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SEGA World Drivers Championship playtest announced in Japan

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A new SEGA racing game in Japan is currently being playtested in Japan. Based on the Super GT sports racing series, SEGA World Drivers Championship continues SEGA’s track record of producing sports racing games. Notably this is the first time SEGA of Japan has made a racing game for arcades since 2008/2009 (Not counting Initial D.), such as SEGA Race TV. Similar to past SEGA arcade racers of the past, most notably Daytona USA, players can race through three different courses and multiple players can play using separate cabinets. A notable difference however is the usage of cards with different cars, which can be used in the arcade game to use different cars sponsored by companies like Toyota, Nissan, and Honda.

However, a really notable technical aspect about this game is the engine. It is the first title by SEGA that utilizes the Unreal 4 engine used in recent console, arcade, and PC games to provide both great effects and ease of development for working with multiple pieces of hardware. With SEGA being on board with working on a well respected engine, it’s possible more games using the engine will follow.

The playtest is scheduled in SEGA’s entertainment buildings in Akihabara and Ikebukuro in Tokyo and Toshima respectively, on July 28th, 29th, and 30th.

[Source: SEGA of Japan and 4gamer]

 

 

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Bayonetta amiibo release today – two versions available

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Nintendo news on a SEGA website!? Don’t worry, it’s SEGA related. Today Nintendo’s long overdue Bayonetta amiibo release as part of their Super Smash Bros. line, featuring the beloved witch in two styles: the Player 1 Bayonetta 2 design and the Player 2 Bayonetta design. The player 2 design is a Best Buy exclusive, and is likely to be the more popular of the two. The player 1 design can be found anywhere amiibo are sold (such as Best Buy and Wal-Mart) and both designs retail for $12.99.

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Sonic Forces “Enter Infinite” Trailer Released

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The Sonic the Hedgehog YouTube account has released a new trailer for Sonic Forces showcasing some cutscenes featuring the new villain Infinite. Worth pointing out, that we also get a glimpse of additional stages from the game. All the previously revealed villains make appearances as well in Park Avenue, which lines up with past reveals. So we will likely see all the villains right after the first stage. What are your thought on the trailer, sound off in the comments!

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Persona 5 voted best RPG of all time by Famitsu readers

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The Japanese magazine, the Weekly Famitsu held a survey which asked readers what they consider the best RPG of all time. I can see why you’d assume the reason Persona 5 won ‘best RPG of all time’ in Japan by readers is because it just came out recently and that point is valid.

The survey gathered 2,295 votes which had 56% male and 43% females (with 1% not have a specific gender). Out of all these votes only 9% where from teenagers, 36% in their twenties, 37% in their thirties, 16% in their forties, and 1% where in their fifties. The voting took place between June 22nd and June 28th, which is less than a year since Persona 5 came out in Japan. Hit the jump to see all the JRPGs that made Japanese readers favorites list.You can see a great write up by DualShockers here.

Continue Reading ➜

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SEGA’s Sonic the Hedgehog publishing partnership with Archie Comics comes to an end

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SEGAArchieCancelledArchie Comics and Sonic the Hedgehog are splitting up, it was just confirmed on the Sonic the Hedgehog twitter account. Sonic the Hedgehog Archie Comic was known as the longest running video game based comic book, spanning over 24 years! We did a SEGA News Bits about this whole drama and we basically guessed that SEGA and Archie Comics wouldn’t come to terms with a licensing agreement. Guess what? We where right. As you can see, SEGA isn’t done with the Sonic the Hedgehog comic books, as it says they are heading in a different direction.

“After 24 years of memorable storytelling, SEGA of America will conclude their Sonic the Hedgehog publishing partnership program with Archie Comics. This does not mark the end of Sonic in comics, but signifies, SEGA of America’s decision to take a different direction for the series that will be announced at a later date. SEGA would like to thank Sonic’s amazing fans for their loyalty and passion over all the years. SEGA looks forward to providing more information soon.”

So what would that direction be? In my opinion, San Diego Comic Con would be the perfect time to announce that SEGA will be doing license comics with IDW, which has a plethora of great IPs, great staff and have delivered some amazing stories to licensed properties. What is your opinion on the whole thing? Are you glad SEGA is moving on from Archie or do you wish there was a resolution between the publishers? Let us know in the comments below.

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SEGA to share some Archie Comics news this week

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archiecomicscancelledDid you know that San Diego Comic Con is happening later this week? Its no surprise that the Sonic PR team did a live stream that actually mentions the whole Archie Comics and SEGA drama. If you don’t know what we are talking about, we did a whole SEGA News Bits episode discussing the matter, you can check that out. But basically comic pre-orders where cancelled for upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog comics, with people saying Archie Comics and SEGA have been working out a new deal for the hedgehog license. Its been months of radio silence on both ends but according to Aaron Webber, “the silence will be broken soon”, I assume we will have big news either way prior or at SDCC. The only thing that will be interesting is if SEGA stays with Archie Comics or if they move on with a new publisher.

The last Sonic the Hedgehog issue to be released has been Sonic the Hedgehog #290, which hit store shelves on December 28, 2016. So its been almost half a year. Its not like Archie Comics didn’t have more Sonic the Hedgehog issues planned as they sent out solicitations for #291, #292 and #293. They also haven’t released the super hyped, Sonic Mega Drive – Orverdrive one-shot that a lot of fans have been looking forward to.

Along with that, Aaron Webber has also promised more Sonic Mania and Sonic Forces news later this week, as teased in the live stream. What is your thoughts on the whole Archie Comics and SEGA licensing situation? Let us know in the comments below!

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Yakuza Creator and Persona Director to host SEGA live stream on July 25

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Its not uncommon for SEGA’s general director and creator of the Yakuza (then Spikeout, Super Monkey Ball, Daytona USA, and more) series Toshihiro Nagoshi to have a stream. Its a very regular thing he does over in Japan. On the live streams he likes to bring on other SEGA creators to talk about various topics including movies, music and even their projects they are working or worked on.

We should be having a pretty good live stream later this week as Toshihiro Nagoshi has invited Persona 5 director and producer Katsura Hashino and will stream on July 25, 2017. Not to mention Katsura Hashino is also working on a new game, with a new studio within Atlus, this project is being called Project Re: Fantasy. Maybe the stream will offer more details on that project and even the next Yakuza title? Maybe, maybe not. Tokyo Game Show 2017 is only a couple of months away, so it wouldn’t be crazy if they hint at something.

You can catch the live stream, if you are fluent in Japanese or watch anime, on July 25th at 8:55pm JST on Niconico. I guess we shall see what comes of this, stay tuned to the site as we post an update on what went down on the stream.

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Data Discs Sonic Mania vinyl pre-order starts July 22, releases September

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Data Discs have announced that their Sonic Mania vinyl will be available to pre-order this coming Saturday, July 22nd, from their website. The album will be available in three editions: 180g Clear with Blue, Red, Orange & Yellow Splatter (Limited Edition), 180g Translucent Blue, and 180g Classic Black. The LP features 16 new tracks by composer Tee Lopes, as well as new gatefold art featuring Sonic, Tails and Knuckles in Green Hill Zone Act 2.

The limited edition is exclusive to the Data Discs site and will only be available to pre-order for a set amount of time. The sale will begin at 8:00am (BST) on Saturday 22nd July and finish at 12:00pm (BST) on Monday 24th July. Anyone ordering during this period will be guaranteed a copy. Once this period is over, they will not accept any further orders of the limited edition. However, the other two editions will remain available.

Data Discs also mentioned that their Streets of Rage 1 and 2 vinyls will be reissued and will be available for pre-order July 22nd with an August ship date.

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Blazblue Cross Tag Battle announced featuring Persona characters

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If you are a big fan of Aksys System Works and have been looking forward to their upcoming tag team game Dragon Ball FighterZ, you might have to add yet another tag based game on your shopping list. Aksys System Works has announced BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle at this year’s EVO which will feature a ton of franchises that Aksys Games worked on over the years. So far the announced characters are:

  • agna the Bloodedge – BlazBlue
  • Yu – Persona 4 Ultimate Arena
  • Hyde – UNDER NIGHT IN-BIRTH
  • Ruby Rose – RWBY

You can check out the debut trailer above, teasing the upcoming BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle game. Below we have images by Arc System Works’ illustrator Konomi Higuchi showing off the characters. Like a lot of people online have been pointing out, Arc System Works are re-using a lot of 2D sprite assets on creating this game, but personally don’t mind as its something that companies have done since the early 90s. As long as this cross over has a fun fighting system, looks great (and these sprites still look amazing) and its a full featured package then we should be fine. What other Persona 4 Ultimate Arena characters do you wanna see in this title? Let us know in the comments below.

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SNK to reveal “new Classic NEOGEO project” at Atlus/SEGA’s EVO 2017 booth

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[EDIT: It seems that the project is actually Samurai Shodown V Special being done by Code Mystics (who has a bad track record) for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita. The game will be playable at the booth in its beta form.]

SNK tweeted early this morning that they have a secret, unannounced “new Classic NEOGEO project” to show at this year’s EVO 2017 and will be shown off at Atlus/SEGA’s booth. They even ask in the tweet what it could be. Well, lets talk about what it could be. Lots of SNK fans are thinking this is a new entry into a old ‘NEOGEO IP’ because they teased it as a new project, making them think this is a brand new game from the ground up based on a IP that appeared on NEOGEO hardware.

The thing is that SNK had a premier line up on NEOGEO hardware but I’m leaning that this could be a new Garou: Mark of Wolves, considering it was revealed that SNK was working on Garou: Mark of Wolves 2 before they started up King of Fighters XIV. Not to mention, it will be shown off at EVO 2017, which is a fighting game tournament. But SNK also has Samurai Showdown and Art of Fighting brands, so it can be anything. The other reason this is making me think its a big, boxed title is because its being shown at the Atlus/SEGA booth and Atlus published King of Fighters XIV in the United States. But then again, that is jumping on conclusions and they could only be sharing Atlus/SEGA’s booth because of their prior relationships and because they will be showing off King of Fighters XIV stuff there anyway.

Another big theory is that this is just going to be newly emulated NEOGEO classics being added to current generation consoles, but I have my doubts since they have already released a ton of them on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and even Nintendo Switch without making such teasers. What do you think this “new Classic NEOGEO project” will be? What do you hope it is? Let us know in the comments below.

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Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux trailer shows off graphical upgrades

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Atlus Japan has released a two minute gameplay trailer for the upcoming Nintendo 3DS port of Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux, which compares the field graphics to the original released on the Nintendo DS back in 2009. Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux won’t just update the graphics but also promises new story content, additional endings, a new dungeon, and more surprises. It would seem that Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux is the definitive version of the 2009 Nintendo DS game.

You can check out the trailer to see if the upgraded graphics on the Nintendo 3DS version of Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux is worth the upgrade (that’s if you played it back in 2009). While the Nintendo 3DS doesn’t feature incredible in-game graphics, the jump from Nintendo DS to Nintendo 3DS is quite large.  Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux hits Japan on October 26 and hits the West sometime in 2018. But what is your opinion on Atlus re-releasing older titles on Nintendo 3DS?

[Via: Siliconera]

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Virtua Tennis Challenge joins SEGA Forever mobile collection

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Virtua Tennis Challenge, originally released to mobile devices in 2012, has been given the SEGA Forever upgrade and is now free to play or $1.99 to remove ads. Users who originally downloaded the game before the update can restore their purchase and remove the ads. Virtua Tennis Challenge was teased in our SEGA Forever interview, in which mobile games community manager Danny Russell confirmed that SEGA Forever would see existing titles brought into the service. This is great news, as Virtua Tennis Challenge was one of those games badly needing a 64-bit support update.

The game is available to download now on the App Store and Google Play.

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Yakuza Kiwami digital pre-orders nets you free theme

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Theme_1_1499447461If you are planning on picking up the digital version of Yakuza Kiwami, you might want to look at pre-ordering it for $29.99/£29.99 if you care about PlayStation 4 themes. If you pre-order the game right now you will get a Yakuza Kiwami digital pre-order theme that features both Kazuma Kiryu and Akira Nishikiyama.

I personally recommend all users get the day one steel book edition of Yakuza Kiwami, since its the same price as the digital and you get a cool limited edition case. But, if you are the type of person that hates having physical games, having a cool free theme is a nice extra. Yakuza Kiwami comes out on August 29, 2017; only on PlayStation 4.

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[Source: Siliconera]

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Persona 5 Morgana Nendoroid figure is adorable

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Atlus has announced the first Nendoroid figure for its massively popular Persona 5. So who will be getting the first figure? None other than everyone’s favorite feline Morgana, the figure was shown off on Kahotan’s blog. While the Morgana Nendoroid figure doesn’t have a release date as of yet, you will be able to pre-order it on July 11, 2017 and will have a bunch of juicy specials that will make you want to have this annoying cat sitting at your work desk.

The Morgana Nendoroid figure will feature different face plates, up to four different faces that show off iconic looks from Persona 5. But the faces can also be broken into two parts, allowing more options by changing the mouth with different eyes. That is pretty cool stuff. The figure will also have seamless joints, while other Nendoroid figures have ‘joint looking’ parts, these is more seamless and more accurate to the art design in Persona 5. I personally hate the joint look that some Nendoroids have, like the Yakuza one for example. I think this is a great improvement to future figures.

The figure is also set to come with its iconic slingshot, saber and even office chair that appeared in the full game. What are your thoughts? Adorable?

[Source: Siliconera]

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SEGA News Bits: SEGA Answers Our SEGA Forever Questions

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On this SEGA News Bits, George and Barry discuss the answers SEGA gave to our questions about the SEGA Forever retro gaming collection. SEGA Forever is an initiative from SEGA Networks to bring games from the SG-1000 through to the Dreamcast to mobile devices and beyond! What future games can we expect? How will the Genesis/Mega Drive emulation improve? How will light gun games play?

If you enjoy our SEGA News Bits segments and want to support us: Give us a sub and give this video a like so it shows up on more like minded fans YouTube recommendations. You know, how that YouTube algorithm is.

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