Atlus shows off 15 minutes of Persona 5 gameplay

Atlus has officially premiered 15 minutes of Persona 5 gameplay during its live stream this morning. This is just a teaser for tomorrow’s big Persona 5 Premium Event being held in Japan, that promises SEVEN new announcements! The footage above shows returning skills, fishing mini-game (froggy?!, movie date with Futaba Sakura and lots more.

Persona 5 hits the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 on September 15 in Japan, February 14, 2017 in the Americas. Persona 5 does have plans to release in Europe with publisher Deep Silver, like discussed before, but they haven’t announced a release date.

[Via: Gematsu]

Garou: Mark of the Wolves coming to PS4 and PS Vita

28188666492_30270b131d_zIt seems that Sony Interactive Entertainment America Third Party Production team have teamed up with SNK Playmore to bring Garou: Mark of the Wolves to the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita as a digital release. The PlayStation blog post says that it is the ‘Neo Geo’ classic meaning that this will be a port of that version being coded by Code Mystics, inc. The game will feature cross play functionality and promises high quality netcode. It seems that their last port, The Last Blade 2 used Code Mystic’s proprietary netcode and was well received. This release will also feature a gallery mode that allows you to collect artwork from the history of the Fatal Fury franchise and a sound testing mode that will allow you listen to the game’s soundtrack whenever you want.

Earlier this year SNK Playmore revealed that there was a sequel to Garou: Mark of the Wolves planned (then scrapped) and there was even some artwork released. Personally I played the game quite a bit on my SEGA Dreamcast, there have of course been various ports. Who knows if this release sells well we might finally get that sequel we all wanted. No release date announced yet. How many of you are going to check out this release? Let me know in the comment section!

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The King of Fighters XIV demo hits PSN on July 19

The-King-Of-Fighters-XIVBeen waiting to try The King of Fighters XIV? You won’t have to wait long, Atlus and developer SNK Playmore have announced that The King of Fighters XIV demo will be out July 19 on the North American PSN.

The King of Fighters XIV demo will allow you to try seven of the game’s 50 playable fighters. The demo will be strictly offline, but the full version of The King of Fighters XIV will have online play. SNK Playmore have also announced a new mode for the full retail version titled Cooperative Online Multiplayer. In Cooperative Online Multiplayer you can match against two teams of three players. Meaning instead of you playing the three characters on your team, its a team of three separate players.

Atlus will publish the North American version of The King of Fighters XIV for PlayStation 4 on August 23rd!

[Via: Gematsu]

What SEGA can learn from Nintendo’s NES Classic Edition

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You are reading the title, dumbfounded that a SEGA fanboy like myself would tell the glamorous SEGA to take notes from Nintendo. You might be more confused after I made a jab at the NES Classic Edition on twitter the other day. While personally, I don’t care about a replica box that only plays a set amount of emulated games, I know there is a huge market for it in the states. These things are the Tiger Electronic toys of our time (maybe that’s too harsh)! But Nintendo has announced a few things with this project that I think SEGA should seriously take a closer look at, especially if they will be taking this whole ‘plug-in-play’ market a bit more seriously. 

So let’s talk about the SEGA’s emulated machines, the NES Classic Edition and what SEGA can do to capitalize on the attention that these devices will receive because Nintendo joined the ranks. 

Hatsune Miku: Project Diva X PS4 demo out now in Japan

3077071-gameplay_hatsunemikuprojectdivax_20160606_gsHave you been counting the long days for the release of Hatsune Miku: Project Diva X and need something to tide you over the long wait? If you have a Japanese PSN account, you can try Hatsune Miku: Project Diva X on your PlayStation 4 right now! SEGA’s Hatsune Miku: Project Diva X  demo is out now and weighs in at 525mb!

Hatsune Miku: Project Diva X demo features:

Not a bad set of songs for a free demo. Hatsune Miku: Project Diva X hits the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita in North America on August 30th. As for Japan, the PlayStation 4 version hits them a few days early on August 25th, they already got the PlayStation Vita version back in March. Who is giving this demo a try?

[Via Gematsu]

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This is Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games Arcade Edition

Don’t throw away your lose change because SEGA has just released a trailer for their Mario & Sonic At the Rio 2016 Olympic Games Arcade Edition, try saying that ten times fast. Mario & Sonic At the Rio 2016 Olympic Games Arcade Edition was mean’t to launch back in February but has now been pushed back to June. The game is now out in limited locations and we have gotten the trailer above to promote the arcade unit.

Mario & Sonic At the Rio 2016 Olympic Games Arcade Edition features a pretty massive cabinet, something that most arcade manufactures have scaled back on. Due to its twin stick and foot control support Mario & Sonic At the Rio 2016 Olympic Games Arcade Edition plays differently than its home release counterparts. Let us know what you think of Mario & Sonic At the Rio 2016 Olympic Games Arcade Edition‘s cabinet in the comments below.

[Source: Arcade Heroes]

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Atlus announces Etrian Odyssey V DLC plans

etrianodysseyvIn the latest issue of Famitsu, Atlus revealed its DLC plans for the upcoming Etrian Odyssey V: The End of the Long Myth, at least in Japan. While I hate the idea of pre-released DLC plans, ill just post the list of Etrian Odyssey V DLC instead of preaching why this is bad for the industry.

August 4

  • New Adventurer 1 (300 yen) – Choose a “School Uniformed Boy” during character creation.
  • New Adventurer 2 (300 yen) – Choose a “Sailor Uniformed Girl” during character creation.
  • New Adventurer 3 (300 yen) – Choose a “Sweater Wearing Girl” during character creation.
  • New Adventurer 4 (300 yen) – Choose an Etrian Odyssey 1 Paladin New Illustration” during character creation.
  • New Adventurer 5 (300 yen) – Choose an Etrian Odyssey 1 Medic New Illustration” during character creation.
  • Adventurer Training Plan (300 yen) – Take on the “Adventurer Training Plan” quest at the bar. (On top of the fact that you get a lot of experience points for clearing the quest, you can also obtain an accessory that multiplies your acquired experience by three.)
  • Adventurer Good Luck Plan (300 yen) – Take on the “Adventurer Good Luck Plan” quest at the bar. (On top of the fact that you’ll get a lot of en for clearing the quest, you can also obtain an accessory that makes the availability rate of materials without drop conditions of enemies 100 percent.)

Still to be Dated

  • FM Sound Source Addition (800 yen) – Adds a Frequency Modulation Sound Source version as a BGM option, which can be switched from in the options menu.
  • New Adventurer 6 – Contents, release date, and price to be announced.

What are your thoughts on Atlus and how they have been handling DLC in the past few years? Are you thinking of picking up Etrian Odyssey V?

[Via: Gemastu]

Review: 7th Dragon III Code: VFD (3DS)

7thdragonreviewI have been complaining that SEGA should bring over the 7th Dragon series since it debuted on the Nintendo DS way back in 2009 and now we finally got our first entry with 7th Dragon III Code: VFD (which has been confirmed to be the last entry as well). The7th Dragon series had SEGA veterans like Rieko Kodama (Phantasy Star, Skies of Arcadia fame) and composer Yuzo Koshiro (Streets of Rage series, Etrian Odyssey) involved to help craft the long running series. While we missed out on first couple games and a couple of spin-off titles; its nice to finally get to play a official localized version of the game.

But was the last game really worth the wait? Well, let’s find out.

7th Dragon III Code: VFD DLC will be free for first week buyers

Did you know that 7th Dragon III Code: VFD will have a array of DLC released? SEGA has confirmed that early buyers won’t have to pay a cent for the DLC, as long as you buy it during its first week of release. Mark your calendars because 7th Dragon Code: VFD hits store shelves on July 12th in North America.

Here are some of the DLC release dates:

July 12, 2016

  • Gold Rabi Outbreak! quest: Gold Rabi encounters. Free until July 18, 2016. $1.49 after.
  • Nagamimi Doll: free DLC that adds a talking Nagamimi to the player’s dorm.
  • Seed Outbreak! quest: Dragonsbane Seed encounters. Free until July 18, 2016. $1.49 after.

July 19, 2016

  • Code: Otaku!: recruit 7th Dragon 2020’s Hacker. Free until July 25, 2016. $1.99 after.
  • Code: Student!: recruit 7th Dragon 2020’s Samurai. Free until July 25, 2016. $1.99 after.

July 26, 2016

  • Allie’s Death March: boss rush of every encounter, with the bosses at their max level. Free until August 1, 2016, $1.49 after.
  • Code: Lucier!: recruit 7th Dragon 2020-II’s Lucier. Free until August 1, 2016. $1.99 after.
  • To My Beloved Unit 13: unlock classes’ ultimate weapons and the Blaster Raven character. Free until August 1, 2016. $1.49 after. (Note: only available in the quest list after beating 7th Dragon III Code: VFD.)

7th Dragon III Code: VFD is also coming to Europe, thanks to Deep Silver that has just announced a publishing deal with SEGA/Atlus.

Yuzo Koshiro’s studio releasing ‘Gotta Protectors’ on 3DS e-shop

If you didn’t know, Yuzo Koshiro is part owner of a development studio called Ancient Games. This studio is responsible for some big SEGA hits like Streets of Rage 2, Beyond Oasis/Story of Thor games and Vatlva (not so much a hit)While the studio has stayed mostly in Japan with new releases, that is about to change as they announced their new game ‘Gotta Protectors’ is coming to the Nintendo 3DS e-Shop on July 21st. Gotta Protectors or Protect Me Knight 2 (as its known in Japan) is a cooperative action tower defense game. This is how Ancient describes their game:

“Gotta Protector is a cooperative Action, Tower Defense game.
You become hero and battle against a bunch of monsters!
Train them, Get items and powers! Protect your princess!”

Gotta Protectors will retail digitally for $12.99 and have an additional FM sound pack as DLC for $7.99 bucks. Seeing that the composer for Gotta Protectors is Yuzo Koshiro himself, it might worth picking up the DLC even at that price. You can check out the game’s page for more information.

[Via: Tiny Cartridge]

 

SEGA News Bits: Sonic & Friends New Concept Art Revealed Reaction

During the Sonic the Hedgehog 25th Anniversary Event in Japan, Sonic Team showed off some never before seen Sonic & Friends concept art prototypes. Some of these previously unreleased designs shows off early ideas for some very famous Sonic the Hedgehog characters. On this episode of SEGA News Bits, George and Barry have a look at each of the newly released Sonic the Hedgehog character designs and tell you their opinion.

If you like our SEGA News Bits content, make sure to subscribe to us on our YouTube channel to get more.

Cave Story being ported to SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive

If you haven’t played the 2004 indie game ‘Cave Story‘ then you are really missing out on a classic PC game. But don’t worry a retro developer is ‘demaking’ the classic for release on the SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive. The game will scale down the graphics to run on the SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive 16-bit hardware (I think it still looks pretty damn close though) and will have the full soundtrack (remade for Yamaha YM262 sound).

Not only that, the developer has already released a playable demo of his Cave Story demake. You can download it here. The Cave Story demo is limited to the first few areas of the game. You can also see gameplay of Cave Story running on SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive hardware above.

Download Demo Here

[Source: Retro Collect]

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SEGA News Bits: NiGHTS into Dreams turns 20 years old

NiGHTS Into Dreams hit the SEGA Saturn 20 years ago, leaving a generation of gamers mesmerized by its beautiful 3D graphics and surreal dream world. Today on the SEGA News Bits we will be talking all about Sonic Team’s NiGHTS franchise including a retrospective (of its two whole games) and even cameos the purple jester has made through its 20 years of existence.

So sit back, hit play and let’s chat about NiGHTS into Dreams. If you like these SEGA News Bits videos, hit subscribe on our YouTube channel to see more!

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SEGA has acquired Amplitude Studios

AmplitudeSEGASEGA has announced today that they have acquired French developer Amplitude Studios. Amplitude Studios is responsible for the Endless franchise which span different genres but known for its turn based strategy. Amplitude Studios is working on Endless Space 2 which is set to hit Steam Early Access later this year.

Amplitude Studios wrote this about joining SEGA on their developer blog:

“Of course you could wonder, “Why Sega?” If you were to ask just Mathieu and I, we could easily answer with the words “Creative Assembly and Relic!” because we are HUGE fans of their games. The opportunity to join them is incredible for us, a real dream come true.

But the bigger reason why we wanted to join SEGA was how they treat their internal studios. Often, studios are controlled by a central department that dictates what games they should do, and how and when. But SEGA is a company that offers its support to the creators, positioning itself as a service provider, helping studios to reach their goals with only one objective in mind: Quality!”

SEGA Europe President and COO Jurgen Post had this to say about Amplitude Studios:

“To have the opportunity to add a studio with the growing reputation of Amplitude’s, to the SEGA family, is an exciting one and reinforces SEGA Europe’s position as a market leader in publishing high quality PC games,”

What are your thoughts on the latest acquired studio by SEGA? Do you think they did the right move tapping into the indie market? Let us know in the comments below.