SEGAbits at Tokyo Game Show 2016 Preview: Valkyria: Azure Revolution (PS4/PS Vita)

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SEGAbits attended Tokyo Game Show 2016! At the event we saw several upcoming SEGA games, presented through stage events and, in some cases, hands-on demos. One of many games we had to opportunity to play a demo of was Valkyria: Azure Revolution. Let’s get this out of the way first; this game plays nothing like Valkyria Chronicles. At all. Don’t entertain the idea that it might be a semi-sequel. Rather, this game plays like an odd mix of action RPG and squad based tactics.

With that out of the way, the demo at Tokyo Game Show consisted of attacking several enemy camps and a final boss fight with a mechanical spider. You controlled a squad of four characters with varying strengths and abilities, after being given a brief tutorial on when and how to use the various tools at your disposal.

UPDATED: SEGA announces Yakuza 0 “The Business Edition” and reveals new trailer

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SEGA has just announced yet another cool launch edition that will be releasing soon! Due out Jaunary 24th, 2017, Yakuza 0 “The Business Edition” will contain a physical copy of the game, a stainless steel business card holder, double-sided bilingual business cards for Kiryu and Majima and a hostess card. Yakuza 0 will be releasing both digitally and physically in the Americas and Europe. As of this posting, we are unsure if “The Business Edition” will be exclusive to the Americas, or if Europe will be receiving it as well. As soon as we have an answer we will update this story accordingly.

UPDATE: SEGA Europe has since uploaded the same trailer to their YouTube channel, and the trailer lacks any mention of a special edition release. Meanwhile, the SEGA of America trailer, embedded after the break, mentions “The Business Edition” after the trailer. This leads us to believe that “The Business Edition” is Americas only.

You can pre-order Yakuza 0 today on Amazon, saving 20% if you are a Prime member. The listing has yet to update to “The Business Edition”, but SEGA promises that all pre-orders secures fans a copy of the special edition.

After the break, check out the new trailer and additional press release details on “The Business Edition”!

SEGAbits at Tokyo Game Show 2016 Preview: Rez Infinite (PS4/PSVR)

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The third iteration of Rez is only a few weeks away and Enhance Games took the PlayStation stage at Tokyo Game Show to once again demo the game. Tetsuya Mizuguchi, in his synesthesia suit garments, revisited a demo that has been shown for some time now. In it, the player travels through three out of order sections of Area 1, along with Area 4’s boss. SEGAbits was in attendance at Tokyo Game Show 2016 and had a chance to preview the game. What did we think? Read on!

Persona 5’s first week sales break franchise records in Japan

2858333-p3While we have to wait until February of next year to play Persona 5, the title has already launched in Japan on September 15 and we already have the first week sales. According to media create, Persona 5 sold a total of 337,767 units on the games first week of release. Breaking it down by consoles it was released on, that means it did 264, 793 units on PlayStation 4 and only 72,974 units on PlayStation 3. Which is funny, considering that Atlus said the only reason Persona 5 appeared on PlayStation 4 was because of the SEGA buyout. Very good decision.

Here are the first week sales of all the other past Persona titles:

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You can see how it stacks with the lifetime sales of the franchise over at Persona Central’s post. It will be interesting to see if Persona 5 outsells Yakuza 6, anything can happen. For example Yakuza 0 did 236,329 units the first week, while the main entry Yakuza 5 did 356,757 copies its first week (only on PlayStation 3). Do you think Yakuza 6 will do more than 337,767 units in Japan the first week? What do you think about the growing popularity of Persona series? Let us know in the comments below.

[Via Persona Central]

“Long lost” Sonic Mania Collector’s Edition infomercial released

The Sonic the Hedgehog social media team has just unearthed a long lost infomercial for the upcoming Sonic Mania Collector’s Edition! Created as an homage to the classic Sonic the Hedgehog 2 ad, the Sonic Mania Collector’s Edition ad shows off the bonus items found inside the Spring 2017 release including the statue of Sonic standing on a Genesis/Mega Drive, the metallic game code card and the game cartridge that contains a gold ring. The ad also notes that the box can hold ANY tacklebox. Keep your eyes peeled for cameos from Kazuyuki Hoshino, Takashi Iizuka (in shirt form) and Aaron Webber (congrats!).

Pre-order the Sonic Mania Collector’s Edition today, available on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

Yakuza 6 to be free of loading screens

Yakuza-6_2016_07-26-16_003While recently talking to IGN,  Yakuza 6 producer Toshihiro Nagoshi said he really hoped gamers would appreciate all the work that went into making the gameplay experience seamless by cutting out loading screens. This is something that the team has always struggled with, but gotten better as the series progressed. It seems that Yakuza 6 will take out those pesky loading screens (and not just hide them).

“We’ve worked hard to make this game completely seamless. You can engage in the central adventure, get into battles, watch drama scenes, and go back to the adventure, all without any loading screens. Go into any building or any room or any floor without loading.” – Toshihiro Nagoshi, Yakuza 6 Producer

Of course this is all thanks to the new Yakuza 6 engine that was built for the PlayStation 4 hardware. If you didn’t already guess it, Nagoshi claims that the power of the PlayStation 3 kept them from achieving this. I don’t know if I personally buy that, considering how there have been many open world games without noticeable loading released last generation. Yakuza 6 comes out in Japan on December 8, 2016.

SEGA News Bits: Sonic Mania Collector’s Edition Announced – Reaction

Hot on the heels of the announcement of a Sonic Mania Collector’s Edition for PS4, Xbox One, and PC, Barry and George share their excitement and opinions on the set in a new SEGA News Bits. What’s included? What’s not? Will fans in Europe be seeing it? These questions and more are discussed! The elephant in the room – that being the lack of a physical disc release – is also discussed. What are your thoughts on the  Sonic Mania Collector’s Edition? Which platform are you going for? Sound off in the comments below.

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Tokyo Game Show 2016: 15+ minutes of live gameplay for Yakuza 6

Yakuza 6 at the SEGA stage from Tokyo Game Show 2016 was given a roughly 15 minute demo showing off the game. The demo hosted by Saki Akai and Yokoyama Masayoshi explore miscellaneous aspects of Yakuza 6, including varies phone options, exercising at the gym, exploring the city, and of course being the living crap out of enemies. It doesn’t reveal a lot of new information, but it gives a small impression of what Yakuza 6 is for those that are still unfamiliar with the game.

Yakuza 6 releases on the PS4 on December 8th, 2016 in Japan. Meanwhile for those outside of Japan, you can try out the prequel Yakuza 0 coming out on January 24th 2017 if you want to get associated with the franchise before jumping to Yakuza 6 later on.

Persona 5 collaborating with Phantasy Star Online 2

Atlus has revealed during their latest NicoNico Livestream that their upcoming JRPG Persona 5 will be collaborating with not only Phantasy Star Online 2 but also Dragon’s Dogma and Lord of Vermilion Re:3.

The collaboration with Dragon’s Dogma Online seems to be the big collaboration since it will be part of the campaign. This tie-in will be released sometime during the fall, where players will get Persona 5 equipment and limited-time collaboration event. Vermilion Re:3‘s collaboration will take place during this winter, details on that will be arriving at a later date. As far as SEGA’s Phantasy Star Online 2 tie-in, that will be out this winter and is set to feature character costumes, hairstyles, accessories and even more Persona 5 collaboration items. For now you can see the nifty trailer, but sadly not much footage is shown on the Phantasy Star Online 2 tie-in.

Persona 5 hits Japan on September 15, 2016 for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3. The game will release in North America and Europe on February 14, 2017.

[Source: Siliconera]

SEGA News Bits: Yakuza 6 Adds Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown To Play Spots Reaction

SEGA has announced that not only will they be adding the full version Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown as a play spot in Yakuza 6, but also a stripped down version of Puyo Puyo Tetris. While Yakuza 6 has only been confirmed for release in Japan, coming out later this year, that doesn’t mean we can’t talk about the amazing new play spots being added to the full game. I mean, who doesn’t like Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown? Tell us what you think of the latest play spot addition in the comments below!

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Extensive Famitsu interview with Persona 5 art and audio leads

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Play Asia has posted the entire exhaustive interview Famitsu ran with some of Persona 5’s art and audio leads.

First up is Art Director Sudou Masayoshi. He discusses the usage of color for the last few Persona games, the wild UI that Persona 5 boasts, his sources of inspiration, and more.

From the first full Persona 5 trailer we saw a lot of the Game User Interface (GUI) that you created for the game, it really is a splendid piece of work. Your chance to create such work began with Persona 3, correct?

Sudou: Yes, whilst working on Persona 3, Mr. Soejima (the games character designer; Soejima Shigenori ) we got together a lot to throw ideas and see if we could confirm how to create the games GUI. Not just the GUI but also the game’s website design. Speaking of design, we really wanted to create a GUI that didn’t just stand out in a game related magazine but also something that would look interesting and stand out in magazines aimed primarily at females as well, it was an idea that I never thought of before. I always like using traditional methods, I tend to not add gradations, but prefer filling in each and every graphic. When I’m designing, I will continue to create my best work through trial and error until I feel 100% satisfied.

Is there something that you’ve put your entire heart and soul into when it comes to your designs?

Sudou: The biggest thing I put my all into was regarding the color of the interface compared to the game’s main color scheme. For example, the main color for Persona 3 was teal, Persona 4’s a vivid yellow color and so I had to decide the right colors for the menus etc. Of course Persona 5’s main color scheme is a crimson red and therefore after much deliberation I sat down and after trying out black and white text I was confident with it.

Lead Sound Designer Tsuchiya Kenichi and Sound Composer Mr Meguro Shouji are also featured. You can read the entire piece here.

Yakuza 6 website updates, first look at Puyo Puyo, Virtua Fighter 5, other activities

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As previously reported by Famitsu, the latest installment in the Yakuza franchiseYakuza 6 will have Puyo Puyo and Virtua Fighter 5 included as among the variety of minigames and SEGA arcade games included. However, the official Yakuza 6 website has updated with a first look at both games, plus the varies other activities you can play, including karaoke, darts, and mahjong.

Persona 5 screens let you compare PS4 and PS3 versions

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Atlus has now opened up Persona 5 digital pre-orders for the game on both the PlayStation 4 and the PlayStation 3 systems. That means that we get to see what Persona 5 looks like running on a PlayStation 3 and a PlayStation 4. You can see the Persona 5 screenshots below this article.

Atlus has also put up a Persona 5 20th Anniversary PlayStation Store edition for the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3. This version comes with the following items:

  • Persona 4 Costume & BGM Special Set
  • Persona 3 Costume & BGM Special Set
  • Orpheus & Orpheus Zokujin Set
  • Izanagi & Izanagi Zokujin Set
  • Persona 20th Anniversary All-Time Best Soundtrack
  • 20th Anniversary Special Edition Limited Theme & Avatar Sets

Of course Persona 5 launches in Japan on September 15, 2016 for both the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3. The rest of the world has to wait all the way till February 14, 2017 to get our hands on this highly anticipated JRPG. As you can see from the screenshots after the jump, the game doesn’t look much different on either system. What do you think?

Yakuza 6 adds Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown and Puyo Puyo to play spots

2978944-screen+shot+2015-12-14+at+11.47.46+amYakuza series is known for having a variety of play spots, mini-games throughout the map to enjoy and Yakuza 6 is no exceptions. While Yakuza 5 had a full playable arcade port of Virtua Fighter 2, it seems that Yakuza 6 will have Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown which is freaking amazing. I think I’m getting a little a ahead of myself with excitement so let’s talk about all the new Yakuza 6 play spots that have been revealed by Famitsu:

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Persona5 the Animation – The Day Breakers available to stream, coming to Blu-ray & DVD

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The Persona 5 prequel anime special, Persona5 the Animation – The Day Breakers, has aired in Japan and it’s available to watch on Crunchyroll right now. A Blu-Ray and DVD release is scheduled for December 7th in Japan.

On top of that, I also have more information on Persona 5’s showing at Tokyo Game Show 2016 and a live event scheduled for July 2017 after the jump!

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