Sonic co-creator Yuji Naka joins SQUARE ENIX, returns to programming

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Yuji Naka has always been a big name to SEGA fans, not only did he program Sonic the Hedgehog on the SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive, he also has a long history of being a company man. Yuji Naka’s first game for SEGA started way back in the SG-1000 days with Girl’s Garden (in 1984!). After that he helped launch SEGA classics such as NiGHTs Into Dreams…, Samba De Amigo, ChuChu Rocket!, Burning Rangers, Phantasy Star Online, and the list goes on.

SEGA reveals new arcade action card game Sen Sen Sen Ki

A few days ago we posted about SEGA teasing a brand new arcade title. Today they have revealed that the title is “Sen Sen Sen Ki” which will be a new action card game. SEGA is set to do location tests at SEGA Akihabara #2 and #3 from January 26 to the 28th.  There will also be a survey, which will take player feedback before the game launches later this year.

Sen Sen Sen Ki is a completely new franchise that will have digital card battles with modes such as ‘party battle’ and ‘dual turn’ systems. Some of the classes already confirmed for the game include:

House of the Dead: Scarlet Dawn location test footage hits the net, looks amazing


House of the Dead: Scarlet Dawn was just announced four days ago and its already already getting location testing in Japan. Thankfully for us, Throwback Tokyo has captured some of the first footage of the game in action for us that live outside of Japan. The game shows off a cutscene featuring  the new main protagonist Ryan Taylor and returning protagonist from House of the Dead 4 Kate Green. It seems from the little dialogue that we have gotten that this game takes place after the events of House of the Dead 4, making it a direct continuation.

Just like the past House of the Dead games, the game is voiced in English and has Japanese subtitles (instead of getting Japanese VO). For those of you wondering, yes, the voice work is super cheesy just like the classics. Personally, you can’t have a good House of the Dead game if it doesn’t feel like a cheesy B movie and so far from the little footage shown, this game is hitting its marks. According to other online users that went to play House of the Dead: Scarlet Dawn, SEGA had a survey asking users if they would be interested in a console port. I will have to say, hell yeah!

SEGA teasing another arcade game announcement with countdown page

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While SEGA has just announced House of the Dead: Scarlet Dawn, that doesn’t mean its everything they have up their sleeves for their arcade division. SEGA has also launched a site teasing an upcoming arcade game announcement. So far the only clue on the site is the word ‘senki’ which roughly translates to ‘military campaign’. This countdown is set to finish on January 19 at 15:00 JST, so we will know what it is in a few days.

The unannounced game seems to be fantasy themed since we see an hour glass and a king’s throne with floating islands. At first I thought this could be a sequel to an old arcade game like SEGA-AM2’s Quest of D, but I’m pretty sure their new arcade game Soul Reverse is suppose to be a spiritual successor. If I had to take a guess, I can see this being a arcade sequel to Shining Force Cross (also a lot like Quest of D) which came out in 2010. The image just gives me the vibe from that game. But who knows, could be a new IP.

I guess we will find out soon enough. What do you guys think this upcoming SEGA arcade game will end up being? Let us know in the comments below.

House of the Dead: Scarlet Dawn announced for arcades

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SEGA Interactive has just announced House of the Dead: Scarlet Dawn for arcades. They have confirmed that there will be location testing from January 19 to the 21st at SEGA Akihabara Building 3 in Tokyo, Japan.

This release will mark a return of the franchise to the Arcades, the last main entry being The House of the Dead 4 back in 2005. In 2009 we got the console exclusive The House of the Dead: Overkill, which was mean’t to be a prequel and had a different take on the series.

SEGA and Humble Bundle giving away Company of Heroes 2 keys

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SEGA and Humble Bundle have teamed up for holiday giveaway. What are they giving away? Company of Heroes 2 keys! What if you already have the game? According to Relic Entertainment’s blog, they want you to pick up a key for your friend and teach them how to play the game.

Get your free Company of Heroes 2 keys here. 

According to the blog post, the number of keys are limited and there is also a time limit. I guess it will close either when they run out of Company of Heroes 2 keys or after a day and 20 hours (when this post goes up). If you ever wanted to try a Relic’s Company of Heroes 2 game, this is your chance to give it a go for free!

[Source: CoH’s Blog]

Check out the Official Shenmue themed Yokosuka Tourist Guide

shenmueYokosukaguideSEGA was asked to help design a tourist guide map by The Yokosuka Action Promotion Committee. Why did they ask SEGA to help design a map of Yokosuka, Japan? Yokosuka is one of the big locations featured in SEGA’s hit video game Shenmue, which is seemly making a comeback thanks to the Shenmue III kickstarter launched a few years back. You can check out the official SEGA Japan twitter flipping through the guide here, which features lots of cool Shenmue promotional art. According to the same tweet, the English version is being worked on right now. They are calling this Yokosuka Tourist Guide ‘Sacred Spot’, since its mostly covers parts of Yokosuka that where featured in Shenmue. As for how you can acquire one, they are being sold locally in Yokosuka. Oh, don’t live there? Maybe its time to go on vacation?

I think having something like this is really cool and its nice to see that Shenmue‘s legacy still matters in places in Japan. Like most fans online, I really hope this means SEGA isn’t forgetting about the franchise, which if you have seen the rumors about the Shenmue HD releases, you’d agree. I think the Shenmue HD Collection is coming, just a matter of when. You can check out what the guide has to offer below via some helpful scans, of course.

[Via: Shenmue500k]

Strider games on SEGA retro systems now available to play in Spanish

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Are you a fan of the Strider games on the SEGA Genesis, SEGA Master System and the SEGA Game Gear? Did you ever want to play those games in Spanish? Well, Romhacking.net user Wave has got a few releases that will be right up your alley!

He has released the following Spanish translation patches for the following Strider games:

You can see some screenshots of the modified Spanish translations at the bottom. While this isn’t a huge news story, I always love how the fan community will go back and edit roms just so more people can enjoy these old games. What are your thoughts on Strider being bilingual now?

SEGA releasing an official Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Future Tone DX controller

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SEGA is getting ready to release Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Future Tone DX, which happens to be a sort of ‘Game of the Year’ release for last year’s big Hatsune Miku game(s). This one includes all the DLC released for Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Future Tone plus new songs and modules. The game is set to have over 237 tracks and 396 modules. Yeah, its quite the hefty package.

This officially licensed Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Future Tone DX controller is set to deliver an experience of playing the game at the arcades. If you didn’t know, Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Future Tone DX is actually the port of the SEGA-AM2 developed arcade game, so releasing an arcade style controller for this release makes sense. This also isn’t the only official Hatsune Miku controller available, as SEGA has released similar accessories in the past. According to the item description the controller uses 45mm buttons that have a similar feeling to those used in the arcade machine and the controller weighs in at 1.7kgs (3.7 pounds).

[Source: Degeki Online]

SEGA News Bits: Valkyria Chronicles 4 Announced for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch

SEGA has just announced Valkyria Chronicles 4 will be heading to the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch sometime in 2018. Not only that, its coming world wide, not just in Japan. But what else does the announcement hide? Find out as we go through the very first information we have on Valkyria Chronicles 4. What are your thoughts on Valkyria Chronicles 4 being announced? What system are you planning on buying it for? Let us know in the comments below.

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Valkyria Chronicles 4 announcement trailer released, coming 2018 world wide

SEGA has revealed that they are working on a new entry to their popular Valkyria Chronicles franchise, this title being simply titled ‘Valkyria Chronicles 4‘. The franchise might have had a side-game released earlier this year that took the franchise in a more action direction, but it seems that SEGA has gone 100% back to what made people fans of the original. Including the water painting look and a brand new cast of characters to befriend.

I’m going to be honest, this is pretty fantastic. Its also nice seeing Atlus USA localization producer Sam Mullen in the trailer, letting us know that this is a world wide effort. I can’t wait to play Valkyria Chronicles 4 and I hope more in-house SEGA projects take this world wide approach. The game is heading to not only the PlayStation 4 but also Xbox One and Nintendo Switch! Check out the official site right here.

SEGA teases “new sensation camera RPG” game for mobile phones

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SEGA is really busy with teases this week, yesterday they teased ‘Valkyria Project’, now a “new sensation camera RPG” mobile game. SEGA launched the teaser website here, according to the teaser site “In 20XX, as a result of never before seen technology, manking has an encounter with the unknown…” After that you get a animation of a smartphone taking photographs of real life objects and people, which turn into illustrations.

It really seems that this will be SEGA’s take on mobile games that use camera as a gameplay function. We saw the popularity with Pokemon Go‘s use of AR via the phone’s camera. The url is even ‘Pashamon‘, which sound very much like Pokemon and even features this cute one eyed creature. I really hope its not a Pokemon Go clone… I really do.

This mobile teased project will be revealed on November 17 at 12:00 JST!

[Source: Gematsu]

Treasure President teases announcement for 2018, vows never to work on social games

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The last time we heard about Treasure, we ran a rumor that the company was going to stop making new games. Is it true? So far it has stayed true since the companies last ‘new game’ was Gaist Crusher God which was released back back in 2014. Since then Treasure Games hasn’t made a single brand new game. Rumors suggested that the company was going to continue as an IP holding company. Now according to a Japanese twitter user, Treasure President Masato Maegawa stated that he has an announcement coming in 2018 and that Treasure games won’t make a social game (usually mobile games) as long as he lives.

“I’ll never work on social games for as long as I live! I’ll have something to share next year” – Treasure Games President Masato Maegawa

Maegawa also complained that there was a total lack of communication at SEGA during the Mega Drive, especially during the time they developed Yu Yu Hakusho. He also revealed that Gunstar Heroes shipped 70k units in Japan and 200k abroad. Said the initial 10k print run in Japan sold out fast. Treasure Games’ president also wished that SEGA would have their own ‘Mega Drive Mini’ much like what Nintendo offers.

According to twitter user @gosokkyu, this lines up with what he has heard about from Treasure, that most publishers are only wanting them to work on mobile or ‘social’ type games. I’m glad to see a Japanese developer that doesn’t want to succumb to mobile gaming. Some developers just don’t transition over well and since a lot of Treasure Games are about the gameplay, I don’t think it would work out on mobile. But hey what do you think this announcement will be? Are you excited? Sound off in the comments.

[Via: ResetEra]

DARTSLIVE reveals Darts of the Dead limited time tie-in event

The popular ‘DartsLive’ machines will have a House of the Dead tie-in event being titled ‘Darts of the Dead‘. A few weeks ago SEGA Japan filed a trademark for ‘Darts of the Dead and now we know what its all about. The machine will play footage of The House of the Dead 4, giving you a number to hit on the dart board. If you hit each number you survive. You can see even more mini-games for Darts of the Dead  in the video above.

It seems that this update is a limited release and will begin on Monday October 2nd (today) and finish on Halloween. If you have a ‘DartsLive’ machine near you, I suggest you give it a visit if you are looking for some SEGA zombie filled darts action this October.

[Source: DARTSLIVE]

IDW to talk Sonic the Hedgehog comics at New York Comic Con

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If you are going to New York Comic Con and are a huge fan of the Sonic the Hedgehog comics, you might want to stop by ‘The First Sonic the Hedgehog/IDW Town Hall‘ on October 8, 2017 from 12:45 PM through 1:45 PM at 1A02, Javits Center. Of course the new Sonic the Hedgehog comic book isn’t launching on IDW until 2018, but we might finally get more information on the creative team behind the new reboot and what it means for older stories going forward.

At SDCC, IDW announced they were taking over the Sonic the Hedgehog comic license. The comic isn’t being released til 2018 but this is the first official chance for fans to get in front of the editors to get to know them, hear some hints about what’s to come, share your own history with Sonic, and generally have an informal meet-and-greet with IDW CCO Chris Ryall, Editor Joe Hughes, and just maybe a special guest or two! Everyone in attendance will also leave with a special Sonic something, too! Join us on the ground floor of an all-new adventure with Sonic, won’t you?, won’t you?

Expect some surprises and maybe a early first look? Whatever they have planned, lets hope there is some video footage to follow so we can post it here on the blog. The only other thing to note is that IDW used the photo on their that we used as a featured image, meaning they are using modern Sonic branding with green eyes. Does this mean that the new comics will use more Sonic Adventure style Sonic?