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SEGA announces Yakuza 5 release date for Americas and Europe: Tuesday, December 8th

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Might as well call us YAKUZAbits given the news day we’ve been having. In addition to the announcement of Yakuza 0 for Playstation 4 in the Americas, SEGA has officially announced the release date for the long awaited localization of Yakuza 5, and it is not too far off. In fact, the game is set to release digitally on Playstation 3 this coming Tuesday, December 8th in the Americas and Europe. The 15% pre-order deal in the Americas will only last through Monday, December 7th! So best get on it before the game releases if you want to save some money.

Fittingly, December 8th is ten years to the day that the original Yakuza released in Japan in 2005. So SEGA seems to really want to please fans on the franchise’s 10th anniversary.

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SEGA reveals Yakuza 0 American release details and screenshots

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More good news regarding the recently revealed American release of Yakuza 0 direct from SEGA. First off, despite being released to both the PS3 and PS4 in Japan, Yakuza 0 will only be seeing a PS4 release in America. Secondly, the game will receive both physical and digital copies. So those bemoaning SEGA’s decision to release Yakuza 5 digital only should be happy to hear the next title will receive a disc release.

It also is worth mentioning that I have read comments online suggesting that the game’s American release is connected to Atlus in some way, but SEGA has stressed that this is 100% a SEGA release and any mentions of Atlus (for example, the screens were hosted by Atlus) were only a subterfuge to hide the surprise of the release. Sneaky.

After the break, check out newly released screenshots from the upcoming game.

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Yakuza 0 will release to the PlayStation 4 in America!

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It has just been announced at the PlayStation Experience event that Yakuza 0 will be releasing to America! Unfortunately nothing has been announced for Europe as of yet, with the official SEGA Twitter account even notifying EU fans that nothing has been confirmed for the region yet. The game has an official English language site as well as a trailer which can be seen above. With Yakuza 5 set for a December 8th release and the prequel incoming, Yakuza is truly back in the West!

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Rez Infinite announced for PlayStation VR

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Playstation experience is happening now, and a special announcement was made by former SEGA developer Tetsuya Mizuguchi that Rez will be releasing to the PlayStation 4 as Rez Infinite and better yet will utilize PlayStation VR! You can see gameplay footage in the link above, and more details as we hear them.

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Liberation of the Blue Sky revealed to be a Japanese smartphone RPG from SEGA

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Back in November we revealed two new trademarks from SEGA, one of which was “Soukuu no Liberation” (Liberation of the Blue Sky). While it was most likely a new game, some fans were hoping it was another Skies of Arcadia (though as I pointed out, the series is Eternal Arcadia in Japan and “sky”/”skies” aren’t unique enough to make such a connection). In any case, the cat is out of the bag and Liberation of the Blue Sky has been revealed to be a mobile RPG from SEGA heading to iOS and Android in Japan.

Based on the official game site, the game is a 2D free to play RPG and tasks the players with recapturing an Imperial City that has been invaded by an Empire. The protagonist is a guy named Roland who leads a Revolutionary Army. Gameplay features the usual RPG elements such as forming parties and a variety of character types. The game will feature both single player and four player modes and is due out this winter. After the break, check out some art from the game as well as a screenshot.

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SEGA Amusements show off their games at IAAPA 2015

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Last month, SEGA Amusements hit the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) show with their latest arcade titles. Games and rides featured included: Transformers Human Alliance – Theatre, Showdown – Twin, Storm Racer G – Motion, Lets Go Safari, Magician’s Wheel, Treasure Box, Plants Vs. Zombies Whacker, Plants Vs. Zombies The Last Stand, Captain Black’s Treasure, Sonic Sports Basketball, Sonic Sports Air Hockey, Sonic Dash Extreme, and Sonic Blast Ball. You can see a majority of these titles in the video above, and the Sonic titles appear in a video found after the break.

I’ve encountered a few of these titles in the arcade wild, most notably Transformers Human Alliance and Showdown and both are well worth your quarters (well, more like pre-loaded cards). Have you played any of these games yet?

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Total War: Warhammer developer ‘disheartened’ that fans dislike pre-order DLC

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The whole downloadable content thing is a touchy subject, in practice it should be good. Think about it, you get more content for a game you already love but most fans have been finding stuff like ‘pre-order DLC’ to be more of a rip off due to forcing users to investing in a game that hasn’t been reviewed or that we don’t know the quality of the title.

SEGA’s Creative Assembly announced that the Chaos race, a important fraction in the Warhammer universe, would only be unlocked if users pre-ordered their Total War: Warhammer video game. This obviously pissed off fans, since most Total War fans trusted Creative Assembly back in 2013 when Total War: Rome 2 (which had similar pre-order deals) smashed pre-order records; sadly the game had a bad launch. Creative Assembly did the same with Total War: Attila and Alien: Isolation, offering big pre-order exclusives that many fans felt should have just been part of the base package.

In a interview with Eurogamer, Game Designer for Total War: Warhammer Rich Aldridge tries to explain why they decided to put Chaos as a pre-order race. According to them if they didn’t get it out as pre-order content, they would have to charge later on as DLC. As much as I dislike pre-order DLC, it isn’t as bad now considering that Steam offers refunds on pre-orders if you dislike the game. What really ticks me off is all the DLC they are planning after the release. Is it too hard to buy a complete game for $60 dollars and not get nickel and dimed at every turn?

 

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SEGA releases new Yakuza 5 screens, 2015 release date still stands

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SEGA of America have just released a new batch of screens from the upcoming Yakuza 5, detailing the game’s supporting cast. Featured characters include ambitious lieutenant for the Omi Alliance Masaru Watase, the mysterious Osaka Detective, the Mad Dog of the Shimano Family Goro Majima, sadistic inmate Hiroshi Kugihara, and Sosuke Komaki. SEGA had hoped to release the game in November, but some development bugs appeared to have pushed things back. Still, the latest press release holds firm to a 2015 release date. The game will be priced at $39.99 and will release digitally to the Playstation 3.

After the break, check out the new screens!

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New Yakuza remake trailer details new “Majima Anywhere” system

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SEGA Japan’s upcoming Yakuza remake for Playstation 4 (due out January 21st, 2016) isn’t just some ho-hum rerelease of the original game in HD, it is a full-on remake with new modes and visuals that fall in line with the franchise’s latest releases. SEGA’s recent trailer, seen above, showcases how shiny and new the classic game looks and details a new “Majima Anywhere” system. “Majima Anywhere” is pretty much what it sounds like, as fan favorite character Goro Majima will emerge from just about anywhere to randomly attack Kazuma Kiryu. The developer’s reasoning for these attacks are because Goro wants “to awaken Kiryu’s intuition” after his ten year prison stint and because he wants “to enjoy more fights.” Also revealed, Goro will have four fighting styles to choose from: “Dancer” (rapid hitting), “Fight Master” (balanced), “Slugger” (hard hitting), and “the Mad Dog of the Shimano.”

Randomly fighting Goro is said to be the only way to unleash Kazuma’s “the Dragon of the Dojima” fighting style and if players clear certain conditions they’ll be able to use some of Goro’s moves as “Heat Actions.”

[Source: Tinfinite]

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Unboxing: Rodea the Sky Soldier Limited Edition (Wii U, 3DS)

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While yes, this is not a SEGA product, it IS the long awaited action adventure game from Sonic the Hedgehog co-creator Yuji Naka. Naka and his studio Prope had been working on this game for quite some time, and it has been an equal (if not more) amount of time that the game has been delayed. In fact, the game is so old it had to be ported from the Wii to the Wii U! Naka has been pretty vocal about being disappointed with the Wii U and 3DS versions of the game, urging players to try the original Wii version as that is the version he and Prope truly developed.

Having said that, I bought the Nintendo 3DS version. Mainly because the Limited Edition was about $20 cheaper and included the exact same extras. So ignore which version of the game I bought and check out what bonuses came with the NIS America produced Limited Edition version of Yuji Naka’s long awaited Rodea the Sky Soldier!

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SEGA Japan trademarks SEGA Cyclone dev kit and “Liberation of the Blue Sky”

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Two new SEGA trademarks cropped up today from Japan: “Soukuu no Liberation” (Liberation of the Blue Sky) and “Sega Cyclone Development Kit.” No other information was given at this time, so we can only speculate as to what these two are. The first is most likely the name of a game. Some have speculated that “Liberation of the Blue Sky” is a Skies of Arcadia game, but the only reason is the mention of a sky and let’s all remember that the franchise was Eternal Arcadia in Japan. More likely, it it a new IP and if I was a gambling man I’d place my bets on mobile or arcade.

“Sega Cyclone Development Kit” is more interesting, as it is clearly a development kit (duh) for a piece of hardware called Cyclone. SEGA arcade fans might find the name familiar, as there exists a piece of motion sim hardware SEGA utilizes called Typhoon. It is possible that this is an update to the motion simulator, or another arcade related thing such as a new board. Or *sigh* it’s a new console… but honestly, after eight years of SEGA blogging and following the company since 1991 I can honestly say that I do not think this is a home console.

[Source: Gematsu]

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SEGA News Bits: First impressions of the indie SEGA Dreamcast game Pier Solar

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2015 sure has been a great year for indie SEGA Dreamcast games! We’ve seen shmups, odd puzzlers, vikings, and now we’re seeing an RPG by the name of Pier Solar and the Great Architects. While Pier Solar released way back in 2010 to the SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive, the recent Dreamcast port features improved graphics, new scenarios, and special extras that take advantage of the Dreamcast’s unique capabilities (VMU mini-games!). As seen in my recent unboxing, the game’s packaging is beautiful. Now, in this latest episode of SEGA News Bits, I talk with George about my first impressions of the game.

If you like what you see, make sure to subscribe to us on YouTube and never miss a video.

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Unboxing: Pier Solar Japanese packaging for the SEGA Dreamcast

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The long awaited Dreamcast release of Pier Solar has started to arrive in mailboxes, and I was so impressed with the packaging that I knew it had to get the unboxing video treatment. This isn’t the first SEGA console the game has released to, back in 2010 the game hit the Mega Drive/Genesis and I shared an unboxing of the reprint edition. The Dreamcast version I present to you today is a first edition in the Japanese style packaging, other versions include US and PAL, but seeing as how most indie Dreamcast releases emulate the Japanese packaging, I went with this style and don’t regret it in the slightest. A lot of effort went into this release, and it really makes modern game unboxings look like crap by comparison. Seriously, who wants to see somebody opening a Wii U game where all you get is a disc and a slip of paper telling you to read the digital manual.

You can buy Pier Solar on several platforms. The Dreamcast and Mega Drive/Genesis versions are sold out at the moment, but more may be available in the future. Check out the official site for more details. Like this video? Subscribe to the SEGAbits YouTube channel.

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Valkyria: Azure Revolution teaser trailer and new screens release

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A lovely new teaser trailer has released giving us our first good look at the recently announced new entry in the Valkyria Chronicles series, Valkyria: Azure Revolution. In addition to the trailer are eight high res screenshots (seen after the break) that show off the heroes and enemies of the game in combat. It looks like the CANVAS engine is back, however some fans are weary that the new game is dropping the strategy RPG elements and is going for a more traditional RPG approach. At this point, we don’t exactly know how Valkyria: Azure Revolution will play, but at least we now have a better idea of how it looks.

But hey, the original game will be receiving a PS4 remaster in February 2016, so SEGA isn’t brushing the old gameplay under the rug. And who knows, it could turn out to be a great game, even if it isn’t a direct gameplay followup to the originals. I recall fans bemoaning Phantasy Star Online before it released because they made the switch from turn based to an action RPG, and yet now the original PSO is beloved and considered by many to be one of SEGA’s best games.

More on Valkyria: Azure Revolution as we hear it, and in the meantime enjoy the trailer!

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The History of Sega Japan R&D, Part 4: The Current Sega

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A NEW STRUCTURE, A NEW SEGA

The executive team, Hideki Okamura (Left), Hisao Oguchi (Middle) and Takayuki Kawagoe (Right). These men have been responsible for risque games such as Segagaga, Jet Set Radio and also Sega Saturn and Dreamcast marketing in Japan. With these man, the unique corporate culuture of Sega would continue.

The executive team, Hideki Okamura (Left), Hisao Oguchi (Middle) and Takayuki Kawagoe (Right).

In 2005, Sega was back in the black in all areas for the first time in a long time. The Sega Sammy structure was completed, and the next generation home consoles were ahead. Like in the formation of twelve new R&D studios in 1998, executive management had a reset. Long time executives Hideki Sato and Hisashi Suzuki retired from Sega, after their thirty – or even in Suzuki’s case – forty years of service.

Masano Maeda & Naoya Tsurumi
Masano Maeda & Naoya Tsurumi

As mentioned in Part 3, Hisao Oguchi would atain the highest executive position which he held until 2008 where he received even wider responsibilities as Chief Creative Officer of Sega Sammy.

Then there is Masano Maeda, who joined in 1991. Madea was responsible for building a new Western management team that made crucial partnerships and buyouts of Western companies, like Creative Assembly, Sports Interactive and Secret Level On a side note: the amount of games developed for Xbox 360 amount to roughly forty games, and on PC to about sixty games. On the Dreamcast, the amount comes to fourteen, and old PC releases amount to sixteen.

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