SEGA confirms quality a huge emphasis for future titles

SonicBoomFireIceSonicAmy-894x375Sonic the Hedgehog is a huge deal for SEGA, its one of their biggest selling brands. But have they given the series the development focus that it deserved? I would say no, for example even if a game starring Sonic the Hedgehog is good, you can always tell it was rushed out the door. Seems SEGA knows its future survival in the game software industry will rest on how they treat Sonic and they’re making good on their promise by delaying September’s Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice which was mean’t to be out last fall.

MCVUK talked to Sonic Chief brand officer Ivo Gerscovich who had this to say:

“Sega is really – as of this last year – putting a huge emphasis on quality. One of the things about Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice is that we held the title for a year, which is not something Sega has traditionally done, but this focus on quality is really about trying to take Sonic back to where it used to be.”

This is a huge move for SEGA and the Sonic the Hedgehog series, this might finally launch that highly polished Sonic game that all fans have been starving for. SEGA should be happy having such a loyal Sonic the Hedgehog fanbase, considering hundreds of mascot platformers have come, and went while they delivered some of the worse games in the mascot’s history. But hey, here is to the future and the new team at SEGA. Don’t screw this up!

Rez Infinite comes out October 13th for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation VR

maxresdefaultRez Infinite was shown last year, was raved about as one of the most compelling PlayStation VR demos shown at the device’s revealing event. Now developer Enhanced Games has confirmed that the ‘remake’ will be coming out digitally on October 13th on both PlayStation 4 and PlayStation VR.

Rez Infinite is set to run at full 1080p and feature a new level they are calling ‘Area X’. While Rez Infinite got a lot of buzz because of its PlayStation VR support, it is an optional feature and is fully enjoyable on a regular TV. The real question is though, will Rez Infinite get a trance vibrator re-release?

Sonic 25th Anniversary Humble Comics Bundle now live

Sonic25thComicBundleYesterday we posted about how SEGA teamed up with Humble Bundle to deliver a great deal of games via their Sonic 25th Anniversary Humble Bundle. That isn’t all that is going down, since they are also doing a Sonic 25th Anniversary Humble Comics Bundle!

This is what the Sonic 25th Anniversary Humble Comics Bundle comes with:

Pay $1 or more:

  • Sonic Universe Vol. 6: Treasure Team Tango
  • Sonic The Hedgehog Issues 264-272, 276-279
  • Sonic Universe Issues 45, 55-58
  • Sonic Boom Issues 1-4

Pay more than average (right now $10.91) to unlock: 

  • Sonic The Hedgehog Issues 260-263
  • Sonic Universe Issues 59-74
  • Sonic Boom Issues 5-7
  • Sonic Universe Issues 83-86
  • Another comic coming soon!

Pay $15 or more to also unlock: 

  • Sonic The Hedgehog Issues 226-229, 252-259
  • Sonic the Hedgehog Issues 280-283
  • Sonic Universe Issues 18-20, 75, 79-82
  • Sonic Super Digest Issues 13-16

That is quite a bit of comics if you get the $15 dollar tier. Of course, these are all digital comics, not physical and like most things on humble are DRM free. What do you guys think of the Sonic 25th Anniversary Humble Comics Bundle?

‘Swabby’ a new homebrew SEGA Game Gear game out now

Do you still have your SEGA Game Gear and looking for a new Shoot’em up game to keep you busy? Look no further than the just released Swabby, a new homebrew game from the developer of Hang-On is now available for you to download via SMS Power. That means that the SEGA Game Gear lives!

The character Swabby actually has quite the history with the SEGA Master System since the snail creature starred in the hidden Snail Maze game. The game takes assets from classic SEGA games like Altered Beast, Shinobi and even Sonic the Hedgehog. So have plenty of extra batteries, turn on your SEGA Game Gear and start the nostalgia.

[Via: Retro Collect]

Data Discs announces OutRun 30th Anniversary record

OutRunVinylLimitedEditionData Discs has announced that it will be pressing the iconic OutRun soundtrack on 180g vinyl. The release will include the orginal 1986 classic soudntrack stright from the arcade machine, three bonus tracks from the SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive port and even the new exclusive tracks from 3D OutRun on the 3DS.

If you pre-order early, there will be an EXTRA special edition (limited to 50 copies) that will be signed by the composer, Hiro himself. It will be assigned to people who pre-order the limited edition version (pictured above).

Pre-orders go up on June 25th at 11:00 AM PST (or 7:00PM UK time).

OutRun vinyl will come in three flavors: 

• 180g mint green, clear and pink (limited edition, exclusive to the Data Discs site)
• 180g mint green
• 180g classic black

The vinyl is set to ship out in July, so these are only pre-orders. Going to be honest, can’t praise Data Discs enough on these releases. Just beautiful.

Sonic 25th Anniversary Humble Bundle launches with exclusive shirt

HumbleBundleSonicHumble Bundle has just launched its Sonic 25th Anniversary Humble Bundle which will include a wide arrange of Sonic games for PC including retro and more recent titles.

This is what you get in the Sonic 25th Anniversary Humble Bundle.

Pay $1 or more:

  • Sonic the Hedgehog (SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive)
  • Sonic Adventure DX 
  • Sonic 3D Blast
  • Sonic CD

Beat the average (right now $9.00) also unlocks: 

  • Sonic the Hedgehog 4 – Episode I
  • Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing
  • Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive)
  • Sonic Adventure 2 + Battle DLC 
  • More games coming soon

Pay $10 dollars and also get: 

  • Sonic Lost World
  • Sonic Generations + Casino NiGHTS DLC
  • Sonic the Hedgehog 4 – Episode 2
  • Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed (Plus Metal Sonic & Outrun and Ryo DLC)

Pay $35 bucks and get: 

  • Exclusive Sonic 25th Anniversary Humble Bundle Shirt

If you have never used Humble Bundle, the way it works is that its all tiers. So if you pay the $35 dollars for the exclusive Sonic 25th Anniversary Humble Bundle shirt, you also get all the games in the package. All games redeem on Steam.

What are your guys thoughts on this Sonic 25th Anniversary Humble Bundle? What tier is everyone picking up? Let us know in the comments below.

Yakuza 0’s E3 2016 Trailer Looks Fantastic

SEGA has put out their Yakuza 0 E3 2016 trailer today, showing off what you can expect from the retail game later in 2017 and it looks fantastic. They really did a great job with this trailer and they don’t try to hide the fact that the game is Japanese voiced with English subtitles (like they have in the past). Make sure you pre-order Yakuza 0 when the game becomes available, the franchise almost died in the West and its nice that SEGA of America has given it yet another chance.

Like stated before, Yakuza 0 is set to release early 2017 and will have a physical copy in North America. What do you guys think of the new trailer? Tell us in the comments below.

SEGA News Bits: Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap Remake Revealed

The 1989 SEGA Master System classic Wonder Boy III The Dragon’s Trap is getting a remake and dropping the III from the title. Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap  remake is being developed by indie developer Lizardcube and being published by DotEmu. The game is set to sport beautiful hand drawn animation and so far it looks fantastic.

What are your thoughts on Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap reveal? Let us know the comments below and like always thanks for watching! If you like our SEGA News Bits videos, make sure to subscribe to us on our YouTube channel.

E3 2016: Toshihiro Nagoshi shows off Yakuza 0 on the PlayStation livecast

Toshihiro Nagoshi sat at the PlayStation Show as part of their E3 2016 LiveCast to talk about Yakuza 0. This is also one of the first times we get to see English gameplay footage of the game which is interesting. The interview is being translated by SEGA’s Sam Mullen (which we interviewed here). Yakuza 0 will be coming to North America in a physical disc as well early next year.

I think this was a nice little segment and I hope it gets some PlayStation 4 owners to check out Yakuza 0 when it finally launches.

[Via Yakuza Fan]

SEGA News Bits: Sonic the Hedgehog Joins LEGO Dimensions Reaction

Sonic the Hedgehog is heading to LEGO Dimensions! Revealed in an E3 Expo Trailer for the game is a number of new franchises hitting the Lego toys-to-life multi-platform game, including Gremlins, Harry Potter, Adventure Time, The A-Team and others. At the moment, not much more is known. Sonic the Hedgehog could be a minor addition by way of a Fun Pack (figure and item) or a full-blown Level Pack (figure and items, plus levels) or a Team Pack (multiple figures and items). Sonic Stadium did spot the Tornado in a LEGO Dimensions graphic, so it is possible we will at least get a Fun Pack of Sonic and the Tornado.

Sit back and enjoy our thoughts on the announcement. Tell us what you think of Sonic the Hedgehog coming to LEGO Dimensions in the comments below.

SEGA News Bits: SEGA & Atlus E3 2016 Game Lineup and Stage Show Schedule

Its that time of year, when gamers and nerds from across the country come to LA to see upcoming video games. I’m talking about E3 2016 and this time we will be looking at what SEGA & Atlus has in store for you. We will be talking about their confirmed game lineup which includes titles like Yakuza 0, Dawn of War III, 7th Dragon III Code: VFD and even Persona 5.

On the second half of this SEGA News Bits we will be talking about SEGA & Atlus’ E3 2016 stage show schedule which will even include a Q&A with Yakuza series developer Toshihiro Nagoshi! Tell us what you think about SEGA & Atlus’ E3 2016 presence in the comments below. If you like the video don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel.

First Dawn of War III gameplay footage emerges

SEGA and Relic Entertainment have now shown the first glimpse at gameplay for their upcoming game Dawn of War III. While the first trailer they showed had a dark paint like art style, making some fans think that was going to be what the game looked like. It seems the actual game will have a more ‘comic book cartoon’ like art style. Also surprising to see how much color the game has, which in my opinion is a good thing.

I know Dawn of War III isn’t on every SEGA fans radar, but what do you think of the gameplay shown? Let us know in the comments below.

SEGA News Bits: Dreamcast 2 Fan Project Shuts Down Reaction

Late last year a group of SEGA Dreamcast fans announced they where petitioning SEGA to start Project Dream, which was basically a Dreamcast 2 console. The users behind the project used a Change.org petition to garner support for their Dreamcast 2 project. After getting over 30,000 signatures from fans around the globe, getting some mainstream press coverage and showing off a few Dreamcast 2 video concepts the team has now called it quits.

We give you all the information you might have missed on the project, talk about why they shut down and our opinions on the whole thing. Tell us what you think in the comments below. If you haven’t, make sure to subscribe to get more SEGA News Bits videos.

SEGA and Atlus’ Full E3 2016 Stage Schedule Revealed

SEGAATLUSThe full stage schedule for SEGA & Atlus’ stage shows has been revealed via RPG Site’s twitter account. SEGA and Atlus have multiple ‘special presentations’ at the event, what will be at the presentations? I guess we will find out soon enough since E3 2016 starts on June 14th!

This is SEGA/Atlus’ E3 2016 stage schedule:

Tuesday, June 14

  • 1:00 PM: Special presentation.
  • 2:00 PM: Yakuza 0 presentation with series creator Toshihiro Nagoshi.
  • 3:00 PM: Persona 5 character design talk with character designer Shigenori Soejima.
  • 4:00 PM: Special presentation.
  • 5:00 PM: The King of Fighters XIV pro exhibition matches.

Wednesday, June 15

  • 11:00 AM: Persona 5 exclusive E3 print autograph session with Shigenori Soejima.
  • 12:30 PM: Special presentation.
  • 2:00 PM: The King of Fighters XIV pro exhibition matches.
  • 3:00 PM: Yakuza 0 demo.
  • 4:30 PM: Special presentation.

Thursday, June 16

  • 11:00 AM: Persona 5 fan Q&A with Shigenori Soejima.
  • 12:00 PM: Special presentation.
  • 2:30 PM: The King of Fighters XIV pro exhibition matches.
  • 3:30 PM: Special presentation.

I’m assuming SEGA and Atlus will be live streaming their stage shows on their respective online streaming channels like Twitch. I mean, if they don’t then whats the point? What are your thoughts on SEGA and Atlus’ E3 2016 stage schedule? SEGA is back with stage shows, hyped?

SEGA News Bits: SEGA Teases Possible Sonic Crossover Games?

SEGA put out a new survey that asked fans a ton of questions of what they would like to see the company do. One of the questions that stood out to Sonic the Hedgehog fans was the on about what franchises people would be interested in seeing Sonic crossover with. The list included Adventure Time, My Little Pony, Pixar, Capcom, Looney Toons, Disney, Nintendo, and Dragon Ball Z. As you can see this list of franchise both upset and delighted most Sonic the Hedgehog fans.

We all know this isn’t the first time Sonic the Hedgehog has had a crossover game, right now the blue blur is still crossing over with Nintendo’s Mario franchise with their Mario & Sonic Olympic titles. We sit down, discuss the franchises listed and even get to the bottom of where this survey came from! Like our video content? Don’t forget to subscribe to us on YouTube.