Today is the launch day for the Playstation 4 in America, many people are grabbing up the ‘next generation’ consoles and soon Playstation 3 will be a relic like the Playstation 2 before it. So I think its the perfect time to remember SEGA’s best Playstation 3 games. This is my personal list, if you want to share your favorites let us know in the comment section!
I’ll forego the Sonic franchise history lesson that typically kicks off a Sonic review. As SEGA fans, we know where the franchise has been. Sonic Lost World, a Wii U exclusive title, answers the question: where is the Sonic franchise headed? Unlike the series spanning celebration that was Sonic Generations, Sonic Lost World introduces several new gameplay elements and shakes up the familiar 2008-2011 Sonic formula. Some may take this as a breath of fresh air, as the series has finally moved away from boost mechanics. Others, content with the direction the series was headed and the refinements Sonic Generations made to the formula, may find Sonic Lost World to be too much of a reinvention. Did Sonic Team’s shake-up pay off? Read on as we enter Sonic Lost World!
The end of our art contest is fast approaching, so it’s time we inspired you with some of SEGA’s more recent work!
In a generation dominated by brown grim-dark games, Valkyria Chronicles was a game that dared to look drastically different. When other games were focusing on trying to look realistic, Valkyria Chronicles was utilizing visuals inspired by canvas paintings, comics and storybook, to produce a beautifully fantastical world.
SEGA’s Mega Drive is now twenty-five years old, and hockey season’s in full swing. What better way to celebrate both than playing NHL Hockey ’94? None!
Now, I’m not much of sports fan, so I own very few sports related titles. However, I have NHL ’94. Why? Well, my brother and I used to play it. A lot. He wasn’t much of a hockey fan either, yet we loved this game….
This week, I share that love with my sister-from-another-mister, Lauren Buckler. Mickey Mac will return. I promise. Until then, it’s the girl’s time to shine.
Another major Sonic game has been released on a home console and with that, another portable version is put out by DIMPS. This time however, DIMPS will be dealing with Sonic in a full, 3-D world with all new controls and an emphasis on platforming instead of speed. DIMPS’ attempts in the past at making portable versions of Sonic console games have been fairly mediocre. Sonic Colors DS was flat out dull and Sonic Generations 3DS relied on its multiplayer and mission mode to be anything more than a rental. (I think I gave that game way too high a grade at the time.) This time however, DIMPS has actually been getting some praise for their port of Sonic Lost World with some claiming it to be the superior version. While I disagree with that, it really seems like DIMPS did their best to make a solid 3-D Sonic game that does in fact, improve over the Wii U version on some respects, but has some serious flaws as well. Read on to see why Sonic Lost World has some of the best highs and worst lows of any portable Sonic game.
The Panzer Dragoon games have some of the best art SEGA has ever produced. With input from renowned artist Moebius, the world of Panzer Dragoon is one both alien and familiar. The world is epic in its scope and the unique creature designs manage to be horrific and beautiful at the same time. This art was found on the Panzer Dragoon website Will of the Ancients. You can find their art section here.
Hopefully, the art from this game will inspire anyone interested in participating in our art contest!
[ MP3 Download ] [ iTunes ]
FINALLY! After 3 tries, we finally get episode 24 out the door. We start with Nuckles87 getting a little too excited over finishing a level in Sonic Lost World. We talk a bit about what we’ve been playing. Alex goes into a rant on TSSZ and Ken Penders and I talk to Lidice Garcia on Sonic Boom U.S. West Chapter and what Sonic Revolution is. Then, we end it with Comic talk. Click on the comments section for show notes.
Back in the Dreamcast era, SEGA would have big promotional events for their titles. Yes, even niche stuff like Space Channel 5, which most publishers wouldn’t spend too much advertising dollars on. SEGA on the other hand had a huge E3 booth for the game, but after when the game was nearing its ‘debut’ they decided to premiere the game to the public, like it was a Hollywood picture. How would they do that? Premiere the game at an event over at Universal City Walk’s Cinema Plaza!
Droppin’ F-bombs like a mother…
The original The Typing of the Dead was a misunderstood sleeper hit when it came out for the Dreamcast. The keyboard accessory may have been useful in the eyes of consumers for games like Quake III Arena, but it didn’t immediately become apparent that a typing game spin-off would make for an amazing, fast paced alternative. The original game appeared in Japanese arcades prior, and when it arrived on PC shortly after it had done well enough to spawn several more sequels and updates on the platform, in Japan. Outside of Japan it would be seen as an outdated arcade game that would be shunned, yet had become the cult hit which emitted an outcry of diehard fans in their never ending list of seemingly implausible demands for a new entry in the series. Years later, after SEGA and Headstrong’s release of The House of the Dead: Overkill on the Wii, it had seen an update with The House of the Dead: Overkill Extended Cut on Playstation 3 and on the week of Halloween has seen an update on Steam for PC as part of a semi two game bundle, literally out of the blue with no fanfare and nearly cancelled by now defunct Blitz Games. Despite these hurdles, it was still the ideal platform to put out this modern update to the franchise that encompasses its cheesiness and over the top absurdity to much higher levels, probably higher than people would expect or possibly want.
*Warning movie is rated R: contains gore, terrible acting and nudity*
**Is the YouTube video blocked in your country?**
No worries, download the full episode here.
Welcome to another installment of SEGA Cinema, where you sit back and watch a flick with your buddies here at SEGAbits. This time we are watching Uwe Boll’s classic ‘House of the Dead‘. That’s right, just in time to celebrate your Halloween night.
We suffered through this, now you have to too!
[MP3]
House of the Dead isn’t exactly the most beautiful game series, but it still required a substantial amount of concept art in order to determine the design of the protagonists, enemies, and game play scenarios. Below is a load of concept art, provided by our sister site Website of the Dead. As usual, we won’t be posting everything they have, so be sure to check out their database here!
Also, remember to submit something to our art contest!
Halloween is upon us. Now, on My Life with SEGA, I’ll show you something really scary….
Need I say more?
Twenty-five years ago today, SEGA released what was arguably their most beloved and popular console: the SEGA Mega Drive.
Since April 1st of this year, SEGAbits has been teamed with Sonic Retro, the internet’s best resource for all things Sonic the Hedgehog. But the folks at Sonic Retro didn’t want to limit themselves to just Sonic, and so the SEGA Retro wiki was born. SEGA Retro covers anything and everything SEGA, from hardware to games to arcade titles. Despite being less than four years old, the wiki has amassed nearly seven thousand articles and continues to grow. The SEGA Retro wiki has been just a click away from SEGAbits, by selecting “Info” from our navigation bar, but we wanted to go one step further and highlight the many excellent wiki entries in a new SEGAbits feature entitled “SEGA Retro Spotlight”.
Given the significance today has for SEGA history, we’re going to highlight SEGA Retro’s entry on the SEGA Mega Drive.
Its almost that time of season where most kids are waiting to tell their parents what modern day war shooter they want under their Christmas tree. Its also the time where older folks, like ourselves on the site, think about our previous holidays and how we used to make our parents waste hoards of cash to buy our affection. Wasn’t that great? Well this week on Monday Memories we will look at the 1996 holiday Toy ‘R’ Us video game catalog. I remember these where awesome as a kid, it was like window shopping for games in my underwear.