Author Archives: Barry

SEGA News Bits: Sonic 2006 being remade for PC by fans with Unity, demo first impressions

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Sonic 2006 is being remade in Unity by a small team headed by Gistix. A demo, playable on PC, has just released showcasing their progress in the form of the game’s original demo. We downloaded it and now talk about it in the first SEGA News Bits of 2017! Download the Sonic The Hedgehog (2006) Unity demo for yourself here.

If you enjoy our SEGA News Bits segments and want to support us, give us a sub. If you are already subscribed you can always like the video.

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Sonic: Mega Drive trade paperback releasing this summer

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Sonic: Mega Drive is fast becoming one of Archie’s most popular Sonic the Hedgehog comics series. Fans enjoy the classic Sonic steeped storytelling of Ian Flynn, the beautiful and hilarious art of Tyson Hesse and of course the colors of Matt Herms and lettering of Jack Morelli. Archie, meanwhile, has enjoyed the success the two (soon to be three) one shot specials received in sales – the first installment became the first Archie Sonic comic to sell out!

Fans who were late to the Sonic: Mega Drive party, or who just want a handy collection of all three comics, will be happy to learn that Archie plans to release a trade paperback of all three July 18th, 2017. The paperback is available to pre-order now on Amazon, or you can order it from your favorite comic shop. It’ll be great to have the full story in one handy book, and no doubt there will be bonuses including a covers gallery, pencil sketches and more!

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Hyperkin teasing RetroN 5 SEGA Master System & Game Gear converter

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Via RetroCollect and posted on the Hyperkin Facebook page comes news that the company plans to release a 3-in-1 adaptor for the RetroN 5 which will allow gamers to enjoy SEGA Master System cartridges, cards and Game Gear cartridges. The reveal was made at CES in Las Vegas, and the adaptor is a standalone cartridge that will work on the RetroN 5 multi-system emulator which was released back in 2014. No additional information is known, but once we hear something we’ll be sure to post an update. No word if this will also work on a SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive.

 

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SEGA Channel Retro Stream Highlights: A Brief History on David Gonterman

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Thanks to Sonic Retro‘s David the Lurker, who is so steeped in Sonic the Hedgehog lore that he is writing Big’s Big Fishing Adventure 3 and named the island seen in Sonic the Hedgehog 4, we present to you a highlight from a SEGA Channel Retro stream in which David the Lurker regaled the listeners with a brief history on David Gonterman.

Who is David Gonterman? Why he is only the most famous Sonic the Hedgehog fan fiction writer of the mid to late 1990s. He has written several crossover stories involving Sonic, Power Rangers, Doctor Who and Sailor Moon, and has injected himself into the action. Sounds interesting, doesn’t it? Watch the video above to learn more of this strange period in Sonic history.

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Indie games coming to classic SEGA consoles in 2017

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Happy 2017 from SEGAbits! As everybody is coming back from the holiday season, we are beginning to look ahead to what we have in store for 2017. Our latest SEGA News Bits video ran through the official SEGA games releasing this year, and now we thought it would be helpful to share what games we can expect to see hitting classic SEGA consoles in 2017 from the indie game community. Thanks to SEGAbits Forums member Berto, we have a helpful topic which compiles all the upcoming SEGA indie games for 2017.

In addition to this list, Berto has also compiled a handy list which links to the respective crowdfunding campaigns, pre-orders and ROM/ISO download links. So what indie SEGA games are coming in 2017?

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SEGA News Bits: Favorite SEGA Games of 2016

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As 2016 comes to a close, George and Barry name their favorite SEGA games of the year as well as their honorable mentions. While 2016 didn’t see many, if any, true big budget blockbuster titles from SEGA, there were still several great games to be found. Find out which games we liked, and in the comments below tell us YOUR favorite SEGA game of 2016!

If you enjoyed the video make sure to like it, share it and subscribe to our channel. We appreciate your support!

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Sega 3D Fukkoku Archives 3: Final Stage features two unlockable bonus games from SEGA legends

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Sega 3D Fukkoku Archives 3: Final Stage is due out December 22nd in Japan, but leading up to the release we learned of some cool surprises via Famitsu. if your handheld contains save data from Sega 3D Fukkoku Archives, you’ll unlock Girl’s Garden, a 1984 SG-1000 game notable for being the first game Yuji Naka worked on. Sega 3D Fukkoku Archives 2 save data, meanwhile, will unlock another 1984 SG-1000 game: Champion Boxing. SEGA super fans know that Champion Boxing is the first game coded by Yu Suzuki in his first year at SEGA.

Not a bad deal! Two bonus games from two SEGA legends early in their careers.

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Hardcore Gaming 101 Sega Arcade Classics Vol. 2 and Fan Jam books available now

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If you haven’t checked out the excellent book SEGA Arcade Classics Vol. 1 by Hardcore Gaming 101, you really should fix that. The book is an excellent guide to SEGA’s arcade history, spotlighting not just games but their many sequels, revisions and home console counterparts. While volume 1 covered the early days, there was so much more to be covered. Thankfully HG101’s Kurt Kalata is giving us another volume with SEGA Arcade Classics Vol. 2, which is now available to purchase just in time for the holiday season! Per the description, covered games include golden era arcade classics like Pengo, Zaxxon, Congo Bongo, and Flicky; racing titles, ranging from classics like Monaco GP and Turbo, up through Hang-On and Rad Mobile; beat-em-ups like My Hero and Arabian Fight; SEGA’s super scalers Subroc 3-D and Buck Rogers and the Planet of Zoom; overlooked classics like Spatter, Ninja Princess, Bonanza Bros., and Aurail; and the long forgotten Sonic the Hedgehog arcade game.

Also available is The Hardcore Gaming 101 and Sonic & Sega Fan Jam 2016 Fanbook, which was produced in conjunction with SEGAbits (hey, that’s us!) for the Sonic & Sega Fan Jam 2016 event in Savannah, Georgia of which we are a sponsor. The book features a sampling of HG101 articles highlighting a range of SEGA games, including Streets of Rage, Sakura Wars, ToeJam & Earl, NiGHTS, Puyo Puyo, and Virtua Fighter. Also included are reviews of two games: Segata Sanshiro Shinken Yuugi, the Saturn minigame collection starring SEGA’s ultra manly spokesman, and Segagaga, the Dreamcast simulation game where you attempt to run SEGA as a company to save the realm of video gaming! Also included are reviews of three lesser known Master System games: Ghost House, Maze Hunter 3D, and Kenseiden. The Fan Jam book is available in two flavors: the standard edition with a Master System-inspired cover and a variant cover featuring Sonic and several SEGA all-stars.

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Contest: Numskull Designs Sonic Green Hill Zone Christmas Jumper/Sweater Giveaway

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Thanks to our amigos at Numskull Designs, we have a holiday competition kicking off today on Twitter! To celebrate their line of 2016 Christmas jumpers (the European way of saying sweaters), we’ve teamed up for a Twitter giveaway where one lucky fan will win a Sonic Green Hill Zone Christmas jumper/sweater.

To enter, all you need to do is follow SEGAbits and Numskull Designs on Twitter and retweet the contest tweet. One winner will be chosen and the contest is open worldwide. The contest ends on Friday, December 16th at 11:59PM CT and a winner will be announced the following day.

Good luck to all who enter, and even if you don’t end up winning don’t fret. We always have competitions cooking here at SEGAbits. Plus, aren’t we all winners in our own ways?

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SEGA News Bits: Yakuza Kiwami and Yakuza 6 Are Coming West Reaction

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SEGA punched us square in the jaw with a reveal at the Playstation Experience event that both Yakuza Kiwami and Yakuza 6 will be coming in the summer of 2017 and early 2018 respectively to the Playstation 4. Combined with the fact that Yakuza 0 is due out just next month, we think it is safe to say that Yakuza is back, baby! On this SEGA News Bits, George and Barry react to the news and share their thoughts on both the past and the future of the series. New to Yakuza? Learn just where to start and what games to check out. In the comments below, tell us your thoughts on the news!

If you enjoy our SEGA News Bits segments and want to support us. Give us a sub, if you are already subscribed you can always like the video.

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SEGA News Bits: First Look at the Sonic the Hedgehog 25th Anniversary Art Book

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Cook & Becker’s Sonic the Hedgehog 25th Anniversary art book is now up for pre-order, and on this SEGA News Bits George and Barry share their thoughts on the upcoming book. Take a look at several images of the Special Collector’s Edition of the book and learn some details of what we might expect to find in the book.

Are you a Sonic collector with original official art? Contact Cook & Becker as they are looking for potential rarities to include in the book!

If you like our SEGA News Bits segments, make sure you subscribe to us on YouTube. Thanks for watching!

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First look at the official ‘Sonic The Hedgehog 25th Anniversary’ art book from Cook & Becker – available for pre-order

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Thanks to the next-gen art dealers at Cook & Becker, we have a first look at the upcoming Sonic The Hedgehog 25th Anniversary art book via an in-depth gallery of images as well as a full press release. So let’s get down to it! The art book, the first ever official art book and design history for the long running series, encapsulates 25 years of history. The book will be made available in a limited Special Collector’s Edition as well as a Standard Hardcover Edition. The Special Collector’s Edition features an outer box, a special inner sleeve that folds into a display stand for the book and an exclusive newly drawn matted art giclee print by Sonic Team’s Yuji Uekawa. The Collector’s Edition is limited to 2,500 copies and sells for $120/€120 respectively. As a pre-order bonus, Cook & Becker offers a 10% discount on the Collector’s Edition if it is ordered before February 2017. The Standard Edition, meanwhile, retails for $45/€45 and consists of the book itself.

Let’s talk about the book! Officially licensed, the book (310mm H x 275mm W) will feature 200+ pages of images and text, including interviews with key Sonic designers including Yuji Naka, Takashi Iizuka and Yuji Uekawa. As seen in the image gallery below, you can expect to find concept art, promotional art, 3D renders, box art and – as revealed in our recent article – original official art and rare collectibles submitted by fans (pending approval from Cook & Becker and SEGA, of course).

After the break, check out a full press release detailing the book as well as a gallery of several images showing off the ins and outs of the book as well as the Special Collector’s Edition. Don’t forget to pre-order the book today at the official Cook & Becker site!

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Attention Sonic the Hedgehog collectors: Cook & Becker are looking for rare original official art and collectibles

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If you haven’t already heard, next-gen art dealers Cook & Becker plan to release a “Sonic the Hedgehog 25th Anniversary Art Book”. The book will cover the history of Sonic and will include design sketches, official character illustrations, in-game art, pixel art, rare promotional art and game box art. While SEGA has provided Cook & Becker with many great art assets from the company archives, as is the case with original art spanning 25 years there is always more out there in private collections.

Cook & Becker reached out to us asking if we would ask you, the fans, to lend a hand if you can. As the book enters the final stages of design, there is little under a month left before the window closes on what can appear in the book and we are asking any fans with cool rare retro merchandise, rare original promotional art and rare manual scans to reach out to Cook & Becker via their contact page or email maarten [at] candb.com. Cook & Becker is looking for high res photos and scans of what they may not already have. They will credit anyone in the book that sends in material that gets included. I know, for example, that there is some really great original art from the late SEGA Genesis-era artist Greg Martin in several collections.

It should be noted that Cook & Becker are NOT looking for fan art, only rare and original official pieces of artwork and collectibles. More news on Cook & Becker’s book to come, so stay tuned!

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Data Discs shows off upcoming Panzer Dragoon & Revenge of Shinobi vinyl releases

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Data Discs have announced their next two SEGA vinyl releases, and both are sure to please fans of classic SEGA music. First up is the 1995 SEGA Saturn classic Panzer Dragoon, presented as a double 180g LP cut at 45rpm and housed in a single pocket 425gsm mirror board sleeve with accompanying lithographic insert and silver laminated OBI strip. If all that sounds too technical for you, you can see just how lovely it is in the photo above and in the gallery below. The release features the complete score from the late Yoshitaka Azuma, along with three bonus tracks of alternate synthesizer versions. Three editions are available (all priced at £22.99) including a 180g 2xLP on frosted clear sky blue and grey vinyl limited edition, a 180g 2xLP on sky blue vinyl and a 180g 2xLP on classic black vinyl.

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SEGA News Bits: SEGA Survey Results for What Franchise Fans Want Revived

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This past week, SEGA of Japan put out a survey asking fans what brand they are most invested in, who their favorite character is, and which franchise they want to see revived. Now that the survey has ended, the results were posted and there were quite a few surprises! In this SEGA News Bits, George and Barry discuss the results and share their thoughts on the fan submitted entries. Did your favorite franchise make the cut? Check out the video above and once your done sound off in the comments below.

If you like our SEGA News Bits segments, make sure you subscribe to us on YouTube. Thanks for watching!

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