Sonic Forces PSN trophies leak early, teases at unannounced in-game content

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It seems that Sonic Force‘s PSN trophies have now leaked via PSN Profiles, a website dedicated to listing PSN trophies for easy tracking. According to the website Sonic Forces will have 46 trophies in total including: 32 bronze, 10 silver, 3 gold, and of course 1 platinum. The trophies hint at the game having more in-game content, including ‘secret stages’ and ‘EX stages’. It seems that the game will also have a lot of things to collect in-game from red rings, number rings, silver moon rings, wispons, parts, and a lot more. Seeing what the trophies are made up of, I’m pretty sure this listing is legit. But since its not 100% confirmed by SEGA, believe at your own risk.

Another interesting thing on Sonic Forces is some of the ‘daily missions’ and ‘SOS missions’ that have been revealed via the trophies. I assume the daily missions will have some sort of online functionality where you get different rewards for completing missions given by the game? It seems that the big three trophies to collect are the gold ones and those are collecting all wispons, beating all challenge missions and collecting all the silver moon rings. You can check out the Sonic Forces PSN trophies over here for yourself. Are you planning on getting a platinum in Sonic Forces?

[Via: PSN Profiles]

Sonic the Hedgehog comics returns in April 2018, Ian Flynn confirmed as writer

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The IDW Sonic Comic Town Hall panel has just went down, where they discussed the future of the Sonic the Hedgehog comics. If you guys didn’t hear, SEGA ended their license agreement with Archie comics, who prior to this IDW deal had been publishing Sonic the Hedgehog comics since April 6, 1993. Seems that IDW knows that April is  an iconic month for Sonic the Hedgehog comics since the first IDW Sonic the Hedgehog issue will be launching on April 4, 2018! IDW also confirmed that they will be publishing the book weekly throughout April (which means 4 issues then after April it will go back to monthly. The release dates for the first four issues are as follows:

  • Issue #1: April 4, 2018
  • Issue #2: April 11, 2018
  • Issue #3: April 18, 2018
  • Issue #4: April 25, 2018

IDW and SEGA also confirmed that Ian Flynn, who took over writing duties on Archie’s Sonic the Hedgehog since issue 160 back in March of 2006 will back as head writer. While Ian Flynn is the only name that has been confirmed for IDW’s Sonic the Hedgehog comic, they did give attendants of the Sonic Comic Town Hall panel a printed copy of Tyson Hesse Sonic the Hedgehog artwork. Maybe teasing him returning to the Sonic comics? IDW also said they are aware of fans wanting to see the return of the Freedom Fighters and told them to stay tuned. As far as content goes, IDW confirmed that they are allowed to use anything from the Sonic the Hedgehog games and has confirmed that there is no Sonic Forces comics in the works ‘as of right now’. As far as original characters, IDW said they may create some and are considering crossovers.

You can read the press release after the jump.

[Via: TSSZ News]

SEGA News Bits: Sonic Forces Reveals ‘New’ Chemical Plant Zone Discussion

Sonic Forces has just revealed a sorta, not really new stage with Chemical Plant Zone. While the name suggests its the same stage, its actually quite different now that Eggman took over in the world of Sonic Forces. On this episode we discuss the new Sonic Forces stage reveal, the new wisp costume hero drill and theorize that we could be seeing a Episode: Knuckles? Tune in on the discussion and let us know what you think in the comments below.

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Data Discs announces Metal Slug on vinyl

DATA013_Ltd_Ed_2Data Discs has announced their 13th number release, this one being Metal Slug. Which is kind of strange considering that each of their prior releases was a SEGA published or owned IP. In the end of the day I decided to post this because Metal Slug was on the SEGA Saturn, so technically its sort of SEGA related? Metal Slug vinyl will be worked on with collaboration from the SNK Sound Team! Each shipped copy will come with a double-sided lithographic insert featuring artwork from SNK’s Japanese archives.

The Metal Slug vinyl will come in three flavors:

  • 180g Tri-Colour with White Splatter (Limited Edition)
  • 180g Opaque Yellow
  • 180g Classic Black

Pre-orders for the vinyl start on October 7th, you can listen to some of the sample tracks here. Are any of you guys big fans of SNK’s Metal Slug? Will you be picking up the vinyl?

Yakuza Kiwami 2 demo hits Japanese PSN in late November

yakuza-kiwami-2-and-fist-of-the-north-star-game-announced-fo_mhjtYakuza Kiwami 2 is coming out this December 7th in Japan, so SEGA is starting to get their hype train going over there. They have promised a Yakuza Kiwami 2 demo by the end of November, starting on December 2nd to the 17th, SEGA will be launching TV advertising campaign for the game. SEGA will also be holding signing events in November.

As far as what the demo will contain, that is all a mystery but I hope it gives us a glimpse at some of the Goro Majima content that is exclusive to this title. This will also give us a look to see how this title is running on the Yakuza 6 Dragon Engine, since this is the second title by the studio to use the new engine. The first Kiwami game actually ran on the Yakuza 0 engine.

[Via: Gematsu]

‘Sonic the Hedgehog’ movie moves on to Paramount Pictures

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If you didn’t know about the Sonic the Hedgehog movie that has been in the works for a couple of years now, basically it started life over at Sony Entertainment. It is now revealed that the IP will be heading to Paramount Pictures as Sony has dropped the project. Neal H. Moritz and his company have signed a ‘first look deal’ with Paramount. They will be producing the project.

While the project is shifting publishing houses, it seems most of the staff from Sony Entertainment will be staying. This includes Deadpool director Tim Miller as executive producer, Blur Studio collaborator Jeff Fowler will make his directorial debut, Toby Ascher is executive producing, Dmitri Johnson, and Dan Jevons will be co-producers. Sadly the movie is still aiming at being a blend of CGI and live action, which honestly sounds terrible.

Now its making me wonder if we will ever see a Sonic the Hedgehog movie and if we do if it will be any good. What do you guys think? Let us know in the comments below!

[Source: Hollywood Reporter]

DARTSLIVE reveals Darts of the Dead limited time tie-in event

The popular ‘DartsLive’ machines will have a House of the Dead tie-in event being titled ‘Darts of the Dead‘. A few weeks ago SEGA Japan filed a trademark for ‘Darts of the Dead and now we know what its all about. The machine will play footage of The House of the Dead 4, giving you a number to hit on the dart board. If you hit each number you survive. You can see even more mini-games for Darts of the Dead  in the video above.

It seems that this update is a limited release and will begin on Monday October 2nd (today) and finish on Halloween. If you have a ‘DartsLive’ machine near you, I suggest you give it a visit if you are looking for some SEGA zombie filled darts action this October.

[Source: DARTSLIVE]

Fist of the North Star (Hokuto ga Gotoku) Extended Trailer shows off gameplay systems

The Fist of the North Star (Hokuto ga Gotoku) seemed to come out of nowhere. It was announced a few months ago and in Japan its already going to get a early February 2018 release. It seems that the Yakuza Studio people are on a roll with releasing Yakuza Kiwami 2 in December, 2017, then a few months after that releasing this! I have to say, very ambitious studio.

This extended Tokyo Game Show 2017 trailer gives you a look at the story, some fighting mechanics, how leveling up works, mini-games (which we wrote about), and the most important thing is that they confirmed that Out Run is playable in the game. What is your opinion on The Fist of the North Star (Hokuto ga Gotoku)? Do you want to see the title come to the west?

Yakuza Kiwami 2 extended trailer shows why its the best remake SEGA’s ever produced

Yakuza Kiwami 2 had its big showing at the Tokyo Game Show 2017 and is set to hit Japan in a few short months. SEGA has gone out of its way to impress Japanese consumers with a extended story trailer giving them a look at all the plot points from the 2006 PlayStation 2 game and brand new plots being introduced in the remake.

This remake is one of the best (if not the best) remake SEGA has ever produced. Or at least its looking that way. Though stating that is sorta a given considering that SEGA doesn’t produce many remakes, which I really do feel that they should. Especially of a high caliber such as this. SEGA always seems like a company that loves moving forward, so I’m glad that they are remaking these decade old titles. What are your opinions on Yakuza Kiwami 2? Will you be picking it up when it finally comes West?

Total War: Warhammer 2 Denuvo DRM cracked in just 10 hours

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Right now SEGA has been getting a lot of heat due to putting Denuvo DRM on Sonic Mania, if you google the DRM right now you will probably find a ton of Sonic Mania related articles. One thing that most people miss is that SEGA Europe’s PC games, like the Total War series have been using Denuvo for awhile. The newly released Total War: Warhammer II came out earlier today and has already had its Denuvo DRM cracked in just 10 hours.

While we can debate if piracy hurts game sales all day, according to a EU suppressed 300-page study, piracy doesn’t harm sales all that much. Is it true? I guess that is up for publishers to decide. I will say this though, if Denuvo is suppose to be protecting your games from piracy, its not doing a great job if its being cracked in less than a day. Not to mention the bad word of mouth that Denuvo DRM has, meaning putting the DRM in your game is automatically a bad PR move. If you didn’t already know, Sonic Forces on PC will also be using Denuvo DRM. How long do you think it will take people to crack that?

This whole PC games, DRM and piracy has been a huge issue with publishers. What are your thoughts on Denuvo DRM and SEGA using it for their PC games? Let us know in the comments below.

[Via: Reddit]

Persona 5 to release Ann’s Hoodie and Futaba’s Jacket, pre-orders up now

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Japanese clothing company Cospa, who mostly does cosplay costumes and appearl have announced that they are working with Persona 5 character designer Shigenori Soejima to bring in-game clothing to real life. The first official set that they are releasing are Ann Takamaki’s hoodie and Futaba Sakura’s jacket. These pieces will hit Japan in early 2018.

The Ann Takamaki hoodie is up to pre-order right now on Atlus’ shop for 18,500 yen ($165 USD) plus tax. They ship in January 2018 for pre-orders and will be at general shops in February. Futaba Sakura’s jacket on the other hand features removable fur for its hood and is available to pre-order for 19,800 yen ($176 USD) at the Atlus shop. It will ship on February 2018 for pre-orders and March for general sales.

[Source: Siliconera]

Sonic Adventure available on Xbox One via backwards compatibility update

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If you have been waiting to replay Sonic Adventure but have been too lazy to hook up either your Dreamcast, GameCube or Xbox 360; you’re in luck since its now fully playable on the Xbox One thanks to the latest backwards compatibility update. As you can tell by the photograph above, the XBLA version of Sonic Adventure uses assets from the GameCube version and sticks with its original 4:3 image.

While I have plenty of not so great things to say about how Xbox One brand has been handled, one thing I do think is very ambitious is how Microsoft is setting up the console to be the only Xbox console you would need to own thanks to its focus on backwards compatibility. I find it to be a great solution and a lot better than ‘streaming’ your last generation games like on PlayStation 4. How many of you guys are giving Sonic Adventure another go on Xbox One?

Shenmue III’s Dev Room Progress Report Vol. 4 Talks Facial Animation

A new Shenmue III Dev Room Progress video is out, this one being the fourth in the series. The report is under a minute and has a look at someone doing very early work on facial animation. I’m going to be honest, I feel like these reports are very useless since there isn’t anyone talking in detail about the process they are using and how complete the footage is. Towards the end of the footage of the old woman, we see a young woman model that looks rather nice. Overall the video is way too short and doesn’t offer much details.

Check out the Shenmue III Dev Room Progress video and let me know what you think of Shenmue III and its status reports that they have been releasing.

IDW to talk Sonic the Hedgehog comics at New York Comic Con

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If you are going to New York Comic Con and are a huge fan of the Sonic the Hedgehog comics, you might want to stop by ‘The First Sonic the Hedgehog/IDW Town Hall‘ on October 8, 2017 from 12:45 PM through 1:45 PM at 1A02, Javits Center. Of course the new Sonic the Hedgehog comic book isn’t launching on IDW until 2018, but we might finally get more information on the creative team behind the new reboot and what it means for older stories going forward.

At SDCC, IDW announced they were taking over the Sonic the Hedgehog comic license. The comic isn’t being released til 2018 but this is the first official chance for fans to get in front of the editors to get to know them, hear some hints about what’s to come, share your own history with Sonic, and generally have an informal meet-and-greet with IDW CCO Chris Ryall, Editor Joe Hughes, and just maybe a special guest or two! Everyone in attendance will also leave with a special Sonic something, too! Join us on the ground floor of an all-new adventure with Sonic, won’t you?, won’t you?

Expect some surprises and maybe a early first look? Whatever they have planned, lets hope there is some video footage to follow so we can post it here on the blog. The only other thing to note is that IDW used the photo on their that we used as a featured image, meaning they are using modern Sonic branding with green eyes. Does this mean that the new comics will use more Sonic Adventure style Sonic?

SEGA News Bits: Sonic Forces Classic Casino Forest Stage Reveal Discussion

Earlier today SEGA released a new trailer along with some B-Roll footage of Sonic Forces‘ newest stage, Casino Forest. This level would be for Classic Sonic, thus showing off classic Sonic gameplay. On this episode of the SEGA News Bits we give you a small story theory regarding the new stage, what we liked about Casino Forest and we we disliked. Its a mixed episode for sure, so make sure to tell us what you think of Casino Forest in the comments below.

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