SEGA Networks and gumi is bringing Chain Chronicle and other Japanese mobile titles to the West

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SEGA Networks and gumi had recently made an announcement today to form a partnership by bringing SEGA Networks’ Japanese game titles in North America, Europe, South Asia and other territories. Gamers can expect the first batch later this year starting with the launch of the popular Japanese RPG mobile game, Chain Chronicle.

For those who are unfamiliar with Chain Chronicle, Chain Chronicle is a popular Japanese mobile game that allows players to become a soldier who builds an army and fights to protect the imaginary land of “Yugdo” from the menacing Black Army. As the game advances, players begin to unravel each member’s story to create a long chain of chronicles where all are connected.

Both companies are collaborating in order to provide localized support for player preferences, languages and gameplay environments. Hit the jump to view the press release of the game and footage.

SEGA teasing “HUGE” Alien: Isolation news to be revealed this Wednesday

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The Alien: Isolation Twitter account has begun to tease a reveal for this Wednesday that they describe as “HUGE”. The above image was shared with the hint “Solve, seek and you shall find: http://www.youtube.com/______ ?”. Savvy fans scrambled the message to reveal a YouTube account titled “nostromoedition”. Could Wednesday’s tease be a Collector’s Edition of the game dubbed the Nostromo Edition?

The nostromoedition YouTube channel features a lone video titled “Are You Ready To Play?” and the description “Congratulations for unlocking this hidden Alien: Isolation video. As our Robot friend is telling you, the next reveal happens tomorrow -Tuesday, 8th July at 15:00 PM GMT. Come back and don’t miss out!”. The video itself features a screen from the game and the July 8th reveal time.

What could the reveal be? We’ll have to wait until tomorrow to learn more.

Sonic Adventure 2 scene recreated on Source Filmmaker


The Source Filmmaker (SFM) is the movie-making tool created by Valve, it allows users to make movies inside the Source game engine. SFM is available for anyone to use and has powered some really creative short films.

Here is one such film I thought was worth sharing. The film is a recreation of the Sonic Adventure 2 ‘faker’ cut-scene where Sonic faces off against Shadow. It is incredibly well made and a joy to watch for any fan of the Adventure series. Check it out!

SEGA already auditioning for the next Yakuza game

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Now that we know there is a new Yakuza game in development for both the Playstation 3 and Playstation 4, SEGA has started two campaigns to get new faces into the unannounced title. They are doing  auditions for men and sexy actress popularity contest for women. I can hear the screams of Tumblr feminist already.

For men they are looking for males over 20 and to be a in-game model in the next Yakuza title. SEGA says they want a guy that has a sense of ‘violence’, ‘fortune’ and of course ‘spirit’. But if you don’t make it into a in-game model there is also a spot with your face on hostess signs. If you get chosen in the audition you will be able to be character model in game, but also win a Playstation 4 and Vita, including the new Yakuza game when it comes out.

But if you only get your face on host club signs you won’t get as much as the model characters. You get a copy of the new Yakuza game and either a Playstation 3 or Playstation 4. Who would choose a Playstation 3 over a Playstation 4?

As for women…

Dengeki Bunko FIGHTING CLIMAX set to be released for Playstation 3 and PS Vita this fall!

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The time has come as the French-Bread and Ecole-developed crossover fighting game, Dengeki Bunko FIGHTING CLIMAX, is set for a release this fall on Playstation 3 and PS Vita systems. A good opportunity to import the game as the Sony consoles are region-free.  

First released to arcades in Japan on March 18, it launched with eight playable characters, since adding four more playable and four more support characters. Details have yet to be announced, but the console version will have new contents. Hope to see at least few more SEGA characters and levels for the console release.

SEGAbits may have something planned for FIGHTING CLIMAX when it releases in Japan this fall so stay tuned for that!

 

SEGAbits at Too Many Games 2014 – “Surviving the Dreamcast Apocalypse” panel and more!

SEGAbits made its very first convention appearance this year at TooManyGames in Oaks, PA. In addition to walking the convention floor, Barry the Nomad, Patrick aka Kori-Maru (Website of the Dead), David the Lurker (Sonic Retro) and A.J. Rosa (My Life with SEGA) held a panel discussing the life and death of SEGA’s swan song, the Dreamcast. The same panel also included a presentation from Sonic Retro, covering the history of Sonic the Hedgehog 2‘s Hidden Palace Zone – with rarely seen footage of Sonic 2‘s release and early efforts to remake the lost zone. We also met with several fellow SEGA fans, gave away a pile of rare SEGA swag, and did we mention the panel was standing room only? SEGAbits Does.

Also featured in this video is a convention walkthrough with the crew, and a one-on-one bout between Patrick and A.J.

Like this video? Subscribe to the SEGAbits YouTube channel!

Mega-Bit Kickstarter begins, features figures inspired by SEGA Mega Drive/Genesis cartridges


 
A Kickstarter project officially licensed by SEGA began today, featuring SEGA Genesis inspired figures from Squid Kids Inc.’s So Analog line called Mega-Bit (“Mega-Bit”… I like the sound of that for some reason). In the past, So Analog had brought retro media like NES carts and audio cassette tapes to life, and the Mega-Bit line of figures continues this idea with SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive cartridges sporting arms, legs, and beady little eyes. While So Analog creator Nate Mitchell could have gotten away with a no name line of figures sporting Genesis-like labels, instead Nate went straight to SEGA and obtained the license to slap reproduction labels from classic SEGA Genesis games on the Mega-Bit line of figures. Since it’s a Kickstarter project, the line won’t see the light of day unless $30,000 is raised in the next 28 days.

To entice backers, rewards include a SEGA cartridge keychain, blank Mega-Bit figures for those DIY types ($30 level), exclusive figures featuring a callback to Nate’s first Kickstarter campaign and a Sonic the Hedgehog Not For Resale figure, non-exclusive figures featuring Shinobi, Golden Axe, and Altered Beast ($35 each), a Kickstarter exclusive SEGA Genesis 25th anniversary figure ($50), and several exclusive color variations of the previously mentioned figures as well as larger figure bundles ($50-$500). If you want more than one figure, there is also instructions on how to obtain them via pledging. Interested in backing the project? Head on over to the Kickstarter page today!

Yu Suzuki interview at Gamelab 2014

Yu Suzuki attended the recently concluded Gamelab 2014, a gaming conference in Spain. He gave a presentation (partially notable for one of his slides featuring a Roman numeral “3” stylized in Shenmue font, which attracted the usual modest amount of attention) and was the recipient of the fourth Legend Award, a distinction meant for honoring “key figures in the history of video games”, as written at the Gamelab website.

After Gamelab concluded, Yu Suzuki conducted a short interview, available above. The interview asks a variety of direct questions, on topics including his favorite arcade project that he worked on (interestingly, the interviewer also asks Yu Suzuki if he feels nostalgiac for any aspects of Sega’s more arcade-focused past,) opportunities for modern technology in a hypothetical next Shenmue game, and whether or not Kickstarter is being actively considered to fund the next Shenmue game should development be more seriously pursued. Check it out!

Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA F 2nd receiving subtitled music lyrics

At E3, we asked Hatsune Miku’s producer whether or not Project DIVA F 2nd would have english subtitles in an interview. Today, we have an answer! SEGA has just announced in the trailer above that Hatsune Miku’s next game will have English subtitles. You can finally understand what she’s saying…provided you can afford to tear your eyes away from the chaos on screen long enough to read anyway!

Persona Q coming to Europe not half a year after it comes to the US with Premium Edition

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Sounds like Europeans won’t have to wait much longer than Americans do for the new Persona game for once thanks to NIS America. According to their European store, Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth will be coming to Europe on November 28th. And not only that, we’ll be getting a Premium Edition as well. This edition includes a 3DS XL case, the Sounds of the Labyrinth CD, an art book and eleven Tarot cards. Pricing hasn’t been revealed yet.

As for the US, it seems like the game may come out there three days earlier on November 25th. The release date isn’t official though, as it comes from Amazon rather than an official announcement. Still, seeing how close it is to the European release date it’s either accurate or it will actually be released at an earlier date. The premium edition will be sold there as well for $79.99.

Console Wars panel announced for San Diego Comic Con on Sunday, July 27th

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The official site for the Console Wars book has officially announced that a Console Wars panel will be taking place at San Diego Comic Con featuring SEGA and Nintendo all-stars Tom Kalinske (Sega of America), Al Nilsen (Sega of America), Bill White (Nintendo of America), and Perrin Kaplan (Nintendo of America), as well as Julian Rosenberg, producer of the upcoming Console Wars documentary alongside Console Wars author Blake J. Harris. The panel will be in Room 23ABC at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, July 27th and Blake will be signing copies of the book in the autographing area, table AA09, from 4 – 5 p.m.

And guess what? SEGAbits just might be attending, as we’ve obtained press passes for the convention! We’ll alert our readers on the social networks once we have our Comic Con plans finalized.

Update: SEGA bringing Hatsune Miku: Project MIRAI Remix to the West in 2015

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SEGA today has announced that another entry in its successful Hatsune Miku series will be brought over, Project Mirai 2 for the Nintendo 3DS. The announcement came during a chat show based on Japanese streaming service Niconico and SEGA also revealed that to date the series has managed sales of over 2.5 million in Japan alone. Interestingly enough, this news of localization comes from a Japanese talk show and not an announcement from SEGA Western based subsidiaries of SEGA America or SEGA Europe.

The title is going to be brought over to North America and Europe as Hatsune Miku: Project Mirai Mix in 2015, however this does still leave question marks on wither we will see the original Project Mirai, released in March 2012 for Japan, or SEGA will skip the title and focus forward from Project Mirai 2.

Update: We’re hearing conflicting reports that this could be the original game, an extended version of the sequel, or even a mix of the two creating an all-in-one game. Once we have a firm answer, we’ll update the story.

Update 2: SEGA has sent us an official press release! The game is confirmed to be an enhanced version of Hatsune Miku: Project MIRAI 2. Check it out after the break.

Phantasy Star Nova short cutscenes show off the main characters


Gematsu recently reported that Sega broadcasted a set of three cutscenes through Nico Nico this past weekend. They are each not much longer than a minute, and all are voiced. It’s another opportunity for a glimpse at what the game is set to look like, but also to get a grasp on the characters’ personalities. Of the main three characters, Lutia and Phildia, both of the female charcters, have pretty distinct characterizations in the trailers. When you see someone like Lutia pose and sound her barbaric yawp before charging in on a (rather freaky and cool-looking) Gigantes, you know you’re in for a party. Given tri-Ace’s reputation for dynamic and unique gameplay systems, it will be interesting to see what surprises tri-Ace will reveal in the future for this game.

Hit the break for two other videos!

Pier Solar HD gets delayed again due to failing Microsoft’s certification process

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Its hard to believe that games actually go through a certification process before you buy said product. I want to know who approved games like Sonic the Hedgehog 2006, but that isn’t what we are here to talk about. It seems Pier Solar HD has hit another bump in the road when they missed their certification from Microsoft.

“Microsoft already evaluated Pier Solar as well but we failed some internal requirements on the certification and we’re correcting them for the next submission. This also impacts Wii U and PlayStation(s) submissions since we want to send it as clean as possible so that we don’t get another failed certification. Luckily, the process doesn’t take as long as we thought, so the perspectives to getting a release date gets better. As soon as we’re certified on all platforms we’ll announce the date and put it on the street.”

Solar Pier HD is headed to Linux, Mac, Windows,  Ouya, Playstation 3, Playstation 4, Wii U, and of course the Dreamcast. It seems only consoles will be affected by the delay.