SEGA releases new concept art on Sonic Forces release day

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Sonic Forces releases today and following yesterday’s early launch trailer we have some new concept art direct from SEGA. The art shows off Sonic and friends battling Eggman’s squad of villains, Sonic in prison, the avatar character on a mission, Eggman’s lab, and more! Check out the additional concept art after the break.

Remember you can still order the Sonic Forces Bonus Edition to receive SEGA and Atlus avatar costumes, controller skins and Episode Shadow: PlayStation 4 | Xbox One | Switch | PC

SEGA debuts Sonic Forces launch trailer in anticipation of tomorrow’s release

Sonic Forces releases tomorrow to PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and PC and via SEGA we have a launch trailer for the game. Narrated by Knuckles, the trailer lays out the storyline and introduces the heroes and villains. Also detailed is Episode Shadow, a side-story featuring our favorite edgy black hedgehog featuring new stages and the ability to play as Shadow in over 10 modern Sonic stages.

Order the Sonic Forces Bonus Edition and receive SEGA and Atlus avatar costumes, controller skins and Episode Shadow: PlayStation 4 | Xbox One | Switch | PC

Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap to receive retail release for PS4 and Nintendo Switch

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Nicalis, Inc. announced on Twitter today that they will be working with DotEmu and Lizardcube to publish Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap at retail for the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch. For those who have been following the game, Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap is a remake of the classic SEGA Master System game and it released digitally in April, 2017. The game was then given a PlayStation 4 physical release by Limited Run Games in standard and special edition versions.

Now, fans will have another chance at a PS4 physical release and add a Nintendo Switch physical release to their collection. We’ll share more details as we hear them!

SEGA News Bits: Sonic Forces Demo Impressions (PS4 & Switch)

Just the other day Sonic Forces Japanese demo hit both PSN and Nintendo’s eShop, unsurprisingly today we get to talk about our thoughts on said demo. Today on the SEGA News Bits we discuss Sonic Forces demo including Modern Sonic gameplay, Classic Sonic Gameply, Avatar style gameplay and of course discuss the differences between the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch versions of the game. So listen in on the episode and let us know in the comments below what you thought of the Sonic Forces PSN & Switch demo.

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Sonic Forces demo hits PS4 and Nintendo Switch’s Japanese stores

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SEGA has released the Sonic Forces demo in Japan on both the PlayStation 4 and the Nintendo Switch. The demo will let you play through three separate stages, one for each playable version including Modern, classic Sonic and avatar hero. Each stage is on a timer.

As for both demos, the Nintendo Switch version is 573MB in size while the PlayStation 4 version comes in at 1.9GB in size. That’s quite the difference. Will you be making a Japanese account on either consoles to try out Sonic Forces? Or will you just wait for it to be released in English?

Sonic Mania physical version coming to Nintendo Switch, hints ESRB

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Sonic Mania has been out for a few months and while the game got physical collector’s edition, the game itself was never available in a physical medium. There is still a pool of gamers that are hoping SEGA does a physical version of the game and that might be happening. Earlier today, the ESRB twitter account posted a updated ESRB rating for Sonic Mania. If you look into the replies, someone already asked what we are all thinking: Why re-rate a game that has been out for months? ESRB’s reply:


When the ESRB account was pressed more on its reply, it said they don’t know if Sonic Mania is going to be released physically and that they only rate games. But they did say that all physical games need a ESRB summary, which is why the rating had been updated. We could be seeing a physical version of Sonic Mania, at least on the Nintendo Switch. Would you buy Sonic Mania again and if so, how much are you willing to spend on a physical version of the game?

Update: According to Sonic the Hedgehog social media manager Aaron Webber, this ESRB update actually has to do with the Collector’s Edition. Still not adding up why they would update the ESRB summaries months after the game released.

SEGA News Bits: Sonic Forces Hooters Japanese Promotional Event

Today on the SEGA News Bits we will be going all the way to Japan to look at the Sonic Forces x Hooters crossover promotional event that is going on right now! Well, maybe we won’t be going there in person but thanks to the power of the internet we can see what the Sonic Forces x Hooters crossover event has to offer. On this episode of the SEGA News Bits we look at the Sonic Forces Hooters event, talk chili dogs, and give our thoughts on the promotion. What do you think of Sonic Forces having a promotional event at Hooters? Let us know in the comments below.

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Sonic Forces “Rental Avatar” hero mode, boss battle and Space Port gameplay footage released

New Sonic Forces details have been released today by way of gameplay footage, screens and a press release detailing the “Rental Avatar” Hero Swapping feature. The new mode – which may be a sly nod to the classic SEGA Mega Drive game Rent-A-Hero – allows players to swap out their hero avatar character with a hero avatar character created by another player, seemingly pulled at random from players worldwide. This allows you to see their unique designs and utilize their wispon weapon. This allows you to use your own selected wispon weapon and the one set by another player. You can see the “Rental Avatar” mode in the Infinite boss battle footage above.

Also released is B-roll gameplay footage of the hero avatar in the Space Port stage which takes place in the frigid north of Sonic’s world where a chemical plant is supplying a space port. You can see the footage, as well as Infinite boss battle screens, after the break.

SEGA News Bits: Sonic Forces PSN Trophies Leak, Reveals New Info

Welcome to a new SEGA News Bits, today we will be discussing the Sonic Forces early PSN trophies leak that happen yesterday. On this episode I’ll be going through all the interesting information that the leaked PSN trophies revealed including Silver Moon Rings, Secret Stages, Daily Missions, and lots more. So tune in and let us know what you think of Sonic Forces’ PSN Trophies and are you planning on getting a Platinum on it? Let us know in the comments below.

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SEGA News Bits: Sonic Forces Reveals ‘New’ Chemical Plant Zone Discussion

Sonic Forces has just revealed a sorta, not really new stage with Chemical Plant Zone. While the name suggests its the same stage, its actually quite different now that Eggman took over in the world of Sonic Forces. On this episode we discuss the new Sonic Forces stage reveal, the new wisp costume hero drill and theorize that we could be seeing a Episode: Knuckles? Tune in on the discussion and let us know what you think in the comments below.

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New Sonic Forces custom hero Chemical Plant stage and Drill Wispon weapon revealed

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New Sonic Forces content has been revealed by way of four screenshots and a press release from SEGA PR. The custom hero, the player’s in-game avatar, will return to Chemical Plant in what appears to be the modern day. The classic zone appears a bit dirtier and the stage takes place during the day. Also revealed is the Drill Wispon, which allows players to drill dash on the ground and climb walls. Players can also attack enemies by charging and launching a drill punch.

Interestingly, all these enhancements sound very much like how Knuckles would play. This makes me wonder if we will see an Episode Knuckles with the character playable in select custom hero stages much like how Shadow will be playable in select modern Sonic stages. Just speculation on my part, but it would be cool. As for Chemical Plant… I love the stage, and always will, but it does sort of smell of recycling assets from Sonic Generations, much like how Green Hill is also making a return. Here’s hoping enough new elements are added to make it feel fresh.

You can pre-order Sonic Forces via Amazon Prime and save 20% off the home console versions, making the game just $31.99. After the break, check out the four new screens!

Sonic Forces Bonus Edition pre-order
Nintendo Switch | PlayStation 4 | Xbox One | PC

Yakuza Kiwami 2 demo hits Japanese PSN in late November

yakuza-kiwami-2-and-fist-of-the-north-star-game-announced-fo_mhjtYakuza Kiwami 2 is coming out this December 7th in Japan, so SEGA is starting to get their hype train going over there. They have promised a Yakuza Kiwami 2 demo by the end of November, starting on December 2nd to the 17th, SEGA will be launching TV advertising campaign for the game. SEGA will also be holding signing events in November.

As far as what the demo will contain, that is all a mystery but I hope it gives us a glimpse at some of the Goro Majima content that is exclusive to this title. This will also give us a look to see how this title is running on the Yakuza 6 Dragon Engine, since this is the second title by the studio to use the new engine. The first Kiwami game actually ran on the Yakuza 0 engine.

[Via: Gematsu]

Shenmue III’s Dev Room Progress Report Vol. 4 Talks Facial Animation

A new Shenmue III Dev Room Progress video is out, this one being the fourth in the series. The report is under a minute and has a look at someone doing very early work on facial animation. I’m going to be honest, I feel like these reports are very useless since there isn’t anyone talking in detail about the process they are using and how complete the footage is. Towards the end of the footage of the old woman, we see a young woman model that looks rather nice. Overall the video is way too short and doesn’t offer much details.

Check out the Shenmue III Dev Room Progress video and let me know what you think of Shenmue III and its status reports that they have been releasing.

SEGA News Bits: Sonic Forces Classic Casino Forest Stage Reveal Discussion

Earlier today SEGA released a new trailer along with some B-Roll footage of Sonic Forces‘ newest stage, Casino Forest. This level would be for Classic Sonic, thus showing off classic Sonic gameplay. On this episode of the SEGA News Bits we give you a small story theory regarding the new stage, what we liked about Casino Forest and we we disliked. Its a mixed episode for sure, so make sure to tell us what you think of Casino Forest in the comments below.

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SEGAbits at Tokyo Game Show 2017: A Certain Magical Virtual-On Hands-On Preview

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What started seemingly as a one-off (potentially joke) crossover between a popular anime and SEGA’s Virtual-On has turned into a potential resurrection for the much-loved Virtual-On series.

The playable build I got my hands on started with a tutorial, where I got my first experience of A Certain Magical Index. Honestly it’s quite jarring to turn on a Virtual-On game and be met with what looked like high-school students talking in high pitched voices with a long-winded introduction to the game. The characters seem very out of place and different to the usual Virtual-On style and I was initially a little jarring. Thankfully when I got to actually control Temjin, I found the game surprisingly familiar. I still don’t like some of the new designs for mechs, but for the most part it manages to gel nicely with the old games.