Author Archives: Barry

Capcom asks fans what digital titles they want – survey includes Power Stone and Project Justice

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Don’t freak out, we’re not turning into CAPCOMbits. However, this story may be of interest to some SEGA fans. Capcom wants to know what sorts of digital titles fans want to see, and to let them know all you need to do is take a survey. Of interest to SEGA fans is that the survey asks “From which Capcom franchises are you most interested in seeing digital games?” followed by a number of franchises that were popular on SEGA consoles, including Power Stone and Project Justice (aka Rival Schools). Once you select the games you wish to see digitally rereleased, you get to answer more detailed questions including your levels of interest for HD ports of Power Stone 1, HD ports of Power Stone 2, and an HD port of a Power Stone Collection.

So if you’ve ever wanted to see some classic Capcom titles that appeared on SEGA consoles rereleased, head on over to the survey and make sure Capcom hears you!

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SEGA CD Month – My Life With SEGA goes to FMV Hell in Wirehead

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SEGA CD month continues, and misery loves company in the latest episode of My Life With SEGA.

If you love FMV games, as well as watching Mickey Mac suffer, this one’s for you. This is the full-motion shit-fest only Tom Zito of Digital Pictures could produce. That’s right, I’m talkin’ about Wirehead. Written and directed by James Riley (Night Trap), this game takes FMV gaming to a whole new plateau. This is the 2-Man Scramble that nobody wanted to experience. Especially Mickey Mac, because he’s yet to speak to me since.

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Indie Dreamcast games roundup – Sturmwind, Redux, NEO XYX & Pier Solar

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As the year draws to a close, as a Dreamcast fan I always like to look back on the indie Dreamcast titles that were released and announced in 2012. While the start of the 2012 looked great for indie Dreamcast fans, it ended up being a less than stellar year. Sturmwind, published by redspotgames and developed by Duranik, was meant to have a release in the second quarter of 2011. But manufacturing delays lead to a November 11th, 2011 release date. However, according to redspotgames ,the release date had been postposed yet again “due to difficulties with the CD factory”. As such, the release date changed to some time in 2012. Now, just a few weeks before 2013, the game has yet to be released and the latest update from redspotgames is that they “decided to work on the game even more. So the weapon system and the HUD has been improved.” A better game is always great, but in my opinion a year and a half delay is uncalled for. Those who put money down for a pre-order are sure to be angry at redspotgames by this point. Which is a shame, given their past high quality efforts including the awesome Wind & Water Puzzle Battles and Rush Rush Rally Racing.

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Sonic Jump receives big update, including Silver, Rouge, bosses and more

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SEGA has updated the iOS game Sonic Jump today, adding two new characters: Silver and Rouge, more boss battles, new level objects and gimmicks, new wallpapers, graphical updates and more. Upon starting up the game, players will notice additional screens including an easy to access pop up panel that gives gameplay records including completion percentages and ring totals, as well as a panel that shows total zone progress. Within stages, graphical flourishes have been added including animation on once static objects and new elements such as Green Hill Zone flowers. Later stages feature diagonal springs and swing gimmicks. Each zone has double the boss battles, with the sixth stage of each zone being replaced by a new Eggman fight featuring new layouts. Additional characters, Silver and Rouge, bring with them more levels with 30 looking to be the new maximum level to attain.

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SEGA Archives reveals Space Harrier 3DS details – simulate the arcade experience!

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SEGA’s recently launched Archives site reveals more details of the 3D rerelease of Space Harrier, including release date, price, features and more. The game is set to release on December 26th in Japan, for 600 yen (about $7). According to a translation of the site, features include: the ability to put in credits to increase your playtime, stage select screens, the ability to save the game at any time, the ability to save and watch replays, control with either the circle pad or the d-pad or the touchscreen, change difficulty, change the number of lives you start out with, change rate of fire, a time trial mode, change the range of movement, an enhanced sound test and a variety of screen sizes (seen below).

Perhaps the most interesting feature is, what appears to be, a mode which simulates the arcade experience: “When ON, the game screen is tilted up, down, left and right according to the movement of the player.” Environmental sounds also play, which are said to simulate the various sounds that were heard from the arcade machine based on the movement of the player. For an idea of what that might feel like, check out a YouTube video of the arcade machine in action after the break.

No details have been given on a Western release, but when we hear something from SEGA we’ll be sure to share it! This is looking to be a truly awesome rerelease of a SEGA arcade classic.

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Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed releases to Vita in the US today

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Vita owners in the United States can finally get their hands on Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, as the game is now available to purchase! While released on the 7th in Europe, Americans had to wait a little longer to get the game. Was it worth the wait? Vita owners who picked it up, feel free to sound off in the comments section or over in our lovely forums. So far, critic reviews hover around 8/10, which is a great score! For those of you who plan to buy the game, remember that Gamestop is still giving away a free diecast Danicar Hot Wheels car with the purchase of any version of the game.

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NiGHTS into Dreams now available on Steam

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It’s a Christmas NiGHTS miracle! The Saturn classic NiGHTS into Dreams is now available to download on Steam for a cool $9.99. Buy it now so you can enjoy Winter NiGHTS and on Christmas day, Christmas NiGHTS. Make it a holiday tradition!

Features include:

Hd Dreams
See NiGHTS come to life like never before with HD graphics and widescreen. All 7 original dreams have been enhanced for an invigorated gameplay experience.

Christmas Nights
Experience the holiday season early with playable content from Christmas NiGHTS.

Achievements and Leaderboards
Track your progress against the most dedicated NiGHTS fans in the world.

Saturn Dreams
Long-time fans can re-play the game in its original form.

Extras
The Movie Theater and Gallery offer a behind-the-scenes look at the story and artwork that make NiGHTS into dreams… so special.

cwXO mUV O Y

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Happy Holidays from SEGAbits – deck the halls with SEGA ornaments!

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Happy holidays from all of us at SEGAbits! We’re truly thankful the have such an awesome community, and look forward to what 2013 will bring. As a special holiday treat, we’ve made some SEGA themed ornaments for fans to print, cut out, and hang on their Christmas tree, or whatever plants they may have sitting about their house. Directions: Below are the two pages in thumbnail form. Open both in new tabs, hit print, glue them back to back and cut out the four ornaments. Using a hole puncher, or the pointy end of an ornament hook, make a hole in the top of the ornament. Then, if you did it correctly, you’ll have four cool SEGA themed ornaments. It’s that easy!

Again, a very happy holidays and all the best in 2013 and beyond.

– The SEGAbits Team

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SEGAbits contributes to 1UP.com cover story – “A Dream Deferred: When Sega Got Out at the Right Time”

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Gaming website 1UP.com has posted their cover story for the week, entitled “A Dream Deferred: When Sega Got Out at the Right Time”. The story covers the Dreamcast’s exit from the market, and argues why it might have been a good decision in the long run. 1UP writer Ray Barnholt reached out to SEGAbits earlier in the month for our thoughts on the Dreamcast’s demise, and the finished article features quotes from our very own Shigs and -nSega54-! Head on over to 1UP.com to read the article, and feel free to share your thoughts both there and here.

Again, a big thanks to 1UP and Ray Barnholt for thinking of us when it came to the opinions of SEGA fans!

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Classic Game Room names indie Dreamcast game Gunlord game of the year

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Leave it to Mark of Classic Game Room to still believe in the SEGA Dreamcast! In his top ten games of 2012 video, Mark named the Dreamcast indie game Gunlord from NG:DEV.TEAM as his favorite game of the year. Other notable titles mentioned by Mark: Under Defeat HD (an HD title, but originally an arcade and Dreamcast game), Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed (which beat Forza Horizon and F1 2012 on the list), and Yakuza: Dead Souls. Truly a SEGA fan after my own beer- I mean, heart.

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Editorial: SEGA sues Level-5 over patent violations

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The internet has gone into a tizzy over the news that SEGA has taken game company Level-5 to court, claiming Level-5 has infringed on two patents held by SEGA. SEGA claims that the Level-5 developed Inazuma Eleven games infringe on a patented mechanic which allows players to move characters with their fingers or a stylus. The lawsuit, if won, could prohibit sales of all eight Inazuma games on the DS, Wii, and 3DS, as well as win SEGA 900 million yen (roughly $11 million). Internet sites from Joystiq to Kotaku are reporting on the story, though in my opinion they are jumping the gun when it comes to the details of the lawsuit. For starters, following the news, Level-5 responded by stating that the first Inazuma Eleven game was released in 2008, while Sega didn’t file its first patent until 2009. Level-5 also claims that the second followed in 2011. “As a result of examining these discrepancies,” Level-5 stated, “we’ve concluded that there is no patent violation.”

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SEGA CD Month – My Life With SEGA ventures into Soul Star

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SEGA CD month heats up with Soul Star; the pseudo 3D space shooter set thousands of light-years away….

“Across a yawning gulf of space and time, the six planets of the Soul Star system perform a peaceful celestial dance around their youthful suns, unaware of the horror soon to come. A horror in the dreaded shape of the Myrkoids, an alien species older than the stars themselves, with a unified mind far colder than the space between those stars. The Myrkoids – killers of worlds – descend upon unsuspecting star systems, sucking them dry and draining every planet of its internal energies. They leave nothing in their savage wake but empty husks drifting lifelessly in space.”

C’mon, tell me you’re not curious?

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Buy any version of Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed at Gamestop, get a free Hot Wheels Danicar

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Update: I visited a local Gamestop to learn more about the offer. Since I had my heart set on the 3DS version, I asked to pre-order the game. I was told the game was set for a February 12th, 2013 release date and that I could put down anywhere from $5 to the total cost of the game to pre-order. I put down $5 and then asked for the Danicar. The cashier was surprised I knew they existed, and asked the manager if I could have one. It was then that I learned stores were told that only those buying the game would get a car, but it wasn’t made clear if pre-ordering also meant the customer gets a car. Since, in the managers words “they had a lot” of the Danicar, I could have one. In short, buying the game now for the 360, PS3 or Wii U will get you a car (if they have them in stock). Pre-ordering for Vita may or may not get you the car, but given the game releases next week, you’ll just have to ask nicely and perhaps putting down the full amount for the pre-order will sweeten the deal. Same goes for the 3DS version. End update.

Back in October, SEGA unveiled Danica Patrick’s in-game model and made the announcement of an exclusive Hot Wheels SEGA-branded Danicar. Where could fans get the toy? Who knew! All we were told was that “the ‘Danicar’ will also be available as an exclusive diecast vehicle available this holiday season with purchase of Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed at select retailers.” Awesome! A month passed, the game released and… no Danicar. No sign of it at any store. Some fans, such as myself, waited until release week hoping to learn which “select retailers” would have the freebie before making a firm pre-order. No news turned up, so the Danicar was forgotten, fans bought the game and a month passed. Then, fans over at The Sonic Stadium forums discovered the toy car on ebay, with a “Gamestop Exclusive” label and as such, turned to Gamestop to see what the deal was. Some stores were genuinely confused, directing fans to stores like Toys R Us where they can find Hot Wheels cars. Other stores had the cars, but weren’t quite sure what to do with them. As of Sunday, it seems, stores are now giving the cars away with copies of the game.

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Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed 3DS likely delayed until February

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It’s not racing, it’s racing delayed! Via The Sonic Stadium comes news that Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed for the 3DS has most likely been delayed until February 2013. While the game released to 360, PS3 and Wii U in mid November, and the Vita version is due December 18th in the US, the 3DS version has been missing in action. SEGA hasn’t done a very good job in letting fans know when to expect the 3DS version of the game, and as such many have relied on retailers like Amazon and Gamestop. Both sites list a February 2013 release date, and a recent post from Nintendo Europe seems to confirm the delay as the 3DS version is listed with a February 2013 date.

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Sonic, Eggman and Neff make the blu-ray cover art for Wreck-It Ralph

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Disney has just revealed the cover art for the blu-ray releases of Wreck-It Ralph, and look who made both covers! Sonic stands alongside main characters Ralph and Felix in the gold bordered Ultimate Collector’s Edition release, with SEGA villains Eggman and Neff on either side. Meanwhile, the standard blu-ray release features Sonic, Eggman and Neff amongst other video game icons. Price and release date have yet to be revealed, but expect them to go for above or around $20 on release and to hit in March/April of next year.

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