Fighting Vipers and rare arcade racer Motor Raid playable within Yakuza studio’s Project Judge

I’m starting to think Ryu ga Gotoku Studio is an elaborate front for SEGA arcade releases. As revealed by Famitsu, the upcoming Project Judge will feature playable SEGA arcade games within the game. The announced games include Fighting Vipers and Motor Raid.

It is especially exciting to see Motor Raid as the game has never seen a home release. Released in 1997 and developed by AM1 (cabinet by AM4), the Model 2 game saw players racing futuristic motorbikes across different planets. As noted by our wiki, most of if not all Motor Raid cabinets were sold as conversion kits for Manx TT Super Bike. The game is quite rare, so to see it fully playable in Project Judge is exciting!

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SEGA AGES for Nintendo Switch launches with Sonic the Hedgehog and Lightening Force: Quest for the Darkstar

The M2 developed SEGA AGES for Nintendo Switch has launched today in the west with two games: Sonic the Hedgehog and Lightening Force: Quest for the Darkstar (Thunder Force IV in Europe and Japan). The reasoning for the title of the latter is because on the SEGA Genesis in America, Lightening Force: Quest for the Darkstar was the localized name. However, given the history of the Thunder Force series prior to and since the game’s release, it is odd that SEGA of America saw fit to keep the localized name.

SEGA AGES titles are priced at $7.99 in America and £6.99 in Europe. A little less than the ¥925 Japanese price point when converted to dollars and a little more converted to pounds. Players can expect new features and various settings. Check then out now on the Nintendo eShop and stay tuned to SEGAbits for our reviews of the first two titles.

SEGA Genesis Classics announced for Nintendo Switch, releasing this winter

SEGA has announced that SEGA Genesis Classics will be releasing this winter to the Nintendo Switch, both physically and digitally. The collection had a release earlier this year on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and had existed on Steam as the SEGA Mega Drive and Genesis Classics Hub. The Switch release appears to be the same content, so a little over 50 Genesis games in a kid’s bedroom-style hub with various video settings.

Prior to this announcement, George and I mused on SEGA News Bits that SEGA held off on a Switch release so as not to compete with their SEGA AGES collection. However, it looks like Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 are the only games existing in both this and SEGA AGES. SEGA Genesis Classics offers a nice selection of games, but there are several odd choices including the lack of Ecco the Dolphin games and still no Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic & Knuckles. These games exist on the Steam version of the collection.

New Sonic the Hedgehog animated series in the works!

A member of The Sonic Stadium community has spotted an Instagram post from the Sonic Mania Adventures production manager in which she is visiting SEGA’s Sonic the Hedgehog offices. The photos are accompanied by the text: “Gotta go fast, gotta make it last—finally swung around the SEGA office as we’re working on another fun series with the blue hedgehog y’all are gonna love it! #Sonic #SonicTheHedgehog #Animation #Work #SEGA #Knuckles #Tails #Amy”.

Not much else is known, but the Sonic Mania Adventures credit is a good sign and the hashtags do name drop Amy who was absent in the recent 2D YouTube shorts. What sort of animated show would you like to see? Sound off in the comments below!

Space Channel 5 VR Kinda Funky News Flash! trailer reveals gameplay and new characters

It’s insane the number of classic SEGA franchises seeing new games in 2018. One of those is the Dreamcast classic Space Channel 5 which will release to PlayStation VR with the new game Space Channel 5 VR Kinda Funky News Flash!. In the new trailer, seen above in english, we get a look at the one and two player gameplay as well as new characters, the twins Lou and Key Chan (if my Google Translate is correct).

Check out renders of the new characters after the break, and in the comments share your thoughts on the game!

New SEGA AGES titles revealed, Sonic and Thunder Force IV releasing next week

We have some SEGA AGES news for all your Nintendo Switch owners out there! It has been revealed that Sonic the Hedgehog and Thunder Force IV will release September 20 to the Nintendo eShop priced at ¥999. Don’t let the Japanese price throw you, this will be a worldwide release.

Also revealed are more games in the SEGA AGES lineup! In addition to the above titles and Phantasy Star, Alex Kidd in Miracle World, Gain Ground and Space Harrier fans can also expect Columns II Online Battle, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, OutRun and Thunder Force AC. No further details have been revealed, but we will be sure to share release dates once we learn of them.

[Sources: Famitsu, My Nintendo News, Japanese Nintendo]

Project JUDGE revealed as the new game from Ryu Ga Gotoku Studios

SEGA has announced Project JUDGE (Judge Eyes in Japan) as the new game from Ryu Ga Gotoku Studios! Labeled a courtroom thriller, the game is set for a 2019 release on the PS4. The game will see a worldwide release, as SEGA of America shared a trailer simultaneously with the Japanese reveal. Project JUDGE will feature the voice acting talents of Japanese actor/artist Takuya Kimura as the game’s main protagonist, Takayuki Yagami.

Check out the story trailer above and share your thoughts below! After the break, check out the gameplay trailer.

Space Harrier joining the SEGA AGES lineup on Nintendo Switch

The SEGA arcade classic Space Harrier, which has long been a staple in SEGA rerelease collections, has been announced for the SEGA Ages lineup on Nintendo Switch. The trailer, seen above, utilizes characters from the anime Hi Score Girl to make the announcement.

Once we learn more details, including release date and special features, we will be sure to news it, but for now you can enjoy our SEGA Talk episode where we discuss Space Harrier!

[Source: Real Otaku Gamer]

Streets of Rage 4 announced – watch the official trailer NOW!

You thought Sonic Mania was a surprise? Just announced, in collaboration with SEGA, Lizardcube, Dotemu and Guard Crush Games it’s Streets of Rage 4! Release date and platforms are to be announced.

Publisher Dotemu (Wonder Boy, Windjammers 1/2) and developers Lizardcube (Wonder Boy) and Guard Crush Games today revealed Streets of Rage 4, an all-new continuation of SEGA’s iconic arcade brawler series known for its radical fights, jammin’ ‘90s beats and dashing sparring gloves and bandanas.

  • The comeback of the legendary Streets of Rage series.
  • Beautiful graphics fully hand-drawn animated by the studio behind Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap.
  • Classic gameplay enhanced with brand new mechanics.
  • Braised chicken served on a pristine plate.
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SEGA News Bits: Shenmue III Release Date Trailer Discussion

Shenmue III has a release date and a new trailer, and on this SEGA News Bits Barry and George discuss their reactions to seeing the trailer, what characters they spotted and how likely it will be that the game will keep its release date.

If you want to support this type of content, you can check out our Patreon!

If you enjoy our SEGA News Bits segments and want to support us: Give us a sub and give this video a thumbs up so it shows up on more like-minded fans YouTube recommendations. You know, how that YouTube algorithm is.

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Team Sonic Racing debuts Rooftop Run inspired track at Gamescom 2018

SEGA has revealed a new track from the upcoming Team Sonic Racing from Sumo Digital. The track, titled Market Street, is based on Rooftop Run from Sonic Unleashed and Sonic Generations. From what we’ve heard, the track features a remix of Rooftop Run theme song, and according to Twitter user SonicWindBlue the track Ice Mountain features a remix of the Holaska music from Sonic Unleashed. Also, it seems that the framerate is stable, which is an improvement from the E3 demo. Check out a gallery of screens from Market Street after the break, and don’t forget to pre-order the game!

Pre-order Team Sonic Racing today!
PlayStation 4 | Xbox One | Nintendo Switch

Free Shenmue I & II dynamic theme releases to PS4 in North America

To celebrate yesterday’s release of Shenmue I & II, SEGA of America has released a free dynamic theme for North America for use on the PlayStation 4. The theme, seen above, features music, the Dragon and Phoenix Mirrors, falling sakura blossoms, renders and concept art and menu icons presented with a brown paper scroll texture. Download the theme for yourself here!

[Source: Push Square]

New Shenmue III trailer reveals release date and returning characters

Just in time for the start of Gamescom 2018 and the release day of Shenmue I & II comes a new trailer for the upcoming Shenmue III. The big news is that we have a release date! The game is set to release to the PlayStation 4 and PC on August 27, 2019. What more, the announcement trailer gives us a look at the game and it looks much improved from previous videos, with facial animations and the reveal that Lan Di will appear in the game! While most probably assumed he would appear, it’s great to get confirmation and from the look of things he won’t have a helicopter to escape on this time. Also spotted is Ryo’s buddy Wuying Ren from Shenmue II.

What do you think of the new trailer and release date? Sound off in the comments below!

SEGAbits forums get streamlined with new board categories

Whoa! Talk about exciting news! Long before the likes of Twitter, Facebook and Discord, the SEGAbits forums were the backbone of the community. Since 2010, the forums were where the SEGAbits community clicked over to when game announcements hit or company news broke. As the years went on the forum community grew and grew… and then shrunk thanks to the advent of social media and chat applications like Skype and Discord. Still, we are proud of the dedicated community that have stuck with the forums and love the work from users like Berto who continues to do a stellar job maintaining yearly topics collecting every SEGA, ATLUS and indie games planned for release.

In an effort to streamline the forums and make them easier to use in the current climate of the internet, we have decided to merge our Classic SEGA, Modern SEGA and Non-SEGA Gaming boards into one General Gaming Discussion board. We have also kept Everything Else as the go-to board for any non-gaming discussion. We do hope our forum users like the changes, and any suggestions can be shared in our feedback board.

Want to join the forums, or just lurk around? Visit the SEGAbits forums today! Hey, it’s not like SEGA is bringing their forums back anytime soon.

Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom release date announced, new trailer showcases cinematics and gameplay

Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom has come a long way! Back in early 2016 we interviewed Fabien Demeulenaere, Director of Game Atelier, on our Swingin’ Report Show Podcast, and now the game has seen a huge overhaul with enhanced graphics, animated cinematics and more! The latest news is a release date, with the game set to launch on the PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and Xbox One on November 6th, 2018. The physical launch edition of the game will include a full color 24 page instruction booklet and two sticker sheets. Those attending Gamescom can play the Switch version at the Nintendo booth in Hall 9.1.

Pre-Order the Launch Edition of Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom:
Nintendo Switch | PlayStation 4 | Xbox One