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Sonic Dreams Collection: Fan made ‘unreleased’ Sonic Dreamcast prototypes

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It seems that Arcane Kids, the programmer behind 2013’s Bubsy 3D tribute is now he doing a similar release for Sonic the Hedgehog. He is releasing the ‘Sonic Dreams Collection‘ over on his new site ‘hedgehog.exposed‘ (password is: grandpa). Yes, the site is hosted via Tumblr. You can try Sonic Dreams Collection on both Windows and Mac OS.

According to Arcane Kids’ own description:

“The Arcane Kids$ salvaged FOUR playable prototypes, some concept art, and countless top-secret SEGA files.”

The four ‘salvaged playable prototypes’ include:

  • Make My Sonic ’96: Change colors, size of body parts and more.
  • Eggman Origins ’97: Not working, needs to be connected to ‘Seganet’.
  • Sonic Movie Maker ’98: Play director in various scenes featuring a dark story line.
  • My Roommate Sonic ’99: Hang out with your roomate Sonic while Eggman gives you instructions via phone texts.

While they are passing off the collection as obtained unreleased games via a developer kit purchased via Ebay, the release is clearly created using Unity and doesn’t run on Dreamcast hardware. Its a nice tribute release to make the rounds online. If you want to see someone with a unenthusiastic voice play the leak, hit the jump.

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New Total War: WARHAMMER trailer introduces the Demigryphs

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Demigryphs are part lion, part eagle mounts that are used for knights or other high ranking members of the Empire. In this trailer Creative Assembly shows off the base model for the Demigryphs and explains their role in the Warhammer Fantasy universe.

The Demigryphs are known for their strength, massively powerful beaks and viciously sharp claws that cut through armor like butter. Much like everything Warhammer, even Demigryphs have their own lore. One of the biggest Demigryphs ever recorded (in this fictional history) was called Reaper who was the mount of Thedore Bruckner, now I wonder if we will be seeing Reaper in this upcoming game? Should be interesting seeing more about the game, considering how dense the Warhammer universe is.

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Playstation does a Yakuza 5 interview with Toshihiro Nagoshi and Masayoshi Yokoyama

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Its been a long journey for us Yakuza fans, I’m seriously surprised at the cult fanbase the franchise has garnered in the West. I have been pretty much into the Yakuza series since I heard about the first title, since it reminded me of a 3D Streets of Rage brawler mixed with RPG elements. After the sales failure that was Yakuza 1, I never thought we would really get a chance to play another entry in the west, guess what? We are literally in our 5th release (6th if you count Dead Souls) in the West and this one sets to conclude the journey.

The developers talk about their goals with the series, basically about how there weren’t many games that where aimed at an adult Japanese audience specifically and how that was the birth of the franchise. Check out the intereview and make sure to pick up Yakuza 5 this fall on Playstation 3.

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New Shenmue 3 information uncovered including PC version’s publisher

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While I jumped in and donated to the Shenmue 3 KickStarter right when it was announced, the whole thing just left me with more questions. I think a lot of fans right now are just so excited (like myself) that most forgot to question some of the aspects of the campaign. I see lots of gaming journalist assuming lots of things, but let’s get some facts out of the way. While the gaming press is discussing Sony stating that they are giving Shenmue 3 ‘some funding‘, we don’t know who the publisher is going to be… till now at least.

We know that the PC version (which is getting a physical release) will be published by Shibuya Productions. That would mean that SEGA will not be publishing that version of the game, sadly. They did say that SEGA and Yu Suzuki have a good relationship, so much so that they are allowing Yu Suzuki to use all the elements he needs from the first two games to complete Shenmue 3.

One of the new gameplay systems that the Kickstarter is promoting is the use of scrolls, while the older games had them to learn moves it seems that Shenmue 3 is set to expand on that. Skill scrolls are still part of the fighting system but will also unlock mini-games, gambling and other side quests.

It has also been confirmed that Shenmue 3 will take place right after Shenmue 2‘s cliff hanger. Cédric Biscay has been confirmed to be in charge of the PC version.

[Source: NeoGAF]

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Shenmue 3’s Kickstarter has been funded

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Shenmue 3 is Real

No more waiting. No more false hope. Shenmue 3 is alive, it’s coming, and one day we’re all going to get to play it. As of a few moments ago, Shenmue 3 reached its $2 million goal on Kickstarter, breaking all sorts of records along the way.

Shenmue 3 has become the fastest game on Kickstarter to break $1 million dollar and the fastest to reach a $2 million funding goal, hitting it in less than hours with more than 24,000 funders. The game’s funding moved so quickly in its opening hours that it practically broke the kickstarter page, hitting prospective funders with errors.  It’s also currently on track to outpace Bloodstained, which recently became Kickstarter’s most funded game ever at $5.5 million. For comparison, Bloodstained required 24 hours to reach half of Shenmue 3’s initial funding goal.

Of course, this is just the beginning. With more than 30 days left in the campaign, the project as more than $2 million worth of stretch goals lined up, ranging from Shenmue 1 & 2 cinema shorts at $2.5 million to an expanded Baisha village and additional mini games at $4 million. According to the Kickstarter page, we’ll be hearing more about these stretch goals after initial funding. We’ll post more details as they come in!

Shenmue 3 is being developed by Yu Suzuki’s independent studio YsNet. It is currently unknown how (or if) SEGA is involved, and whether any outside parties are will be performing publish duties or providing outside funding. The game is currently scheduled for a December 2017 release. For additional information on the project and its developers, check out the official kickstarter page and the game’s website. For a look at a list of all the known stretch goals, check out the image below the break!

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Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games announced for Wii U and 3DS

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Well this came out of nowhere! A Japan-only Nintendo Direct has revealed that a new Mario & Sonic game based on next year’s Rio Summer Olympics will be releasing on the Wii U and 3DS…eventually. No date was given in the trailer, but a late 2015 date seems likely if the past games are any indication.

The trailer looks like pretty standard Mario & Sonic fair, though it does seem to reveal several newly playable characters. These characters include Mario’s Nabbit, Donkey Kong’s Diddy Kong, as well as Rouge, Jet and Zazz. It looks like Sonic’s Egg Pawns and Mario’s Boom Booms will also be playable in some form, but given that they only appear as filler characters in the rugby mini game, they may not be playable in other parts of the game. These are the first new additions to the series since 2010’s Mario & Sonic at the Winter Olympics.

Be sure to stay tuned for updates here at SEGAbits!

 

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Aliens: Colonial Marines lawsuit dismisses Gearbox Software

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The Alien: Colonial Marines lawsuit has been on going for two years now and it seems that SEGA will be the only one paying money out of their pocket when all is said and done, while Gearbox Software will walk away scot-free (minus courts and lawyers). SEGA previously agreed to pay $1.25 million back in August of last year, while Gearbox decided it would fight the charges stating it was a contractor and that SEGA had final approval. SEGA even made claims that marketing was also done by Gearbox in court filings which showed SEGA America’s displeasure with Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford.

In May 12th, US District Judge James Donato actually denied the original motion for class certification of the suite and also denied dismissing Gearbox Software from the case. But just yesterday it seems that the plaintiff’s attorney agreed to dismiss Gearbox with prejudice (meaning they can’t file another suit against them concerning Aliens: Colonial Marines) and in return Gearbox won’t be seeking legal fees. Of course there have been no explanation why the plaintiffs all of a sudden dropped the charges against Gearbox Software, after 2 years of fighting in court.

This also means that they will have a renewed settlement discussions with SEGA, these will go on until June 3rd. What are your thoughts on Gearbox Software being dismissed and SEGA still being charged with the suit?

[Via: NeoGAF]

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First Look at 3D Streets of Rage 2 Gameplay

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Recently SEGA and M2 announced that they would be continuing their incredible range of 3D remakes for the Nintendo 3DS. In the next wave of titles comes three of the most beloved SEGA Megadrive/Genesis titles; 3D Streets of Rage 2, 3D Sonic 2 and 3D Gunstar Heroes.

Today SEGA uploaded the first look at 2D Streets of Rage 2 or as it was known in Japan ‘Bare Knuckle 2.’ Check it out above!

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Project x Zone 2: Brave New World trailer shows off new Shinobi and Yakuza crossover

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Famitsu.com has now officially spilled the beans on the new upcoming Project x Zone 2: Brave New World video game coming to the Nintendo 3DS this fall worldwide! The game shows off some new crossover characters that will be brand new including SEGA fan favorites (listed below):

List of franchises/characters confirmed:

SEGA:

  • Shinobi (PS2): Hotsuma Hotsuma
  • Yakuza Dead Souls: Kazuma Kiryu and Majima Goro
  • Virtua Fighter: Yuki Akira and Kage-Maru
  • Sakura Wars: Ichiro Ogami and Erica Fontaine

Capcom:

  • Resident Evil: Revelations: Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine
  • Resident Evil 6: Leon S. Kennedy
  • Devil May Cry: Dante and Virgil
  • Mega Man X: X and Zero
  • Strider: Flying Dragon

Namco-Bandai:

  • Tales of Vespera: Yuri Lowell and Flynn Shifo
  • Tekken: Jin Kazama and Kazuya Mishima
  • .hack//: Kite and Haseo
  • Soul Calibur V: Natsu

Obviously some of the characters listed are returning from the previous game. To see all the tie-ins in the last Project x Zone, here is a complete list. Hit the jump to see screens.

Update: Replaced the Japanese trailer with the English one released by Namco-Bandai USA. Meaning that yes, its going to come West this fall!

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Sonic’s ad venture: SEGA and Capcom join new ad agency GameBridge

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Remember when Sonic appeared in a Progressive Auto Insurance commercial? Or when Sonic was pushing LifeSavers candies and cans of pasta in the 1990s? Well, expect to see more ads like this in the near future. Reported by MediaPost comes the news that SEGA as well as Capcom have joined up with a new agency that licenses video game characters for ad campaigns. The agency, named GameBridge, was founded by Billy Bell and the agency’s goal is, in his words, “to make it much easier and more efficient for both advertisers and game publishers to connect their respective characters and brands”. The name GameBridge refers to a ‘bridge’ for brands and gaming characters to connect for cross promotional opportunities.

GameBridge will act as SEGA’s agent for licensing partners, serving as the middle man for advertisers and agencies and IP holders of video game characters. For now, the New York based agency is acting as SEGA and Capcom’s agent, but in the future they could expand to represent other game companies and characters. Also announced is that GameBridge has partnered with video game music digital download service Sumthing Else, providing clients a music licensing service. Additional GameBridge partnerships will provide production services, including film and video production, post-production resources, and animation and effects.

While Sonic was specifically called out as a likely character SEGA would utilize in future marketing opportunities, GameBridge could utilize other characters from the company. How about Jet Set Radio‘s Beat selling cans of Krylon?

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Upcoming Game Symphony Japan Concert Exclusively Featuring SEGA Music

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Game Symphony Japan X SegaThe Game Symphony Japan concert series has announced plans for a special type of performance, exclusively featuring SEGA music. This Crunchyroll article mentions that previous Game Symphony Japan performances have featured music from Sakura Wars and Phantasy Star Online. The Game Symphony Japan web page for this concert attaches an interesting subtitle for this event: “Sega Special Vol. 1.” Perhaps we may see another one in the future?

This 14th iteration of the Game Symphony Japan series will take place on October 10th at 4:30, Japan Standard Time. What musical pieces or franchises would you love to see represented? Orchestral renditions of Jet Set Radio music?

Credit for the featured image goes to above-linked Crunchyroll article.

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SEGA launching Nail Sticker Print arcade machine in Japan

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Being a woman in Japan isn’t easy, especially when you have a full schedule. If there was only some sort of arcade machine that could print trendy and cute designs on our nails so we could be the talk of the office. Thankfully for you, SEGA has made ‘Nail Sticker Print‘, their latest arcade aimed at women (like you and me). This isn’t the first or last time SEGA has launched products like these and obviously aimed at a different market than something like Virtua Fighter 6 would be aimed at.

The machine seems to have an app that allows you to use pictures stored on your smartphone to make whatever print you would want on your nails. See a super scary spider? No fears, take a picture and print it on your nails. Now even your nails are scary. Boo!

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SEGA returns to MomoCon showcasing Project Mirai DX, Tembo, 3D Classics & more!

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MomoCon has recently announced the return of SEGA’s appearance to this year’s convention event with panels and first playable demos of a number of unreleased games from their lineup! These games include the upcoming Nintendo 3DS games Hatsune Miku: Project Mirai DX and the entire SEGA 3D Classics arcade roster. Also for consoles the first North American playable demos of TEMBO THE BADASS ELEPHANT, and Dengeki Bunko: Fighting Climax!

I will be attending the convention once again to interview the cool reps from SEGA of America on their line-up titles for the summer and will be bringing you coverage and videos from the convention floors. If you have any questions on the following titles, be sure to leave a comment below.

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Nintendo 3DS gets SEGA Dreamcast and SG-1000 themes in Japan

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The more SEGA themes Japan gets, the more I want to just import a Japanese 3DS so I can enjoy them. This month’s themes are easily some of the coolest. The Dreamcast theme is based around the system’s own menu, and even plays the mechanical whirring and VMU beeping that fans are familiar with. Less familiar is the theme’s background music, which is lifted from the Japanese-only browser disc Dream Passport.

The SG-1000 theme is pretty cool in its own right. Aside from being based on SEGA’s very first home system, the theme also displays screenshots from a variety of games in the background. The music might be familiar to any hardcore Sonic Team fans with an emulator (or the system and a Japanese television if you’re crazy) since it’s taken from Girl’s Garden, Yuji Naka’s first game. Checkout the theme below!

Both themes are available on the Japanese 3DS’s Theme Shop for 200 yen/$1.50. There is still no word on these themes coming stateside.

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Final Worlds Unite teaser adds Skies of Arcadia, Panzer Dragoon, Monster Hunter, and Street Fighter

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Worlds UnitedWhat a great way to end the Worlds Unite teasers from Archie by announcing both Skies of Arcadia and Panzer Dragoon. As you know we have been celebrating games from Overworks, the developers of Skies of Arcadia. It’s good to see that the blue rogues never die. Its even more surprising that the comic crossover announced Panzer Dragoon as another SEGA IP it will be using for their mega crossover event. But I guess if you think about it, Monster Hunter and Panzer Dragoon ‘monsters’ battling it out would be rather interesting and appealing.

Here is a handy list of all the SEGA franchises this game will be using:

  • Sonic the Hedgehog
  • Sonic Boom
  • Alex Kidd
  • Billy Hatcher
  • Golden Axe
  • NiGHTS into Dreams… 
  • Skies of Arcadia 
  • Panzer Dragoon

Worlds Unite crossover is begins on May 2015. If you guys want to pick up the issues head over to your local comicbook retailer and add it to your pull list. Who is excited about this?

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