Author Archives: Barry

NIS America and Atlus no longer working together to release games in Europe

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MCV is reporting that publisher NIS America will no longer be distributing Japanese Atlus titles to Europe. The reason given is that since SEGA acquired Atlus, it has become harder for NIS America and Atlus to work together. All this comes from NIS America’s managing director Takuro Yamashita who cited the increasing difficulties. As such, Atlus titles will not be published in Europe by NIS America and vice versa for America. Past collaborations between the two companies include distributing games in the Persona series and Etrian Odyssey. Once we learn more we’ll be sure to share it. In the meantime, head over to MCV to read more comments from NIS America.

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SEGA Mega Drive Classics hub to support Steam Workshop and modified games

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Following yesterday’s announcement of the SEGA Mega Drive Classics hub, an update to the existing collection of SEGA Mega Drive games which now places them in a hub world that resembles a kid’s bedroom, more details have surfaced. Those who saw the trailer noticed the mention of mods, and soon after it was confirmed that the hub will feature Steam Workshop support allowing players to share modified versions of games. More details on mod support is said to be shared sometime next week. It’s great to see SEGA embracing fans tinkering with their classic games. Once we learn more, we’ll be sure to share! The updated SEGA Mega Drive Classics hub arrives April 28th for Europe, word on a wider release is unknown at this time.

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SEGA Europe announces free Mega Drive Classics Hub for Steam, releasing April 28

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The latest episode of SEGA Central, SEGA Europe’s video series covering SEGA happenings in Europe, have just revealed SEGA Mega Drive Classics Hub, a free Steam digital hub which allows for an updated way to view and access SEGA Mega Drive games available for the service. The hub is a digital recreation of a 90s kid’s bedroom, complete with an old TV, Mega Drive console, shelf of games and various SEGA collectibles. It also appears this European kid clearly was not a Fleetway fan and decided to import the Archie series instead. The hub also features various settings for both Mega Drive games and and the room itself. The hub is free and releases April 28th to Steam. No word on if the hub is a European exclusive or not, or if it will be retitled to Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Classics Hub if it ends up releasing to the Americas.

Also worth noting, SEGA Europe now has their own news page at www.sega.co.uk/news. Meanwhile, US news will continue to be posted at the SEGA Blog which will remain more US-centric. The division makes sense, given SEGA of America and SEGA Europe don’t always release the same products or have the same promotions.

After the break, check out the trailer for SEGA Mega Drive Classics Hub.

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SEGA Talk: Our Ideal Sonic 25th Anniversary Game (Feat. Matt from Tails’ Channel)

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Welcome to our newest video series, SEGA Talk! Like SEGA News Bits, SEGA Talk features hosts George and Barry discussing all things SEGA. However, instead of detailing the latest in SEGA news, we bring on a guest to take part in a round table SEGA discussion. To kick things off we are joined by Matt from Tails’ Channel to share what we think the ideal Sonic 25th anniversary game would be.

Want the SEGA Talk crew to tackle a topic? Submit topics and questions for future SEGA Talk episodes, as well as suggestions for guests, using our handy contact form or you can leave a comment below or on the YouTube video.

If you enjoy the SEGA Talk, make sure to like, share and subscribe to our YouTube for more.

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Zen Studios releases a trailer for Alien: Isolation digital pinball

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2014’s Alien: Isolation, developed by SEGA owned The Creative Assembly, was one of the year’s best games. So while we anxiously hope for a sequel, Zen Studios has something to tide us over. Last week, the Pinball FX 2 studio announced that they had teamed up with Fox Digital Entertainment to create an all-new pinball three-pack set in the ALIEN Universe. Dubbed Aliens vs. Pinball, the pack features tables based on the films Aliens and Alien vs. Predator as well as the video game Alien: Isolation. While SEGA themselves have no involvement in the pinball table (Alien is owned by FOX, SEGA just holds the license to create games set in the universe), it is very cool to see Alien: Isolation worthy of sitting alongside the movies in this digital pinball pack.

Alien: Isolation pinball has players helping Amanda Ripley survive Sevastopol Space Station while evading a merciless Xenomorph. Additionally, players have to contend with “Working Joe” androids (a SEGAbits favorite) and Station Security Guards, craft weaponry, and hack computers while you keep an eye out for the relentless Alien.

Alien: Isolation pinball will launch on ALIEN DAY (April 26, 2016) as part of the Aliens vs. Pinball three-pack for consoles, PC and mobile.

[Source: Zen Studios]

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SEGA Europe responds to #TakeMyMoneySoE campaign to localize Japanese games

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Last Friday, over at the Sonic Retro forums, the idea for a campaign came about which would target SEGA Europe to localize Japanese titles that had already been confirmed for release in the Americas. The campaign has since become a joint effort by SEGAbits and Sonic Retro, and other fan sites are welcomed to join in! Dubbed #TakeMyMoneySoE, details of which can be read here, the campaign tasked European SEGA fans to take a photo of money totaling the price of a game that they want SEGA Europe to localize alongside the name of the game written down. Then, fans are to tweet the image to @SEGA_Europe accompanied by the hashtag #TakeMyMoneySoE. The campaign gained a fair bit of traction, and the next day SEGA Europe replied.

SEGA Europe’s response, seen above, was “we’re working on this & when we are ready to share info we will do so – thanks for your support & being awesome fans!”. SEGA Europe also responded to a fan asking specifically for SEGA 3D Classics Collection with the reply from SEGA Europe being “we’re working on bringing them to Europe – we don’t have a date to share at this time”. These responses are far better than the usual “we don’t have any information about that title releasing in Europe at this time” answers. It appears that the wheels are (hopefully) in motion, so thumbs up to all the fans who helped share our message. If you haven’t done your part, keep sending SEGA Europe the message that you have money for them. Just remember to be polite and respectful.

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Meet Sonic & Knuckles Rock the Rock champion Chris Tang at Galloping Ghost Arcade’s SEGA Week

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SEGA Week at Galloping Ghost Arcade in Brookfield, IL runs from April 25th to the 30th, and we’re excited to announce a special guest who will be in attendance all week long: Sonic & Knuckles Rock the Rock finalist and champ Chris Tang! Back in 1994, SEGA of America held an insane Sonic & Knuckles event on Alcatraz Island dubbed “Rock the Rock”, featuring TV coverage by MTV and co-hosting duties by Daisy Fuentes. Sounds crazy, right? Well that’s the 90s for you. Chris Tang’s other accomplishments include the 1990 Nintendo World Championships grand finals and in later years becoming a creator in the game industry, contributing to franchises that include Street Fighter, Transformers, Marvel vs. Capcom and Power Stone.

If you live in the area, or have never visited Chicago, head on over to the Galloping Ghost Arcade! On April 30th join us for SEGAbits Saturday, which will highlight the many SEGA games celebrating anniversaries as well as the arcade originals of the SEGA 3D Classics titles – SEGA 3D Classics Collection releases that same week to the Nintendo 3DS. We also plan to feature special tournaments with prizes . There will also be surprise reveals of classic SEGA arcade machines, playable for the first time at the arcade, and Chris Tang will be there.

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Shmuplations releases translated interview with SEGA of Japan hardware legend Hideki Sato

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Thanks to shmuplations.com, we now have the full interview with SEGA of Japan’s Hideki Sato, the legend who helmed SEGA’s console R&D during the 16-bit era and later became the company president in 2002. The interview initially appeared in the Japanese publication Famitsu DC in 1998 and was later republished in the 2001 “SEGA Consumer History” book. Several hardcore fans, myself included, have that book in their collection, but were unable to read the interview due to the obvious language barrier. Now we have the whole thing in english! Check out the full translated interview here. The interview is in two parts, with part one covering the Dreamcast and part two covering past hardware.

Thanks shmuplations.com!

 

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Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse coming to the Americas summer 2016

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Atlus USA has just announced that Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse (Shin Megami Tensei IV: Final in Japan) will be releasing to the Americas this summer. The game is said to overlap with the original SMTIV, with the game’s story focusing on a Hunter cadet who gets killed by one of the demons wreaking havoc on post-apocalyptic Tokyo. Thankfully, the fallen Hunter is resurrected by the mysterious god Dagda and is set on a path that walks the line between good and evil. The game is set to hit Nintendo 3DS systems physically and digitally for $49.99/CA$64.99.

Check out the trailer above, and after the break check out the Atlus press release and some screenshots.

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SNK PLAYMORE teams with ATLUS to bring THE KING OF FIGHTERS XIV to the Americas

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SNK PLAYMORE and Atlus U.S.A. have just announced that the two are joining forces to bring THE KING OF FIGHTERS XIV to the Americas. The game is set to release exclusively to the Playstation 4 later this year. KOF XIV is most well known to fans as the game that brought the series from pixel art to 3D models, whether or not this is a good thing is up to you. Personally, it is just great to have confirmation that the game is heading our way. Atlus promises that KOF XIV will have vastly improved netcode for competitive level multiplayer to fully use the PS4’s online features.

After the break, check out the press release and screens of the upcoming game!

Note: Sega Games Co., Ltd. is Atlus’s parent company, however THE KING OF FIGHTERS XIV is coming west thanks to ATLUS U.S.A. Confusing, I know, that’s just how corporations work. It’s like how Disney fan sites can news Star Wars stuff.

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DARIUSBURST Chronicle Saviours Fantasy Zone, Space Harrier and Galaxy Force II DLC now available

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Back in February, we reported that DARIUSBURST Chronicle Saviours, Taito’s latest entry in the DARIUS series of side-scrolling shoot’em up games, was getting SEGA themed DLC packs that included Fantasy Zone, Space Harrier and Galaxy Force II. The reveal came with a trio of trailers that were unfortunately posted and pulled within a day. Seems the Japanese news site Game Watch put the previews up by mistake. Thankfully, now those trailers can be seen again, as you can now buy each of SEGA DLC pack for $4.99 or pay $11.99 for all three!

Above, check out the Space Harrier trailer, and after the break see the Galaxy Force II and Fantasy Zone trailers.

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Fastest Food Alive: A look back at the 1993 & 1995 Sonic the Hedgehog Cookie Crisp Cereal promotions

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Our Fastest Food Alive video series continues as we look at more food promotional items from Sonic the Hedgehog’s past! Last time we took a trip to McDonald’s, this time we’re staying home and having breakfast. What’s on the menu? Cookie Crisp Cereal! In 1993 and 1995, Sonic was a toy surprise in specially marked boxes of the chocolate chip cookie inspired cereal. First as a plastic figure in 1993, oddly standing on a skateboard, and again in 1995 as a set of 16 POGS. Remember those things? Click play on the video above and take a trip down memory lane as we check out this food promotions and give a short history lesson on Cookie Crisp Cereal.

If you enjoyed the video make sure to like, share and subscribe to us on YouTube if you haven’t already. Thanks for the support!

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Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode 1 for iPhone and iPod Touch receives graphical update

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Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode 1, that highly controversial 2D episodic game that has since released to just about every platform, has received a long overdue graphical update for the iPhone and iPod Touch version of the game. When Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode 1 first released, there were several different versions out there. Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 received the version of the game with the best graphics and sound while the Wii version was a step below, with less than stellar graphics and sound. Below that was the iPhone and iPod Touch version which not only featured very blocky graphics, but also had stages that existed before SEGA overhauled the game and did away with the mine cart and pinball machine levels. SEGA marketed these as “2 EXCLUSIVE LEVELS!!!”, but savvy fans knew that SEGA likely just didn’t have the time or resources to retool the mobile versions as they did the console versions.

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Summer of Sonic UK fan convention attempts a revival via Kickstarter

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Having taken a break since the last event in 2013, the Summer of Sonic organizers are feeling revitalized and ready to bring the event back for 2016 – and they need your help! Dubbed the largest fan run officially recognized Sonic the Hedgehog event in Europe, Summer of Sonic is relying on a Kickstarter campaign to fund their 2016 convention. With a goal of $28,675, and $20,842 already raised with 28 days to go, it should be no difficult task to fund the event. The planned location is the ILEC Conference Centre in Earls Court, London, and the proposed date is August, 6th, 2016. Activities at the event are said to include meet and greets with the special guests, competitions in art, gaming and cosplay, Q&A sessions with guests, and fan showcases.

If this sounds like the event for you, head on over to their Kickstarter and show your support!

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Big’s Big Fishing Adventure 3 The Trial is a real game that you can play right now!

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Screen Shot 2016-04-01 at 9.19.13 AMIt has been teased for the past few months, but now we can confirm it is real. That’s right, Big’s Big Fishing Adventure 3 is a real fan made game that you can play right now! What more, while it is fan made it does have the support of SEGA’s Aaron Webber and the Sonic the Hedgehog social media accounts. This is The Trial edition of the game, meaning it is only a tease of the full game. However, despite being released on April Fool’s day, we can confirm that The Trail is not a joke and that there will indeed be a full game in the near future. The game can be found at www.bigthec.at and features static cutscenes, branching paths, and a variety of mini games which we won’t spoil here.

For those wondering why this game is the third in the series, aside from being an obvious Sonic Adventure 3 joke, this is actually Big’s third fishing game. Big first dropped his line in Sonic Adventure, and his second game entitled Big’s Fishing released in 2004 as a part of a McDonald’s Happy Meal LCD games collection. Sonic Heroes, Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing and Sonic Runners don’t count because there was no fishing, an omission that clearly hurt sales.

I am proud to confirm that I played a very very small part, as the Big the Cat action figure you see upon completing the game is from my collection. Which means my Big the Cat toy visited SEGA’s Burbank offices before I did. 🙁

Play the game for yourself, and in the comments below tell us what you think!

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