SEGA News

SEGA Europe teases that they have “exciting projects coming up”, sharing details in 2018

December 6, 2017 by George

SEGA Europe has been teasing new video game projects announcements via twitter the other day. So what could these mysterious projects be? We do have some past news articles that can hint at what they have up their sleeves. For example we reported back in 2015 that The Creative Assembly was working on a “multi-platform AAA blockbuster”, which would mean their return to the console space since they released Alien Isolation back in 2014. We also know that Two Point Studios (ex-Lionhead and Bullfrog) is working with SEGA Europe on a new simulation game, which is set to be announced on January 16th. There’s also that big rumor about the Shenmue HD collection is right around the corner, one of the rumors points at the port being done by UK developer Just Add Water. If that is true, then that would mean that SEGA Europe would probably be involved in handling the project. I also hear that SEGA Europe will be in charge of handling PC ports of upcoming SEGA Japan games, so I can also see them announcing a Valkyria Chronicles 4 port for the West, considering their port of the first game has almost sold a million copies. Of course, this is just my speculation based on past news articles and rumors.

But let me hand the mic over to you, what do you want to see SEGA Europe work on? SEGA Europe has been handling most of the PC stuff, including ports of last generation games like Bayonetta, Vanquish, and even created The Typing of the Dead: Overkill. Is there any other games you want to see them port? Maybe extend their porting program to modern consoles? Sound off in the comments below.

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Bare your knuckles as Streets of Rage joins the SEGA Forever lineup

December 6, 2017 by Barry

The SEGA Forever free-to-play mobile lineup expanded today, with the classic SEGA Mega Drive/Genesis beat ’em up Streets of Rage joining the fight. Released in 1991, Streets of Rage (Bare Knuckle in Japan) was SEGA’s answer to Final Fight and Double Dragon. Players take control of Adam, Axel or Blaze in a bare knuckle battle to take down a criminal syndicate led by Mr. X. This version of the game has local multiplayer over Wi-Fi, so you and a friend can play together. We here at SEGAbits love Streets of Rage, and we know SEGA fans do too as it made #44 on our Top 100 SEGA Games list.

Streets of Rage is available now on the Google Play store and App Store. You can follow @SEGAForever on Twitter and share your thoughts on the lineup using the hashtag #SEGAForever.

After the break, give our SEGA Talk podcast a listen as we discuss the history of Streets of Rage!

SEGA’s new A Certain Magical Virtual-On trailer shows off animated cutscenes, more gameplay

December 5, 2017 by George

SEGA has unleashed a brand new trailer for the upcoming A Certain Magical Virtual-On, a crossover game featuring A Certain Magical Index and Virtual-On. The new trailer, which is a bit over 5 minutes in length will give you a look at the in-game characters you get to team up with, a glimpse at the in-game villain and even show you what the in-game animated cutscenes look like!

Personally, as a SEGA fan, I don’t care too much for the anime tie-in and happy that the gameplay looks likeVirtual-On with A Certain Magical Index being used to carry the story. One of the things that Virtual-On doesn’t have is good characterizations to make a story around. I’m sure the story will be silly, but hey, its Virtual-On, no whining! A Certain Magical Virtual-On hits Japan on February 15, 2018 only on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita. No Western release for this title has been confirmed, as of right now.

[Via: Dengekionline]

Check out the Official Shenmue themed Yokosuka Tourist Guide

December 5, 2017 by George

SEGA was asked to help design a tourist guide map by The Yokosuka Action Promotion Committee. Why did they ask SEGA to help design a map of Yokosuka, Japan? Yokosuka is one of the big locations featured in SEGA’s hit video game Shenmue, which is seemly making a comeback thanks to the Shenmue III kickstarter launched a few years back. You can check out the official SEGA Japan twitter flipping through the guide here, which features lots of cool Shenmue promotional art. According to the same tweet, the English version is being worked on right now. They are calling this Yokosuka Tourist Guide ‘Sacred Spot’, since its mostly covers parts of Yokosuka that where featured in Shenmue. As for how you can acquire one, they are being sold locally in Yokosuka. Oh, don’t live there? Maybe its time to go on vacation?

I think having something like this is really cool and its nice to see that Shenmue‘s legacy still matters in places in Japan. Like most fans online, I really hope this means SEGA isn’t forgetting about the franchise, which if you have seen the rumors about the Shenmue HD releases, you’d agree. I think the Shenmue HD Collection is coming, just a matter of when. You can check out what the guide has to offer below via some helpful scans, of course.

[Via: Shenmue500k]

Valkyria Chronicles 4 reveals six new characters and details its Brave system

December 5, 2017 by George

SEGA revealed a ton of new information regarding the upcoming Valkyria Chronicles 4 via the latest issue of the Weekly Famitsu. They detailed six brand new characters (including one being a Valkyria) and the new “Brave” system being introduced in this title.

Check out all the information after the break. Valkyria Chronicles 4 is set to hit PlayStation 4 on March 21, 2018 and for Nintendo Switch in Summer 2018 in Japan. As for the European and American releases, its coming to PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch sometime in 2018.

[Source: Gematsu]

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Former Sega Enterprises, Inc. president and CEO Thomas Gill Petit has passed away

December 5, 2017 by Barry

Sad news for SEGA fans. We’ve learned that Tom Petit, co-founder of Sega Enterprises, Inc. (USA) and president and CEO of the company for eight years, passed away at his home in Durango, Colorado on November 21, 2017. Tom worked in the video game industry for more than 28 years, with leadership positions at Atari, Nintendo and SEGA.

I’ll admit, in assembling information about Tom’s time with SEGA, I could not find a lot. I still do not have a firm idea of when he was at SEGA, though he did appear in news stories from 1986-1991. I came across an interview he did when the SEGA arcade game Time Traveler released in 1991 (seen above) and found this fun article on Tom and David Rosen at the 1986 JAMMA Arcade Game Show where OutRun was unveiled. I am also under the impression that Tom was the president and CEO of the coin-op side of things for America.

In 2004, Tom retired from the industry and started a career in ranch real estate development. His hobbies included fly fishing and scuba diving. A memorial service is planned for the summer of 2018, and you can leave a tribute here. We’ll provide more information on Tom Petit’s career as we find it.

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Sonic Runners Adventure releasing to the App Store and Google Play soon

December 4, 2017 by Barry

Sonic Runners, the Sonic Team developed always online 2D runner, was released in February 2015 and shut down in June 2016. While there was a good game there, SEGA made the mistake of including unfair casino-style awards and making the game always online. Since then, Gameloft has reworked the concept into Sonic Runners Adventure which received a soft launch in June 2017. The follow-up features gameplay tweaks and the ability to play offline. Now, Gameloft has announced the game will soon receive a wide release on the App Store and Google Play. You can check out the launch trailer above, which strangely is missing any mention of SEGA including the usual copyright information.

More information on Sonic Runner Adventure as we hear it!

SEGA launching Phantasy Star Online 2: Trading Card Game in Japan

December 1, 2017 by George

While we cross our fingers for a Phantasy Star Online 2 western announcement, in Japan they will soon be launching a 1v1 trading card game based on the popular IP. The game will feature cards based on characters, weapons and other art assets found in Phantasy Star Online 2. As far as how the game will play, that remains a mystery for now.

Phantasy Star Online 2: Trading Card Game isn’t just aiming at being a competitive 1v1 game, but will also feature “Cooperation Battles” where you and friends can play the game versus in-card (is that a word?) bosses. SEGA will be showing off the card game across Japan starting on December 9, where attendees will be allowed to try the game for themselves. If you’re from Japan and want to give the game a try, check out the participating stores here.

SEGA plans on launching Phantasy Star Online 2: Trading Card Game in Japan on March 22, 2018. The first expansion of the series will have 100 cards to collect. Each pack will come with 6 cards and go for 250 yen (about $2.25 USD) each. As far as this coming to the West, don’t count on it, obviously.

[Source: Siliconera]

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SEGA and Two Point Studios announcing a new game on January 16

November 29, 2017 by George

SEGA and Two Point Studios (a team made up of ex-Lionhead and Bullfrog developers) have now teased a new game announcement via a twitter post telling us to check back on January 16, 2018. SEGA Europe announced their partnership with Two Point Studios back in May 30, 2017 and it seems that they have been hard at work on this new title if its going to be shown in a less than two months.

According to Two Point Studios twitter bio, the team is “Making sim games with @SEGA_Europe” . It makes sense that SEGA would try their hands at the PC sim market considering that new IPs such as Cities XXL, Cities in Motion and Cities: Skylines have carved a big chunk of the market away from EA. Not only that, they are already heading that way by purchasing the Endless Space developers, Amplitude Studios. It does seem that if they make a sim game that it will be based on something like Theme Park or Theme Hospital. But who knows at this point. While these PC games are usually aimed at another market, as a SEGA fan I actually like the brand name to grow into other markets. Plus the team being made up of people that worked on games like Theme Hospital and Fable really peaks my interest.

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SEGA shows off A Certain Magical Virtual-On box art

November 28, 2017 by George

Check out the official Japanese box art for A Certain Magical Virtual-On, an upcoming game being released on the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita. The game features characters from the light novel franchise A Certain Magical Index and SEGA’s arcade franchiseCyber Troopers Virtual-On in a epic cross-over competitive game.

A Certain Magical Virtual-On Japanese box art features Touma Kamijo (A Certain Magical Index) and Virtuaroid MBV-707/VSL “Temjin 707” (Virtual-On). I think the box art is just OK, nothing special and feel that the art style differences between Virtual-On and A Certain Magical Index really clash on the cover. For example Temjin 707 looks rather 3D while Touma Kamijo on the other hand is a typical anime drawing. As for the game, its set to launch on February 15, 2018 in Japan on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita. SEGA West hasn’t announced a western release date as of this posting.

[Via: Gemastu]

Download the Street Fighter V Kazuma Kiryu mod here

Yakuza’s Kazuma Kiryu joins Street Fighter V via fan mod

November 25, 2017 by George

Yakuza‘s Kazuma Kiryu joins the fight in Street Fighter V, thanks to this fan mod created for the PC version of the game. The mod was crafted by Khaled Antar, who is known in the Street Fighter V community for his past mods, this time he is giving us SEGA fans something to cheer about. If you didn’t know, when Tekken 7 producer asked fans what DLC character they wanted, Kazuma Kiryu topped their list. Maybe someone will make a Kazuma Kiryu mod for Tekken 7 next?

The mod uses Ryu as a base for Kazuma Kiryu and features three variants of the skin that each have 15 color options. You can play with shades, no shades and even have breakable shades via fighting. According to the description it also features jacket and hair physics.

[Thanks Sanus]

Hokuto ga Gotoku Japanese box art released and it looks amazing

November 22, 2017 by George

Below I have posted both the clean and retail box art for the upcoming Hokuto ga Gotoku on the PlayStation 4. If you guys didn’t know, Hokuto ga Gotoku is a game based on the Fist of the North Star IP, being done by the team behind the Yakuza games. The game’s box art was drawn by the and only Tesuo Hara, who obviously did illustration for the manga.

Hokuto ga Gotoku hits Japan, exclusively on PlayStation 4 this February 22nd! No western release plans have been shared by SEGA, but don’t be shocked if we get an announcement release early next year.

[Via: Gematsu]

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SEGA announces Wonder Gravity RPG for Smartphones

November 21, 2017 by George

SEGA Games has announced Wonder Gravity ~The Pino and the Gravity User~ as a 2018 mobile title. SEGA has confirmed that the game will be free-to-play and include microtransactions. The story for the game will be written by Yasuko Kobayashi who has written for Japanese TV shows such as Samurai Sentai Shinkenger and Kamen Rider Den-O. The game will focus on you fighting monsters called ‘Debris’ by using the strengths of different gravity fields to attack.

Wonder Gravity ~The Pino and the Gravity User~ story will have you playing in a world without land or ocean, where humans live with Pinos, which are tiny beings created by stars and if you eat their fruit you can become a gravity user. In the game, the main character Hugo receives a message from his long lost father telling him to reach a place called “Endroll”, which happens to be at the bottom of the world and is said to have a mysterious power (very typical JRPG story line). Not too sure what to think of the game myself, it does seem a bit like Sony’s Gravity Rush, no? Maybe its just the name, I guess…

[via: Siliconera]

Dx2 Shin Megami Tensei: Liberation is coming out world wide to a phone near you

November 21, 2017 by George

SEGA held a special smartphone game announcement event where they shared some updates on their upcoming free-to-play game Dx2 Shin Megami Tensei: Liberation, a game being developed by SEGA and produced by Atlus. One of the first cross-over projects between the companies! At the event, SEGA talked a lot about the AR technology within the game that will allow you to summon demons via real life, which is something a lot of developers are looking into after the massive popularity of Pokemon Go. Seems that SEGA doesn’t have a release date for when they will release the Dx2 Shin Megami Tensei: Liberation AR update. But they did say they will have more to share at a later date.

SEGA has also confirmed that Dx2 Shin Megami Tensei: Liberation will get a world wide release thanks to fan outcry throughout the globe. SEGA plans to release the game first in Japan, then Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau. Who knows when the English version will be set to launch, but when we get a date we will keep you posted here.

Check out the game’s AR technology in motion and a look at some five-star demons after the break!

[Via: Siliconera]