Author Archives: Barry

Sega Genesis/Mega Drive shooter Steel Empire slated to release on the Japanese 3DS eShop this month

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Via Polygon comes news that the SEGA Genesis shooter Steel Empire, also known as Empire of Steel in Europe and Koutetsu Teikoku (鋼鉄帝国) in Japan, is set for a Nintendo 3DS release later this month. Members from the original development team, HOT-B, reformed to create Starfish which will be publishing the 3DS remake. Mebuis is in charge of remaking the game. Steel Empire is expected to release at the end of the month as a 2,940 yen eShop download.

Yoshinori Satake, former Hot-B lead game designer, is currently working on a sequel to the original game, entitled Burning Steel.

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The Year of the SEGA Console – Genesis month begins NOW!

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In mid-January we made the announcement that all year long we’d be celebrating five famous (and infamous) pieces of SEGA hardware hitting milestone anniversaries in what we dubbed 2014: The Year of the SEGA Console. While the 32X, Saturn, Dreamcast, and Pico are slated for month long celebrations later this year, all of March will be focused on SEGA’s 16-bit underdog the SEGA Genesis.

As an American who grew up in the late 80’s and early 90’s, the Genesis is a console that is near and dear to my heart. The Genesis was my introduction to the world of SEGA games, as well as the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise. I know I’m not alone, as that period from 1989 to the mid ’90’s is filled with nostalgic memories for many SEGA fans of the era. As time went on, I became more savvy of SEGA’s impact on other territories, leading to the realization that the Genesis was actually the Mega Drive to everywhere else but America. Still, to me it was the Genesis, not the Mega Drive, that shaped my SEGA fandom and played a major part of defining my childhood.

To honor the Genesis, we plan to feature exciting content both here at SEGAbits and at the SEGAbits YouTube Channel. Expect to see another SEGAbits Franchise Week – this time dedicated to a certain bare knuckle brawler – as well as retro reviews, interviews, round tables, special edition podcasts, and a few surprises. So plug in your controller of choice, clean off those cartridges, and power on for SEGA GENESIS MONTH!

Learn more about the SEGA Genesis at our SEGA Retro wiki

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The SEGA Five: How SEGA redesigned Sonic the Hedgehog

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Following the reveal of Sonic Boom, SEGA and Sonic fan communities exploded with discussion regarding the redesigns of the characters. Things like muscles, sports tape, scarves, tool belts, and blue arms became the subject of heated debates. Before the assurance from SEGA staff that the new game and TV show were a branch of the franchise and not a reboot, fans were both delighted and angered at the idea of Sonic undergoing another redesign after getting to know Modern Sonic for the past 7 years. Of course, fans of the franchise are not new to redesigns of SEGA’s mascot, so they can’t be blamed for assuming that Sonic was undergoing another permanent major change. While Sonic Boom Sonic and Modern Sonic “will continue to move forward in parallel” to each other, as stated by Sonic Team head Takashi Iizuka, the new Westernized design of Sonic is here to stay – at least for the near future.

As we move forward into the Sonic Boom era, we thought it would be fitting to look back at five major moments in Sonic’s history of redesigns, from buttface to green eyes and beyond. “Buttface” is enough incentive to read on, right?

Continue Reading ➜

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Registration opens for SEGA Cup Virtua Fighter Tournament 2014

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Fans of SEGA’s Virtua Fighter listen up – registration for the SEGA Cup opens today! Announced earlier this year, the SEGA Cup features a Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown Tournament, held in partnership with Alex Valle and Level|Up. The tournament takes place in Los Angeles at the Super Arcade on April 26, 2014 from 10am to 10pm. The top 16 players will be awarded cash prizes, and the PS3 version of the game will be used for the competition.

Think you have what it takes, or are you just up for a day of kicking ass or having your ass kicked? Head on over to their official site today!

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Swingin’ Report Show #56: Interview with Sonic Boom Producer Stephen Frost

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Hot on the heels of the reveal of the new Western television series and video game Sonic Boom, SEGA of America producer Stephen Frost sat down with Swingin’ Report Show hosts Barry and George, as well as David of Sonic Retro, to discuss all things speedy and blue. In this hour long discussion we delve into the genesis of the project, learn more of the team at Big Red Button Entertainment, and get a few hints at what we can expect to see in both the game and show. If Stephen’s enthusiasm is any gauge for what we can expect, we’re in for a real treat later this year!

Learn more about the new branch in the Sonic franchise at the official Sonic Boom website.

[Download] [RSS] [iTunes] [Archive]

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The battle of SEGA and Nintendo to be made into a book and a film – film to be made by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg

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To gamers, the battle of SEGA and Nintendo is something of legend. The video game giant Nintendo being taken on by the underdog SEGA. It’s almost like something out of a movie. So it only makes sense that the publishing industry and Hollywood would jump at the chance to make a book and film about the console wars. It was announced this week that Atlantic Books has acquired the UK rights to the book CONSOLE WARS, written by Blake Harris. The book is described as “a riveting behind-the-scenes business thriller that chronicles how SEGA, a small, scrappy gaming company led by an unlikely visionary, took on the juggernaut Nintendo and revolutionized the video game industry”. So basically The Social Network meets Rocky, and SEGA is the good guy. Atlantic plans to publish CONSOLE WARS: Sega, Nintendo and the Battle that Defined a Generation in August 2014, meanwhile American’s can expect the book to release this May from It Books.

Sony Pictures and Scott Rudin, of Moneyball and The Social Network, are developing a film version of the book, which is to be written and directed by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg of Knocked Up and Superbad fame. The book’s writer Blake Harris is serving as Executive Producer and has his own version of the story, a documentary, in the works. The news of the film is nothing new, however this is the first time in a while that we’ve heard anything about it. Back in 2012, IGN came across Sony Pictures registering the domain for Console wars the Movie. So in a few years time we may very well see SEGA vs. Nintendo the Movie! Hey, if Facebook gets a movie, SEGA easily deserves one.

Update: Interestingly, this isn’t the first mention of Rogan and Goldberg being attached to a film version of the book. Back in late 2012 their involvement was mentioned in a Facebook post made by Trident Media Group. Despite this, it appears that the news was never picked up and reported elsewhere. That same day, Rogan and Goldberg tweeted about it.

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SEGA to divide Index Corporation into two companies on April 1st

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Gematsu is reporting that SEGA will be dividing the recently acquired Index Corporation into two companies: Atlus and Index. The division, which will go into effect on April 1st, will also see Index’s Western subsidiary change its name to Atlus U.S.A., Inc. SEGA Sammy’s reasoning for the division is to “maximize the creation of synergies within SEGA Sammy, as well as within each industry of the SEGA Group”.

Atlus will be heading game planning and development with 121 employees, and current SEGA managing director and Index company director Yukio Sugino will be acting as Atlus’ new representative. Meanwhile, Index will handle content and solutions business with 166 employees, the current Index representative director and executive vice president Yasuhiko Hamada will be acting as Index’s representative.

It will be interesting to see what comes of this new division in 2014 and beyond, most intriguing is the mention of creating synergies between Index and Atlus and SEGA’s operations. Could we see Index taking on SEGA IPs, or vice versa?

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SEGA Japan releases a trailer for Shining Force Cross Exlesia Version B

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SEGA of Japan has released a trailer for the version B upgrade to their arcade title Shining Force Cross Exlesia, which is a follow-up to 2012’s arcade title Shining Force Cross Elysion. The trailer shows off the various character classes, including human, darkrace, birdring, beasthalf, and elf. No release date has been given, but fans of the series can expect to see this revision hit Japanese arcades soon.

SEGA has really been shining the light on the Shining Force franchise as of late, with this announcement and the reveal of the Shining Force fighting game. Hey SEGA of Japan, where’s our Virtua Fighter 6?

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Indie shmup NEO XYX releases today for the SEGA Dreamcast

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It has been a busy time for indie SEGA Dreamcast games. Last month we saw the release of Redux: Dark Matters, next month is expected to see the release of Pier Solar, and today we see the release of NG:DEV.TEAM’s NEO XYX. Described as a maniac shooter, the game features 6 stages with 6 endbosses and 5 midbosses, all rendered in 16-bit hand-drawn graphics. The game supports the VMU, VGA out, and the Dreamcast arcade stick. The game also features both vertical (TATE) and horizontal (YOKO) controls, and depending on your screen orientation, the HUD changes to suit the screen mode.

You can purchase the game at the official NG:Dev.Team store, or you can find it for a bit less at Play-Asia in a Standard Edition release, a Limited Edition release which includes the game’s soundtrack, and a Collector’s Edition release.

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Round Table: How we would like to see Sakura Taisen localized

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As Sakura Taisen week comes to an end, the SEGAbits writers and I look ahead to the future of the franchise. While we’re certain Japanese gamers want a sixth title, here in the West we’re still waiting for localized releases of the first four games. While there are no signs of Sakura Taisen 1-4 seeing a Western release anytime soon, that doesn’t stop us from speculating and sharing our own ideas for how SEGA could give gamers these SEGA classics. And who knows, with the recent developments of SEGA acquiring Atlus’s parent company Index and SEGA surprising us all with the localization of Hatsune Miku: Project Diva F, perhaps there is a future for the franchise in the West. Check out our thoughts after the break!

Continue Reading ➜

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Nintendo Direct features new Bayonetta 2 trailer

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Today’s Nintendo Direct was light on SEGA, at least for the West, however we did get a new Bayonetta 2 trailer which features some of the returning secondary characters in their new costumes as well as a new character, a young boy with dreadlocks stuck in Purgatorio with Bayonetta. Boss battles and a sweet surfing scene are shown off as well. All in all, an exciting trailer for the game. The release date is still slated as being later this year, and not much else is revealed beyond that. The Japanese Nintendo Direct revealed the same trailer, as well as Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed and Hero Bank.

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Typing of the Dead: Overkill ‘Love at First Bite’ Lexicon Pack released today

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In celebration of Valentine’s Day, SEGA has released new DLC for Typing of the Dead: Overkill in the form of the ‘Love at First Bite’ Lexicon Pack. Priced at $2.99/£1.99/€2.49, the pack replaces the usual content with romantically themed words and phrases. Meanwhile, for those who have had enough of Valentine’s Day, on February 13th SEGA will release the free ‘Make War Not Love’ Lexicon Pack, which replaces all the words and phrases with battle cries and “motivational military speak”. So whether you’re in the mood for love, or want to head to battle, SEGA has you covered.

Want to know what we thought of Typing of the Dead: Overkill? Check out the SEGAbits review!

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Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed to release in Japan on May 15th

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Famitsu reports that SEGA has announced a Japanese release date for Sonic & All-Stars Racing Tranformed. The game, which released in the West on November 2012, is due for release on the Wii U and Playstation 3 on May 15th, 2014. While Famitsu’s article does not mention any exclusive characters for the Japanese version, it would be interesting if SEGA included Ryo Hazuki or Hatsune Miku in an attempt to appeal more to Japanese audiences. One interesting bit of information is the mention of Takenobu Mitsuyoshi being “the voice of SEGA”, could the Japanese version be adding an announcer or theme song to the game? We’ll reach out to Sumo for more info on this and the Japanese release of the game. Stay Tuned!

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Swingin’ Report Show #55: Localize It! with Segalization

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This week’s episode is a special one, as Barry and George reunite to talk with Draikin and InTheSky of the SEGAbits partner site Segalization – a fan campaign dedicated to promoting the localization of SEGA games. While Western SEGA fans have enjoyed a number of great releases over the past few years, there are several titles that fans have never been able to experience due to SEGA not localizing hits from Japan for Western audiences.

Draikin and InTheSky talk about the inception of the Segalization campaign, and share their thoughts on how SEGA could go about localizing titles including Valkyria Chronicles 3, Yakuza 5, Yakuza Ishin, and Puyo Puyo Tetris. We also reveal another new partner site, Panzer Dragoon fan site The Will of the Ancients, and deliver the usual off topic banter. Enjoy the show!

Want to support Segalization? Visit their website, follow them on Facebook and Twitter and sign their petition to bring Japanese SEGA titles to the West!

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Transformers Mega Drive Megatron is pretty much the coolest toy ever

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Via Tformers comes the reveal of a very cool new Transformers figure: The Mega Drive Megatron. A collaboration between SEGA and Takara Tomy, the figure is, as you would expect from the name, the Decepticon leader Megatron who transforms into a SEGA Mega Drive. This special edition figure was revealed at the Tokyo Toy Show Winter Wonder Festival, and from the photos it is assumed that the figure will act as a USB device based on the end of Megatron’s arm mounted weapon. Once we learn more of this awesome figure, including where you can buy it, we’ll be sure to let you know!

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