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New Persona 3 Reload: Episode Aigis Trailer Showcasing Metis

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Today, ATLUS shared a trailer highlighting Metis, the new android companion in Persona 3 Reload’s Episode Aigis -The Answer –. The trailer also introduces Lizzie Freeman, the voice actor bringing Metis to life. Episode Aigis is the third and final addition to the Persona 3 Reload: Expansion Pass, featuring 30 hours of all-new gameplay, new costumes and background music sets.

Character Description of Metis: A mysterious android who claims to be Aigis’s “sister”. She appears before the S.E.E.S. members who are trapped in a never-ending March 31st time loop and leads them to the Abyss of Time that has appeared in the basement of the dormitory. Her unique Persona is Psyche, specializing in physical, wind, and ice skills.

Episode Aigis -The Answer – releases on September 10, 2024, and will be available on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Steam, PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4.

The Expansion Pass is available for free to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers. Persona 3 Reload: Expansion Pass can be purchased on digital storefronts today for $34.99 and also includes the previously released Persona 5 Royal EX BGM Set, Persona 4 Golden EX BGM Set and Velvet Costume & BGM Set. For more information on Persona 3 Reload, visit persona.atlus.com/p3r/.

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SEGA Talk #145: Gaming Memories

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SEGA Talk takes a detour! This episode we’re trading our blue blur for a trip down memory lane. Join us as we reminisce about our gaming days and explore some non-SEGA classics. Of course, there is still plenty of SEGA games that make it in!

[iTunes – Stitcher – YouTube – Download]

Support us on Patreon! Get early access, have your memories read on the show, select the games we talk about!

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TMS Entertainment announces 60th Anniversary YouTube campaign, including timed uploads of Japanese Sonic X and Orguss episodes

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TMS Entertainment, a beloved Japanese animation studio currently owned by Sega Holdings Inc., a subsidiary of SegaSammy holdings, has just announced that for their 60th anniversary, they’ll begin uploading special animated features of significant importance to the company to their official YouTube page. Most noteworthy to Sega/Sonic fans, this includes the first six episodes of Sonic X in its original Japanese dub. The entire campaign begins on August 5th, 2024. This is a good chance to get a taste of what Sonic X was originally like, free of both English voices and the cacophony of censorship edits imposed on it in its original English dub by 4Kids Entertainment.

EDIT: It’s come to my attention that one of the other anime part of this celebration: Super Dimension Century Orguss (1983), also has a Sega connection, as Sega made an SG-1000 game based on it. I’m adding details about that show below the break too.

Gotta go fast as you rush past the break for the skinny on this special event. GO! GO! GO! GO! LET’S GO!

EDIT: The 60th Anniversary event has ended and all these videos have, unfortunately, been removed from the TMS Entertainment YouTube Page. Fortunately, Discotek Media has released both Japanese Sonic X and Super Dimension Century Orguss on Blu-Ray. You can buy them from Amazon or Crunchyroll’s store. I removed the dead YouTube embeds from the article

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NFTs and esports killed the Mario & Sonic Olympic Games series

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SEGA and Nintendo’s long running Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games series has come to an end. Speaking with Eurogamer, series veteran Lee Cocker explained that the International Olympics Committee left the partnership with SEGA and Nintendo in favor of new partners that focused on NFTs and esports. Believe it or not, there IS a game based on the 2024 Summer Olympic Games out right now. You just wouldn’t know it because it isn’t really being marketed and it looks like crap. Olympics Go! from developer nWay released to smart phone stores and the Epic Games Store and it features microtransactions and officially licensed “commemorative” NFTs. Whee.

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Shenmue World: Issue 3 – Unofficial Shenmue Fan Magazine Kickstarter launches

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From the fans behind the Shenmue fan site Shenmue Dojo comes the third issue in their fan magazine Shenmue World! Hitting Kickstarter just yesterday, the campaign for Shenmue World: Issue 3 is already $17,330 pledged of a $22,496 goal. If issues 1 and 2 are any indication of the quality we can expect, then issue 3 is sure to be a feature filled book sized magazine featuring impressive fan artwork, fictional and journalistic coverage of the Shenmue series and several bonus goodies that should not be missed!

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Interview: “Like a Dragon: Yakuza” Actors Ryoma Takeuchi & Kento Kaku, Executive Producer Erik Barmack

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Thanks to the production team of the upcoming streaming series Like a Dragon: Yakuza and Prime Video, SEGAbits was given the opportunity to interview Series Lead Ryoma Takeuchi and Co-Star Kento Kaku, and series Executive Producer Erik Barmack.

In a round table setting, joined by fellow video game fan sites, we asked the creative team about how the project began and the challenges of portraying characters like Kazuma Kiryu (played by Ryoma Takeuchi) and Akira Nishikiyama (played by Kento Kaku). You can see their answers to our questions after the break or watch our video interview above, and stay tuned to SEGAbits for more coverage of the series as we near the October 24th release date on Prime Video!

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Homebrew Genesis/Mega-Drive game Hayato’s Journey finishes development; now available to download for free

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An all new homebrew action platformer for Genesis/Mega-Drive, called Hayato’s Journey, has just finished development and is now free to download. Developed by Master Linkuei, Hayato’s Journey is a fanmade spiritual sequel to the Master System game Kenseiden (1988). The game is now available on his itch.io page for whatever price you wish to pay. Although it is free, it couldn’t hurt to give Master Linkuei a buck or two to reward their hard work.

Have a look beyond the break for a trailer and a link to the game.

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Sega Rally 2006 fan translation patch now available

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Sega Rally 2006, the first Sega Rally game made exclusively for a console, has just gotten an all new fan translation released. Previously only released in Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan, this PS2 classic had all of its text in those countries’ respective native languages only, until now, that is. For the first time ever, you can play the game almost entirely in English now.

While graphics featuring text could not be translated, as there is no way to easily change the text in graphics at this time, much of the important text in the game has been completely translated into English, making menus much less of a chore to navigate for the Japanese impaired. The newly translated text consists of:

  • Career Mode intro and profile creation.
  • Career Mode top menus (Calendar, trophies, etc.).
  • Calendar race names, vehicle restrictions, and rewards.
  • Garage and Shop menus, including part and tire names, descriptions, and tuning menu.
  • Pre-race splash screens.
  • Sponsorship contract tutorials and objectives.

For a link to where you can download this patch, have a look past the break.

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Fanmade Dreamcast port of Grand Theft Auto III being worked on; WIP footage shown

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How many of you were aware the Grand Theft Auto III (2001) was originally meant to have a version on Sega Dreamcast? It moved away from Dreamcast after developer DMA Design, today known as Rockstar North, came into agreement that the Dreamcast was no longer a viable platform for the game, most likely due to Sega bowing out of the console hardware race in 2001. Had the game released on Dreamcast as originally intended, it would’ve gone on to be a major feather in the Dreamcast’s cap for years to come.

While we can’t go back in time and make DMA Design stick to it’s original Dreamcast release plans, one fan has taken it upon themselves to convert the game over to Dreamcast. Homebrew developer SKMP has been building a new Dreamcast GTA III port using assets and reverse engineered code from the original PC version. Lately, he’s even gained some help from a few other Dreamcast homebrew developers, including Frogbull, who’s best known for creating a Metal Gear Solid 2 tech demo for Dreamcast. While the port is still work-in-progress as of this writing, what’s been done so far is nothing short of amazing. After all, just because GTA III was originally meant to be a Dreamcast game, doesn’t mean that bringing the finished game to Dreamcast is as simple as you might think.

You’ll find out more about what I mean past the break.

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Metaphor: ReFantazio’s Next Showcase Will Air on July 29, 2024

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Today, ATLUS announced that the next livestream showcase for their upcoming fantasy RPG Metaphor: ReFantazio will take place on July 29, 2024 at 6pm PT/9pm ET on the ATLUS West YouTube channel. The showcase titled, Metaphor: ReFantazio “ATLUS Exclusive” Showcase – Characters will reveal more details about Metaphor: ReFantazio’s dynamic cast of characters, social systems and the fight to be crowned king. The livestream will be led by Studio Zero director Katsura Hashino with English subtitles and dubbed audio.

Metaphor: ReFantazio is a full-scale fantasy RPG from the creative minds of the Persona series. Players will write their destiny and rise above fear as they step into a fantasy world unlike any other. Metaphor: ReFantazio launches October 11, 2024 for Xbox Series X|S, Windows, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4 and Steam. Physical and digital pre-orders are available now.

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Saturn inspired racer Parking Garage Rally Circuit coming soon to Steam; actual Saturn version teased

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This is for the Sega Saturn racing fans out there. Solo indie developer Walaber (Creator of the Jelly Car series and credited on Where’s My Water?) is paying tribute to the mighty Saturn with his brand new retro styled time trial racer Parking Garage Rally Circuit. This game is designed to look like an authentic Sega Saturn game from 1998 and is currently listed on Steam, where it is planned to release for Windows, Linux, and Steam Deck sometime within 2024.

More exciting than that is that Walaber wants to bring this game to Nintendo Switch and the very console he’s paying homage to, the Sega Saturn. He will bring the game to Switch if it can sell 50,000 downloads on Steam, and then make a special Saturn version of the game after achieving 100,000 downloads on Steam. If you wanna see this game in your collection for either console, then you can start by wishlisting the game on Steam right now and then buying it after it’s released. Let your money do the talking.

But if you need more convincing than that, we have extra info for you beyond the break. We bet you’ll be heading on down with this kind of ferocity.

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New Genesis/Mega-Drive & 32X FPGA clone console, the GF-1 Neptune, revealed

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If you’re a fan of old school Sega and the 32X, then chances are you’ve heard of the Sega Neptune before. It was an official Genesis console with the 32-bit 32X hardware built right in, allowing for Genesis and 32X games to be run from one unit. We all know what happened with the 32X in the end, and with it, so went Sega’s plans to finalize the Neptune and bring it to market. I’m sure 32X fans would’ve preferred a Neptune over installing a 32X into a Genesis with its 2nd power cable though.

The Brazilian company Gamescare seems to agree with that notion, and thus have designed their own, all new FPGA-based clone console based on this unreleased Sega console, called the GF-1 Neptune. This Neptune will be able to run Genesis, Mega-Drive, and 32X games all in one unit, just like Sega’s Neptune was meant to do. It even has the same shape as Sega’s original Neptune prototype. It can also attach to a Sega CD unit with its expansion port on its side, like an original Genesis and, presumably, the original Neptune would’ve done.

Sound exciting to you? Join us past the break, then, and find out more about this promising development.

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Fanmade, open source Doom 64 port for Dreamcast now available to download

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We’ve all heard about Doom and how it can be made to run on just about everything (Including Dreamcast), but now it’s Doom 64’s turn for a Dreamcast port, thanks to fan developer JNMartin (@falco_girgis on Twitter). JNMartin has been working hard on a new port of quasi-sequel Doom 64, originally released for the Nintendo 64 in 1997. He continues to work on it now, with the above video being his latest progress showcase as of this writing. The port is now available and open sourced, so anyone is free to help develop the port as well as download and try it for themselves.

The game isn’t totally complete yet, with many assets missing, such as the HUD and certain enemies and sounds, but being able to run the game at all on Dreamcast is an incredible feat already. It even runs at a smooth and stable framerate. It shows that developers who love the Dreamcast are capable of doing amazing things with the hardware to this day.

Dare to journey past the break for a link to the latest build and instructions on how to play.

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