3DS

Review: Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal (Nintendo 3DS)

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In late October, SEGA released the first piece of the Sonic Boom franchise by way of the Archie comic book series of the same name. Despite the much touted TV series and video games, the comic book was our first official trip into the Sonic Boom universe. In my review of the first issue, I noted that I really enjoyed the fun, loose, self-referential nature of the comic book series. I compared the Sonic Boom comic to Archie’s early Sonic the Hedgehog issues. My exposure to the franchise continued with the TV series, which I also enjoyed, noting that the series felt very much like DiC’s 1993 series Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog. By this point, I was feeling fairly positive about Sonic Boom. And then the video games released.

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Atlus bringing Etrian Mystery Dungeon to North America

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A little over a week ago I posted that Etrian Odyssey x Mystery Dungeon game was announced and just like that Atlus has confirmed it is publishing it in America. Not only that, the game will be coming to America in Spring of 2015. You see, us SEGA fans are used to waiting up to a year after the game comes out in Japan before we even hear if its going to come to America and even then we best hope for the best.

Atlus is so ahead of the curb that there is already English translated screenshots and there hasn’t been ANY screenshots in Japanese released for the game. Atlus can you please publish Shining Resonance, Phantasy Star Nova and Yakuza 5? I mean, its even been over two years since SEGA announced Phantasy Star Online 2 was coming to America.

Check out the screenshots, game description after the break.

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Unboxing Persona Q limited edition 3DS XL

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A few months ago we brought you an unboxing of a launch day Dreamcast, this time we are bringing you a short unboxing of the limited edition Persona Q 3DS XL from Gamestop. I have to say, this is the nicest looking special edition 3DS that I have seen and definitely worth looking into if you can’t wait for the New 3DS XL models to hit North America next year.

So if you have any questions about the Persona Q limited edition 3DS XL, let me know in the comments below. Thanks for watching!

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Rodea: The Sky Soldier gets new screenshots, story and gameplay details

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Rodea: The Sky Soldier was originally set to be a Wii game and now is going to get new life next year on both the Wii U and 3DS. Just last week the publisher, Kadokawa Games released a new trailer for the game and not much else. But now they have released the story overview, character profiles, gameplay details, and even a ton of new screens.

The story has empires, battle with technology and other themes present in past Sonic Team games. They even added a hint of Panzer Dragoon in there for good measure with its little map and on-rails looking gameplay.  Not only that, the Wii U version of the game also got a filter that gives it a sketched out feel, similar to what Valkyria Chronicles did compared to the Wii original. Oddly enough no 3DS screenshots have been shown yet.

Hit the jump to see Gematsu’s translation of the story,characters and a screenshot gallery.

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Yuji Naka’s Rodea: The Sky Soldier gets new trailer showing off Wii U footage

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Yuji Naka’s Rodea: The Sky Soldier is a weird story, seeing as it was supposed to be released on the Wii in 2011, even Yuji Naka said the title was completely done and just needed to be released by publisher Kadokawa games. No information was released and even Yuji Naka said he wasn’t sure if the game was going to be released last year. Well, thankfully the publisher Kadokawa games came to its senses since they announced the game coming for both Wii U and 3DS.

Seems that they are sticking with the Spring 2015 release window for Japan. Now we have a trailer showing off footage of the game and as you can see it looks like very low quality Wii graphics. But you know what? The game looks so fun, that it can be running on the Sega Saturn and I’d buy it. Let’s hope this is a good one, for Prope’s sake.

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Atlus announces Etrian Odyssey V and Mystery Dungeon x Etrian Odyssey

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Do you like Etrian Odyssey? If so, I have good news for you! The not-so-hot selling franchise, Etrian Odyssey will not only get a new entry to the franchise but also have a new cross-over game with Mystery Dungeon.

Mystery Dugeon x Etrian Odyssey is basically going to be a Mystery Dungeon style game with Etrian Odyssey characters (some older Mystery Dugeon cameos will be included). The music will be done by legendary video game music composer Yuzo Koshiro (Streets of Rage series, Revenge of Shinobi) and the art  direction will be handled by Nizo Yamaoto (Princess Mononoke). This game is slated to be released in Japan next March.

As for Etrian Odyssey V, it was announced along with a list of people working on the game. This includes director Shigeo Komori, character designer Yuji Himukai, veteran composer Yuzo Koshiro, and monster desginer Shin Nagasawa.

To see the teaser trailers  for both Etrian Odyssey V and Mystery Dungeon x Etrian Odyssey hit the jump.

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Swingin’ Report Show #73: Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal Interview with Mat Kraemer of Sanzaru Games

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This week on the Swingin’ Report Show podcast Barry and George are joined by Mat Kraemer, Lead Designer at Sanzaru Games, developer of Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal for the Nintendo 3DS. Topics covered include the development process of the handheld title, how Sanzaru interacted with various teams including the TV show crew and the team at Big Red Button, what Sonic games Sanzaru looked to for inspiration, and Mat’s favorite classic SEGA games and consoles.

There has been a lot of talk about the Sonic Boom franchise this past week, so it was great to sit down with Mat to learn more about how the 3DS game came to be. Hey! Why are you still reading this when you should be listening?

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Yuji Naka’s Rodea the Sky Soldier releasing Spring 2015 in Japan to the Wii U and 3DS

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Here at SEGAbits we like to keep things focused on SEGA both past and present, but when a SEGA legend leaves the company to do their own thing, we like to keep you guys informed as to what they’re up to – especially when it’s a big project with some SEGA influences. While we love former Sonic Team head Yuji Naka, who left SEGA in 2006 to found his own studio Prope, his studio’s games really haven’t had the same impact that his works at SEGA had. Outside of Let’s Tap and Ivy the Kiwi? (the question mark is in the game’s title), Naka and his team haven’t done much aside from releasing several bland iOS titles. However, there was one upcoming Prope game that looked to be on par with Naka’s work at SEGA: Rodea the Sky Soldier for Wii and 3DS.

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SEGA releases launch trailers for Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric and Shattered Crystal

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SEGA has released the launch trailers for Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric for the Wii U and Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal for the Nintendo 3DS. Both games hit North America and Latin America today and will be in stores in Europe on November 21st. We’ll be sharing our own thoughts on the games soon, and next week expect some behind-the-scenes information on the development of the games. In the meantime, check out the Wii U trailer above and the 3DS trailer after the break!

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Sonic and friends rescue a cat from a tree in a new Sonic Boom commercial

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Regardless of your opinion of SEGA’s upcoming Sonic Boom franchise, you gotta admit it’s nice to see some creative SEGA TV ads. Unlike past adverts for Sonic titles, which used actors in body costumes, the Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric TV ad features CG renderings of Sonic and his friends in the real world, using their teamwork to rescue a real cat (not Big, sadly) from a tree. Sonic Boom the TV show is set to air this coming Saturday at 7am EST, while the Wii U and 3DS games are set for a November 11th release in the US, and a November 21st release in Europe. The comic book is in stores now, and you can read our full review right here. Stay tuned to SEGAbits and Sonic Retro for all your Sonic Boom news, reviews, and information.

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Swingin’ Report Show #72: Halloween Special featuring The SEGA Fall Lineup

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Fall is in the air, the leaves are changing color and new console and PC games are releasing from SEGA! This week on the Swingin’ Report Show podcast, George and Barry look back on SEGA’s scariest games, and discuss the latest current and upcoming SEGA titles. We discuss why The House of the Dead has endured as a franchise for so long, talk SEGA’s most underrated scary titles, share our thoughts on the recently released Alien: Isolation and Bayonetta 2, and celebrate Valkyria Chronicles PC release announcement.

We also look ahead to November, as Barry talks about his experience playing Sonic Boom for Wii U and 3DS at SEGA’s New York event and details the first issue of Archie’s Sonic Boom comic book. November’s console theme month is also revealed, and we tease an upcoming special edition podcast that is going to be Mega fun. Give it a listen and Happy Halloween!

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Check out SEGA of Japan’s trailer for the physical SEGA 3D Classics Nintendo 3DS release

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Not too long ago, we speculated that a physical release of SEGA’s 3DS 3D Classics was in the works, and shortly thereafter such a release was revealed to be happening! Releasing December 18th, and featuring cover art by Ken Sugimori, the compilation is to include a mix of wave 1 and wave 2 titles: 3D Space Harrier, 3D Fantasy Zone, 3D Outrun, 3D Streets of Rage, 3D Shinobi 2, and 3D Ecco the Dolphin. Also included are two bonus titles, Space Harrier 3D and Outrun 3D which originally released to the SEGA Master System and utilized the 3D glasses.

For a sampling of what to expect from the compilation, check out the trailer above. If you have a Japanese 3DS or alternate means of playing import titles, you can pre-order the game from Play-Asia. In the meantime, I’ll just sit here watching the trailer, fingers crossed for a US release. Tears running down my face.

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SEGA’s Initial D: Perfect Shift Online races to 500,000 downloads in Japan

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SEGA has been testing the free-to-play market on the 3DS in Japan, the first title that has been released is Initial D: Perfect Shift Online. SEGA has just announced a landmark for the game, reaching over 500,000 downloads on the 3DS platform.

For comparison the game only had 400,000 downloads last month, meaning that this whole month they have manage to get 100,000 downloads.

SEGA Japan will celebrate its milestone by discounting in-game purchases until November 5th. Nothing has been announced for a Western release.

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Atlus to localize Attack on Titan 3DS game

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Atlus USA is looking into localizing Attack on Titan: The Last Wings of Mankind for the Nintendo 3DS, based on the popular manga/anime. All we know is that Atlus is bringing it to Australia thanks to the Australian Classification Board.

The Japanese publisher Spike Chunsoft has said that they will be re-releasing an enhanced version in Japan this December, this version would include online multiplayer. Since the listings for the Australian version does mention ‘online interactivity’, its safe to say that they are going to be releasing the enhanced version.

Seeing as how Atlus will need to translate the game to release it in Australia, don’t be shocked if a American and European release date are announced as well.

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Go behind-the-scenes with the Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal development team

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SEGA has uploaded a new behind-the-scenes video to the Sonic the Hedgehog YouTube account, taking fans behind-the-scenes with the Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal development team. Shattered Crystal, the Nintendo 3DS Sonic Boom title, is unique in that it is the first fully original handheld Sonic title since 2008’s Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood.

While Sonic Colors, Sonic Generations, and Sonic Lost World on the 3DS were pared down versions of what home consoles had (albeit with unique stages and layouts), Shattered Crystal is a separate title from Wii U’s Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric with a unique story, stages, and an exclusive character named Sticks the Badger. In the above video, Sanzaru Games, Inc. delves into how they’ve collaborated with Sonic Team and Big Red Button, as well as how the 3DS and Wii U titles will connect.

Yeah, they even have a sports tape gag at the end.

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