Arcade

New Initial D Arcade Stage Zero trailer hits the net

by

SEGA’s long running arcade series Initial D, which is based off a manga and anime with the same name, is ready to launch its 9th arcade release (give or take due to re-releases under new titles). But this isn’t being called Initial D Arcade Stage 9, it is being titled Initial D Arcade Stage Zero! You are probably asking yourself why this arcade game is being called Initial D Arcade Stage Zero and that’s because its being based on the New Initial D The Movie which a retelling of the early chapters of the Initial D manga. Even the designs in this game are being taken directly for the new movie which is setting to reboot the franchise for a new audience.

Initial D Arcade Stage Zero will also be the first arcade title in the franchise to feature a 6-speed gear shifter and will have completely new background music. You can check out more information about Initial D Arcade Stage Zero on the game’s official website.  While the title does seem to have some pretty low quality graphics, the game play seems fun enough. What is your take on the Initial D franchise of SEGA games? Let us know in the comments below.

1 Comment

SEGA-AM2’s Soul Reverse gets first gameplay footage

by

SEGA-AM2’s Soul Reverse will be the first ‘new IP’ by the company since they launched Border Break back in 2009, unless you count Operation G.H.O.S.T which was tied to the Ghost Squad franchise. When we first told you about SEGA-AM2’s Soul Reverse we mentioned that it looked a bit like Dark Souls and now with gameplay footage released, I’m not too sure about that.

The footage for SEGA-AM2’s Soul Reverse is actually a tutorial showing off moves you can do, including using cards to summon Souls to attack (like a special movie). While the game may look like Dark Souls due to its medieval theme, it doesn’t have a stamina meter and seems to be timed stages. The combos shown on here remind me more of Phantasy Star Online where you have to get your timing right to execute the full combo. This to me looks more like a new version of Quest for D (2007) than something going after Dark Souls. Soul Reverse also has a tie-in mobile game called Soul Reverse Zero in Japan. If you want to try Soul Reverse Zero, here is a good guide for English speakers

Continue Reading ➜

1 Comment

Daytona 3 Championship USA drops the number, is now Daytona Championship USA

by

vlcsnap-2017-01-16-19h22m15s100

Earlier today, SEGA Amusements shared a trailer for their upcoming Daytona USA sequel Daytona 3 Championship USA. Upon the trailer’s release, fans were quick to notice that the logo and title had been altered to be simply Daytona Championship USA. I’ll admit, I caught it when I made the initial news post but I brushed it off as being either a mistake on SEGA’s part or a localized name for the game in the UK. But after a bit of clicking around on the SEGA Amusements website, it does indeed look like they have dropped the “3” in favor of a more simplified name.

No reason for the game has been given, but I’d guess they felt that the second game was so long ago (19 years) and not as well known as the original that the “3” just complicated things. Dropping the numbers on franchises seems to be a thing seen across the board, with home console games and movies dropping numbering. The game is still the third Daytona USA, and it will feature three new tracks in addition to the three original Daytona USA tracks.

6 Comments

Koihime Enbu Version 2 released to arcades

by

The Sega-published arcade fighter Koihime Enbu just saw a significant version 2 upgrade.

This update brings a new support character named Zhang Liao, a training mode (that exists in the home ports already), 2 new colors for each character, and a load of balance tweaks and quality of life improvements to the 2014 fighting game.

Koihime Enbu is a fighting game based on Koihime Musou, a visual novel adaptation of the story of classical Chinese author Luo Guanzhong’s Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Instead of your typical KOEI strategy simulation game, the game offers a load of anime girls kicking ass.

No word yet on if these changes will see their way to the PC, PS3, or PS4 ports of the game. Anyone in the West wanting to try the game out has the perfect opportunity this week, as the Steam version of the game is currently on sale for 50% off. Our friends at M2 handled the fairly well-received PC port.

No Comments

SEGA News Bits: First Daytona 3 Championship USA Gameplay Reaction

by

We have not only gotten an official Daytona 3 Championship USA teaser trailer by SEGA Amusements, but we also got 8 minutes of gameplay footage by Arcade Heroes. Today George and Barry will talk about our reactions to Daytona 3 Championship USA cabinet, graphics, sound, and if this game deserves the Daytona USA branding. We want to hear about what you think of Daytona 3 Championship USA, sound off in the comments!

If you like our SEGA News Bits segments, make sure you subscribe to us on YouTube. Thanks for watching!

4 Comments

8 minutes of Daytona 3 Championship USA arcade gameplay

by

Arcade Heroes continues to release Daytona 3 Championship USA information from IAAPA 2016, this time offering up over 8 minutes of footage of the game in action! The video gives us a good look at how races play out and how the player facing cameras function. We also get to see damage to the cars and the car’s reflective surfaces. For more information on Daytona 3 Championship USA make sure to read the preview over at Arcade Heroes.

11 Comments

SEGA Amusements releases Daytona 3 Championship USA teaser trailer

by

We’ve been talking a lot about Daytona 3 Championship USA over the past week here on the SEGAbits front page, but now we finally get a look at the game in action thanks to a teaser trailer from SEGA Amusements! As seen above, the latest Daytona USA game features the same joyous music and colorful graphics as the original but upped to modern graphical standards. The music is, to my ear, a new arrangement of the classic “Let’s Go Away” from Takenobu Mitsuyoshi who has been rumored to be returning for the project.

Fans should spot some easter eggs including Sonic carved into the cliff and a sign for Virtua Inn in the Virtua Fighter logo style. Give the video a watch and let us know your thoughts in the comments below or in our dedicated forum topic. Learn more about how the game plays, and some other new details, in the preview from Arcade Heroes.

Via Arcade Heroes preview, Daytona 3 Championship USA is slated for a March/April 2017 release. Expect to see a more complete software package at the AMOA/AAMA Amusement Expo in March or maybe at the January UK arcade expo.

2 Comments

SEGA News Bits: Daytona 3 Championship USA Announced for Arcades Reaction

by

If you have been reading the blog you know we have been following the announcement of Daytona 3 Championship USA, which was teased a few days ago and we finally got confirmed yesterday. Now join George and Barry as they discuss their reaction to the Daytona 3 Championship USA announcement, what they want to see from the game and our general opinion on the game being arcade exclusive. Tell us your general opinion about Daytona 3 Championship USA in the comments below!

If you enjoy our SEGA News Bits segments, make sure you subscribe to our YouTube channel. We appreciate all the support. Thanks for watching.

1 Comment

SEGA Retrospective: The Deeper Arcade game – An oxymoron that became one of SEGA’s pillars

by

DSC_0589

Arcade? When you ask the modern western gamer about such a concept, they will likely know about the genre of “arcade” in today’s market of downloadable games on console, PC and smartphone. Home and mobile ports of classic coin operated titles. But twenty years ago, people would visit actual venues to play games they could otherwise not to, offering considerable advantages in graphics, controls and cabinet designs.

Putting a coin into a machine should get you more enjoyment that you expect out of it. That has been the ethos of SEGA’s coin-up division for as long as existed. Immediate, visceral, thrilling; all of that should be encapsulated into the experience. One session should not go longer than 3 minutes. Often times games offer more depth as well, which is best summed up by the phrase “easy to learn hard to master” – which can be said of countless fighting games.

But different cultural perspectives can transform one concept considerably, and this can be applied to arcade games. Back in the glory days of arcades, westerners played in an arcade maybe once a month or even once a week at most. However in Japan, with its density of population, going to an arcade can become simply a part of your everyday routine, similar to how westerners play their games on home and mobile platforms. But what could one keep coming back to the arcade, time and again? Cards. Yes. Magnetic cards.

Continue Reading ➜

3 Comments

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

by

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]

MSR-Cabinet-4p

4 Comments

SegaSonic Popcorn Shop Dumped, Coming to MAME

by

800px-Segasonic-pop-corn-shop3Recently, Waku Waku Sonic Patrol Car finally made its way onto MAME thanks to the work and funds of some pretty cool individuals. I ended the article with a little bit of a rib saying that SegaSonic Popcorn Shop should be the next game dumped.

Now that one can be marked off the list because it too has now been dumped and should be hitting MAME. The main notable note is that this game also operates on MegaDrive-type hardware named the SEGA C2. It also curiously comes with an English switch, meaning there is a possibility the game came to the West in limited numbers, or at least was planned to.

You won’t find much of a game here since this was more a little video demo that played as the “player” waited for the selected popcorn to be finished. The cabinet did have button and a crank to distract the player, but it didn’t particularly matter if you played or not. Naturally, emulating it won’t yield much unless you have a microwave near your general vicinity and some flavoring agents (salt, butter or curry, if you want to keep the authenticity of the machine.)

But this could make for a neat arcade board to setup at home for the more dedicated.

Continue Reading ➜

2 Comments

The History of Sega Japan R&D, Part 2: The 90s Golden Age

by

THE NUMBER ONE ARCADE ENTERPRISE

The Model series of arcade hardware by Yu Suzuki in co-operation with Lockhead Martin, where the next step in the Sega arcade world. Virtua Fighter sold Sega Saturns in Japan.

The Model series of arcade hardware by Yu Suzuki in co-operation with Lockhead Martin, where the next step in the Sega arcade world. Virtua Fighter sold Sega Saturns in Japan.

In Part 1, we looked at Sega’s origins and their Japanese game development during the 80s. In Part 2 we turn our attention to the golden age, when Sega was fought in the console wars and arcades were in full-force globally. Throughout the 90s, Sega would really grow up and mature and have individual divisions, splitting into arcade and consumer software and product development. Many of the programmers, designers and planners of the 80s and earlier would become managers and producers of their own divisions.
Let’s start Part 2 off with the growth of their AM studios, which is short for Amusement Machine Research and Development.

Continue Reading ➜

5 Comments

The History of Sega Japan R&D, Part 1: The Origins and the 80s

by

THE ORIGINS

Sega is an interesting company when it comes to their origins. There are companies like Namco, Taito and Konami that started in the 60s with electromechanical games and there are those like Capcom and Square that started in the 80s with video games. Sega is different.

Sega had its roots even earlier with slots and jukeboxes in the 1940s in Hawaii, when they were known as Standard Games. Today, Sega of Japan would rather say that Sega didn’t start until it was moved to Tokyo and renamed to Service Games in 1951. However all that expertise in manufacturing slots and jukeboxes during the Standard Games days really gave Sega the boost they needed when they entered the market to manufacture their very first “Amusement Machine” in 1965, Periscope, which the company still prides itself for as it was their first worldwide commerical success.

Continue Reading ➜

4 Comments

Check out SEGA’s Sonic Dash Extreme Arcade Game

by

No Comments