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SEGA Games COO Kenji Matsubara wants to bring the AtGames SEGA Genesis Flashback to Japan

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SEGA is not returning to the hardware market. I repeat, SEGA is not returning to the hardware market.

In a Yahoo! Japan news article, SEGA Games COO Kenji Matsubara said that SEGA is planning to import and sell the AtGames SEGA Genesis Flashback in Japan. SEGA Genesis Flashback is licensed by SEGA and outsourced to Taiwan based AtGames to produce. The SEGA Genesis Flashback was released last year and was criticized for inferior audio and video quality. The reasoning for importing the SEGA Genesis Flashback was due to increased demand in Japan for machines like the NES and SNES Classic.

Did I mention SEGA is not returning to the hardware market? Importing the SEGA Genesis Flashback and rebranding it is a quick, easy and cheap way for SEGA of Japan to bring the Mega Drive to Japan again. SEGA are not developing a new machine, they are not rereleasing any other classic consoles, and it is not SEGA’s current mission to return to the console market. SEGA is not returning to the hardware market.

Thumbs up to SEGA Driven for properly reporting on this story, and shame on any sites that misrepresent the original story.

[Source: Yahoo! Japan]

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Alien Storm Spanish fan translation now available for SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive and Master System

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Hola SEGA fanaticos! ¿Quieren jugar Alien Storm pero en español? Well, I got some good news for you my Spanish speaking friend, Rom Hack fan translator Wave has now translated SEGA’s Alien Storm into Spanish. Not only did he translate the SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive version, but he also completed the SEGA Master System version as well.

I have also attached some screenshots of the translated text below for you to gander at. I love sharing these fan translations and hoping we get more in the near future.

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SEGA unboxes the Yakuza 6: The Song of Life After Hours Premium Edition

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Yakuza 6: The Song of Life releases in just a few weeks, on April 17th to be exact, for the PlayStation 4. The game will release with three options: a Standard Edition, an Essence of Art Edition, and (in my opinion) the must have After Hours Premium Edition. To promote this very special release, SEGA has created an unboxing hosted by Marketing Associate Lauren and Associate PR Manager Jonathon. Get a sneak peek at the hardcover art book, two bar glasses, 2 ice stones, 2 coasters, and the collectible outer box.

Which edition are you picking up? If you’re getting the After Hours Premium Edition, what are you planning to drink?

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Shining Resonance Refrain Only Shifts 23k Units in Japan

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Shining Resonance Refrain has launched in Japan and it has not put up great numbers. The game debuted number 6 in the Japanese Media Crate charts only shifting 23,054 units, this only being on the PlayStation 4 in Japan. The game was even outsold by Far Cry 5 which shifted 75,474 units! SEGA also saw a massive drop in sales for Valkyria Chronicles 4, with the game only making the chart at 9,108 units sold this week (bringing the total to 72,029). SEGA’s Hokuto ga Gotoku also charted at number 17 by selling 4,604 units (bringing the total to 156,805).

I have to say its not a great time for SEGA’s Japanese sales, all these numbers seem rather low. I guess we will have to see if they try to ‘shift’ directions once again. Who knows, maybe a few of these games will do good in the West?

[Source: Gematsu]

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Phantasy Star Online 2: Cloud launches for Nintendo Switch in Japan

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SEGA’s Phantasy Star Online 2: Cloud has launched on the Nintendo Switch. For those not in the know, this version of the game is a ‘cloud-based’ version of the PC, that is streamed onto your Nintendo Switch via ‘The cloud’.

Positives include not having to keep the game updated, since its always streaming the latest version. Obviously the downside is that you will need to be connected to a good internet connection. SEGA launched a huge series of videos to show off the game’s features:

[Via: Siliconera]

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IDW’s Sonic the Hedgehog #1 releases today!

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Just a friendly reminder that Sonic the Hedgehog comics are making their big return today with IDW taking over from Archie with an all new rebooted comic book series. Each week in April will see a new issue, with issue #5 moving back into a regular release schedule (which will no doubt relieve the strain on the artist’s wrists).

Expect a SEGA News Bits covering issue #1 this week, and a preview of issue #2 in the next SEGA News Bits Extra which is our Patreon exclusive video series. You can check out the issue’s synopsis, as well as a cover gallery, after the break.

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SEGA shows off what they have in store for SEGA Fes 2018

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SEGA will hold a big event, partly to celebrate its history as a gaming company and another part to show off what they have in store for the future. SEGA Fes 2018 is mean’t to run from April 14 to 15 in Tokyo. One of the big events they will be holding is allowing vistors to play SEGA Mega Drive classics on a big Mega Drive controller. The big Mega Drive controller play will take place on the first day of the event.

April 14 games playable:

  • 10:00-13:00 JP time: Sonic the Hedgehog
  • 13:15-16:00 JP time: Puyo Puyo
  • 16:15-19:00 JP time: Bare Knuckle II (aka Streets of Rage 2)

On April 15, you will be able to replay these games on the big Mega Drive controller, but they will start in backwards (Streets of Rage 2 at 10, ending with Sonic the Hedgehog at 18:00). But that isn’t all, this is just one floor, the next floor they have is the ‘SEGA logo monument floor’.

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GDC Vault Offers the Sonic the Hedgehog Postmortem For Free Viewing

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If you’re like me who wasn’t able to visit GDC this year and are hoping to find a way to watch the GDC talk on Sonic the Hedgehog. You’re in luck as GDC has begun uploading this year’s panels, along with the Sonic GDC panel, onto their website the GDC Vault. The video has been made available for free viewing on their website and may even appear on their YouTube channel. Currently the GDC Vault does not allow video embed, so you’ll have to go over to their site by clicking one of the many convenient links like this one here.

In case you missed it, Naoto Oshima and Hirokazu Yasuhara hosted a panel talking about their perspective on the creation of the character, what made him stand out as well as the game design and art direction that brought us the Mega Drive/Genesis title. Previously we were only given a glimpse thanks to the efforts of Frank Cifaldi on Twitter. Now we are able to witness more with an edited video that presents the two speakers along with their slides for easy viewing. The Q&A session follows after the panel, plus a bonus speed drawing from both Oshima and Yasuhara.

The GDC Vault is home to plenty of talks that range from game development tactics, to important topics and postmortems of other games. Some panels will require a paid subscription for viewing. You can watch the Sonic panel or other panels from this year’s conference here.

[Source: GDC Vault]

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First Sonic Mania Adventures episode releases online

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The first Sonic Mania Adventures episode is ready to watch (just click play above)! The series was announced at the Sonic at SXSW panel and will run for five episodes running a few minutes each. The plan is to release them monthly to promote the upcoming physical release of Sonic Mania Plus.

What are your thoughts on the first episode? Sound off in the comments below!

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New Shining title announcement possible at SEGA Fes 2018

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We posted before that SEGA was teasing a brand new announcement at their upcoming event, SEGA Fes 2018 which will run in Japan from April 14 to the 15.

This week on the latest issue of Weekly Famitsu, , Makoto Suzuki said:

“We are doing our best to show various things we are working on with the [Shining] series at Sega Fes and such in April. After this please look forward to the enjoyable environments we have in the works between traditional games like this one [Shining Resonance Refrain], as well as titles with various other directions.”

When Shining Resonance Refrain was first announced, Makoto Suzuki suggested it was the last time SEGA was giving the franchise another shot. Seems that they are moving forward with more games? Thoughts?

[Source: Gematsu]

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Valkyria Chronicles 4 debuts in 2nd place in Japan, beating Ni no Kuni II

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The battle of the Japanese RPGs (of sorts) is underway in Japan. This week we got a few notable releases in the land of the rising sun including Valkyria Chronicles 4 (PS4), Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom (PS4), Dectective Pikachu (3DS), and Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition (Switch)! While Valkyria Chronicles 4 beat all these debuting games, it was Kirby: Star Allies that still took first place even though it came out last week. Kirby has some staying power over in Japan.

Valkyria Chronicles sold 62,921 units in its debut week, while Ni no Kuni II (3rd place) sold 56,014. As for Kirby: Star Allies, it got a whopping 84,625 units (bringing its title to 306,656 units!). Valkyria Chronicles will also get a Nintendo Switch version released later this year in Japan while we in the west will be getting it on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch day one, sometime in 2018. Check out the full chart after the break:

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Bitmap Books planning a Sega Master System Compendium

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We haven’t covered Bitmap Books here yet, but they’ve been in the video game history books business for some time. Known best for their visual compendiums, Bitmap has covered classic hardware like the Commodore 64, Amiga and NES. Now, they are finally dipping their toes into the SEGA waters with the upcoming Sega Master System Compendium book. The book will feature in-game graphics, pixel art and provide a history on SEGA’s first western released console.

The Sega Master System Compendium will be funded as a Kickstarter, which goes live on May 7. When we near the Kickstarter’s launch we will be sure to share more information.

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SEGA releases Yakuza Kiwami 2 extended announcement trailer

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SEGA has released another announcement trailer, this one being a bit longer. The first announcement trailer was just over a minute in length, this one is almost two minutes. If you didn’t know, Yakuza Kiwami 2 came out in Japan on December 7, 2017 and we will be getting the game in America and Europe on August 28, 2018. This means that Yakuza Kiwami 2 is the fastest localized version of a Yakuza game ever. Very well done by the translation team!

Like always Yakuza Kiwami 2 comes out this August 28, only on PlayStation 4. You can pre-order the steelbook edition now on Amazon.

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Experience the Yakuza 6: The Song of Life “Essence of Art” exhibit opening night in newly released videos

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Last weekend, SEGA opened their Yakuza 6: The Song of Life “Essence of Art” Exhibit at Gallery Nucleus in Los Angeles. While the event looked like a blast, it was missing our presence as well as the presence of countless Yakuza fans from across the globe. Thankfully, SEGA has bottled up the experience in two videos giving a recap of the event (above) and presenting the full live art and Q&A stream (after the break).

The Yakuza 6: The Song of Life “Essence of Art” Exhibit runs from March 17, 2018 – April 1, 2018 at Gallery Nucleus at 210 East Main St., Alhambra, CA 91801. The gallery is open from 12:00PM – 8:00PM, Tuesday – Sunday and is open to the public with free admission. More details are available at the official event page.

Yakuza 6: The Song of Life releases April 17, and comes in a fancy Essence of Art Edition and an After Hours Premium Edition.

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Preview: IDW Sonic the Hedgehog #6

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The preview for issue six of IDW’s Sonic the Hedgehog is here! Following up from the previous issue, six features the story “The Fate of Dr. Eggman” Part 2. The issue is to feature Eggman, Shadow, Rouge and the Chaotix. Oh and of course, Sonic. It is becoming pretty clear that each issue, at least in this early run, will introduce new and returning characters to the IDW canon. After the break, check out the full solicits and a preview of a IDW Sonic collector’s box set!

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