Nintendo just announced at their GDC keynote that the 3DS Virtual Console will have TurboGraphx-16 and SEGA Game Gear titles. That is right, now you will be able to put down that battery hogging Game Gear and be able to play your titles on the go on the 3DS.
As for titles at launch, none where named. I would not be shocked at Sonic titles being the first to hit the service. Especially since this year is Sonic’s 20th anniversary.
[Source: Joystiq]
Yakuza of the End demo will be hitting PSN in the upcoming Japanese update. So if you have your Japanese accounts at hand, get ready to download this. The Japan store is weird and takes down demos all the time, so play it safe!
The demo lets you play as Shun Akiyama (From Yakuza 4) and shows the game’s Gun Shot Battle system. You will also be able to play with partners and play spots like the hostess club and Boot Camp section. Awesome.
[Source: AndriaSang]
Sonic is turning 20, that is a big number for any franchise, since Sonic is SEGA’s biggest franchise ever… you know they are going to do it big. SEGA Europe just expanded their license teams to get products out to you by Sonic’s 20th anniversary come June 23rd.
“We have some surprises lined up for Sonic’s anniversary. We’re working on a number of retail initiatives across different sectors. Ideally, we would like to tie in different merchandise to create a strong branded presence in stores. We want to team up with multi-territory partners in publishing, apparel and collectibles such as trading card games and stickers,” said Henno. “We also have interest in categories such as wheeled items, outdoor sporting goods and bedding in the UK and internationally.” – Sega Europe’s head of licensing Sissel Henno
SEGA’s licensing teams will be hitting trade shows to meet new potential partners. These trade shows include Brand Licensing Show in Budapest, Bologna Book Fair and Kazachok Licensing Show in Paris. We shall see what surprises SEGA has in store for Sonic’s birthday.
[Source: MCV]
It’s been a while since the last major Japanese release for SEGA but the wait is finally over, Phantasy Star Portable 2 Infinity was released in the same week as the new handheld 3DS. Whilst Phantasy Star Portble 2: Infinity posted some impressive numbers below, it does not tell the full story;
Position / Platform / Title / Weekly numbers / Lifetime numbers
01 [PSP] Phantasy Star Portable 2: Infinity 206,654 / NEW
When the first Phantasy Star Portable was released, it managed to sell in the region of 360,000 units and the sequel, PSP2, managed 280,000 whilst the newest entry into the series shows further steep decline for sales in the series, perhaps the bubble is slowly bursting, but who knows, yearly releases are bound to have an effect, so it’ll be interesting to see the result when Phantasy Star Online 2 is released, although with the PC market in Japan, I would not be surprised about the level of sales being lower.
The original shipment for Phantasy Star Portable 2 Infinity was around 330,000 so expect strong sales for next week too. Although will it still be number one in a week’s time? Doubtful as the new Dissidia is released for PSP, but it may still hold onto second place.
Famitsu had an interview with Japanese developers about the NGP and their thoughts on it. Here is what Satoshi Sakai and Toshihiro Nagoshi had to say.
Shenmue Town (referred to here as Shenmue City) was developed for Yahoo’s mobile application and DeNa Mobage-town portal in Japan, since they have the highest market share. But what about a smartphone app release? Yu Suzuki hints that they looking into it
“From the start, I’ve been thinking of this as a multiplatform game, So I’m thinking about smartphone strategies right now,” he said, hinting that he’s looking at both iOS and Android. Suzuki said that the platforms should be fine for a port, but that “the experience definitely needs to be customized for the smartphone.” – Yu Suzuki
As for other games Yu Suzuki has in mind for the future, he says he is imagining what he can do.
“Since Apple just announced their AirPlay initiative that allows you to play music and send a single out from your phone to multiple devices, that in the future you’ll be able to beam games out of your phone to play on widescreen TVs in massively multiplayer environments. You could play against other people with your iPhone as your controller.” – Yu Suzuki
I hope that the smartphone release of Shenmue Town gets a western release, I would pay for this app. You heard me SEGA? Pay, with real money! Yu Suzuki has responded to the name ‘Shenmue City’, which we and other press have been calling the game. He says that he would call the game ‘Shenmue Town’ because its too small to be a city. If Yu Suzuki says it, then we follow. The game will now be referred to as Shenmue Town.
[Source: Gamasutra]
Here’s a very Japanese advert if I ever saw one! The lengthy advert highlights the three game play modes featured in Super Monkey Ball 3D.
The Classic Super Monkey Ball game play which we all know and love. Monkey Race which is a bit of a Mario Kart knock off and Monkey Fight, which is a bit of a Smash Bros knock off… Yeah.
Why they felt they needed to change Race and Fight from the frankly great fun party games they were in Super Monkey Ball Deluxe is beyond me but even more strange in my opinion is the omission of Monkey Target, easily the best party game the series ever had. Oh well, maybe next time.
Courtesy of TouchArcade, The Appera and IntoMobile come a collection of hands-on Sonic & SEGA All-Star Racing gameplay videos. The game looks quite impressive for an iOS title, especially one that seems to be for all platforms and not just the beefed up iPhone 4 and iPad. Despite being only a pre-alpha build, impressions have been positive!
After the break, check out two more videos featuring B.D. Joe in Tokyo-to, a look at Blizzard Castle and a tour of the menus.
Marza Animation Planet is the CGI animation studio owned by SEGA-Sammy. They are the team that did the awesome ‘Night of the Werehog‘ short and is now working on the Space Pirate Captain Harlock film.
If that wasn’t enough, it seems that the team is cooking up another project, this time with Marie Rose as a writer. She has worked on such films as Poseidon, LA Confidential and The Proposal. We shall see what comes out of this, should be interesting.
[Thanks: Liam via e-mail]
[Source: Mule Films page]
SAN FRANCISCO – SEGA of America, Inc. and SEGA Europe Ltd. today announced that Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing is coming to iPhone and iPod touch. The mobile edition of this speedy title will include all the familiar faces and events players have enjoyed on other platforms when it drifts onto the App Store this spring.
Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing puts players on the track and in the shoes of a host of popular SEGA characters, from the blue blur himself to AiAi and Dr. Eggman, each with their own unique vehicle. Players must use their driving skills to drift and dodge their way to a checkered flag in a variety of single-player modes, as well as local multiplayer race and battle modes via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.
For more details about Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing for iPhone and iPod touch, visit www.sega.com.
Source: IGN
UPDATE: check out screens after the break!
SEGA of America has announced via their blog that a press event was recently held for Platinum Games’ upcoming Anarchy Reigns. Today, the embargo has lifted, and those lucky enough to have gotten to experience the game are now releasing their previews.
Above you can see two great videos. Both feature Atsushi Inaba and loads of new gameplay footage. The second video shows off much more of the game, while the first video focuses more on Inaba. Both are worth watching if you have any interest in Platinum Games’ upcoming brawler. SEGA of America was also gracious enough to release a slew of new screenshots, eight to be exact, which can be checked out on their Flickr page.
SEGA says they’ll continue to add to their blog as more previews are released, so we’ll keep this updated if any others surface.
Update:
1up’s preview.
Eurogamer’s preview.
Thanks to Shadzter of The Sonic Stadium for sifting through SEGA’s forums and finding these nuggets of information, direct from Brand Manager Ken Balough. Ken held an impromptu Q&A and revealed the following:
• Episode 2 is in the early development stages
• SOA and SOE are both giving feedback and input on Episode 2
• Episode 1 sold well for SEGA commercially, meaning a bigger budget is likely for Episode 2
• Balough knows how many Episodes Sonic 4 will have, but can’t comment right now. Amount was decided during Episode 1′s development.
• Balough admits that some elements of Episode 1 could have been better and says Episode 2 gives the opportunity to address them.
• Episode 2 is not a Sonic CD remake. Idea is to bring new zones with things you haven’t seen before.
Great news in my opinion. I enjoyed Sonic 4 Episode 1 (rating it a B), but hoped that SEGA would hear criticism before diving into Episode 2. From the sound of things, they are doing just that. Perhaps the best bits of news are a larger budget and NEW ZONES! What haven’t we had yet? Spaghetti Mine Zone? Lava Ice Zone? Empty Nothingness Zone? I’m certain there’s some sort of environment we haven’t seen yet. Check out direct quotes in Shadzter’s original article.
[Source: The Sonic Stadium]
Some of the lead members of the Total War creation process discuss how they have improved their games over the years, focusing mainly on the changes they brought to the table in the highly controversial Empires game which was the first game to add real time naval battles.
Then the go onto discuss some of their favorite moments in the series, personally mine is simply watching a barrage of fire arrows fill the sky from the safety of my castle wall and rain down on the siege army in a blaze of glory… Mmm fire arrows.
Despite many requests from Android fans, SEGA has said they wouldn’t be bringing Sonic 4: Episode 1 to their phones. But out of the blue, Sonic 4: Episode 1 gets announced for Windows Phone 7.
Nothing much has been announced for the title. I wonder if Xbox 360 owners that bought the 360 version will get a discount on the mobile one?
[Source: SEGA]
Today IGN has posted a trailer for Conduit 2, this one giving us a (somewhat surprisingly) brief look at the multiplayer modes, likely one of game’s bigger selling points. The trailer’s only about a minute long, but you can hit the break for some of what you can expect from the game’s multiplayer if you don’t want to watch it for yourself.