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Phantasy Star Online 2: Episode 3 New Content Recap Video

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Sega recently released a video recapping the new content coming to Phantasy Star Online 2 with Episode 3. It’s a video packed with content, glossing over the new planet Harukotan, the new Bouncer class, and various character customization option additions alongside balance skill tree adjustments. The ARKS lobby is also receiving some additional touches, and the new Casino is shown off briefly. The new Nyau enemy also makes a quick appearance towards the end of the video, while a couple of new bosses are introduced towards the beginning of the video.

The end of the trailer introduces some new characters players will meet in Episode 3. Episode 3 takes you to the feudal-Japan-themed planet of Harukotan, where the White and Black Nations are engaged in a bitter feud after a non-aggression pact between both parties is violated by the ambitions of the Black Nation.

This expansion to Phantasy Star Online 2 comes out tomorrow, August 27th, for Japan!

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Yakuza Zero is a prequel, will star a young Kazuma Kiryu and Goro Majima

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It seems that the latest issue of Famitsu has leaked and in that issue there have been a few things that are Yakuza related. It is confirmed that the game is set to take place in 1988 and will feature a darker, more Yakuza ran Kamurocho and Osaka district. Kazuma will be 20 years old in this game and takes place when he was the Tojo Clan’s debt collector. The other star of the game is no other than fan favorite Goro Majima who is 24 years old in this prequel and takes place while he was building the most popular cabaret club in Soutenburi.

The developers promise that many of the game’s characters will get origin stories within the game. This is a true ‘prequel’ since the events in this game lead up to the first Yakuza game. Its going to be interesting to see what they do with the new 80’s theme for the game, especially considering SEGA has had a 80’s theme game before: Shenmue. I would like to see the development team add some classic AM2 games in those Club SEGA arcades.

Color me excited for more information come TGS next month.

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Amazon’s Sonic Boom Wii U pre-order offer includes luminous costumes

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More like “Tronic”! Am I right?……I’ll shut up now.

Amazon has it’s own Sonic Boom:Rise of Lyric pre-order offer separate from GameStop’s deal. This one is costume-based DLC that gives Sonic and Crew sports tape a huge glow. Here’s the details from Amazon’s site.

Pre-order Bonus Offer – Get Exclusive Luminous Costumes
Pre-order at Amazon and receive a code to unlock exclusive luminous costumes for Sonic, Tails, Amy and Knuckles. Code will be delivered upon shipment. Offer valid when shipped and sold by Amazon.com. Amazon reserves the right to change or terminate this promotion at any time. Offer will be extended to all existing pre-orders.

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The upcoming Yakuza game is called Yakuza Zero

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SEGA has announced that the new upcoming Yakuza game on the Playstation 3 and Playstation 4 is being called Yakuza Zero (in Japan: Like a Dragon Zero: The Place of the Vow). Sadly that is all that they really mentioned considering that most of the news will be coming next month during the Tokyo Game Show.

But if ‘Zero’ trends continue this could be a prequel to the franchise. Considering that in the first Yakuza game you control Kazuma Kiryu ten years after coming out of prison. Not only that, there has already been a prologue of sorts written in movie form to promote the first game.

What do you guys think?

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Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA F 2nd gets pre-order bonuses via Amazon and Gamestop

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Are you ready to pony up the pre-order cash for the upcoming release of Hatsune Miku: Project Diva F 2nd and just don’t know if you should pre-order it? Well, it seems that two retailers are having their own exclusive offers, those being Amazon and Gamestop in America.

If you pre-order the game via Amazon you get two extra live songs. No biggie. But if you pre-order the game via Gamestop you get a ‘Americana Module and Character Pack’. This will allow you to dress up your vocaloid in some cute Red, White and Blue outfits. That isn’t all, it also comes with a character pack that includes Akita Neru, Yowane Haku and Kasane Teto.

Personally I hate all this DLC stuff but if you care and want to get the best version with the bonuses get it at Gamestop.

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Swingin’ Report Show #69: Night Trap ReVamped with Digital Pictures Co-Founder Tom Zito

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Digital Pictures was a pioneer in the world of interactive full motion video, bringing a cinematic feel to games at a time when players were used to two dimensional sprites. Their titles, which included Night Trap, Sewer Shark, Corpse Killer, Supreme Warrior, the Make My Video series, and many more, spanned a number of genres and appeared on several platforms throughout the 90s. Now, their most famous title Night Trap is set to make a return to modern platforms with former Digital Pictures members leading the way. Director/co-designer Jim Riley, co-designer Rob Fulop, technical director Mark Klein, and executive producer Tom Zito have formed Night Trap, LLC and have established a Kickstarter initiative dubbed Night Trap ReVamped.

Tom Zito joins Barry on our latest Swingin’ Report Show to discuss the creation of Digital Pictures, the never released Control-Vision game console from Hasbro which was to use VHS tapes as cartridges (originally codenamed NEMO), Night Trap‘s releases both past and present, and his team’s plans for the Night Trap ReVamped Kickstarter. This episode is a must for retro SEGA fans and fans of innovations in the video game industry – give it a listen and be sure to check out Night Trap ReVamped!

[Download] [RSS] [iTunes] [Archive]

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PuyoPuyo Tetris to be ported on PS4 & Xbox One consoles this winter

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SEGA has recently announced that PuyoPuyo Tetris, the crossover action puzzle game that combines elements from PuyoPuyo and Tetris, will be released physically on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One platforms. The game is set for release on December 4, 2014 for 5,480 yen ($54 in US).

If you’re a PlayStation 4 owner, you can import the title by making a Japanese PSN account. Here are some useful tutorials on how to make a Japanese PSN account here. There are more SEGA titles available to enjoy (take a look at our previous news article on the re-release of Phantasy Star I & II remake) on the Japanese PlayStation Store.

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New Hero Bank 2 screenshots/artwork surfaces and set for release on 11/27 in Japan

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With Hero Bank successful in Japan with the 3DS title receiving great amount of sells and views from the anime series, SEGA is working on a sequel to the title with a brand new character joining Kaito (Enter the Gold) and Nagare (Dominion Dollar) in Hero Battles. The sequel also features a tag battle mode to play with your friends.

The story takes place two months after the events of Hero Bank. Kaito prevented the ambitions of Adachi and must face a new challenge to face the Seven Clothes Gods by receiving a special mission from Prime Minister Nagata Musaku.

For those who are able to purchase the game early will receive a bonus of a QR code to unlock Sutsu Shi Fu.

We hope that SEGA of America could localize the first game and bring the anime series to a cartoon station in the West soon. The concept of Hero Bank is very unique and the anime is pretty good show to watch.

The game is set for release on November 27, 2014 for the Nintendo 3DS. Artwork and screenshots are available to view by hitting the jump button.

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Pay what you want for the Humble SEGA Mobile Bundle

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SEGA has teamed up with Humble Bundle again, with them selling a bundle including various Android games for a price decided by you. The games included in this bundle are Sonic 4 Episode 1, ChuChu Rocket! and Virtua Tennis Challenge. If you pay more than the average price, you will also get Sonic 4 Episode 2, Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing, Crazy Taxi and other games that will be added to the bundle in the near future.

Like most other Humble Bundles, all of the games are DRM-free and a part (or all) of your money can go to charities. With this one they can go to Child’s Play, WaterAid and/or Unicef. You can also decide how much of your money goes to the charities, the games or the Humble Bundle. You’ll be able to get the bundle for the next two weeks, so there’s no hurry for if you want to get it.

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Phantasy Star I & II remakes hit PS2 classics on Japanese PSN

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[Above is a fan translated Phantasy Star Generations I]

The remakes of Phantasy Star I & II, titled Phantasy Star Generations I & II have made their way to the PS2 classics on the Japanese PSN store. The games are available to download only on Playstation 3. Both games are retailing on PSN for 864 yen ($8.60).

These remakes appeared under the SEGA Ages banner for the Playstation 2 and sadly neither of these releases made it West, so don’t hold your breath on them releasing on PSN anytime soon.

If you still want to try these games the guys over at PSCave have translated Phantasy Star Generations I and are working on the second one. So you can always try that.

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Arc System Works’ Limited Edition Guilty Gear Xrd Pad Looks…Familiar

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Arc System Works announced a limited edition bundle for the Playstation 4 version of Guilty Gear Xrd. Priced at ¥10,778, the bundle includes a Vocal Collection CD, the above pictured controller, and another surprise to be announced at a later date. The controller actually works with both the PS4 and PS3 versions of Guilty Gear Xrd, but will only be sold with the limited edition of the Playstation 4 game.

The controller is noticeably similar to the Sega Genesis controller. It is compact, and features no control sticks unlike the Dualshock 3 and 4 – only a D-Pad. There are six buttons on the right, which sort of fits since Guilty Gear traditionally features a five button system and having those five buttons adjacent to each other could be essential to some players. The overall shape of the Xrd Pad is strikingly similar to the Genesis controller as well.

You often hear of special arcade sticks for fighting games being designed and not pads, though some pads were made for the first iteration of Street Fighter 4. Nevertheless, it’s an unexpected move and the resemblance is uncanny. What do you think?

Credit goes to SegmentNext for the image and initial comparison.

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Fan making an attempt at Shenmue in HD – Yokosuka never looked so good

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While we wait for SEGA to rerelease Shenmue in HD, a project that has long been rumored to be in development, a Korean fan by the internet handle of NcoonKid has taken it upon himself to remake the original Shenmue. The process which NcoonKid is taking involves extracting the original environments, updating textures, and utlizing the Unreal Engine to give the game a modern look and feel. The video above certainly shows off an impressive remake of Yokosuka, but given the time, money, and amount of manpower that went into the original Shenmue, it is uncertain how far one person can go in remaking such a big game. Still, it’s a very cool effort, and if it doesn’t amount to anything else we at least have had our glimpse at what a modern day Shenmue would look like.

After the break, check out an expanded interpretation of the You Arcade.

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PSO2 Live Event with new info on Episode III & Nova plus a live performance from Takenobu Mitsuyoshi

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During a live event for Phantasy Star Online 2 in Japan, SEGA announced more information regarding features for the upcoming Episode III update and Phantasy Star Nova. One of the newest features happens to be called “Ultimate Quests” which will launch in winter and new Wopel field, Ascended Facility, will be included in a update this fall. Episode III is still slated for release on August 27th, 2014.

PSO2 vol.3 Soundtrack has been announced for December 14th release with a 4 CD set for 5000 yen with Mining Base Defense included. A collaboration crossover was also announced for Phantasy Star Nova featuring main characters from PSO2 as long as the player has the game data stored on their PlayStation Vita. Phantasy Star Nova will also be playable at this year’s Tokyo Game Show.

For more information on other upcoming updates for PSO2, be sure to click this link on the entire live stream recap and for the awesome live performance of Burning Hearts performed by Takenobu Mitsuyoshi, hit the jump for video footage!

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Classic SEGA Ads: Are You 32X’n it?!

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To answer the question posited by the article title: no. No. I may be playing 32X but I am certainly not “32X’n it” nor will I ever. Stop saying that, please.

So, this is an infomercial SEGA put together for the 32X, and boy-howdy is it a step down from that SEGA CD infomercial SEGA Europe put together a few years earlier. It’s like SEGA’s marketing team couldn’t come up with a single ongoing theme worth filling in five minutes, so they just took every random idea they threw against the wall, stitched them together and made an infomercial out of them.

This ad is all over the map in terms of tone, themes, music, and what have you. One moment we’re sitting in a living room filled with failed child actors, the next we’re sitting through a mercifully brief phone-line psychic segment. The commercial tries to be both edgy and quirky all at once, complete with SEGA’s trademark face-in-the-camera lens shots and it only succeeds in failing spectacularly. The only segment that made me chuckle in the way I was supposed to was the brief TSA safety video bragging about the 32X’s tech.

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Sonic dies in this new Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric trailer, also Metal Sonic and Shadow return

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This new trailer for Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric skips right to the point: Sonic dies. So there we go, franchise finished, I’d say it had a good run but every series has to stop sometime I guess. I mean, when was the last time Sonic got revived after dying? Probably in some game that never existed.

Also there are some new screenshots for this and Shattered Crystal and some concept art that reveals that Metal Sonic and Shadow are in this game with their designs unchanged, which you can see after the jump. SEGA also confirmed that both games will come out in Europe on November 21st.

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