SEGA News

Yakuza creator confirms that his new game will be shown at Tokyo Game Show

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Toshihiro-Nagoshi-SEGA-Speech
I know that some of the more hardcore SEGA fans are a bit upset that SEGA recently teased a new Hatsune Miku game. No fear SEGA fans, because during today’s NicoNico Live steam, Yakuza and Super Monkey Ball creator Toshihiro Nagoshi teased what to expect from Sega and his team next month:

“I’m so anxious for Tokyo Game Show! Although I’m not allowed to say why I’m feeling this way, yet. We’ll announce [a new title] at Tokyo Game Show, and it’ll be a good one and I believe that Sega’s live showing at Tokyo Game Show will be the most exciting one we’ve seen in a while.” – Toshihiro Nagoshi

The producer for Yakuza, Yokoyama Masayoshi teased this game in July stating that the studio was hiring new talent. As of right now, Yakuza Team (aka Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio) has over 150 workers under the Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio banner. Considering that they are hiring more, this might be one of SEGA’s biggest games ever. I guess we will find out more next month at the Tokyo Game Show, but as far as them teasing it, it seems this title will not be related to the Yakuza IP.

Like always, in Nagoshi we trust.

[Source: Silioncera]

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SEGA Japan launches teaser site for upcoming Hatsune Miku game

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Next39
[This article has been edited with newly found information. This is almost 100% a Hatsune Miku game]

SEGA Japan has now launched a teaser site for an upcoming unannounced game that will most likely be unveiled at this year’s Tokyo Game Show (which starts next month). So what do we know about it so far? SEGA is calling this tease ‘neXt39‘ which is what we will be referring to the game until we find out the official name. The teaser page has the following numbers: “3939.00 / 3939” since the slash usually means division in math, it would equal to 1. Is this a clue? The screen also has strands that move in the background, 6 of them to be exact (with the only color repeating being yellow).

But Hatsune Miku also has a long series of using the number 39, specifically having a song named that. Not only that, Sam Mullen, the localization producer even explained the significance of Hatsune Miku using the number 39. Not only that a twitter user by the name of @Rorru pointed out that the teaser page’s timer ends minutes before Hatsune Miku’s birthday and that the color strands each represent a Cryptonloid. Hopefully this isn’t the only game announced at TGS, considering that Yakuza Team was teasing a new game.

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SEGA has no plans to release the PS4 version of Phantasy Star Online 2 outside of Japan

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PSO2DealWithIt
The people at Kotaku has contacted SEGA about the possibility of the Playstation 4 version of Phantasy Star Online 2 coming West. This is the response they recieved from a SEGA representative.

“SEGA is currently not planning to release the PS4 version of Phantasy Star Online 2 outside of Japan,”

It has been over 3 years since SEGA announced at PAX 2012 that they would be bringing Phantasy Star Online 2 over from Japan on the PC and Playstation Vita. Then, silence. We got a few generic ‘it’s still coming’ answers from them, but this is the first time they have officially denied its Western release.

Talk about not caring about their own fan base, huh? It’s hard to stay positive when the Western branches don’t care about their core fanbase or their in-house Japanese IPs. Then when they do finally get around to releasing it they are surprised at the success these Japanese in-house developed games have. No shit! With this and the recent announcement that they reskinned ‘Puyo Puyo Quest‘ into some generic food puzzle game, SEGA is really making it hard to be a fan.

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Yakuza 5 avatars hit US PSN – Could the game be releasing soon?

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Screen Shot 2015-08-18 at 7.39.52 PM

While we await news of when SEGA will be releasing Yakuza 5 to the West, avatars for the upcoming game have recently hit PSN. Could this mean a release date is nearing? Those who have followed SEGA of America’s digital releases in recent years should be well aware of the fact that the company will release and announce the release date of a game on the same day, with the only real indicators of an upcoming release being things like PSN avatars being made public. While this is all speculation on our part, the fact that SEGA has quietly released these avatars for the upcoming game must mean something… right? In the meantime, enjoy a cool Goro Majima avatar for just .49 cents.

See all the avatars after the break.

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Super Mario Maker’s unlockable Sonic the Hedgehog Amiibo skin

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sonic-super-mario-maker-amiiboIf you didn’t know, Super Mario Maker will allow you to use your Amiibos to unlock ‘skins’, in case you got bored of controlling a slightly overweight mustached man. The one above is the Sonic the Hedgehog skin, that looks like it was ripped from the first Sonic the Hedgehog on the SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive. Meaning, its actually 16-bit, yet its being used in Mario’s 8-bit NES style game. Its a shame, I’m actually a fan of the Sonic the Hedgehog‘s 8-bit look.

But what do you guys think of this unlockable? Are any of you guys picking Super Mario Maker when it comes out this September? Hit the jump to see Sonic in action after the jump.

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SEGA’s new mobile game ‘Cranky Food Friends’ gets soft launch

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cranky_food_friends
Do you like food? Do you like match four puzzle games? Then SEGA has a game for you *points directly at you*. SEGA have soft launched Cranky Food Friends, but you won’t be able to play it if you don’t live in Canada, Sweden or Norway meaning exactly no one will be able to play it right now. Not to mention it also seems to have been launched on iOS only.

Talking about mobile, SEGA has actually launched a forum for their mobile games using the SEGA.Net url, which was used during the Dreamcast era to sell their SegaNet online services. Yes, times have changed.

It seems that this game and Puzzles & Glory are going for the huge puzzle market that has been created by Candy Crush and Puzzles & Dragon. People have also been comparing the premise to ‘Crying Breakfast Friends!‘ from the hit show Steven Universe. Not very original and probably won’t appeal to your average SEGA fan.

[Edit] People are telling me that this game is a reskin of Puyo Puyo Quest!!, it seems that its Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine all over again. Puyo Puyo > Cranky Food Friends. [/Edit]

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Former SEGA employee portfolio reveals Crazy Taxi 4 pitch

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Crazy-Taxi-4
The classy people over at Sonic Stadium have found images from a portfolio of a former SEGA Studios Australia employee Brooke Luder that revealed a Crazy Taxi 4 pitch and the fact that Sonic Classic Collection on the Nintendo DS was originally going to have more games than it did. What games didn’t make the final product? Sonic Spinball, Sonic 3D Blast (aka Sonic 3D Flickies’ Island) and Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine. Sprites from Sonic Spinball and Sonic 3D Blast still made the game’s credit roll at the end.

Also part of her portfolio was a pitch made by the team to SEGA for a Crazy Taxi 4. She created the concept art you see on the header image, showing a passenger jumping from one Taxi to another. We could speculate that this was part of some gameplay mechanic that was pitched by SEGA Studios Australia for a new game.

Another pitched concept that SEGA Studios Australia was part of was a London 2012 Olympic game, but that isn’t as interesting. To see what was on her portfolio, hit the jump.

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SEGA details ‘tour mode’ for Miracle Girls Festival rhythm game

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Do you like your rhythm games with a hint of moe? Is the numerous Hatsune Miku games just not cute enough for you? Don’t worry because SEGA has Miracle Girls Festival coming out this winter in Japan exclusively to Playstation Vita.

SEGA has detailed one of the game’s main features, “Tour Mode” which will let you become a concert director while picking from over six different location venues throughout the nation (I assume nation = Japan).  You’ll preform the sets, try to get a quota of audiences to fill seats and all that jazz.

You’ll earn ‘Miracle Coins’ by playing through songs and the number of coins you receive depends on how well you do. You use said currency to unlock new songs. If you want a list of songs that will be included in the full game, hit the jump. Personally these games aren’t my style, but if you like them then this one looks… cute?

[Via: Gematsu]

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Valkyria Chronicles fan releases ‘”Gallian Crossfire” PC rebalancing mod

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Alicia-Melchiott-Valkyria-Chronicles
A Valkyria Chronicles fan calling himself Busard decided to create a balancing mod for the game on PC. One of the best aspects about PC gaming is that the fanbase can modify PC games easily and make chances they see fit. It seems that Valkyria Chronicles has gotten quite the cult fanbase on Steam, with close to half a million owners, so its no surprised we would see fan support for the game.

Download Mod – Steam Guide

The patch tries to make the game more strategic, taking away easy strategies like rushing in and tries to add diversity to the gameplay. So how do you install it? What are the patch notes? Hit the jump!

[Via: NeoGAF]

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Phantasy Star Online 2 Anime revolves around gamers playing the game

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SEGA not only revealed that Phantasy Star Online 2 was coming to Playstation 4, but they gave us a teaser for their upcoming Phantasy Star Online 2 The Animation aka the anime based around gamers that play the online RPG.

Animenewsnetwork translated the text in the trailer:

Text: With over 3.5 million user IDs
Text: Japan’s largest online RPG
Text: Phantasy Star Online 2
Text: Is finally green-lit for its anticipated
Text: TV anime adaptation!!

Text: Shouta Aoi as Itsuki Tachibana
Text: Ayaka Suwa as Rina Izumi
Text: M.A.O as Aika Suzuki

Text: Broadcast premiere slated for 2016 on TBS, BS-TBS, and other stations!

The premise of the show is that it follows the lives of players of Phantasy Star Online 2 ‘who may be near you’, taking place on Earth in the near future. Seems that someone at SEGA was inspired by Sword Art Online. The anime will hit Japanese TV stations sometime in 2016, will you watch it?

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Phantasy Star Online 2 coming to Playstation 4

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PSo2 PS4
That is right, it has just been announced via a live Phantasy Star Online 2 stream via NicoNicoLive that Phantasy Star Online 2 will be coming the the Playstation 4. Not only that, the Playstation 4 build will be playable at this year’s Tokyo Game Show (which starts next month!). Ironically enough, the Playstation 4 build of the game will co-launch with ‘Reborn: Episode 4‘ game update.

When can you play sweet, sweet Phantasy Star Online 2 on your shiny new Playstation 4? If you live in Japan, sometime in 2016 and around the same time that Reborn: Episode 4 launches. What type of content does Episode 4 have? We don’t know the details yet, but we shall keep you updated on this blog when we find out more.

What about many of us that don’t live in Japan? Tough luck, SEGA hasn’t announced plans on bringing it West. Though, if they really want the game to be reborn, maybe releasing the game world wide will do that… just a thought, you know?

 

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Shenmue interview from the Japanese ‘Dreamcast Express’ demo disc posted online

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Shenmue had a huge marketing budget and part of that budget was used to explain what the game was all about. Shenmue is a unique game and explaining the main draw was a big challenge. SEGA had lots of programs going to promote the game before its release, including the fan favorite ‘What’s Shenmue‘ demo disc (the also the VHS with the same name).

In Japan, SEGA had released discs called ‘Dreamcast Express‘ that were handed out to members of the Sega Partners Club, for free. These discs included demos, interviews and more. They where the Japanese equivalent to the ‘Dream On’ demo discs in UK and the Official Dreamcast Magazine demo discs in the US. The first volume included a special Shenmue interview with Yu Suzuki featuring a ton of unseen footage from the Shenmue series, as well as the main theme played by a live orchestra. Thankfully Shenmue Dojo has just uploaded this video on their YouTube channel and you can see it right above this post. Isn’t the internet great?

Its crazy watching a excited Yu Suzuki talk about working at SEGA for 15 years and then turn around and have to wait 14 years to announce the 3rd installment. It really has been that long!

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Sammy announces Bayonetta themed pachislot machine

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Pachislot Bayonetta

Sammy aka parent company of SEGA, has launched a teaser site for their upcoming gambling pachislot machines based on the ever popular Bayonetta IP. It seems that pachislot machines get a negative reaction but most people don’t understand that most of these products have nothing to do with SEGA Games division. This is nothing new, considering that Sammy has been using SEGA (and other) IPs to sell Pachislots for over a decade. It has been a very profitable business for ‘SEGA-Sammy Holdings‘.

Before everyone complains in the comment section about how “SEGA should have just funded Bayonetta 2 instead of this”, please understand that this is like saying “Sony should fund a new Tomba! video game on Playstation 4 instead of making The Interview”, both projects are competently different and the cost of doing a Bayonetta themed pachislot machine is way lower than creating a HD game from scratch.

I hope this means that SEGA and Sammy both find value in owning the Bayonetta IP and haven’t abandoned it. Would be nice to see SEGA do a extended version of Bayonetta 2 on other platforms outside of the dying Wii U.

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Streets of Rage 4 cancelled Dreamcast concept art makes its way online

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StreetsofRage4concept2

SEGA is well aware of the cult following that their Streets of Rage series possesses, so they have tried to resurrect the franchise but it always ends up being canceled for one reason or another. It seems that SEGA had a plan to release Streets of Rage 4, we had the first prove of this by leaked footage that was released a few years ago (you can view it here). The game was to be on the Dreamcast and was being developed by Ancient & SEGA with Yuzo Koshiro returning to do the soundtrack. The game was sadly canceled.

We have finally gotten more information on the canceled project thanks to Yuzo Koshiro posting concept art on his twitter account. He posted two sketches one showing off the four lead characters, which have some resemblance to members of the original cast but are actually all new heroes. Another photo shows off ideas for combos, on this photo we actually get the names of the Axel looking guy, who is called Burn and is the son of Axel (aka Axel Jr.). We also see the female character who’s name is Erie and happens to be a ‘Shinobi’.

What do you guys think of the canceled concept art? Do you think SEGA made a mistake cancelling this project or is this something that was going to be met with backlash? Let us know in the comments!

StreetsofRage4concept1

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New SEGA feat. Hatsune Miku Project game seemingly confirmed through fan illustration contest

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miiiiku

It’s tough to say nobody saw this coming, but yep; almost everyone’s favourite digital idol, Hatsune Miku, is seemingly getting another SEGA game.

As picked up by MikuFan, the news was revealed through a Nicovideo Livestream, in which it was announced SEGA will be partnering with Piapro (the official site for the Crypton Vocaloid characters) in collecting fan artwork for the loading screens and ending credits in a new Miku project. Of note, this has been the case with the previous Project Diva titles in particular. SEGA will be accepting a whopping 200 illustrations for the project; 100 loading screens and 100 ending credit visuals. Submissions open August 10th, and end September 11th, both at 17:00 JST; and apparently we’ll be getting more information on the submissions and such on the 10th.

Not exactly the most conventional way to confirm what’s almost certainly a Project Diva title, or perhaps even the rumoured arcade port; but it sounds like something’s coming folks! Excited? Sound off in the comments!

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