for $26.99. What a great investment. Also free shipping, my favorite form of shipping.
According to them, the list price of the item or the MSRP will be $29.99. Is SEGA planning on releasing this game as a budget title day one? If so, that is probably a good move, in my opinion.
Awhile back Platinum Games posted a Japanese behind the studio video, giving fans access to what they do. Sadly the video was all Japanese, but there was promise that they would be translating it to English for people like us. Well, here it is. Enjoy!
I love seeing developers make videos like this. I know bigger publishers always do this, I just wish SEGA would do videos like this. I’m a nerd, I like to have more information about games. Sue me!
Sonic the Hedgehog will be turning 21 years old in a few days, what best way to celebrate his birthday in Japan than giving users a free Sonic DLC pack? The DLC pack is for Super Monkey Ball: Banana Splitz on the Playstation Vita, so far this DLC has only been announced for Japan since the game isn’t really out in the west yet.
The only thing this free piece of downloadable content really gives you is a model of Sonic, as an object that you can use to in stage creation mode. That means that when you share your banana-fied courses of mass destruction, you can now put a happy looking Sonic giving the player a wag of his finger. No, not that finger, keep it PG.
We posted earlier today all the details about the ‘Another Drama’ gameplay details in Yakuza 5. They are basically side missions for each character, but unlike past games, this game will give each character their own gaming mechanic. Making playing as individual characters more personal. Kazuma gets taxi battles where you get to drive and Haruka gets a Project Diva type rhythm game (see above).
Check out the rest of the screens by hitting the jump.
Take a nostalgia trip this week with My Life with SEGA. This time around A.J. reviews the SEGA Master System. He also looks at some Master System games like After Burner, Alien Syndrome and Ghost House.
If you like it, what are you waiting for? Subscribe to our YouTube channel and get all the latest SEGAbits media right on your feed. As always, feedback is welcomed. What would you like to see in a future My Life with SEGA episode?
So a ton of new info has been released for Yakuza 5. This week Famitsu looks at the game’s ‘Another Dramas’ which is basically ‘side missions’ if you want to call it that. The Yakuza team is trying to bring something unique for each character, so they will each have a new gameplay mechanic to go along with their ‘Another Dramas’. One of the most interesting ones is Kazuma Kiryu’s taxi driving minigame. For details on all the new gameplay details, hit the jump.
I love the Valkyria Chronicles franchise. I loved the first one on the Playstation 3, then when the sequel was announced for PSP. But at least the second one came West, even if it was a downgrade from the Playstation 3 experience. Then the 3rd one didn’t make it West, my anger built. Now the newest entry, Valkyria Chronicles Duel isn’t even a handheld/console game, but a web browser game? Fudge muffins!
So how does this game play? For starters you will have to build up your battalion by collecting cards. There are over 200 character cards in the game. In the game you have to develop your base camp, take enemy territories and acquire new troops. The game suggest that you will take part in “3D character battles” that features the same style as the Valkyria Chronicles games.
Of course the game will be free to play and offer item transactions to make money. You can check out the official site here. They are taking applications for people to test the game from now to June 25th. Again, you should brush up on your Japanese.
So Microsoft posted the product page for Sonic Adventure 2 earlier this morning, pretty much confirming that the game is almost going to be announced. From what it looks like, it seems that SEGA might have delayed the game a bit? Don’t be surprised if SEGA announces it soon.
Stuff that is now obviously confirmed include widescreen support, chaos being playable and 2 player offline. Click the jump to see all the leaked assets including in-game screenshots.