SEGA News Bits: Sonic Mania Hands On Impressions

We played Sonic Mania, and now we’re going to tell you what we think! In this SEGA News Bits, George and I (Barry) rest our aching feet just hours after the Sonic the Hedgehog 25th Anniversary Party in San Diego to share our reaction to the Sonic Mania reveal and give our thoughts on how the game plays. Do we have another Sonic 4 on our hands or is Sonic Mania the true successor to Sonic 3 & Knuckles? The answers are obviously “nope!” and “hell yes!” in that order.

Special thanks to Neo Hazard for letting us use his footage, you can check out his channel here! Also, thanks to Bartman for being the one to play the game in our footage. You can find Bartman’s YouTube channel here!

If you enjoyed this episode of the SEGA News Bits, make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel and never miss an episode!

Take a look at SEGA’s Sonic Mania press materials

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Friday night in San Diego at Sonic the Hedgehog’s 25th Anniversary Party saw several reveals, most notably being a brand new 2D Sonic game titled Sonic Mania. George and I were there, and we shared our thoughts on the event itself in a recent SEGA News Bits, with more videos from the event to come. Unfortunately, as is the case with being on location, it’s tricky to news things immediately. Thankfully, we had our website designer Will on writing duty posting up stories as soon as they hit.

Now that the dust has settled, I managed to obtain SEGA’s press materials for Sonic Mania to offer our readers some more details on the game. Per the press release, seen in full after the break, the game is confirmed to have select returning zones from Sonic, Sonic 2, Sonic CD, Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles. This is excellent news, as fans of Taxman and Stealth know full well that Sonic 3 & Knuckles has been a tricky title, likely due in large part to rights disputes over the game’s music. But given that these reimagined stages will have newly composed music by Tee Lopes, new music means no issues.

While we knew who was developing the game, the press release also lays things out in a more official capacity stating that SEGA of America is developing the game in collaboration with PagodaWest Games, Christian “Taxman” Whitehead and Simon “Stealth” Thomley (of Headcannon). Also confirmed is that this will only be a digital release, and will hit PS4, Xbox One and PC. While at the event, we did ask if a physical release was in the cards but SEGA representatives sounded very iffy. Perhaps if fans make some noise we might see one? Also, additional platforms are also possible, but none are being talked about at this time.

Check out the press release and screens after the break!

Project Sonic 2017 announced for Holiday 2017 for PS4/XBOX One/NX/PC

Just at the end of the Sonic the Hedgehog 25th Anniversary Party, SEGA had one last surprise. This is Project Sonic 2017, a modern Sonic game being worked on by Sonic Team. It is coming to PS4, XBOX One, PC and NX Holiday 2017! Enjoy the trailer. Holiday 2017 is pretty far away, SEGA is all about quality now though. So the wait will be worth it most likely.

Sonic Mania (Classic Sonic Game) Announced for PS4/XBOX One/PC

At Sonic the Hedgehog’s 25th anniversary party a new Sonic game was finally unveiled! This game is called Sonic Mania and it seems to be a remix of past Sonic games and entirely new levels, made by Christian Whitehead aka Taxman, and Stealth.

Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles are all playable and the game comes out in early 2017. It was playable at the Sonic the Hedgehog 25th anniversary event, and will be playable at the upcoming Summer of Sonic. We will update this post when we have more info, in the meantime, enjoy the trailer!

Atlus shows off 15 minutes of Persona 5 gameplay

Atlus has officially premiered 15 minutes of Persona 5 gameplay during its live stream this morning. This is just a teaser for tomorrow’s big Persona 5 Premium Event being held in Japan, that promises SEVEN new announcements! The footage above shows returning skills, fishing mini-game (froggy?!, movie date with Futaba Sakura and lots more.

Persona 5 hits the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 on September 15 in Japan, February 14, 2017 in the Americas. Persona 5 does have plans to release in Europe with publisher Deep Silver, like discussed before, but they haven’t announced a release date.

[Via: Gematsu]

The King of Fighters XIV demo hits PSN on July 19

The-King-Of-Fighters-XIVBeen waiting to try The King of Fighters XIV? You won’t have to wait long, Atlus and developer SNK Playmore have announced that The King of Fighters XIV demo will be out July 19 on the North American PSN.

The King of Fighters XIV demo will allow you to try seven of the game’s 50 playable fighters. The demo will be strictly offline, but the full version of The King of Fighters XIV will have online play. SNK Playmore have also announced a new mode for the full retail version titled Cooperative Online Multiplayer. In Cooperative Online Multiplayer you can match against two teams of three players. Meaning instead of you playing the three characters on your team, its a team of three separate players.

Atlus will publish the North American version of The King of Fighters XIV for PlayStation 4 on August 23rd!

[Via: Gematsu]

Blade Arcus from Shining EX releasing to PC on July 28th in the west

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Blade Arcus from Shining EX, a fighting game featuring characters from SEGA’s Shining series, has been announced to be coming west to the PC through Steam thanks to the developer Studio Saisenzen, who is also acting as publisher. The game originally released in Japan in late November of 2015 for the PS3 and PS4 and was published by SEGA. Fans of the original Genesis/Mega Drive era games should put a damper on their excitement as the Shining characters appearing in this game are from the recent titles in the series. Still, it is very cool to see titles that typically would never release west receiving localizations. The game will be re-titled Blade Arcus from Shining: Battle Arena and is set to release on July 28th.

You can learn all about the game on the Steam page, and stay tuned to SEGAbits for a potential review once the game releases.

Hatsune Miku: Project Diva X PS4 demo out now in Japan

3077071-gameplay_hatsunemikuprojectdivax_20160606_gsHave you been counting the long days for the release of Hatsune Miku: Project Diva X and need something to tide you over the long wait? If you have a Japanese PSN account, you can try Hatsune Miku: Project Diva X on your PlayStation 4 right now! SEGA’s Hatsune Miku: Project Diva X  demo is out now and weighs in at 525mb!

Hatsune Miku: Project Diva X demo features:

Not a bad set of songs for a free demo. Hatsune Miku: Project Diva X hits the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita in North America on August 30th. As for Japan, the PlayStation 4 version hits them a few days early on August 25th, they already got the PlayStation Vita version back in March. Who is giving this demo a try?

[Via Gematsu]

First Look: Sonic the Hedgehog’s Lego Dimensions figure

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This morning Mark Warburton, a producer at TT Games Publishing posted the first look at the Sonic the Hedgehog figure in action. If you didn’t know Sonic the Hedgehog will be included in the latest update of LEGO Dimensions. Mark Warburton showed off Sonic the Hedgehog‘s Lego Dimensions figure in a mock race against Superman. You can check out more photos of Sonic the Hedgehog‘s Lego Dimensions figure at the bottom of the article.

We also did a SEGA News Bits episode where we discussed our thoughts on Sonic the Hedgehog joining LEGO Dimensions. What are your thoughts about Sonic the Hedgehog’s Lego Dimensions figure? Tell us in the comments below!

[Via: NeoGAF]

Hatsune Miku’s general producer Hiroshi Utsumi leaves SEGA

Miku-Manager-PS4-FamitsuThe general producer behind the Sega feat. Hatsune Miku project has resigned from his position at SEGA. On the official Sega feat. Hatsune Miku blog post Hiroshi Utsumi said he will leave SEGA as of June 30th (today).

“I think everyone could guess a number of reasons [why I left], but it is not that I have to do something serious, or cannot take the responsibility, or am more or less tired. This is just my own selfishness in wanting to challenge new fields, and I give my utmost thanks to this company and my team members who have heard me out.” – Hiroshi Utsumi

While Hiroshi Utsumi is leaving, that doesn’t mean that SEGA is stopping the Hatsune Miku train. They have three Hatsune Miku games releasing this year with Hatsune Miku: Project Diva Future Tone (PlayStation 4), Hatsune Miku: Project Diva X (Vita, PlayStation 4) and Hatsune Miku: Project Diva Future Live (PlayStation VR launch title in Japan). Before leaving Utsumi promised that SEGA is working on ‘various projects’ to celebrate Hatsune Miku’s 10th anniversary in 2017.

While the company completely forgot that Outrun, Fantasy Zone and other arcade classics are celebrating anniversaries this year. Makes me a bit sad.

[via: Gematsu]

Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA X E3 2016 trailer takes center stage

SEGA of America has launched a brand new trailer for the upcoming Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA X just in time for E3! Set to release in the Americas on August 30th, 2016 for the Playstation 4 and Playstation Vita with a free glasses pouch included, Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA X looks to pack a lot into a single game. Players can expect an assortment of thirty Miku tracks including new and classic music as well as five different Clouds which Miku and friends can explore and accept challenges within.

For more information, check out the official Hatsune Miku: Project Diva X website and stay tuned to SEGAbits for more news and information on the upcoming game.

SEGA News Bits: Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap Remake Revealed

The 1989 SEGA Master System classic Wonder Boy III The Dragon’s Trap is getting a remake and dropping the III from the title. Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap  remake is being developed by indie developer Lizardcube and being published by DotEmu. The game is set to sport beautiful hand drawn animation and so far it looks fantastic.

What are your thoughts on Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap reveal? Let us know the comments below and like always thanks for watching! If you like our SEGA News Bits videos, make sure to subscribe to us on our YouTube channel.

E3 2016: Toshihiro Nagoshi shows off Yakuza 0 on the PlayStation livecast

Toshihiro Nagoshi sat at the PlayStation Show as part of their E3 2016 LiveCast to talk about Yakuza 0. This is also one of the first times we get to see English gameplay footage of the game which is interesting. The interview is being translated by SEGA’s Sam Mullen (which we interviewed here). Yakuza 0 will be coming to North America in a physical disc as well early next year.

I think this was a nice little segment and I hope it gets some PlayStation 4 owners to check out Yakuza 0 when it finally launches.

[Via Yakuza Fan]

SEGA News Bits: Sonic the Hedgehog Joins LEGO Dimensions Reaction

Sonic the Hedgehog is heading to LEGO Dimensions! Revealed in an E3 Expo Trailer for the game is a number of new franchises hitting the Lego toys-to-life multi-platform game, including Gremlins, Harry Potter, Adventure Time, The A-Team and others. At the moment, not much more is known. Sonic the Hedgehog could be a minor addition by way of a Fun Pack (figure and item) or a full-blown Level Pack (figure and items, plus levels) or a Team Pack (multiple figures and items). Sonic Stadium did spot the Tornado in a LEGO Dimensions graphic, so it is possible we will at least get a Fun Pack of Sonic and the Tornado.

Sit back and enjoy our thoughts on the announcement. Tell us what you think of Sonic the Hedgehog coming to LEGO Dimensions in the comments below.

Atlus announces Persona 5 launch date for the Americas, reveals Premium and Launch Editions

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Get hyped Persona fans, as Atlus has revealed Persona 5‘s release date for the Americas as well two sweet editions of the game featuring tons of swag. Fans can expect to get the game in their hands on February 14th, 2017. The game will release to both Playstation 4 and Playstation 3 consoles and PS4 owners will have the option of the Persona 5 SteelBook Launch Edition and the Persona 5 “Take Your Heart” Premium Edition. It appears that the PS3 will not have a special edition. The PS4 SteelBook Launch Edition, priced at $59.99 US/$79.99 CA will feature a SteelBook collectible case – seemingly similar to the recent PS4 Valkyria Chronicles Remastered metal case although this one appears to be an official SteelBook. The “Take Your Heart” Premium Edition will set you back $89.99 US/$109.99 CA, but looks well worth it. Fans will not only get the SteelBook case, but will also get a soundtrack CD, a 4″ Morgana plush, a 64-page art book, a school bag designed to resemble traditional Japanese school bags complete with a Shujin Academy crest and all that will be in a collectible outer box. Atlus touts this as the largest premium edition in Atlus’ history!

You can pre-order the game at the links above, and after the break check out the full press release as well as a gallery of photos.