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Toshihiro Nagoshi says new Yakuza game in the works, teases other ‘new developments’

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Yakuza-0-MajimaToshihiro Nagoshi is known for a lot of things. Super Monkey Ball, Daytona USA, Yakuza series, great tans, and now he wants to extend that list with a new franchise. Nagoshi posted on his personal blog about the new Yakuza game and putting his strength into ‘new developments’:

“Yakuza Studio has also reorganized, and from this year to next year we’re considering various developments, during that, I think that there will surely be developments that everyone expects. But personally, while putting my strength into new developments, I’d like to work hard enough so that you expect great things from me.” – Toshihiro Nagoshi

While we already knew that a new Yakuza game was in the works by the Yakuza Studio, it is interesting that Toshihiro Nagoshi is working on a new franchise or at least it seems that way. The last new IP that he and his studio made was 2012’s Binary Domain, which bombed for SEGA. Lately they have been playing it safe and having a new Yakuza game isn’t surprising. It makes guaranteed money, even tho it seems to be at a slight decline compared to past titles. The question is, how will they continue it now that Kazuma Kiryu’s story has ended with Yakuza 6? I guess we will find out soon enough, but I wouldn’t mind a Yakuza Kiwami 2. What are your thoughts on the studio ‘considering various developments’ and would you like to see a new title from Toshihiro Nagoshi? Let us know in the comments below.

[Via: Gematsu]

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Persona 5 soundtrack getting vinyl release by iam8bit

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Atlus has teamed up with iam8bit to offer two versions of its Persona 5 soundtrack. Before today, Persona 5 soundtrack fans could pick up the 110 track album on iTunes for a cool $29.99. That’s cool, but some of us prefer physical stuff and now iam8bit promises to release the Persona 5 soundtrack on vinyl, set to ship on the fourth quarter of 2017.

The Persona 5 soundtrack is set to come in two flavors:

  • The Essential Edition: Featuring the most popular music from the Persona 5 soundtrack and shipping on 4 LPs. Price: $100
  • Deluxe Edition: The complete Persona 5 soundtrack featuring all 110 songs. Limited to 1,000. Ships on 6 LPs. Price: $175

You can pre-order the Persona 5 soundtrack now, via iam8bit’s website. iam8bit promises that each version will come in ‘premium packaging’. No cover art has been revealed yet. What are your thoughts on this western pressing of Persona 5’s soundtrack on vinyl? Let us know in the comments below.

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Hi-sCool! Seha Girls blu-ray DVD combo now available to pre-order

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The long awaited western release of Hi-sCool! Seha Girls: The Complete TV Series from Discotek Media is due out May 30, 2017 and we finally have pre-order details! The Hi-sCool! Seha Girls blu-ray DVD combo pack can now be pre-ordered for $49.99 on Amazon and it should soon be available on Right Stuf Anime.

The release will contain the original 13 episodes produced by TMS Entertainment using the MikuMikuDance animation software. The series stars three girls who meet for the first time at the start of a new semester in a brand new school. But these aren’t just any girls, and this isn’t just any school! They are personifications of the SEGA Dreamcast, Saturn and Mega Drive consoles. The series features a ton of fan service, including former SEGA mascot Professor Asobin who appeared during the SG-1000 days. Asobin is voiced by none other than former SEGA game designer and programmer Yuji Naka. You’ll also see, as teased on the cover, Virtua Fighters, Opa Opa, Puyo Puyo, Sonic and more!

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Persona 5’s free swimsuit costumes & more paid DLC now available

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P5-Swimsuit-SetPersona 5 has a ton of paid DLC, which I’m not a huge fan of but Persona 5 will also have FREE DLC as well. This week Atlus posted Persona 5‘s free swimsuit costumes on the PSN store, letting you travel with your team of misfits in revealing summer wear. Persona 5‘s free swimsuit costumes are available to download in both North America and Europe regions. But Persona 5‘s free swimsuit costumes isn’t the only thing the update brings, it also has a swarm of paid DLC including stuff inspired by Persona 4 spin-offs and Shin Megami Tensei IV.

Here is all the Persona 5 DLC that is out this week, including prices:

  • Persona 5 Swimsuit Set (US-PS4, PS3 | UK-PS4, PS3) – Free
  • Shin Megami Tensei IV Costume & BGM Special Set (US-PS4, PS3) | UK-PS4, PS3 ) – $6.99 | £5.79
  • Persona 4: Dancing All Night Costume & BGM Special Set (US-PS4, PS3 | UK-PS4, PS3) -$6.99 | £5.79
  • Persona 4 Arena Ultimax Costume & BGM Special Set (US-PS4, PS3 | UK-PS4, PS3) $6.99 | £5.79
  • Persona 5: Tsukiyomi & Tsukiyomi Picaro Set (US-PS4, PS3 | UK-PS4, PS3) – $2.99 | £2.49
  • Persona 5: Asterius & Asterius Picaro Set (US-PS4, PS3 | UK-PS4, PS3) – $2.99 | £2.49
  • Persona 5: Ariadne & Ariadne Picaro Set (US-PS4, PS3 | UK-PS4, PS3) – $2.99 | £2.49

I will say, I’m a bit grossed out by how expensive all this Persona 5 DLC is, even tho I feel that the base game is worth every single penny they are asking for. Would I complain if this optional DLC didn’t exist? Maybe I just feel like Atlus should have been more reasonable and offered a season pass instead of asking $7 dollars for a set of costumes and background music. What are your thoughts on all this DLC? Do you think I’m being over dramatic?

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SEGA News Bits: Night Trap Getting a Physical Release on PS4 by Limited Run Games

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Night Trap is coming back to the PS4, Xbox One and (possibly) PC thanks to developer Screaming Villains and Limited Run Games. The former attained the license to remaster the game for modern hardware, and the latter is releasing the game physically to PS4 in cool SEGA CD-inspired packaging. On this SEGA News Bits, Barry and George react to the announcement and share their thoughts on rereleasing controversial games.

Note: It cost the original Kickstarter team $250,000 to buy the rights, the Kickstarter needed $330,000 total to cover the rights, rescan of film elements, development and production.

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 new YouTube algorithm is.

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Initial D Arcade Stage Zero shows off Toyota AE86 gameplay

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SEGA has posted a new Initial D Arcade Stage Zero trailer showing off gameplay using the iconic Toyota AE86 car. The cool thing about the Initial D Arcade Stage Zero gameplay trailer is that they also show the player shifting, pumping the gas, slamming the breaks, and turning the steering wheel as you see how it effects the game. The trailer is also pretty long, showing a full race including a in-game track that features some very Japanese ‘Engrish’ vocals. Outside of that, Initial D Arcade Stage Zero is sporting some non-spectacular graphics, but I don’t think that’s the selling point with this game. Did I mention that the drifting looks fun? Because it does.

This isn’t the only trailer Initial D Arcade Stage Zero got, SEGA Japan released two at the same time. The second trailer is rather shorter clocking in at just under a minute and a half. This Initial D Arcade Stage Zero trailer highlights its versus mode, car customization, arcade cabinet, gear shift, and much more. For fans of the series, this game is exclusive to arcades with no plans of it coming to consoles. Yeah, its a bit sad. If you wanna see the second trailer hit the jump.

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[Updated] Night Trap announced for PlayStation 4 in SEGA style boxes, Xbox One also announced

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Well this is a surprise! It has just been announced that Night Trap, the famous (some would argue infamous) FMV game made popular on the SEGA CD and SEGA CD 32X, is returning to the PlayStation 4 just in time for the 25th anniversary. Remastered by Screaming Villains, the game will release digitally and physically thanks to Limited Run Games. What is really cool, and of interest to SEGA fans, is that the Limited Run Games cover art emulates the classic American SEGA CD and SEGA CD 32X box art complete with the blue and yellow candy cane stripes! The physical release should hit the company’s website soon.

Back in 2014 we had the privilege of interviewing Digital Pictures co-founder Tom Zito, the man behind Night Trap.  At the time, Tom and a small team were attempting a remaster titled Night Trap ReVamped, though sadly the Kickstarter failed to reach its goal. We don’t know if Tom and his team have any influence in this rerelease, but we’ll reach out and see what’s up.

Update: We just learned that the owners of the Night Trap license – presumably Tom Zito and Night Trap, LLC since they had already bought and paid for the rights prior to the ReVamped project – granted developer Screaming Villains the license after they posted to YouTube a video of the game running on a mobile phone. You can watch what we believe to be the video after the break.

Update 2: Tom Zito plays no part in this rerelease, so it is unknown at this time who the license holder is.

Update 3: The game will also release to Xbox One, though no sign of those SEGA styled boxes from Limited Run Games.

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Puyo Puyo Tetris releases today to the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4

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Covering SEGA news for coming up on 9 years now, I have to say that after some really dark times when the notion of no physical releases from SEGA was a possibility, it feels really good to post up simple articles like this one. Puyo Puyo Tetris is now available on Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 in the Americas, and is set to release on April 28th in Europe. Featuring gameplay from two iconic puzzle games, Puyo Puyo Tetris offers up several single and multi-player as well as online play. Those who buy the Nintendo Switch version at and around launch will receive a special Launch Edition featuring Puyo Puyo and Tetris themed keychains, while the PS4 version comes in a Standard Edition.

Stay tuned to SEGAbits as we have a review incoming, and in the near future we want to plan a SEGAbits Community Game Night. Don’t own the game yet? Order the Puyo Puyo Tetris for Nintendo Switch Launch Edition or the Puyo Puyo Tetris for PlayStation 4 Standard Edition! Who knows, strong sales could mean Puyo Puyo Chronicles getting a 3DS release in the west.

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SEGA releases Sonic Forces Classic Sonic gameplay footage – updated with new screens!

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SEGA has just released over a minute of gameplay showcasing Classic Sonic’s Green Hill Zone stage in Sonic Forces and… tell me again why this was said to not be Sonic Generations 2? The clip should feel very familiar to those who played the 20th anniversary game back in 2011, right down to the models and assets, though there are a few alterations. The background features a sandy area and enemies are new. Also, the music is new to my ears, though I swear I caught a whiff of Sonic 4‘s Splash Hill Zone.

Eagle eyed fans may catch a glimpse of a bubble shield and it appears Sonic performs a Drop Dash, Sonic Mania‘s signature move, at 1:25.

Check it out for yourself and share your thoughts in the comments below. Also, after the break check out some newly released screens!

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Rumor: Vanquish PC port hinted in latest Bayonetta PC update

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The PC port of Bayonetta has been released recently and quickly sold over 100k in it’s first week. Naturally with the success of the Bayonetta PC port, a question that comes up is what will the future hold for potential SEGA and PlatinumGames PC ports. Well we may or may not have an answer, and surprisingly it’s from a strange update.

Bayonetta on PC has been recently updated, with a mysteriously small update at only 22KB. Out of curiosity, some people have dug into the EXTRAS folder and found a new image. A lone picture of the character Sam Gideon from Vanquish, a third person shooter by Platinum Games and SEGA originally released in 2010 on the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. Why the image was quietly put into the Bayonetta folders is unknown, but it is possible that Vanquish will receive a port on PC in the future, with the image being a small teaser/easter egg. However it may also simply be a homage to another Platinum Games title published by SEGA.

Either way, the update does raise questions of a potential PC port of Vanquish, or at least something related to Vanquish. Stay tune for possible news of a PC port in the future until then.

[Source: NeoGAF]

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Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2 & SEGA’s Border Break X Zero having a crossover event

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GuiltyGearxBorderBreakSEGA and Arc System Works are teaming up for a limited time Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2 and Border Break X Zero (which is still being updated since its debut in 2009) crossover event in Japanese arcades. The event will start on April 24, 2017 and end on May 24, 2017.

The Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2 promotion will have the players log in using their SEGA ID, which will unlock the following Border Break X Zero goodies in Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2: A set of four in-game titles, collaboration icon set (see gallery for photo), Collaboration plate (gallery for sample), and weapons like the M90 machine gun and ‘ACHAT missile’. Check out more on that via Arc System Works’ Japanese blog post. 

As for the Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2 items available in Border Break X Zero, that is a bit harder to decipher considering SEGA only posted the image below in the gallery. It does look like you will get custom titles, icons and even Guilty Gear Xrd REV 2  themed custom character portraits. Check out more info on the crossover via SEGA’s blog post. While SEGA-AM2’s Border Break arcade game never made a splash outside of Japan, it has been highly successful for SEGA as it launched a ton of updates (Border Break X Zero being about the 15th update), but also has gotten a huge art book (which was brought over to America via Udon Entertainment),  two full novels novels, and even a manga. What are your thoughts on this crossover? Do you think SEGA should consider bringing Border Break X Zero to the west?

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DIC Entertainment, producer of Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, has a documentary on Kickstarter

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If you were a child of the 80s and 90s, there is no doubt that you saw the logo for DIC Entertainment after countless animated shows. From Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, Ghostbusters, and Inspector Gadget to the Care Bears and Dennis the Menace, DIC produced some of the most memorable syndicated cartoon shows for over two decades. Now, three Australians are hoping to create a documentary on DIC and an obscure animated show created by the company in the early 90s called Twins of Destiny. The documentary, English Dub – A DIC Entertainment Story, is hoping to hit a lofty goal of nearly $19k in less than 12 days with $2,000 raised so far. You can check out the trailer and read their plans over on their Kickstarter.

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Toshihiro Nagoshi confirms Yakuza team are working on more games

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Was there any doubt that Yakuza was ending? Well, Yakuza 6 has long been labeled as “the final chapter of Kazuma Kiryu”, so some have speculated that the series would take a break and the team would work on something else. During the Famitsu Awards, however, series general director Toshihiro Nagoshi confirmed that another Yakuza title is happening.

While not many specifics were given, it was said that he will not be walking back on the promise of the latest game being Kazuma Kiryu’s final chapter. Nagoshi made it clear that he wants to make a new Yakuza and that he did not want to narrow it to a single title, we could be seeing multiple games. The Yakuza 6 engine, dubbed the Dragon Engine, was said to be completed with the development of a second or third title. The timeframe for the reveal of the next game was given as “the not too distant future” and that there will be an opportunity to talk about the game early in its development.

What do you think about more Yakuza games? Would you want another prequel title, a true Yakuza 7 with a new main character, or perhaps a reboot focusing on a totally different cast?

[Source: Gematsu]

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Atlus registers new Persona domains hinting at spin-offs?

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vlcsnap-2015-02-12-14h56m56s136Atlus has been busy registering Persona domains in the last few weeks, Ryu’s Office, a games business marketing firm registered seven Persona domains for the publisher. It seems like these Persona domains could be related to Persona spin-offs, which Atlus has been notorious for releasing these past few years. Atlus registered the following Persona domains on April 18th.

Below is the domains they registered with guesses by Gematsu.

  • P3D.jp (Persona 3 Dancing?)
  • P5AG.jp (Persona 5 A…fter Golden?)
  • P5D.jp (Persona 5 Dancing?)
  • P5R.jp (Persona 5 R…acing?)
  • P5U.jp (Persona 5 Ultimax / Persona 5 Arena?)
  • Persona-Dance.jp (Persona Dancing portal site?)
  • PQ2.jp (Persona Q: Shadows of the Labyrinth 2?)

But back in April 4, Atlus also registered the following domains. Probably to sit on them for the future, of course.

Since Atlus is doing a big Persona concert soon, which is the place they premiered Persona 5 gameplay last year, expect to see something new. Not only that, in a recent survey Atlus hinted that they were going announce a Persona related title this year, so don’t be shocked to hear something on August 2nd or before. What are your thoughts on the registered domain and do you want Atlus to continue making games featuring Persona 5 characters?

[Source: Gematsu]

 

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Bayonetta on Steam has sold over 100k copies on its first week

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26317ana110812_017According to Steam Spy, the PC version of Bayonetta has moved 114,007 units (as of writing this post) on its first week on sale. Bayonetta debuted on PC last week for the asking price of $19.99, which is quite the bargain. You also have to note, that Steam Spy gets its sell figures by counting owners of the game on public profiles and only on the Steam platform. If the game sold anywhere not using Steam or users have their profiles set to private, they won’t get counted. I would say this is a conservative estimate. The game is also been trending on Steam at #3, even a week after its release. Not bad for an eight year old port of a game. For example Yooka-Laylee, a game created as a Banjo-Kazooie spiritual successor has 63,870 units sold on its first week and Gearbox’s re-release of Bulletstorm Full Clip Edition has only moved 11,335 units.

I’m pretty sure the success of Bayonetta on Steam will lead to many more SEGA PC ports and we might finally see a glorious PC port of Vanquish. You know, its long over due, right SEGA?

What SEGA PC port do you want to see hit Steam? Let us know in the comments below.

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