This year the Sonic the Hedgehog series turns the big 20 and over the years there have been many spin-off titles. The staff got together to pick our favorites, hit the jump to see them. If you want to share your favorites, hit us in the comment section.
Last time we posted about how Yakuza of the End copied zombies from Left 4 Dead, now we bring you the other side of the coin. Well not really, just a coincidence. Engadget already did an article regarding the Android robot being taken from an Atari Lynx game.
Still something cool to look at. These robots are in Space Channel 5 Part 2, which you can now get in the Dreamcast Collection on PC and Xbox 360.
[Posted at Reddit]
The new trailer for Platinum Games upcoming Anarchy Reigns has been posted. This one shows some more gameplay and even how ‘levels interact’ with the fighting. Really starting to remind me of Power Stone. Which is a good thing.
Game is shaping to be awesome. We hope there is a demo released, since I have been seing a lot of hate for the game online. Got to prove the haters wrong.
I’m not at all surprised to see something like this online, as we’ve already discussed on the forums how they totally ripped off the licker from Resident Evil. Not only that, they also totally ripped off movies as well.
This time SEGA is accused of ripping off 4 character designs from one game, Left 4 Dead. You see the pictures and decide if they are too similar, to me they are.
[Source: AndriaSang]
No footage online that I have seen, but some information about the tech demo has made it online already. The tech demo shown isn’t nearly ready for prime time and is still in concept stages, but is already said to look as good as Conduit 2.
But how? Seems that High Voltage actually ported over assets from Conduit 2 to the 3DS for the demo. As for the story in the 3DS version of the game, the developers said they would like to explore the Conduit universe more, maybe make a prequel.
I will have to wait and play Conduit 2 before I can say if I would like a Conduit 3DS game published by SEGA.
[Source: NintendoWorldReport]
Nintendo just announced at their GDC keynote that the 3DS Virtual Console will have TurboGraphx-16 and SEGA Game Gear titles. That is right, now you will be able to put down that battery hogging Game Gear and be able to play your titles on the go on the 3DS.
As for titles at launch, none where named. I would not be shocked at Sonic titles being the first to hit the service. Especially since this year is Sonic’s 20th anniversary.
[Source: Joystiq]
Yakuza of the End demo will be hitting PSN in the upcoming Japanese update. So if you have your Japanese accounts at hand, get ready to download this. The Japan store is weird and takes down demos all the time, so play it safe!
The demo lets you play as Shun Akiyama (From Yakuza 4) and shows the game’s Gun Shot Battle system. You will also be able to play with partners and play spots like the hostess club and Boot Camp section. Awesome.
[Source: AndriaSang]
Sonic is turning 20, that is a big number for any franchise, since Sonic is SEGA’s biggest franchise ever… you know they are going to do it big. SEGA Europe just expanded their license teams to get products out to you by Sonic’s 20th anniversary come June 23rd.
“We have some surprises lined up for Sonic’s anniversary. We’re working on a number of retail initiatives across different sectors. Ideally, we would like to tie in different merchandise to create a strong branded presence in stores. We want to team up with multi-territory partners in publishing, apparel and collectibles such as trading card games and stickers,” said Henno. “We also have interest in categories such as wheeled items, outdoor sporting goods and bedding in the UK and internationally.” – Sega Europe’s head of licensing Sissel Henno
SEGA’s licensing teams will be hitting trade shows to meet new potential partners. These trade shows include Brand Licensing Show in Budapest, Bologna Book Fair and Kazachok Licensing Show in Paris. We shall see what surprises SEGA has in store for Sonic’s birthday.
[Source: MCV]
Shenmue Town (referred to here as Shenmue City) was developed for Yahoo’s mobile application and DeNa Mobage-town portal in Japan, since they have the highest market share. But what about a smartphone app release? Yu Suzuki hints that they looking into it
“From the start, I’ve been thinking of this as a multiplatform game, So I’m thinking about smartphone strategies right now,” he said, hinting that he’s looking at both iOS and Android. Suzuki said that the platforms should be fine for a port, but that “the experience definitely needs to be customized for the smartphone.” – Yu Suzuki
As for other games Yu Suzuki has in mind for the future, he says he is imagining what he can do.
“Since Apple just announced their AirPlay initiative that allows you to play music and send a single out from your phone to multiple devices, that in the future you’ll be able to beam games out of your phone to play on widescreen TVs in massively multiplayer environments. You could play against other people with your iPhone as your controller.” – Yu Suzuki
I hope that the smartphone release of Shenmue Town gets a western release, I would pay for this app. You heard me SEGA? Pay, with real money! Yu Suzuki has responded to the name ‘Shenmue City’, which we and other press have been calling the game. He says that he would call the game ‘Shenmue Town’ because its too small to be a city. If Yu Suzuki says it, then we follow. The game will now be referred to as Shenmue Town.
[Source: Gamasutra]
We are holding a super duper Dreamcast Collection giveaway. You can thank SEGA America’s awesome community team for the prizes. Go ahead, send them a love letter.
So what are we going to give you? 3 lucky readers will be able to win one of the following.
There are 3 ways to win.
Enter over at SEGA Network affiliate The Dreamcast Junkyard for a chance to win!
Contest will run for one week, will end next Tuesday on March 8th. Good luck.
Marza Animation Planet is the CGI animation studio owned by SEGA-Sammy. They are the team that did the awesome ‘Night of the Werehog‘ short and is now working on the Space Pirate Captain Harlock film.
If that wasn’t enough, it seems that the team is cooking up another project, this time with Marie Rose as a writer. She has worked on such films as Poseidon, LA Confidential and The Proposal. We shall see what comes out of this, should be interesting.
[Thanks: Liam via e-mail]
[Source: Mule Films page]
Despite many requests from Android fans, SEGA has said they wouldn’t be bringing Sonic 4: Episode 1 to their phones. But out of the blue, Sonic 4: Episode 1 gets announced for Windows Phone 7.
Nothing much has been announced for the title. I wonder if Xbox 360 owners that bought the 360 version will get a discount on the mobile one?
[Source: SEGA]
For our first SEGAbits poll, we asked you if you guys where excited about Anarchy Reigns. Almost half of you (42%) said you guys where excited over the game, 38% stated that they needed more information and 20% didn’t care about the game.
I’m quite surprised at the number that didn’t care about the title. But what can you expect, web is full of haters. Now we have a new poll:
How would you improve the Dreamcast Collection? Choices up on the side bar.
Nikkei has reported that SEGA will be launching their ‘Play SEGA!’ brand across both Facebook and hi5 Networks.
SEGA promises to start the expansion by launching “Sega Play! Baseball” by the end of the month on Facebook. The same game will launch sometime in March on hi5. SEGA is set to be the first major Japanese developer to deliver content on hi5. When the game launches, it will be free to play with pay for items.
I for one support this, starting your own social game site is fine, but not having them in the #1 biggest social site around is just stupid.
[Thanks: ROJM]
[Cover of the standard edition]
Fast Striker was developed by NG:DEV.TEAM for the Neo Geo MVS, later it was ported to the Dreamcast. This review will cover the Dreamcast port. This is going to be the first indie review for the site, I hope you enjoy it.
