SEGA Genesis

What do you think should be the future of the Phantasy Star franchise?

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These past few weeks we have been talking quite a bit about Idola Phantasy Star on SEGAbits. The game seems to been met with a lot of negativity and it isn’t just from a whiny SEGA fan like yours truly. I think one of the more shocking things about the mobile game is that the director basically came out and said that Idola Phantasy Star Saga will be the future of the franchise and they want it to replace Phantasy Star Online 2. That means that they want Idola Phantasy Star Saga to be out for at least half a decade, considering that Phantasy Star Online 2 came out way back in 2012. I’ve seen a lot of people reach out to us on Twitter and tell us how they wished SEGA handled the Phantasy Star brand.


But here at SEGAbits want to hear from YOU, the reader. How do you wish SEGA would handle the Phantasy Star brand moving forward?

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SEGA AGES debuts on Nintendo Switch with Sonic the Hedgehog & Thunder Force IV next month

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It was a surprise to a lot of SEGA fans when SEGA announced that they wouldn’t be porting the SEGA Genesis/Megadrive Collection to Nintendo Switch. Instead SEGA Japan would be bringing its downloadable titles by reviving their SEGA AGES brand. We finally got the first details including the debut games, release date and pricing.

According to the latest Weekly Famitsu magazine where they confirmed that the first two debut titles will be Sonic the Hedgehog and Thunder Force IV! Each title will cost you 925 yen (£6.30 / $8.20) and will release in August. Just like the SEGA 3D Classics, Sonic the Hedgehog will include the added Spin Dash, Drop Dash and the Mega Play arcade version. While Thunder Force IV will introduce online leaderboards and the Styx Mode from the SEGA Saturn version!

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The time President Donald Trump attended the SEGA Genesis launch in 1989

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Back in the olden days, console launches really benefited from regular TV exposure and SEGA had a segement on Movietime (later renamed E!) in 1989 when they launched their revolutionary SEGA Genesis home console. Most of the talking is done by Andy Eddy then editor-in-chief for Video Games & Computer Entertainment Magazine. But if you watch the video, about 1:19 mark has our now President Donald Trump attending the event. Not only that, he also has (what seems) like a decent haircut.

Not only that but we also have SEGA founder David Rosen later on in the clip talking about the POWER of the SEGA Genesis.

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SEGA Games CEO talks to CNBC about demand for retro SEGA consoles

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CNBC had a interview with SEGA Games young CEO Haruki Satomi where he discussed what SEGA was up to in modern times and talked about fan demand for SEGA retro consoles. According to Satomi, he specifically gets a lot of demand for the SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive. We know the company just announced SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive Classics for PS4, Xbox One and PC. When pressed by the interviewer if SEGA had plans for a retro console, he said:

“Depending on fans request… if we hear more request and its a reasonable business for us then it might happen in the future.” – Haruki Satomi, CEO of SEGA Games

A really cool part of the interview is Haruki Satomi discussing what ‘Nintendo has done right with AR, like Pokemon Go’ (which is weird because Pokemon Go isn’t created by Nintendo), then Satomi goes into talking about SEGA doing VR first back in the mid-90s. While its cool to see CNBC do a interview with Haruki Satomi, I would have loved if they had someone that knows more about SEGA interview him. You know, like us?

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How Castle of Illusion influenced Cuphead’s ‘Simple Mode’

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[Art by thegreatrouge]

Its no secret that Cuphead is highly influenced by a large number of games that were popular in the 90s. This weekend at EGLX, the heads of Studio MDHR, brothers Chad Moldenhauer and Maja Moldenhauer spoke about their popular game. One part of the event was a live Q&A, where someone asked about the decision of keeping bosses out of ‘Simple Mode’. For those not in the know, if you play Cuphead in easy mode or in this game called simple mode, you won’t get to play all the boss levels. Forcing players to switch to normal mode to get the full experience.

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SEGA Talk Podcast #14: Sonic the Hedgehog (1991)

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On this episode of the SEGA Talk Podcast we cover one of the most important SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive titles ever released. Sonic the Hedgehog, which was obviously the jumping pad for the Sonic mania craze of the early 90s. On this episode George and Barry discuss the game’s history, our exposure to the game and for the first time we are offering a special YouTube enhanced version of the podcast. We are still working out the kinks and feedback would be appreciated. If you like the show, make sure to leave us a positive five star review on iTunes, it always helps!

[iTunes – Stitcher – YouTube – Play Music – RSS – Download]

If you want to give us feedback, suggest a topic for the next podcast or want to ask a question for us to answer on the next episode you can add them as a comment below or send theme directly to our email. Make sure you use subject line ‘SEGA Talk’ and as always, thanks for listening!

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The Jungle Book on SEGA Genesis, Game Gear and Master System gets Spanish fan translations

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JungleBookGenMSGG

Romhacking.net user Wave has released a Spanish translation for all the SEGA versions of The Jungle Book. Ever want to play The Jungle Book but you don’t know English? Wait, how are you reading this blog? Never mind, just know that The Jungle Book is now playable in Spanish on your retro SEGA platform of choice.

Now when that one cousin from Mexico that doesn’t know English comes over, you can pop in The Jungle Book on your favorite SEGA retro console and show him a time when Disney made animated films and had decent video game tie-ins. Weren’t those the days?

[via: Romhacking.net]

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Streets of Rage, Altered Beast and Rent-A-Hero getting miniature figures

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A new series of miniature SEGA figures are launching in Japan, being titled “Video Game Heroes” this collection will launch with Streets of Rage, Altered Beast and Rent-A-Hero figures. It seems that these figures will be limited, according to Famitsu they sold 50 sets at the Wonder Festival 2018 event and will be selling 250 sets this upcoming May.

These miniature figures aren’t pre-painted, so its up to you as the purchaser to paint them. Some people like these sorts of projects, some don’t. Hit the jump to see all the photos of the figures in action!

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Rent-A-Hero gets live Japanese stage show 27 years after release

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Rent-A-Hero was a Japanese RPG by SEGA-AM2 that came out only in Japan on the Mega Drive. The game’s story was about a teen who orders pizza and receives a power suit that gave him super powers making him decide to become a hero for hire. I mean, why do hero work for the glory when you could make money? The game later got a remake on both Dreamcast and Xbox with Rent-A-Hero No. 1 in the early 2000s. But it seemed that everyone forgot about Rent-A-Hero, until now!

Japanese site DenFaminico have written a long piece talking to the people behind ‘SEGA Mania’ a theatrical stage company that will be doing a live stage show of Rent-A-Hero. The article also discusses other classic SEGA games that the company would love to adapt including Golden Axe, Gunstar Heroes and more. The stage show will be playing in Japan for 5 days, from January 17 to the 21st. According to the interview, the production consist of 41 people and will recreate the story from the game. What do you think of SEGA’s ‘SEGA Mania’ idea on turning classic IPs into stage shows?

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SEGA News Bits: Bluetooth SEGA Genesis, Saturn and Dreamcast Controllers Reaction

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We have finally gotten around to talking about all the cool retro SEGA products that Retro-Bit had at this year’s CES 2018. On this episode of the SEGA News Bits we take a look at all the retro SEGA controllers shown at the event, our thoughts on the announced products and even pitch some retro gaming accessories and controllers we’d like to see Retro-Bit create. So give the video a watch and let us know in the comments what you think of all the upcoming retro SEGA controllers.

If you enjoy our SEGA News Bits segments and want to support us: Give us a sub and give this video a like so it shows up on more like minded fans YouTube recommendations. You know, how that YouTube algorithm is.

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Retro-bit SEGA USB and Bluetooth Genesis, Saturn and Dreamcast accessories revealed!

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Last month we shared the news that Retro-bit would be creating USB, bluetooth and classic controllers for the SEGA Genesis, Saturn and Dreamcast, with the products debuting at CES 2018. Well CES 2018 is happening now, and images of the Retro-bit SEGA products are online! The community section of the RGT 85 Facebook page and Madlittlepixel show us just what we can expect from the new line of products. After the break, let’s check out the images and see what we can see!

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Kickstarter Genesis/Mega Drive and Dreamcast game Xeno Crisis releases new gameplay footage

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We’re only a week into 2018 and we already have our first indie Genesis/Mega Drive (and Dreamcast) game about to be successfully backed on Kickstarter. With a little over two days to go, the top-down arcade style shooter Xeno Crisis is $80,382 pledged of its $27,138 goal. As the campaign nears its end, the team has released a new video showcasing more gameplay footage including footage of the new female marine and 2 player co-operative play.

You can check the campaign out for yourself here, and as always read everything and think about it before backing.

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Gunstar Heroes joins the SEGA Forever mobile lineup

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The Treasure classic Gunstar Heroes has been added to the SEGA Forever mobile lineup, available to download now on Google Play and the App Store. If Gunstar Heroes on iOS sounds familiar, it’s because the game released to that platform 7 years ago. Those who have previously downloaded the iOS version of the game will be able to restore their purchase for the premium SEGA Forever version. A new addition to the mobile version is cross-platform local multiplayer over Wi-Fi. You can interact with the SEGA Forever team on Twitter at twitter.com/segaforever and follow them if you’re so inclined, as they post some pretty cool stuff.

We’re a bit late in newsing this, as the game released to around the busy holidays, but better late than never!

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Indie games coming to classic SEGA consoles in 2018

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New year, new indie games! As we return from the holiday season, we look ahead to what indie developers have in store for our classic SEGA hardware in 2018. Thanks to SEGAbits Forums member Berto, we have a helpful topic which compiles all the upcoming SEGA indie games for 2018. Keep Berto’s topic bookmarked, as he will be updating it throughout the year as new games are announced.

Clicking on the games names after the break will bring you to the respective crowdfunding campaigns, pre-orders and ROM/ISO download links should they be available. So what indie SEGA games are coming in 2018?

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Xeno Crisis is an upcoming retro-styled arena shooter for the SEGA Dreamcast and Mega Drive/Genesis

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Nearly a year ago today, I shared a list of indie games coming to classic SEGA consoles in 2017. While I’m hard at work on a 2018 list, which includes some who didn’t make their 2017 deadline, I wanted to report on the Kickstarter campaign for the upcoming SEGA Mega Drive/Genesis and Dreamcast game Xeno Crisis. Releasing in both physical and digital formats, the game is an arena shooter for up to two platers and takes inspiration from games like Smash TV, Contra, Mercs, Granada, Alien Syndrome, Zombies Ate My Neighbors, Chaos Engine and Shock Troopers. Currently, the game is in the prototype stage and the plan is to release the game in October of 2018 to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the Mega Drive.

The campaign ends in 5 days, and currently they have $68,726 pledged of a $27,038 goal. You can learn more about the project here, and as always with a Kickstarter campaign, read everything carefully before making your mind up on backing or not.

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