Price for upcoming unreleased SEGA Mega Drive/Genesis game ‘It Came from the Desert’ revealed

141747296785

Back in July we shared the news that the unreleased SEGA Mega Drive/Genesis game It Came from the Desert was finally seeing release by way of the efforts of Watermelon Games and the original developers Cinemaware. The game, originally slated for a 1990 release, was deemed by publisher EA to be too difficult and was troubled by a game crashing bug. Watermelon Games promises that both issues will be fixed.

Until now we did not know the price of the game, and as our headline suggests, well now we do! For $55, shipping not included, fans of long lost 16-bit titles will receive the limited edition release which will contain a case and slipcover, manual, poster, and of course the cartridge. Cinemaware promises that this price is final and will not change, and that more news is to come after the holidays including the start of pre-orders in January 2015.

Learn more about Cinemaware and their work at their official site.

“Hi☆sCool! Seha Girls” anime Episode 11 is out, Impressions

seha11

Hi☆sCool! Seha Girls episode 11 is now up on Crunchyroll, and it’s time for a crossover once again!

In this episode, the girls enter the world of the Shining series, something I will right off the bat say I have next to no clue about. In slightly more familiar territory, the girls are also told by Center-Sensei (who I’m going to stop referring to as Asobin as that’s just the disguise he seems to be using) that they’ll get 15 medals if they beat the boss of the area wearing a special Phantasy Star Online 2 costume. As such, the girls enter into Shining Force Cross Exlesia to go slay some stuff.

After Burner Climax likely to be delisted from PSN and XBLA on December 24th

After Burner Climax Header

If you want to own one of the greatest SEGA arcade games from the 2000s, better buy it now as we are hearing reports that After Burner Climax will be delisted from PSN and XBLA (and potentially iOS) on December 24th. This information comes from XBLA news tweeter lifelower, and the information is believable given OutRun Online Arcade was also delisted not too long ago due to an expiring contract with Ferrari. Retro Collect speculates that After Burner Climax is being pulled for the same reason as OutRun Online Arcade – it is likely SEGA’s contract with Boeing and Northrop Gruman, plane whose jet models are used in the game, expires at the end of the year.

We’ll find out for ourselves if this delisting is a sure thing, and in the meantime if you don’t own the game yourself it really is well worth owning. Pending delisting or not! You can find the game on Xbox Live Arcade and Playstation Network for $9.99 and on the App Store and Google Play Store for just 99¢.

Sonic Boom and Mega Man X join the upcoming “Worlds Unite” Archie Comics crossover

Worlds-Unite-Sticks-and-X-Promo21-720x997

IGN have revealed that the forthcoming crossover event “Worlds Unite” will feature characters from the Sonic Boom and Mega Man X universes, as well as the normal Sonic and Classic Mega Man universes!

The mini-series will be written by Ian Flynn, with covers by Patrick “Spaz” Spaziante; no interior artist has been announced as of yet. From the looks of things, the mini-series will indeed see all four universes meet; that platform Sticks is standing on in the promo is the Item-1 of the Classic Mega Man series.

Archie Action editor Paul Kaminski said the following:

“The Sonic Boom comic series is part of the latest multi-media initiative from Sega, which includes video games, toys, and an all-new TV series on cartoon Network! Mega Man X has been a staple of video game culture for decades, and we were thrilled to begin exploring that futuristic universe in 2014’s Dawn of X storyline in the Mega Man comics! How will the slapstick antics of the ever-paranoid Sticks the Badger measure up against the futuristic action of X and the Maverick Hunters? Pick up Worlds Unite, starting this spring from Archie Action, to find out! And this is only the tip of the iceberg…”

Worlds Unite is set to kick off in Spring 2015, and you can be sure I’ll be grabbing it as soon as possible; thank goodness for import shops!

SEGA planning development of TV and film adaptations of video game properties

streets_of_rage_2_by_lost_tyrant-d3bkdr0

Variety reports that SEGA has begun planning the development of classic and modern video game franchises for film and television. SEGA has tapped Break Media executive Evan Cholfin to lead the efforts at Tokyo-based Stories International, a joint venture between SEGA and Hakuhodo DY Group launched in 2011.

The first titles SEGA plans to move forward with are “Altered Beast,” “Streets of Rage,” “Shinobi,” “Rise of Nightmares” and “Crazy Taxi”. Plans are for English-language live action and animated spinoffs. “Virtua Fighter” and “Golden Axe” are also being considered.

SEGA also has a minority investment in All Nippon Entertainment Works through a stock deal. The deal with ANEW will help the Stories group expand its efforts by gaining access to twenty Japanese rights holders with connections to films, TV shows, books, toys and manga.

With the news of a joint venture with Sony Pictures to produce a Sonic the Hedgehog movie, SEGA will have a big presence in Hollywood in the coming years! In the comments, let us know which confirmed franchise you’re most looking forward to.

Let’s Get Scratchin’! “Hi☆sCool! Seha Girls” anime Episode 10 is here, Impressions

seha10

“JET SET RADIOOOOOO!” Hi☆sCool! Seha Girls episode 10 has gone up on Crunchyroll, so “let’s look at the funk-” I mean, episode!

Today’s episode sees the girls enter the world of Jet Set Radio (or Jet Grind Radio to those of you in the US)! Asobin gives them two tasks to complete; pull off a cool trick for 5 medals, and be the first to reach a specific goal and spray graffiti of what they want to be in the future, for 15 medals! Mega Drive is unsurprisingly none too happy about the idea of skating, and attempts to fake illness; it fails, and thus the girls enter Shibuya-Cho.

SEGA and Sony partner up to bring Yakuza 5 to US and Europe

15958211645_0f295b97bd_o

SEGA certainly kept us waiting on this one but it’s finally official, Yakuza 5 is hitting European and American Playstation 3’s for 2015. Partnering with Sony and part of the #buildingthelist hashtag, Yakuza 5 was one of the most requested titles and the dream is finally real. Talking about the announcement, series creator and software division head Toshihiro Nagoshi had this to say;

“After receiving so many requests from fans of the series, we have decided to bring Yakuza 5 to the US and Europe. This title was enjoyed by over one million gamers in Japan. I’m looking forward to seeing how Yakuza 5 will be received by the gamers in the U.S. and Europe.”

So far the only information we have is that the title will be available digitally via Playstation Network but that wasn’t all, also announced was Yakuza 4 and Yakuza: Dead Souls will also be released on Playstation Network.

“Hi☆sCool! Seha Girls” anime Episode 9 is out, with Chain Chronicle

seha9

Hi☆sCool! Seha Girls episode 9 has gone up on Crunchyroll, which means it’s time for my to roll out some impressions!

This week’s episode sees the girls enter the world of Chain Chronicle. If you don’t know what Chain Chronicle is… well, join the club, as before this episode I honestly had no idea either; my SEGA knowledge only extends so far, sadly! For those unaware, it’s an RPG for smartphones and Playstation Vita in Japan, and apparently SEGA and mobile games publisher gumi inc. are teaming up to distribute it elsewhere, meaning soon it might actually land in Western territories. Anyways, initially the girls harbour some reluctance to enter the smartphone as opposed to the TV, and a not-so-subtle dig is taken at the smartphone-isation of gaming today, including what I can only guess is a joke about the fate of SEGA for good measure!

SEGA announces Total War Battles: Kingdom coming to PC, Mac and Tablets

Seems that Creative Assembly’s free-to-play title Total War Battles: Kingdom is finally getting a closed beta on PC, SEGA confirmed today.

Total War Battles: Kingdom is being developed by Creative Assembly’s Digital Team (responsible for Total War Battles: Shogun), this entry will take you to the 10th century, unique time period weapons and plenty decisions to make. The game will feature kingdom building,  sim style gameplay and of course tactical battles across multiple devices.

Do you want to participate in the game’s beta? Sign up right here.

SEGA announces new rhythm arcade game ‘Chunithm’

SEGA has just announced another rhythm arcade game, this time called Chunithm, that has already been hitting CLUB SEGA Akihabra since November 28th. This new rhythm game joins SEGA’s last few rhythm games such as Crackin DJ, Project Diva and MaiMai.

Chunithum is also set to have songs from MaiMai in it. SEGA will be giving away a limited mini-soundtrack album to promote the new arcade. You can see the cabinet design and cover to the mini-soundtrack below. Am I the only one waiting for Virtua Fighter 6? What is this? What…

SEGA reveals new traumatic DLC for Alien: Isolation

The latest DLC for Alien: Isolation‘s Survivor Mode is now available for you to download. This DLC is dubbed “Trauma” as it introduces Sevastopol’s medical officer, Dr. Lingard, as a playable character. You will control Dr. Lingard as you explore three new maps as she seeks to destroy her research on the Alien creature. The DLC has launched on PC,  Xbox One and of course Xbox 360. Sadly Sony gamers will have to wait for the store to update Thursday to get it on Playstation 3 and Playstation 4.

Trauma is the second DLC pack of five that SEGA is set to release and will join the first DLC titled ‘Corporate Lockdown’, that launched in October. The next pieces of DLC are set to be titled ‘Safe Haven’, ‘Lost Contact’ and ‘The Trigger’. You can get all the DLC for $30 in the game’s season pass, which is half off right now on Steam. Each DLC is priced at $8 individuality or you can just wait for the Game of the Year edition later next year, but that’s none of my business.

Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric demo coming to Wii U eShop

SonicWiiU

I’m sure you guys all want to get your hands on Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric just to see if this game is as big of a train wreck as most people are saying online. Guess what? SEGA will give you the chance on December 4th, when a demo will hit the Wii U eShop.

This isn’t the first Sonic the Hedgehog game to get a post-launch demo, this also happen with Sonic Team’s Sonic Lost World also on the Wii U. The demo will be available on both European and American Wii U eShops this Thursday. Now my only question is if they are actually going to patch and fix some of these glaring issues in the game? If its like past games, I’m going to assume they will ignore that the game ever existed and so will we.

Duncan Gutteridge is attending Weston Super Sonic 2015

wssduncan

Upcoming UK Sonic convention Weston Super Sonic has announced another guest, this time in the form of Duncan Gutteridge! 

Duncan’s work for Sonic goes as far back as 1993, as he illustrated every single piece of artwork in the official Sonic the Hedgehog calendar for that year; this artwork was later used in various pieces of Sonic merchandise throughout the 90s, and it’s now rather iconic! If that wasn’t awesome enough, he’s also the man behind the cover art for the SEGA Mega Drive hit, Streets of Rage II! 

This guest announcement is the latest in along line of amazing reveals: Weston Super Sonic previously announced that fellow Sonic the Comic legends Richard Elson, Nigel Kitching, Carl Flint and Ferran Rodriguez will also be in attendance, and that Mike Pollock, the voice of the nefarious Dr Eggman, will be conducting a live Skype Q&A at the event. There’s also activities like speedrun tournaments and art contests taking place during the day!

The event has already been successful, as all of tickets have sold out! However, don’t fear if you can’t make it, as SEGABits will be there, and provide impressions of the day!

Plenty of details are available on the official Weston Super Sonic website, for those who do plan to go!

“Hi☆sCool! Seha Girls” anime Episode 8 is out, Impressions inside

seha8Hi☆sCool! Seha Girls episode 8 is on Crunchyroll right now, and that can only mean it’s impressions time!

In today’s episode, the Academy is anticipating the upcoming Cultural Festival, “Shock to the Brain! No spillage, but we’ll destroy the barriers of the spillage-obsessed Youth! Sehagaga Academy Fair!” The “spillage” in question, if you couldn’t guess from last week’s translation, is about… well, breasts, shall we say. The girls brainstorm ideas for a good exhibit, with Saturn suggesting a haunted house, then dancing (which Mega Drive quickly shoots down, referring to the Space Channel 5 mess) and then Dreamcast combines the two; terrify people with Mega Drive’s dancing! Unsurprisingly, along with the haunted house concept comes some choice footage of The House of the Dead 2!

Humble SEGA Bundle features Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, NiGHTS and more

SEGA and Humble Bundle have teamed up once again to help charity and sell cheap PC games for the next two weeks. This time around you can get Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, NiGHTS Into Dreams, the Dreamcast Collection and DLC for Total War: Rome II and Football Manager 2015 for any price you want as long as it’s at least $1. If you pay more than the average amount you’ll also get Empire: Total War, Company of Heroes 2 DLC and other games that will be added to the bundle later on. Then there’s the $12 tier, and if you pay more than that you’ll get the standalone Fall of the Samurai expansion for Total War: Shogun 2. Finally, if you pay more than $50 you’ll get a nifty looking Dreamcast t-shirt.

Aside from this bundle, there are also various other SEGA games on sale in the Humble Store. The most notable deal on there probably being Alien: Isolation for 50% off, however that deal is only for today so you have to be quick. Other games on sale we recommend are The Typing of the Dead: Overkill, Warhammer 40K: Space Marine, Hell Yeah! Wrath of the Dead Rabbit and of course Binary Domain.