SEGA News

Next Yakuza Game officially announced as Yakuza 7: Whereabouts of Light and Darkness, with Turn Based Combat

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SEGA has announced the official name for the new Yakuza game titled “Yakuza 7: Whereabouts of Light and Darkness” during the game’s press conference today in Japan with series creator, Toshihiro Nagoshi taking center stage. Yakuza 7 is said to be aimed to be a “watershed” moment for the Yakuza series.

Yakuza 7 will take place in Yokohama with Ichiban Kasuga as the main protagonist who was sent to jail in 2002. Eighteen years later, waiting for him in Kamurocho is Masumi Arakawa (CB: Kiichi Nakai), who Kasuga owes his life to. He manages to make his way to Yokohama. Saved by Nanba (Ken Yasuda), this story will be the rise of Kasuga. He’s also a fan of Dragon Quest. Sega managed to make a deal with Yuji Horii to mention Dragon Quest in the game.

The gameplay for Yakuza 7 will be vastly different from other Yakuza titles as the game will feature an all-new turn-based action command battle system, which was shown as an April Fools joke. It will include returning elements such as using your environment and objects to fight and incorporates real-time physics. The game will be playable at TGS 2019 from September 12th to September 15th and will officially launch in Japan on January 16th 2020 and in North America and Europe in 2020 for Playstation 4.

What are your thoughts on the new entry to Yakuza and the gameplay change? Be sure to leave a comment below and hit the break for embedded tweets of Yakuza 7 info from Famitsu.

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16-bit classics The Lion King and Aladdin receiving remastered collection

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Information has leaked from a GameStop conference which revealed that Disney plans to release an Aladdin and The Lion King collection featuring various versions of the games including the SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive titles from Virgin Interactive. The full collection includes Aladdin‘s Sega Genesis, Game Boy, and Super Game Boy versions and The Lion King‘s Sega Genesis, Super NES, Game Boy, and Super Game Boy versions. For those keeping track, this means the Capcom Aladdin is not being included. Other versions include what is being called a new “final cut” of Aladdin and a 1993 trade show version of the game.

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SEGA AGES Space Harrier Review – The Best Version of the Game Yet! (Nintendo Switch)

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SEGA has been on a roll lately with their releases of past arcade titles on the Switch. What is unique about these rereleases however is that they come with a variety of different and new options never been done on original release or as a port. And with both TV and portability uses to be had, some might pick up a few if not all the titles available, as they enhance the game play in wonderful fashion. That’s why it is easy for me to say that this port of Space Harrier is the best version of the game.

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Shin Sakura Taisen Official Stream unveils new characters, gameplay, package art, and much more

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On the recent Sakura Wars Imperial Theater Propaganda Department Report stream, SEGA revealed a lot of information regarding the upcoming game. As the stream began, they have demonstrated another look at game play by showcasing two Flower Division members, Hatsuho Shinome and Clarice Snowflake, with their own battle mode features and a tutorial session for beginners who are new to the game. Next, the staff introduced a new package art for the game and merchandise to be sold at Tokyo Game Show 2019. They have also revealed that Shin Sakura Taisen will be receiving a manga adaptation by Koyuri Noguchi and will be serialized at Weekly Young Jump on September 12th.

Then the staff shown off a new character, Gekizou, a machine doll designed by Ken Sugimori (known for his artwork behind Pulseman and the Pokemon series) and will serve promoting the Imperial Theater with Seijuro making sure that it doesn’t go down under. At last, another set of characters are revealed to appear in Shin Sakura Taisen with introduction of the London Assault Force who pilot the Spirit Particle Fighters named the Prywen. The London Assault Force is made of Lancelot and her captain Arthur with “BunBun“, illustrator of the Sword Art Online light novels as their character designer.

The new team then challenges Sakura and Seijuro in a battle. The London Assault Force also has another team member that has yet to be revealed as producer, Katano, wanted to show more about Arthur and Lancelot but anymore scenes with them will contain big spoilers. As the stream was about to end, the staff announced that the next set of streams will be held each day at Tokyo Game Show 2019 from September 12 to September 15th. Shin Sakura Taisen is set for release in Japan on December 12th with western release set for Spring 2020.

What are your thoughts on the latest info on Shin Sakura Taisen and what do you expect from Tokyo Game Show? Let us know in the comment below.

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SEGA AGES Puzzle & Action Ichidant-R coming soon, more information revealed

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Another SEGA AGES title is coming soon to your Nintendo Switch, this time being the frantic minigame collection Puzzle & Action Ichidant-R. Puzzle & Action Ichidant-R is the second game in the Puzzle & Action series of games, featuring the thieves/detectives Robo and Mobo from Bonanza Bros., this time wearing knight costumes and participating in a stage play. Similar to it’s predecessor Puzzle & Action Tant-R, the player is tasked with beating a series of minigames, for a total of 4 rounds. There are 20 minigames in total, ranging from sharping pencils, hitting baseballs, guiding trains, stacking pots, stabbing dumplings, and more.

SEGA AGES Puzzle & Action Ichidant-R includes the arcade version, but also incorporates a “Mega Drive mode” that includes all of the modes included from the Mega Drive version. The most notable addition is the RPG mode, where players are tasked with trying to rescue the princess by collecting the Philosopher’s Stones. In addition, there will also be a Competition Mode and Free Mode. In Competition Mode, up to 4 players participate on a square board in the style of sugoroku (a Japanese board game comparable to backgammon), while in Free Mode up to 4 players compete to see who reaches the specified point threshold first. SEGA AGES Puzzle & Action Ichidant-R will also come with online play, allowing players around the globe to participate in the original arcade game.

SEGA AGES Puzzle & Action Ichidant-R is priced at ¥925 (roughly $8.70), though with no definitive release date.

[Source: Official Website]

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The Yakuza Remastered Collection spotted on Play Station store

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It looks like SEGA has another reveal ready for Gamescom 2019. Various Twitter users have spotted The Yakuza Remastered Collection on PSN, leading fans to believe that SEGA will be announcing Yakuza 3, 4 and 5 remasters for the west. The three PS3 titles were brought to the PS4 in Japan via individual releases, and it looks like the west will be getting all three assembled into one. More info as we hear it!

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SEGA and Amplitude Studios unveils HUMANKIND, a game about building humanity’s civilization

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The mysterious “HUMANKIND” has finally been properly unveiled, after several days of SEGA’s official Twitter account teasing the announcement. HUMANKIND is a brand new strategy/god game developed by Amplitude Studios and published by SEGA. Comparable to games such as the Populous or Civilization, you’re tasked with trying to evolve the human race from the stone age to the modern age, while also boasting about the freedom to choose how you evolve humanity. The wording also implies that there will be multiplayer elements, allowing players to pit against each other. The official website promises the following:

  • One Million Civilizations: Create your own civilization by combining 60 historical cultures from the Bronze to the Modern Age. Each culture brings its special gameplay layer, leading to near-endless outcomes.
  • In The Eyes of Posterity:  Every great deed you accomplish, every moral choice you make, every battle won will build your fame. The player with the most fame will win the game.
  • More Than History, It Is Your Story: Face real historical events, lead renown figures, and make scientific breakthroughs. Discover the natural wonders of the world or build the remarkable creations of humankind.
  • A Tactical World: Show off your tactical skills by mastering terrain elevation with city-building and tactical battles. Call upon your allies to transform a battle into an eight-player world war!

HUMANKIND is currently slated for a TBA 2020 release date, with the game planned for a release on Steam.

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Takashi Iwade, Veteran Designer for the Panzar Dragoon series, passes away

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According to a Twitter post by James Mielke, creative director at Tigertron and founder of BitSummit, Takashi Iwade, known for his work on the Panzar Dragoon series as a designer as an ex-Andromeda team member and SEGA, had recently passed away last week due to an illness.

One of his notable roles in the Panzar Dragoon series was character model production, title logo designer, and art director at SEGA for over 25 years. He had also worked on many other SEGA franchises such as Jet Set Radio and Yakuza. May we pay respect for his hard work on the iconic gaming franchise that debuted on the SEGA Saturn since 1995.

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Streets of Rage 4 reveals new character and announces Nintendo Switch release

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A new trailer for the upcoming Streets of Rage 4 has hit in time for Gamescom 2019, revealing a new playable character: Cherry Hunter. The daughter of Adam Hunter from the first game, Cherry chose the life of playing in a electro progressive rock band over becoming a cop. Also announced, Streets of Rage 4 is confirmed to be releasing to Nintendo Switch, as well as PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.

Check out the trailer for yourself, and in the comments below let us know your thoughts on Cherry!

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SEGA teases new game with “hmkd” web address – possibly “Humankind”?

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Back in December of 2018 we shared the news that SEGA had trademarked a game titled “Humankind” in Japan. Today, SEGA has shared a teaser site featuring a heart monitor and the web address “hmkd.sega.com“. The URL lines up with the “Humankind” title, which no doubt lines up with SEGA’s AAA game reveal at Gamescom 2019 in a few days.

We’ll no the truth in a few days, but right now it seems all the pieces are falling into place for a reveal of Humankind.

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Capcom’s Hideaki Itsuno wants to make a new Power Stone on Nintendo Switch

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If you were a SEGA Dreamcast fanatic back when the console launched, you probably got to try Capcom’s Power Stone which became one of the consoles best party fighting games. Since both Power Stone games came out on the Dreamcast, the franchise has been mostly dead save for a port on the PSP of the first two games with some extras. But now the Guardian spoke with Capcom game designer Hideki Itsuno about the creation of the game (its turning 20 years old next month!).

Here he talks about the idea of making a Power Stone 3:

“I still get messages from fans about the game. People tweet requests to me to make another Power Stone, which I’d love to do if I got the chance. It would be a particularly great fit for the Nintendo Switch.”

I implore you to check out the great write up by Keith Stuart over on the Guardian, a great nostalgic read and has some nice insight into the development of the game. While we are add it, can we get another Project Justice/Rival Schools as well?

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Shenmue III will get a Backer Trial Version in September 2019 on Epic Games Store

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It looks like YS NET is now giving us more information on the Shenmue III Trial Version that they promised when the kickstarter launched (if you backed the project at the tier to try it before release). Lots of fans have been upset that YS NET has been pretty hush on the whole ‘beta’ version of the game, but now YS NET says it will be coming out on the second half of September 2019 via the Epic Game Store. The issue here would be that its only for PC, not PlayStation 4? Seems lame for fans who are only playing on PlayStation 4.

According to the site the Shenmue III Backer Trial Version will have a PDF along with the trial download that will guide you through the demo. You play as Ryo in Bailu. It is also confirmed that Trial saves will not transfer over to the full game. The Trial Version will also have a ‘expiration date’, so if you don’t hop on quickly it might expire. The demo is suppose to have at least an hour of gameplay.

Shenmue III is suppose to come out November 19, 2019 on both PlayStation 4 and PC. You know, after all these years.

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Sonic Boom Season 1, Volume 1 DVD announced for America – includes action figures!

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If you’ve been following SEGAbits for a while, you might have caught on that we’re big fans of physical media. From vinyl records to collector’s edition games, we love stuff we can hold in our hands. When it comes to home video releases, I especially like owning every Sonic the Hedgehog show. From the original anime movie to the third Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog DVD that took years to finally release, I’ve happily bought Sonic content as it released to put up on my ever expanding shelves.

So when Sonic Boom was announced and released to TV, I held out hope that we would see DVD releases. We did end up seeing them, but over in the UK as all of season 1 released in four volumes in 2016. It wasn’t until early 2019 that America saw DVD releases with two 8 episode sets collecting an assortment of 16 season 1 episodes.

But now, it looks like America will finally be seeing season sets, as NCircle Entertainment will release a 26 episode Season 1, Volume 1 Gift Set featuring half of the first season and two packed in action figures of Eggman and Sonic. Interestingly, while TOMY produced the action figures for the series, they have since lost the license. However, the included figures are TOMY sculpts as the toy company’s name is on the back of the box. You can pre-order the Sonic Boom Season 1, Vol. 1 Gift Box on Amazon, and it is currently listed for $24.99. Not bad for 26 episodes and two action figures! If you want to save $10 and drop the figures, there is a $14.99 disc only standard edition as well.

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SEGA files trademark for Total War Saga: Troy

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Its not surprising seeing another Total War trademark considering their last entry, Total War: The Three Kingdoms, was one of their highest selling titles in a long time. This time SEGA and The Creative Assembly are trademarking Total War Saga: Troy. That’s right, its a new thing SEGA started doing with Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia, adding ‘Saga’ as part of the name. Unlike Total War Battles series, these Saga games are being listed as part of the main series of games and not a spin-off.

It seems some people are predicting that this might be the AAA game SEGA was teasing a few days ago. It could be, but SEGA also filed trademarks for ‘Humankind’ and ‘Nights Dream Wheel’. Outside of this, someone from The Creative Assembly took to Reddit to say that the teased AAA game isn’t by their studio. Take it for a grain of salt if you want.

[Via: Nibellion]

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SEGA/Atlus Tokyo Game Show 2019 website opens, reveals initial lineup of titles

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The annual event Tokyo Game Show is only a month away, and as usual SEGA and Atlus are planning to attend the 2019 event. Now SEGA has released their official website detailing what they are planning. The website at the moment is missing details, such as their lineup of merchandising and their stage schedule, but it does confirm the following titles will appear:

  • Mario & Sonic at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games
  • Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games The Official Video Game
  • Project Sakura Wars
  • Persona 5 The Royal

Note that this isn’t the full lineup, as SEGA/Atlus is likely going to announce more titles these upcoming days and during the show. Tokyo Game Show 2019 is planned for September 12th to September 15th at the Makuhari Messe in Chiba, Japan.

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