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‘Sonic Boom the Game’ revealed as third Wii U/3DS Sonic title

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Update: We reached out to SEGA of America over the big question of whether this is a reboot or it’s own thing. Their reply? “Sonic Boom is a new branch of the Sonic universe and does not replace modern Sonic.”

Update 2: The SEGA Blog has posted the official announcement. After the break, check out an image gallery for both the TV show and the game.

Update 3: This is crazy. So way back in March of 2013 a CryEngine 3 demo video was uploaded to YouTube, and the video featured some unnamed environments from Big Red Button. Those environments are actually from Sonic Boom the game! We’ve added the video after the break.

Not only is Sonic Boom the cartoon series landing later this year on Cartoon Network, but SEGA has also revealed today that LA developer Big Red Button Entertainment, a team made up of Ex-Naughty Dog staffers, will be leading the development of a video game adaptation of the series which will be exclusive to the Wii U and 3DS. This makes Sonic Boom the first Western created Sonic cartoon and video game adaptation in over 20 years, the last being Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog and Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine, as well as Sonic Spinball which featured Sonic SatAM elements as well as characters which were carried over to Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog.

Some may be tearing their hair out in the belief that Sonic has been rebooted, Sonic Team are no longer developing the games, and Sonic will forever be Nintendo exclusive. HOWEVER we have yet to hear from SEGA themselves over whether we can expect to see the usual Sonic Team developed “modern Sonic” we’ve come to know continue and be seen as separate from Sonic Boom the cartoon series and game adaptation. Much like the aforementioned Western Sonic cartoons and games being separate from the Japanese developed titles. Once we learn more, we’ll be sure to share it!

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‘Sonic Boom’ TV series character redesigns revealed & teaser trailer released

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Update: After the break, another image of Sonic and the gang as they’ll appear in Sonic Boom the Game, which you can learn more about in this news post.

Update 2: Check out the TV show trailer for Sonic Boom after the break!

It’s been a long time coming, but the new Sonic Boom designs for Sonic and his friends have finally been revealed! At the moment we only have photos of Sonic and Knuckles, but according to Sonic Stadium Tails now has a tool belt.

Sonic Boom is also going to be much larger in scope then initially thought, as it will be more than just a television show. It will also be a toy line from Tomy and a new video game, which will be released on both console and mobile platforms.

Whether or not this is a permanent and franchise wide redesign of the character or something restricted to everything Sonic Boom related is currently unknown, but this is easily the most drastic official redesign of any sort that the franchise has seen to date.

We’ll keep you updated with more news as it happens.

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Big Sonic Event in New York later today

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Looks like Machinima let the cat out of the bag early and accidentally posted an invitation poster on one of their youtube videos (although I’m not under embargo, I’m not showing it out of respect for Sega). The event promises “2014 will mark a renaissance for Sonic the Hedgehog” and shows a poster of the silhouetted images from the Sonic Boom teaser. It’s also states that Sega will make new announcements and plans for the Sonic brand. From what was shown on the poster, we can already guess it has to deal with Sonic Boom but will new game announcements be involved as well? Also, the use of the word “renaissance” has me a little worried. They wouldn’t be going all out if this wasn’t something really Big.

The presentation will start at 12:30EST and they’ll be interviews after at 1:20.

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First 4 Figures Akira Yuki statue pre-order goes live

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Another First 4 Figures statue in the SEGA All-Stars line, Akira Yuki of Virtua Fighter fame, is now available for pre-order and is priced at $184.99. Teased last week, Akira has been revealed to be limited to 1,000 pieces worldwide and First 4 Figures have said that if you have the first in the series (Ryo Hazuki) and have been authenticated on their website, you will be entitled to receive the same number piece for Akira. First 4 Figures have also shared that the statue will be 11 inches in height and is set to release in the third quarter of 2014.

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RUMOR: Atlus to bring Yakuza 5 to the West! [UPDATE]

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Update: Barry here. We have a bit of more news regarding this rumor. While EGM says one thing, a NeoGAF member says another. User jschreier shared the following:

I just asked a couple Atlus USA folks and they haven’t heard anything about this. FWIW. Seems pretty unlikely to me – they’re not a big company and they just announced like 4 new Persona games.

Original story: According to the latest issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly, Q-Mann (that’s their rumor guy) states that Atlus may be currently working on localizing Yakuza 5 to the West. With news of Sega giving Atlus some free reign when it comes to their IP’s and Atlus having a great localization team, this doesn’t seem so far fetched. Am I hyped? Check above the comments section and see.

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New Sonic the Hedgehog game due in 2015 for Xbox One, Playstation 4, and Wii U

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The toy company Jazwares featured an interesting sign at last week’s Nuremberg toy fair. As reported by The Sonic Stadium, the sign charts the future of the Sonic brand including the reveal that 2015 will see the release of a new Sonic game for the Xbox One, Playstation 4, and Wii U. Little else is revealed, but the lack of Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 may be a sign that Sonic’s days on those platforms have come to an end. Also interesting, no sign of the supposed third exclusive Wii U Sonic title. Either it is still on the way, and has yet to be revealed, or the upcoming 2015 is that third title and the deal with Nintendo has since changed. More on Sonic 2015 adventure as we hear it!

Also detailed is the upcoming CG cartoon series Sonic Boom, however none of the information is new.

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First Impressions: ‘Redux: Dark Matters’ for the SEGA Dreamcast

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First of all, hello! The Gagaman here. You may remember me from such films websites as the Dreamcast Junkyard, Sega Memories and Lucky Hit. Shameless plugs aside, I’m humbled to become a contributor here on Sega Bits and hope to bring you guys some fancy-pants articles in the future, hopefully not too riddled with typos.  For now though: Look!

Being the first successfully crowd funded Dreamcast indie game released, Redux: Dark Matters is finally here after two years of development, sent to me in the post yesterday morning. Has this kickstarted shmup been worth the wait and the cash? Read on to find out…

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Demon Tribe iOS to shut down March 31, 2014 – four months after Western launch

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Despite launching in late November of last year for the West, and in late February last year in Japan, SEGA has made the decision to shut down services for the iOS title Demon Tribe on March 31, 2014. The announcement, made on Facebook and detailed on Demon Tribe’s website, stated the following:

Since we began service in Japan on February 28, 2013, we have put every effort into improving the game’s systems and operations, and providing enjoyable in-game events. Unfortunately, at this point we are unable to continue to give Demon Tribe the support it deserves. After careful consideration of all aspects of the needs of our players and the game’s development, we have arrived at the very difficult decision to end game services in all territories.

The development and operations teams are very grateful to all our players who have enjoyed and supported Demon Tribe, and we look forward to sharing future adventures with you.

In an FAQ following the announcement, the reason for service ending was “We are unable to provide a satisfactory level of service for our players, and have had to make the very difficult decision to end service.”

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SEGA has announced 2014’s Virtua Fighter tournament – the “SEGA CUP”

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SEGA of America is once again hosting a Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown tournament in the form of the “SEGA CUP”. The tournament, created in partnership with Alex Valle and Level|Up, is set to take place in Los Angeles, California at the Super Arcade on April 26, 2014 and The top 16 players will be rewarded cash prizes. The PS3 version will be the version used for the tournament, so start training those fingers on a DualShock!

SEGA says that details about how to participate in the “SEGA CUP” will be announced at a later date. For more information on the “SEGA CUP”, visit sega.com/segacup

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Xbox’s Fable was originally to release on SEGA Dreamcast

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Examiner.com shared an interesting bit of news today regarding the early development of Xbox’s Fable. According to Fable Anniversary Lead Designer Tim Timmins, the game was originally intended for the SEGA Dreamcast. In a recent interview with Examiner, Timmins revealed that he learned this during recent discussions with Prima Games, who were handling Fable‘s strategy guide at the time the game originally released. “Did you know that Fable was originally going to be a Dreamcast game, before the Xbox came along?” Timmins told Examiner, “There was also supposed to be a boss fight with a boss that was about 50 feet tall that mirrored your every move.”

These sorts of stories shouldn’t be new to SEGA fans, as several SEGA developed games in the early Xbox era were initially planned to be Dreamcast titles, including ToeJam and Earl 3 and Jet Set Radio Future. Still, it’s interesting to hear that one of Microsoft’s big titles could have appeared on the Dreamcast had the past gone in a different direction.

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First 4 Figures teases Virtua Fighter Akira Yuki statue

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First 4 Figures is at it again, teasing another statue in their SEGA All-Stars line. Shenmue‘s Ryo Hazuki was just recently released, and Vyse of Skies of Arcaida has been teased. Now, a new challenger approaches in the form of Virtua Fighter Akira Yuki! No additional information has been given, but it’s safe to say that pre-orders will go live sometime this year and the price will likely be in line with Ryo Hazuki – which sells for between $169.99 and $184.99. When we learn more, we’ll be sure to share it!

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SEGA in the Charts: MediaCreate Charts Jan 20 – Jan 26 2014

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SEGA’s latest dance rhythm title Utakumi 575 has entered the Japanese chart at 13th selling 9,701 units, managing to sell between 40% – 60% of the initial shipment sent to retailers (Roughly between 16,168 – 24,252) Considering the push SEGA is giving the title (Complete with an animated series that has been airing from January 8th this year) it is no doubt selling well below SEGA’s expectations. SEGA would be hoping that they could enjoy stronger sales in the coming month from their software. With Project Diva f 2nd, Ryu Ga Gotoku Ishin and Phantasy Star Online 2 Episode 2 on the horizon, SEGA should hopefully make up for the failure of their latest stab at the dance rhythm genre.

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Indie Dreamcast game Redux: Dark Matters is now shipping

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It has been a long road, but Hucast’s Redux: Dark Matters for the SEGA Dreamcast has finally begun to ship out for Kickstarter backers at the $65 level. Funded in June of 2012, and originally expected to ship in December of the same year, Redux: Dark Matters saw several delays and some controversy over the game’s exclusivity to Kickstarter backers. But all that may be behind us as Hucast shared the following via their blog:

Redux: Dark Matters is the up and coming space shooting game with fresh scoring elements and an incredible soundtrack composed by Andre Neuman featuring legendary video game composer Chris Huelsbeck (Turrican, R-Type). Featuring Highres visuals with in-space, robot blasting, shooting game action. Developed by René Hellwig from NG:DEV.TEAM (GunLord, Fast Striker, Last Hope and DUX) and programmed by KTX Software Development. The game was now released, and is now shipping.

Those who didn’t back the Kickstarter project can purchase the game at the Hucast shop, or you can purchase the Redux: Dark Matters standard edition and the limited edition at Play-Asia.

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