Author Archives: Barry

Is a new Ecco the Dolphin game in the works?

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Could another Ecco the Dolphin game be in the works? The designer of the original SEGA Genesis titles, Ed Annunziata, is pushing for a new title and so far signs are looking good! Scott Foe, a consultant on mobile and social games who worked with SEGA during the Dreamcast years, got Annunziata a meeting with SEGA to discuss reviving the franchise. Annunziata tweeted:

Ecco fans, I need you to follow & tweethank @scottfoe, he convinced SEGA to meet with me now chances of a new Ecco the Dolphin x100!

If that news wasn’t good enough, Annunziata later tweeted: “Spencer is on board! (puttn’ the band back together!) :)”. Annunziata is referring to Spencer Nilsen, the man who composed the beautiful music for the original SEGA CD and Genesis games, as well as the American Sonic CD soundtrack. Could it truly be happening? A new Ecco game? While SEGA is being very careful when it comes to big budget disc releases, releasing another 2D Ecco title as a digital download is surely doable. Just look at Sonic 4, and another Ecco isn’t so crazy in that realm. Better yet, get Christian Whitehead to work on rereleases of the first two titles to accompany a new game. While we all speculate, enjoy some Ecco music after the break. Thanks to ROJM for the tip!

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Spot the SEGA characters in the Project X Zone opening sequence

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http://youtu.be/Nt5Qd7Mh8DU

While in-game screens of Project X Zone, the SEGA/Capcom/Namco Bandai crossover, don’t really wow, the opening to the game is certainly impressive. Entirely animated, the intro features dozens of recognizable video game characters including several notable SEGA all-stars. Rather than spoiling the cameos, I’ll let you watch it and in the comments share your favorite SEGA icons who appear. Thanks to Kori-Maru for the tip!

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My Life With SEGA celebrates 1 year with Technocop

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On September 9th, 2011, the My Life With SEGA series began with the video review of the SEGA Genesis game Technocop. Since then, the series has grown, both in quality and in viewership, and is now a welcomed member of the SEGAbits family. To celebrate the one year anniversary of the series, AJ presents the first episode of the series and we here at SEGAbits present you with a contest: win a digital download code for Jet Set Radio on XBOX Live Arcade.

How to enter: Subscribe to the SEGAbits YouTube channel and comment on the video. It’ll help your chances if you actually comment on the video and don’t just say stuff like “I want JSR!” and “Gimme gimme gimme!”. One winner will be chosen at random on Monday. Good luck and enjoy the video!

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Border Break heading to iOS and new arcade version coming soon?

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Ah yes, Border Break. That awesome-looking third-person mech battle game developed by AM2 that Westerners really wish they could play. Japanese gaming magazine and news site Famitsu are reporting that a Border Break game is heading to iOS, entitled  “Border Break mobile – Front Gun Gale”. A new arcade version 3.0 of the game, along with the iOS title, is said to be revealed at Tokyo Game Show on the 23rd. Given that the arcade version has yet to release outside of Asian countries, it is doubtful that the iOS version will get a Western release. But even so, fingers crossed! Thanks to ROJM for the tip.

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Project Omega revealed to be Demon Tribe

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SEGA of Japan’s mystery game Project Omega has been revealed to be named Demon Tribe. The game is said to be an action game in which you play as a demon who fights other demons. What is still unknown is the platform. While everything thus far has pointed to mobile platforms, the site’s source code (we didn’t dig through the site for it, fans elsewhere did) suggests Wii U, Vita and PSP. However, officially SEGA has not revealed anything. Jet Set Radio director Masayoshi Kikuchi is said to be directing and Ryuta Ueda of Jet Set Radio and Rise of Nightmares will be doing the art. Thanks to forum member ROJM for the tip!

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These two new Yakuza 5 trailers will make you shout “bring this West, SEGA!”

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Two new Yakuza 5 trailers have released, and holy crap are they awesome. The first trailer highlights the many mini-games and gameplay modes within the game. The five cities are highlighted, and mini-games including baseball, hunting, taxi cab racing, Virtua Fighter 2 and more are on display. Really fun looking time wasting stuff! The second trailer, seen after the break, goes into the story. What do you all think? Are you ready for more Yakuza? Thanks to Aki-at for the heads up!

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SEGAbits at the Intervention 2012 convention this weekend in Maryland

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SEGAbits staffer A.J. Rosa, the man behind the My Life With SEGA video series, will be on a number of panels at this weekend’s Intervention 2012 convention in Rockville, Maryland which is just outside Washington D.C. What is Intervention 2012?

We are here to intervene and inspire you to embrace your inner (and outer) geek! Intervention (a shortening of the words “Internet Convention”) is where you can meet, talk with, learn from, and party with the people you see online everyday. We aim to make it “One Part New Media, One Part Gaming, One Part Nerd Party”. It has a strong emphasis on Independent artists who use the internet as their main distribution method for their work.

“Internet Culture” is a broad term that loosely means “elements of culture that are developed through and on the Internet”– music, podcast, comics, art, video, etc. being enabled primarily because of the Internet itself, and a reflection of Internet’s influence on how and what then gets developed for that online audience.

The con runs from September 21st -23rd and tickets can be bought online or at the door. What will A.J. be talking about? After the break, a full list of the panels!

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Just what are Stampii’s Sonic the Hedgehog digital trading cards?

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Yesterday the SEGA Blog announced a series of Sonic the Hedgehog digital trading cards to be distributed by Stampii, a Madrid based digital trading card company. Per SEGA, the cards are digital trading cards that can be collected and viewed on a number of platforms including Mac, PC, iPhone, Android, Facebook and iPad. Social networking comes into play via referrals and card trading. SEGA also promises “challenges and promotions designed specifically for users as well as the chance to win new digital cards and official merchandise”. What SEGA does not mention is that only the first four packs are free, after that users will have to trade or spend money on new packs in order to complete their collection. Now before you cry foul at SEGA for making us spend money on digital things (the horror!), hear me out. In a day and a half I was able to complete a collection of cards at no cost. How? I’ll tell you after the break.

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Pai and Sarah don swimsuits in Dead of Alive 5 Collector’s Edition

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Tecmo’s love for women in swimsuits has extended to Virtua Fighter’s guest characters Sarah Bryant and Pai Chan, as Siliconera revealed screens of SEGA’s gals in swimwear. These suits, as well as suits for the Dead or Alive women, are available in the Dead or Alive 5 Collector’s Edition of the game, which is a Gamestop exclusive available next week in the US and on September 28th in Europe as a CentreSoft exclusive.

After the break, a screen of Pai Chan in her swimsuit.

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Virtua Fighter 2 to be playable in Yakuza 5

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From Jin115.com and NeoGAF comes news that a fully playable Virtua Fighter 2 will be in Yakuza 5’s virtual arcades. This info appears to come from a recent issue of Famitsu, in which it is also revealed that the game will have both 1 player and 2 player offline gameplay. No further info in known, but once we hear something we’ll be sure to share it! Commence the Inception jokes, Xzibit “Yo Dog” memes and comparisons to Shenmue.

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Sonic joins Wii U launch line-up and more Transformed news!

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SEGA has confirmed that Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed has joined the European launch line-up of the Wii U, due for release on November 30th. Given that the game is launching at the low price of $40/33£, it will be one of the lowest priced Wii U titles at launch. Also, SEGA has confirmed that the Wii U version will have a Bonus/Limited Edition just as the other versions do. Above you’ll see a new preview video for the game running on Wii U hardware. Note the awesome Toot Toot Sonic Warrior remix and Sonic’s all new All-Star Move, as revealed in yesterday’s Sonic Talk podcast.

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NiGHTS and Sonic Adventure 2 Heritage Collection releases dated and priced

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SEGA has finally revealed the release dates and prices for NiGHTS and Sonic Adventure 2, both of which are a part of SEGA’s Heritage Collection. NiGHTS and Sonic Adventure 2 will be available on PSN on October 2nd for $9.99 USD, and available October 5th for 800 msp on XBLA. So both games in one day? Sweet deal! SEGA has also announced Sonic Adventure 2 Battle Mode DLC for an additional $3/240 Microsoft Points. Battle Mode includes more maps and characters from the Gamecube version, including Chao Karate. Also revealed is that NiGHTS will have the Christmas NiGHTS content included at no extra charge.

No word on Europe yet, when we get the details we’ll share them. However, we can assume the price will be similar to the US.

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New All-Stars Racing Transformed preview video shows off Seaside Hill on the Wii U

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From the GamesRadar YouTube channel comes a preview video of Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed running on the Wii U. The player notes that the frame rate isn’t the best, but at least we get a look at the new Seaside Hill track as well as the Wii U’s secondary screen. Seaside Hill, while the same location as seen in the first All-Stars Racing, has a completely new layout and is freshened up a bit thanks to the inclusion of a boating section as well as the presence of a giant mechanical squid which has tentacles that bear a striking resemblance to the boss from Sonic 2’s Oil Ocean Zone. Past interviews have also hinted at the stage having music other than the original stage music. One of the confirmed tracks being a remix of Super Sonic Racing. Meanwhile, the secondary screen shows an overhead view of the map which unfortunately distracts the player more than it assists them. Hopefully frame rate has since improved and there is an option to move the map to the television screen.

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Wreck-It Ralph poster features Sonic, Eggman and Demon God Neff

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Well this is a surprise! Sonic, Eggman and Demon God Neff of Altered Beast ended up on the final poster for Disney’s Wreck-It Ralph. I was looking forward to the movie, but now I’m looking forward to picking up the poster for my game room. Also on the poster are characters from Q*Bert, Street Fighter, and Clyde of Pac-Man fame. As the poster states, Wreck-It Ralph releases November 2nd in the United States. No word on where you can buy the poster yet, but it should appear on movie poster sites soon. In the meantime, you can see a larger version here.

Update: Two new trailers has released for the movie, and fans have spotted Sonic in another scene. Check them out after the break and thanks to CosmicCastaway for the tip!

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Sneak Preview: My Life With SEGA gets scary this October

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Starting in October, our My Life With SEGA video series catches the Halloween bug by presenting reviews with a creepy twist. Check out the video above for the announced titles as well as their air dates. Will these titles seriously scare AJ? I know that one will certainly scare him in terms of how awful the game is. Hint: “Groovy”. Until then, you can check out past episodes over at the SEGAbits YouTube channel.

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