Zombie MAYhem – My Life with SEGA’s postmortem on Corpse Killer

It’s time for some zombie MAYhem! In this first installment, I’m reviewing one of the first zombie games I ever played, as well as the first SEGA CD 32X title I purchased. This foul beast could only be unleashed by Digital Pictures, the same bastards that brought us a game like no other: Night Trap.

Yes, I’m talking about Corpse Killer. This monstrosity was released in 1994 for SEGA CD, though I missed it completely. Once I saw the 32X version, I couldn’t resist. I wanted to see a game that used both the power of SEGA CD and 32X.

Anyway, click ‘PLAY’, brah! We need to get our zombie poison down up in ‘dis bitch! Like this video? Subscribe to the SEGAbits YouTube channel!

SEGA.com gets a redesign – What do you think of SEGA’s new look?

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SEGA.com has undergone a much needed redesign! Dubbed “SEGA beta”, the site has been greatly simplified and broken into an easy to navigate grid. The search function has been much improved, with screens and videos given more prominence, as well as handy links to buy the games themselves and links to dedicated microsites. Interesting to note, at the bottom of the site is a breakdown of “Games”, “Brands”, “SEGA Store”, and “Company”. Beneath “Brands” is Sonic the Hedgehog, Total War and Aliens – three major SEGA West franchises. A visit to the European site adds Football Manager to the list. The Store, Blogs, and Forums retain their old designs for now.

First 4 Figures Ryo Hazuki statue up for pre-order today – Exclusive edition revealed!

First 4 Figures will be putting the Ryo Hazuki statue up for pre-order very soon, and in anticipation of this they have posted up a video detailing the statue. Or should we say statues? First 4 Figures will not only have a regular edition of the statue, limited to 750 statues featuring Ryo standing at 12 inches high on a city street base, but there will also be 350 statues in a Exclusive Edition featuring a special Phoenix Mirror base.

After the break, check out the full details. As soon as the pre-order goes live we’ll make sure to update this article with the prices.

Update: Pre-order here. Regular edition is priced at $169.99, exclusive edition is priced at $184.99.

Free to play Puyo Puyo! Quest releases to the Japanese App Store

File this one under “release this West, SEGA!”. The free to play iOS game Puyo Puyo! Quest has released to the Japanese App Store. Described as a puzzle RPG, the game has players challenging their friends to see who is the strongest player. The game appears to be a bit different than traditional Puyo Puyo titles, relying on teams, character cards, creating guilds, and utilizing power ups. While the game is free to play, there are some pay elements. The game looks just as bright and colorful as the excellent Puyo Pop Fever, fingers crossed that SEGA brings this west.

Check out the trailer for Hucast’s upcoming Dreamcast game The Ghost Blade

Coming soon to an undead console near you is Hucast’s top down shoot ’em up The Ghost Blade. As you can see in the teaser trailer above, the game is in an alpha state, but is already looking great. That game is set for “TBA 2013”, so expect it within the next 8 months. You can pre-order it now in a 3-disc Collector’s Edition, a 2-disc Limited Edition, and a single disc standard edition.

Video Review: Mega Drive Master System Converter

TrackerTD, first place winner of the SEGAbits third anniversary contest, put together this excellent video review of the Mega Drive Master System Converter, also known as the SEGA Genesis Power Base Converter. It really is a sweet piece of tech, allowing Genesis and Mega Drive owners to play Master System games in both cartridge and card formats on their 16-bit console. Check out TrackerTD’s great video review above and make sure to browse and subscribe to his YouTube Channel. Congrats TrackerTD, and enjoy  AJ’s personal copy of Technocop for the Genesis, his Genesis model 2 and a copy of the official “SEGAbits Presents My Life with SEGA” DVD!

The House of the Dead: Overkill – The Lost Reels arrives on the App Store

Are you ready to kill some motherf***in’ mutants?

Hitting the App Store today for $4.99 is the mobile port of SEGA’s The House of the Dead: Overkill, dubbed “The Lost Reels”. Via the App Store description comes a slew of features:

DISCOVER THE LOST REELS
▪ Experience 3 goregasmic worlds full of carnage in Story Mode.
▪ In Papa’s Palace of Pain, Ballistic Trauma, and Naked Terror, you’ll be screaming ‘til your last breath.

DISMEMBER UTTERLY DISGUSTING MUTANTS
▪ Enjoy non-stop shooting action as you blow apart mutants for high-score thrills.
▪ See how long you can hold off the swarms of undead in Survival Mode.

REJOIN THE ORIGINAL CAST
▪ Isaac Washington: a hard-drinking ladies’ man who deals damage in droves.
▪ Agent G: an inexperienced but deadly assassin who keeps a steady hand under pressure.
▪ Varla Guns: the hottest stripper on the Bayou City club scene who enjoys the largest clip.
▪ Candi Stryper: an expert with her hands who knows how to reload.

FINGERBLAST ON THE GO
▪ Obliterate mutants with one of three control mechanisms optimized for your mobile device – Accelerometer, Virtual Pad and Frenzy Tap (unlockable)

UPGRADE YOUR ARSENAL
▪ Destroy mutants to earn Ka$h, the in-game currency, and upgrade your pistol to something that really blasts through flesh.
▪ Enhance your killing prowess with combo extenders, reload boosters, and other game-changing upgrades.

But that’s not all! The game also features some super sweet bits of SEGA fan service. Want to know the details? Hit the break for our impressions and stay tuned to SEGAbits and The Website of the Dead for our reviews.

First4Figures releases Ryo Hazuki statue teaser trailer – “Let’s get sweaty.”


 
Via our friends at the Shenmue Dojo comes a short, but sweet, teaser trailer for the first non-Sonic SEGA statue from First4FiguresShenmue star Ryo Hazuki! Standing roughly a foot tall (final height has yet to be shared), Ryo is in his classic “wanna wrestle?” pose. First4Figures have also shared, via their Facebook page and in the trailer above, that more non-Sonic SEGA characters will be made into statues in the future, as part of a new SEGA All-Stars range. Who do you want to see? Ulala, Vyse, Orta, and Beat are on my wish list for sure.

Indie SEGA Dreamcast game Sturmwind releases today!

Indie developer Duranik’s Sturmwind, published by redspotgames, releases today worldwide for the SEGA Dreamcast! We’ll spare you from retelling the long history the game had in development, because today should be a day of celebration. The glorious undead console has a new game! Couple Sturmwind with Dux 1.5, and April is quite an exciting month for indie Dreamcast game fans. Sturmwind can be had as either a standard edition or a limited edition. You can also find the game for sale at Play-Asia – in either the standard edition or limited edition. Have you ordered the game? Have you played it? Share your thoughts below.

Insert Coin Clothing announces more SEGA designs – Sonic, Jet Set Radio and Space Channel 5!

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The folks over at Insert Coin Clothing have added brand new, and in one case revised, SEGA clothing to their collection. The new items include Sonic leggings, t-shirts featuring Sonic, Tails and Green Hill designs, Knuckles and Shadow hoodies, as well as a Space Channel 5 logo vest top and a revised Jet Set Radio Beat t-shirt which finally has the record icon on the back. You can view the full gallery here, or check out the images after the break. Insert Coin Clothing promises more details in the coming weeks. In the meantime, which new design is your favorite?

New arcade game Sonic Athletics to release April 25th at Tokyo Joypolis

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Via the Tokyo Joypolis website and The Sonic Stadium comes news of a new Sonic arcade game set to release at the Japanese arcade on April 25th. Dubbed Sonic Athletics, the game features a line of eight treadmills set in front of vertical screens depicting a track stadium. Players choose from Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Shadow, Amy, Metal Sonic, Silver, and Blaze and begin running. The faster you run, the faster your character runs. First to the finish wins. Pretty simple game, but quite a slick looking setup. I wonder if the arcade staff allows boosting? After the break, check out a few more images of the new game.

The second SEGA Pluto console has been found… at a flea market for $1

Yesterday we shared the news that a SEGA Pluto console existed, at least in prototype form, and that according to the source only two existed. Well, thanks to Destructoid reader, we now know where the second one is. The second console, which is designated as the first of two, is owned by kidvid666 who bought the Pluto around five or six years ago at a flea market for… $1. I’m sure many game collectors have their own awesome stories of flea market finds, but this one takes the cake. According to kidvid666, the system works, but the lid is broken and won’t stay shut.

kidvid666 has considered selling the SEGA Pluto on eBay, though given its historical significance, perhaps he should keep it safe and perserved? I’m sure SEGA Retro would take very good care of it.

The SEGA Pluto console revealed!

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Thanks to the Assembler Games forums, we can now check another item off our list of “SEGA hardware with planetary code names”. While Pluto is no longer classed as a planet, Assembler Games forum member Super Magnetic has revealed that it was in fact a proposed SEGA console! Don’t get too excited, however. Super Magnetic revealed that the SEGA Pluto was a SEGA Saturn with the Netlink Adapter built in. As Super Magnetic explains:

After a good 14 years or so of sitting on this, I’ve decided it’s time to share a little bit of Sega lore with those who would appreciate it most.

First, a little background info — I was introduced to this site by Monkfish (a great friend who recently passed away, RIP), who provided everyone with the Geist build, if memory serves. We worked together at Sega back in the day, and a bout of reminiscence over my old friend led me to remember this site, which leads us to today.

I’m here to reveal a piece of unreleased Sega hardware — the Pluto. And no, it’s not that Nomad wannabe — it’s a Saturn with a Netlink built in.

Retro Review: Zombies Ate My Neighbors

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The following Retro Review of Zombies Ate My Neighbors was written by SEGAbits third anniversary contest winner Nicholas C.

Our current era juxtaposes AAA titles, with huge expectations on presentation and endless cutscenes, and smaller package XBLA/PSN/Steam/etc budget titles. There’s a lot to love on both ends and in between. But a few elements many recent games lack, for me, are local co-op. The ability to not take yourself too seriously, and simply being able to pick up and play the game (sadly, there are only so many levels to Earth Defense Force 2017).

SEGA Network partner site The Dreamcast Junkyard deemed “essential reading for future generations” by The British Library


 
An insanely awesome bit of news dropped earlier this month, though we’ve just learned of it this weekend. The British Library has begun to digitally archive all of the UK web, meaning just about everything on the internet originating from the UK will be stored for future generations. Very cool stuff, but it gets even cooler. SEGA Network partner site The Dreamcast Junkyard, one of the first SEGA blogs I wrote for and continue to write for, was selected by curators and other experts from all the participating libraries to be essential reading for future generations researching our life and times in 2013. How many sites did these experts put on the list? A mere 100 websites. That’s right, amongst the likes of  Ebay, Twitter, Facebook and UK sites like Daily Mash, Moonpig, the official website of Stephen Hawking, the BBC and lots of political and official government websites, sits a SEGA fansite. How awesome is that? The BBC even noted The Dreamcast Junkyard by saying:

Some other lesser known ones include the Anarchist Federation, the Dracula Society and The Dreamcast Junkyard – a blog dedicated to the community of gamers who continue to play Dreamcast games online, despite the fact they were officially discontinued in 2002.

A big congrats to The Dreamcast Junkyard writing team including the site’s founder Tomleecee and writers fatherkrishna, The GagaMan(n), Barry the Nomad, Caleb, and NebachadnezzaR.