Atlus publishing a failed Kickstarter game called Citizens of Earth

While there are many Kickstarter success stories like Broken Age or Shovel Knight, not all potentially good games make it through. Citizens of Earth by Eden Industries is one of these games, as it failed to meet it’s $100.000 funding goal. It seems like the people at Atlus think that this game has potential though, as they announced today that they’ll be publishing the game for PC, PS4, Vita, Wii U and 3DS.

The game itself is a comedic RPG inspired by Earthbound, in which you play as the vice president of the world and recruit ordinary people into your party. You can find a lot more details about it along with gameplay and a demo on the original Kickstarter page. Citizens of Earth will be released on the already mentioned platforms later this year in the US and Europe.

SEGA in the Charts: MediaCreate charts for March 10 – 16 March 2014

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SEGA latest multimedia video game, Hero Bank for the Nintendo 3DS, debuted in the Japanese charts. Joining it last week was Phantasy Star Online 2: Episode 2 for the Playstation Vita, the retail version of the highly successful MMO with added perks. Both arrived at a time with a slew of new software reflected by the Japanese charts which holds 14 out of 20 new titles in the top 20. It was always going to be tough for both titles as they release at the same time as several big titles, so hit the break to find out how they fared.

3D OutRun confirmed as the next SEGA 3D Classics title

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Joining the second wave of SEGA 3D Classics releases for the Nintendo 3DS is 3D OutRun, as confirmed by the official SEGA Japan site. The first wave of releases, available now in the East and West, featured eight classic titles from the Mega Drive and arcade. Wave two, which could possibly contain another eight titles, currently is Japan only and also features 3D After Burner and 3D Fantasy Zone.

Little else is known about the release at the moment, but as soon as we learn more we’ll be sure to share it!

Fantasy Zone 3DS port gets screens and Opa-Opa’s brother confirmed as playable!

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SEGA has announced a ton of ‘3D’ ports of classic games, we have had many of the classics already released and now there is one more to add to your list: Fantasy Zone!

In a strange turn of events it seems that the title of the original classic has been extended for the re-release, now titled Fantasy Zone: Opa-Opa Bros in Japan. Why the extended title? Well, it seems that Opa-Opa’s brother “Upaupa” will be playable. According to the official site, all you will have to do is complete the original game to unlock ‘Upaupa mode’. He will have multiple weapons that can be changed on the fly with the second 3DS screen.  The game is set to come out in Japan on March 19th for 762 yen.

So what else is new? Wanna see the screens? Hit the jump!

Persona Q influenced by Etrian Odyssey’s dungeon mapping and combat

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When Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth was announced, it seemed like it would take aspects of the Atlus’ Nintendo DS long running dungeon crawler Etrian Odyssey and according to this week’s Famitsu, I was partly right. They have now said that the game will feature a map-making feature similar to the one featured in Etrian Odyssey games. This map feature will allow users to draw the layout of the dungeon on the 3DS touch screen and help you find your way around.

That isn’t all though, the game will also contain ‘F.O.E.’ monsters and give you a choice if it you are better off running or allow you to ‘try’ and take down the monster. If you do decide to take do F.O.E. monsters, you might just get a special reward.

So Persona Q is Etrian Odyssey with a Persona storyline and characters from Persona 3 & 4. Persona Q is set to come out in America this fall.

Sega Genesis/Mega Drive shooter Steel Empire slated to release on the Japanese 3DS eShop this month


 
Via Polygon comes news that the SEGA Genesis shooter Steel Empire, also known as Empire of Steel in Europe and Koutetsu Teikoku (鋼鉄帝国) in Japan, is set for a Nintendo 3DS release later this month. Members from the original development team, HOT-B, reformed to create Starfish which will be publishing the 3DS remake. Mebuis is in charge of remaking the game. Steel Empire is expected to release at the end of the month as a 2,940 yen eShop download.

Yoshinori Satake, former Hot-B lead game designer, is currently working on a sequel to the original game, entitled Burning Steel.

Humorous “Hero Bank” commercial airing and the anime cast announced


 
Adding to their humorously bizarre commercial pedigree, SEGA released this commercial for Hero Bank a couple of days ago. Hero Bank follows the immensely unfortunate but determined Kaito Gosho as he assumes a virtual avatar and competes in the online cyber-sport “Hero Battle” to pay off a one billion yen debt. Toshihiro Nagoshi of Yakuza and Super Monkey Ball fame is acting as producer for this title. The 3DS arena-fighting RPG releases in Japan on March 20th.

As part of the promotional blitz (which started last summer with items like branded toilet paper,) a TV anime series is in production and will begin airing on April 7th on Mondays at 6:30 PM. Anime News Network recently listed the voice cast and announced that TMS Animation is handling animation work for this adaptation. Yuuko Sanpei, known for work including Eureka Seven lead Renton Thurston, will be providing the voice of main character Kaito Gosho. His friend-turned-rival Nagare Amano is voiced by Hiroshi Kamiya, more recently identifiable as Attack on Titan‘s Levi. Incidentally, Kamiya also seems to be a recurring name in some of the newer-era Shining games.

Interestingly, while news thus far for the game describes Kaito as being saddled with a one billion yen debt, ANN lists the debt as ten billion instead. Isn’t elementary school hard enough?

Sonic Boom franchise behind the scenes video released


 
It’s not often that we get a look at how Sonic games are made, so it’s surprising that SEGA released a behind the scenes video for Sonic Boom. While there’s not much new info, it does show a lot of new concept art for the game and a couple of voice recording sessions for the TV show. There’s also one very small bit of new gameplay that you will probably miss if you blink.

The cast for the game and TV show was also revealed, which confirms that Orbot and Cubot will be present in this spin-off. It also shows that Tails now has a new voice actress, with Colleen Villard replacing Kate Higgins. This isn’t the first time Villard voiced a Sonic character, as she is also the current voice of the beloved Charmy the Bee.

Today has been a big day for Sonic Boom, as we just uploaded our latest podcast which features an hour long interview with producer Stephen Frost.

Swingin’ Report Show #56: Interview with Sonic Boom Producer Stephen Frost


 
Hot on the heels of the reveal of the new Western television series and video game Sonic Boom, SEGA of America producer Stephen Frost sat down with Swingin’ Report Show hosts Barry and George, as well as David of Sonic Retro, to discuss all things speedy and blue. In this hour long discussion we delve into the genesis of the project, learn more of the team at Big Red Button Entertainment, and get a few hints at what we can expect to see in both the game and show. If Stephen’s enthusiasm is any gauge for what we can expect, we’re in for a real treat later this year!

Learn more about the new branch in the Sonic franchise at the official Sonic Boom website.

[Download] [RSS] [iTunes] [Archive]

Atlus teases Persona Q: Shadow Of The Labyrinth Special Edition package

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Atlus is really good at delivering when it comes to special edition version of their games, usually being priced just right for what you get. This time around they are teasing a package for the Japanese market that will include:

  • Persona Q for the 3DS
  • Special B5 size tapestry drawn by Persona Q anime staff
  • A3 size clear poster (secret design till it goes on sale)
  • five visual clear files
  • Persona Q mug (motif style of the Velvet Room)
  • Graphig (aka paper craft) version of Rei

Persona Q hits the 3DS in Japan on June 6th. If you want to order the special edition version, you can here. Is everyone excited for the first ‘Persona‘ game under SEGA?

Puyo Puyo Tetris trailer drops from above to the internet

Here is a trailer for Sonic Team’s Puyo Puyo Tetris coming out on Feb 6th for 3DS, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, and Wii U. This trailer is actually a bit old, but we figured most people in the west haven’t seen it, so we would post it anyways. If you haven’t seen on our article on why you should be interested in Puyopuyo Tetris, check it out!

I played the demo last night on PSN for a bit. I found it quite fun. Forgot how fun Puyo Puyo and Tetris were. We really should make some noise to get this game localized… I know, another game to add to the huge list of games we want SEGA to localize, but this one should be fairly low budget compared to some other ones.

The SEGA Five: Five Game Gear games that need to come to eShop

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This may not surprise you, but I was a Game Gear kid. While everyone else was bringing their Game Boys to school, I happily chugged away on my full color backlit power house, playing Sonic Triple Trouble, Lion King and Lucky Dime Caper. So when I heard the 3DS was going to have its own handheld centric Virtual Console, I was stoked. Finally, some of my favorite games from childhood would be available to play on a modern screen!
 
So far, SEGA’s selection of Game Gear titles have been pretty solid, with only a handful of mediocre Sonic games ruining what is an otherwise fine selection. Yet, there are still some spectacular titles missing from the line-up, titles which should be given their due before SEGA calls it quits on the Virtual Console.

Hero Bank cashing in and getting an Anime series

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If you saw previews for SEGA’s 3DS game Hero Bank and thought it looked like a kid anime, guess what? Now it is, Hero Bank will be getting an animated show airing on TV Tokyo starting this April.

If you have been following our Hero Bank updates, you will know the game is about Kaito Gosho, a young kid who discovers that he is one billion yen in debt. So how would he get the money to pay off his debt? He enters the world of ‘Hero Bank’, a speedy high-tech robot battle ring, where everything you do runs on cash. Every time you do an attack you pay, every time you block you pay. You get the idea.

SEGA plans on bringing free-to-play games to the Nintendo 3DS

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SEGA seems to really have partnered up with Nintendo for this generation. With the Wii U getting exclusive SEGA IPs like Sonic Lost World, it’s hard not to notice. Where are all those Playstation 4 and Xbox One SEGA games? Well, it seems that SEGA has more games planned for a Nintendo product; the Nintendo 3DS, and these games won’t cost you  a cent! SEGA Japan already announced their first ‘free-to-play’ 3DS title with “Initial D: Perfect Shift Online“.

“We don’t intend to stop with this title, and after looking over its results, we’ll think about what to do next. However, unlike games for smartphones, I believe there’s a perfect shape of ways to do things, somewhere out there, for the Nintendo 3DS. I believe that finding it will be our challenge, and in many ways, Initial D will be our first step.” – Toshihiro Nagoshi

It is not surprising considering the fact that SEGA boosted about the success of their free-to-play titles in their last earning reports. It seems that SEGA’s catalogue for free-to-play games continues to grow, do you think it’s worth SEGA’s investment?

3D Ecco the Dolphin and Galaxy Force II hit the Nintendo eShop today, Sonic 2 out now for iOS and Android

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Today is a big day for classic SEGA releases, as the 3DS will see the release of 3D Ecco the Dolphin and 3D Galaxy Force II and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 has released to iOS and Android devices. Those who have experienced M2’s 3D Sonic the Hedgehog, 3D Altered Beast, 3D Space Harrier, and 3D Hang-On should expect the same level of quality and features in 3D Ecco the Dolphin and 3D Galaxy Force II. 3D Ecco the Dolphin features a much touted “Super Dolphin Mode” for those who found the original game too difficult.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 for iOS and Android is every bit as solid as SEGA’s previous remastering of Sonic the Hedgehog by Sonic Retro forum members Taxman and Stealth. The biggest addition that has excited many fans is the inclusion of the long lost Hidden Palace Zone stage. There are also a few new surprises, but we won’t spoil them for you just yet.