Anniversary

The Sega Dreamcast turns 25 years old today (In North America)

by

The year is 1999. In that year, films such as Toy Story 2, The Sixth Sense, The Matrix, Fight Club, and Pokémon: The First Movie came out in theaters. Shows like SpongeBob SquarePants, The Sopranos, Futurama, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?, and Ed, Edd, n’ Eddy premiered on TV. Songs such as “…Baby, One More Time” by Britney Spears, “Can I Get A…” by Jay-Z feat. Amil and Ja Rule, “No Scrubs” by TLC, “Butterfly” by Crazy Town, and, yes, “All Star” by Smash Mouth topped the charts. In Japan, anime such as Corrector Yui, Excel Saga, Medabots, and One Piece premiered on TV while Digimon Adventure premiered both in Japan and internationally. Video games like Super Smash Bros., Unreal Tournament, Final Fantasy VIII, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, Roller Coaster Tycoon, and Persona 2: Innocent Sin came out while Sega launched arcade games like Crazy Taxi, Emergency Call Ambulance, Harley-Davidson pinball, and South Park pinball. (Sega Pinball‘s last two games before they were sold off to Stern Pinball this same year.) Sega had done something else even more significant on this day that very same year, though. (Anyone else feeling a little Déjà vu?) Sega launched the Dreamcast on the easiest date in video game history to remember: 9/9/99. Happy 25th Anniversary!

Throughout 1999, Sega had cranked the hype machine up to 11 for Dreamcast, setting this up to be Sega’s grand return to the console race following their many missteps with the Sega Saturn. On September 9th of that year, the Dreamcast would launch with an abundance of excellent games available right away, including Crazy Taxi, The House of the Dead 2, NFL 2K, Power Stone, Soul Caliber, Hydro Thunder, and, of course, Sonic Adventure, and that’s not even half of what gamers could choose from on day 1. In fact, because Sonic hadn’t made a big splash on the Saturn, Sonic Adventure was as much a return to glory for Sonic as the Dreamcast was for Sega. With such an incredible launch, Sega raked in almost $100 million USD in just that first day, insuring that no matter what happens after that, Sega rang in the new millennium in style. While the console did not last long commercially, even compared to the Saturn, it made such a lasting impression that it enjoys just as much of a lofty spot in gaming and pop culture history as the Genesis before it.

Join us after the break as we start thinking about this incredible legacy.

Continue Reading ➜

3 Comments

The Sega Genesis turns 35 years old today

by

The year is 1989. In that year, people such as Taylor Swift, Danielle Radcliff, the late Avicii, SZA, Pewdiepie, Markiplier, and myself were born. Songs like “Bust A Move” by Young MC, “Cherish” and “Like A Prayer” by Madonna, and “Love Shack” by The B-52’s topped the charts. Movies like Disney’s The Little Mermaid, the Tim Burton directed Batman, Ghostbusters II, and Weekend At Bernie’s premiered in theaters. The Simpsons, Chip n’ Dale Rescue Rangers, Family Matters, Baywatch, and Seinfeld premiered on TV. In Japan, anime like Dragon Ball Z, Patlabor, and Ranma 1/2 premiered on TV while Kiki’s Delivery Service premiered in theaters. Video games like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Final Fight, SimCity, and DuckTales came out while Sega launched arcade games like Golden Axe, Turbo OutRun, and Tetris. Sega had done something else even more significant on this day that very same year, though. They launched the Sega Mega-Drive in North America as the Sega Genesis and the world would never be the same. Happy 35th anniversary!

On August 14th, 1989, Sega of America launched the Genesis in North America to much fanfare, including with a televised launch party attended by convicted felon and overall weirdo Donald Trump. Sega had failed to make much of a splash in North America with the still beloved Master System, but they had a new plan in mind for the Genesis. That plan included a fierce mockery of Nintendo’s strict adherence to sanitized, family friendly gaming, with the tagline “Genesis Does What Nintendon’t” remaining a staple in gamer lingo. This allowed Sega to stand out with the teens-to-adults crowd and ended up with Sega being the first video game console manufacturer to seriously threaten Nintendo’s market dominance, as well as inspiring future console rivals Sony and Microsoft to do the same with the PlayStation and Xbox respectively, while stealing Sega’s thunder in the process. Today, the Sega Genesis lives on in gaming and pop culture history as one of the most influential and memorable gaming consoles of all time and a hallmark of the 1990’s.

Come with us past the break to continue this celebration.

Continue Reading ➜

12 Comments

Phantasy Star Jun Senoue Rock Remix coming to PSO2: New Genesis in Phantasy Star 35th Anniversary Event

by

Did you know that this year marks the 35th anniversary of the Phantasy Star series? It’s come a long way. To celebrate, Sega have released a brand new rock remix of the main theme for PSO2 New Genesis, featuring beloved Sonic musician Jun Senoue and arrangement by NGS community staff member GWIZOFTHESTARS. You can listen to it right now on YouTube, and if you log into NGS between now and November 21st 2023, you’ll receive this same remix as a music disc (Not a physical disc, like a CD) that you can play within the game and a poster to be displayed within your creative space. Both items will be absolutely free as long as you log in within the event period. Keep logging in every week to see more gifts, which will be revealed later.

In addition, there will be more music remixes soon to be revealed on the official PSO2 NGS YouTube channel and the various official social media pages: (Facebook) (Instagram) (Discord) (I’ll be deep in the cold, cold ground before I start calling Twitter “X”). Between November 7th and November 21st, the final day of the event, there will also be special movie concerts, which will play on the big screens in the in-game central city hubs, such as Aelio Town. If you’re playing NGS, you won’t want to miss any of this.

Phantasy Star Online 2 New Genesis is free to play and available for PC on Steam, Windows Store, and Epic Games Store as well as on Xbox, PS4, and PS5. All versions of the game are all cross platform, meaning you can play with anyone on any system. You can read more from the official website.

Are you already playing PSO2 NGS? What do you think of this new NGS theme remix? How long have you been a Phantasy Star fan and which game did you start with? Tell us all about it in the comments below.

1 Comment

SEGA News Bits Live: Sonic the Hedgehog 31st Anniversary Party

by

Join Barry live at 12:15PM Central time for a Sonic birthday party! Grab a chili dog, watch some Sonic Origins gameplay footage and enjoy a classic episode of Fastest Food Alive.

If you want to support this type of content, you can check out our Patreon!

If you enjoy our SEGA News Bits segments and want to support us: Give us a sub and give this video a thumbs up so it shows up on more like-minded fans YouTube recommendations. You know, how that YouTube algorithm is.

No Comments

Son of Segata Sanshiro’s backstory revealed in latest commercial – translation details!

by

SEGA has been rolling out a new ad campaign in Japan for the company’s 60th anniversary, cleverly depicted as “GO SEGA” since “60” and “GO” look so similar in the SEGA logo font. The star of the campaign is Maito, the real life son of Hiroshi Fujioka, the actor who played Segata Sanshiro during the Saturn era. Maito plays Segashiro, whose catchphrase “It’s a SEGA” sounds a lot like “Segashiro”.

Previous ads just had Segashiro walking around spouting his catchphrase, but this latest ad really goes all out on fan service and Segata Sanshiro lore.

Continue Reading ➜

6 Comments

SEGAbits Turns 10 Years Old Today

by

Ten years ago today, this very site posted its first article, appropriately titled “Welcome to SEGAbits”. For context, around this time ten years back we we’re covering Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing, Yakuza 3, Aliens vs. Predator and Sonic 4. A lot has changed with SEGA and ourselves since then, but throughout all of it we’ve had the support of the community and an awesome readership, listenership and viewership. Thank you for continuing to support us in what we do, and here’s to another ten years!

10 Comments

Bayonetta & Vanquish 10th Anniversary Bundle announced for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One

by

SEGA and Platinum Games, that’s a partnership I have not heard of for a long time…

Just announced officially is the Bayonetta & Vanquish 10th Anniversary Bundle, a remastered combo pack celebrating the 10th anniversary of Platinum Games early titles. Due out February 18, 2020, the games will be available physically and digitally for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

Priced at a cool $39.99 physically and digitally (or $24.99 each on digital platforms if you don’t opt for the bundle), SEGA is offering an extra incentive for physical purchases. The games will be contained in a double sided steelbook featuring new artwork in a slipcover. The games will be combined on one disc. Those with PS4 Pro and Xbox One X will enjoy 4K resolution and 60fps gameplay. Additionally, those who purchase from the PlayStation Store will have access to exclusive themes.

Pre-Order Today!
Xbox One | PlayStation 4

Continue Reading ➜

9 Comments

SEGA Fes 2019 to feature Exhibitions for Sakura Wars & Atlus Games, Giant Saturn Controller and more

by

At this year’s SEGA Fes event taking place in Japan, SEGA plans to have exhibitions for Sakura Wars and Atlus Games which will be taking the center stage at the event. The Sakura Wars series will have an exhibition on the 2nd floor with displays of various memorabilla and artwork from it’s game development. For Atlus, they will be celebrating it’s 30 year anniversary by showcasing various games developed by the company, including Shin Megami Tensei, Persona, Etrian Odyssey, and more.

To expand on Sega Saturn’s 25th Anniversary in 2019, a giant Sega Saturn controller will be present with playable classics like Fighters Megamix, Dynamite Cop, and Hanagumi Taisen Columns.

Aside from this, the main stage will feature news on upcoming games, new game reveals, and a Puyo Puyo E-Sports tournament. SEGA Fes 2019 will be held from March 30-31, 2019 in Japan at Bellesalle Akihabara, Tokyo.

Source: Siliconera

2 Comments

Editorial: Celebrating ten years of me (Barry) blogging about SEGA

by

I’m a sucker for anniversaries, and so I couldn’t pass up making a post talking about my personal ten year milestone of blogging about SEGA. Back in 2008 I was recently graduated from college and landed my first cushy job. Working a 9 to 5 in front of a computer, I did what everybody else does and browsed the internet between projects. I had recently returned to SEGA fandom, buying up PS2 games I had missed during my college years, saving up for an Xbox 360 and searching for SEGA news sites to keep me up to date on what was going on with the company and its fans.

Continue Reading ➜

9 Comments

SEGA Dreamcast turns 20 years old in Japan, what are your favorite Japanese Dreamcast games?

by

The SEGA Dreamcast is one of my favorite consoles released, while we got the console in North America with the iconic release day of September 9th, 1999; over in Japan they got the Dreamcast almost a year earlier on November 27, 1998! While it isn’t the 27th quite yet in North America, it is in Japan where the anniversary takes place. This anniversary got me thinking about what I would consider my favorite Dreamcast Japanese only release and I think I narrowed it down…

My favorite Dreamcast import is Napple Tale: Arsia in Daydream, a fun little 2.5D platformer developed by Chime and published by SEGA only in Japan. The game was notable for trying to cultivate a ‘feminine sensibility’ by hiring a staff of mostly females which really gives the game a very unique feel to it. One of the bese aspects of the game is also the soundtrack which was composed by Yoko Kanno which featured a ton of great tracks.

But what I really want to know is what is your favorite SEGA Dreamcast import and why? Let me know in the comments below!

5 Comments

SEGA News Bits: SEGA Dreamcast 18th Anniversary Discussion

by

On 9/9/1999 the SEGA Dreamcast released in North America, and now 18 years later we’re still talking about it. On this SEGA News Bits, we celebrate the birthday of SEGA’s final home console by recommending the best exclusives, looking at the indie games released in 2017 and looking ahead to what indie games are coming in 2018 and beyond!

If you enjoy our SEGA News Bits segments and want to support us: Give us a sub and give this video a like so it shows up on more like minded fans YouTube recommendations. You know, how that YouTube algorithm is.

2 Comments

Sonic the Hedgehog’s 25th anniversary comes to an end as the blue blur turns 26

by

Sonic-art-print_Uekawa

Happy Birthday, Sonic – now give us our presents! Today marks Sonic the Hedgehog’s 26th anniversary, which officially signals the end of Sonic’s 25th. While the past year has been light on games, the biggest moments for the franchise has been a change in focus in several areas. Sonic Boom has seen a massive downgrade. Originally a multimedia alternate branch from the main Sonic franchise, featuring games, toys, comics, an animated show and a big fan event in New York in 2014; now only the animated series remains. As of this moment, no season 3 is confirmed and less than twenty season 2 episodes have yet to be aired. Could Sonic Boom be on the way out? Funnily enough, Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice was the only Sonic game to release during the 25th anniversary timeframe, making it technically the 25th anniversary game. A Japan only special edition with 25th anniversary swag supports this.

Continue Reading ➜

No Comments

Know you gonna dig this – Jet Set Radio Future celebrates its 15th anniversary!

by

jsrf15

It’s fifteen years later and we’re still trying to understand the concept of love. That’s right, on this date SEGA and Smilebit’s Jet Set Radio Future released in Japan to Microsoft’s Xbox! Just a few days later, on February 25th, the game hit the Americas (thankfully not retitled Jet Grind Radio Future) and then on March 14th those in Europe got to see what those in Japan and the Americas were raving about.

Jet Set Radio Future was a dramatic shift for the franchise for a number of reasons. As the first direct sequel (the Game Boy Advance game was more of a downgraded – but still highly enjoyable – remake), JSRF looked and played very differently. The entire universe had a new art style, characters were very different both in look and allegiance, and the game played less like an arcade game and more like an open world adventure. But hey, what can you expect? It was the future!

Continue Reading ➜

16 Comments

SEGAbits.com – Celebrating 7 Years

by

segabits7

Today marks the 7th anniversary of SEGAbits.com! Seven years ago today, SEGAbits admin George posted the site’s first article, simply titled “Welcome to SEGAbits”, and right out of the gate on that same day the first piece of news was reported. From day one, the goal of the site was to cover the latest SEGA news, review retro and modern content, and to host an ongoing podcast. But really, the reason SEGAbits was founded was that we felt the internet needed a great place for SEGA fans to visit and interact with each other, discussing their favorite games from the past and speculating what was on the horizon from our favorite company.

After the break, read special anniversary messages from George and Barry which look back on the past year and ahead to what to expect in 2017 from the site! As always, we really appreciate the support of our readers and also want to thank our team of writers and contributors (Moody, FlareHabanero, James, Adam, Aki-At, Kori-Maru, Happy Cat, Sharky, and Dakota) who put a lot of work in over the past year.

Continue Reading ➜

5 Comments