Author Archives: Barry

Official Nintendo listing reveals 3D OutRun release date

March 4, 2015 by Barry

Nintendo 3DS owners looking to add to their SEGA 3D Classics library needn’t wait long, as Nintendo’s official site lists 3D OutRun for a March 12th release! Priced at $5.99, the game includes all of the original’s content, two new songs and 60 fps gameplay. Check out the full description below:

3D Out Run™ is the critically acclaimed 1986 driving game designed by Yu Suzuki, re-mastered and enhanced for the Nintendo 3DS™ hand-held system. 3D Out Run includes all of Out Run’s original content, alongside two new songs and runs at 60 frames per second, which is twice the speed of the original version. The game features a built in Stage Select option that allows players to save and resume progress mid-game, has adjustable difficulty settings, and includes unlockable car customization options. Additionally, players are able to choose from a number of real-life arcade cabinets wherein everything from the appearance to the environmental sounds of the specific cabinet are recreated, providing a true and authentic arcade experience.

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Swingin’ Report Show #76: Interview with Stealth, co-developer of Sonic the Hedgehog 1&2 Remastered

February 27, 2015 by Barry

On this week’s SEGAbits Swingin’ Report Show podcast, we’re joined by Stealth, who worked on the official recent remasterings of Sonic The Hedgehog CD, Sonic The Hedgehog, and Sonic The Hedgehog 2 alongside fellow developer The Taxman.

Stealth talks to us about how the remasters began development, the process of remaking classic Sonic titles, the much talked about the remastered Sonic The Hedgehog 3 proof of concept, and what fans can do to try and make Sonic 3 remastered a reality. Also featured is discussion of Sonic The Hedgehog 4 and the recent decisions SEGA has made with the franchise. If you love classic Sonic games and behind-the-scenes stories of game development, this is the show for you!

Also, Barry and George discuss the recently revealed ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove Kickstarter by Greg Johnson (who will be joining us next week) and Sonic Team’s mobile release Sonic Runners, which soft launched yesterday.

Support the Sonic 3 Remastered campaign: http://sonic3remastered.com/

[Download] [RSS] [iTunes] [Archive]

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Sonic Runners assets uncovered, reveals new characters and upcoming events

February 27, 2015 by Barry

Sonic Retro forum member woun has been uncovering a plethora of data contained in the recently soft launched Sonic Runners. The new assets reveal upcoming characters and events that will take place in future episodes of the game. While several characters were shown off in the game’s latest trailer, new surprises include Metal Sonic and Big the Cat! Sorry, had to include an exclamation point, because c’mon… it’s Big the Cat!

Also revealed are upcoming events featuring characters and locations from Sonic and the Secret Rings, Shadow and Omega with creepy glowing purple eyes, and what appears to be Metal Espio and Metal Eggman. You can see woun’s findings as they come over at the Sonic Retro forums, and we have select images after the break.

Developer Retrospective: A look back at the games of SEGA’s WOW Entertainment

February 26, 2015 by Barry

When SEGA WOW Month began, we took a look back at the games of SEGA’s Overworks. While Overworks existed for only a short span of time before merging with WOW Entertainment, this month has made it very clear that Skies of Arcadia made a major impact on SEGA fans. But what of WOW Entertainment? Unlike Overworks, WOW managed to release a large number of games spanning different genres on different pieces of hardware. From sequels to classic franchises like The House of the Dead and Columns, to new franchises like SEGA GT and arcade oddities like The Typing of the Dead, a collaboration with Namco, and a dog walking simulator. While WOW Entertainment can’t be pinned down to one iconic title, they more than made up for this with an amazing library of games!

Join us now for part two of our SEGA WOW retrospective, in which we take a look at the many games of WOW Entertainment.

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Toejam and Earl: Back in the Groove Kickstarter looks to bring the funky aliens back to Earth

February 25, 2015 by Barry

While the official Toejam & Earl Facebook page has been teasing it for a good month, the official unveiling is finally here! Toejam and Earl are set for a return to video games with the announcement of a Kickstarter set to fund the fourth game in the series Toejam and Earl: Back in the Groove. This game has no connection to SEGA, as noted in the Kickstarter description, and will be developed by a small team headed by Greg Johnson, one of the two original creators and owner of the Toejam and Earl games. The game is set to be much like the original, with a fixed isometric camera, 2D sprites, simple controls, and an emphasis on co-op play. Despite resembling the first game, there are plans to bring in elements of the sequel, though no mention is being made of the third game.

head on over to the official Kickstarter page for a pitch video, several pieces of concept art, and a long list of various reward tiers including some really nice looking vinyl toys. With 29 days to go, the game has already hit $5,818 of their $400,000 goal. Stay tuned to SEGAbits for updates on the campaign and additional Toejam and Earl: Back in the Groove news!

Hucast Games announces Redux: Dark Matters revision disc

February 24, 2015 by Barry

Hucast Games, developer of indie Dreamcast shmups DUX and Redux: Dark Matters is well known for releasing revision discs of their games. The original DUX, for example, saw an original release, a 1.5 revision, and a special release featuring an earlier version of the game. Redux: Dark Matters was an enhanced remake of DUX funded on Kickstarter, featuring new gameplay modes and enhanced graphics. Unfortunately, the original release of Redux: Dark Matters had its share of problems, namely a game freezing bug during one boss battle and fuzzy 240p graphics. Hucast is looking to remedy these issues with a version 1.1 revision disc, featuring “Super sharp TV screen picture via RGB/S-Video Cable (And VGA of course)” and a fix to the “Boss Freeze” bug. Unfortunately, the initial 240p graphics are not being bumped up to 480p, but rather the developer plans to do something else to feature “super sharp TV screen picture”.

The revision Disc will be available in March, and Hucast promises more news and instructions for how purchasers can get the disc soon.

Archie Comics First Looks: Sonic Universe Issue 73 – “Spark of Life” Part Three

February 24, 2015 by Barry

In addition to yesterday’s solicits, Archie Comics has sent us preview pages for Sonic Universe issue 73, which features part 3 of the 4 part “Spark of Life” story arc. Below is the plot description and release details, and after the break a five page preview and a look at the two available covers.

SONIC UNIVERSE #73

It STARTS with a SPARK! “Spark of Life” Part Three: Shocking truths are exposed as Dr. Ellidy reveals the tragic origin of the beloved A.I., Nicole! Meanwhile, Phage erupts from the shadows of the Digital World to sew chaos on the island! Can our heroes rally to save Nicole and drive off this new threat? Night is falling, and terrible monsters are closing in! Don’t miss this exciting next chapter in the latest Sonic Universe epic, featuring all-new cover art from Sonic artist supreme Tracy Yardley, and a special new “EXTREME BFFs” variant cover from My Little Pony artist Agnes Garbowska! 

Script: Ian Flynn, Aleah Baker 
Art: Tracy Yardley, Jim Amash, Jack Morelli and Matt Herms 
Cover: Tracy Yardley 
Extreme BFFs Variant Cover: Agnes Garbowska 
On Sale Date: 2/25
32-page, full color comic
$3.99 U.S.

Archie Comics Sonic the Hedgehog May 2015 Solicitations – Worlds Unite begins!

February 23, 2015 by Barry

Archie Comics have sent out the latest comic solicitations, highlighting what SEGA and Sonic fans can expect from the publisher in May! With the epic Sonic and Mega Man crossover incoming, Capcom’s Mega Man books will be a must read for those who want to follow the event, meaning throughout the crossover we’ll be highlighting the Mega Man titles that fall under the Worlds Unite umbrella. After the break, check out the covers, synopsis, and story details direct from our friends at Archie.

SEGA and Sony team up to release a 10th anniversary Yakuza branded Walkman player

February 23, 2015 by Barry

SEGA and Sony have teamed up for the Yakuza franchise’s 10th anniversary to release a Walkman player sporting Yakuza branding. The Japanese exclusive Walkman, which unfortunately is not a throwback CD or cassette player, is planned to release on March 12th to coincide with the release of Yakuza 0 and will retail for 29,980 Yen (around $250 USD). As an added incentive for fans, the player is to come pre-loaded with twelve songs from the series including the new Yakuza 0 intro and outro tunes.

SEGA Tunes: Alien Front Online’s Alien and Army themes

February 17, 2015 by Barry

SEGA’s WOW Entertainment has a very eclectic resume, featuring games like the simulation-style racer SEGA GT, the dating sim Candy Stripe, the mutants teaching typing game The Typing of the Dead (co-developed with Smilebit), and today’s Tuesday Tunes spotlighted title, the online aliens versus army game Alien Front Online.

Initially released worldwide to arcades as Alien Front, Alien Front Online was soon released to the Dreamcast. Despite being Japanese developed, Alien Front Online was made to strongly connect with Western audiences. The game was simple, featuring online combat with voice communication allowing players to take on opposing sides of an army versus aliens war. Unfortunately, the game’s release was poorly planned out as Alien Front Online was released to North America six months after SEGA made the announcement that they were discontinuing the Dreamcast. The game ended up not releasing to other territories, and to make matters worse, shortly after release SEGA shifted to a pay to play model for their online games. I recall renting Alien Front Online when it released, and even through the game was just a few weeks old, the online community was incredibly small.

You can also pick up the album through Loudr or any other major music site.

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MAGFest 13 Interview: DJ Cutman talks to us about his new album “Spindash”

February 16, 2015 by Barry

At MAGFest, one of our colleagues Gunstar had a chance to talk with DJ Cutman about the new “Spindash” album, a 16-track remix tribute album to the Sonic series, recently put out through Cutman’s own label, Gamechops. We took the time to discuss song selection, how it helps both video game remix artists and Sega, and the goals of the label itself.

If you’d like to check out the album, you can check out the entire album through Gamechops’s youtube channel, and many other awesome video game remixes.

Finally, you can check out the Gamechops website to see all the albums and remixes they’ve done, as well as find all their social media outlets.

Swingin’ Report Show #75: Interview with Lisle Wilkerson – Shenmue II, Virtua Fighter and Crazy Taxi voice actress

February 13, 2015 by Barry

We celebrate 75 episodes in style on this week’s Swingin’ Report Show podcast! Joining us for an interview is Lisle Wilkerson, best known to SEGA fans for her voice work on Shenmue II, Virtua Fighter and Crazy Taxi. Learn what it’s like growing up in Japan and recording for some of SEGA’s greatest Dreamcast and arcade titles. Lisle also tells us about her correspondence work and her acting work on Sofia Coppola’s Lost in Translation with Bill Murray.

Then, George and Barry discuss the recent news of SEGA of America’s restructuring, dissecting SEGA Sammy’s official document to figure out what exactly we can expect in the future from SEGA. So what are you doing still reading this? We have a special guest and big SEGA news! Click play and enjoy our 75th show!

Don’t forget to follow Lisle Wilkerson on Twitter and Facebook!

[Download] [RSS] [iTunes] [Archive]

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Game Boy Advance classic Sonic Advance hitting the Japanese Wii U eShop next week

February 11, 2015 by Barry

Nintendo’s Japanese site has officially revealed that the Game Boy Advance classic Sonic Advance, seen by many fans to be the best post classic era 2D title, will be hitting the Japanese Wii U eShop on February 18th. The game is priced at ¥702 ($5.90/£3.90) and is set to take up 200MB of storage space, much larger in size than the original game but remember this includes a digital copy of the manual.

There is no indication of the game releasing to the West just yet, and there is no sign of the sequels, but we have our fingers crossed and as soon as we hear something we’ll be sure to share it! Me? I’d love to see SEGA’s entire library of Game Boy Advance games on the Wii U. From Jet Grind Radio to Gunstar Super Heroes. A man can dream…

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Alien: Isolation leads BAFTA Games Awards 2015 with six nominations

February 10, 2015 by Barry

The BAFTA Games Awards nominees for the 2015 ceremony have been revealed, and lo and behold SEGA leads the pack with six nominations! Seems last year’s Alien: Isolation made quite the impression, as The Creative Assembly’s survival horror game is up for awards for Audio Achievement, Best Game, British Game, Game Design, Game Innovation, and Music. The slew of awards was no surprise to us here at SEGAbits, as we loved the game so much we gave it a glowing review and named it one of our favorite SEGA games of 2014. Congrats to SEGA and The Creative Assembly on the nominations, and stay tuned to SEGAbits to see how they cleaned up once the winners are revealed on March 12th!