SEGA almost licensed the technology that created the Virtual Boy

SEGAVirtuaBoyFormer SEGA of America President Tom Kalinske has revealed on a Reddit community podcast that not only was SEGA in talks with Trip Hawkins about releasing the 3DO console (also talks with other manufactures including Sony), Tom reveals they also dodged another bullet by not entering an agreement with Reflection Technologies – the company that went on to make Virtual Boy with Nintendo. Seems that SEGA America was really interested in Virtual Reality headsets (they even showed their own prototypes at public events, but nothing was released).

“It was pretty cool. You could put it on and literally you were in a virtual world, and it moved as you moved your head.

One of the problems was almost everybody got sick. It caused severe motion sickness. Other people got severe headaches. I think we were right in turning it down.” – Tom Kalinske, former SEGA of America President on Virtual Boy tech

What are your thoughts? Did SEGA do the right move by passing on the ‘Virtua Boy‘?

[Via: Nintendo Life]

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3D Power Drift and 3D Puyo Puyo 2 gameplay footage shown off

SEGA Japan  announced that they are releasing a second boxed version for their SEGA Reprint Archives, which gathers up SEGA 3D Classics digital releases into a physical format. While the first release was only made up of already released digitally titles, this second one has a few new titles that have not yet been digitally released. The two biggest titles are 3D Power Drift and 3D Puyo Puyo 2! During their Tokyo Game Show presentation, SEGA showed off gameplay footage of both these titles which you can see above.

3D Power Drift is actually running in widescreen, not every SEGA 3D Classic is released with native widescreen support (See their Genesis/Mega Drive releases), so its nice that they put in the extra effort. Seems that Puyo Puyo 2 will keep its original aspect ratio, from the footage being shown. Though, I guess if I had to choose one of the two games to get widescreen support it would be Power Drift. I’m pretty excited for these two titles to hit the US eShop at the very least, though also getting a physical release would also be nice.

[Via: Nintendo Everything]

Hatsune Miku: Project Diva Future Tone to run at 1080p and 60fps on PS4

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SEGA has revealed during their Tokyo Game Show panel, oddly enough named ‘Sega feat. Hatsune Miku Project’, that Hatsune Miku: Project  Diva Future Tone will run at 1080p at 60 frames per second on the Playstation 4. If you didn’t catch the announcement for this title, its a console port of the long requested Hatsune Miku: Project Diva Arcade game.

SEGA also confirmed that Hatsune Miku: Project Diva Future Tone will be coming out after Hatsune Miku: Project Diva X (yes, there are two Hatsune Miku games in the works) which is due out on out for Playstation Vita in March.

Another small mention was the Playstation VR enabled ‘Sega feat. Hatsune Miku Project: VR Tech Demo’, which SEGA says if there is enough positive fan feedback that they will consider making it a full product.

[Source: Gematsu]

Total War: WARHAMMER gameplay shows off 16 minutes dwarf scrimmage

This Let’s Play is an example of an early Quest Battle from the Dwarfs campaign. In the vast tunnels of the Underway, a Dwarfen force lead by High King Thorgrim Grudgebearer is ambushed by a Greenskin horde.

Showcasing new features and never-before-seen units battling underground for the first time in a Total War game, this video is a taste of things to come and a glimpse into the dark and exciting fantasy world of Total War: WARHAMMER.

Total War: WARHAMMER will be released in 2016 for the PC.

Project X Zone 2 release dates revealed for North America and Europe

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While the sequel to 2012’s SEGA/Capcom/Bandai Namco crossover game Project X Zone hits Japan this year on November 12th, it looks like those hoping for a localized release won’t have to wait long! The game is due out February 16th, 2016 in North America, and February 19th, 2016 in Europe.

While the first game was an enjoyable fan service filled time waster, Project X Zone 2 looks to be taking things to a whole other level with the inclusion of Segata Sanshiro. There are other additions to the game, but Segata eclipses them all. Don’t hold me to this, but rumor is the game’s cover art will simply be Segata’s scowling face. No logos, no rating info. You won’t even have to pick the game off the shelf, it will jump right into your cart and drag you by the collar to the cash register.

Shenmue 3 kicks off three month PayPal Slacker Backer Campaign

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For those that missed out on the initial Shenmue 3 Kickstarter campaign, Ys Net has just kicked off a second campaign which is set to run for a little over three months and utilizes PayPal. Dubbed the Slacker Backer Campaign, the campaign is described as follows:

For everyone who could not participate in the Shenmue III Kickstarter, we have heard your voice! Here is one more chance to show your support and make Shenmue III even better. All funding collected here will be added to the Kickstarter total for the game’s development.

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Stella Glow hits North America on November 17th

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Stella Glow, a SRPG for the Nintendo 3DS is one of those games that almost never came out. The developer Imageepoch was not only going to develop it themselves, but also self publish Stella Glow to celebrate the studio’s 10th year anniversary. Sadly the company had to file bankruptcy. SEGA picked up the publishing rights for the game in Japan and like typical SEGA fashion, had no plans on publishing it outside of Japan.

In comes Atlus, who picked up the title to distribute in North America (game is coming to Europe via NIS America) and now we have a release date! Set your calendars to November 17th, the game will retail for $49.99/ CA$59.99. If you get the game during its launch window you will get the ‘Launch Day Edition’ upgrade for free. Hit jump to read what you get with the Launch Day Edition of Stella Glow.

[Source: Gematsu]

Hatsune Miku: Project Diva Future Tone coming to PS4

SEGA has announced at the Tokyo Game Show that they will be bringing the highly requested Hatsune Miku: Project Diva Arcade to the Playstation 4 in Japan sometime in 2016. The company will re-release Project Diva Arcade update known as ‘Hatsune Miku: Project Diva Future Tone‘. Future Tone was released in 2013 and featured many new updates to the 2010 original release including graphics and physics.

But why did everyone want Project Diva Arcade to be ported to consoles, you ask? Simply due to the crazy amount of songs the game has, over 200 songs total! That’s a lot of time to be a diva!

Hatsune Miku: Project Diva Future Tone hits Japanese retail sometime in 2016, like always we have no clue what their plans are outside of Japan.

Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice moved to 2016… and SEGA says it’s a good thing!

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Rumors were circulating that SEGA’s upcoming Nintendo 3DS title Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice, the sequel to last year’s Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal, was delayed from its original release date of Holiday 2015 to 2016 after video game rental company GameFly revised their release info. Now, SEGA has officially confirmed the delay and surprisingly are being open about why the game has been delayed. Sonic franchise social media and PR superstar Aaron Webber has posted an article on the SEGA Blog explaining that they want to give the game the time and polish needed. No exact window has been given, only that “it’ll be ready when it’s ready!”

Yakuza 1 Extreme and Yakuza 6 announced – coming 2016

Yakuza fans should be very happy today, as SEGA is delivering a double dose of Japanese underworld goodness by way of two newly announced games. The first, Yakuza 1 Extreme, is a remake of the original game in the series and is due out January 2016 for PS3 and PS4 in Japan only (for now). The second title is Yakuza 6, due out Fall 2016 exclusively for PS4 and is also so far only announced for Japan. Western Yakuza fans undoubtably want both of these titles to release to the Americas and Europe, and with a localized Yakuza 5 releasing this Fall, the best advice I can give is to vote with your wallet and support the fifth title so we may see a localization of the remade original and newly announced sixth title.

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Trailer releases for SEGA Reprint Archives 2 collection, featuring 3D Power Drift and Puyo Puyo 2

The trailer for Japan’s upcoming packaged release of SEGA 3D Classics has landed, featuring footage from 3D Sonic the Hedgehog, 3D Galaxy Force II, 3D Thunder Blade, 3D Altered Beast, and 3D Fantasy Zone II, as well as new 3D Classics titles 3D Puyo Puyo 2, 3D Power Drift, and 3D Maze Walker. From what the trailer shows, 3D Power Drift has been made to fill the full screen, while 3D Maze Walker and 3D Puyo Puyo 2 retain their original framing. No word yet on if these three titles will make their way to the West. Currently, 3D Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is due for a September release in the Americas and Europe.

Could SEGA be planning to reveal a new Yakuza game on September 15th?

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The official Japanese Yakuza site (that’s the one for the SEGA games, not the official Japanese site for the yakuza) has updated with a banner teasing a September 15th reveal. The reveal is two days before Tokyo Game Show 2015, and the same date as the SCEJA Press Conference. So it is likely that this reveal will take place during the Sony press event. It is likely to be a game, but for what piece of hardware is unknown.

It’s important to note that the Yakuza series turned 10 this year, so perhaps it is an anniversary initiative or a boxed release of the entire series or a rerelease of earlier games or a new game. Earlier today we shared the reveal of a PS3 and PS4 title from SEGA named LEXUS, and while I speculated that this is a new non-Yakuza title from the Yakuza team, it could end up being that LEXUS is the code name for this reveal. Yakuza turns ten… the X in LEXUS could be the roman numeral for ten… who knows! All will be revealed on September 15th, and in the meantime we’ll share whatever news and rumors we come across.

SEGA reveals Tokyo Game Show 2015 lineup – we may know what game the Yakuza team is working on!

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SEGA’s Tokyo Game Show site opens today, offering fans a glimpse at what the company will have on display. While we’ve known what plenty of the games will be for a while, there were a few surprises that SEGA have tried to keep a secret. Thankfully, Gematsu dug around in the site’s source code and found mention of two unannounced games! The code has since been removed, but thankfully Gematsu saved the info.

New SEGA 3D Classics announced; including Power Drift and Puyo Puyo 2

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My life has been made. SEGA has officially announced new SEGA 3D Classics; 3D Power Drift, 3D Puyo Puyo Puyo 2, 3D Maze Walker, and 3D Fantasy Zone II!

The full version of the teaser art we posted yesterday has been released (isn’t Arle adorable?), showing that the new physical SEGA Reprint Archives 2 collection will feature Power Drift and Puyo Puyo Tsu, with the bonus games this time around being Maze Walker and Fantasy Zone II; the Master System versions! Whether these games are to be released internationally is unknown, but honestly by this point I think we’ll be seeing at least Puyo and Power Drift on the western eShop soon.

More information on the new physical collection was released yesterday, but it’s damn cool to see not one but four new games for the collection!

I’m pretty ecstatic right now, but let us know what you think in the comments!

Project X Zone 2 screens and art of Segata Sanshiro and Space Channel 5’s Shadow surface

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Yesterday, Japan’s SEGA Saturn mascot Segata Sanshiro was revealed to be appearing in the Capcom/Bandai Namco/SEGA crossover Project X Zone 2. Today, we have official art and screens of Segata Sanshiro via a new article from Famitsu! Segata will be a Solo Unit in the game, meaning he can be attached to a Pair Unit acting as an assist. Also in the Famitsu article is character art and screens of Space Channel 5 Part 2‘s Shadow, leader of the Rhythm Rogues. Shadow will be a non-playable enemy character, meaning players can pit Ulala against her former foe. Also revealed is the trio of Zephyr, Vashyron and Leanne from Resonance of Fate, all of which appeared in the last game. However, it looks like Vashyron and Leanne are trading places, making Zephyr and Vashyron a Pair Unit and Leanne a Solo Unit.

After the break, check out the new art and screens from the upcoming game!

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