SEGA News

Aliens: Colonial Marines “Bug Mode” coming in March

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We posted that Aliens: Colonial Marines was going to get a season pass, this obviously means that DLC was going to be announced very soon and guess what? Here is the first pack, titled “Bug Mode”. If you pick up the upcoming Aliens: Colonial Marines at Wal-Mart, you will get the Bug Mode DLC for free. How much does it cost solo? Well, Gearbox Software  or SEGA haven’t revealed that just yet. Wal-Mart says its a ‘$14.99 dollar value’.

We also posted about the season pass DLC here before, back then the season pass  was only confirmed for PC. Now Gearbox has confirmed it for all consoles. You pay $29.99 dollars now and you recieve all four DLC packs at a discounted rate. If the first ‘Bug Mode’ is going to cost $14.99, then that is a pretty good deal. Bug Mode will basically be Horde Mode (Gears of War) or Invasion Mode (Binary Domain). Basically you and friends take on waves of enemies that increase in difficulty as you progress.

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Giant egg appears in London, Billy Hatcher fans sad to learn it is Aliens: Colonial Marines related

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ITV is reporting on a bit of bizarre marketing from SEGA West, in which a giant 20 foot tall alien egg has on the lawn of London’s Potters Field Park today. The egg is reported to be guarded by Colonial Marines who are also on the lookout for a Xenomorph. ITV appears to be the first to report on the marketing event, and given the quality photos credited to Lunch PR, it could be that SEGA tasked Lunch PR to put this event together and the PR agency reached out to ITV to “report” on the event. Once we learn more about the event, and receive more photos, we’ll be sure to share!

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Microsoft didn’t aquire SEGA due to lack of ‘muscle’

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Right now Microsoft is a big player in the game console race, but a decade ago they weren’t in the same position as they are now. Like a bad stereotype, before Microsoft entered the market with the Xbox, there were tons of rumors about them purchasing a gaming company, and one of those comapnies was SEGA.

So why didn’t Microsoft ever pick up SEGA? Well, according to then-CEO Bill Gates, he thought that the house of Sonic lacked the ‘muscle’ to compete with a company like Sony. This is what Joachim Kempin, who worked at Microsoft from 1983 to 2003, had to say:

“There were three companies at that point in time, I think this was [Sony,] Sega and Nintendo. There was always talk maybe we buy Sega or something like that; that never materialized, but we were actually able to license them what they call Windows CE, the younger brother of Windows, to run on their system and make that their platform. But for Bill [Gates] this wasn’t enough, he didn’t think that Sega had enough muscle to eventually stop Sony so we did our own Xbox thing.”

He did state that SEGA was “a very different bird” which we can all agree. But its not like they hated everything SEGA did, I mean, they did put the Xbox in the hands of Dreamcast era SEGA COO Peter Moore.

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After Burner Climax available now on iOS for $2.99

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After announcing the title just three days ago, After Burner Climax for iOS has today appeared on the App Store for $2.99. The game is described as follows:

After Burner Climax is fast and frantic arcade-style action, putting you in the cockpit of the world’s fastest fighter plane. Dodge planes, rockets and bullets while trying to target multiple on-screen enemy aircraft. Built for all skill levels, everyone will be able to take to the air and blaze through a branching storyline of over 20 stages. Unlock achievements along the way to activate exclusive power ups using your experience and expertise.

Features include the ability to choose from three fighter planes: the F-14D Super Tomcat by Northrop Grumman, the F-15E Strike Eagle or F/A-18E Super Hornet by Boeing. Each fighter plane has four paint schemes to choose from. In addition to the 20+ stages, the game features Arcade Mode, Score Attack Mode and Climax Mode. iOS features include Airplay support, HDMI support, Retina Display on iPhone 4/4S/5 and iPad 3rd and 4th Gen, and iPad Mini support. After the break, check out a gallery of images of the game running on both iPhone and iPad.

Update: SEGA’s message to Android users: “Android version is coming out too, just around the corner!”

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Aaron Webber to host Behind the Scenes of Sonic the Hedgehog panel at AOD 2013

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The Sonic Stadium is reporting that Sonic Brand Manager Aaron Webber, also known as Ruby Eclipse on various social platforms, will be hosting a panel at Animation On Display 2013 entitled “Super Sonic: Behind the Scenes of Sonic the Hedgehog”. The panel is described as follows:

Explore the rise, fall, and recent resurgence of Sonic the Hedgehog in games and other media. An in-depth, behind-the-scenes look at Sonic’s creation, his rise to fame in the early 90′s, and his transition into 3D and the present day. Bring your questions and your passion for Sonic – all are welcomed! With Aaron Webber, Brand Manager, SEGA America

The event itself takes place from February 16th-17th at Hotel Kabuki in San Francisco, CA. The Sonic panel takes place on Saturday February 16th at 3pm PST in the Live Events 1 room. Early registration closes today, and tickets can be purchased here. Many fans are speculating that the next Sonic title will be revealed at the event, and this lines up with a rumor that the next main series Sonic title will be revealed mid-February. It is also important to note that Ken Pontac, the writer responsible for co-writing Sonic Colours and Sonic Generations, will also be at AOD 2013 and early materials list Ken as a writer for an upcoming Sonic game.

Update: Aaron has clarified for us on Twitter just what to expect from the panel: “Like the title and description read, it’s a look at Sonic’s history, from creation to now. No new game announcements – sorry! :)”

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SEGA of Japan teasing new game – most likely a Japanese release of the Korean game Chaos Online

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SEGA of Japan have posted up a teaser site for an upcoming game, with the date of “2.12” being the only text floating atop a series of painted fantasy lanscapes. Could it be a new Phantasy Star? A Sonic Chronicles 2? Shenmue 1.5: How Goro Got His Groove Back? No, the game being teased is in fact a Korean massive online battle arena game known as Chaos Online. Most likely, SEGA will be localizing and releasing it for Japan. As you can see after visiting the site, the above image appears in the rotation, without the character and game logo of course. Most likely, the game will not be released outside of Japan, so as they say “move along, move along”.

Thanks to SEGAbits forum members Trippled and Aki-at for the news tip and for solving the mystery.

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Breaking down and explaining the SEGA Sammy Q3 2013 results

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Numbers nerds rejoice, SEGA has released their 3rd quarter earnings for 2013! Of course, to the average SEGA fan, it’s a lot to take in and a bit difficult to work out the positives and negatives. Thankfully, the SEGAbits community has members who know their stuff. So a big thanks to Aki-at for sharing the news and making sense of the many PDFs. Overall net profits currently stand at ¥3 billion (£20,433,810/$32,003,400), this is from an original ¥7 billion which dropped to ¥3 billion due to costs. SEGA arcade sales operating profits were ¥2,6 billion (£17,742,998/$27,993,160) while the consumer division profited ¥519 million (£3,541,775.37/$5,587,865.40) and arcade centers profited ¥984 million (£6,715,042.32/$10,594,334.40).

Sammy, meanwhile, recorded ¥7.7 billion operating profits (£52,512,691/$82,168,240), a decrease from last year’s ¥71 billion (£483,600,170/$757,413,800). It is important to note, however, that the arcade division had no new major titles being sold and that some pachislot machines were delayed. A Fist of the Northstar pachislot machine was forecasted to sell over 200,000 units. As such, numbers were adjusted to account for this changing the net income projection down from  ¥40 billion to ¥12 billion.

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SEGA details Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed 3DS with new screens and info

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The SEGA Blog has today revealed new screens and details regarding the Nintendo 3DS release of Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed. The screens, seen after the break, look rather jaggy and blurry. However, as we’ve seen the game looks a lot better when it is actually being played, which is typically the case with 3DS titles when it comes to screenshots. The game is still set for a February 8, 2013 release in Europe and a February 12, 2013 release in North America. Other features include:

  • StreetPass challenges and features
  • The ability to play with up to seven friends using multi cart or single cart play
  • 22 playable SEGA All-stars characters
  • Over 20 tracks and arenas

Also noted, like the other versions of the game there will be a bonus edition available for a limited time. Bonus edition content features: Metal Sonic along with his transforming vehicle and Mod Pack, an additional Outrun Bay Track plus challenges and time trials, and stickers for your in-game driver’s license.

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Sixteen minutes of Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed 3DS gameplay footage

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Despite being a week away, there has been a severe lack of Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed gameplay footage. That is, until today! YouTube user Dafstervideos has uploaded a whopping sixteen and a half minutes of gameplay footage. I have to say, the game is looking surprisingly good, for a handheld port of a console title. It is far better looking than the DS version of the first game, that’s for sure. Give the video a watch and let us know what you think of the 3DS iteration. The game is due to release in the EU on the 8th, and in the US on the 12th.

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New long Phantasy Star Online 2 Vita trailer is long

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SEGA Japan has released a new trailer for Phantasy Star Online 2 for the Playstation Vita. The PC version has been released in Japan since early last year and now they are preparing to release the Vita version this February. Yes, the Vita version will also be free to download and play, which of course is awesome.

The best news? You will be able to play with PC players on the Vita and also use ‘character data transfer’.

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First look at Sonic Universe #52

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We already know that Archie Comics was planning on doing a Sonic the Hedgehog x Mega Man crossover entitled “Worlds Collide”. This new first look at Sonic Universe #52 takes place five issues into the new exciting arc (which is set to be 12 issues long).

Patrick “SPAZ” Spaziante has cover duty. Check out the variants allowing you to choose eitther Team Sonic or Team Mega Man. I think you all know who I’m rooting for. Hit the jump for more information.

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GameStop posts Aliens: Colonial Marines DLC season pass prices

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Sadly SEGA has had a pretty bad history of DLC, sometimes promising that they will release content for a game then hush up after they release a few pieces of content. It seems they will try to fix this issue with Aliens: Colonial Marines by offering season passes priced at $29.99 (this price being 33% off if you buy the four packs they include individually). It is said that these packs will include new “campaign content, additional multiplayer maps, new modes, character customization and more.”

One more tidbit, the season passes are only being posted for the PC version of the game. I’m assuming they will also be released for their console brethren, but who knows. Remember SEGA dropping support for AVP on consoles? Could the console version of this game also be an inferior version? I guess we will find out when it is released.

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Updated: Code of Joker revealed to be a Japanese digital card arcade game

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Move along, folks. Nothing to see here. SEGA of Japan’s mystery game, Code of Joker, has been revealed by Famitsu to be a digital card game for mobile phones arcades. Famitsu describes the game as a “digital trading card game” and notes that people who attend events at select locations tomorrow in Japan will receive digital gifts including a ” login bonus stamp at the start of the game”.  The game most likely will not see release outside of Japan given SEGA’s past mobile trading card arcade titles.

Update: Seems the game is not for mobile phones, but is rather for arcades. It is still, however, a card game. The mobile phone mixup came from the mention of players mobile phones, which is actually referring to an “Aime card“. Players use physical Aime cards to access their data on arcade machines, much like the old idea of using a VMU with arcade machines. Players can also access their Aime card data via their mobile phones.

Thanks to SEGAbits forum member Aki-at for the heads up!

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Virtua Striker and Virtual-On re-releases to remain Japan exclusive

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Back in November, SEGA released three awesome Model 2 fighting games to XBLA and PSN: Fighting Vipers, Virtua Fighter 2, and Sonic the Fighters. Two other Model 2 titles were also on the horizon: Cyber Troopers Virtual-On and Virtua Striker. However, as the Japan release date for these titles approaches (February 13th), SEGA West has said nothing of a release outside Japan. Hoping for an answer, fans reached out to the Virtual-On team who replied that SEGA has “no plan to re-release them in other area”. While this isn’t SEGA West shooting down any plans for a release, it does make it clear that internally there is no release planned.

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3D Space Harrier for 3DS receives an Australia rating

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Yesterday, the Australian Classification Board issued a rating of “G” for the 3DS rerelease of Space Harrier. This pretty much confirms that the game will be releasing to Australia and eventually (hopefully) Europe and North America. Released last month in Japan, 3D Space Harrier looks to be an awesome rerelease of the game, with a ton of features including 3D visuals and a simulated arcade cabinet. When we learn more of the English release of the game, we’ll be sure to share it. In the meantime, celebrate by listening to this week’s Tuesday Tune.

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