Box-art and Release Dates for Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric and Shattered Crystal Revealed

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We already knew that both Sonic Boom games will be coming out in this November, but now we know when exactly we can expect them to be in stores. In the US Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric will be released on November 18th, while Shattered Crystal will be out a week earlier on November 11th. We don’t know yet when the games will be released in Europe, but this post will be updated when we do.

Along with these dates SEGA released the box covers as well, both of which feature Sonic looking at the customer and doing something potentially threatening. The Wii U box has a Nintendo Network logo on it, meaning the game does have some sort of online functionality.

 

SEGA releases new Sonic Boom behind-the-scenes video and reveals non-player characters

No doubt in anticipation of San Diego Comic Con, SEGA has released a new behind-the-scenes video for Sonic Boom the TV series as well as a SEGA Blog post revealing the characters that will populate the video game and TV show universe. The new characters, seen after the break, will serve as NPCs for the games and supporting cast members for the TV show, although not all characters will make the jump from video games to television.

SEGA reveals their Comic Con plans – SEGAbits to report live from San Diego

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Another convention is on the horizon, and once again SEGAbits leaves no fan left behind as we’re set to invade San Diego Comic Con

SEGAbits writers nuckles87 and Shigs will be providing coverage from the event, attending panels and checking out SEGA’s video game offerings. On the panel side of things, we will be attending the Archie Comics panel for the new Sonic Boom comic book series as well as Blake J. Harris’s Console Wars panel featuring Tom Kalinske (Sega of America), Al Nilsen (Sega of America), Bill White (Nintendo of America), and Perrin Kaplan (Nintendo of America), as well as Julian Rosenberg, producer of the upcoming Console Wars documentary. If we’re lucky we might even get some one-on-one time with Blake, Tom, and Al!

SEGA Amusements’ Transformers Human Alliance heads to Japan


 
SEGA Amusements’ Transformers Human Alliance, which has been out in the West since early this year and had tests in the US and China before that, has officially made its way to Japan! SEGA of Japan recently launched an official website for the game, as well as the above preview video. The rail shooter, which also features the occasional QTE, should feel familiar to those who have played SEGA’s Let’s Go Jungle! and earlier SEGA arcade classics like Gunblade N.Y. and L.A. Machineguns.

Now, whether you live in the East or the West, you have no excuse not to check this game out!

SEGA and MJD Interactive bringing Alien: Isolation augmented reality game to San Diego Comic Con

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San Diego Comic Con is fast approaching, and SEGA has some unique plans for The Creative Assembly’s upcoming Alien: Isolation. In collaboration with MJD Interactive, SEGA will allow attendees to play a mobile game created to promote the upcoming first-person horror title. Players will use a motion tracker to keep track of a digital alien as the player traverses the convention. The end goal is to find a seven foot tall alien egg hidden somewhere at the event. SEGA is also teasing that things besides an alien and an egg will be hidden, waiting to be found. What happens once players find the giant egg? SEGAbits will be attending San Diego Comic Con, so when the event hits we’ll be sure to check this out and report back!

New Sonic soundtrack revealed: “Passion & Pride: Anthems with Attitude from the Sonic Adventure Era”

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A listing has popped up on Amazon Japan, revealing a new Sonic the Hedgehog soundtrack is to be released September 10th 2014.

According to the listing, “Passion & Pride: Anthems with Attitude from the Sonic Adventure Era,” is a commemorative release set to mark the 15th anniversary of Sonic Adventure for the SEGA Dreamcast.

As translated by Miles Wolf of Sonic Reikai, the album’s description reads:

In commemoration of the 15th anniversary of Sonic Adventure’s launch on North America, we have made an album with the character songs of this series. Because of all the request we received, it will include the instrumental versions of the themes. It’s a disc that any Sonic fan can’t miss.

This is pretty awesome news, as whilst Sonic Adventure 2’s character themes got instrumental releases as part of the Sonic Adventure 2: Cuts Unleashed soundtrack, Sonic Adventure’s vocal themes have never seen an official instrumental release.

The soundtrack comes on 2 discs, and costs ¥3,240, roughly $32 or £19. Currently, there is next to no other information, but we’ll be sure to update if any more information comes to light such as track listing. 

Are you going to pick up the soundtrack? Let us know!

SEGA Toys releases robotic cat and baby chick, much to the surprise of real cats

New from SEGA Toys, the creators of Wappy Dog and home to the SEGA Pico in its later days, comes Yume Neko Celeb, a white robotic cat. Retailing for 11,000 yen and released yesterday, the cat snuggles, purs and meows. Some might say this is just like a real cat, but being a cat owner myself, there is a 90% chance that a real cat will bite or scratch you if you attempt any of these things. Thankfully, Yume Neko Celeb has not been programmed to harm humans… yet.

Released on the same day is a yellow chick robot called Yume Hiyoko, which moves its wings and chirps. I for one welcome our new robot overlords. After the break, check out an extended video for Yume Neko Celeb and Yume Hiyoko.

Updated: Archie Comics set to release Sonic Boom comic series

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Update: It seems Archie’s subscription page was posted too soon, as the page is now down and IGN has posted an official exclusive (whoops!) unveiling of the new series. IGN reveals that the series will be written by Ian Flynn with art by Evan Stanley. Also, the premiere issue will have four variant covers that link up when you put them next to each other (seen after the break). SEGA and IGN promise that more will be revealed during next week’s San Diego Comic Con. In a short interview with Flynn and Stanley, the first story arc has been revealed to be 80 pages long and “sets the comical, whimsical tone for the series”. The duo also promised that the series will feature “some over-arching stuff going on from issue to issue that builds up to some REALLY awesome happenings a little later on down the line.”

Original article: Archie Comics  has just announced that it is developing a new comic book adaptation of the upcoming Sonic Boom TV series and video games. This adaptation will be its own stand alone series outside of the Archie continuity. Below is a description of the new Sonic comic series taken from Archie’s site.

Altered Beast: Stage 1 Boss Aggar now in statue form

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Do you love Altered Beast? Nothing like punching strange ghouls and collecting power ups that make your shirt rip due to your outstanding muscle tone. Remember the first stage’s boss named Aggar? Now you can get an toy replica so he can sit on your desk.

“Welcome to your doom!”

The figure is available to pre-order through the Japanese website called: Geek Life. A bit pricey for 11,88o yen (aka $116.74 USD), but you can’t put a price on nostalgia sometimes. They even have a full print Altered Beast shirt to go with it

SEGA has ‘no plans’ to bring retro games to the Wii U eShop

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SEGA Japan has been going crazy porting over Game Gear and other classics under their ‘3D Sega Classics’ brand on the 3DS eShop. But so far there hasn’t been any announcements for any Wii U ports.

Seems that Wii U owners can stop wondering because the question has been answered by Yosuke Okunari, a producer at SEGA. He stated that there are no plans on SEGA supporting the Wii U Virtual Console. You can read his tweet after the jump.

Phantasy Star Nova getting a Japanese demo this August

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If you have a Vita and access to the Japanese PSN, you should get a bit pumped up since Phantasy Star Nova demo will be coming next month. The demo is set to have a boss fight and some exploration sections, giving the user a feel for the full game that will be coming later this fall.

SEGA will also hold a Phantasy Star events on July 26th and August 3rd at Sapporo Convention center and Port Messe in Japan. Sadly  for us Westerners, there hasn’t been a announcement if this title is coming West.

Alien: Isolation pre-order content reunites the original film cast


 
SEGA’s Alien: Isolation tease has been revealed, and it’s a big one! Fans (or anybody for that matter) who pre-order the game will receive exclusive DLC in the form of two bonus missions starring Sigourney Weaver (Ellen Ripley), Tom Skerritt (Dallas), Veronica Cartwright (Lambert), Harry Dean Stanton (Brett), Yaphet Kotto (Parker) and Ian Holm (Ash, likeness and sound-alike). The missions will place the player in two classic scenes from the movie, allowing fans to relive memories of the original Alien in the first person perspective. The content and the game will be released as the Nostromo Edition, which is a free upgrade for those who pre-ordered – so not unlike SEGA’s recent bonus editions. After the break, read the full press releases and check out a gallery of images from the DLC.

Welcome to the 3D Zone! 3D Fantasy Zone II Double coming to the 3DS in Japan!


SEGA has announced that their 12th 3D project is coming to the Nintendo eShop next week and happens to be none other than 3D Fantasy Zone II Double! The 3D remake will feature two game modes combined.

One is titled “The Tears of Opa Opa” which is the original game and a new game mode called “Link Loop Land” which seems to be a score attack/ endless mode to determine how far the player can go. Along with Link Loop Land comes a unique game mechanic called the LINK gauge. The LINK gauge will increase when you WIN the coin and will continue to decrease over time.

The game is set for release on Nintendo eShop in Japan on July 16th. US and EU dates for the game has yet to be announced. In the mean time, there are a couple of 3D SEGA Classics to check out in the Nintendo eShop for a cheap price to try out now in US and EU territories.

Swingin’ Report Show #66: Interview with Roger Craig Smith, voice of Batman, Sonic the Hedgehog, and many more!


 
This week on the Swingin’ Report Show, hosts Barry and George welcome a guest who has helped shape the sound of SEGA’s speedy mascot – Roger Craig Smith, voice actor of Sonic the Hedgehog! Roger is also well known for voicing Batman, Captain America, Chris Redfield, Ezio Auditore, and more. Recent projects include Batman: Arkham Origins which features the recently released “Cold, Cold Heart” DLC pack and SEGA’s Sonic Boom which spans video games and a television show which release later this year.

Join us as we talk with Roger about voicing Gotham’s Dark Knight and Green Hill’s Blue Blur. Roger also provides details on how he got into the business, and has some great advice for aspiring voice actors. Yes, we even asked him about his work on Valkyria Chronicles and his earliest work as Sonic at Alton Towers.

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Project Diva F & SEGA Booth at Anime Expo

So, if you didn’t know, SEGA America was at Anime Expo with a big booth dedicated to Hatsune Miku. This booth looks to be much bigger then the presence Project Diva had at E3. If you watch the video you will see a lot of cosplaying people, people playing Project Diva F, and bits of the Project Diva F tournament. So, if you want to see how the pros play, watch this video. Overall, it looks like it was a fun time!

If you are interested in the official tournament rankings, check out the official tournament brackets.