Metaphor: ReFantazio live stream showcase set for April 22

Gear up, RPG fans! Atlus just dropped a bomb – they’re hosting a special livestream for their brand new fantasy RPG, Metaphor: ReFantazio, on April 22nd! Mark your calendars for 3:00 PM PT / 6:00 PM ET to catch a 30-minute deep dive with director Katsura Hashino himself. Expect fresh info, never-before-seen gameplay, and all the juicy details about this epic adventure.

The best part? You can watch it on YouTube in English, Japanese, or Traditional Chinese! Bonus points if you can decipher the Japanese follow-up stream on April 23rd, which dives even deeper into the reveal with special guests.

For everyone else, Metaphor: ReFantazio is slated to hit PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, PlayStation 4, and PC later this fall. Get ready to explore a whole new world!

[Via Gematsu]

Keanu Reeves cast as Shadow the Hedgehog in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 movie, and yes that is something I just typed

File this one under “headlines I never would have thought I’d type”: Keanu Reeves has been cast as Shadow the Hedgehog in the upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog 3 movie. The news was a rumor earlier today, leaked from discussions held at last week’s Cinemacon, and has since been confirmed by Variety. Keanu Reeves was a long hoped for casting decision by fans, and despite rumors of Hayden Christensen getting the role, it has since been clarified that such casting was only considered AFTER a rumor emerged of Hayden landing the role and Paramount considered it once fan sites ran with the rumor. However, Keanu was the top of the list for Paramount and it seems a deal has been struck. Hopefully we hear from the man himself soon!

Unboxing: Pix’n Love Sonic Origins Plus – Collectors Edition

After many months, the Pix’n Love Collectors Edition of Sonic Origins Plus has arrived! This big box edition went up for pre-order last year and it has been several months. But now fans have it in hand and I just had to make a quick unboxing video showing off all the cool items included. If you like what you see, the PS4, PS5 and Switch versions are still up for order and the bonus Mega Drive style case is included.

SEGA Releases Super Monkey Ball: Banana Rumble – Adventure Trailer; Announces Optional Assist Features

SEGA released the latest Super Monkey Ball: Banana Rumble trailer this morning showcasing the game’s Adventure Mode, an immersive story mode which features 200 all-new stages set across different worlds with their own unique twist and turns players can experience either solo, or with friends local or online 4-player co-op.

Here is the synopsis of the story:

“While visiting a tropical island, AiAi and the gang meet an adventurer named Palette who’s searching for the Legendary Banana. They agree to join her journey across wondrous worlds to collect special parts said to be the key to locating this prized relic. Along the way, they’ll meet new friends and encounter mysterious rivals in a thrilling story told through fully developed cutscenes.”

Banana Rumble will also offer a variety of optional assist features to help both new players and those who would like to improve their skills to challenge any obstacle. These include:

  • Rewind to a previous point of a stage and attempt a tricky area once more.
  • Ghost Guide adds a transparent racer alongside the player, demonstrating the key methods needed to reach the goal.
  • Checkpoints inside stages, and more!

Super Monkey Ball: Banana Rumble will launch on June 25, 2024 for Nintendo Switch. Pre-Orders for the game is now available on the official website.

Fearless: Celebrating the Year of Shadow – SEGA announces celebration of Sonic’s not-so-friendly rival

To celebrate all things Shadow the Hedgehog who made his debut in Sonic Adventure 2 for the SEGA Dreamcast, SEGA has unveiled their second annual fan celebration with Fearless: Year of Shadow to celebrate the amazing fans of Sonic and Shadow similar to last year’s campaign, Fast. Friends. Forever, which highlighted the special bond that Sonic and friends Tails, Knuckles, and Amy Rose share with their fans.

This year the focus shifts to everyone’s favorite brooding hedgehog, Shadow, who is set to star in the upcoming video game, SONIC X SHADOW GENERATIONS, as well as the highly anticipated movie, “Sonic the Hedgehog 3”, later this year. The campaign celebrates what it means to be Fearless and embracing your inner Shadow by bravely facing challenges head on.

To kick off the campaign, SEGA released a bold launch trailer featuring original music that celebrates Shadow and the fearlessness of the fans.

Hit the jump for more information on other events and action packed activations that will take place during the Year of Shadow.

Sonic 3 Movie Speeds Up! Big Screen Battles Meet Deep Dives in New TV Shows


Knuckles Gets His Own Show: Diving Deeper into the Sonic Movieverse

Gear up, Sonic fans! The lightning-fast blue blur may be sharing the spotlight as the movie franchise ramps up for “Avengers-level events,” but that doesn’t mean your favorite side characters are getting left behind. In a recent interview, Sonic movie producer Toby Ascher hinted at an exciting future for the franchise, with television shows offering a deep dive into lesser-known heroes.

“We got really excited about the idea of expanding our characters in our world into television,” Ascher says. This is fantastic news for fans who crave more backstory and development for characters like Tails, Knuckles, and maybe even Amy Rose! The movies, according to Ascher, are primed to become massive crossover events, much like the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s epic team-ups. “Sonic 3,” with the introduction of Shadow the Hedgehog, is a clear sign of this direction.

Sonic the Hedgehog Co-Creator Yuiji Naka Blasts Yu Miyake in Square Enix Shakeup

Looks like there’s some drama brewing on Twitter! Yuji Naka, fresh off his legal dust-up with Square Enix, isn’t exactly stoked about their recent employee shuffle. Apparently, the longtime Dragon Quest producer heading to mobile games ruffled some feathers. But hey, at least the new president seems alright in Naka’s eyes! I guess there’s always a silver lining, even in the land of corporate musical chairs.

Below is a tweet on Yuji Naka’s thoughts on Yu Miyake’s internal transfer within Square Enix:

Review: Sonic the Hedgehog X IHOP Menu – Blueberry pancakes and onion rings are a winning combination!

Sonic the Hedgehog speeds his way back into restaurants with a Sonic themed menu at IHOP (aka The International House of Pancakes), and SEGAbits was there to sample Sonic’s offerings! Longtime readers of the site might know I have an affinity for Sonic food promotions, so much so that I dedicated a YouTube series to chronicling past promotions. When SEGA emailed me to tell me about the limited time menu, I had to make plans to visit my local IHOP to see how the promotion was rolled out.

Sega Genesis Mini 3 announced for North America and Japan exclusively; Details and first 10 games revealed (April Fools)

Sega, out of nowhere, just announced their newest mini console and successor to the Sega Genesis Mini 2. The Sega Genesis Mini 3 will be releasing on October 16th, 2024 exclusively in North America and Japan (Sorry, Europe, but you better get ready to import.) Unlike the previous two Genesis Mini plug-and-play consoles, this console will release in the exact same condition both in North America and Europe, as the Majesco-built Genesis 3 console was released originally only in North America. This means the console will have the exact same game lineup worldwide and will be known as the Genesis Mini 3 even in Japan.

At the same time, Sega have revealed that the console will include 50 games while also revealing what the first 10 games will be. Like with the previous two Genesis Minis, more games will be revealed gradually throughout the year before the console’s retail release. To find out what the first ten games are, check in after the break while containing your excitement.

Sega announces a 99% stock purchase of Nintendo (April Fools)

In a move that shook the entire video game industry, Sega Sammy Holdings Inc. have announced that they have purchased a 99% share of Nintendo. Yes, that Nintendo. SegaSammy president and CEO Haruki Satomi have announced their near total takeover of Sega’s former console war nemesis late yesterday, March 31st, 2024, for exactly one billion yen.

So what is keeping Sega from acquiring the remaining 1% of Nintendo? Check in past the break to find out.

Sonic Rumor Roundup: Sonic Toys Party leaks and whispers of Sonic Heroes remake

It seems these days, unless you’re constantly on social media and following a handful of oddly named accounts with shadowy account owners, you’re probably not going to be clued into what Sonic rumors are swirling around. Heck, even I had to crosscheck most of the stuff dropping this week as it seemed news was leaked and then dispelled within a few hours from the same people. So what is going on in the world of Sonic?

Jakks Pacific reveals first wave of Walmart exclusive SEGA action figures featuring Streets of Rage, Super Monkey Ball and Altered Beast

SEGA has been slowly dropping reveals of new SEGA action figures from Jakks Pacific on social media, and thanks to SEGA employee Mike Cisneros it has been confirmed that the first wave of figures has been fully revealed. Releasing exclusively at Walmart stores, the characters are Axel Stone from Streets of Rage, Aiai from Super Monkey Ball and the Werewolf transformation from Altered Beast. In addition to multiple points of articulation, the figures will also come packed with accessories. While Axel has seen a premium figure released featuring his Streets of Rage 4 look, the upcoming figure from Jakks Pacific is the first time (to my knowledge) that his original Genesis/Mega Drive look has been given a figure. Aiai, meanwhile, is no stranger to action figures, as he and some of his monkey friends had figures released by GamePro and JoyRide Studios around 20 years ago. The Werewolf form from Altered Beast has seen statues and vinyl toys, but this would be his first action figure release.

We should be seeing these at stores and hopefully online in the coming weeks, and if they sell well enough we should see a wave two! In the comments, let us know what SEGA characters you’d like to see in action figure form!

SEGA Talk #136: SEGA World – International (1990s)

This episode we take another week off from games to talk about theme parks, specifically the short lived ‘SEGA World’ range of theme parks that went on from the UK to South Korea!

[iTunes – Stitcher – YouTube – RSS – Download]

Support us on Patreon! Get early access, have your memories read on the show, select the games we talk about!

SEGA appoints former Disney exec Justin Scarpone as new executive to lead global transmedia strategy

It looks like SEGA wants to increase their global presence, as they just recently announced former Walt Disney executive Justin Scarpone as the Executive Vice President, Head of Global Transmedia Group for SEGA effective April 1st, 2024. Justin is probably most well known for launching a little indie title known as Kingdom Hearts. Between the Sonic movies and the New Energy, New Era lineup of video game revivals, it looks like SEGA is serious about expanding their presence. Welcome to the team, Justin. Word of advice: don’t talk to Sonic fans on social media.

After the break, check out the full press release!