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SEGA Ages Phantasy Star hits Nintendo Switch in Japan on September 2018

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SEGA has now provided the details for their upcoming SEGA Ages Phantasy Star release on the Nintendo Switch. They have confirmed that the game is set to launch in Japan in September 2018, so next month and will cost ¥925 ($8 USD).

Some of the new features for this release include:

  • Accessibility options.
  • Alter difficulty making the game easier
  • Original hiragana text option (from the Phantasy Star Collection‘s SEGA Saturn version) is included.
  • FM Sound Unit Music player with 19 tracks.
  • Auto-mapping option when entering dungeons.
  • Monster Codex: once you fight a monster you will keep a record of it including its name, sprite and other useful information.
  • Pause menu lets you see items, abilities, equipment and other options.

Hit the jump to see screenshots of the new features in the upcoming game.

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New Shenmue III trailer reveals release date and returning characters

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Just in time for the start of Gamescom 2018 and the release day of Shenmue I & II comes a new trailer for the upcoming Shenmue III. The big news is that we have a release date! The game is set to release to the PlayStation 4 and PC on August 27, 2019. What more, the announcement trailer gives us a look at the game and it looks much improved from previous videos, with facial animations and the reveal that Lan Di will appear in the game! While most probably assumed he would appear, it’s great to get confirmation and from the look of things he won’t have a helicopter to escape on this time. Also spotted is Ryo’s buddy Wuying Ren from Shenmue II.

What do you think of the new trailer and release date? Sound off in the comments below!

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SEGAbits forums get streamlined with new board categories

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Whoa! Talk about exciting news! Long before the likes of Twitter, Facebook and Discord, the SEGAbits forums were the backbone of the community. Since 2010, the forums were where the SEGAbits community clicked over to when game announcements hit or company news broke. As the years went on the forum community grew and grew… and then shrunk thanks to the advent of social media and chat applications like Skype and Discord. Still, we are proud of the dedicated community that have stuck with the forums and love the work from users like Berto who continues to do a stellar job maintaining yearly topics collecting every SEGA, ATLUS and indie games planned for release.

In an effort to streamline the forums and make them easier to use in the current climate of the internet, we have decided to merge our Classic SEGA, Modern SEGA and Non-SEGA Gaming boards into one General Gaming Discussion board. We have also kept Everything Else as the go-to board for any non-gaming discussion. We do hope our forum users like the changes, and any suggestions can be shared in our feedback board.

Want to join the forums, or just lurk around? Visit the SEGAbits forums today! Hey, it’s not like SEGA is bringing their forums back anytime soon.

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Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom release date announced, new trailer showcases cinematics and gameplay

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Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom has come a long way! Back in early 2016 we interviewed Fabien Demeulenaere, Director of Game Atelier, on our Swingin’ Report Show Podcast, and now the game has seen a huge overhaul with enhanced graphics, animated cinematics and more! The latest news is a release date, with the game set to launch on the PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and Xbox One on November 6th, 2018. The physical launch edition of the game will include a full color 24 page instruction booklet and two sticker sheets. Those attending Gamescom can play the Switch version at the Nintendo booth in Hall 9.1.

Pre-Order the Launch Edition of Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom:
Nintendo Switch | PlayStation 4 | Xbox One

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Retro-Bit reveals first wave of officially licensed SEGA controllers

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Back in January, the company Retro-Bit revealed a lineup of officially licensed SEGA controllers for the Genesis/Mega Drive, Saturn and Dreamcast. Now, they’re ready to reveal what they are calling the first wave. The full lineup, seen after the break, includes Genesis, Mega Drive and Saturn controllers. Absent are the Dreamcast controllers, leading me to think that the VMU might be the reason they have not been revealed yet. I can’t imagine a VMU saving out over wireless, but I’m sure they’ll figure it out.

In the meantime, the first wave gives SEGA fans original port, USB and wireless Bluetooth controllers. Genesis/Mega Drive will be black in all versions, and there will be a clear blue version for original port and USB. The Saturn will be available in black for all versions, and a slate grey version will also be available for the original port and USB versions. No sign of the white pad, which is a shame as I know several white Saturn owners who would love to get their hands on a second pad at a fair price. Fingers crossed we see that in a second wave.

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Jim Carrey shows off new haircut for live action Dr. Eggman role

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The image above has surfaced via the instagram of MistaSmooth, showing of Jim Carrey’s new haircut. According to Jim Carrey Online fan blog, this new haircut is for the upcoming Paramount “Sonic” movie where Jim Carrey will play a live action Dr. Eggman.

My thoughts? Uh, that isn’t what Dr. Eggman’s hair is suppose to be. Dr. Eggman’s name is a reference to him being overweight and bald. It seems that Jim Carrey is aiming at changing that with a more ‘Joker’ like haircut. What are your thoughts? Maybe they’ll actually call him Doctor Robotnik in this one…

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Team Sonic Racing adds Team Vector to the roster – featuring Vector, Blaze and Silver

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It looks like Team Chaotix couldn’t afford more than one entry fee! The newest team to be revealed for the upcoming Team Sonic Racing is a surprise to be sure, while we were guessing Team Chaotix were a shoo-in it looks like SEGA is taking a u-turn and are featuring Vector the Crocodile, Blaze the Cat and Silver the Hedgehog in Team Vector. If you want to play with the new racers for yourself, you can check them out at Gamescom 2018 in Cologne, Germany from August 21-25.

After the break, check out a big gallery of screens.

Pre-order Team Sonic Racing today!
PlayStation 4 | Xbox One | Nintendo Switch

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Etrian Odyssey Nexus, the last Etrian Odyssey on 3DS, hits the West February 2019

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If you guys didn’t know, Atlus Japan has released a teaser for another Etrian Odyssey game, which lead people into thinking they are revamping the franchise for its future on the Nintendo Switch. If you never played a Etrian Odyssey game, it was one of the few RPGs on the Nintendo DS and 3DS that took advantage of the second touch screen to draw maps and thus not having  a second screen on Nintendo Switch will change the gameplay up for future entries.

That would mean that Etrian Odyssey X is the last game on Nintendo 3DS and its coming to America and Europe as Etrian Odyssey Nexus Atlus revealed via Twitter. We also got the launch of the English language website featuring the ability to pre-order the game. Below we got the very first screenshots of the English version of Etrian Odyssey Nexus, along with the press release:

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Yakuza 3 PlayStation 4 re-release tops charts in Japan

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While a lot of gamers are waiting for Yakuza 3, 4 and 5 to hit PlayStation 4 in the West, the first of these ports has already come out in Japan. I would say its a hit in terms that it topped the Media Create chart this week. Yakuza 3 came out in Japan on August 9th, the charts are accounting for only three days of sales which came into a grand total of 26,047 units. Okami HD came out on the PlayStation 4 the same day as Yakuza 3, that one charted number 11 selling only 14,089 units. A good start for this port.

The real reason these then PlayStation 3 exclusive Yakuza games are heading to PlayStation 4 is mostly due to demand in the west considering a lot of new Yakuza fans never got the chance to try out these titles when they came out. We shall see how they do here in the west, for the full media create sales hit the jump:

[Source: Gematsu]

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SEGA releases What is Shenmue? Part 3, which highlights mini-games and combat

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SEGA has released the third part of their What is Shenmue? series of videos, this time focusing on the mini-games and combat found in both Shenmue I & II. Seasoned Shenmue fans know just how packed these games are with mini-games, from classic SEGA arcade games like Space Harrier, forklift races, duck races, lucky hit, arm wrestling, darts, pool and much more. Combat, meanwhile, is just as fun with Quick Timer Events and a full fighting engine. Shenmue I & II releases next week on August 21st. Pre-ordering the physical edition gets you a two sided poster and a reversible cover.

Pre-Order Shenmue I & II:
PlayStation 4 | Xbox One | PC

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Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise available to pre-order – new combat trailer released

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SEGA has released pre-order details for the upcoming Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise, set to release in the Americas and Europe on October 2 for the PlayStation 4. physical pre-orders will include two free deathcry decal stickers that you are encouraged to stick to your console, controller or wherever. Digital pre-orders will include the Destiny Talisman Pack, which add useful abilities to the player. Also included is a theme and avatar set. After the break, check out the new trailer released today which focuses on the game’s combat.

Pre-order Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise

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Next Yakuza Project to remain ‘hardcore’ but ‘interesting’ according to SEGA’s Toshihiro Nagoshi

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The latest retail issue of Edge magazine features a interview with SEGA Chief Creative Officer Toshihiro Nagoshi where he talks about the development stories behind F-Zero GX and Yakuza; but also teases the Yakuza Studios next project:

“It will still be quite hardcore at the beginning, but I want the player to think “Oh this game seems really interesting” – that’s what I’m aiming for this time. That goes for the technology too, though I don’t want to say more as it will spoil the fun. By introducing a new and more current systems, I’d like to increase the number of players. And if I do that, I can re-introducing Kiryu-san to some new fans. That would be ideal.” – Toshihiro Nagoshi
The most interesting part is where he says he wants to re-introduce Kiryu-san to new fans, which is odd because the next Yakuza project, being titled Shin Yakuza, is suppose to have a brand new lead character and Yakuza 6 was meant to be Kiryu’s last game. Some people are assuming there is some translation errors, but could it be that Shin Yakuza will have Kazuma Kiryu as a NPC supporting character in the story? I guess we will find out sooner than later, with Tokyo Game Show 2018 around the corner… What do you think?
[Via: ResetEra]

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Magic Knight Rayearth on SEGA Game Gear gets English fan patch

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Magic Knight Rayearth is considered to be one of the best Game Gear releases, sadly we couldn’t play the RPG due to the fact that it never came out outside of Japan. But don’t worry, fans and translators Filler and Supper have finally released their English translation project.

Back in 2004, Filler actually released the translated script text and recently Supper took the reins on the project (5 months ago). Since then he has added 11,777 script lines, 200+kb of C++ code, 2,156 lines of assembly hacks, 60k of additional Japanese script lines, and sacrificed hundreds of hours to release this project to the public.

You can check out some of the screenshots here and download the patch via Matt’s Messy Room.

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Total War: THREE KINGDOMS cinematic trailer reveals upcoming game’s campaign map

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SEGA has released a cinematic trailer for the upcoming Total War: THREE KINGDOMS, which gives us a first look at the game’s campaign map. The trailer focuses on warlord Sun Jian, The Tiger of Jiangdong, who believes his destiny is to be the one true ruler. Historically, the Sun family played an important role in the Three Kingdoms period by establishing the kingdom of Sun Wu.

Developed by Creative Assembly, Total War: THREE KINGDOMS releases on PC in Spring 2019. You can learn more about the game on the Steam product page.

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Meet the characters of Shenmue I & II in What is Shenmue? Part 2

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SEGA has released the second part in their “What is Shenmue?” video series, this time focusing on the characters of both games and their place in the story. Ryo, Shenhua, Lan Di and many others are highlighted. We suspect Goro Mihashi was not mentioned because SEGA wants to keep him a surprise. Narrated by Ryo’s english voice actor Corey Marshall, the video series is a nice introduction to the series for new players, and a reminder for those who played the Dreamcast originals years ago. You can see the second part above, and the first part can be seen here. Shenmue I & II releases August 21st on PC, PS4 and Xbox One.

Pre-Order Shenmue I & II:
PlayStation 4 | Xbox One | PC

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