Data Discs is back with an all new SEGA vinyl, this time featuring the soundtrack to the arcade classic Fantasy Zone! The release, set to go live on Saturday at data-discs.com, features the full 1986 soundtrack from Hiroshi “Hiro” Kawaguchi of OutRun and Space Harrier fame. The release will be available in two editions and include new liner notes from the composer as well as a lithographic art print.
Opa-Opa takes center stage on a SEGA Talk podcast as we discuss his breakout game Fantasy Zone! We delve into the game’s development and the interesting decisions made by designer/director Yoji Ishii (of Flicky fame) that led to such an iconic and unique shoot ’em up (or STG if you’re in Japan). We also discuss Brazilian music, Monty Python and Gradius for very good and on-topic reasons.
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SEGA has just announced that they’re releasing a SEGA Astro City Mini Arcade machine, watch as George and Barry go through all the news we know so far including size, amount of games, confirmed games, accessories, and much more on this extra sized SEGA News Bits episode. Let us know what you guys think of the SEGA Astro City Mini Arcade in the comments below.
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Out of the blue SEGA Toys has announced the Astro City Mini Arcade via a interview with Game Watch Impress in Japan. You can read the interview where they talk about a lot of the Astro City Arcade cabinet history which was a cabinet released only in Japan so forget about this coming to the States (Hey, Sega!).
Some of the confirmed titles already include:
The cool thing about these titles is that this will be the first time Dark Edge and Golden Axe: The Revenge of Death Adder will get home releases! According to the interview this project started at SEGA back in 2018! It has also been confirmed that SEGA-AM 2 legendary composer Hiro will be making the sounds for this Mini console. There will also be support for HDMI out, microswitch joystick, replaceable balltop and even support for external controllers. The device will be pricey coming in at 12,800 yen ($119 USD), but according to the interview its made out of the same material as the actual cabinet. What do you guys think?
[Edit: Looks like Game Watch took down the interview because it was accidentally shared early. Oops.]
Two SEGA arcade classics are coming soon to the Nintendo Switch eShop in North American and European territories, Fantasy Zone and Shinobi! Both will be available on January 23rd simultaneously.
SEGA AGES Fantasy Zone is based on the 3DS iteration, Fantasy Zone Opa-Opa Bros. In this game, you take on the role of Opa-Opa, as you must blast down all of the the bases and the residential boss of each stage, with a large assortment of weapons and engines to help you on your mission, for a price of course. Like the 3DS version, you have the option of hoarding money and using it in repeated playthroughs, the return of the Upa-Upa Mode where you play as Upa-Upa with weapons readily being available at the cost of them consuming money like ammunition, and extras unlocked once you earn enough money in the bank.
SEGA AGES Shinobi puts you in the role of Joe Musashi, as you must rescue kids held hostage in each stage. Armed with throwing weapons, a melee weapon, and special attacks, you must fight your way through each stage. Occasionally there will also be a bonus stage, where you much kill every ninja trying to approach you in a gallery-shooter fashion. This version of Shinobi will also include a special “SEGA AGES” version, that mixes up the gameplay with Joe being powered up and wearing white suit similar to Revenge on Shinobi on the SEGA Genesis, along with the inclusion of a stage select allowing you to pick any stage you want.
[Source: Nintendo UK Website Fantasy Zone and Shinobi]
SEGA AGES Fantasy Zone has a release date. You’ll be able to visit the Fantasy Zone once again this coming November 28th in Japan. It will be available on the Nintendo Switch Japanese eShop for ¥999.
SEGA AGES Fantasy Zone is based on the SEGA 3D version on the 3DS, Fantasy Zone Opa-Opa Bros. Like that version of the game, SEGA AGES Fantasy Zone will give you the ability to hoard coins and optionally use them in repeated playthroughs, and brings back the Upa-Upa mode. In Upa-Upa mode, you play as Opa-Opa’s titular brother, as you have every weapon freely available to you, but using these weapons uses up money as ammunition. In addition, players can also potentially fight the bosses from the Master System version under certain conditions, and there’s a new time attack mode which tasks the player to beat the game in the fastest time possible.
[Source: Official Website]
Welcome to the Fantasy Zone, as the classic SEGA arcade game Fantasy Zone is coming soon to the SEGA AGES lineup. In this game you take on the role as the winged ship Opa-Opa, as you are tasked with destroying all of the bases and the boss of each stage, armed with a selection of different guns, bombs, and engines/wings you can purchase within shops. Don’t be fooled by the colorful aesthetics though, Fantasy Zone is famous for being surprisingly hard!
SEGA AGES Fantasy Zone is largely based on the SEGA 3D Classic version, officially referred to as Fantasy Zone Opa-Opa Bros. Like that version of the game, players have the option to stock up on coins they’ve accumulated during play sessions and use them the next time they play, and the return of the Upa-Upa mode. In Upa-Upa mode, players have access to every weapon in the game and can freely switch between them on the fly, the catch being that they consume money as an ammo. In addition, if certain conditions are met, players can encounter the bosses from the Master System version of Fantasy Zone, such as the tooth shooting fish boss from Dolimicca and the turtle-like boss from Mockstar. This rounded off by a new Time Attack mode, where players can try to aim for the fastest time at beating the game.
Currently SEGA AGES Fantasy Zone is “coming soon”, with a price tag of ¥999.
[Source: Official Website]
While SEGA has been busy prepping for the launch of the Mega Drive Mini, it seems they aren’t done quite yet with the mini console craze. The TurboGrafx-16 Mini (aka the PC Engine Mini) by Konami announced back in E3 has revealed 24 TurboGrafx-16 and and 26 PC Engine titles, effectively mixing both American and Japanese libraries into separate categories. Notably for SEGA fans, the TurboGrafx-16 Mini will be packaged with the TurboGrafx-16 versions of Space Harrier and Fantasy Zone, both originally developed by NEC. Space Harrier will be categorized under the TurboGrafx-16 section, while Fantasy Zone will be categorized under the PC Engine section.
The TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine Mini is currently slated for a March 19th, 2020 release date globally, so if you’re interested in trying out this mini console, pick one up next year!
[Souce: Official TurboGrafx-16 Website]
SEGA has announced more titles coming to the SEGA Genesis Mini and the Mega Drive Mini. A total of 10 more games have been announced separately between the North America/Europe lineup and the Japanese lineup; 6 shared between the two lineups, 3 exclusive to the western consoles, 4 exclusives for the Japanese console, and the previously announced Sonic the Hedgehog 2 being confirmed to appear on the western consoles. Arguably the most notable titles to note here are the Disney titles Castle of Illusion and World of Illusion, as it confirms some licensed titles will also appear in the SEGA Genesis Mini selection.
[Source: SEGA of America website, Famitsu]
Click below for a full list of confirmed titles.
More news has dropped regarding to the SEGA AGES series, this time a lot of announced titles coming to the series sometime in the future. These titles are Puzzle & Action Ichidant-R, Shinobi, G-loc Air Battle, Fantasy Zone, Herzog Zwei, and Wonder Boy in Monster Land. Each title will be based on their original arcade version, with the exception being Herzog Zwei instead being based on the Mega Drive version. No other information such as pricing, release date, or any other additional features have been revealed.
This announcement notably means that G-loc Air Battle will have the original arcade version ported to a home console for the first time, while this will be the first time SEGA used the Herzog IP after the acquirement of Technosoft’s library. What is your thoughts on these titles coming to the SEGA AGES series?
[Source: Twitter]
We are still a little under a month before Nintendo disables the ability to add funds to your Wii Shop credit to their aging Shop Channel up to the ultimate shut down in January of next year. This guide will cover the must-haves of the SEGA Master System and SEGA-related Virtual Console Arcade titles. While both haven’t received nearly as many Genesis or Mega Drive titles SEGA put out some notable releases you can’t get anywhere else. In addition we’ll be checking out screen setups for those who want the ultimate retro gaming setup to those who can’t break away from their modern HD setups. The Wii provides solutions that will work for everyone who has an interest in SEGA’s vintage lineup.
All screenshots are captured on real Wii U hardware outputting at 720p downscaled to 480p. You’ll also find Sonic Retro and SEGA Retro articles to check out for additional information as well as box art and manual scans you don’t get to see in these re-releases.
SEGA adds more gaming soundtracks to Spotify for your listening pleasure. It seems that SEGA is going to continue to add more in the upcoming months? I sure hope so. But as of right now, there are a ton of new SEGA soundtracks to feast your teeth into. Here are some of the franchises that got soundtracks added to the music streaming service:
There are more here and there. Want to have a gander yourself? Check out SEGA’s artist page on Spotify. It does seem that this was done by SEGA Japan, only because there are some very Japanese focused soundtracks like Chain Chronicle (never published outside of Japan by SEGA) and Nightshade is using its Japanese name of Kunoichi. SEGA adds more gaming soundtracks to Spotify, does this mean you will be less likely to get a physical version of these soundtracks? Personally I think people that stream, where going to stream it regardless. What soundtrack is missing that you want? Sound off in the comments.
SEGA has announced that not only will they be adding the full version Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown as a play spot in Yakuza 6, but also a stripped down version of Puyo Puyo Tetris. While Yakuza 6 has only been confirmed for release in Japan, coming out later this year, that doesn’t mean we can’t talk about the amazing new play spots being added to the full game. I mean, who doesn’t like Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown? Tell us what you think of the latest play spot addition in the comments below!
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Yakuza series is known for having a variety of play spots, mini-games throughout the map to enjoy and Yakuza 6 is no exceptions. While Yakuza 5 had a full playable arcade port of Virtua Fighter 2, it seems that Yakuza 6 will have Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown which is freaking amazing. I think I’m getting a little a ahead of myself with excitement so let’s talk about all the new Yakuza 6 play spots that have been revealed by Famitsu:
SEGA 3D Classics Collection is the latest in the long line of compilations that SEGA loves to produce. For years the company has to rereleased various titles in a neat packages for convenience, often times Genesis titles from the golden days. Examples include both Sonic Mega Collection and Sonic Gems Collection, SEGA Genesis Collection, and SEGA Smash Pack. However, few of these compilations were released on handheld systems, and often times arcade games would get the short end of the stick. So SEGA 3D Classics Collection is a bit special in this case since it has several games that you don’t normally see in these compilations like Power Drift, Puyo Puyo Tsu, and Maze Walker.