Fan created ‘Super Mario 64 Online’ returns, adds Sonic & Knuckles as playable characters

Back last year there was a mod for Super Mario 64 that made a splash online. This mod was called Super Mario 64 Online by Kaze Emanuar and would allow up to 24 players to play the Nintendo 64 classic at the same time. The mod gained massive popularity online and of course it was only a matter of time before Nintendo struck this project down. They started by taking down the creator’s Patreon account.

Now, after eight months of silence, Mario 64 Online has returned with the new, less exciting name of ‘Net64 2.0‘, being a very similar project with new additions. One of those additions is the inclusion of SEGA’s popular Sonic & Knuckles.

This isn’t just some ‘skin’ on Mario, the characters have actually been changed. If you look at the video above, they break down the changes made to Sonic & Knuckles. Start at 1:36 for Sonic and Knuckles at 2:00. What do you guys think?

[Via: Nintendo Life]

New Sakura Wars Game out before March 31, 2019

If you have been waiting since 2005 for a brand new Sakura Wars game, you might not have to wait much longer. According to SEGA’s the latest financial statement, the new Sakura Wars game should be out before March 31, 2019.

The New Sakura Wars game is listed with other titles that are suppose to release as packaged goods including: Yakuza 6: The Song of LIfe, Shenmue I & II and “New Sakura Wars (working title)”. As far as what the new Sakura Wars will be, it is not known. We do know that Sakura Wars V or Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love featured a brand new cast of characters and a new setting.

I guess we will find out more about the game very soon, expect more information in September during the Tokyo Game Show.

[Via: SIliconera]

Support SEGAbits, be entered to win a Jet Set Radio hoodie

Just giving you guys an update on our SEGAbits Patreon,if you want to support our site at any level (lowest being $1), you will automatically be entered to win this awesome Jet Set Radio limited edition hoodie. The hoodie was previously only available as a promotional item for Jet Set Radio HD!. If you donate $5 for the month, you unlock the ability of watching our Patreon exclusive web show “SEGA News Bits Extra” which rounds up bits of SEGA news from the week! The winner will be picked at the start of June, hoodie size is large. Winner to be chosen at random.

Click here to support SEGAbits on Patreon!

All the money we get from Patreon will be re-invested into making more quality SEGA content. One thing I want to personally do is get a set up to record various retro game footage directly from hardware so we can do more retrospects and other type of videos on obscure SEGA games (and some takes on popular franchises as well). So, if you’ve enjoyed our free content throughout the years, don’t hesitate in supporting us.

 

Sonic Twitter launches poll to vote for favorite Sonic game feature, we all vote for Chao Gardens


The Sonic the Hedgehog Twitter account has launched a new poll asking fans ‘Which was your favorite feature from pas Sonic games?’ with the ability to answer:

  • Time Attack Mode
  • Customizable Character
  • Chao Gardens
  • 2P Competition Mode

Guess what is winning at the moment by a overwhelming margin? Chao Gardens, a feature that hasn’t been in a Sonic the Hedgehog game since Sonic Adventure 2 on Dreamcast (OK, it was in Sonic Chronicles, but does that even count?). Who would have thought that Sonic Team might be a bit out of touch with its fanbase. Who knows what will come out of this poll, hopefully a Chao Gardens return in the next game.

Yakuza 6 charts in pal regions, from obscure Japanese game to chart topper


I have been a huge fan of the Yakuza series, if you have read this blog in the last 8 years, you will see that I push the franchise quite a bit. Sadly the general public is finally getting addicted tot he franchise, ever since SEGA brought over Yakuza 0. It seems whatever the new team at SEGA is doing to promote Yakuza games, its actually working because against all odds Yakuza 6: The Song of Life has been charting in pal regions.

Seeing the new charts over on ResetEra, Yakuza 6 went from the 3rd best selling game in United Kingdom down to 39th. While its a big drop, its a lot better to chart than to never have charted at all. Over in France, Yakuza 6 is the 5th selling game only being outsold by three different God of War versions (SKUs) and Far Cry 5! The game also came in 3rd in Italy and 7th in Denmark! Sadly didn’t chart in Germany. What’s wrong with them?

Its nice to see that Yakuza 6 is charting in Europe and hopefully we see good sales in America as well. Yakuza 6 in my opinion, is one great game that is worth picking up.

Takashi Iizuka says Sonic Mania Plus physical release is ‘everything we could do for the Sonic Mania Project’


Sonic Mania
was a hit for the indie developers behind the project which included Christian Whitehead, Stealth from Headcannon and PagodaWest Games. It made a lot of older fans come back to the Sonic the Hedgehog brand with delight and soon we will be getting Sonic Mania Plus with added Ray and Mighty.

One thing a lot of hardcore fans want to know, will we see a sequel to Sonic Mania?

“Maybe the next one will be Sonic Mania’ (Dash) then [laughs]. Jokes aside, with the release of the physical version in Sonic Mania Plus, it feels like we did everything we could for the Sonic Mania project.” – Takashi Iizuka

You can check out the fully translated Famitsu interview over at Siliconera, where he even talks about how Ray and Mighty are ‘sealed’ characters that where never mean’t to be in a future game. Interesting?

Space Channel 5 VR coming to America as ‘Kinda Funky News Flash’

Lots of SEGA Dreamcast fanatics will tell you lots of positive things about Space Channel 5 and Part 2, the games had a cult following of hardcore fans. Sadly SEGA has been quiet on the IP, until they showed off a Space Channel 5 VR demo in 2016 (then dubbed Ukiuki Viewing Show).  In February we talked about how the game was getting a downloadable demo and being renamed Arakata Dancing Show. It seems that the game is getting yet another rename for the West, this time being titled Space Channel 5 VR: Kinda Funky News Flash.

The game will debut at the Los Angeles VR event VRLA, which will have a 15 minute demo on May 5 and 6. Like we covered before, this game is being developed by Grounding Inc, who did Crimson Dragon for Microsoft and headed by a few long time SEGA veterans.

As of right now Space Channel VR Kinda Funky News Flash! has only been confirmed for HTC Vive, we also haven’t gotten a release date and/or pricing on the game. The US site for the game does mention that they will do a VR Arcade Version… whatever that means.

What is the best 3D Sonic the Hedgehog video game?

Sonic the Hedgehog launched in glorious 3D back on the Dreamcast (at least officially, there where other attempts prior) and since 1998 it seems that the blue blur has had some trouble really defining what a 3D Sonic the Hedgehog game should be. We have went from the Adventure style games to the boost gameplay that we know now.

But what is the best 3D Sonic the Hedgehog game? 

To me this is hard to answer, like the retro Sonic the Hedgehog games that first came out all had a feel and flow to them, but the 3D ones seem to be all over the place. Even Sonic Adventure 1 and 2 are completely different in tone. For me, it has to be Sonic Adventure and that probably has to do with nostalgia, the fact that I preferred the flow of the game compared to Adventure 2 (letting you pick who you wanted to play instead of forcing you to switch between characters).  Is Sonic Adventure perfect? Nah, but no game is. I will also like to give a special shout out to Sonic Generations, which I enjoyed quite a bit. What about you?

SEGA considering bringing Yakuza 3, 4 and 5 to PlayStation 4 if there is enough demand

While I’m glad that the Yakuza series has finally gotten the attention it deserves, its just a bit sad that it happen over a decade after its initial debut on PlayStation 2. Its not surprising that every new fan that has jumped on the series since Yakuza 0 has wanted ports of all the past games for their current generation console of choice, the PlayStation 4. We already got Yakuza Kiwami (remake of the first game) and Yakuza Kiwami 2 is coming in a few months. But what about Yakuza 3, 4 and 5?

Yakuza series producer Daisuke Sato talked to PlayStation Access and stated that Yakuza 3, Yakuza 4 and Yakuza 5 are all available on PlayStation 3. As for PlayStation 4 “If we get a lot of requests to make them, we may consider it.” 

What do you guys think? Do you guys want to see ports of Yakuza 3, Yakuza 4 and Yakuza 5 on PlayStation 4? Maybe we’ll finally have a physical version of Yakuza 5 in the west!

[Via: Nichegamer]

What Shining Resonance Refrain looks like on Nintendo Switch

SEGA Japan have released new screenshots for Shining Resonance Refrain on the Nintendo Switch. The upcoming Nintendo Switch port, which was previously a PlayStation 3 game, looks basically the same in screenshots (seems to have more bloom in the Nintendo Switch version, or am I crazy?).

As far as how the game will run when you purchase it, we do know that the game will run at a full 1080p when docked, I assume it will drop to 720p in handheld mode. The game hits English speaking countries on July 10 on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC! Hit the jump for the screens:

SEGA News Bits: Sonic Mania Plus Trailer, Release Date & New Info Reaction

SEGA has unleashed a new trailer for the upcoming Sonic Mania Plus, given us more details on the new updated release and even showed off some Ray and Mighty gameplay! On this episode of the SEGA News Bits we discuss Sonic Mania Plus‘ release date being moved forward, what we thought of the trailer and discuss all the new revealed info regarding the newest ‘plus’ update! Listen in and tell us what you think in the comments below!

If you enjoy our SEGA News Bits segments and want to support us: Give us a sub and give this video a thumbs up so it shows up on more like-minded fans YouTube recommendations. You know, how that YouTube algorithm is. You can also support us via Patreon!

What franchise can SEGA resurrect that would excite you?

Its hard being SEGA, the company has a long history of delivering cult classic games and continuously moving on. This has lead to the company always being ‘ahead of its time’ due to them giving their developers freedom and always moving forward, but it also makes older fans miss key franchisees. For example there is a huge fanbase for franchises like Jet Set Radio, Streets of Rage, Golden Axe, Shining Force (original, not whatever we have now), Shinobi, OutRun, Phantasy Star, Virtua Fighter, and honestly the list can go on forever.

But the question here is, what franchise would you love to see SEGA resurrect?

We all have different tastes, so it should be interesting to read what you guys want. Personally, I have a hard time picking one franchise. Its like trying to pick which one of your kids you like best. Can I want them all? I guess if you forced me into a corner it would be cool to have a legit follow-up to OutRun 2. But what about you?

SEGA & Atlus North American eShop sale is live until May 7th, 2018


SEGA and Atlus are having a digital sale on mostly Nintendo 3DS titles. If you missed some of the more recent (last few years) SEGA 3DS games, then you are in for a treat. I totally recommend titles like Stella Glow, SEGA 3D Classics Collection, 7th Dragon III Code: VFD, and even Hatsune Miku: Project Mirai DX (if you like rhythm games).

Nintendo Switch: 

  •  Sonic Forces – $23.99 (was $39.99)

Nintendo 3DS

  • 7th Dragon III Code: VFD – $19.99 (was $39.99)
  • Attack on Titan: Humanity in Chains – $9.99 (was $14.99)
  • Conception II: Children of the Seven Stars – $9.99 (was $19.99)
  • Hatsune Miku: Project Mirai DX – $19.99 (was $39.99)
  • The Legend of Legacy – $14.99 (was $19.99)
  • SEGA 3D Classics Collection – $14.99 (was $29.99)
  • Stella Glow – $14.99 (was $19.99)

Anything you are picking up?

[Via: Go NIntendo]

SEGA’s Border Break Custom HORI PS4 Joystick will only get made if they get 3,000 pre-orders

As we already that Hori is making a Border Break themed custom flight stick (is that what they are called?), but it has not been revealed that they will need at least 3,000 pre-orders by May 2nd to begin production. Seems fair, if you can’t sell 3,000, is it even worth making?

The Border Break custom HORI controller is set to cost 18,334 yen ($168.67 USD) and will ship sometime in 2018. You can pre-order the stick on the official HORI store, the pre-orders cease on May 2nd at 10:00am JST. If you pre-order the custom HORI stick, you will also get a original mech paint color with the HORI logo for Border Break. Sadly this is only (so far) for the Japanese market. Border Break and the HORI custom controller are only being promoted and released within Japan. 

[via Siliconera]