Demon Tribe iOS to shut down March 31, 2014 – four months after Western launch

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Despite launching in late November of last year for the West, and in late February last year in Japan, SEGA has made the decision to shut down services for the iOS title Demon Tribe on March 31, 2014. The announcement, made on Facebook and detailed on Demon Tribe’s website, stated the following:

Since we began service in Japan on February 28, 2013, we have put every effort into improving the game’s systems and operations, and providing enjoyable in-game events. Unfortunately, at this point we are unable to continue to give Demon Tribe the support it deserves. After careful consideration of all aspects of the needs of our players and the game’s development, we have arrived at the very difficult decision to end game services in all territories.

The development and operations teams are very grateful to all our players who have enjoyed and supported Demon Tribe, and we look forward to sharing future adventures with you.

In an FAQ following the announcement, the reason for service ending was “We are unable to provide a satisfactory level of service for our players, and have had to make the very difficult decision to end service.”

SEGA has announced 2014’s Virtua Fighter tournament – the “SEGA CUP”

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SEGA of America is once again hosting a Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown tournament in the form of the “SEGA CUP”. The tournament, created in partnership with Alex Valle and Level|Up, is set to take place in Los Angeles, California at the Super Arcade on April 26, 2014 and The top 16 players will be rewarded cash prizes. The PS3 version will be the version used for the tournament, so start training those fingers on a DualShock!

SEGA says that details about how to participate in the “SEGA CUP” will be announced at a later date. For more information on the “SEGA CUP”, visit sega.com/segacup

SEGA in the Charts: MediaCreate Charts Jan 20 – Jan 26 2014

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SEGA’s latest dance rhythm title Utakumi 575 has entered the Japanese chart at 13th selling 9,701 units, managing to sell between 40% – 60% of the initial shipment sent to retailers (Roughly between 16,168 – 24,252) Considering the push SEGA is giving the title (Complete with an animated series that has been airing from January 8th this year) it is no doubt selling well below SEGA’s expectations. SEGA would be hoping that they could enjoy stronger sales in the coming month from their software. With Project Diva f 2nd, Ryu Ga Gotoku Ishin and Phantasy Star Online 2 Episode 2 on the horizon, SEGA should hopefully make up for the failure of their latest stab at the dance rhythm genre.

Yakuza Ishin Japanese tv spots released

SEGA has released two 16 second ad spots for their upcoming PS3/PS4 game, Yakuza Ishin. These J-pop infused spots showcase Ishin’s slick PS4 graphics, game play and storyline, pumping Japanese gamers up for its impending release on  February 22nd. There is currently no word on whether or not Ishin will be localized for the West.

Puyo Puyo Tetris trailer drops from above to the internet

Here is a trailer for Sonic Team’s Puyo Puyo Tetris coming out on Feb 6th for 3DS, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, and Wii U. This trailer is actually a bit old, but we figured most people in the west haven’t seen it, so we would post it anyways. If you haven’t seen on our article on why you should be interested in Puyopuyo Tetris, check it out!

I played the demo last night on PSN for a bit. I found it quite fun. Forgot how fun Puyo Puyo and Tetris were. We really should make some noise to get this game localized… I know, another game to add to the huge list of games we want SEGA to localize, but this one should be fairly low budget compared to some other ones.

New Yakuza Ishin video compares the PS3 and PS4 versions


An exciting new video has hit promoting both the PS3 and PS4 versions of Ryū ga Gotoku Ishin!, due for a release in Japan on February 22, 2014. The comparison video, shared in our forums by maakun2896, not only shows off gameplay footage, but they even detail the differences in controllers and package design. No word on a release to the West just yet, but the game is looking so good that many fans have already decided to import rather than wait. Are you planning on importing the game, or are you a lucky soul living in Japan? Sound off in the comments below, or discuss the game further in our dedicated forum topic!

Alien: Isolation screenshot shows off freakishly large Alien

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It hasn’t been long since the last batch of screenshots for Alien: Isolation by The Creative Assembly that SEGA are already rolling out some new screenshots featuring the universe’s deadliest killer. This time we get to see the titular antagonist sheer size as he appears hunched back and wandering through the space station Sevastopol for the protagonist, Amanda Ripley. But that’s not all as we also get confirmation for the first time that androids will be appearing and one poor individual seemingly to have come face to face with the Xenomorph. Hit the jump to see all the new screenshots.

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Steam: Play Company of Heroes 2 for free this weekend, purchase the title for 66% off

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Hey, have you always wanted to try Company of Heroes 2 but not sure if you would be too into the RTS aspect of the game? No problems, if you have Steam installed you just have to click here to install the game and play it for free this weekend. Yep, the whole game and that also includes multiplier!

Also the all the multiplayer commanders are also free to try during the weekend. So, don’t be scared. Go ahead and if you really like the game you can purchase it for $13.59.

Rumor: Project Y screenshots leaked?

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2014 truly is the year of the SEGA console, as both the Dreamcast and the Genesis will be receiving new games from several talented indie developers. Indie developer WaterMelon Games, the creator of Pier Solar for SEGA Genesis and soon to be released on the Dreamcast, is currently at work on a new RPB (Beat ’em all, with elements of an RPG) entitled Project Y. Apparently, screens from the game have been leaked on Twitter. WaterMelon Games has yet to confirm whether or not these screens are real, but if they are, this game is looking to be a real beaut!

SEGA has some of the top selling games in UK for 2013

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MCV UK has released a list of the top selling 100 games for 2013 in the UK. SEGA has got quite a few titles on the list. Looks like UK residents like them some Aliens Colonial Marines, Football Manager, and some Sonic 🙂

  • 26. Aliens: Colonial Marines (Sega)
  • 39. Football Manager 2014 (Sega)
  • 45. Sonic/All Stars Racing Transformed (Sega)
  • 51. Football Manager 2013 (Sega)
  • 72. Sonic Generations (Sega)
  • 87. Mario & Sonic London 2012 Olympic Games (Sega)

Thanks to Aki-at on the forums for sharing the news. Aki is quite intelligent and used to write up articles on financial reports for us. I’ve included what he thinks about the sales after the jump if you are interested in seeing what Aki thinks.

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Yakuza Restoration will run at 60fps on Playstation 4

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This week’s Dengeki Playstation magazine has confirmed that the Playstation 4 version of Yakuza Restoration will run at a smooth 60 FPS.

Other than that the game will also support some special features on the Dualshock 4 controller. You can control the map using the touchpad and the light bar on the controller flashes when taking damage. Not as huge as 60 frames per second, but still nice.

The game supports Remote Play and also has a special streaming feature that shows viewer comments on the screen, sorta how they do it on NicoNico Live. But that isn’t everything, the more comments the quicker your recovery time when you’re down and also the rate your parameters fill up.

Yakuza Restoration is coming to both PS3 and PS4 on February 22nd in Japan. No Western release plans have been announced.

SEGA Amusement to show off Storm Racer G At EAG2014


EAG Expo 2014 is a new trade show that will be held on January 21st to the 23rd in London. SEGA has announced that they will be showing ‘14 exciting new titles plus 11 current hit games‘ at the show. One of those titles? Storm Racer G!

Storm Racer G is not being developed by SEGA, but by a Chinese company known as Wahlap. SEGA will be bringing and representing the game for the Western markets. Developer Wahlap describes the game as:

Storm Racer G is a Classic Arcade Racing Game. The game contains of 12 Tracks with 6 Hidden Tracks; a Total of 14 Cars with 7 Hidden Cars. With full force feedback steering wheel and vibration speakers to simulate car response, it brings you a real racing car driving experience.

The game, if you see the trailer above is looking a bit old school with those graphical effects. Who knows, maybe its a good thing?

Hero Bank cashing in and getting an Anime series

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If you saw previews for SEGA’s 3DS game Hero Bank and thought it looked like a kid anime, guess what? Now it is, Hero Bank will be getting an animated show airing on TV Tokyo starting this April.

If you have been following our Hero Bank updates, you will know the game is about Kaito Gosho, a young kid who discovers that he is one billion yen in debt. So how would he get the money to pay off his debt? He enters the world of ‘Hero Bank’, a speedy high-tech robot battle ring, where everything you do runs on cash. Every time you do an attack you pay, every time you block you pay. You get the idea.

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UPDATE: Shenmue’s Ryo Hazuki now available as DLC in Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed for PC


 
Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed‘s Steam store page has updated with the addition of Ryo Hazuki DLC! Unlike past additions to the PC version of the game, Ryo does not appear as a free update, but rather has to be purchased for $1.59. Riding in a trio of classic SEGA arcade machines (Hang-On, Space Harrier, and OutRun), Ryo just about beats Ages in terms of fan-service. But the real question is, who would win in a race? Daytona USA’s Hornet, or Ryo in an OutRun cabinet? Only one way to find out…

Rhythm Thief & the Paris Caper now available on the App Store

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SEGA’s 2012 Nintendo 3DS title Rhythm Thief & the Emperor’s Treasure has made the transition to iOS with Rhythm Thief & the Paris Caper, available now on the iTunes App Store for $9.99. The game is seemingly a port of the 2012 title, with some new gameplay elements, additions like character costumes, and the ability to purchase R coins to speed up your in-game progress. Rhythm Thief & the Emperor’s Treasure was a handheld favorite of ours here at SEGAbits in 2012, so it will be interesting to see how Paris Caper stacks up.

After the break, full details on the game and a gallery of screenshots.