Author Archives: Barry

Sonic Boom GameStop US pre-order bonus revealed – an exclusive Sonic the Hedgehog action figure

by

Bu8FVmdIIAApSzN
SEGA’s Sonic the Hedgehog Twitter account has revealed that those who pre-order Sonic Boom for either the Wii U or 3DS will receive an exclusive action figure. The figure, released by Tomy, features Sonic Boom‘s Sonic the Hedgehog with a “The Ancients’ Crystal” accessory. I assume the crystal accessory is what makes the figure unique, as we’ve already seen figures of Sonic and other characters on display at SEGA’s E3 booth.

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen a Sonic action figure as a pre-order bonus, as the UK saw a Sonic Colors Colours figure as a pre-order bonus. At the moment, however, the Sonic Boom figure is US only.

2 Comments

Classic SEGA Ads: Identify your dead console at the morgue in this SEGA 32X commercial

by

Screen Shot 2014-08-08 at 11.55.08 AM
 
Last week’s SEGA Saturday Morning Ads was pretty harsh on the 32X’s misleading commercial, but this week I have nothing but love for this featured 32X commercial. sh

The ad begins with a teenager, a cop, and a mortician in a morgue pulling a slab out of refrigeration. A droll narrator says “For those who purchased something other than a SEGA Genesis…”. On the slab sits a mystery video game console under a sheet, however the identity of the console is vague. It resembles a Nintendo 64, but given the N64 didn’t release until 1996 (assuming this ad aired in ’94 or ’95), it’s more likely a shot at the SNES or simply a no name console that is meant to be any Nintendo or Sony product. The shocked teenager identifies the mystery console as his as the narrator concludes “…our sincere condolences.” Didn’t buy a SEGA console? Sucks to be you.

Continue Reading ➜

1 Comment

The SEGA Mega Drive/Genesis: Collected Works is approved – book goes to print on August 11th!

by

Screen Shot 2014-08-08 at 12.02.01 PM
 
Darren Wall of Read-Only Memory has officially announced that SEGA Mega Drive/Genesis: Collected Works has been approved by SEGA and will go to print this upcoming Monday! In a detailed Kickstarter update, Darren shows off the book’s sexy cover, and details the exhaustive (but necessary) process in receiving approval from SEGA. The book will be 352 pages long, with 8 fold-out pages featuring hardware design drawings and jumbo versions of box art from Space Harrier 2, Alien Storm, Super Thunderblade and The Super Shinobi II/Shinobi III. The book will contain 80 pages of developer interviews, a guide to SEGA logotypes, and a chapter devoted to game art totaling 60 pages. The one downside, which is really not that bad, is that the approval process has delayed the expected shipping date. Darren promises “a firm delivery date from the printer very shortly”. To see hear and see more from Darren, check out the latest update.

A big congratulations from all of us at SEGAbits to Darren Wall! We can’t wait to hold the book in our hands.

1 Comment

3D Thunder Blade announced as the next Nintendo 3DS SEGA 3D Classics title

by

Screen Shot 2014-08-08 at 11.11.38 AM
 
SEGA Japan has revealed that Thunder Blade is the next SEGA arcade title to receive the 3D remastering treatment. 3D Thunder Blade is set to release on August 20th, 2014, priced at 926 yen (excluding tax), and like other second series 3D Classics releases, there is no Western release planned as of yet. Hey SEGA, we want more 3D Classics! Features include a reproduction of the arcade cabinet experience, gyro sensor gameplay, and a special mode featuring the game’s final stage.

After the break, check out a gallery of screenshots, and while you’re at it let SEGA know (nicely, not rudely) that we want more 3D Classics in the West!

Continue Reading ➜

2 Comments

Swingin’ Report Show #68: Indie SEGA Dreamcast interview with the Elysian Shadows Team – Kickstarter Edition

by

The team behind the indie RPG Elysian Shadows returns to the Swingin’ Report Show following the launch of their Kickstarter. As discussed in early June, the game is heading to the SEGA Dreamcast, but this time the team has many more details and ideas for the beloved SEGA console. Check out our interview to hear the team’s plans for the game, what SEGA titles influenced them, and how far they’re potentially willing to go to support the many Dreamcast features and accessories. You can find their Kickstarter here, or search “Elysian Shadows” on Kickstarter.

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

3 Comments

Movie Review: Angry Video Game Nerd: The Movie

by

AVGN-POSTER-WEB-QUALITY
 
Although Angry Video Game Nerd: The Movie is not a SEGA related movie, there is no doubt that James Rolfe’s creation has made an impact on retro SEGA gaming, bringing obscure video game classics and atrocities to the forefront of people’s minds by highlighting the aggravations and rewards of classic games and hardware. While I sit firmly in the pro-Nerd camp, I’ll admit that as a SEGA fan I’m a little annoyed by how James’s over-the-top Nerd persona has affected how modern gamers view some of SEGA’s more controversial add-ons like the SEGA CD and 32X. I don’t blame James however, as I think viewers of his videos simply need to realize that his videos are part parody and the ideal way to form an opinion is to try the games and hardware out for yourself.

Angry Video Game Nerd: The Movie, which is releasing in theaters throughout the US and Canada as I write this, had its East Coast premiere last night in Phoenixville, PA. I was able to snag tickets before the show sold out, and after standing in line outside the historic Colonial Theater (home of The Blob), I and over six hundred other fans packed the house and James kicked off the movie that he described as eight years of his life in two hours. So did James’s efforts pay off?

Continue Reading ➜

4 Comments

Classic SEGA Ads: SEGA 32X – “Just stick it in your Genesis!”

by

Throughout the 90s, SEGA were the kings of video game slogans. “Welcome to the Next Level”, “Genesis Does What Nintendon’t”, “A little bit too real”, “It’s Thinking”. These are slogans us fans still use proudly to this day. Unfortunately for the 32X, “Just stick it in your Genesis!” did more harm than good. Today’s ad features the return of our edgy friend from SEGA’s SEGA CD commercial in which he famously interrupted a teenager watching television to aggressively ask him why he didn’t own a SEGA CD. The SEGA CD ad was loud, in your face, and incredibly memorable for all the right reasons. The 32X follow-up? Not so much.

Continue Reading ➜

5 Comments

Elysian Shadows Kickstarter launches – bringing a new RPG to the SEGA Dreamcast

by

The Elysian Shadows Kickstarter has officially launched. Dubbed a “next-gen” 2D RPG, the game is slated to hit a number of platforms including our beloved SEGA Dreamcast. We spoke with the team back in June, and they definitely sound committed to the project – which will only happen if they hit their $150,000 goal. The Dreamcast release starts at the $49 level in the Standard Edition which comes in two flavors, signed and unsigned. The signed edition is limited to 100 copies. The $125 level features a Collector’s Edition of the game with several physical goodies that are only digital in the lower tiers. As far as stretch goals, should the project hit $400,000, the team plans to create a monster training VMU mini-game, while $500,000 will open to game up to the modding community (Dreamcast included).

Make sure to check out the project, and if it appeals to you, show your support!

14 Comments

The Year of the SEGA Console – Welcome to SEGA Genesis 32X month!

by

YOTC_32X
 
In mid-January we made the announcement that all year long we’d be celebrating five famous (and infamous) pieces of SEGA hardware hitting milestone anniversaries in what we dubbed 2014: The Year of the SEGA Console. Throughout March, we celebrated the SEGA Genesis, and later this year we plan to devote months to the Saturn and Dreamcast, both very popular SEGA consoles. But this month will be a bit different, as we focus on the black sheep of the SEGA hardware family: The SEGA 32X.

Released late in the life of the SEGA Genesis on November 21st in the United States (December 3rd, 1994 in Japan and January 1995 in the UK) to serve as a bridge for Westerners awaiting the SEGA Saturn, the 32X was plagued by several negative issues. The design itself isn’t all that appealing, often compared to a mushroom growing out of the top of the SEGA Genesis or a plastic tumor. The 32X was rushed to market, so as to give enough time between the 32X launch and the eventual SEGA Saturn release, which caused a number of headaches for SEGA and consumers. Third-party support was lacking, and the library was a paltry forty titles with many games not fully utilizing the 32X’s power. In the end, the 32X sold only a little over half a million units and was officially killed off by SEGA in 1996. So… hooray, it’s 32X Month…

Continue Reading ➜

No Comments

Watch the full ‘Console Wars: Sega, Nintendo, and the Battle that Defined a Generation’ San Diego Comic Con panel

by


 
This past weekend, SEGAbits writers Ben, Shigs, and Nuckles hit San Diego Comic Con and SEGA’s game preview event located at the nearby Nerd HQ. While Comic Con isn’t as game centric as E3, there was quite a bit of SEGA goodness to be found. We were able to check out the latest preview builds of Alien: Isolation and Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric, as well as interview Archie Comics on the upcoming Sonic Boom comic book series. But the main event had to have been Sunday’s Console Wars panel. The panel, which centered around the SEGA and Nintendo rivalry of the 90’s, featured special guests Tom Kalinske (Sega of America), Al Nilsen (Sega of America), Bill White (Nintendo of America), and Perrin Kaplan (Nintendo of America), as well as Console Wars author Blake J. Harris and Julian Rosenberg, producer of the upcoming Console Wars documentary.

Thanks to Blake, Nuckles and Shigs were given the VIP treatment and secured some awesome seats – allowing us to film the panel and Q&A session and meet the SEGA and Nintendo legends! Check out the full panel above, and make sure to pick up your copy of Console Wars if you haven’t already!

Want more Console Wars discussion? Check out our three part interview series with Tom Kalinske, Al Nilsen, and Blake J. Harris.

2 Comments

Tears to Tiara II: Heir of the Overlord from Atlus coming to North America and Europe this Fall

by

Atlus has just announced that their PS3 game Tiara II: Heir of the Overlord will be heading West, releasing Oct. 14, 2014 in the US for $39.99 and on Nov. 11, 2014 in Europe with pricing information coming soon. The game’s official site will update as new release information rolls in, and we’ll be sure to keep you updated here at SEGAbits. After the break, check out the full press release.

Continue Reading ➜

3 Comments

Check out the trailer for “My Life with SEGA: Theater of the Eye” – set to release in 2015

by


 
My Life with SEGA’s A.J. Rosa is in the process of creating his third SEGA-inspired short film: Theater of the Eye! Like the previous My Life with SEGA shorts The Next Level and No Limits, Theater of the Eye‘s name comes from a SEGA ad campaign slogan. Unlike the previous shorts, which were inspired by gritty revenge flicks and buddy cop movies, Theater of the Eye takes inspiration from the Star Trek films and is set to feature A.J. commanding a crew onboard a giant SEGA Genesis. Erica Winter and Mickey Mac, of previous and upcoming 2-Man Scramble videos, are set to appear and A.J. hopes to feature cameos from other SEGA YouTube personalities and SEGAbits team members.

Be on the lookout for My Life with SEGA: Theater of the Eye in 2015, and in the meantime stay tuned to the SEGAbits YouTube Channel as more episodes of My Life with SEGA Season 3 are due to release soon. If you haven’t watched the Comix Zone premiere episode yet, make sure to check it out!

No Comments

Take a SEGA game room collection tour with Barry the Nomad

by


 
I’ve been a SEGA collector and fan since 1991, with the first SEGA thing I ever owned being a SEGA Genesis with Sonic the Hedgehog included. Since then, I’ve collected games and consoles as they released, and I’ve gone back and picked up games and hardware that I’ve missed out on. The result of the past 23 years is my game room, which packs in nearly all the gaming stuff I own plus an assortment of DVDs, blu-rays, books, and other things. I’ll admit, my collection doesn’t come close to some of the ones I’ve seen, but still it’s mine and I’m proud of it. I’ve been putting off making a collection video for a while now, mainly because there was always something on the horizon that I planned to add to the game room and I wanted to wait until I had the latest addition before making a video. But this week I figured I had the time and the room had enough to show off as is, so I made the above 43 minute walkthrough. Check it out and please don’t judge me based on some of the DVDs I own.

We plan to have more Game Room Tour videos in the future, featuring other SEGAbits contributors showing off their collections, so stay tuned for more sweaty hands and close up views of old SEGA merchandise!

5 Comments

SEGA releases new Sonic Boom behind-the-scenes video and reveals non-player characters

by

No doubt in anticipation of San Diego Comic Con, SEGA has released a new behind-the-scenes video for Sonic Boom the TV series as well as a SEGA Blog post revealing the characters that will populate the video game and TV show universe. The new characters, seen after the break, will serve as NPCs for the games and supporting cast members for the TV show, although not all characters will make the jump from video games to television.

Continue Reading ➜

2 Comments

SEGA reveals their Comic Con plans – SEGAbits to report live from San Diego

by

BsrqRBmCYAABWpp
 
Another convention is on the horizon, and once again SEGAbits leaves no fan left behind as we’re set to invade San Diego Comic Con

SEGAbits writers nuckles87 and Shigs will be providing coverage from the event, attending panels and checking out SEGA’s video game offerings. On the panel side of things, we will be attending the Archie Comics panel for the new Sonic Boom comic book series as well as Blake J. Harris’s Console Wars panel featuring Tom Kalinske (Sega of America), Al Nilsen (Sega of America), Bill White (Nintendo of America), and Perrin Kaplan (Nintendo of America), as well as Julian Rosenberg, producer of the upcoming Console Wars documentary. If we’re lucky we might even get some one-on-one time with Blake, Tom, and Al!

Continue Reading ➜

No Comments