Announcing the SEGAbits Summer of Art Contest!

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SEGA has created some of the most beautiful games and iconic characters that gaming has ever seen. As such, SEGAbits would like to celebrate SEGA’s legacy of creativity with the Summer of Art contest! We will be taking submissions from across the world from fans expressing their SEGA passion! Not only will we be taking art, we will also be taking poems, original music and short videos! The more creative and passionate, the better! Just, you know, don’t get weird.

The contest will run until July 15th. The winner will receive:

  • A set of Jet Set Radio pins, given out by SEGA during PAX East and E3 2012
  • A set of Valkyria Chronicles 2 pins, given out by SEGA exclusively at PAX Prime 2010
  • A Jet Set Radio music CD
  •   A copy of the Valkyria Chronicle Design Archive
  •   A free commission of a SEGA character drawn by Archie Sonic the Hedgehog artist Tracy Yardley
  •   A free SEGAbits t-shirt

Select pieces of art and music will also be entered into our banner art rotation and featured in Tuesday Tunes.

Four runner-ups will also be receiving Valkyria Chronicles 2 pins and Jet Set Radio pins.
To help inspire you, SEGAbits will be posting an article full of concept art every Sunday! If we get enough submissions, we may also post some samples of what we’ve been receiving. Continue reading for guidelines on what will be accepted and how we will be taking submissions. We may be updating this contest with additional prizes as they become available. Stay tuned!

My Life with SEGA vs. Spy vs. Spy

On this week’s 2-Man Scramble, Mickey Mac and I enjoy a Master System classic; Spy vs. Spy. Based on MAD Magazine’s infamous comic strip, created by Antonio Prohías way back in 1961….

While I have fond memories of this game, Mickey Mac has gone so far as to call this “the friendship killer”. Can our friendship survive Spy vs. Spy?

Like this video? Subscribe to the SEGAbits YouTube channel! After the break, check out the promo video for what My Life with SEGA has planned for July!

Sakura Wars The Movie to be rereleased by Funimation in Blu Ray format

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News has it that Funimation has picked up the license rights to rerelease Sakura Wars: The Movie on Blu Ray Disc this morning. A source from Twitter states that the movie will still retain the Geneon Dub with added extra features. The movie was previously released on DVD and PSP UMD by Geneon a few years back. The movie’s plot follows the Imperial Assault Force after Lt. Ogami Ichiro departs to Paris and are later introduced to Star Division’s member Rachete Altair to battle against the upcoming evil that is descending upon the Imperial Capital.

If your a fan of SEGA media, you should check this movie out when it’s rereleased on Blu Ray. Now if only Funimation can obtain the TV series rights for Toonami. Hit the jump to see the Twitter announcements.

Fighters Segamix: Virtua Fighter 2

Welcome to the first round in our new video series “Fighters Segamix”. In this series, we will be focusing on the rich history of fighting games on SEGA systems as well as SEGA fighting games themselves. In this first episode, we have both in Virtua fighter 2 for the SEGA Saturn. Note that while I love fighting games, I’m not the best player. I’m not gonna be winning any Evo tournament anytime soon. Still, I can usually tell who’s balanced and who’s cheap right away (especially in the next episode).

Don’t have a Saturn? You can pick up Virtua Fighter 2 on XBLA and PSN for only $5. As you can see in the video, you can also play Virtua Fighter 2 in Yakuza 5 (only available on PS3 through import).

Should I include brawlers like Streets of Rage and Golden Axe into the mix? Let me know in the comments.

Like this video? Subscribe to the SEGAbits YouTube channel!

Presenting “My Life with SEGA: The Next Level”, a short film by A.J. Rosa

They took his game. The Holy Grail of SEGA Saturn titles….Panzer Dragoon Saga. Now, A.J. Rosa must go up against an old friend and a swarm of henchmen in order to reclaim what is rightfully his.

Starring Shawn Morgan, Mickey Mac, Doug Beamer and Alex Gonzales. Written and Directed by A.J. Rosa.

WARNING! This video contains action violence, adult language, obscure references and severe ass-kicking. VIEWER DISCRETION is STRONGLY ADVISED! Like this video? Subscribe to the SEGAbits YouTube channel!

After the break, check out, download, and print out the kick-ass My Life with SEGA: The Next Level poster.

Review: The House of the Dead: Overkill – The Lost Reels (iOS)

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Despite SEGA West whittling down the number of franchises they’ll be focusing on, the longtime classic franchise The House of the Dead has been kept alive (no pun intended, seriously) as of recent thanks to rereleases of arcade classics and expanded enhanced ports of the franchise’s most recent title The House of the Dead: Overkill. The 2009 Wii release became a cult classic, featuring a crazy re-imagining of the light gun shooter as a grindhouse flick complete with over the top gore, 70’s film stock effects, and gratuitous language. In 2011, The House of the Dead: Overkill Extended Cut released to the PS3 with enhanced visuals and new modes and stages. We thought that was it for the Overkill titles, but we were wrong. Dead wrong. SEGA has released The House of the Dead: Overkill once again, this time on iOS and Android devices. Enough with the introductions, let’s tear into this f***er!

My Life with SEGA boots up and reviews the Genesis CDX

Time for another “classic” episode from My Life with SEGA where I review the Genesis CDX hardware, or Multi-Mega for those of you in Japan or the UK. Mind you, this is NOT a review of SEGA CD in general; just this specific piece of hardware.

Odd watching this again. This was made long before I joined SEGAbits and there are so many things I hint at here like Genesis/Star Trek, The Next Level. Hell, it practically foreshadows the 3rd Anniversary Contest and me ditching the Model 2….so fucking weird.

Anyway, on with the show! Enjoy, for this is the last old-school video I’ll be posting. It’s all new shit from this point forward. Like this video? Subscribe to the SEGAbits YouTube channel!

After the break, check out the teaser trailer for next week’s extra special episode: My Life with SEGA: The Next Level.

SEGA Tunes: Outrun 2019’s Victorious and Feel the Beat

Screw the people who criticized the Genesis’s sound capabilities: they’ve clearly never heard Outrun 2019. This is the sort of soundtrack you want to listen to when your cruising down a road at 500 miles per hour! 2019 is one of the better examples of Genesis music I’ve heard, but I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. Outrun has a heck of a legacy when it comes to video game music, especially since the original game probably has one of the best SEGA arcade soundtracks out there.

Hope you enjoyed Victorious! Please go below the fold for another awesome track, Feel the Beat.

Shigs: The Sega Master System newb

Guess who finally got his hands on a Sega Master System this weekend after 27 years? Me! In this video featuring my fat, bearded mug, I’m gonna show you my first experience with the Master System itself (outside of a Genesis converter)along with 4 games. Snail Maze, Outrun, Space Harrier and Lord of the Sword.

Go to the comments section for a very cool Master system video I found on youtube.

The SEGA Five: Reasons Why Sonic Being Nintendo Exclusive is a Good Thing

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I think everyone on the internet could name a few reasons why they don’t want their beloved Sonic the Hedgehog franchise to be exclusive to Nintendo platforms. First of all, the Wii U isn’t a power house. It is stated that it has the same capabilities as the Xbox 360/Playstation 3. But it seems that SEGA has inked a deal to have the next three Sonic the Hedgehog games exclusive to Nintendo platforms. So why isn’t this a bad thing?

My Life with SEGA boldly plays Star Trek: TNG and Starfleet Academy

With Star Trek Into Darkness hitting theatres May 17, I felt like taking a walk down memory lane with Star Trek: The Next Generation – Echoes from the Past for SEGA Genesis, and Star Trek: Starfleet Academy – Starship Bridge Simulator for 32X….

Good God, why must these titles be so damn long?!

Anyway, these weren’t just games I picked up later as I started collecting hard-core. I grew up with ’em. Echoes from the Past was the first Star Trek game I ever played, while Starfleet Academy was one of many reasons I wanted the notorious mushroom of failure. It’s been almost 20 years since the docked on SEGA. Are these echoes from my past worth hearing, or has my enjoyment faded into a dim memory?

Let’s see what’s out there. Engage, fucker! Like this video? Subscribe to the SEGAbits YouTube channel!