Get a sneak peek at Codemasters and SEGA’s upcoming arcade racer “Showdown”

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Via Arcade Heroes comes early information on an upcoming arcade racer from Codemasters and SEGA Amusements titled Showdown. An Arcade Heroes reader spotted the game during a location test at a local arcade and snapped several photos of the game. The cabinet shares many similarities with GRID Racing, a previous collaboration between Codemasters and SEGA Amusements. It is speculated that this is an arcade port of the 2012 Codemasters game DiRT: Showdown. It looks like the game will have two styles of play: “Wild Racing” and “Demolition”. Also, the game features the ability to enter numeric codes on a keypad to unlock bonus content. The IAAPA trade show is just around the corner, so we’ll likely have more news on this game soon!

SEGA makes sandcastle arcade game using real sand


 
Making arcade games means you have to think of new ideas to attract consumers walking by. This time, SEGA is making a real sandcastle building arcade game that uses sand that resembles dirt mixed with some Play-Dough, along with dynamic image projector technology. The idea is to replicate playing with sand at the beach, so if you dig a hole inside the sand it will be filled with water. There are quite a bit of animated displays that occur while playing to keep the kids interested. Very unique technology, and great for younger arcade visitors. The game is similar to 2009’s Brick People, in which you stack real blocks and little men on a screen climb your creations to reach items.

Above you can see the trailer, what do you guys think? Would this get your attention and money?

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SEGA Amusements’ Transformers Human Alliance heads to Japan


 
SEGA Amusements’ Transformers Human Alliance, which has been out in the West since early this year and had tests in the US and China before that, has officially made its way to Japan! SEGA of Japan recently launched an official website for the game, as well as the above preview video. The rail shooter, which also features the occasional QTE, should feel familiar to those who have played SEGA’s Let’s Go Jungle! and earlier SEGA arcade classics like Gunblade N.Y. and L.A. Machineguns.

Now, whether you live in the East or the West, you have no excuse not to check this game out!

Strike the Blood’s Yukina & Black Bullet’s Rentarō added to Dengeki Bunko Fighting Climax Cast

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Dengeki announced that two new playable characters will be featured in a update to SEGA and ASCII Media Works’ arcade fighting game, Dengeki Bunko Fighting Climax, featuring Yukina Himeragi, a 14 year old middle-school Sword Shaman from Strike the Blood, and Rentarō from Black Bullet, a second year student in Magata High School and also a Promoter in Tendō Civil Security who lost his right leg, right arm and left eye in a fight with Gastrea to protect Kisara, and was saved by Sumire’s “New Human Creation Plan” which replaced his lost limbs with Varanium. He uses an XD and is a beginner in Tendō style martial arts.

Along with them will be two more support characters included which happens to be Kojō Akatsuki (Strike the Blood) and Enju Aihara (Black Bullet).

SEGA are still planning to release the game to consoles soon but nothing is announced on that at the moment. Hit the jump for screenshots featuring the two new fighters!

Check out the overly exciting trailer for Sega-Sammy Creation, a casino machine manufacturing division

Sega-Sammy Creation Inc. is a new group within Sega-Sammy devoted to the development, manufacturing, and selling of casino machines as well as the consigned development and offering of advice on game machines. The groups fist release, SICBO BONUS JACKPOT, is an elaborate casino game featuring digital screens and dice suspended by blowing air in tubes given the name D.F.S. (Dice Floatation System). Sega-Sammy Creation’s target appears to be Chinese speaking countries, as their games and website are translated to the language. Sega-Sammy Creation and SICBO BONUS JACKPOT received an overly dramatic announcement video, seen above, which feels like something straight out of Segagaga.

I’ll admit, as a SEGA fan the trailer got me a bit excited despite the fact that the whole thing is just promoting a casino game. Shots of modern SEGA arcade and console games coupled with the narrator proclaiming: “The two leading companies from Japan have come together and combined DNA! The ultimate gaming manufacturer that transcends gaming boundaries and revolutionizes entertainment”, what’s not to love?

Degenki Bunko Fighting Climax adds two new characters in the fray – Miyuki Shiba and Taiga Aisaka!

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Dengeki Bunko Fighting Climax is set for an update in arcades, adding two additional characters to the cast.

The characters that will be featured as playable characters are The Irregular at Magic High School’s “Snow Queen” Miyuki Shiba and Aisaka Taiga, the “Palm Top Tiger,” from Toradora! Tatsuya Shiba and Ryuuji Takasu from their respective series will also join as assist characters. The date for the arcade update is unknown at this time.

For me, I think it’s great to have updates with characters and stages in arcade games. Fingers crossed for more SEGA characters to become playable characters.

For images and screenshots of the additional characters, be sure to hit the jump.

Check out the location test preview of Blade Arcus from Shining


 
Two months after the arcade fighting title’s announcement, SEGA released a location test preview of Blade Arcus from Shining which features characters from the Shining Series.

The game will be held at the SEGA Akihabara Building 1 for location testing, and will feature a total of six playable characters. We’ll have more info on the game once the final build is released in arcades.

SEGA’s Shining cross-over fighting game reveals six playable characters

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SEGA is putting together a Shining cross-over fighting game and calling the game ‘
Blade Arcus from Shining‘. The 2D fighting game will run location tests in Japan from May 9th to May 11th in Akihabara. Blade Arcus will allow users to test six characters, which include two new characters just for this game.

  • Ryuga (new)
  • Pairon Wong (new)
  • Rage from Shining Blade
  • Sakuya from Shining Blade
  • Xiao-Mei from Shining Hearts
  • Altina from Shining Blade

Given that SEGA has taken this franchise everywhere from a hack’n’slash arcade game to various role-playing games, does an entry into the 2D fighting game market excite you? Would having classic Shining Force characters matter?

SEGA Tunes: Project DIVA blazes through the blue skies singing the After Burner theme


 
Hatsune Miku and friends have sung many songs throughout their history, but none are more exciting than the SEGA inspired tunes that are featured in the franchise’s games. The 2010 arcade game Project DIVA Arcade featured the MEIKO Vocaloid voice (a voice provided by the Japanese female singer Meiko Haigō) singing lyrics over the theme to After Burner – a SEGA arcade classic. The video above features Hatsune Miku, despite the MEIKO voice. But can you blame us? It’s Miku! But in fairness to Vocaloids everywhere, we’re featuring MEIKO after the break. Happy listening!

Dengeki Bunko Fighting Climax Boss Video: Akira in action


SEGA’s new 2-D arcade fighter, Dengeki Bunko Fighting Climax, has recently been released in Japan a few days ago and with new gameplay footages uploaded on the net and we are now able to see the final boss fight featuring Virtua Fighter’s Hakkyoku-ken fighter, Akira Yuki.

Here is a video of the final boss fight with an epic pre-fight cutscene against Durarara’s, punch your clothes off, Shizuo. For another video of the boss fight, hit the jump.

Transformers: Human Alliance arcade cabinet unboxing

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SEGA’s next big arcade game in the West is ‘Transformers: Human Alliance’ which the guys over at Arcade Heroes got an unboxing of! Seems that SEGA is throwing in quite a nice promotional packages for stores that purchase the latest cabinet.

” I have to say that this is the first time I have been impressed with marketing materials to be provided with a brand new arcade game. Usually you get…nothing. On rare occasion you might get something like a poster but nothing like what comes with every single Transformers arcade machine. Kudos to Sega for giving arcade ops something more akin to what movie theaters get to promote new releases.”

Check out the gallery of assembly photos over at Arcade Heroes’ blog!

SEGA announces their Virtua Fighter 5 SEGA cup 2014 prizes

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The point of winning tournaments is to rank up some cash and in next month’s SEGA Cup for Virtua Fighter 5, fans of the series will be able to do just that. SEGA  is set to give $15,000 dollars worth of prizes and how now divided that cash up to the top 15 winners of the tournament.  To see the prize information, hit the jump.

If you want to join in on the mayhem, you can sign up here.

SEGA Japan releases a trailer for Shining Force Cross Exlesia Version B


 
SEGA of Japan has released a trailer for the version B upgrade to their arcade title Shining Force Cross Exlesia, which is a follow-up to 2012’s arcade title Shining Force Cross Elysion. The trailer shows off the various character classes, including human, darkrace, birdring, beasthalf, and elf. No release date has been given, but fans of the series can expect to see this revision hit Japanese arcades soon.

SEGA has really been shining the light on the Shining Force franchise as of late, with this announcement and the reveal of the Shining Force fighting game. Hey SEGA of Japan, where’s our Virtua Fighter 6?

New Shining video game is an arcade fighting game, check out the trailer

Today SEGA announced the latest entry in the Shining franchise, Blade Arcus from Shining, a 2D arcade fighting game. Tony Taka, the man responsible for most of the franchise’s character designs of the last decade, has returned to design the characters for this game. I’m disappointed by this bit of news, as I don’t care for his work in the franchise.

The game will feature characters from Shining Blade, like Sakuya and Rage, as well as least two new characters. Blade Arcus from Shining is set to come out this summer in Japan.

Guilty Gear Xrd Coming to Japanese Arcades February 20th

Arc System Works’ Guilty Gear Xrd website and a recent Dengeki Online posting confirm that Guilty Gear Xrd will be arriving on Japanese arcades on February 20. An earlier rumor suggested that wide arcade release in Japan would not arrive until March, but that can now be put to rest. Check out the above video to see the arcade opening featuring some gameplay in its cel-shaded, 2D-imitation glory.

Guilty Gear Xrd concluded its last round of location tests this past week. PS3 and PS4 releases are currently planned for the game, though there is not much word on a release schedule for the platforms beyond “2014.” Localization of some form for the games has also not been announced, but most every Guilty Gear release, namely the main entries and version updates, have not missed localization, and Arc System Works’ US Twitter account last year took note of a petition to develop a Wii U version, so the fan demand for some localization seems to be recognized.

Guilty Gear Xrd’s arcade version was developed using SEGA’s RingEdge2 arcade system board, and was regularly location tested at SEGA arcades. SEGA will also have a role in publishing the arcade version. SEGA owned the rights to Guilty Gear for a couple of years once SEGA and Sammy merged since Sammy owned the franchise, though now Arc System Works has claimed complete ownership of the IP.