SEGA News Bits: Sonic Forces Speed Battles Mobile Game Revealed

SEGA has soft launched their upcoming Sonic Forces Speed Battle mobile game for Android and iOS. The game will let you play as Sonic the Hedgehog and various of his friends as you race against people online to reach the end of the stage. On this episode of the SEGA News Bits we discuss what Sonic Forces Speed Battle could mean for Sonic Forces console game, what we think of a Sonic Forces mobile tie-in game and if Sonic Forces Speed Battle is teasing new stages for the console version?

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Sonic Forces: Speed Battle revealed for mobile devices

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Various Sonic fans on Twitter have discovered a new iOS (and possibly Android) Sonic the Hedgehog game titled Sonic Forces: Speed BattleAccording to the App Store listing, the game has players racing against other players from around the world in real-time four-player races. Weapons play a role in the game, and playable characters include Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Shadow, Vector and more. From the look of things, the game is very much an online multiplayer version of Sonic Dash set in Sonic Forces locations. Eagle eyed fans might notice that a Sky Sanctuary looking stage appears in the mobile game, perhaps meaning we will see the stage return in Sonic Forces?

After the break, check out the app store description and screenshots.

SEGA showing off Tokyo Game Show 2017 lineup

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SEGA has launched their Tokyo Game Show 2017 website, showing off what games will be playable, only shown in video and which games will have press conferences. Not all SEGA games at Tokyo Game Show 2017 will be playable, sadly. So, lets get to it and see what we will see more of later this month.

  • Fist of the North Star – (Stage show, photo spot, trailers and gameplay videos)
  • Yakuza Kiwami 2 – (Playable, stage show, trailers, playable footage, merchandise, and photo spots)
  • A Certain Magical Virtual-On – (Playable, stage show, trailers and merchandise)
  • Hatsune Miku Project DIVA Future Tone DX – (Playable, trailers and merchandise)
  • Sonic Forces – (Playable, stage show, trailers, and merchandise)
  • Phantasy Star Online 2 – (Playable, trailers, stage show, merchandise, and photo spot)
  • Yakuza Online – (Trailers)
  • Dx2 Shin Megami Tensei: Liberation – (Playable, Stage Show and Trailers)

Translation is a bit iffy, but it seems that the stage shows will be streamed online from what I gather. We shall keep you updated on that via our twitter and on this blog. We will be having a writer at Tokyo Game Show, so expect a SEGA News Bits video and write up discussing some of these playable games.

Dx2 Shin Megami Tensei: Liberation mobile game announced

ShinMobileYou can basically ignore the post below this about a possible SEGA crossover game, like the teaser posted earlier today lead me to believe. Weekly Fmatisu has revealed that the game it was actually teasing is Dx2 Shin Megami Tensei: Liberation for smartphones. The game will be developed by SEGA which will have two conflicting organizations with the Liberators and Acolytes.

I guess the SEGA in the title of the teaser meant that SEGA was developing a mobile game for a Atlus franchise? While Dx2 Shin Megami Tensei: Liberation might appeal to Japanese audience, I really wished this was something more console or even PC related. What do you guys think? Was Dx2 Shin Megami Tensei: Liberation the type of game you’d want to play?

[Source: Gematsu]

The Revenge of Shinobi joins SEGA Forever

The Revenge of Shinobi comes to SEGA Forever’s mobile line-up. This is a new “censored version” that has been around since the SEGA Vintage Collection era, which changes Joe Musashi’s face in the title screen due to the face basically resembling Sonny Chiba. Some hardcore fans take issue with this change because the original ‘Sonny Chiba copied face’ seems angry and bold while the edited version of Joe Musashi looks rather sad. Its also funny to note that the SEGA Forever trailer above even makes a joke about it being changed.  You can see bothf faces below (Left original, right the new one):

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The Revenge of Shinobi isn’t new to censorship, considering that the game has been heavily changed in the past due to copyright infringement on popular IPs such as Godzillia, Spiderman and even Batman. The Revenge of Shinobi is considered to be one of the best sequels of all time, adding much more depth than the original arcade Shinobi ever had. The Revenge of Shinobi also featured a critically acclaimed soundtrack by Yuzo Koshiro (Streets of Rage series) which should be enough to download and try it. The only thing is, have they fixed the audio in the emulation? Like all SEGA Forever titles, the game is free to play with ads and $1.99 to keep ad-free forever.

[Google Play | iTunes]

SEGA bringing a Dengeki Bunko: Fighting Climax Ignition mobile game to China

001SEGA is teaming up with 91Act (developers behind the excellent BlazBlue: Revolution Reburning mobile game) to bring a new Dengeki Bunko: Fighting Climax Ignition mobile game that will launch in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau. Don’t live in the great People’s Republic of China or other minor places that aren’t as great as the People’s Republic of China? Too bad, hombre, you ain’t getting mobile anime action (at least right now).

The game has a tentative title of Dengeki Bunko: Fighting Climax Ignition Mobile Edition, which is obviously fitting. If you happen to live in China, the game will debut at ChinaJoy 2017 which is held from July 27 all the way to July 30th at the Shanghai New International Expo Center (what happen to the old one?).

If your pea brain forgot all about Dengeki Bunko: Fighting Climax Ignition, it was a 2D fighting game that came out on the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita which crossed over some SEGA properties with anime like Sword Art Online, Durarara!!!, and many more. Sadly we only got the vanilla version of the game released in the West and we probably won’t get Ignition ever, but knowing SEGA we will probably get this mobile version later on. Who can say no to that mobile money?

[Source: Gematsu]

Virtua Tennis Challenge joins SEGA Forever mobile collection

Virtua Tennis Challenge, originally released to mobile devices in 2012, has been given the SEGA Forever upgrade and is now free to play or $1.99 to remove ads. Users who originally downloaded the game before the update can restore their purchase and remove the ads. Virtua Tennis Challenge was teased in our SEGA Forever interview, in which mobile games community manager Danny Russell confirmed that SEGA Forever would see existing titles brought into the service. This is great news, as Virtua Tennis Challenge was one of those games badly needing a 64-bit support update.

The game is available to download now on the App Store and Google Play.

SEGA answers our burning SEGA Forever questions, tells us what to expect next

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After weeks of teasing, SEGA Forever was officially revealed to be a classic games collection initiative to bring everything from the SG-1000 to the SEGA Dreamcast to mobile platforms, with the big surprise being that all the games are free to play (with the option to buy). The collection kicked off with five SEGA Mega Drive/Genesis titles, including four emulated games including Altered Beast, Kid Chameleon, Phantasy Star II and Comic Zone, and the remastered Sonic the Hedgehog from Christian Whitehead. After playing the games and experiencing how the service works, we had a ton of questions for SEGA. Thanks to mobile games community manager Danny Russell, we received a speedy reply and every single one of our questions got answered!

Read on for our interview with Danny.

SEGA Forever Officially Revealed and Detailed

SEGA Forever has officially been revealed, the service has been a mystery to fans since it was leaked a while back as it was being tested. We even did a SEGA News Bits on SEGA Forever (expect a follow up one now that the product has been fully detailed) on what the service could be. But what is it? According to the press release, which you can read in full after the break, SEGA Forever is a mobile name for classic SEGA re-releases on both Android and iPhone. Prior to this, a rumor came around that it was supposed to be ‘a subscription service’, but this press release says you get the option to play either free, ad supported version of the game or unlock it forever (SEGA Forever) for $1.99.

They promise to cover the following SEGA consoles:

  • SG-1000
  • Master System
  • Genesis/Mega Drive
  • Game Gear
  • SEGA Saturn
  • Dreamcast

The service will launch on June 22nd with the following five games, new releases every couple of weeks:

  • Sonic the Hedgehog
  • Altered Beast
  • Phantasy Star II
  • Comix Zone
  • Kid Chameleon

The press release also goes into the fact that the games will support leaderboards, cloud saves, offline play, controller support, community news feed, and a ton of languages for menus. So the real question is, what is you opinion on SEGA Forever? Is this what you expected, another re-branding service for retro SEGA re-releases?

SEGA News Bits: Sonic Runners Adventure Leaked

Sonic Runners Adventure has leaked by way of a very limited early release in select territories. Despite the game technically being released, SEGA remains quiet… but that doesn’t mean we can’t talk about it! On this SEGA News Bits, George and Barry discuss the reworked Sonic Runners, what is different, what is the same and what we think of the new version of the game.

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 new YouTube algorithm is.

SEGA sends us a love note and a retro SEGA Forever mixtape

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I think SEGA wants to date us. I mean, they sent us a SEGA mixtape and included a love note. We’re not going to say no, we are a fan site of course! Actually, the mixtape and included note and pen are a clever way to launch the upcoming SEGA Forever, which we guessed to be a retro SEGA games collection for mobile which will include arcade and SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive titles. As the SEGA Forever social media accounts hint, Comix Zone will be the first title with Crazy Taxi likely being grandfathered in. There is no evidence, yet, that this is a subscription service and we’re sure to learn more late this week or early next. In the meantime, let’s take a closer look at the tape and note (and pen)!

SEGA and WWE join forces for mobile game WWE Tap Mania

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SEGA and WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc.) have announced that they are partnering to release a new mobile game titled WWE Tap Mania. The game, developed by Tap Lab, is said to star WWE Superstars from the past and present. Little else in terms of gameplay has been revealed, but the game will feature live in-game events based on real WWE shows including WrestleMania, SummerSlam and Royal Rumble.

Naoki Kameda, COO of SEGA’s western mobile devision had this to say about the game:

At Sega, we like to find new ways to bring brands and experiences to a wide mobile gaming audience. This partnership with WWE presents a fresh opportunity for collaboration. Working with WWE, a monumental leader in global entertainment, along with The Tap Lab, a studio known for crafting action-packed games that are fun at their core, we’re confident that WWE Tap Mania will delight WWE fans worldwide.

The game is set to launch for free to iOS and Android later this year. From the sound of it, SEGA is simply acting as a publisher with some additional support. SEGA will offer details on WWE Tap Mania in the coming months via Twitter and Facebook. More information as we hear it!

[Source: WWE]

SEGA News Bits: Sonic Runners Adventure Leaked for Mobile

On this episode of SEGA News Bits we discuss Sonic Runners Adventure being leaked for mobile devices, our thoughts on SEGA resurrecting the Sonic Runners brand and the idea of having Gameloft handling Sonic Runners Adventure instead of Sonic Team. For people that actually enjoyed Sonic Runners, what are your thoughts on Sonic Runners Adventure? Do you think having another company outside of Sonic Team handing Sonic Runners Adventure is a negative? Let us know!

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 new YouTube algorithm is.

 

 

SEGA announces Dark Souls inspired game Soul Reverse for Arcades

SEGA has announced the next upcoming SEGA-AM2 arcade game Soul Reverse, which is looking quite a bit like a Dark Souls type of game. While people will fight and point out that SEGA-AM2 already dabbled into dark fantasy with their arcade game The Quest of D, you’re right. I’m wrong. But it seems this title is trying to cash in on the ‘Souls‘ name with a title like Soul Reverse. It is also true that SEGA previously announced Soul Reverse as a mobile phone title, that should already be out on iOS and Android, but the arcade version is its own build that is 70% complete as of today.

SEGA has revealed one of the characters in the game, Luce, who will be voiced by Japanese actress Nanami Yamashita (you can see her in the screens). You can view the trailer for Soul Reverse above and see screenshots after the jump.

[Via: Segalization]