Author Archives: Barry

My Life with SEGA proves that white men can’t jump in Jammit on SEGA Genesis

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It’s another sport’s edition featuring Lauren Buckler. This time, she’s going head-to-head with A.J. Rosa in GTE Entertainment’s Jammit; an arcade-style one-on-one street basketball game developed by GTE Vantage.

Will her winning streak continue after trouncing A.J. Rosa’s sorry ass last week with NHL Hockey ’94?

This episode also includes a teaser for No Limits: My Life with SEGA, the thrilling sequel to The Next Level! Like this video? Subscribe to the SEGAbits YouTube channel!

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Round Table: What’s next for Sonic after Lost World?

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Whenever I complete the latest Sonic game, the first thing I think about is “what’s next?”. Following Sonic Colors, it seemed like for the first time since the Sonic Adventure titles, speculation was an exciting experience. Would they expand on the Wisp power-ups? Would SEGA continue with some form of boost, or would the slow things down? Sonic Generations answered these questions with a “greatest hits” game featuring modern Sonic gameplay that felt like a mix of the best elements found in both Sonic Unleashed and Sonic Colors. Following Sonic Generations, Sonic Team promised us something new and unique, and that something was Sonic Lost World. We’ve all played and, and we all have varying opinions on it. Some enjoyed it and some… well, we’re sure to have an editorial soon.

With another Sonic game behind us, the SEGAbits writers and myself are once again asking that question of “what’s next?”. Join us in our super Sonic speculation in the return of the SEGAbits Round Table!

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The SEGA Five: Best SEGA games on the Xbox 360

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Today is the launch day for the Xbox One in America, and as people head to stores to pick up the latest console, the Xbox 360 officially becomes a “last gen” machine. Last week George named the five best SEGA titles to grace the Playstation 3, and seeing as how I’m the site’s Xbox guy, I thought I’d do the same for the Xbox 360. As with George’s list, these are my personal picks, so feel free to add any titles in the comments section!

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Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse released today to iOS

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The rollout of SEGA iOS titles continues with Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse! I don’t recall this title ever being announced for iOS, so this is quite the surprise. The game itself is fantastic, which you can read all about in our review. The game can be played on iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch for $9.99 USD. What game can we expect next from SEGA? Well, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 was promised a November release, so stay tuned for that one. Also, the Nintendo 3DS SEGA 3D Classics begin releasing next week with 3D Space Harrier and 3D Super Hang-On on Thanksgiving day.

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Demon Tribe now available and free to download on iOS

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Demon Tribe, produced by Masayoshi Kikuchi of Panzer Dragoon, Yakukza, and Jet Set Radio fame, is now available to download on iOS for free! That’s right, no need for us to convert prices or post a list of currencies for each country. The title is free to download now, and those who get into the game early gain access to exclusive KISS Demons and other launch rewards. As shared by the SEGA Blog, completing the following objectives unlocks exclusive demons designed to look like members of the band KISS:

Receive KISS ‘The Star Child’ Rare Demon (Paul Stanley) when you complete the tutorial!
Receive KISS ‘The Demon’ Rare Demon (Gene Simmons) when you share the exciting launch of Demon Tribe to your Facebook or Twitter profile from within the game!
Receive 1,000 CP (in-game currency) by raising your Organization Level to 20!
Receive Bonus Gems to summon more Demons just for logging in!

A weird, but welcomed, bonus indeed. SEGA describes the game as an intense real-time blend of MOBA, Card Collection and RPG gaming. Players are tasked with building a powerful team of fighters by capturing demons and fusing them into magic that transforms you and your tribe into the very demons you vanquish. For more info on the game, head on over to the SEGA Blog or simply download it now!

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Can you play a SEGA Dreamcast through the Xbox One’s HDMI in?

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Despite it being a big week for video games, with both Sony and Microsoft releasing new consoles, very little has applied to SEGA fans. Aside from Xbox One’s Crimson Dragon, there are no actual SEGA games releasing on either console at launch. However, thanks to GameSpot editor Peter Brown, who we’ve been chatting with on Twitter, we may have an answer for whether or not you can play a Dreamcast through the Xbox One. After we tweeted “Awaiting the first video of a Dreamcast with VGA out going through an HDMI converter box, and into the HDMI in port of an Xbox One”, Peter replied, “I tried passing a composite signal into a HDMI conv box, and it won’t work. Following up with Microsoft re: HDMI passthrough reqs”. So it looks like the Genesis, Saturn, or any other composite signal console running through an HDMI converter is a no go. Peter then tried running a VGA signal through an HDMI converter and….

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First 4 Figures Sonic Generations diorama up for pre-order, prices revealed

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First 4 Figures latest line of Sonic statues departs from the Modern or Classic designations for a theme dubbed The Sonic Diorama Collection. Promising to “celebrate iconic scenes from Sonic’s amazingly diverse history”, the first of these diorama statues features Modern and Classic Sonic rolling around at the speed of sound through City Escape in Sonic Generations. The statue is now up for pre-order, with an exclusive edition featuring illuminated sparks and ramp for $329.99, limited to 450 pieces. The standard edition lacks the lights and is $299.99, limited to 1,000 pieces. Both are estimated to release on the second quarter of 2014.

While the first of these dioramas is quite attractive, as with previous First 4 Figures Sonic statues, the price is ever going up as each new statue is revealed. The first Sonic statue, released in 2009, featured Sonic in his classic design on a Green Hill base for $129.99. The most recent Sonic statue, featuring Shadow, in the exclusive form was $229.99. By comparison, this new diorama is a $100 increase from the last statue, and a $200 increase from the first of the Sonic statues. What do you all think? Is $300+ worth it for this new statue? What Sonic diorama’s would you like to see in the future?

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Charles Bellfield, former SEGA VP of strategic planning and corporate affairs, has passed away

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Sad news this morning as we have learned that Charles Bellfield, SEGA of America’s former VP of strategic planning and corporate affairs from 1998 to 2003, has passed away. Bellfield was best known as the spokesman for Sega of America during the launch of the Dreamcast. The news of his passing came from his brother Edward through Facebook, saying that Bellfield had passed away in San Francisco on Friday night. Bellfield held other positions in the gaming industry including executive roles at Edelman, Capcom, Codemasters, 3DV Systems, EmotionPlay, and Imagination Technologies’ Pure North America division.

Peter Moore, Bellfield’s SEGA boss during the Dreamcast era, described him as “good time Charlie. The life of every party, a true bon vivant. The quintessential Englishman abroad. You’ve left us way too soon Charlie, but you’ve also left us with a hundred stories to tell and a thousand smiles on all of our faces. The room was a better, more fun-filled place when you were in it.”

We here at SEGAbits send our condolences to Bellfield’s family and friends. He will be missed.

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Review: Sonic Lost World (Wii U)

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I’ll forego the Sonic franchise history lesson that typically kicks off a Sonic review. As SEGA fans, we know where the franchise has been. Sonic Lost World, a Wii U exclusive title, answers the question: where is the Sonic franchise headed? Unlike the series spanning celebration that was Sonic Generations, Sonic Lost World introduces several new gameplay elements and shakes up the familiar 2008-2011 Sonic formula. Some may take this as a breath of fresh air, as the series has finally moved away from boost mechanics. Others, content with the direction the series was headed and the refinements Sonic Generations made to the formula, may find Sonic Lost World to be too much of a reinvention. Did Sonic Team’s shake-up pay off? Read on as we enter Sonic Lost World!

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My Life with SEGA loses some teeth playing NHL Hockey ’94

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SEGA’s Mega Drive is now twenty-five years old, and hockey season’s in full swing. What better way to celebrate both than playing NHL Hockey ’94? None!

Now, I’m not much of sports fan, so I own very few sports related titles. However, I have NHL ’94. Why? Well, my brother and I used to play it. A lot. He wasn’t much of a hockey fan either, yet we loved this game….

This week, I share that love with my sister-from-another-mister, Lauren Buckler. Mickey Mac will return. I promise. Until then, it’s the girl’s time to shine.

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Help kickstart SEGA Mega Drive/Genesis: Collected Works

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2013 appears to be the year of SEGA Kickstarter campaigns. We’ve had Not Enough Rings, Redux: Dark Matters, and now we have SEGA Mega Drive/Genesis: Collected Works. Darren Wall, the UK man behind the campaign, is attempting to create what he describes as the “definitive volume” of the SEGA Mega Drive. The end product will be a book, officially licensed by SEGA, containing “an unparalleled treasury of production artwork, interviews, development sketches and hardware manufacturing plans”. The project also promises:

It will also include over 20 exclusive interviews with original SEGA team members – many of whom have never been interviewed before – a foreword by industry legend Dave Perry and an insightful 10,000-word piece by Keith Stuart (Games Editor for the Guardian and regular contributor to Edge) on the machine that changed the landscape of gaming forever.

The book will showcase a wealth of SEGA’s 16-bit titles, from blockbuster games such as Bare Knuckle/Streets of Rage, Sonic the Hedgehog, Phantasy Star, Gunstar Heroes, The Super Shinobi/Revenge of Shinobi and Golden Axe through to cult gems such as Rent-a-Hero, Vectorman and DecapAttack.

Darren Wall shouldn’t have any problem with meeting his £30,000 goal, as at the time of writing this there is 27 days remaining and he is only £10 away from completion. Head on over to the campaign page and show your support! We’ll keep you updated on the project as it progresses.

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Sonic Dash receives a Halloween update, battle Zazz of Sonic Lost World for a limited time

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Hardlight Studio announced a surprise update to Sonic Dash this morning, adding to the game for a limited time a boss battle with Zazz of Sonic Lost World. The addition is big news for a few reasons, one being that the game now has boss battles which have been long requested by fans, the other reason being that Sonic Lost World is not even a month old and we’ve already seen the first instance of a new character from the game appearing in another Sonic title. Zazz’s boss battle appears to occur at random when hitting a spring to enter a new area. Players must first dodge stars from behind, then from ahead. Finally, Sonic and Zazz fly into the air and you must homing attack the Zeti to defeat him.

Hardlight Studio also promises a Sonic Lost World global challenge, once we learn more of what the challenge entails we’ll be sure to update this story. After the break, check out a few screens of Zazz in Sonic Dash .

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Happy Zalloween from SEGAbits and Sonic Retro

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Happy Halloween from your friends at SEGAbits and Sonic Retro! Whether you’re going out trick or treating dressed as Princess Elise (the Third, of course), or are staying in to watch Uwe Boll’s cinematic triumph The House of the Dead, we hope you have one zeck of a night. To celebrate, we’ve carved up a pumpkin to resemble Sonic’s new nemesis Zavok from Sonic Lost World, complete with a stem pony tail and horns.

What are your Halloween plans? Going out, or staying in to enjoy some Typing of the Dead: Overkill and Sonic Lost World? Let us know in the comments below!

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SEGA 3D Classics for Nintendo 3DS priced and dated

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Fans of classic SEGA games, it’s happening! Today the SEGA Blog has revealed the prices and dates for the 3D versions of several SEGA classics headed to the Nintendo 3DS. Each game will be priced at $5.99/€4.99/£4.49 and the release schedule is as follows:

3D Space Harrier, 3D Super Hang-On – 11/28/2013
3D Sonic The Hedgehog, 3D Altered Beast – 12/5/2013
3D Ecco the Dolphin™, 3D Galaxy Force II – 12/12/2013
3D Shinobi III, 3D Streets of Rage – 12/19/2013

Nice to see SEGA staggering the releases so fans can digest each game. Especially excited to see 3D Space Harrier and 3D Super Hang-On releasing on my birthday. Which games are you downloading on day one?

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