Author Archives: Barry

‘Sonic Boom the Game’ revealed as third Wii U/3DS Sonic title

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Update: We reached out to SEGA of America over the big question of whether this is a reboot or it’s own thing. Their reply? “Sonic Boom is a new branch of the Sonic universe and does not replace modern Sonic.”

Update 2: The SEGA Blog has posted the official announcement. After the break, check out an image gallery for both the TV show and the game.

Update 3: This is crazy. So way back in March of 2013 a CryEngine 3 demo video was uploaded to YouTube, and the video featured some unnamed environments from Big Red Button. Those environments are actually from Sonic Boom the game! We’ve added the video after the break.

Not only is Sonic Boom the cartoon series landing later this year on Cartoon Network, but SEGA has also revealed today that LA developer Big Red Button Entertainment, a team made up of Ex-Naughty Dog staffers, will be leading the development of a video game adaptation of the series which will be exclusive to the Wii U and 3DS. This makes Sonic Boom the first Western created Sonic cartoon and video game adaptation in over 20 years, the last being Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog and Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine, as well as Sonic Spinball which featured Sonic SatAM elements as well as characters which were carried over to Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog.

Some may be tearing their hair out in the belief that Sonic has been rebooted, Sonic Team are no longer developing the games, and Sonic will forever be Nintendo exclusive. HOWEVER we have yet to hear from SEGA themselves over whether we can expect to see the usual Sonic Team developed “modern Sonic” we’ve come to know continue and be seen as separate from Sonic Boom the cartoon series and game adaptation. Much like the aforementioned Western Sonic cartoons and games being separate from the Japanese developed titles. Once we learn more, we’ll be sure to share it!

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Contest: Win a SEGA Tommo iPhone 5/5S Genesis, Saturn, or Mega Drive case

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Today marks our four year anniversary, and it just so happens that we also have a contest to win a Tommo iPhone 5/5S case from our friends at SEGA and Tommo! What more, these SEGA iPhone cases come in SEGA Genesis, Mega Drive, and Saturn styles – consoles that celebrate milestone anniversaries this year, which we’ve aptly dubbed The Year of the SEGA Console! We have four cases (2X Genesis, 1X Mega Drive, and 1X Saturn) to give away to four lucky SEGA fans.

To enter, all you have to do is follow SEGAbits on Twitter and/or Instagram, take photos of your SEGA collection or your favorite SEGA hardware (be creative, it helps your chances) and share them with us, tagging your entry with #SEGAbitsContest. While you can submit more than one photo, we will only award one case per person and we advise you keep the number of entries minimal – think “quality over quantity”. We’re excited to see what our potential winners come up with!

Deadline for entries is February 28th. Winners will receive a randomly selected case, though a winning photo’s content may dictate which case we award. Contest not open to SEGAbits staff or staff of SEGA fan sites.

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First 4 Figures Akira Yuki statue pre-order goes live

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Another First 4 Figures statue in the SEGA All-Stars line, Akira Yuki of Virtua Fighter fame, is now available for pre-order and is priced at $184.99. Teased last week, Akira has been revealed to be limited to 1,000 pieces worldwide and First 4 Figures have said that if you have the first in the series (Ryo Hazuki) and have been authenticated on their website, you will be entitled to receive the same number piece for Akira. First 4 Figures have also shared that the statue will be 11 inches in height and is set to release in the third quarter of 2014.

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New Sonic the Hedgehog game due in 2015 for Xbox One, Playstation 4, and Wii U

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The toy company Jazwares featured an interesting sign at last week’s Nuremberg toy fair. As reported by The Sonic Stadium, the sign charts the future of the Sonic brand including the reveal that 2015 will see the release of a new Sonic game for the Xbox One, Playstation 4, and Wii U. Little else is revealed, but the lack of Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 may be a sign that Sonic’s days on those platforms have come to an end. Also interesting, no sign of the supposed third exclusive Wii U Sonic title. Either it is still on the way, and has yet to be revealed, or the upcoming 2015 is that third title and the deal with Nintendo has since changed. More on Sonic 2015 adventure as we hear it!

Also detailed is the upcoming CG cartoon series Sonic Boom, however none of the information is new.

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Demon Tribe iOS to shut down March 31, 2014 – four months after Western launch

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Despite launching in late November of last year for the West, and in late February last year in Japan, SEGA has made the decision to shut down services for the iOS title Demon Tribe on March 31, 2014. The announcement, made on Facebook and detailed on Demon Tribe’s website, stated the following:

Since we began service in Japan on February 28, 2013, we have put every effort into improving the game’s systems and operations, and providing enjoyable in-game events. Unfortunately, at this point we are unable to continue to give Demon Tribe the support it deserves. After careful consideration of all aspects of the needs of our players and the game’s development, we have arrived at the very difficult decision to end game services in all territories.

The development and operations teams are very grateful to all our players who have enjoyed and supported Demon Tribe, and we look forward to sharing future adventures with you.

In an FAQ following the announcement, the reason for service ending was “We are unable to provide a satisfactory level of service for our players, and have had to make the very difficult decision to end service.”

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SEGA has announced 2014’s Virtua Fighter tournament – the “SEGA CUP”

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SEGA of America is once again hosting a Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown tournament in the form of the “SEGA CUP”. The tournament, created in partnership with Alex Valle and Level|Up, is set to take place in Los Angeles, California at the Super Arcade on April 26, 2014 and The top 16 players will be rewarded cash prizes. The PS3 version will be the version used for the tournament, so start training those fingers on a DualShock!

SEGA says that details about how to participate in the “SEGA CUP” will be announced at a later date. For more information on the “SEGA CUP”, visit sega.com/segacup

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Xbox’s Fable was originally to release on SEGA Dreamcast

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Examiner.com shared an interesting bit of news today regarding the early development of Xbox’s Fable. According to Fable Anniversary Lead Designer Tim Timmins, the game was originally intended for the SEGA Dreamcast. In a recent interview with Examiner, Timmins revealed that he learned this during recent discussions with Prima Games, who were handling Fable‘s strategy guide at the time the game originally released. “Did you know that Fable was originally going to be a Dreamcast game, before the Xbox came along?” Timmins told Examiner, “There was also supposed to be a boss fight with a boss that was about 50 feet tall that mirrored your every move.”

These sorts of stories shouldn’t be new to SEGA fans, as several SEGA developed games in the early Xbox era were initially planned to be Dreamcast titles, including ToeJam and Earl 3 and Jet Set Radio Future. Still, it’s interesting to hear that one of Microsoft’s big titles could have appeared on the Dreamcast had the past gone in a different direction.

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First 4 Figures teases Virtua Fighter Akira Yuki statue

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First 4 Figures is at it again, teasing another statue in their SEGA All-Stars line. Shenmue‘s Ryo Hazuki was just recently released, and Vyse of Skies of Arcaida has been teased. Now, a new challenger approaches in the form of Virtua Fighter Akira Yuki! No additional information has been given, but it’s safe to say that pre-orders will go live sometime this year and the price will likely be in line with Ryo Hazuki – which sells for between $169.99 and $184.99. When we learn more, we’ll be sure to share it!

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Swingin’ Report Show #54: SEGA Retro Talk with GameSpot editor Peter Brown

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The SEGAbits Swingin’ Report Show is back for 2014, and boy do we have a good show for you!

SEGAbits editor/writer Barry the Nomad and SEGAbits writer, Sonic Talk host, and Sonic Stadium writer Jason aka Shigs are joined by GameSpot editor Peter Brown for a retro themed round table discussion. Peter shares how he got into video game journalism and gives us his thoughts on the Xbox One’s Panzer Dragoon spiritual successor Crimson Dragon – which he officially reviewed for GameSpot. We also discuss the many SEGA consoles celebrating anniversaries this year and share some good ol’ SEGA memories. Listen today, and while you’re at it subscribe to us and rate us on iTunes!

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

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Round Table: How we would like to see Ristar brought into the modern era

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Ristar week has been a blast, but it ain’t over until we throw a round table! This week, our writers answer the question: “How would you like to see Ristar brought into the modern era?” Despite Ristar’s short lifespan in the 90’s, the character’s popularity has endured, as evidenced by our full week of Ristar coverage and Ristar’s inclusion as a cameo in Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing and his second cameo as the flagman for Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed. But cameos are not enough for SEGA’s star headed platformer, we think he deserves more.

Read on to see how we would like to see Ristar brought into the modern era!

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Indie Dreamcast game Redux: Dark Matters is now shipping

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It has been a long road, but Hucast’s Redux: Dark Matters for the SEGA Dreamcast has finally begun to ship out for Kickstarter backers at the $65 level. Funded in June of 2012, and originally expected to ship in December of the same year, Redux: Dark Matters saw several delays and some controversy over the game’s exclusivity to Kickstarter backers. But all that may be behind us as Hucast shared the following via their blog:

Redux: Dark Matters is the up and coming space shooting game with fresh scoring elements and an incredible soundtrack composed by Andre Neuman featuring legendary video game composer Chris Huelsbeck (Turrican, R-Type). Featuring Highres visuals with in-space, robot blasting, shooting game action. Developed by René Hellwig from NG:DEV.TEAM (GunLord, Fast Striker, Last Hope and DUX) and programmed by KTX Software Development. The game was now released, and is now shipping.

Those who didn’t back the Kickstarter project can purchase the game at the Hucast shop, or you can purchase the Redux: Dark Matters standard edition and the limited edition at Play-Asia.

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My Life with SEGA kills some time on the SEGA Genesis with “Time Killers”

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Introduction by A.J. Rosa: When Strata’s weapon-based fighter Time Killers hit arcades in 1992, my brother and I soon monopolized the cabinet. It was funny, violent, gory and ridiculously entertaining. Being SEGA boys, we were itchin’ to see this bloody whore ported to the Genesis, or even better, the SEGA CD. Hey, that was our new toy, and we thought it was AWESOME!

By the time it landed on our favorite 16-bit hero, 4 years had passed. SEGA Saturn, Sony’s PlayStation and the Nintendo 64 were already duking it out. On top of that, Time Killers had been surpassed by other fighters. Unlike its contemporaries, such as Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat, it didn’t receive an annual sequel to keep the franchise alive.

So, was this port worth the wait? Lauren and I will share our feelings with you as we try to hack each other into pieces. Like this video? Subscribe to the SEGAbits YouTube channel!

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Indie shooter NEO XYX for the SEGA Dreamcast has gone gold

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A new year means another batch of indie Dreamcast games! While Hucast’s Redux: Dark Matters is shipping soon, and WaterMelon’s Pier Solar HD is due in March, NG:DEV.TEAM has been hard at work on their upcoming TATE (vertical) maniac shooter NEO XYX. The team happily tweeted today NEO XYX for the Dreamcast has gone gold, and that the official website for the game is now open! Regular, limited, and collector editions are up for pre-order on their store, with an anticipated release date of next month.

After the jump, a list of features players can expect from the title, as well as a gallery of screens.

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New Yakuza Ishin video compares the PS3 and PS4 versions

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An exciting new video has hit promoting both the PS3 and PS4 versions of Ryū ga Gotoku Ishin!, due for a release in Japan on February 22, 2014. The comparison video, shared in our forums by maakun2896, not only shows off gameplay footage, but they even detail the differences in controllers and package design. No word on a release to the West just yet, but the game is looking so good that many fans have already decided to import rather than wait. Are you planning on importing the game, or are you a lucky soul living in Japan? Sound off in the comments below, or discuss the game further in our dedicated forum topic!

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My Life with SEGA’s “The Next Level” and “No Limits” – audio commentary edition

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Welcome to The Next Level/No Limits audio commentary, featuring My Life with SEGA’s A.J. Rosa, SEGAbits editor Barry the Nomad, and Kori of The Website of the Dead. Here they discuss the process of making the two My Life with SEGA short films The Next Level and No Limits, the Panzer Dragoon series, as well as SEGA’s past, present and future. Expect to find this commentary on the upcoming The Next Level/No Limits DVD. In the meantime, we’re hard at work on the VCD version of the short films, which as previously revealed is to have special SEGA CD/Saturn box art. We’ll have more information on how you can get your hands on that special release very soon!

Like this video? Subscribe to the SEGAbits YouTube channel!

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