Original Content

A trio of Sonic Lost World videos from Sonic Boom/Summer of Sonic

by

Tonight’s Sonic Boom event was host to some awesome music, cool giveaways. great guests and some exclusive videos (I REALLY wish I could have gone). First up is a new trailer for Sonic Lost World showing off some brand new areas and a return of an old gameplay formula. Hope you like grinding!………A lot!

Liked the Japanese cutscene last week? After the jump, check out an extended, full English version! Also, we finally put up the HD Summer of Sonic trailer from last week that we somehow missed!

Continue Reading ➜

yyU kbXu E sSNnSt lzc abKH gL

2 Comments

Fighters Segamix: Waku Waku 7

by

Now for something a little different. I’m reviewing Sunsoft’s Waku Waku 7. A fairly rare import (although available on Neo Geo in the U.S.) full of oddball fighters that takes some stabs at Anime tropes. It’s a very fun fighter with a small assortment of crazy characters and a super meter that beats them all. However, the translation from Nero Geo to Saturn didn’t go as well as expected. Considering it also comes with a one meg RAM cartridge, how could they mess up those backgrounds so badly?! Check out my video and see is you have the “balls” to play this wacky fighter.

Click on comments to check out a Neo Geo comparison.

Continue Reading ➜

5 Comments

Summer of Sonic 2013 – Takashi Iizuka Interview

by

SOS13-Iizuka

Over the past few years the Sonic series has hit a bit of a renaissance, with Colours and Generations achieving relative success critically as well as commercially. Typically, just as this turnaround is achieved, the newest game shows signs of radical change to the 3D Sonic formula that had finally gained acceptance. Sonic Lost World’s new design is the kind of decision that means it’s always interesting to chat to Takashi Iizuka, the man at the top of Sonic Team today and the public face of the team. He’s always cheery and approachable, but you can never quite predict the answers you’ll get from him. Read on to find out Iizuka’s take on the limitations of Sonic’s previous 3D outings, what inspired the new design of Sonic Lost World and his view of differences between working in the USA and Japan!

Continue Reading ➜

UdqQR b i ZbpbWfnsd

1 Comment

SEGAbits Visits SEGA of America, Inc. in Sunny San Francisco – Part 3

by

sbp3

Welcome to the third and final part of our visit to SEGA of America! Check out the first part here and the second part here. In part three, we’re going to take a look at several rare, cool, and sometimes strange pieces of SEGA history pulled from SEGA’s archives from SEGA community managers Kellie Parker and Julian Mehlfeld. Consoles in their original boxes, cool accessories, rare statues, and a few items from the Kellie Parker Collection™ can all be seen after the break!

Continue Reading ➜

2 Comments

Sonic Talk #22 Getting fat from eating your black hearts

by

We got some communications problems in this weeks Sonic Talk. Makes for some humorous moments though. In this episode, we talk about the latest movies we’ve seen and our time at the San Diego Comic Con. We also talk about the controversy surrounding the dark, violent dialogue in Sonic Lost World and speaking of dark dialogue, Alex goes on a rant about Ken Penders and the Ouya.

[ MP3 Download ] [ iTunes ]

Continue Reading ➜

No Comments

SEGA Tunes: OutRun 2’s Splash Wave

by

Nothing screams summer fun like driving a Ferrari along the coast of some random tropical paradise, with a pretty girl at your side and rocking guitar music filling the air. Outrun 2, having all of these things, is pretty much SEGA’s definitive summer game. Splash Wave is one of my favorite tunes in the game because it perfectly matches the atmosphere Outrun 2. It starts out fast and frantic but quickly slows down with a lazier, more relaxing beat. As fast and frantic as Outrun 2’s game play can be, you are still a dude driving a Ferrari through some of the most picturesque scenery in gaming and Splash Wave aides that feeling beautifully by alternating between the exciting synth and the slower, lazier guitar.

No Comments

Summer of Sonic 2013 – Sonic Lost World Impressions

by

SOSSLW
 
Summer of Sonic features an in-development game to play every year, usually for the first time to the public outside big industry shows like E3. This year, we got Sonic Lost World, on both Wii U and 3DS, making its debut in the United Kingdom.

First, a quick summary of what was on show. The rep told us this was the Comic-Con build, so for the few Americans in the audience who were there, we played the same game you did. There were three Wii U demo pods and six 3DSes running. On the Wii U game there were 4 levels available to play: Windy Hill, Desert Ruins 1 (styled with a small letter S shoe-horned in between the s and the e on the title card to make Dessert – a pun on the fact it’s a candy/sweets level), Desert Ruins 2 (an auto-run level through honey combs) and Frozen Factory (the Sonic 2-styled casino level). On the 3DS, there were 3 available choices – a Windy Hill tutorial level, Windy Hill 1 and Desert Ruins 2 (here, an Egyptian-themed puzzle level with moving around of blocks & balls). We tried to play as much as possible, bearing in mind that because of queue lengths there was a limit of one level per person. Those of you who recall back to Summer of Sonic 2010 may remember we did a look at Sonic Colours‘ debut – this time we have opinions on the game not just from myself but several Sonic Retro forum members, so read on to see what we thought!

Continue Reading ➜

n K za

11 Comments

SEGA-Sammy’s net income up 400% from last year

by

segaSAMMY
Its crazy knowing that filtering your content can do so much good for your company, especially SEGA’s recent financial results for the first quarter of its 2014 fiscal year. SEGA-Sammy’s operating income for the quarter ended on June 30th and totaled 16.1 billion yen ($163.85 million), 197.7 percent higher than the same time last year. Net income came in at a (for SEGA-Sammy) staggering 12.9 billion yen ($131.6 million), which is a 408.8 percent increase year-over-year.

SEGA-Sammy totally improved their consumer business segment, which includes those video games you loved published by SEGA and its Japanese pachislot/pachinko machine division. Panchislot/pachinko branch of the company saw a increase of revenue of 138.5%, totaling 18.7 billion yen ($190.2 million).

According to SEGA-Sammy’s press release, their latest RTS game (which they got by buying the team/their franchises from THQ for 26 million) Company of Heroes 2 sold a staggering 380,000 copies. I know most of you will see this and say it isn’t over a million units so it is a failure, but you have to know that this report is from June 30th, the game launched on June 25th. The only other major SEGA retail title outside of Company of Heroes 2, was the Playstation Portable Japan only title 7th Dragon 2020-2. SEGA’s publishing side saw a year-over-year decrease of 9.7 percent, selling 1.21 million units.

SEGA also reported favorable performance of their digital games on Windows PC, Playstation Vita and mobile devices. SEGA-Sammy state that Phantasy Star Online 2 (Japan only for now) helped bring the operating income of the consumer division up to 39 million yen (approximately $396,000).

It should be a good year for SEGA with Total War: Rome II, Football Manager 2014 and Sonic Lost Worlds around the corner.

OQHU tepwF

6 Comments

SEGAbits Visits SEGA of America, Inc. in Sunny San Francisco – Part 2

by

segabitsvpt2

Quick recap: a few weeks back I paid a visit to SEGA of America’s headquarters. In part 1, we explored the area where the offices are located, entered the office building lobby, got on an elevator, and entered SEGA’s lobby. In part 2, we’re going to explore the SEGA office lobby, taking a look at all the cool bits of SEGA history on display! Join me, as I venture inside SEGA of America.

Continue Reading ➜

5 Comments

SEGA Tunes: “Door into Summer” from Knuckles Chaotix

by

I’ve always thought of SEGA as the video game company of the summer. Many of their most memorable games start off in bright and sunny tropical paradises with endless blue skies. Stuff like Daytona USA, After Burner, Out Run, NiGHTS into Dreams, Sonic the Hedgehog and Ristar invoke the spirit of summer like few other games do.

I’ll be featuring a few of “songs of the summer” over the next month or so. Hope you enjoy them! Figured I’d start with something I’ve wanted to put up for a little while: Knuckles Chaotix’s “Door into Summer”. It not only has an appropriate name, but also has a nice, memorable tune.

fowoYSnFzkl wKsbb

4 Comments

Interview: Sam Mullen on Hatsune Miku: Project Diva F

by

Here I am (tall, fat and handsome) with Sam Mullen, localization producer on Hatsune Miku: Project Diva F. The surprise hit at the Sega Arcade during San Diego Comic con last week. Despite a demo being readily available on PS3, there always was a big crowd for this game. Sometimes as big as Sonic Lost World (or more)! I ask some of the questions fans have been wanting to know. Will all the songs be included? What about DLC? Watch and find out.

4 Comments

My Life with SEGA takes to the skies with Panzer Dragoon Saga

by

Panzer Dragoon Saga. So much has already been said in regards to Yukio Futatsugi’s swan song for Sega’s then underrated Saturn console. It’s received unanimous praise from gamers and critics alike, and has become a highly sought after collector’s item since its release….

Expectations were exceedingly high throughout the course of Panzer Dragoon Saga’s 2 year development. Not only would it expand on the franchises mythology, but it would be the first – and, as of this writing, last – role-playing game in the series. Players would be free to explore this incredible universe by air and on foot. This series, much like the dragon itself, evolved.

Sadly, it fell on some dark days. Saturn was on its way out in North America, which resulted in Saga receiving a limited run of only 30,000 copies. Considering there were over 2 million units sold in the United States, Saga was spread pretty thin. Used copies have been known to fetch well over $500 dollars on Amazon and eBay. Just think, that’s the suggested retail price of an Xbox One.

Now, 15 years later, I’m finally going to review it. Like this video? Subscribe to the SEGAbits YouTube channel!

9 Comments

Sonic Lost World: Frozen Factory preview

by

Lost World FF1

Sega is in full force this week at their Sega Arcade across the street from the San Diego Comic Con. Fans are lining up to play the latest, upcoming Sega titles. Hatsune Miku is drawing a surprisingly huge crowd. Of course, there is no bigger Sega icon than Sonic the Hedgehog and he was there in full force. There’s a giant statue of him in front of the arcade that can’t be missed, a normal-sized statue for taking pictures with and the main Hedgehog himself posing with fans. You can even get a Sonic chili dog out front!

But of course, the biggest attraction for Sonic fans is Sonic Lost World. The E3 demo is available to the public for the first time and folks playing seem delighted. However, Alex and I got a special treat as Aaron Webber came by to show us a “behind closed doors” demo with a brand new level, “Frozen Factory” which… is once again another fake out level name and it is neither frozen, nor a factory. Well, it might be a factory come to think of it. Keep reading for more details on the level and what improvements have been made to the original demo.

Continue Reading ➜

1 Comment