SEGAbits Round Table: Our Favorite SEGA Games of 2014

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It has been an interesting year for SEGA games. During the first few months of 2014, Western SEGA fans had very little when it came to new games, while those in Japan enjoyed the puzzle mashup Puyo Puyo Tetris and the Yakuza spinoff Ryu ga Gotoku: Ishin!. Thankfully, those in the West had Alien: Isolation and Platinum Games’ Bayonetta 2 to look forward to, and in early February it was revealed that Sonic Boom would be releasing to the Wii U and 3DS. Another reveal came, much to the delight of the Hatsune Miku fanbase, with the announcement that Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA F 2nd was set for a Western release in November. Meanwhile, fans of Relic Entertainment and The Creative Assembly’s real time strategy PC titles were treated to Total War: Rome II DLC and Company of Heroes 2 standalone expansions Ardennes Assault and The Western Front Armies.

Suffice it to say, the year has been mixed but not a disappointment. While certain blue hedgehogs failed to give us a good game, fans who step outside their comfort zone of Sonic and traditional SEGA games will find several great titles from SEGA. What are these great games? Read on to find out what our favorite SEGA games of 2014 were in our annual year end round table!

LIVE: SEGAbits’ presents Sonic & SEGA Fan Jam 2014

Welcome to the Fan Jam Zone! Kori here bringing you our first fan convention and the first SEGA related fan event in the US live featuring Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric, Hatsune Miku Project Diva F 2nd, and Dengeki Bunko Fighting Climax.

We’ll be streaming several events during Fan Jam such as fan films, classic SEGA franchises, tournaments, cosplay, and interviews with Tracy Yardley of Archie Comics and Matt the owner of Tails Channel. The stream will begin from 9AM to 6PM EST. Don’t miss it!

Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA F 2nd Launch Trailer!

Hatsune Miku Project Diva F 2nd is finally in stores. This launch trailer shows a good overview of the game. If you haven’t seen our review you should check it out. Just look at the top of the page or scroll further down.

So, if you haven’t bought this game yet, what are you waiting for? It’s time to get Miku-Miku’d! (For Reals).

Review: Hatsune Miku Project Diva F 2nd (PS3 & PS Vita)

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All screens from the PlayStation Vita version.

So, Hatsune Miku Project Diva F 2nd is finally here. My first time playing a Project Diva game was last year when it came out on PS3 in western territories, and I’ve been hooked ever since. So many hours of my time logged into playing Project Diva F. Needless to say, I was looking forward to Project Diva F 2nd and it doesn’t disappoint, in fact, it goes beyond my expectations.

If you have played Hatsune Miku Project Diva F, you have an option of carrying over all the accessories, modules, and items you have unlocked over into F 2nd when creating a new game. Don’t worry if you haven’t unlocked everything, F 2nd gives you a way to unlock items from the first game if you haven’t unlocked them.

All Japanese Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA F 2nd DLC is coming West

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The official US Playstation Blog has confirmed that all of the Japanese DLC for Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA F 2nd will be made available for the Western release!

The EU Blog has also confirmed the DLC.

According to the blog, SEGA will “be releasing content every two weeks or so for nearly six months straight,” with three categories of DLC available:

  • UI Skins: $0.99, but free for the first 39 days after release
  • Costume Modules: $1.99 each
  • Rhythm Game Songs: $2.99 each

If that wasn’t enough, some special “sales initiatives” are being launched which gets you all the content as it’s released, as opposed to buying separately.

Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA F 2nd gets pre-order bonuses via Amazon and Gamestop

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Are you ready to pony up the pre-order cash for the upcoming release of Hatsune Miku: Project Diva F 2nd and just don’t know if you should pre-order it? Well, it seems that two retailers are having their own exclusive offers, those being Amazon and Gamestop in America.

If you pre-order the game via Amazon you get two extra live songs. No biggie. But if you pre-order the game via Gamestop you get a ‘Americana Module and Character Pack’. This will allow you to dress up your vocaloid in some cute Red, White and Blue outfits. That isn’t all, it also comes with a character pack that includes Akita Neru, Yowane Haku and Kasane Teto.

Personally I hate all this DLC stuff but if you care and want to get the best version with the bonuses get it at Gamestop.

Hatsune Miku: Project Diva F 2nd gets a release date and pre-order bonuses

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It looks like Miku will be joining Sonic Boom when it comes to SEGA games that will be released in November. With Gamescom coming up, SEGA has just announced that Hatsune Miku: Project Diva F 2nd will be releasing on November 18th in the US and on the 21st in the rest of the world.

Besides that, if you pre-order at select retailers you can get extra costumes. At select retailers around the world you can get an America-themed Miku module with red, white and blue colors. Meanwhile at Gamestop you’ll also get an extra character pack featuring Akita Neru, Yowane Haku and Kasane Teto. Finally, if you don’t like Gamestop and/or pre-order bonuses in general, you’ll also be able to get these characters for free if you own Project Diva F and the Extra Character Pack DLC.

Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA F 2nd receiving subtitled music lyrics

At E3, we asked Hatsune Miku’s producer whether or not Project DIVA F 2nd would have english subtitles in an interview. Today, we have an answer! SEGA has just announced in the trailer above that Hatsune Miku’s next game will have English subtitles. You can finally understand what she’s saying…provided you can afford to tear your eyes away from the chaos on screen long enough to read anyway!

SEGAbits at E3 Interview: Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA F 2nd Interview with Producer Sam Mullen

Sam Mullen, Localization Producer for SEGA, joined us for an interview at E3 2014 to discuss Hatsune Miku Project Diva F 2nd and our hopes for future Western releases of SEGA’s Japanese titles. Hatsune Miku Project Diva f 2nd is due out Fall 2014 for the Playstation 3 and Vita. We’re especially looking forward to the title, as we gave the original game for the Vita a well deserved “A” grade.

SEGAbits at E3: A Tour of the SEGA Booth

Let’s take a first person walkthrough SEGA’s booth at E3 2014! On the way, we’ll encounter SEGAbits/The Sonic Stadium writer Shigs playing Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric for the Wii U, check out the Sonic Boom, Hatsune Miku, and Alien: Isolation booths. We even run into SEGA of America Community Manager Julian Mehlfeld for the shortest SEGA interview ever. Enjoy!

SEGAbits at E3 Preview: Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA F 2nd

Until a week ago, I had never owned a Hatsune Miku game. Until two days ago I had never played one. What I’m trying to tell you is I am extremely new to this franchise, so I would like to ask you to please excuse some of my noobish glee as I acknowledge several years after everyone else that Hatsune Miku Project Diva F is a really fun rhythm game and I am glad to have finally played it, even if it took the prospect of an E3 write-up for me to finally play it.

SEGA and Atlus reveal their E3 line ups

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With E3 now only days away, companies are finally getting around to unveiling their E3 line-ups. Today, SEGA got around to unveiling what games they will be bringing to the show. The list isn’t exactly surprising:

Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric (Wii U)

Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal (3DS)

Alien: Isolation (PS4, Xbox One, PS3, Xbox 360, PC)

Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA F 2nd (PS3, Vita, PSN)

Though the list is rather paltry, it should be noted that SEGA has occasionally had some small surprises at E3. Back in 2010 the company used the show to unveil Sonic Free Riders and their line-up of Dreamcast titles. Also notably absent are SEGA’s mobile titles, despite the company working to increase its presence in the sector.

Even if these are the only games coming from SEGA itself, we at SEGAbits won’t be getting off so easily. Though not officially confirmed, Nintendo will likely have Bayonetta 2 on display. SEGA’s newest acquisition, Atlus, has their own slate of titles for the show, which we will also be providing coverage for.

Convention Report: SEGAbits visits MomoCon 2014 – Hatsune Miku, Sonic the Hedgehog, & SEGA’s history

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Hello SEGAbits readers and followers! Kori-Maru here back from Atlanta, Georgia to bring you SEGA coverage from MomoCon, one of the fastest growing all ages conventions in Georgia where anime and gaming collide. This also marks the very first time SEGA attended MomoCon to promote Hatsune Miku Project Diva F 2nd. Just to be prepared for the convention, I decided to cosplay as Akira Yuki from the Virtua Fighter series in his VF2 attire. Be sure to hit the jump for videos from the SEGA panels, pictures, and a video interview with Aaron Webber and Sam Mullen as we discuss about SEGA and Hatsune Miku Project Diva F 2nd.

SEGA to promote Hatsune Miku Project Diva F 2nd at MomoCon 2014 *UPDATE* Question submissions will end on May 10th!

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UPDATE: Questions submissions will end on May 10th, be sure to leave a comment!
SEGA of America will be attending at this year’s MomoCon, an Anime and Gaming Convention in Georgia, promoting their upcoming game, Hatsune Miku Project Diva F 2nd, which is scheduled to be released this fall for PlayStation 3 and PS Vita in North America and Europe. SEGA will also host a panel for the title. Other titles may also be in the cards at the convention, but none have yet to be announced as of now.

SEGAbits will be attending this year’s MomoCon covering the convention floors and SEGA’s Hatsune Miku panel. We will also have an exclusive interview with SOA’s Associate Brand Manager, Aaron Webber at the convention center about the game.

If anyone has any questions for him regarding the title, please leave a comment for us below or leave questions on our very own forums or Segalization’s.

SEGA in the Charts: MediaCreate charts for March 31 – 06 April 2014

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Entering the beginning of the new fiscal year, SEGA’s release schedule for their domestic market looks a lot lighter with the already released Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed. Still, one title, last week’s number one Hatsune Miku: Project Diva 2nd f managed to chart and according to Famitsu, another title managed to creep it’s way back into the top 30. Hit the break to find out how the latest Miku title managed to do as well as which title re-entered the charts!