Zen Studios releases a trailer for Alien: Isolation digital pinball

2014’s Alien: Isolation, developed by SEGA owned The Creative Assembly, was one of the year’s best games. So while we anxiously hope for a sequel, Zen Studios has something to tide us over. Last week, the Pinball FX 2 studio announced that they had teamed up with Fox Digital Entertainment to create an all-new pinball three-pack set in the ALIEN Universe. Dubbed Aliens vs. Pinball, the pack features tables based on the films Aliens and Alien vs. Predator as well as the video game Alien: Isolation. While SEGA themselves have no involvement in the pinball table (Alien is owned by FOX, SEGA just holds the license to create games set in the universe), it is very cool to see Alien: Isolation worthy of sitting alongside the movies in this digital pinball pack.

Alien: Isolation pinball has players helping Amanda Ripley survive Sevastopol Space Station while evading a merciless Xenomorph. Additionally, players have to contend with “Working Joe” androids (a SEGAbits favorite) and Station Security Guards, craft weaponry, and hack computers while you keep an eye out for the relentless Alien.

Alien: Isolation pinball will launch on ALIEN DAY (April 26, 2016) as part of the Aliens vs. Pinball three-pack for consoles, PC and mobile.

[Source: Zen Studios]

The History of Sega Japan R&D, Part 1: The Origins and the 80s

THE ORIGINS

Sega is an interesting company when it comes to their origins. There are companies like Namco, Taito and Konami that started in the 60s with electromechanical games and there are those like Capcom and Square that started in the 80s with video games. Sega is different.

Sega had its roots even earlier with slots and jukeboxes in the 1940s in Hawaii, when they were known as Standard Games. Today, Sega of Japan would rather say that Sega didn’t start until it was moved to Tokyo and renamed to Service Games in 1951. However all that expertise in manufacturing slots and jukeboxes during the Standard Games days really gave Sega the boost they needed when they entered the market to manufacture their very first “Amusement Machine” in 1965, Periscope, which the company still prides itself for as it was their first worldwide commerical success.