Playstation 4

SEGA confirms that ‘Project Sakura Wars’ is coming West

March 29, 2019 by George

SEGA has updated their twitter letting their fans know that the new Sakura Wars project, that just got a trailer at SEGA Fes 2019, will be coming West. Can I just say how much I love these sort of announcements that go along with Japanese reveals? I hope we have more in store.

It looks like SEGA’s Zack Reese had some tweets on how he will be working on Project Sakura Wars:

2 Comments

If SEGA had to go console exclusive, which console would you choose?

March 29, 2019 by George

SEGA used to have their own platform, their own console and ecosystem that a lot of SEGA fans still fondly remember. Since the death of the Dreamcast SEGA fans have been nomads, seeking SEGA software on other platforms and for some its a big investment to play all their favorite SEGA games.

I posed this question to our audience on Twitter and this is the results:

If SEGA announced tomorrow that they will be going exclusive to one platform (not counting PC), which platform would be happy with?

— SEGAbits (@SEGAbits) March 28, 2019

As a joke I added the Google Stadia, but I should have really added the PC as a platform.Quite frankly I still think the PC would have lost to Nintendo. Seems that a lot of Sonic the Hedgehog fans have had fond memories with the franchise on Nintendo hardware that it swayed the results in a predictable manner. I think SEGA fans worry about going exclusive with Nintendo because they aren’t known for pushing hardware like SEGA tries to do. I mean, the new Dragon Engine in Yakuza 6 is gorgeous and is up there with Capcom’s RE Engine and Square-Enix’s Luminous.

But what is your take? What console would work out best for SEGA in your opinion and why? Let us know in the comments below.

6 Comments

Toshihiro Nagoshi talks about why SEGA pulled Judgment sales, no sequel planned

March 26, 2019 by George

SEGA’s Creative Officer Toshihiro Nagoshi talked more about why he voted to pull Judgment from Japanese store shelves after actor Pierre Taki was arrested on a cocaine charge.

During the latest Sega Nama stream, Nagoshi went more into why he voted to delay the game he worked as a director on:

“There is no correct way to deal with the situation. In the end, I also cast my vote for halting sales. Some thought and pointed out “This is going too far” and “It’s unrelated to the game itself,” and I don’t think those opinions are unreasonable either—I can see it from both sides. So when it comes to why I voted for halting sales, it’s because it was just after release. If it was an older game released a considerable amount of time ago, our priorities may have been different, but when it was something that had been released only several months prior, I think it’s a different conversation.”

He also talked about news outlets discussing that SEGA already had Judgment 2, 3 planned out which he said:

New Sakura Wars to ‘reveal a little bit’ at SEGA Fes 2019

March 26, 2019 by George

It seems that Japanese SEGA fans can’t wait to see the new upcoming Sakura Wars title, which is being titled right now ‘New Sakura Wars‘ (tentative title). Is it surprising? Not really considering it was the Japan’s most requested IP back in 2016 by a large margin.

While back SEGA’s Chief Officer Toshihiro Nagoshi suggested that we would get a reveal during April 2019, but SEGA Fes 2019 takes place between March 30 to 31st… which is cutting it close. This is what he had to say during the latest SEGA Nama broadcast:

“People have been saying things like, ‘Let me see it!’ and ‘What’s going on?,’ but we’re going to reveal a little bit [at Sega Fes 2019],” – Toshihiro Nagoshi

Its going to be interesting to see what they show off at SEGA Fes and what they will keep for its April unveiling. Maybe they’ll show off some art assets and wait for April to show off gameplay? What do you think they’ll show off in a few days?

[Source: Gematsu]

No Western delay for Judgment as SEGA opts to replace Pierre Taki

March 22, 2019 by Aki-at

There was good news for those waiting for Ryu Ga Gotoku’s latest title Judgment today as SEGA confirmed on twitter that the PlayStation 4 detective adventure is still set to hit Western shores on June 25th 2019. There was some worries that Pierre Taki’s arrest on hard drugs charges was going to delay the game but the publisher came out today to assure fans the game will still be arriving on time. On twitter SEGA had this to say:

Due to unforeseen circumstances, the character model and Japanese voice for the character of Kyohei Hamura will be adjusted for the Western release of Judgment, launching on June 25, 2019. Screenshots and trailers featuring Hamura have been temporarily removed from all of SEGA’s official channels. Updated versions of these materials will be made available at a later date.

The bad news is obviously Taki will no longer be part of this game due to his run in with the law. If you’re familiar with Taki’s work how does this make you feel, or if you think of a suitable replacement, why not drop a message in our comment section?

3 Comments

Yakuza 5 for PlayStation 4 launching in Japan on June 20

March 19, 2019 by George

While we are still waiting for SEGA West to announce release dates for Yakuza 3, 4 and 5; Japan is already finishing up their releases of the PlayStation 4 ports. Yakuza 5, the last of these ports is slated to release on June 20, 2019.

Its going to be interesting to see what SEGA West will do with these titles, especially a entry like Yakuza 4 which replaced one of the main actors due to him being accused of using cocaine.

[Via: Gematsu]

SEGA posts survey asking fans for feedback on Sonic the Hedgehog, Yakuza, Valkyria Chronicles, Phantasy Star, & more

March 18, 2019 by George

If you have been like me, sitting around and waiting for SEGA to ask for our opinion on how they’ve been handling the Phantasy Star franchise; then you are in luck! SEGA has tweeted out asking for fans to give them feedback on their on-going and some legacy brands. You can take the survey here.

This survey is also good for the future direction of the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, considering it was announced that the next Sonic the Hedgehog game has already begun production.

9 Comments

Next major Sonic the Hedgehog game in development, what direction do you want the franchise to take?

March 17, 2019 by George

Just the other day at the SXSW Sonic panel Takashi Iizuka confirmed that the next major Sonic Team entry into the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise has begun production. Its quite obvious that fans were less than thrilled with Sonic Forces, but I will say that the engine the team created for that title is one of the best thus far, running at a high frame rate with little to no frame drops. I really want to see how they update it for the next title, at the very least.

Now my question here is what direction do you want to see the next major Sonic the Hedgehog title take? What do you want to see them focus on? In the last few years Sonic Team has been playing it safe having 2D classic Sonic and 3D boost modern Sonic, is this something that the new game should continue? Is it time to add playable friends like the past? Sound off in the comments.

12 Comments

SEGA trademarks the English ‘Sakura Wars’ name in Japan

March 16, 2019 by George

If you missed the news, last year SEGA announced at SEGA Fes 2018 that there will be a brand new Sakura Wars title and so far we haven’t heard much about it. But SEGA has now filed for a new trademark in Japan for the name ‘Sakura Wars’. That’s right, the English version of the name has been trademarked and not ‘Sakura Taisen’. The application was filed by SEGA Games on February 26, 2019 to be used in video games, music, movies, streaming services, and more. Expect SEGA to have more Sakura Wars news at SEGA Fes 2019 this upcoming March 30th.

Outside of this Sakura Wars will have a couple of art exhibits this year, but what I really want is for a new modern take on the series and a re-release of the originals (that finally come to America!).

[Source: Siliconera]

Sonic @ SXSW: Team Sonic Racing’s customization trailer shows a ton of options including custom horns

March 16, 2019 by George

BEEP, BEEP! Team Sonic Racing is coming through with a new customization trailer showing how far you can customize your favorite characters. Quite frankly I’m very happy we are finally getting to the single player, unlockable content. I really believe that SEGA & Sonic All-Stars Racing Transformed was a much better game due to its single player content. While this is only customizable stuff, its nice that have things to unlock and customize.

What are your thoughts on the trailer? Team Sonic Racing hits PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and PC! on May 21, 2019!

Space Channel 5 VR Kinda Funky News Flash! gets PlayStation 4 trailer, confirms co-op play

March 14, 2019 by George

Its crazy to believe that Space Channel 5 VR Kinda Funky News Flash! debuted as a tech demo years ago at TGS 2016 and now the official USA PlayStation YouTube account has posted a trailer for the game!

The trailer shows off some of the gameplay, which is a re-used stage from the previous game and includes the two new characters exclusive to this version of the game. The trailer also says that the Space Channel 5 VR will contain co-op, but didn’t go into gameplay details. If I had to bet, I would assume its the same type of multipler in the previous title where one person takes up and down and the other controls the left and right inputs. The other frustrating part is that the trailer still doesn’t give us a release date but I hope it makes it out before the end of the year since this year is Space Channel 5‘s 20th Anniversary.

3 Comments

Shenmue 3 pre-order page up on Amazon

March 13, 2019 by George

Its crazy that Shenmue II released on September 6, 2001 for the SEGA Dreamcast. Ever since then, fans have been begging SEGA for a 3rd entry and now, almost 20 years later we have an Amazon pre-order page. I used to tell people Shenmue III would never happen and now I get to eat crow.

The only thing I would complain about is that Deep Silver and YSNet are going to charge full price for a game that was basically kickstarted by fans? I’m OK with them charging what they want, but personally think it should have launched at a reasonable price of $39.99.

VanillaWare teases unannounced project within 13 Sentinels

March 13, 2019 by George

If you guys didn’t know, Atlus and Vanillaware released 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim Prologue in Japan today, which is suppose to be the first three hours of a game that has been delayed forever. Well, if you bought the prologue and went to the Extra menu, the game included a trailer titled ‘????’ which people are calling a tease for an unannounced, Atlus-published VanillaWare title. You can see the trailer above.

Back in 2017, Vanillaware was hiring workers for an unannounced project which could be this. Will we ever see it finished? Maybe they added it to see player feedback. Who knows. What do you think?

[Source: Gematsu]