SEGA News

Virtua Tennis 4 rallies back to fifth in British charts

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Thanks to the conclusion of Wimbledon over the previous weekend, two tennis games saw a jump in the charts and it was SEGA’s Virtua Tennis 4 that triumphed over rival Top Spin 4. It has been reported by a NeoGAF member, using some calculations provided by Chart-Track, that Virtua Tennis 4’s combined sales last week was no more than 9,300. Whilst not as impressive as Djokovic was against Nadal, it is none the less a good number of sales in this time of year as the British market is often sluggish during June. Expect to see Virtua Tennis 4 in the British charts for a few more weeks to come.

[ Source: Chart-Track and NeoGAF]

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SEGA Japan launches Sonic tweeting game

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SEGA Japan launched another web app for Sonic’s 20th anniversary. This strange little app is called “Sonic ★ Tweet“.

I guess the way the game works is that you have to use the twitter client to unlock 500 cards that feature characters from Sonic’s history. How do you unlock the cards? Defeat Eggman by using some wit in your tweets.

Basically the game takes your tweet, breaks down the words and each one has assigned points. Depending on what words you use, in one tweet (and what others online are using) you rank in combos, giving Sonic’s attack more damage.

After you take down Eggman’s health to zero, you will get exp and a card. Cards can be used to bypass a cooldown phase (you have a limit to how much you can attack).

Sadly this game is only up for our Japanese readers, the rest of us either have to learn Japanese or pretend we know how.

[Source: Sonic Wrecks]

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SEGA UK inks deal with Bowplex

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Bowplex is basically a bowling place in the UK, but also has arcade and other fluff around to make extra cash. The place has inked a exclusive deal to get ‘Sega Active Zone’ machines in their place of establishment.

“We’re really excited about the partnership with SEGA. It’s such a prominent brand within the industry and we’re thrilled to be associated with the company on this level. We work hard to push the boundaries of family entertainment and strive to be the first to introduce new concepts and we believe working with SEGA to introduce SEGA Active Zone is testament to that.” -Tracy Standish, Managing Director of Bowlplex

The project has £2 million in investments for ‘state-of-the-art equipment’. Sega Sports Active will feature sports games with iconic SEGA characters, such as Sonic. No other names where mentioned in the press release.

Hit the jump for that.

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NiGHTS celebrating its 15th year anniversary today

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Its hard to realize that the NiGHTS franchise turns 15 years old today, you know with all the celebrating that SEGA is doing with Sonic and his 20th anniversary.

Lots of users will complain that NiGHTS has only recieved 2 games in the last 15 years (3 if you count Christmas NiGHTS as a full game), there are way longer running SEGA franchises that have more games. That is true, but I think NiGHTS holds a special place in most people’s hearts, especially SEGA Saturn fans. We didn’t have Sonic like the Genesis kids, this was our Sonic for that generation.

Happy birthday NiGHTS. Lets hope SEGA ports the original game to HD consoles. Please, SEGA?

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SEGA inks Japanese distribution deal with EA

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SEGA and EA have reached an agreement to have SEGA distribute EA titles in Japan. Seems that this deal will take effect this year, with Shadows of the Damned being the first new title on September 22nd.

SEGA also hopes, starting next month, to put a list of EA back-catalog titles for release. Seems this is a great deal for SEGA. Now lets see if they put more promotional effort into selling Shadows of the Damned in Japan than EA put in the USA.

[Source: AndriaSang]

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GAME details their Sonic Generations pre-order items

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Gamestop has already showed what they are giving users away if they pre-order Sonic Generations from them, what about GAME? UK’s massive game retailer?

  • Casino Night’ Pinball Stage: Exclusive stage. Same one that US Gamestop will be giving users. Based off the level with the same name from Sonic the Hedgehog 2.
  • Super Sonic Costume: Xbox 360 exclusive. Gives your avatar the iconic Super Sonic Costume.
  • Exclusive theme: Deck out your dashboard with awesome looking theme, created exclusively for this promotion.

Now all users know what they will get if they pre-order the game at either Gamestop or GAME. So what are you waiting for?

[Source: Sonic Stadium]

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SEGA hosting EG Expo Indie Arcade event this year

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Eurogamer has an expo for up and coming game developers that want to show off their titles. This year, SEGA is going to help throw the event, which means they will have their name plastered all over the place.

Games like Joe Danger and Hohokum have made their public debuts at past events. Submissions for developers who want to show off their games closes on August 19th. So if you are making a game, get to it. SEGA might pick it up if they like it.

The event will be at London’s Earls Court between 22nd and 25th September. You can nab your tickets here.

[Source: Eurogamer]

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Sonic making his return to Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

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[Sonic the Hedgehog, rocking Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade in 1993]

Back in 1993, Sonic the Hedgehog broke ground for video games by being the first video game character to be featured in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Now SEGA has confirmed that Sonic will be returning to the parade this year.

For those readers that love their parades, this parade will take place on November 24th. If you live in New York and attend, send us pictures. We love pictures.

[Via: The SEGA Source]

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Border Break 2.5 Trailer

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Here is the trailer for version 2.5 of Sega’s hit arcade game Border Break. This latest version introduces new mechs (Blast Runners) and new stages. It also introduces new battle modes: “Offensive Battles” and “Defensive Battles.” The players will be split into offensive and defensive teams that will have to either defend or attack the opposition’s core.

I’ve always wanted to play this game. It looks awesome.

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SEGA and BBC Earth team up to fuse technology and nature

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That’s right, SEGA has announced a partnership with BBC Earth to create a unique user experience. Yes, the press release actually calls it an “experience,” and quite a number of times at that. The “experience” will be coming to both the USA and Japan in the next couple of years.

“I am very happy that we have been able to join together with BBC Worldwide who possess one of the world’s finest libraries of Natural History footage. I am confident that by fusing this fabulous content with our entertainment know-how, we can deliver a new and thoroughly unique experience of the natural world. Through the universal theme of nature, SEGA will create a new live entertainment experience that will be enjoyed by all nationalities, ages and genders” said Okitane Usui, SEGA Corporation’s COO.

Where exactly can you experience this collaboration? No locations or solid dates have been set yet, but SEGA says they will be announced in the upcoming months. I personally can’t wait, since I love BBC’s Planet Earth series.

[Source: SEGA Sammy]

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Border Break 2.5 coming to Japanese arcades next week

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This is Border Break, one of those arcade games I really want to play on a home console but probably will never get a chance to, due to the limited market for a game like this. The game seems to be doing pretty well in Japan and SEGA continues to support it. It even has a big update coming this week.

The game is getting new mechs (Blast Runners as they are called by SEGA) and new maps There is also a new element called Daikouousen. Basically “Big Offensive” and “Defensive Battle”. The players will be split into offensive and defensive teams that will have to either defend or attack the core.

SEGA is also allowing users to edit and customize their emblem in game, which will be placed on their Blast Runner of choice.

[Source: AndriaSang]

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Yu Suzuki to leave current role at SEGA in September

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Legandary SEGA designer Yu Suzuki is set to leave his current role with Amusement Research and Development division, and has confirmed that he shall remain at SEGA in an advisory role from this September. He will continue to work on his personal company, YS Net. Speaking to Gamasutra, Suzuki said the following:

“In 2008 I established YS NET, my current company,” he said. “I’ll be leaving my current job at Sega this September, and after that point I’ll remain on as an advisor.”

“So I’ve formally been with both companies from 2008 until September 2011. With the new company, I’ve been doing pretty much what I personally want to do myself,”

The interview itself is fairly long and gives another great insight into what the man has been doing and what he may go on to do. It is well worth a read for anyone interested in Suzuki and his thoughts, not only on his time at SEGA but also the industry in general.

[Interview: Gamasutra]

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GameStop Sonic Generations Pre-Order Bonuses Revealed!

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So, you say you’re pumped for Sonic Generations, but think it’s too far off for any real reason to place a pre-order this instant? Think again! United States gaming store GameStop is offering digital content for those who pre-order Sonic Generations! You can see what they’re offering for yourself right here. XBOX 360 owners who pre-order will receive a DLC mini-game pinball stage based on Sonic 2’s Casino Night Zone. Think of it as being like Sonic Adventure’s pinball stage. Also included is a Super Sonic avatar costume, basically confirming Super Sonic in Generations, and an exclusive theme for your 360’s menu. PlayStation 3 owners also receive the Casino Night Zone pinball stage and a theme for their PS3 menu.

Still no word on a birthday pack or special packaging, but we’ll keep you posted. In other news, the full stage and boss list as well as a load of other info on the game has leaked due to fans digging through the recently released demo assets. I’ll abstain from mentioning any of the leaked content, as SEGA has yet to officially reveal it, but it’s out there on the Internet.

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Sonic Generations demo coming & Anniversery bundle on PSN [Updated]

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[Update: According to the fine fellows at Destructoid, the demo will allow you to play both as modern and classic Sonic.]

For those eager to try out the demo for the latest Sonic game, you will not have to wait much longer. The EU Playstation blog has confirmed that the Sonic Generations demo will be online from tomorrow, which just so happens to be the birthday of Sonic the Hedgehog, so for those all eager to try out the physics and control in the latest Sonic title, the wait is almost over.

But it does not stop there, for a duration of 20 days only, PSN members can purchase the 20th Anniversery Bundle from the 23rd of June which will include the following; Sonic the Hedgehog 1 and 2, Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 (Along with dynamic theme) and Sonic Adventure DX (With DX add-on) all for £13.99/€17.99, a decent price for a good amount of games.

[Source: EU Playstation Blog]

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