Thanks to the success of Paramount and SEGA’s Sonic the Hedgehog movies, it was only a matter of time more cinematic deals were made for other SEGA franchises to make the jump to the screen. The Hollywood Reporter has announced that SEGA has entered into a partnership with Picturestart to develop film adaptations of the Dreamcast classic Space Channel 5 and the SEGA Genesis platformer Comix Zone.
Enjoy the Ride Records have just released a limited run of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 soundtrack audio cassette tapes, limited to 250 copies, featuring the score by Tom Holkenborg. The cassettes feature UV-printed shells, meaning you get promotional graphics from the movie printed right on the tape. Pretty slick! To sweeten the deal, the case evokes Sonic the Hedgehog 2‘s video game cover art, a move that the 4K home video release also did with the steelbook. Also available is a repress of the first film’s soundtrack on vinyl, featuring a tri-color swirl. Head on over to Enjoy the Ride Records and order yours today!
TONS of SEGA Mega Drive Mini 2 and SEGA Genesis Mini 2 news today! First up, Europe WILL be getting the mini console as well. It will release October 27th alongside the Japanese and American models. At the moment we do not know if the lineup will differ for Europe, but for now it seems it will be the same as the American lineup.
In a live stream, the final Mega Drive Mini 2 titles were revealed. They are: Star Cruiser, Night Trap – MEGA CD, Mahou no Shoujo: Silky Lip, Granada, Ex-Ranza, Shin Souseiky Ragnacenty, Midnight Resistance, Chelnov, Honoo no Tokyuuji Dodge Danpei, Captain Tsubasa, Super Locomotive (arcade port), Party Quiz Mega Q 2022 (MEGA Q with modern questions), Party Quiz Sega Q (MEGA Q with SEGA questions and Takenobu Mitsuyoshi as the host), Devi & Pii (unreleased Takashi Iizuka game), VS Puyo Puyo SUN (Mega Drive port of the Saturn game), Space Harrier (remastered), Space Harrier II (remastered). If you would like more details and factoids on these titles, I suggest this Twitter thread from GSK. Personally, I am excited to see ports of Space Harrier and Spacer Harrier II that play like the arcade original.
Also revealed on the live stream were new merch, including a Mega Drive 2 keychain, business card holder and a slick travel case. It was also revealed that the console’s staff role will play over the MEGA CD loading screen, which will change according to your language settings, and the credits can be toggled on and off. Also, select games will include regional variations based on console language settings. Sadly, not ALL titles will do this with Popful Mail being one of them.
FINALLY, the full SEGA Genesis Mini 2 lineup was revealed, which can be seen in the video above. After the break, check out the full lineup for both consoles including regional exclusives in bold.
Yes, you read that right. Apparently, at the turn of the millennium, an ambitious “TV Adaptor” was planned for Game Boy Color, that would at allow it to communicate with the Sega Dreamcast via your TV screen. This was planned for release in 2000, just a couple of months before Sega would announce their departure from the console race, shocking the world.
Update: Tails’ Channel claims that two verified anonymous sources have told them “the synopsis was incorrect, and not indicative of Paramount’s current plans for the upcoming theatrical release”. Here’s my take: This does not invalidate all the information nor does it mean that this information is false. It is likely Production Weekly’s information is from earlier work on the film that has since evolved. Also, I find it odd that these sources claim the synopsis is incorrect given it is exactly what the Sonic 2 mid-credits scene sets up for a third film, yet they do not confirm or deny the mention of various characters.
Thanks to the Sonic Stadium and Sonic Paradise, we have some juicy information on Paramount’s Sonic the Hedgehog 3 which is due out December 20, 2024. The information comes from a movie industry trade, Production Weekly, which sits behind a paywall. Thankfully, Sonic Paradise bought the article and Sonic Stadium smoothed out their translation of the information, which can be found over at Sonic Stadium. You can also read the spoilery information after the break in our own words, but give Sonic Stadium a click too.
Another stream has taken place in which SEGA Japan revealed additional titles for the upcoming Mega Drive Mini 2. The titles announced include: Ecco the Dolphin (Mega CD), Ecco: Tides of Time (MEGA CD), Gain Ground, Sorcerian, Phantasy Star II (which includes an easy mode when is from the PlayStation 2 SEGA AGES release), Tougi-ou King Colossus, Populous, Sangokushi III aka Romance of the Three Kingdoms III: Dragon of Destiny (Mega Drive and Mega CD versions), Tenka Fubu: Eiyuutachi no Houkou (Mega CD), Dennin Aleste (Mega CD), Robo Aleste (US version of Dennin Aleste for SEGA CD), Shin Megami Tensei (Mega CD) and as a bonus Viewpoint (SEGA Genesis, first time released in Japan).
In all some nice surprises, a good mix of genres and some cool bonus features and regional options. After the break, check out our revised lists for both the Mega Drive Mini 2 and the SEGA Genesis Mini 2! The final Mega Drive Mini 2 announcement is August 19th, and we will be sure to news the new titles as we hear them.
SEGA soundtracks have been pouring in on vinyl for the last few years, this time we are getting Phantasy Star II from Ship to Shore. This is a limited time release, coming in a “Rolf & Nei” blue and magenta swirl vinyl. While having a big, physical copy of the Phantasy Star II soundtrack is awesome, this release also features all the original Japanese artwork by Hitoshi Yoneda. Its beautiful.
While pre-orders are open now, the vinyl won’t ship until Q4 2022.
The Sonic movie Twitter account has officially named the date for the third film, with Sonic the Hedgehog 3 set for a December 20, 2024 release date in North America. The announcement was timed with the home video release of Sonic the Hedgehog 2, which hits 4K Ultra HD, blu-ray and DVD today.
Yakuza fans are getting their first look at the eighth game in the franchise by way of a behind-the-scenes video shared by MMA fighter and YouTuber Mikuru Asakura. The video sees Mikuru Asakura visiting SEGA HQ and speaking with staff, followed by a tour of the offices and then a 3D scan of his body. The video reveals that Mikuru Asakura will play a role in Yakuza 8, and off screen footage shows Ichiban with tied back hair. An article from Famitsu states the game will feature a new town.
Another live stream has taken place in which more SEGA Mega Drive Mini 2 games have been revealed! In addition to the games announced, we got our first look at both the SEGA Genesis Mini 2 and Mega Drive Mini 2 side by side with their packaging. So what games did SEGA reveal?
SEGA Genesis Mini 2 has been revealed! Let’s talk about it. Oh, and is that Bayonetta? She’s back as well! And what’s Barry’s Beef this week? It’s Green Hill Zone.
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Publisher Nintendo and developer Platinum Games announced today that Bayonetta 3 will launch on October 28 for Nintendo Switch with a new game play trailer along with an introduction of the new playable character, Viola, who is ready to unleash hell on the Homunculi with her sword and her capricious companion, the feline demon Cheshire.
Bayonetta 3 will launch with “A Trinity Masquerade Edition” with a full-color 200-page art book, and display the whole Bayonetta trilogy with three reversible game cases, one for each title, that combine to form stunning panoramic artwork. More details regarding the Trinity Masquerade Edition will be announced in the future.
In addition, Nintendo announced it will launch the original Bayonetta as a standalone physical release on September 30. A limited number of copies will be available to pre-order via select retailers and available at launch in the My Nintendo Store at a suggested retail price of $29.99.
Source: Gematsu
Data Discs had been pretty quiet on the vinyl front, likely due to international shipping issues and other pandemic problems, but they’re picking up steam with new releases and this is a big one! Sonic Spinball is releasing to vinyl as the 25th entry in their numbered line of video game soundtracks. This isn’t Data Discs first Sonic vinyl, as the company also released Sonic CD and Sonic Mania vinyls, the latter which is seeing a repressing along with OutRun. Sonic Spinball and the rereleases release July 9th and will ship immediately. Read all the details after the break!
Since the launch of Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack, Nintendo and Sega have been updating the service with new Sega Genesis games every two months. On June 30th 2022, they surprised everyone once again with four more games for subscribers to play. This time, Expansion Pack subscribers now have access to Comix Zone (1995), Mega Man: The Wily Wars (1994), Zero Wing (1991), and Target Earth (1990). As a quick fun fact, this is the first update to the service to feature third party Sega Genesis titles since the initial launch lineup. The same four games have also been added to the Japanese NSO + EP service at the same time.
If you’ve been holding out on Phantasy Star Online 2 New Genesis to play on PlayStation 4, the wait will soon be over. In a surprise announcement at Anime Expo 22, PSO2 NGS will finally launch on PS4 in the western world on August 31st 2022. Both NGS and PSO2 will be fully playable on all PS4 and PS5 consoles, including all updates that have been made to both games up to that point. The game will also extend its cross platform compatibility so that PlayStation players can play with Xbox and PC players. You can also purchase ARKS Cash, the game’s premium currency, directly from the PlayStation Store.