News

SEGA in the Charts: MediaCreate charts for June 09 – 15 June 2014

by

Main_playable_characters_from_P3

After debuting in the charts so impressively, SEGA’s first major title since the Atlus takeover continues its fine performances in the Japanese charts. Last week the title debuted as the best selling piece of software in Japan but did it have enough steam to continue it’s strong sales into the second week? And what about Hero Bank? The game that seemed destined to be a major flop finally appears in the charts again but has it crossed the 50,000 barrier? All these questions answered after the break!

Continue Reading ➜

6 Comments

Segabits at E3: Interview with Ryan Vandendyck and Jason Ruper

by

While on the E3 showfloor, Nuckles87 talked to Eden Industries, Ryan Vandendyck who is the director of development on “Citizens of Earth”. An old-school style of RPG in the vein of Earthbound, but with some new twists. With him was project coordinator, Jason Ruper of Atlus. During the interview they discussed several aspects of the game, how it went from a Kickstarter campaign to a published game and the wacky antics of the Vice President of the world. Enjoy!

No Comments

Sonic Dash for Android features two new racers – the Android Robot and Andronic

by

g2MdBIL
 
SEGA has teamed up with Google Play for an Android exclusive addition to Sonic Dash. For a limited time, players can race as the Android Robot, and if players race well enough as him, they can permanently unlock a special Sonic Android Robot to race as dubbed (are you ready for this?) “Andronic”. Yup, Andronic is now a thing. Watch your back, Tails Doll!

You can download Sonic Dash for free from the Google Play store, and act fast if you want to play as the two new characters because as mentioned, they’re for a limited time!

Update: For those wondering how to unlock Andronic, the Google Play page says: “Choose to play as the Android Robot on the Character Select screen 50 times before the event is over to unlock a very unique and exclusive character for you to play as.”

3 Comments

Funimation acquires English dubbing rights to BAYONETTA: Bloody Fate

by

bayonetta-bloody-fate
FUNimation® Entertainment announced today that the company has acquired U.S. & Canadian rights to the full-length feature film BAYONETTA: Bloody Fate. BAYONETTA: Bloody Fate, which was produced by GONZO animation studio and internationally acclaimed director Fuminori Kizaki, was released in theaters on DVD & Blu-ray in Japan last year and faithfully retells the story of the first BAYONETTA game in full anime glory.

Director Fuminori Kizaki will also be making an appearance as a guest of honor at this year’s Anime Expo in Los Angeles, July 3-6 where a “sneak peek” of the English dub of BAYONETTA: Bloody Fate will be shown for fans at the convention, along with a special Q&A with Director Kizaki following on Saturday, July 5th, at 8:15pm in Video 1.

FUNimation plans to release the animated movie on DVD and Blu-Ray sometime this year with a released date that has yet to be announced. BAYONETTA 2 is also set for a release this year in October, so be sure to check out our E3 impressions on the sequel sometime this week.

JKY IrTIYW

1 Comment

SEGAbits at E3 Interview: Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA F 2nd Interview with Producer Sam Mullen

by

Sam Mullen, Localization Producer for SEGA, joined us for an interview at E3 2014 to discuss Hatsune Miku Project Diva F 2nd and our hopes for future Western releases of SEGA’s Japanese titles. Hatsune Miku Project Diva f 2nd is due out Fall 2014 for the Playstation 3 and Vita. We’re especially looking forward to the title, as we gave the original game for the Vita a well deserved “A” grade.

1 Comment

SEGAbits at E3: A Tour of the SEGA Booth

by

Let’s take a first person walkthrough SEGA’s booth at E3 2014! On the way, we’ll encounter SEGAbits/The Sonic Stadium writer Shigs playing Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric for the Wii U, check out the Sonic Boom, Hatsune Miku, and Alien: Isolation booths. We even run into SEGA of America Community Manager Julian Mehlfeld for the shortest SEGA interview ever. Enjoy!

No Comments

SEGAbits at E3 Interview: Sonic Boom Producer Stephen Frost

by

Our E3 coverage continues with an interview with Sonic Boom Producer Stephen Frost! Stephen was nice enough to sit down on the final day of the expo to answer our questions about the upcoming Wii U and 3DS games Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric and Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal. Developed by Big Red Button Entertainment (Wii U) and Sanzaru Games (3DS), both titles are due out November 2014.

2 Comments

Persona Q could be the second Atlus game priced at $49.99 on 3DS

by

Persona-Q-1

No doubt that handheld gaming has increased in cost over the years. One of the things that always surprises me is how slowly software prices have risen as well. Atlus seems to have been trying to add a premium price tag to their titles, starting with last year’s 3DS exclusive Shin Megami Tensei IV. They justified their price tag due to the fact that it was translated and released so quickly (2 months after its Japanese release).

It seems that they want to continue this trend with the upcoming Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth since Amazon and Gamestop have both listed the title for $49.99. Speedy translation? This title took 4 months, 50% more time to be brought over than their last premium priced title, Shin Megami Tensei IV. Shin Magami Tensei IV also came in a nice limited edition box set if you bought a first print run of the game. That included an awesome 176 page strategy guide with concept art, eight track CD and a collectible slipcase while Persona Q only has 12 tarot cards.

What do you guys think? Is $49.99 too steep for any Nintendo 3DS game? Let us know in the comments.

1 Comment

SEGAbits at E3 Preview: Super Monkey Ball Bounce (iOS, Android)

by

I’m not really all that experienced with the world of mobile gaming. Though I’ve played my share of Angry Birds and a handful of SEGA games, most of my portable gaming is done on proper handheld systems with buttons and analog sticks. Needless to say, I was a little out of my depth at the SEGA Network party, which was showcasing several upcoming mobile SEGA games to the press, including Super Monkey Ball Bounce.
 

Continue Reading ➜

1 Comment

Sonic Boom games heading to Japan, retitled “Sonic Toon”

by

Sonic_Boom_Team_Shot
 
It looks like SEGA has reversed their decision to keep Sonic Boom as a Western-only series, as Nintendo Everything reports, the latest issue of Famitsu revealed that the Wii U and 3DS titles will be releasing in Japan under the name of Sonic Toon. No word on whether the TV series will also see release in Japan, but given the new title of Sonic Toon it is possible that the TV show will also be localized and the whole franchise is to be seen as a cartoonish Western branch of the series in Japan. Hey SEGA, as long as you’re sending games Japan’s way, why not localize some of the Japanese SEGA titles for us Westerners, we can consider it a trade.

More news on Sonic Boom Toon as we hear it!

5 Comments

SEGAbits at E3 Preview: Citizens of Earth (PlayStation 4, PSVita, Wii U, 3DS, & PC)

by

Citizens-of-Earth

Some games just have this irresistible charm about them. The moment you see it, you just know you want to play it and see if it lives up to just how awesome it looks. At E3, Atlus’s Citizens of Earth was one of those games. As a man who is interested in politics and is always open to some political satire, and the concept on display here is way too hilarious to ignore.

Continue Reading ➜

2 Comments

SEGAbits at E3 Preview: Sonic Jump Fever (iOS, Android)

by

sonic-jump-fever
 
While at E3, Nuckles87 and I were invited to a party hosted by SEGA’s mobile division, SEGA Networks, that was dedicated to mingling and showing off SEGA’s mobile titles. It was a great chance to relax after a hard day and to get some free food and drink. Those pretzel bun sandwiches with the roast beef and bacon were out of this world! But mostly, we where there to check out these games that have only been available to the lucky few… million in the Great White North. The one I’ll be talking about in this preview is Sonic Jump Fever, a sequel to the 2012 game that is both harder, easier and more fast-paced than its predecessor. It even has Chao. Yes, Chao are back!

Continue Reading ➜

1 Comment

SEGAbits at E3 Preview: Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA F 2nd

by

Until a week ago, I had never owned a Hatsune Miku game. Until two days ago I had never played one. What I’m trying to tell you is I am extremely new to this franchise, so I would like to ask you to please excuse some of my noobish glee as I acknowledge several years after everyone else that Hatsune Miku Project Diva F is a really fun rhythm game and I am glad to have finally played it, even if it took the prospect of an E3 write-up for me to finally play it.

Continue Reading ➜

1 Comment

SEGA in the Charts: MediaCreate charts for June 02 – 08 June 2014

by

persona_q_boxart

This is the first time “SEGA in the Charts” will be covering an Atlus game and what a time to start! As it is, this is SEGA’s first number one since Hatsune Miku released back in March and the first title published in Japan under SEGA’s ownership of the Atlus brand. It’s also the first time the Persona series has appeared on a non-Playstation console, so it will be interesting to see how things develop after the first week of sales. I think both Atlus and SEGA can be extremely happy with how it has turned out for them. Hit the break to see the full lowdown!

Continue Reading ➜

4 Comments