Did You Know: Sonic the Hedgehog Sneezes When Danger is Near!

Just as we shared the news that Yakuza’s Kazuma Kiryu is a virgin, comes another bombshell about a favorite SEGA character. Did you know that Sonic the Hedgehog sneezes when danger is near?

The obscure Sonic fact came up when we posted a couple of weird Sonic the Hedgehog 2 pins on Twitter, one of which appears to have Sonic sneezing on Tails’ butt. We received a reply from @RanenWise who said “It was an early Sonic thing (that’s kinda mentioned now..at times?) that he’d sneeze when danger was approaching. I mainly remember it being in Sonic CD’s intro.”

SEGA’s President & Chief Publishing Officer Kenji Matsubara resigns

It seems that SEGA’s President and Chief Publishing Officer from SEGA has resigned this week as it was revealed via a short press release from SEGA-Sammy. The reason for his departure was listed as “personal reasons”, whatever that means. Matsubara held a few roles at SEGA like initially working as CTO for SEGA Network division before he was appointed COO of SEGA Games in 2017. He was named President and Chief Publishing Officer only four months ago, on April 2020 and has already resigned. Not a great look.

Before this Kenji Matsubara worked as CEO for Tecmo Koei and Zynga Japan, so he will most likely find work easy enough after leaving SEGA. What is your thoughts on the sudden departure of Kenji Matsubara?

Phantasy Star Online 2 launches on Steam on August 5th

Phantasy Star Online 2 has been available in North America for several months, but only for Xbox One and Windows 10 PC. All that changes on August 5th when Phantasy Star Online 2 releases to Steam for PC. Along with the date announcement came a slew of special rewards which allow you to wear costumes and decorations from Half-Life, Team Fortress and Portal. This isn’t the first time SEGA and Valve joined forces, as fans might remember when Renegade Ops and Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed crossed paths with Valve franchises.

Read more about the Steam rewards at the PSO2 website, and in the meantime mark your calendars for August 5th!

figmaPLUS SEGA Consoles collection now available for pre-order – tiny accessories for your Figma action figures!

If you’re unfamiliar with Figma, Figma is a Japanese action figure line produced by Max Factory and distributed by Good Smile Company. Various anime, movies, video games and even the occasional celebrity have Figma figures, what what’s so cool about them is that they are all the same scale, are super articulated and can mix and match accessories. The figmaPLUS line focuses on accessories and playsets, and of interest to SEGA fans is the figmaPLUS SEGA Consoles collection, which is now available for pre-order!

Sonic the Hedgehog Movie Sequel to be released in theaters on April 8, 2022


[Image by Sonic the Cosplayer]

According to Variety, Paramount Pictures has announced the official date for the sequel to this year’s box office smash for April 8, 2022. That would give the movie enough time to be filmed and go into post-production.

Not much else has been revealed about the movie sequel besides the official date. How do you feel about the Sonic the Hedgehog Movie sequel and what would you like to see in the film? Let us know in the comments below.

Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis releasing 2021, updating original game system and graphics engine

Today’s Xbox Game Showcase had a surprise for SEGA fans. What initially looked like episode for Phantasy Star Online 2 turned out to be a complete overhaul to the existing game entitled Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis. Dubbed “the latest entry in the series” and released to celebrate the original PSO’s 20th anniversary, the game will update PSO2’s game system and graphics engine and is planned to release on a global scale, including Japan and North America.

The official accounts have said your progress will carry over. The game will release to Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Windows 10 in North America and for Japan it is set for PlayStation 4, Windows PC and the cloud (PC and Switch). More information as we hear it, and in the meantime check out the official website.

SEGA News Bits: Yakuza: Like A Dragon Gets English Voice Cast, Release Date and More

Today was a big day for Yakuza: Like a Dragon fans, as SEGA has finally went ahead and given us a big portion of the English voice actors that will be featured, plus we got a release date and several editions of the game being promoted. Check out all the news and catch the conversation as we talk everything Yakuza: Like a Dragon on this episode of SEGA News Bits.

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Yakuza: Like a Dragon announced for PS5, English dub to feature George Takei

IGN has announced a slew of Yakuza: Like a Dragon news today! First up, the game is confirmed to be coming to PlayStation 5. Not surprising, given the game was previously announced be playable on Xbox Series X. The game is set for a November 2020 release on Xbox One, PS4 and PC with a holiday release to Xbox Series X. The PS5 version will release “at a later date”, however SEGA has confirmed an upgrade path is being planned for the PS5 version to fall in line with the Xbox Series X version’s free upgrade.

You want surprising news? The game will feature an English dub and the cast will include Star Trek actor George Takei as antagonist Masumi Arakawa. Other actors include Andrew Morgado as Koichi Adachi, Greg Chun as Yu Nanba, and Elizabeth Maxwell as Saeko Mukoda.

Yakuza Kiwami 2 coming to Xbox One and Windows 10 through Xbox Game Pass

SEGA has announced that Yakuza Kiwami 2 will be releasing to Xbox One and Windows 10 through the Xbox Game Pass service on July 30, 2020. The game joins Yakuza 0 and Yakuza Kiwami which are already on the digital service. Like Yakuza Kiwami, Yakuza Kiwami 2 is an HD remake, this time of Yakuza 2. Yakuza Kiwami 2 is the first Xbox One and Windows 10 game in the series to utilize Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio’s powerful Dragon Engine.

What are your thoughts on Yakuza venturing out to other platforms? What Yakuza game would you like to see next on the Game Pass service? Sound off in the comments below!

Garou: Mark of the Wolves getting a physical release by Limited Run Games on PS4

Garou: Mark of the Wolves, along with Street Fighter: Third Strike where both really great fighting games and both ended a ‘2D pixel’ style of fighting games. And boy, did the genre leave in a high note. I still consider these two games to be the best available on the Dreamcast. Not only was it a ‘end of a era’ of these type of stylish fighting games, but it was also the end of an era as a SEGA fan.

But we can still relive those fighting games on PlayStation 4 and if you dislike digital distribution you can get yourself a physical version of Garou: Mark of the Wolves later on this month. Plus Garou also got an update with way better netcode, so differently work supporting

Space Channel 5 VR: Kinda Funky News Flash! gets a Limited Run Games release on July 31


Limited Run Games has announced today that Grounding Inc.’s Space Channel 5 VR: Kinda Funky News Flash! will be receiving a release on July 31st. The game is a followup to the Dreamcast originals, but utilizing PlayStation VR hardware. No word yet on price, method of release (open pre-order or limited number) or if a special edition box is planned. But my fingers are crossed for a classic release containing a Dreamcast-style case. More news as we hear it!

It has also been confirmed by @LimitedRunJosh that the Hatsune Miku DLC will not be included in the physical release due to licensing reasons.

Sakura Wars developers are open to a sequel and comment on additional platforms – remasters of classic games in mind

Twinfinite had recently interviewed with Sakura Wars director, Tetsuya Ootsubo, and asked him several questions regarding Sakura Wars (2020). The first question asked was if the team would be interested in developing another sequel, Ootsubo-san responded with:

” The development team would love to continue the series, and we’re pushing to make it happen. We appreciate all your support.”

The next question asked was if the game would be ported to other consoles beyond PS4, such as Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC. The director said:

“We’d love to expand the audience for the game! We’re actively researching to see where there is high demand and determine what actions will be feasible.”

Lastly, Ootsubo-san was asked if there will be remakes/remasters of the original games in the series in the works soon? Ootsubo-san answered that he and the team are “open” to revisiting the original games as those titles can’t be played on modern equipment and as long as there is sufficient demand for them. He also responded to a question regarding going back to turn-based gameplay. He stated that while the combat in the new game was indeed more action-focused, the developers understand that many still enjoy tactical RPGs, so they’re “continuing to research” what the “next steps should be in order to give fans the best possible experience.”

With recent trademarks made for the Sakura Wars brand and the survey SEGA posted on their social media last month, we may see the series expand further outside of Japan. Would you be interested in a sequel to Sakura Wars (2020) and try out remasters of the original series? Please let us know your thoughts on the comment section below.

 

Picross S: Mega Drive & Mark III Edition coming to Nintendo Switch

The developer of Picross S, Jupiter, has announced Picross S: Mega Drive & Mark III Edition would be coming to Nintendo Switch via teaser at the end of a commercial for Jupiter’s April-released Picross S4 and the newly released Working Zombie.

“Picross” is a picture crossword puzzle game that uses numbers as hints to complete an illustration. Further details on the title have yet to be announced. We will let our readers know when more details are announced.

Source: Gematsu

SEGA and G FUEL team up to release Sonic The Hedgehog energy drink

SEGA has announced that they are partnering with G FUEL to release a Sonic the Hedgehog branded energy drink. Energy drinks are not new to the Sonic brand, as shops like Spencers have carried a classic Sonic branded energy drink for years. The G FUEL drink, however, takes things a step further with a Sonic inspired flavor. No, not blueberry, gummy Peach Rings! Personally, I love peach rings, so this flavor would be right up my alley even without the Sonic association. Sonic’s Peach Rings will be available to purchase for U.S. customers in 16 oz G FUEL Cans at gfuel.com on August 12, 2020.

Sakura Wars the Stage rescheduled for Winter 2020

From the recent announcement during the official Sakura Wars live stream broadcast, the stage performance based on the recent game in the series, Sakura Wars the Stage, will continue to be held in Japan during Winter 2020, originally planned for March 2020 but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The stage performance will feature different cast members from the video game and will have Kohei Tanaka composing the music during the show. We’ll keep everyone informed on more details on the event. If our readers living in Japan are planning on attending the show, stay safe, and let us know what you all think of the performance.