SEGA News

SEGA News Bits: SEGA survey includes classic IPs discussion

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SEGA wants fans to “Help Us Make Our Games Better” by unleashing a new survey which asks what your favorite classic SEGA franchises are! Did your favorite IP make the list? Find out as George and Barry go through all the classic franchises mentioned in the survey.

Want to take the survey? Check it out here and don’t forget to tick that SEGAbits box when they ask you what fan sites you frequent!

If you enjoy the SEGA News Bits video formats make sure to like, share and subscribe to our YouTube for more.

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Valkyria Chronicles Remastered “Europa Edition” European exclusive revealed

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While Americans are confirmed to be receiving the Squad 7 Armored Case when Valkyria Chronicles Remastered releases May 17th to the Playstation 4, Europe has their own exclusive. Dubbed the Europa Edition, the package includes all previous DLC as well as an exclusive double sided A3 poster and a 32 page booklet containing franchise art. SEGA Europe seems to have changed their decision on the Squad 7 Armored Case. Initially the special case was said to be releasing to Europe, but details on where to get it were vague. Now, all SEGA Europe trailers for the game only mention the Europa Edition. It’s possible SEGA Europe decided to go with the poster and art book instead, or that the special case will still release in Europe but only at a select retailer. If we learn more, we’ll be sure to news it!

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SEGA releases new Valkyria Chronicles Remastered trailer, game set for a May 17th release in Americas and Europe

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SEGA’s upcoming Valkyria Chronicles Remastered has a new trailer, and even more importantly release dates for the Americas and Europe! Set to launch in both territories on May 17th, 2016, the updated version of the Playstation 3 classic promises full 1080p/60fps HD quality graphics, all of the original DLC, dual Japanese and English audio, and trophy support. Also, as we’ve reported in the past, pre-orders and limited launch copies will feature a collectible steelbook-style metal Squad 7 Armored Case.

In the above trailer, SEGA highlights the fundamentals of warfare in the game, including the “BLiTZ” Tactical Battle System which combines turn-based strategy, RPG, and 3rd person shooter elements – basically all the reasons we love the franchise so dearly. Pre-order your copy of Valkyrica Chronicles Remastered today and mark May 17th on your calendars.

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Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games 3DS American commercial

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Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games comes out for the Nintendo 3DS later this month and since Nintendo is publishing it, that means there will be quite a bit of advertisement on TV. If you don’t watch TV, you can view their North American ad for the game above.

Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games hits 3DS on March 18th, Wii U version comes out on June 24th! What are your thoughts on the commercial?

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Dengeki Bunko: Fighting Climax Ignition to add Netoge no Yome’s Ako and Lucian via DLC

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DBFCI_03-07-16_003Seems that SEGA will be supporting Dengeki Bunko: Fighting Climax Ignition via paid DLC as they have just announced Netoge no Yome‘s Ako (voiced by Rina Hidaka) and Lucian (voiced by Toshiyuki Toyonaga) as playable characters. If you didn’t know, Dengeki Bunko: Fighting Climax Ignition hasn’t been released in the US, we got the previous title just known as Dengeki Bunko: Fighting Climax. Yes, it was a poor decision in SEGA’s part for not waiting for this updated re-release, which seems at this point to be the definitive version.

Both characters are from ‘Netoge no Yome wa Onna no Ko Janai to Omotta?‘ (translates to: “And you thought there is  never a girl online?”) which is a comedic manga where a naive protagonist proposes to a female character in an online game, only to find out that its actually a guy. Being traumatized by the experience, he vows to never trust females online again, until a female proposes to him…

No release date for the characters has been announced, but they will be playable at this year’s Dengeki Game Festival in Japan. Dengeki Bunko: Fighting Climax Ignition is out now for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita in Japan.

[Via: Gematsu]

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SEGA Networks confirms layoffs in the West, including Three Rings Design Inc.

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Screen Shot 2016-03-06 at 9.53.37 PMWe’re sad to report that there have been some layoffs at SEGA Networks’ mobile division in the West. As confirmed by VentureBeat, SEGA Networks has laid off an undisclosed number of employees which includes all of Three Rings Design Inc. (developers of PSO inspired MMO Spiral Knights for PC, and mobile games Spellwood and Corpse Craft) as well as a small number of team members on the publishing side of mobile.

The reason has been attributed to SEGA’s new focus in internally developed IP-based games, the localization of Japanese mobile games, and (I’m putting this in quotes as it is direct from SEGA Networks’ mouth, and I don’t quite understand it) “mass market view-per-play games designed to further Sega’s network strategy in the West.” SEGA also cites “challenging and hyper-competitive mobile market conditions” as a reason for the layoffs.

Regardless of the market conditions, being laid-off sucks and we here at SEGAbits wish nothing but the best for those employees affected.

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First 4 Figures tease Yakuza Kazuma Kiryu statue and pre-order information

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Video game statue maker First 4 Figures, who have already produced several SEGA and Sonic the Hedgehog premium collectable statues, have announced a new SEGA character and franchise that they will be adding to their ever expanding SEGA All-Stars collection; Yakuza‘s Kazuma Kiryu.

Teased on their Facebook page, First 4 Figures announced that pre-orders start March 8th, 2016 and featured a peek at Kazuma’s face. Thus far, fan reaction has been mixed. It is cool to see Yakuza joining the ranks of Shenmue and Skies of Arcadia, but they really didn’t nail Kazuma’s likeness. As is, he sort of looks like a cosplayer attempting a Kazuma Kiryu look. In the past, First 4 Figures have taken fan feedback very seriously and have altered character’s faces to better match the source.

We’ll share more details once pre-orders go live on March 8th!

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Mario and Sonic at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games Hits 3DS This Month, Wii U in June

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MarioSonicRio6For Sonic the Hedgehog fans that have been waiting for Mario and Sonic at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, the wait is almost over. At least if you’re on the Nintendo 3DS. The game is set to come out on March 18th, according to the latest Nintendo Direct.

As for Nintendo Wii U owners, that version of Mario and Sonic at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games won’t hit store shelves until June 24th, which is oddly a day after Sonic the Hedgehog‘s 25th Anniversary. So if you are looking for hedgehog action to celebrate the blue blur’s 25th Anniversary, then maybe Mario and Sonic at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games can fill the void.

Check out the new screens and box art for Wii U:

[Via: Sonic Retro]

 

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7th Dragon III Code: VFD pays homage to Jet Set Radio

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7thdragonjet.jpgSEGA’s upcoming Nintendo 3DS game 7th Dragon III Code: VFD will launch this summer, launch copies of the game will come with an art book. It seems fans paid close attention to the character art that has been release as a Siliconera reader has pointed out that the male Agent Class in the game has a Jet Set Radio Future themed shirt. Look closely, you see it? Its the Jet Soul symbol!

Miwa Shirow, the character designer for 7th Dragon III Code: VFD is a huge fan of SEGA’s Jet Set Radio franchise and has stated that the goal of the Agent Class is to be “street-wise youth” type of design. The Male Agent’s internal name is actually “Jet” as well, if you needed more to tie it to Jet Set Radio.

That isn’t the only reference to a classic SEGA franchise, if you look at the buttons on his chest there is a symbol from Cyber Troopers Virtual-On Oratori Tangram. Pretty neat stuff.  7th Dragon III Code: VFD hits American store shelves this summer, pre-order it and secure your launch day edition art book!

[Source: Siliconera]

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SEGA releases “Help Us Make Our Games Better” survey – check it out!

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SEGA has just released a link to a survey which has the goal of improving the quality of their games. The survey, which can be found here, goes quite in depth. Users are asked to list consoles they own and currently play, including just about every major home console you can think of released from the 70s through to today including some that never made their way west, like the SG-1000). Users are also asked to name their favorite SEGA franchises from an incredibly long and varied list (everything from Panzer Dragoon to Fatal Labyrinth to Yakuza) as well as list off franchises they love that may be listed. Mobile gaming seems to be of upmost importance, leading me to believe that this survey will be utilized by SEGA Networks as well as SEGA of America and SEGA Europe.

One page that caught our attention was “Please select any of the following websites or channels that you have visited in the last 90 days:” which included SEGA Retro, Sonic Retro, The Dreamcast Junkyard, the SEGAbits YouTube channel, as well as others. Very interesting that our YouTube channel is on SEGA’s radar given our recent refocus which put news, commentary and interviews at the forefront.

If you haven’t taken the survey yet, check it out and we’ll see how our answers shape the future of SEGA!

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Shenmue 3 update shows off in-game environments

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Above is early footage of Shenhua’s house from the upcoming Shenmue 3. The Shenmue 3 Kickstarter also sent out various photos of these environments (which you can see below) giving you a closer look at how far the game’s graphics have come along compared to what they showed previously. The Shenmue Dojo twitter account also did a side by side comparison of Shenua’s house from Shenmue 2 to Shenmue 3 and it seems like everything is where we last left it 15 years ago.

I’m not really sold on the over use of lighting, but its looking rather impressive so far for being this early into development. I really can’t wait to see more updates, so far color me surprise. What do you guys think of Shenmue 3‘s new environments? Let us know in the comments below!

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Marza Animation Planet’s short film “Moom” gets a trailer

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SEGA’s in-house animation studio Marza Animation Planet has teamed up with Tonko House and Craftar to make a upcoming short film based on a illustrated book called ‘Moom‘. The film is set to be a 13 minutes long and will be directed by Oscar nominated directors Dice Tsutsumi and Robert Kondo (known for The Dam Keeper).

Moom is a illustrated book by Genki Kawamura and Yuki Mashiko, you can find more information on the project over at Tonko House’s website. Marza Animation Planet showed off animation shorts using some of the assets from this trailer, running in Unreal 4 before and its nice to see they are doing something with them.

[Via The Forums]

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SEGA and Archie Comics announce Sonic the Hedgehog 25th anniversary one-shot comic book

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Via Comic Book Resources comes the announcement of a new one-shot comic book from Archie Comics and SEGA, entitled SONIC: MEGA DRIVE. The standalone story is being written by Ian Flynn with illustrations by Tyson Heese of Boxer Hockey fame. Tyson had been teasing something over the past few months, and it seems this is it!

The story is said to feature Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy Rose, and other characters from in the Genesis/Mega Drive era, and Flynn is crafting the story as though it is a never before seen Genesis-era Sonic game. SONIC: MEGA DRIVE is set to release July 6th. After the break, check out the full solicit from Archie Comics, featuring story details and more!

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7th Dragon III Code: VFD Nintendo 3DS launch edition to include art book

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In a clear case of SEGA’s acquisition of Atlus rubbing off on SEGA of America comes news of yet another launch edition of an upcoming physical release. SEGA 3D Classics Collection has decals, Valkyria Chronicles Remastered has a steelbook case, and now 7th Dragon III Code: VFD has been confirmed to include a 28-page art book and collector’s box. SEGA promises that the art book will contain “a closer look at the design work that went in to creating the game’s esoteric character classes, ferocious dragons, vile monsters, and the environments that span three time periods”. The box will likely be no different from the Hatsune Miku: Project Mirai DX launch edition, which is a cardboard box featuring the game’s case art. Still, it looks nice on a shelf.

7th Dragon III: Code VFD will arrive this summer in retail stores and on the Nintendo eShop for Nintendo 3DS in the Americas. The game will be available for $39.99/CA$54.99 and had been rated T by the ESRB. For more information please visit: http://7thdragon.sega.com

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Streets of Rage 2 vinyl coming to a record player near you

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SOR2_Full_OfferWe have had four SEGA soundtracks published by Data Discs, a awesome independent vinyl publisher of video game soundtracks and their fifth release has been confirmed as Streets of Rage 2 vinyl. This double LP will include four bonus tracks of demos and alternative versions of unused compositions.

Like always the Streets of Rage 2 vinyl will come in three versions:

  • 2 x 180g transparent vinyl with black smoke effect and blood splatter (limited edition, available exclusively from the Data Discs website) – £24.99 (about $35 USD)
  • 2 x 180g transparent vinyl with black smoke effect – £24.99 (about $35 USD)
  • 2 x 180g classic black vinyl – £22.99 (about $35 USD)

Pre-orders for the Streets of Rage 2 vinyl go live on Saturday, February 27th at the Data-Disc website, vinyls will ship sometime in April.

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