SEGA AGES Space Harrier Review – The Best Version of the Game Yet! (Nintendo Switch)

SEGA has been on a roll lately with their releases of past arcade titles on the Switch. What is unique about these rereleases however is that they come with a variety of different and new options never been done on original release or as a port. And with both TV and portability uses to be had, some might pick up a few if not all the titles available, as they enhance the game play in wonderful fashion. That’s why it is easy for me to say that this port of Space Harrier is the best version of the game.

New gameplay trailer for upcoming Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD

You might go bananas once you see the new Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD gameplay trailer. The one-minute trailer shows off some courses and bosses from the original Wii version, in beautiful 1080p and 60 FPS to boot. Since this is a multi-platform release, motion controls have been taken out to give the game a more classic control setup that Monkey Ball is known for. If you pre-order the game, you also get a sticker set of Aiai and his friends. The game is coming out October 29, 2019 for Playstation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch with a PC Steam release slated for later.

New showcase trailer for SEGA Genesis Mini revealed

SEGA of America’s Youtube channel released a short showcase video or the upcoming SEGA Genesis Mini, which is slated to release next month. In the video it opens with a little “blast from the past”, with 90’s Claymation Sonic from the classic Japanese commercial with the “SEGAAAA” jingle accompanying it. It follows up with a brief showing of the size difference between the original & the mini and what games are to come, including Tetris and Darius. The latter also brings it its’ first North American release, although it is an in-house port by M2 and SEGA of Japan since it was an arcade cabinet originally.

Youtuber “Balena Productions” releases statement on troubling situation

Steve Page, creator of Balena Productions and various SFM videos such as Christmas with Sonic and Sonic Zombies, has released a statement about his current situation with Youtube. According to the Balena Productions Discord chat, Page said that half of his ads with disabled on his videos and has tried to work it out with his channel manager, only to have Youtube say that his videos are “working as intended”.

Steve is one of the very first Youtubers that I’ve watched, even back to the SonicDood3 days. It breaks my heart to see someone who wanted to follow his passion and get so far, only for the Youtube guidelines and algorithms to take hold of his channel unfairly. Source Film isn’t an easy thing to do and takes a lot of time, but the quality that holds up is why I keep coming back. All we ask here at SEGABits is to at least show some support. I know that the community is strong and can hopefully get Steve, his girlfriend Riana, right-hand man Apoc Hedgie, and others back up to where they need. Click the link to find out more about the situation and how you can help in any way you can.

Fan-made open beta of Sonic Runners underway

2015 was an interesting year for Sonic. Before the ignition that started with the 25th anniversary party, the Sonic Mania hype, and SEGA Forever, we were gifted as with a few lovely mobile apps for SEGA to dip their toes into the market. With Sonic Jump and Sonic Dash being both moderate and raving successes respectfully, it was time that Sonic Team took a slightly different approach to the next mobile game, leading to Sonic Runners. However, within over a year of its launch, the game was shut down. Now fans have worked their magic again to revive the long-forgotten game app, which was a favorite among the community. Click the jump to find out more.

SEGABits At E3 2019: Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth Hands-On Preview

Although the game has already been out worldwide, Persona Q2 is one of the last games to be released on the Nintendo 3DS. SEGA and ATLUS usually has a demo every year to promote a title that may not get a whole lot of recognition. And while Persona is one of the companies’ fastest growing series in terms of popularity, I would be easy to miss this title on a dying handheld system. However, Persona and RPG fans alike should dust off their 3Ds’s one more time to check out this unique adventure. Click the jump to find out more about the 5-minute hands-on demo.

“Dreams of An Absolution” singer Bentley Jones releases new remixed music video

One cannot deny that one of the few things positive about 2006’s version of Sonic the Hedgehog was the music. It had a wide array of melodies and themes from rock n’ roll, hip-hop, and contemporary to name a few. Earlier this morning, Bentley Jones, who is the singer of the hit song “Dreams of An Absolution” released a brand-new music video featuring him singing and running in different locals. For more information about Bentley Jones’s 10th anniversary celebration, click the jump to find out more.

Crush 40 set to release a new “Ultimate Collection” album in July

Johnny and Jun are doubling down this year with their own album: Driving Through Forever: The Ultimate Crush 40 Collection, listing all their best hits from the last 20 years. Unlike Maximum Overdrive, which lists multiple artists with Jun Senoue, this is all only Crush 40. There are multiple Internet listings, from Amazon UK to Tower Records JP, ranging for around $25-$30 depending on the seller. Four tracks are already confirmed with classics like: Open Your Heart, Live & Learn, Sonic Heroes, and Green Light Ride.

SEGAbits at E3 2019: Mario & Sonic at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games Hands-On Preview

Dakota and Patrick: The 90’s all-star rivalry is back in this year’s version of the Olympic Games, based off the Tokyo 2020 one. The demo had 5 sports: Skateboarding, Surfing, 100 M hurdles, Karate, and Archery. I also would like to note that every game played had motion controls, though some I opted to use buttons only and vice versa. Each one as certainly a fun time, although I personally had a lot more fun than others. Be sure to hit the jump for more information about the game.

SEGAbits at E3 2019: Catherine Full Body Hands-On Preview

E3 is going a little more risqué this year with Atlus’s new title: Catherine Full Body. It seems that Vincent’s love triangle isn’t enough, so this new game introduces new elements, new story and cutscenes, and even a new female to woo. With a lot on his plate, Vincent is going back to his nightmares, only this time there are some new tricks up its’ sleeve. To find out more on my hands-on experience with the game, be sure to click the jump.

ToeJam and Earl Collector’s Edition Goes Live on Friday

Don’t adjust your dial-up modem! ToeJam and Earl are “Back in the Groove” in their newest title in almost 17 years. With plenty of funky music and smooth gameplay, the duo also comes with a limited Collector’s Edition thanks to the folks of Limited Run. Along with a physical copy of the game (PS4 or Switch) you also get:

– Themed packaging based on the game’s aesthetics
– Map puzzle board (with 25 possible maps)
– 6 enamel pins (ToeJam, Earl, Latisha, Lewanda, 2 mystery bond box earthlings)
– 10 pin stands for setting up your own level
– Environment cutout standees
– Cassette soundtrack + download code of the game
– A cool and funky 18×24 poster

There are up to 6 possible earthling pins with additional blind boxes sold separately.

And for $69.99 that is not a bad deal, considering the game will probably be $30 upon release. The pre-order goes live on Friday February 15, 2019, with Batch 1 @10am and Batch 2 @ 6pm EST. Considering the love and hype around the series, I have no doubt that this game will be a smash hit. But the orders will go quick, so be ready to boogie on over to the website when they go live! For more updates and info, check the Limited Run twitter and website. And congratulations Greg; here’s to you!!!

Daytona Championship USA impressions and gameplay

Last year I went out to the Dave & Busters in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, which at the time was one of few locations anywhere in the US that had Daytona Championship USA. The racing bug has been in my blood since I was a kid and Daytona USA is a series I absolutely adore. So here are some of my first impressions of the game (yes I still remember).

The SEGA Five: SEGA published games that deserve more attention

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If you discuss Streets of Rage, Super Monkey Ball, or even anything Sonic, chances are you can hear that 90’s jingle of retro goodness (SEGAAAAAAAAAAA!). The company helped create some wonderful games and franchises and are still going strong to this day. That being said, most of the games published by SEGA are sometimes often forgot about and usually sit on store shelves to collect dust and/or be pauper’s pennies.

While I haven’t played every single game SEGA has helped publish, some of those games stick out to me in a very unique and interesting way. And SEGA, being the quirky company they are, brought me wonderful memories and breathes a one-of-a-kind charm to those certain games. So in no particular order (with the first one being my favorite out of the five), here are some games that rightfully deserve more attention than they get!

SEGA Memories: The Day the HD Stood Strong

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Imagine growing up with a family who got you your first video game system, even though they have little to no knowledge of what video games are. That may sound like most of you, but for those that didn’t have that lovely experience, nine times out of ten you hoped that you got the one game system you wanted to get or you relied on friends to have the ones you didn’t have. And somehow, unfortunately, my neighborhood was all Nintendo territory.

Let’s fast forward to early 2012; I started to branch out in my gaming endeavors. I got an Xbox 360 a year before and third-party titles started to become my new favorite (I went crazy over all of the Suda51 games). Then one fateful spring morning, it was announced that three classic Sega titles were coming to the 360 and PS3 later on in the year. And while I already spoiled myself silly over the Gamecube port of Sonic Adventure 2, the other two games were ones that I was most excited about than any other game of that year: NiGHTS into Dreams and Jet Set Radio. Since there were no Sonic games coming out that year, SEGA gave us three remastered HD titles to melt over. And while some have already played these gems, this was an exciting and memorable moment for me in a time when people thought the world was going to end.