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Indie games coming to classic SEGA consoles in 2017

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indiesega

Happy 2017 from SEGAbits! As everybody is coming back from the holiday season, we are beginning to look ahead to what we have in store for 2017. Our latest SEGA News Bits video ran through the official SEGA games releasing this year, and now we thought it would be helpful to share what games we can expect to see hitting classic SEGA consoles in 2017 from the indie game community. Thanks to SEGAbits Forums member Berto, we have a helpful topic which compiles all the upcoming SEGA indie games for 2017.

In addition to this list, Berto has also compiled a handy list which links to the respective crowdfunding campaigns, pre-orders and ROM/ISO download links. So what indie SEGA games are coming in 2017?

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Big’s Big Fishing Adventure 3 Delayed Until Early 2017

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Screen Shot 2016-12-30 at 8.42.47 PM

Big the Cat’s starring debut is going to be taking a bit longer to fish out. In an announcement released by Tails’ Channel, Big’s debut game has been delayed from it’s initial December release date.

For those not aware of the game, Big’s Big Fishing Adventure 3 re-tells the story of Sonic Adventure 2. This time from the perspective of that fat cat based on his numerous cameos in the game. Further details were released through the panel hosted at the 2016 Sonic & SEGA Fan Jam. You can catch up on the going’s on for Big’s big debut by watching the panel here, starting at 46:00. The game’s developed by members of the Sonic community in order to raise efforts for Child’s Play.

We at SEGAbits share involvement in the project and are just as passionate for Big the Cat as everyone else is working on it. You can expect to keep an eye on us or the other teams involved with the game’s development when the game finally releases in early 2017.

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English PuyoPuyoTetris trophies discovered for PlayStation 4

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Tetris-vs-Puyo-PuyoThe PSN, Xbox Live and Steam trophy/achievement tracking site exophase updated to include English PuyoPuyoTetris trophies, which is strange considering the game hasn’t been announced for a western release. PuyoPuyoTetris (ぷよぷよテトリス Puyopuyo Tetorisu) was a Sonic Team and SEGA developed puzzle game that first hit Nintendo 3DS, Wii U, PlayStation Vita, and PlayStation 3 in Japan way back in February 2014, then later in December it hit PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

The English PuyoPuyoTetris trophies will include a total of 43 to unlock, which has a platinum if you complete all the trophies. Are they hard? It seems pretty typical like popping 10,000 Puyos, 100% the adventure mode and winning a certain number of matches in the game’s various modes. PuyoPuyoTetris was really well received in Japan, Famitsu gave the game a 9/9/9/8. It would seem that if SEGA of America wants to continue to bring high rated content from Japan over to localize, then PuyoPuyoTetris would be a no-brainer. Though, the site is missing PlayStation Vita trophies for the game, which seems to be a trend with most publishers (ignoring that system outside of Japan).

Check out the English PuyoPuyoTetris trophies here. 

Having English PuyoPuyoTetris trophies hitting a website doesn’t mean that its coming West. I guess right now we sit tight and see what SEGA has to say about all this. Maybe SEGA reached a agreement for a Western release with The Tetris Company, seems they love to go to court over the franchise.

[Via: Wario64 on Twitter]

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SEGA News Bits: Favorite SEGA Games of 2016

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As 2016 comes to a close, George and Barry name their favorite SEGA games of the year as well as their honorable mentions. While 2016 didn’t see many, if any, true big budget blockbuster titles from SEGA, there were still several great games to be found. Find out which games we liked, and in the comments below tell us YOUR favorite SEGA game of 2016!

If you enjoyed the video make sure to like it, share it and subscribe to our channel. We appreciate your support!

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SEGA and Atlus Japanese creators talk 2017 ambitions

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SEGAATLUS2017CREATORSTALKSEGA and Atlus Japanese creators where a part of a series of interviews conducted by the Japanese website 4Gamer, in where they listed their favorite games of 2016 and what they thought 2017 held for them as creators. The SEGA and Atlus Japanese creators that were included in the interviews included:

  • Toshihiro Nagoshi (Yakuza series general director)
  • Masayoshi Yokoyama (Yakuza 6 chief producer)
  • Mizuki Hosoyamada (Puyo Puyo series general producer)
  • Shigeo Komori (First Production director at Atlus)
  • Kazuyuki Yamai (First Productiong director Atlus)

As a bonus, they even have Tetsuya Mizuguchi, who left SEGA over a decade ago but with the re-release of Rez Infinite it seems he can’t completely cut his ties with the company. If you didn’t know Rez Infinite is considered by many to be one of the best titles on PlayStation VR, so the game has gotten extra attention from mainstream media. Which of course is fantastic since he is a great creator.  You can read what games these SEGA and Atlus Japanese creators liked in 2016 and what they hope to accomplish next year, read it all after the jump.

[Source: Gematsu]

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SEGA confirms Valkyria Chronicles series still alive

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Valkyria-1If you guys didn’t know, Valkyria Revolution is the next game in the ‘Valkyria‘ series of titles, but what about the original Valkyria Chronicles SRPG games? Is the Valkyria Chronicles series still alive? In an interview with PlayStation Blog Japan, Valkyria Revolution director Takeshi Ozawa and Producer Youichi Shinmosato have confirmed that Valkyria Chronicles is still on-going.

If you didn’t know Valkyria Revolution is a side game, set in a totally different universe from the main Valkyria Chronicles. Ozawa compared it to Shin Megami Tensei and the Persona series where they share common theme and mechanics but the characters and story are very different. Could this mean that Valkyria Chronicles and Valkyria Revolution will be SEGA’s big RPG series going forward?

Ozawa also said he always thinks about how they will approach the next installment of Valkyria Chronicles, especially with all the power in current gen consoles. So what do you think? Is Valkyria Chronicles series still alive? Are you excited for Valkyria Revolution?

[Via: NicheGamer]

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Koihime Enbu Version 2 released to arcades

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The Sega-published arcade fighter Koihime Enbu just saw a significant version 2 upgrade.

This update brings a new support character named Zhang Liao, a training mode (that exists in the home ports already), 2 new colors for each character, and a load of balance tweaks and quality of life improvements to the 2014 fighting game.

Koihime Enbu is a fighting game based on Koihime Musou, a visual novel adaptation of the story of classical Chinese author Luo Guanzhong’s Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Instead of your typical KOEI strategy simulation game, the game offers a load of anime girls kicking ass.

No word yet on if these changes will see their way to the PC, PS3, or PS4 ports of the game. Anyone in the West wanting to try the game out has the perfect opportunity this week, as the Steam version of the game is currently on sale for 50% off. Our friends at M2 handled the fairly well-received PC port.

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Rumor: Miiverse hints at SEGA 3D Classics Collection 2

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SEGA 3D Collection 2

SEGA 3D Archives 3: Final Stage, the third and final title in the SEGA 3D Archives trilogy, has recently been released in Japan on December 22nd. Naturally when a new game is released on a Nintendo console, it will gain a complimentary Miiverse community in order to distribute comments or images. But the most interesting aspect about the Miiverse community is the English page, which calls the game “SEGA 3D Classics Collection 2”.

If the name is to be believed, this would mean that SEGA is planning a global release for the 3rd game, similar to how they localized the 2nd game as SEGA 3D Classics Collection in North America and later Europe. This would also mean that the first title would be the only title that remains Japan exclusive. As for the bonus games Girl’s Garden and Champion Boxing that require the previous games to be unlocked, it’s unknown how that would be handled.

However, as of this writing, no official word from SEGA has been given.

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Yakuza 6 ships over 500,000 units in Japan and Asia markets

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It looks like Kazuma Kiryu’s last outing as lead of the Yakuza series is set to be a successful release for SEGA. The publisher confirmed that the latest title in the series shipped over 500,000 units between the Japanese and Asian market. With Yakuza 6 performing tepidly in Japan, all eyes where on the Asian market to see if it could pick up the slack left by Japan. With Dengaki confirming shipment in the Japanese market is at least 360,000, Yakuza 6 has shipped a figure of 140,000 at least in the Asian territories. Though not quite as impressive as Yakuza: Kiwami 200,000 shipment in Asia it’s best to keep in mind that unlike the remake, Yakuza 6 is not a packin in Asia. Come back tomorrow as we see how week 2 for Yakuza 6 goes in Japan.

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Atlus’ “Project Re Fantasy” first artwork and details revealed

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Project-Re-Fantasy-01510A few days ago we told you that Atlus was working on a new fantasy based JRPG which would be developed by a new in-house team called Studio Zero and would be lead by in-house veteran designers. We now have more details on Atlus’ “Project Re Fantasy” which is the current title for the project. We do know that the game won’t be related to previous property and take place in a fantasy setting unlike their other Atlus games that take place in a modern world. Persona series producer and director Katsura Hasino, Persona artist Shigenori Soejima, and composer Shoji Meguro will all be working on the project.

Atlus’ “Project Re Fantasy” will have a live stream on December 23 at 20:00 JST (3am PST) and after that they will start large scale recruitment for the title. Seems that the project is still a ways off. Weekly Famitsu had an interview with Atlus’ company director and Studio Zero creative producer which you can read a translated version after the jump.

Below are scans of Atlus’ “Project Re Fantasy” Weekly Famitsu coverage:

[Via: Gematsu & Persona Central]

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Sega 3D Fukkoku Archives 3: Final Stage features two unlockable bonus games from SEGA legends

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girlsgarden

Sega 3D Fukkoku Archives 3: Final Stage is due out December 22nd in Japan, but leading up to the release we learned of some cool surprises via Famitsu. if your handheld contains save data from Sega 3D Fukkoku Archives, you’ll unlock Girl’s Garden, a 1984 SG-1000 game notable for being the first game Yuji Naka worked on. Sega 3D Fukkoku Archives 2 save data, meanwhile, will unlock another 1984 SG-1000 game: Champion Boxing. SEGA super fans know that Champion Boxing is the first game coded by Yu Suzuki in his first year at SEGA.

Not a bad deal! Two bonus games from two SEGA legends early in their careers.

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New Atlus fantasy RPG to be announced on December 23rd

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Atlus-New-Project-Tease_12-19-16
Atlus teased that they have a brand new fantasy RPG to reveal, which they confirmed isn’t Persona or Megaten related. They revealed that the new Atlus fantasy RPG will be announced on December 23 at 20:00 JST (3AM PST) via their Niconico live stream.

This new upcoming Atlus fantasy RPG will come from a new production studio within the company called ‘Studio Zero’ which is led by Persona 5 director Katsura Hashino, who will serve as the game’s director and producer. The upcoming Weekly Famitsu issue will have a interview with Katsura Hashino and Atlus consumer software department supervisor Naoto Hiraoka. But seeing that Weekly Famitsu information always leaks early, expect more information later today.

Above is the first artwork shown for the game, illustrated by Persona 5 character designer Shigenori Soejima. You can check out Atlus’ teaser page for the project here. Hit the jump to read the message by Katsura Hashino in English.

[Via Gematsu]

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SEGA Retrospective: Die Hard Arcade (Dynamite Deka) 20th Anniversary

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diehard

As 2016 comes to a close, we wrap up our celebrations of SEGA anniversaries with a look back on a fan favorite 3D arcade beat ’em up. Catch up on past SEGA Retrospective articles, and stay tuned to 2017!

Are you a fan of action movies and always wanted to be the action hero in a video game? Die Hard Arcade, also known as Dynamite Deka in Japan, is where it’s at! To celebrate the 20th anniversary of this popular arcade and home console beat ’em up, let’s dive into the game’s history and development in a special SEGA Retrospective. While there isn’t a concrete date for Die Hard Arcade’s release, we thought the Christmas season was fitting. “Now I have a machine gun. Ho ho ho.”

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Ecco the Dolphin creator Ed Annunziata settles lawsuit with SEGA

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Ecco

Creator of the Ecco the Dolphin series Ed Annunziata has settled a recent lawsuit regarding to SEGA and the ownership of Ecco the Dolphin series. The series was originally developed by a company called Novatrade International (later Appaloosa Interactive), about a dolphin named Ecco who travels through time and space to save his friends from a race of evil aliens, using elements such as the controversial practices of John C. Lilly and Pink Floyd albums as inspiration.

After the bankruptcy of the company Appaloosa in 2006, the Ecco the Dolphin name would be obtained by SEGA for future usage. Because of Ed no longer having access to the series, he tried to create a spiritual successor in 2013 called The Big Blue on Kickstarter, which failed to reach it’s financial goals. After the failed Kickstarter, he shifted focus on getting back the Ecco the Dolphin name from SEGA.

A recent update claims that the lawsuit has been settled between Ed and SEGA. However despite this, neither party have commented on the matter. Whether or not this will effect the Ecco the Dolphin series in the future is unknown. Maybe there might be a revival in the future, and we’ll get to swim in the mysterious seas once again as everyone’s favorite time traveling dolphin? Only time will tell.

[Source: Venture Beat]

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Phantasy Star Online 2 to feature NieR: Automata DLC

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phantasystaronline2NierAutomataSeems that the Phantasy Star Online 2 promotions continue, this time with NieR: Automata themed DLC. Square Enix announced that DLC cross promotions will be happening on not only Phantasy Star Online 2 but also Hunter Frontier Z.

It seems that Phantasy Star Online 2 will be getting weapons and armor taken directly from the upcoming Square Enix title. Not much is known but Square Enix has suggested that they will share more information on what the items are in NieR: Automata after New Years. Since Phantasy Star Online 2 hasn’t made it west, we will be missing out on all these cool cross promotions that Japan gets to enjoy. I even whined about this, remember?

NieR: Automata hits Japanese retail on February 23, North America on March 7 and Europe on March 10,2017. While Phantasy Star Online 2 isn’t released in English speaking countries, you can always use a fan patch and play on the Japanese servers. What are your thoughts on this cross promotion?

[Source: Siliconera]

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