Can you feel the sunshine? Strap yourself in to your… uh… I mean grab the controller as you race as Sonic and his friends (and foes) in the SEGA Saturn and PC classic Sonic R! We talk about the history, the game, the tracks and of course the awesome soundtrack.
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If you want to give us feedback, suggest a topic for the next podcast or want to ask a question for us to answer on the next episode you can add them as a comment below or send theme directly to our email. Make sure you use subject line ‘SEGA Talk’ and as always, thanks for listening!
Usually we don’t news every new addition to Sonic Forces for mobile (originally titles Sonic Forces: Speed Battle), but we’ll make an exception for today’s reveal. It’s always fun when a long dormant character or super form is revived, and in this case Darkspine Sonic from 2007’s Sonic and the Secret Rings has made a return as a playable character in Hardlight’s multiplayer take on their Sonic Dash series. Darkspine Sonic also has three new flame-based abilities. So tap on over to Sonic Forces for mobile tomorrow and check out the new event to unlock Darkspine Sonic!
Super Sonic has had a raw deal for the past decade or so. While Sonic’s super form showed up in 2D titles as expected, yes I even consider Sonic 4 to be a title that presents Super Sonic in the proper way, the 3D titles largely used the super form of Sonic as an end boss reveal and omitted him from being playable in the game’s main levels. Worse still, Sonic Forces initially debuted Super Sonic as paid DLC before realizing how crummy a move that was and making him free to download. Still, Super Sonic should be baked into the game! And thankfully, Sonic Frontiers latest gameplay trailer showcases Super Sonic within the open zone setting powering up upon collecting all seven emeralds. Just as Chaos intended. While it remains to be seen if you can play as Super Sonic while just running around and exploring the islands, his appearance in an open zone boss battle is a good sign.
What more, the trailer shows off a new fiery mountainous island and sports the new theme song “Vandelize” from ONE OK ROCK.
The time has come! It looks like any and all issues have been resolved and Judgment and Lost Judgment are now available for PC. That’s right, they are listed right now! Click on over for Judgment and Lost Judgment or download the bundle which includes free DLC. It has been a big day for RGG Studio fans, as we have had three titles revealed in the past 24 hours as well as two PC ports. How excited are you to play the Judgment games on PC?
In another surprise at the RGG Summit, a new game was announced for 2023: Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name. The game stars Kazuma Kiryu in a story that takes place between Yakuza 6 and 7 with classic gameplay elements returning. The game is said to be smaller, about half the size of a mainline Yakuza/Like a Dragon title.
The game will release in 2023 to PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series and PC platforms.
In the early morning hours, at least here in the USA, SEGA of America dropped the trailer for the eighth game in the Yakuza franchise: Like a Dragon 8. The news dropped at Japan’s RGG summit event. Due out in 2024, the game will release globally to PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series and PC platforms. Ichiban Kasuga returns, and he brought a friend with him. Wait, it’s Kazuma Kiryu with a new haircut! Also, notably, the game drops the Yakuza name, which we also noted yesterday with the Like a Dragon: Ishin! reveal. It looks like the Yakuza franchise is now the Like a Dragon franchise!
What are your thoughts on the trailer? Did Kazuma get a haircut?
During Sony’s State of Play today it was announced that RGG Studio was working on a Like a Dragon: Ishin! remake of 2014’s PS3 and PS4 game Ryū ga Gotoku Ishin!. The remake, created in the Unreal Engine, is set to release on PlayStation and Xbox platforms, as well as PC in February 2023. What is exciting is that this is the first time a historical Yakuza title released to the West.
Several Twitter accounts have spotted Windows PC versions of RGG Studios’ Judgment and Lost Judgmentlisted on the ESRB website. The news is significant, as it was previously rumored that the franchise had come to an end due to a disagreement between the talent agency for the franchise’s real life star, Takuya Kimura, and SEGA over the actor’s likeness appearing in PC releases of the game.
This news, however seems to point to either the two parties reaching an agreement OR (worst case scenario) Takuya Kimura has been recast and a new model for a new actor will appear in the PC versions of the game. The second scenario, while possible, is in no way confirmed and is just speculation on our part. We’re sure to learn more soon!
Fans have noticed that ChuChu Rocket! Universe, the semi-sequel to the Dreamcast puzzle game ChuChu Rocket!, had disappeared from Apple’s App Store. The game, developed by SEGA’s Hardlight studio, was a worthy follow-up to the Sonic Team original, featuring new and returning puzzles, inventive 3D maps, a story mode and a classic multiplayer mode. The game was also exclusive to Apple Arcade, Apple’s pay to play collection of apps which were all free to download and free of any micro-transactions and in-app purchases.
It appears that the game was pulled due to a three year exclusivity window closing, as fans on Twitter have pointed out other Apple Arcade apps that debuted alongside ChuChu Rocket! Universe have also been pulled. If you still have the game installed, it can still be played. However the game cannot be redownloaded if your device offloads apps that go unused.
On this SEGA Talk we dive into the Nintendo DS exclusive Sonic Rush and see not only the birth of Blaze the Cat but also the start of the boost gameplay that would come to dominate future Sonic Team titles. What’s the rush? Sit back and enjoy this SEGA Talk.
Support us on Patreon! Get early access, tell us what games to cover, and have your SEGA memories read at the end and more!
If you want to give us feedback, suggest a topic for the next podcast or want to ask a question for us to answer on the next episode you can add them as a comment below or send theme directly to our email. Make sure you use subject line ‘SEGA Talk’ and as always, thanks for listening!
Gamescom 2022 kicked off, and after several games that take place in the future where you shoot everything in sight the new Sonic Frontiers trailer dropped. Titled the “Story Trailer”, the new footage showcased CG cutscenes as well as gameplay in new environments including tropical and desert islands. Also showcased were the long teased cyberspace levels, which revisit locations from Sonic’s past. Locations included a highway environment, Green Hill and Sky Sanctuary. Sonic also finds Amy imprisoned in a red structure before being confronted by enemies. How about a release date? Fans can expect a global launch date of November 8th, 2022.
The game will release digitally and physically to Xbox and PlayStation platforms, Nintendo Switch and PC. Those who pre-order will receive a treasure box of in-game items including skill points, blue seeds of defense and red seeds of power. Personally, I’d have loved to see a collector’s edition, and the fact that every SEGA franchise except for Sonic seems to get cool physical bonus editions really annoys me. I want a Koco to snuggle, dammit!
On this SEGA News Bits Live, Barry runs through some of the notable titles releasing to the Mega Drive Mini 2 and Genesis Mini 2, talks the possibilities of a Space Channel 5 movie and shares his beef with Sonic fans on Twitter.
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Thanks to the success of Paramount and SEGA’s Sonic the Hedgehog movies, it was only a matter of time more cinematic deals were made for other SEGA franchises to make the jump to the screen. The Hollywood Reporter has announced that SEGA has entered into a partnership with Picturestart to develop film adaptations of the Dreamcast classic Space Channel 5 and the SEGA Genesis platformer Comix Zone.
Enjoy the Ride Records have just released a limited run of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 soundtrack audio cassette tapes, limited to 250 copies, featuring the score by Tom Holkenborg. The cassettes feature UV-printed shells, meaning you get promotional graphics from the movie printed right on the tape. Pretty slick! To sweeten the deal, the case evokes Sonic the Hedgehog 2‘s video game cover art, a move that the 4K home video release also did with the steelbook. Also available is a repress of the first film’s soundtrack on vinyl, featuring a tri-color swirl. Head on over to Enjoy the Ride Records and order yours today!
TONS of SEGA Mega Drive Mini 2 and SEGA Genesis Mini 2 news today! First up, Europe WILL be getting the mini console as well. It will release October 27th alongside the Japanese and American models. At the moment we do not know if the lineup will differ for Europe, but for now it seems it will be the same as the American lineup.
In a live stream, the final Mega Drive Mini 2 titles were revealed. They are: Star Cruiser, Night Trap – MEGA CD, Mahou no Shoujo: Silky Lip, Granada, Ex-Ranza, Shin Souseiky Ragnacenty, Midnight Resistance, Chelnov, Honoo no Tokyuuji Dodge Danpei, Captain Tsubasa, Super Locomotive (arcade port), Party Quiz Mega Q 2022 (MEGA Q with modern questions), Party Quiz Sega Q (MEGA Q with SEGA questions and Takenobu Mitsuyoshi as the host), Devi & Pii (unreleased Takashi Iizuka game), VS Puyo Puyo SUN (Mega Drive port of the Saturn game), Space Harrier (remastered), Space Harrier II (remastered). If you would like more details and factoids on these titles, I suggest this Twitter thread from GSK. Personally, I am excited to see ports of Space Harrier and Spacer Harrier II that play like the arcade original.
Also revealed on the live stream were new merch, including a Mega Drive 2 keychain, business card holder and a slick travel case. It was also revealed that the console’s staff role will play over the MEGA CD loading screen, which will change according to your language settings, and the credits can be toggled on and off. Also, select games will include regional variations based on console language settings. Sadly, not ALL titles will do this with Popful Mail being one of them.
FINALLY, the full SEGA Genesis Mini 2 lineup was revealed, which can be seen in the video above. After the break, check out the full lineup for both consoles including regional exclusives in bold.
