Author Archives: FlareHabanero

Nintendo Switch PAL eShop mentions Puyo Puyo Tetris demo [UPDATE]

April 10, 2017 by FlareHabanero

Back in Japan, the Nintendo Switch port of Puyo Puyo Tetris S got a demo that allowed players to play a bit of game for free and as long as they wanted. A common question is if western territories will also get the demo to try out the game for themselves, but now we might finally get an answer. On the PAL eShop it mentions that Puyo Puyo Tetris has a free demo, which at the moment is not available as of this writing. Presumably this will be like the Japanese eShop demo, where players have a limited selection of characters and options to choose from but can play up to 4 players with different controller configurations.

Interestingly, the American eShop makes no mention of having a free demo. Only PAL regions do, implying that either the demos will be PAL only, or more likely the PAL eShop mentioning it having a demo earlier then intended was a fluke. It’s also unknown if the PS4 version of Puyo Puyo Tetris will also have a demo, though considering that version is exclusively physical, that might not be the case. But regardless, stay tune for a likely Puyo Puyo Tetris demo to be officially announced in the meantime.

[UPDATE]

New Sonic mobile game Sonic Runners Adventure leaked

April 7, 2017 by FlareHabanero

A new Sonic mobile game has been leaked called Sonic Runners Adventure, an apparent successor/sequel to the controversial Sonic Runners that was released globally in 2015 but shut down in 2016. The most notable difference between the original and this new game is the change of developers, Sonic Runners Adventure being handled by Gameloft, a studio that produces miscellaneous mobile games. Sonic Runners Adventure was originally leaked in a dedomil.net forum post, further supported by the Gameloft website having a customer support section for the game.

The support page in particular goes into detail over different aspects of the game. A notable change is that online is not mandatory, only being needed at launch and to access external links, unlike it’s predecessor Sonic Runners where online is needed at all times. Another change is that characters can be directly purchased with Rings, while Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles are unlocked automatically by playing through the storyline. Characters are also divided up by three categories, Hero, Dark, and Chaotix, each category having a unique skill that triggers after collecting 300 rings. There are also three different ways the game is played. Finite where the goal is to simply reach the end, Looped where you race around a short level with the goal of reaching the end of the last lap, and Infinite where a level continuously plays until you clear a certain objective.

No word has been officially stated by SEGA, but stay tune for more information to likely drop of Sonic Runners Adventure in the future.

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7th Dragon III Code: VFD “God Hand” Figgy figure up for pre-order

March 31, 2017 by FlareHabanero

A new figure from Figgy is now available for pre-order, this time based on 7th Dragon III Code: VFD. The figure dubbed the “God Hand” figure is based on the maid design in the character customization, using the “A” style and the middle color scheme. God Hand referring to one of the classes in the game, a class that specializes in physical combat and healing. Note that technically the character design and class are not mutual, so you can choose whatever you want.

The 7th Dragon III Code: VFD God Hand figure is priced at ¥‎14,904 ($133.25), but for a limited time the figure has an 18% discount on AmiAmi for ¥‎12,220 ($109.26). The figure will be available on a tentative August 2017 release date. For more information about the figure including photos, check the official Figgy page, but be warned as it is in Japanese.

Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap introduces Wonder Boy and Wonder Girl

March 22, 2017 by FlareHabanero

The latest information regarding to Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap, and this time it’s showing off not only the titular Wonder Boy (aka Hu-Man), but also a female counterpart named Wonder Girl (aka Hu-Girl). Players have the option to freely switch between male and female versions by talking to everyone’s favorite smoking pig, and just like everything else in the game Wonder Girl will receive 8-bit sprites when switching to the “retro” style.

In addition, the official Playstation Blog post for the game goes into more details over concept designs for Wonder Boy/Wonder Girl and the animal transformations. The character designs were originally viewed from their sprite counterpart and given a modern interpretation, and adjusted several times until finalized to what we see in the final product. Wonder Boy and Wonder Girl in particular going though several revisions, partially because of Wonder Boy receiving several interpretations between games and versions.

Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap is slated for a Playstation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch release on April 18th, with a PC version arriving on an unspecified later date in 2017.

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Unreleased Dreamcast version of Millennium Racer: Y2K Fighters uncovered

March 15, 2017 by FlareHabanero

A new Dreamcast game has been recently discovered, specifically a Dreamcast port of the PC game Millennium Racer: Y2K Fighters. Millennium Racer: Y2K Fighters is a racing game created by a company called Creat Studio back in 1999, most comparable to the wipEout series on Sony consoles. The game was found in a Dreamcast devkit, playable and seemingly complete, yet strangely never received any type of publicity. The PC version was released, but the Dreamcast version was quietly cancelled for unknown reasons.

The original finder of the unreleased Dreamcast port of Millennium Racer: Y2K Fighters was a Dreamcast enthusiast named Kuririn84, who found the game in dev kit and distributed the game to two people in order to extract it. Since then another user by the name of japanese_cake successfully got the game to boot and provided a downloadable link for anyone to try out. Full comments from japanese_cake can be found here.

It’s nice to see another game has been discovered and preserved for future generations, and thanks to all the dedicated Dreamcast fans for preserving a small bit of history.

[Source: The Dreamcast Junkyard]

For more screenshots and video from The Dreamcast Junkyard, click below.

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Sonic Generations “Unleashed Project 2.0” project cancelled

March 9, 2017 by FlareHabanero

Bad news for people looking forward to the Sonic Generations Unleashed Project 2.0 mod, as it has been announced that the project has been cancelled. The project’s former head, S0LV0, has announced that she is stepping down from her position and canning the project as a result. According to her via a TwitLong post, it was due to a lack of passion on her end causing a lot of stress, and being unable to pass the workload onto someone else.

So, here it is. I can’t begin to express how sorry I am about this, but I’m cancelling Unleashed Project 2.0. For a long time I was really passionate about it, and I felt I had something special to share with people by working on it, but that passion is gone. I know of no one I could pass the workload onto, nor do I plan to release my “completed” work as none of it is fully polished. I’m sincerely sorry to those who were looking forward to it, but I hope you’ll understand by this far into my post that it was extremely unhealthy for me.

The project itself was designed to replicate Sonic Unleashed levels, including bonus and DLC stages, using the PC version of Sonic Generations as a base. Though intended to replicate levels, some designs were changed as a form of compromise due to technical limitations. Ultimately the project was ambitious, with over 30 levels planned for the Unleashed Project, with the ultimate goal to expand Sonic Generations with a DLC-esque experience and a way to re-introduce Sonic Unleashed levels.

As for any hope of Unleashed Project being revived in the future, it may be a possibility. Former head DarioFF may return as the head of the project, expressing interest in reviving the project. Whether or not it will happen remains to be seen.

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New Puyo Puyo Tetris footage shows off gameplay modes

March 7, 2017 by FlareHabanero

New Puyo Puyo Tetris has been released and uploaded, courtesy of Perfectly Nintendo. This nearly 25 minute video shows off matches between the five multiplayer modes, Versus, Fusion, Swap, Party, and Big Bang.

Versus: Players pick either Puyo Puyo or Tetris and try to knock out the other players. Tetris based on Super Rotation System while Puyo Puyo based on Puyo Puyo Tsu rules.
Fusion: Players use both Puyo and Tetrimino on a single board, utilizing character specific dropsets. Clearing rows or popping Puyo does not interrupt controls, allowing players to continuously chain and create combos between Puyo and Tetrimino clearing.
Swap: Change between Puyo Puyo and Tetris, swapping to the other playstyle after a set time limit. Any Puyo or Tetrimino in the background when swapped will still create chains, potentially creating a combo if utilized at the right time.
Party: Players choose Puyo Puyo or Tetris, utilizing power blocks that hamper the opponent or benefit the user. The objective is to score the highest amount of points within a time limit, getting knocked out costing you points.
Big Bang: Players pick Puyo Puyo or Tetris, utilizing preset boards in order to power up. Successfully clearing a chain extends the next one, while failing to clear a chain reduces the next one. After the time limit is done, players attack each other, the strongest chain hitting all other opponents and reduce their health. This continues until all other players are knocked out, the last one standing being the winner.

In addition, for those that are curious about the English voices, you can hear those from Ringo, Tee, Amitie, Arle, and Ess extensively. Puyo Puyo Tetris is due for a western release on April 25th in North America and April 28th in Europe for both the PS4 (physical only) and Nintendo Switch.

SEGA Retrospective: SEGA and Tetris

February 26, 2017 by FlareHabanero

Good old Tetris, a name that even those not savvy with video games are familiar with, and for good reason. A very simple premise of dropping blocks called Tetrimino to clear lines and get the highest score managed to become a multi-million dollar franchise, with the Game Boy iteration of Tetris alone managing to sell 35 million copies and spawning a lot of competitors in the “Falling Block” genre such as Dr. Mario, Puyo Puyo, and SEGA’s own Columns.

With the announcement of Puyo Puyo Tetris coming to the west on the Nintendo Switch and Playstation 4, we’re going to take a quick look at SEGA’s past involvement with the Tetris brand. This will focus on three versions of Tetris released during the 80’s by SEGA, along with the later released Tetris SEGA and Giant Tetris. Also primates.

Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap to feature Master System graphics and passwords

February 23, 2017 by FlareHabanero

Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap is still in production for the Playstation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC and slated to be released with a TBA 2017 release date. However for those that want an update of the game, new information has been revealed that may tantalize the fans of the Master System version. Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap will feature the ability to seamlessly change the graphics and sound to that of the Master System original. So if for whatever reason you’re not a fan of the updated art style of the remake or if you simply want a more retro flair, you at least now have the option.

In addition, Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap will support the original version’s passwords, allowing you to input cheat codes from the original game into the remake. So if you felt like it, you can get a jump start with the game with all equipment and forms available from the start. Regardless, it shows that the developers are going the extra mile to respect the original Master System version.

Puyo Puyo Tetris gets a new trailer and release dates

February 8, 2017 by FlareHabanero

Puyo Puyo Tetris is going to be released soon on both the Nintendo Switch and Playstation 4, and to help promote SEGA has released a new trailer highlighting several of the game’s modes. This includes the single player Adventure mode, along with the multiplayer modes Swap, Versus, Fusion (aka PuyoTetMix in the Japanese version), Big Bang, and Party mode. In addition, SEGA has confirmed release dates for both USA and Europe. Puyo Puyo Tetris will be released on April 25th in the USA, while in Europe it will be released on April 28th. You can pre-order Puyo Puyo Tetris today on both Playstation 4 and for Nintendo Switch.

For official descriptions for the modes, read on!

Rare SegaSonic Cosmo Galaxy Fighter game dumped

February 6, 2017 by FlareHabanero

MAMEWorld has recently celebrated the 20th anniversary of the well known arcade emulator MAME with a dump of several arcade games. One of the games is the rare SegaSonic Cosmo Galaxy Fighter from an anonymous donator. The original game was a vertical shooter that as the name suggests stars Sonic the Hedgehog as he has to shoot down Dr. Robotnik and his robots in space. The arcade cabinet was originally a Japanese exclusive, with the monitor having an interesting “swaying” effect as you play the game. SegaSonic Cosmo Galaxy Fighter is comparable to Waku Waku Sonic Patrol Car in terms of presentation.

This dumping means that as of this point, all known Sonic arcade games have been dumped in some way or another. However, the ROM of the game is not available publicly as of this writing, meaning currently it’s not possible to play the game yourself using MAME. Still, the fact a game like SegaSonic Cosmo Galaxy Fighter and the many other games recently donated being dumped means they won’t be lost to the trials of time.

[Source: MAMEWorld]

Rumor: Sonic Mania to get a physical release [update]

January 27, 2017 by FlareHabanero

Up to this point, we knew that the anticipated Sonic Mania was coming to the PS4, Xbox One, PC, and more recently Nintendo Switch as a digital download. However, recent images suggest that Sonic Mania may also get a physical release, at least for the Nintendo Switch version. @SuperAj3 on Twitter recently posted an image of mockup cases for Sonic Mania, originally from EBGames Australia. According to him, he asked the people behind the counter about the game, and it was in their database. Later, another Twitter post from the official EBGames Australia account claims that they are “expecting” a physical release for Sonic Mania at this stage.

Together, this hints at Sonic Mania getting a physical release, at least for the Nintendo Switch version in Australia. However as of this writing, nothing from SEGA has been officially confirmed. It’s also unknown if a physical release will be available in other regions or if there will be physical releases for the other versions such as for the PS4 and Xbox One.

[Update] Sonic the Hedgehog social media manager, Aaron Webber, has taken to Twitter to set the record straight. According to him, there isn’t ‘currently’ news on the physical release.

“Hi guys – there’s currently no news on a physical release for Sonic Mania, sorry. We’ll let you know if anything changes. Thanks!” – Aaron Webber

Weird choice of using ‘no news on a physical release’ instead of ‘no plans’, but we shall see what happens in the near future. [/update]

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Official English Yakuza and Puyo Puyo accounts for social media live

January 21, 2017 by FlareHabanero

Well this is a surprise! SEGA has made a lot of announcements and we’re expecting releases of games like Puyo Puyo Tetris and Yakuza 0. But are you worried that you might get lost in the sudden torrent of announcements? SEGA has got your back, as now there are official social media accounts for Puyo Puyo and Yakuza. Not only are these designed to promote upcoming games like the aforementioned Puyo Puyo Tetris and Yakuza 0, but also the respective franchises in general, possibly for future announcements.

If you want to show your support, please follow these accounts to stay updated with both franchises, and maybe for the occasional fan engagement.

Puyo Puyo

Yakuza

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NicoNico and FreshLive stream to show Sonic Mania, Valkyria Revolution, and Yakuza 6

January 18, 2017 by FlareHabanero

SEGA of Japan has announced two streams for January 24th, one for FreshLive and another for NicoNico. The streams will be about three games, the upcoming Sonic Mania, and the recently released Valkyria Revolution and Yakuza 6 in Japan. Both the FreshLive and NicoNico streams will be live on January 24th at 8:55pm local time, or about 6:55am EST/3:55am PST. If you have interest in any of these titles, please have a gander, especially for potential new information about Sonic Mania.