Author Archives: Barry

Unboxing: Pier Solar Japanese packaging for the SEGA Dreamcast

by

The long awaited Dreamcast release of Pier Solar has started to arrive in mailboxes, and I was so impressed with the packaging that I knew it had to get the unboxing video treatment. This isn’t the first SEGA console the game has released to, back in 2010 the game hit the Mega Drive/Genesis and I shared an unboxing of the reprint edition. The Dreamcast version I present to you today is a first edition in the Japanese style packaging, other versions include US and PAL, but seeing as how most indie Dreamcast releases emulate the Japanese packaging, I went with this style and don’t regret it in the slightest. A lot of effort went into this release, and it really makes modern game unboxings look like crap by comparison. Seriously, who wants to see somebody opening a Wii U game where all you get is a disc and a slip of paper telling you to read the digital manual.

You can buy Pier Solar on several platforms. The Dreamcast and Mega Drive/Genesis versions are sold out at the moment, but more may be available in the future. Check out the official site for more details. Like this video? Subscribe to the SEGAbits YouTube channel.

4 Comments

Valkyria: Azure Revolution teaser trailer and new screens release

by

A lovely new teaser trailer has released giving us our first good look at the recently announced new entry in the Valkyria Chronicles series, Valkyria: Azure Revolution. In addition to the trailer are eight high res screenshots (seen after the break) that show off the heroes and enemies of the game in combat. It looks like the CANVAS engine is back, however some fans are weary that the new game is dropping the strategy RPG elements and is going for a more traditional RPG approach. At this point, we don’t exactly know how Valkyria: Azure Revolution will play, but at least we now have a better idea of how it looks.

But hey, the original game will be receiving a PS4 remaster in February 2016, so SEGA isn’t brushing the old gameplay under the rug. And who knows, it could turn out to be a great game, even if it isn’t a direct gameplay followup to the originals. I recall fans bemoaning Phantasy Star Online before it released because they made the switch from turn based to an action RPG, and yet now the original PSO is beloved and considered by many to be one of SEGA’s best games.

More on Valkyria: Azure Revolution as we hear it, and in the meantime enjoy the trailer!

Continue Reading ➜

5 Comments

SEGA and LINE announce mobile RPG Fortisia for Android and iOS

by

SEGA has just announced that they are developing a new mobile RPG entitled Fortisia, due out for Android and iOS. The game is being jointly developed with LINE, a Japanese mobile company best known for their chat application that has since grown to include games. While LINE’s past games are more geared toward casual gamers, the hope is that Fortisia will draw in “mid-core” and perhaps even hardcore gamers.

Fortisia is described as a 3D action RPG and will feature multiplayer with up to four players. While players will be able to design their own characters, as is typical with most action RPGs, one unique element to the game is that the game’s weapons (called “Fortis”) contain the spirits of warriors which can be called upon to aid in battle. It is said that there are 400 of these weapons, and they are obtained via a gacha system (think capsule toy vending machine).

You can check out the game’s official site here for more screens and details.

[Via: 4GAMER.net & JRPG.moe]

Continue Reading ➜

3 Comments

Puyo Puyo!! Touch announced for Japanese mobile

by

SEGA Networks has revealed Puyo Puyo!! Touch, an upcoming game for mobile devices. The game is, at the moment, Japan only and given SEGA West’s recent reskin of Puyo Puyo Quest!!, it is debatable if this would ever release in the West. Unless of course kids are scrambling for more Cranky Food Friends games.

The game is in the same vein as Candy Crush, where players drag Puyo to clear other Puyo. The game differs from Puyo Puyo Quest!! in that it is a linear adventure. The game also features a cast of characters from past Puyo Puyo games including: Ringo, Arle, Amitie, Sig, Carbuncle, Rider, Skeleton-T, Schezo and Ms. Accord. There is no release date as of yet, though players can now register for the game.

For more screens and videos, check out the official SEGAbits forum topic. Thanks for FlareHabanero for the news tip!

2 Comments

Famitsu releases screens of Valkyria: Azure Revolution and Valkyria Chronicles Remastered for Playstation 4

by

l_564bfbe1e4c67

It was announced yesterday that the Valkyria Chronicles franchise was to live on with a fourth title in the series, Valkyria: Azure Revolution, and a remastered release of the original Valkyria Chronicles with both titles releasing to the PS4 in Japan in 2016. Today, Famitsu has released screens of the upcoming games to their website in anticipation of their full magazine article which is said to hit Japanese newsstands on November 19th. Check out the gallery after the break!

Continue Reading ➜

2 Comments

Watch this fan translated Making of Shenmue Japanese TV special from 1999

by

During the release of Shenmue, there existed quite a few interviews and TV specials about the game that sadly never received proper translations. Thankfully, with nothing but time on their hands between the release of Shenmue 2 and the announcement of Shenmue 3, several fans have since translated these insightful looks at the making of the game.

Recently, Shenmue Dojo member Switch went above and beyond and translated an hour long “Making of Shenmue” TV special into English, French, Spanish, and German. The special, which can be seen above, is perhaps the longest most in depth look at the game at the time of its release. As an added bonus, it also features a rare look inside SEGA during their final years as a first party developer. Thanks to Ziming of Shenmue Dojo for sending us the special!

1 Comment

See what SEGA games made the Xbox One list of Xbox 360 backwards compatible titles

by

Xbox-One-backward-compatibility

The first wave of backwards compatible Xbox 360 games playable on Xbox One have been revealed, and we’re happy to report that some SEGA games made the list. Interestingly, all but one of the titles are Xbox Live Arcade releases, but by and large it is a solid selection. SEGAbits forum member crackdude was nice enough to share the list and highlight the SEGA titles. You can check out the backwards compatible games by checking out the forum post, or see them after the break!

Continue Reading ➜

18 Comments

Some of SEGA of America’s staff confirmed to be working in Atlus USA’s offices

by

segabuilding

Back in late September we speculated that SEGA of America had moved in with Atlus USA at their offices in Irvine, California. While all signs pointed to “yes”, we didn’t want to be 100% certain until we had official word from SEGA. Thanks to SEGAbits forum member NoirSuede we have confirmation from SEGA that they indeed have moved in to the Atlus offices.

In a recent official SEGA Twitch stream, NoirSuede asked “is the non-Sonic Sega of America staff in the Atlus USA office?”, to which SEGA replied “some of them”. So the official word is some, but not all. So where are the others? The SEGA West corporate page lists the Atlus address, as well as an address in Burbank, California at 250 East Olive Avenue. These offices house Marza Animation Planet, but we have heard from some fans that this office now doubles as the Sonic brand office. Burbank would be a fitting location for Sonic, given the upcoming Hollywood film from Sony Pictures.

3 Comments

Joseph Kim to lead SEGA West’s mobile efforts

by

sega-contrata-joseph-kim-para-liderar-divisao-mobi_4rc4.640

Yesterday SEGA announced that Joseph Kim, formerly of the studio FunPlus, has been named SEGA’s vice president of product. Kim is being tasked with managing the mobile product strategy in Western markets. Sega Networks COO Chris Olson said “This position is instrumental in pulling all three of our wholly owned studios and two studio investments together to drive Sega’s success on mobile. Kim’s rich background in successfully bringing games to market along with his experience in consulting and analytics makes him the best candidate for the job, and we look forward to seeing him work his magic.” Kim had this to say regarding his role: “In mobile gaming, the best is yet to come. I look forward to working with the teams at Sega to help deliver awesome game experiences to existing and future Sega customers.”

Of course, what really matters are Kim’s results, so it will be interesting to see if there is any major shifts in SEGA’s mobile output moving forward. Hey, Joseph, if you are reading this: bring some of those Puyo Puyo’s sitting with you to the West!

[Via: GameIndustry.biz]

2 Comments

Homebrew developers bring Moggy to the SEGA Master System

by

moggy

It’s not all that often we hear of new games for SEGA’s Master System. While 2015 appears to be the year of the Dreamcast, SEGA’s first Western console effort has received a new game available to play today entitled Moggy Master from homebrew development team The Mojon Twins. The game is a port of Moggy, a ZX Spectrum game from 2005 also by The Mojon Twins. In the game, players control Moggy, a little yellow guy, who is out to save his purple friends.

If you love classic Atari arcade games, this is definitely worth checking out. And why shouldn’t you try it out? The game is free and available to download today! Just use an emulator or flash cart, should you own one. 

[Via RetroCollect]

 

4 Comments

Ys Net releases Shenmue 3 progress report on the game’s development, featuring new screens

by

ca517d68a37d20177fb00617a5df315c_original

As Shenmue 3 enters the third month of post-Kickstarter development, a much welcomed progress report has been posted detailing what the team has been up to and what they plan to work on in the coming months. Most exciting are four screens of the game in-progress showcasing battle tests, a cutscene, and an environment which you can see after the break or at the above link.

Continue Reading ➜

12 Comments

Sonic The Hedgehog 1 & 2 Virtual Console and XBLA to be delisted October 30th

by

sonic2

Via XBLA Watchdog Twitter user Lifelower comes news that SEGA Japan has announced that the Xbox Live Arcade and Wii Virtual Console versions of Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 will be pulled tomorrow, October 30th. The reason for the games being pulled is unknown, but there are two possibilities. The most likely reason is that the contract for the games’ music rights, which are held by the original composer Masato Nakamura, are expiring and these versions of the game are affected. Another possible reason is that the Taxman/Stealth remastered versions are finally making their way to consoles, but take that possibility with an Oil Ocean sized amount of salt.

If you haven’t bought these versions yet, you have less than a day to do so. However it should be noted that there are several other versions out there including the original cartridges, Sonic Jam for Saturn, Sonic Mega Collection (playable on both the Xbox 360 and Wii via backwards compatibility), Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection, the aforementioned Taxman/Stealth remastered versions, and 3D Classics versions. I’m sure I missed a couple dozen others, but you get the point.

4 Comments

Update: SEGA Europe marketing director says they are exploring opportunities for re-releases of legacy titles like Shenmue

by

Shenmue3

Marketing Week held an interesting interview with SEGA Europe marketing director Jon Rooke. The interview, which centers around the company’s recent changes and a shift in approach, also touches on the Shenmue series. SEGA allowing Yu Suzuki to use the license to make a third game and the Kickstarter campaign proving to be a success “shows that people love [SEGA’s] legacy”, said Rooke. The article adds that Rooke said SEGA is exploring ways to re-release the original two Shenmue titles.

Could it be that much like Valkyria Chronicles performing well on PC, it took the successful backing of Shenmue 3 for SEGA to rethink rereleases of classic titles? It has long been rumored that there are reasons for SEGA holding out on Shenmue and Shenmue II, chief among them being that there are rights issues standing in the way. Whatever the case, it’s good to hear somebody like Jon Rooke speaking publicly about a possibility of a re-release.

Update: The article’s author has shared the exact quote from Jon Rooke on Twitter:
When I asked about Shenmue being remade, I was told: “There are lots of opportunities for legacy titles. We are exploring. We know what fans want as they have a petition.” So it now appears that the quote wasn’t referring to Shenmue specifically, but legacy titles as a whole.

[Source: Marketing Week]

8 Comments

Tell us your top 25 SEGA games – submit your list today!

by

top25

Recently, a major gaming news site that will not be named (on account of their IGNorant actions) made a top 100 list of what they deemed were “The Top 100 Video Games of All Time”. While these sort of lists crop up online often, and they are never in any way definitive, SEGA fans were quick to notice that not a single SEGA title made this list. Seriously? This got us to talking in the SEGAbits Forums about just how many great SEGA games there are, which led to us attempting a list of the Top 50 SEGA Games as decided by the fans. We sorted out a way to formulate a list, but the one thing we desperately need are lists of your top 25 SEGA games! Yes, you!

Continue Reading ➜

53 Comments