SEGA teases new All-Stars Racing track – Stick Canyon from NiGHTS into Dreams?

Update: It appears this particular image has long existed, as it shows up on a few NiGHTS fan sites. I assume it is a CG render from when the game released, or when it received a PS2 rerelease. So this is not an in-game screenshot. However, that does not discount the possibility that a NiGHTS track or racer will soon be revealed.

SEGA has updated their Facebook page with an untitled image of a desert that is half sand, half metal with cacti and nuts and bolts. Given that Sonic and All-Stars Racing Transformed is SEGA’s big game this year, and that Comic Con is approaching, could SEGA be teasing a reveal of a NiGHTS into Dreams track along with NiGHTS as a racer? It could very well be. In the meantime, I’ll slap the ol’ “rumor” tag on this one just to play it safe, but I’m pretty confident that it is Stick Canyon from the Saturn’s NiGHTS into Dreams. After the break, a comparison video of the original stage.

Jet Set Radio HD achievements revealed – game to include JSRF tunes?

Achievements for the upcoming release of Jet Set Radio HD have been revealed, and with them comes a hint towards a bonus that SEGA has yet to speak of. At the top of the list of thirty achievements is one titled “Back to the Future” with the description “Unlock all songs in the bonus menu”. To my knowledge, there was never a bonus menu that unlocked songs in the original game. There was a sound test, but that was complete from the start. No unlocking necessary. The achievement’s title mentions “future”, which of course was in the title of the franchise’s second game Jet Set Radio Future. Could SEGA be adding an option to play select tunes from Jet Set Radio Future? Or is it simply a nod to the sequel and nothing more? After the break, the full list of achievements.

*UPDATE: It’s Danica Patrick* Could the Hornet be SEGA’s celebrity guest?

Update 2: Sumo Digital producer S0L has said the following over at The Sonic Stadium forums:

You know, when they (SEGA) pitched us the idea we went ‘The fans will go wild…’ I think they didn’t get what we meant from that though

End of the day she hasn’t replaced any SEGA characters, she’s an extra and we’re very happy with the vehicle design we’ve done for her, which incidentally isn’t the one you might think it is

UPDATE: Game Trailers just revealed that Nascar driver Danica Patrick will be in All-Stars Racing Transformed. Remember her from that one SEGA game? Wait, she’s not a SEGA character. But she is racing in a SEGA branded racer which will be revealed at SEGA’s E3 booth. Danica and her SEGA branded Nascar will, in turn, be in the game. I’ll admit, it’s really freakin’ weird, but it does feel very much like when Pepsiman appeared in AM2’s Fighting Vipers. Which is a good, if not odd, thing.

SEGA Blog has posted up some booth pics, including a massive car shaped thing right in the center of the Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed booth. Doesn’t appear to be Sonic’s car, I can only imagine a custom made Speed Star would cost a load. But it could very well be the Hornet. Daytona USA’s star racer joining the All-Star roster? What do you think is under there? We’ll know in one hour. There is a small chance that Segata Sanshiro can take the form of a car, and he’s silently waiting to burst out from beneath the sheet to put the Wii U in a headlock.

Rumor: All-Stars Racing Transformed announcement tomorrow, celebrity appearance

According to gonintendo, an email from SEGA arrived stating the following:

This Tuesday at the SEGA E3 Booth, SEGA will be making a major announcement for their upcoming title Sonic & All-stars Racing Transformed. There will be a large reveal, celebrity appearance and photo/video opportunities. We hope you or someone from your team can make it to cover the big news and please let us know if you have any questions.

Some speculate that the celebrity will be a fictional character, such as a man in a Mario suit announcing the Wii U version and Mario as a guest character. But I think otherwise. Mario isn’t a celebrity, he’s a fictional character. But you know who is a celebrity, has a connection to SEGA and has been mentioned in the past as being a possible racer in the first All-Stars Racing title? That’s right, Hiroshi Fujioka also known as Segata Sanshiro. If SEGA pulls a Segata reveal tomorrow, they will have won E3 without even holding a press briefing. Another possibility is Toshihiro Nagoshi, who is heading to E3. Could Nagoshi be revealing Kazuma Kiryu as a racer?

If Sonic Adventure 2 avatar items are hitting XBLA on June 5th…

… that can only mean Sonic Adventure 2 will be revealed for XBLA and PSN at E3! The Sonic Stadium is reporting that XBLA’s Major Nelson has just posted the latest Xbox Live Marketplace release schedule of all the games and items being released over the next few weeks. Among these new goodies are Sonic Adventure 2 Avatar items with a release date of June 5th. Hey, that’s when E3 begins. This wouldn’t be the first time a Sonic Adventure 2 announcement was made at E3. Back in 2000, we were wowed by the trailer posted above. And last year, we were given the great City Escape trailer for Sonic Generations. If you want to see that, check it out after the break. As for E3 2012, stay tuned to SEGAbits for the impending trailer, assuming there is one.

Rumor: SEGA’s Hardlight studio shifting from Vita to iOS

In January we reported on a new SEGA studio called Hardlight, whose goal was to develop “high quality and innovative experiences for both current and future platforms”. Hardlight’s first game was, and may still be, a “unique action adventure” for the Playstation Vita. However, since SEGA’s recent changes, some SEGA fans questioned what was to become of Hardlight’s project. After the break, speculation as to what the status of the game is and why it might be heading to iOS.

Rumor: Two More Virtua Fighters to Cameo in Dead or Alive 5

Akira isn’t the only SEGA fighter looking to kick some Tecmo ass. A NeoGAF member claims to have hacked into the Dead or Alive 5 demo code and discovered alternate costume data. This data, in turn, revealed what very well could be the final roster. Given that we’re a SEGA fan site, I’ll skip the Dead or Alive characters and get to the characters we really care about, the Virtua Fighters! Sarah Bryant and Pai Chan will be joining Akira Yuki as crossover guests. Very exciting, if it proves to be true. What do you all think?

Akira and SEGA All-Stars Fighters with Dead or Alive releases September, 2012.

Rumor: Shenmue and Shenmue II HD have been completed for quite some time

Rumors continue to heat up after a not-so-cryptic hint from SEGA’s Ben Harbone earlier this week regarding current-gen digital ports of Shenmue and Skies of Arcadia. Now a site called Gamerzines is reporting with a strong degree of certainty that not only are Shenmue and Shenmue II on the way, but they’re completed and have been for over a year.

Citing an industry source with close ties to SEGA, the rumor goes on to say that SEGA chose to wait on the release of these two digital titles “until it had a clearer picture of the future for the Shenmue franchise, namely, whether or not Shenmue III would ever see the light of day.”

That little tidbit adds a whole other level of intrigue to all of this, but of course it’s important to keep in mind that this is very much a rumor and we’ve had rumors like this before regarding the continuation of the Shenmue saga. Gamerzines does look like a legit website, however, and apparently IGN thought so too, since they’ve also reported this rumor. Thought I’d share it with all of you.

Sonic 4 Episode 2 Comic Adaptation Points to April/May Release of the Game?

Those who bought the second issue of Archie Comic’s Sonic Super Special magazine (available now at most newsstands, bookstores and comic shops) have spotted a preview for the third issue which promises an exclusive Sonic 4 Episode 2 adaptation. The preview refers to Episode 2 as “SEGA’s hottest new game” and features Sonic, Eggman and Metal on the cover. Given that Archie’s Sonic Generations adaptation released the same week as the game itself, and the fact that the Sonic Super Special magazine is quarterly, AND the fact that one quater of the year from January is April/May, one could guess that the third issue containing the adaptation will release in April/May and that the game will also release at this time. This is, of course, speculation.

Yakuza 5 – Details Leak (Edit: More info)

Some juicy tidbits have escaped from Famitsu today regarding Yakuza 5 (Ryu Ga Gotoku 5) The first bit of news is that Yakuza 5 will again be released on the Playstation 3. Considering four Yakuza games have already been released for the PS3 and every game in the series have been exclusive to Playstation consoles and handhelds I’m sure anyone could have guessed that one.

The second bit of info is a lot more interesting-

Rumor: Sonic Dimensions in development for Wii U, Sonic Colors spiritual successor


So, a rumor for a new Sonic game? Not surprising, but this rumor comes with a bunch of details that seem very possible, actually I’d be shocked if this isn’t mostly correct. The title, Sonic Dimensions, is a working title, so that will most likely change.

The game is supposed to take place after Sonic Generations and be the ‘spiritual successor’ to Sonic Colors. Sonic Dimensions is said to take advantage of some Wii U’s specific capabilities, including using the touch screen to activate powers and destroy enemies. Hopefully we can turn this off and not use it. It’s also said to have 4 player multiplayer. The story will be another time-space continuum one. Oh boy.

The game will have Sonic change colors, with each color supposed to represent a new personality for Sonic. Blue Sonic, of course, will be the core Sonic and will be the uniting figure for all the other colors. Five colors are rumored:

Rumor: SEGA working on Phantasy Star Victory?

Seems that SEGA developer Kenichi Tanase might have let slip the title of the next Phantasy Star game on twitter. He says the next game will be called Phantasy Star Victory.

Since Phantasy Star Portable (PSP) was for the Playstation Portable (PSP), people are assuming that Phantasy Star Victory (PSV) will be on the Playstation Vita (PSV). Chances seem high, SEGA has already confirmed it’s working on 5 titles for the portable.

[Via: NoGamesPortable]

Rumor: Nintendo only Sonic game incoming? [update]

[update] Seems like some sources have changed or the lack of sleep really got to me. The game is NOT teased as ‘Nintendo developed’ but as being on a ‘Nintendo platform’. 95% sure this will be the Sonic 3DS game. [/update]

Nintendo fans have been complaining that HD users are getting Sonic Generation, but those Nintendo only users might have their own exclusive title to look forward to!

According to Eurogamer Portugal, the next  issue of Nintendo Power (the E3 edition) is going to reveal a new Sonic game exclusively for a Nintendo platform.

[Source: Eurogamer]
[Via: TSSZnews]

Rumor: Sonic Anniversary to be Titled “Sonic Generations”

As with any rumor, take this with a pinch of salt, don’t shoot the messenger, etc.

The Sonic fan community is buzzing with word that the upcoming 2011 Sonic game, usually referred to as Sonic Anniversary, will officially be titled “Sonic Generations”. The rumor started when Spanish Sonic website Sonic Paradise reported that a magazine by the name of Hobby Consolas let slip that the upcoming Sonic game will be titled Sonic Generations and will be headed to the 360 (and though not stated, probably the PS3 as well).

To add to the rumor, Sonic Paradise reports that intermediary company EuroDNS SA., the company that had registered the web domains for Sonic 4 and Anarchy Reigns for SEGA, have registered the domain sonicgenerations.com and sonic-generations.com. Currently the sites link to nothing, but I did check their registrants and it’s true! The Sonic Generations domain is registered to the same folks who registered the Sonic 4 domain.

I’d say it’s an apt title. Video games are always grouped by generation, and in his 20 year history Sonic has been through many generations. With the game being rumored to feature 3D recreations of past classic levels, “Generations” fits.

[Source: Sonic Paradise, image created by Sonic Stadium member Hogfather]