Author Archives: Bartman

Night Trap Mania Lands in August, New Features, New Documentary

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Screaming Skulls, Limited Run Games and My Life in Gaming teased announcements today regarding the re-release of Night Trap. Their main point comes with the release date slated for release on August 15th, the same day as Sonic Mania, on PlayStation 4 and Steam for digital download. Four days prior to that you can head over to Limited Run Games to buy a highly limited physical version of the PlayStation 4 version on August 11th. The Xbox One version is set to release at a later time.

In addition to the game, they’re also bundling a prototype, Scene of the Crime, as an additional feature. This served as the basis for Night Trap and has long since been unavailable to the public up until the 25th Anniversary release later this year.

Of course that still means that it’s going to be awhile before you can set traps for the augers and that’s where My Life in Gaming comes in. Their 50 minute documentary details the history of the game from it’s prototype, to it’s initial release on SEGA CD, up to the remaster featuring video game historians and developers to regale on the game’s lasting impact on the industry. Be sure to check out the documentary after the jump as well as some links you should check out regarding the game. There’s something really cool to see three small independent groups come together to help bring back video game history. Even though Night Trap does not hold up in terms of gameplay it’s at least admirable to see the lengths people will go for video game preservation.

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SEGAbits at E3 2017: Sonic Forces Hands-On Preview

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Kori-Maru and Bartman back from the E3 show floor here to give their hands-on impressions of upcoming SEGA titles, including two Sonic the Hedgehog games coming out this year: Sonic Mania & Sonic Forces. This hands-on article features both of their thoughts and opinions on Sonic Forces. Be sure to hit the jump to hear their impressions. If you want to read their thoughts on Sonic Mania, click here!

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Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap Remake Now Available for PC

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The remake of the SEGA Master System classic, Wonder Boy III: The Dragon’s Trap has finally arrived on PC. The remake has already landed on consoles back in April and is now appearing on two PC digital download services; Steam and GOG.

For a refresher, the remake is handled by two French developers DotEmu and Lizardcube. Featuring a more involved remake compared to Wonder Boy Returns, features include an additional playable girl, remastered art, sound and music and the ability to switch between the remake and the original game at any time.

Wonder Boy III became a turning point for the series as it broke away from it’s arcade roots. By expanding on the idea of exploration, the player makes use of different animal forms with unique abilities to help reach new areas and uncover gear unique to each form. The series is also known for confusing players thanks to the original developer bringing the game to non-SEGA platforms, such as this game also appearing as Dragon’s Curse on the TurboGrafx-16 without the Wonder Boy license which is owned by SEGA. With permission from SEGA, this remake helps fuel the brand’s return in the midst of the platformer genre making a big comeback.

Make no mistake though, unlike the Surge-fueled 90’s mascot platformers with attitude you’re getting a fun yet challenging experience brought back by a lovingly-crafted remake that’s worth it for those who have played the game before or those who have never experienced it. Again the game can be found for the first time on PC through either Steam or without DRM through GOG.com.

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Etrian Odyssey V Confirmed for North American Release Fall 2017

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Despite Nintendo shifting focus with it’s platforms we’re still going to receive a number of titles for the Nintendo 3DS, and Atlus fans in North America are certainly not missing out on the latest entry in the Etrian Odyssey series with Etrian Odyssey V: Beyond the Myth confirmed for a fall 2017 release on the platform. This comes from Atlus’ own website showing a test page for the game to appear on their main website’s slider which showcases new and upcoming releases. Perhaps this news was to be revealed during E3 which is just less than a week away. Until then this will make 3DS owners happy that RPGs are not in short supply on the system.

The game originally released in Japan on August 4th of last year with a western release nowhere in sight. With the release of the Nintendo Switch it seemed that their handheld line might be at the end of it’s life. Luckily fans of the series can rest assured that Atlus is just as eager to get the game into the hands of it’s international audience.

We will report more on the game’s western release date as it develops.

[Source: Atlus]

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MomoCon 2017: Big’s Big Fishing Adventure 3 – Big-Hazard Battle

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I know what you’re thinking. The release date for the most anticipated game ever has leaked out!

–not! While the hotly anticipated Big’s Big Fishing Adventure 3 is still a ways away, that didn’t stop some of our team to put together a brand new trailer showing off the exclusive mini game Big-Hazard Battle. 

This trailer was first revealed at our live panel at MomoCon 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia which would have been live streamed. Unfortunately due to technical difficulties, those who went to the panel were the only ones that got to see it in it’s entirety. Only the latter Q&A portion of the panel was streamed which you can catch here at the beginning of this archived video. But don’t worry! We also made sure to let you guys check out the new trailer one way or another! Big hijacks the Tornado 2 that takes him to familiar Sonic Adventure 2 locals including Prison Island and Pumpkin Hill. Load up with power-ups and options to fend off the G.U.N. forces.

Big’s Big Fishing Adventure 3 is a fan-made visual novel starring Big the Cat featuring various mini-games. It will show what the purple feline was up to during the events of Sonic Adventure 2, revealing why he was hanging around in the game’s stages. It is also partially being developed by SEGAbits staff.

Want to see more from the game? Don’t forget to check out the trailers featuring Tails and Dr. Eggman as well! For more news and updates on the game’s development and other shenanigans you can follow us on Twitter.

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Lighting mod for Sonic Adventure DX restores Dreamcast lighting effects

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Sonic Retro user Morph and several others have gone through Sonic Adventure DX and created a mod that restores the lighting effects that were previously seen in the original Sonic Adventure into the PC version. The difference gives off more vibrant colors in the environment that also reacts to objects and characters. You can download the mod from the discussion thread in Sonic Retro’s forums.

Lighting can be used to set a specific tone or mood in an environment. But why is it such a difficult thing to remain consistent when converting this to other game platforms? The game featured an artistic shift that occurred when the game was converted to other platforms. A combination of technical hurdles and creative liberties can dampen the original artistic intent, and Sonic Adventure is no exception. The original Dreamcast version featured a “Lantern” engine which provided impressive looking lighting effects using palettes on SEGA’s then cutting edge game console. However the dozens of ports of the game left out these lighting effects in favor of using drop shadows instead, until now. Check out additional videos, comparison screenshots and an interview with Morph on the mod after the jump!

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SEGA Channel Retro: Freedom Planet 2 and Sonic Robo Blast 2 Top Down Mod

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Today we spotlight a couple of releases from the community, the Freedom Planet 2 demo as well as a brief co-op run of the long awaited Top Down mod for Sonic Robo Blast 2. Read more on Freedom Planet 2’s latest demo and links to where you can find it here. If you want to check out the new Top Down mod for Sonic Robo Blast 2, be sure to hit up their forums.

SEGA Channel Retro is the SEGA themed variety channel covering anything and everything related to Sonic the Hedgehog, SEGA and the community that supports it. We stream SEGA games, games on SEGA consoles, hacks, mods and more!

You can now watch our live streams on YouTube or Twitch! Also please consider donating to SEGA Channel Retro!

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Big’s Big Fishing Adventure 3 Delayed Until Early 2017

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Big the Cat’s starring debut is going to be taking a bit longer to fish out. In an announcement released by Tails’ Channel, Big’s debut game has been delayed from it’s initial December release date.

For those not aware of the game, Big’s Big Fishing Adventure 3 re-tells the story of Sonic Adventure 2. This time from the perspective of that fat cat based on his numerous cameos in the game. Further details were released through the panel hosted at the 2016 Sonic & SEGA Fan Jam. You can catch up on the going’s on for Big’s big debut by watching the panel here, starting at 46:00. The game’s developed by members of the Sonic community in order to raise efforts for Child’s Play.

We at SEGAbits share involvement in the project and are just as passionate for Big the Cat as everyone else is working on it. You can expect to keep an eye on us or the other teams involved with the game’s development when the game finally releases in early 2017.

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Sonic Unleashed preview build released

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Sonic Unleashed is seen as one of the biggest 3D entries in the history of Sonic. Whether you like the werehog or not, it brought a massive overhaul to the game design philosophy of Sonic working in the third dimension. The beautiful environments based on real-life locations, fast gameplay and a unique lighting engine all housed under the “Hedgehog Engine” helped achieve a major milestone for fast-paced 3D platformers. Fast forward towards the end of the downer year that is 2016, it has brought us one thing that can shed some meaningful insight on the development of Sonic Unleashed; the release of an Xbox 360 preview build.

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SEGA Channel Retro: Sonic Riders Retrospective with S0LV0

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Ten years ago the 15th anniversary of Sonic the Hedgehog left us with a pretty sour taste. But did you know that there was one game that came out to celebrate the heritage with a racing game boasting an extreme attitude, extreme air and some extreme gear. Tune in 7PM Centra/1AM GMT for the livestream of Sonic Riders as the Retro crew and Unleashed Project’s own S0LV0 tour through the game in extreme style!

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Sonic Hacking Contest 2016 Goes Live

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The 2016 Sonic Hacking Contest site is live, with 54 different hacks and mods to download and play! It is a yearly contest where members of Sonic Retro and Sonic Stuff Research Group show off their mods and ROM hacks. No account is required to play or download any of the hacks. Voting on entries requires a Sonic Retro or Sonic Stuff Research Group account to vote on the community trophies. You can also check the schedule for near-round the clock streams from folks like SomeCallMeJohnny, MegaGWolf, RedHotSonic and many more!

Downloading hacks are open until Sunday the 13th. Some mods you’ll encounter include ROM hacks of Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic Pocket Adventure as well as mods for PC versions of the original Sonic Adventure DX release, Sonic Generations and Sonic Lost World. Check them out today!

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