New Shining title announcement possible at SEGA Fes 2018

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We posted before that SEGA was teasing a brand new announcement at their upcoming event, SEGA Fes 2018 which will run in Japan from April 14 to the 15.

This week on the latest issue of Weekly Famitsu, , Makoto Suzuki said:

“We are doing our best to show various things we are working on with the [Shining] series at Sega Fes and such in April. After this please look forward to the enjoyable environments we have in the works between traditional games like this one [Shining Resonance Refrain], as well as titles with various other directions.”

When Shining Resonance Refrain was first announced, Makoto Suzuki suggested it was the last time SEGA was giving the franchise another shot. Seems that they are moving forward with more games? Thoughts?

[Source: Gematsu]

Valkyria Chronicles 4 debuts in 2nd place in Japan, beating Ni no Kuni II

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The battle of the Japanese RPGs (of sorts) is underway in Japan. This week we got a few notable releases in the land of the rising sun including Valkyria Chronicles 4 (PS4), Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom (PS4), Dectective Pikachu (3DS), and Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition (Switch)! While Valkyria Chronicles 4 beat all these debuting games, it was Kirby: Star Allies that still took first place even though it came out last week. Kirby has some staying power over in Japan.

Valkyria Chronicles sold 62,921 units in its debut week, while Ni no Kuni II (3rd place) sold 56,014. As for Kirby: Star Allies, it got a whopping 84,625 units (bringing its title to 306,656 units!). Valkyria Chronicles will also get a Nintendo Switch version released later this year in Japan while we in the west will be getting it on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch day one, sometime in 2018. Check out the full chart after the break:

Unboxing After Burner II Limited Edition Data Discs Vinyl

We got a new package in the SEGAbits office, this time we will be unboxing a After Burner II Limited Edition Data Discs vinyl, which went up for pre-order a few months ago. Like all Data Discs vinyl release, there are three versions released including a black vinyl, colored vinyl (purple for After Burner II) and a limited edition (this one being splatter design). He can pick up a vinyl copy of a non-limited version here.

This is the 15th release on Data Discs retro vinyl line-up, are you picking these up? If so which release is your favorite so far?

Bitmap Books planning a Sega Master System Compendium

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We haven’t covered Bitmap Books here yet, but they’ve been in the video game history books business for some time. Known best for their visual compendiums, Bitmap has covered classic hardware like the Commodore 64, Amiga and NES. Now, they are finally dipping their toes into the SEGA waters with the upcoming Sega Master System Compendium book. The book will feature in-game graphics, pixel art and provide a history on SEGA’s first western released console.

The Sega Master System Compendium will be funded as a Kickstarter, which goes live on May 7. When we near the Kickstarter’s launch we will be sure to share more information.

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

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 releases Yakuza Kiwami 2 extended announcement trailer

SEGA has released another announcement trailer, this one being a bit longer. The first announcement trailer was just over a minute in length, this one is almost two minutes. If you didn’t know, Yakuza Kiwami 2 came out in Japan on December 7, 2017 and we will be getting the game in America and Europe on August 28, 2018. This means that Yakuza Kiwami 2 is the fastest localized version of a Yakuza game ever. Very well done by the translation team!

Like always Yakuza Kiwami 2 comes out this August 28, only on PlayStation 4. You can pre-order the steelbook edition now on Amazon.

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Wii Shop Channel Guide for SEGA Fans – Backups, WiiWare, Noteworthy Titles

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There’s only one day left before Nintendo pulls the plug on point purchases on the original Wii Shop on March 26th. We’ve already covered titles on the Mega Drive, Genesis, Master System and Arcade systems. What’s left on the service for the SEGA fan? We’ve still got a couple of WiiWare games to check out, some alternative versions to Wonder Boy games, and games from fan-favorite SEGA developers Atlus, Hudson and Treasure that appeared on non-SEGA platforms. Also we’ll be taking a look at options to back up your games once the store goes down for good. You can expect to see associated SEGA Retro articles to check out box and manual scans as well as additional information on each game in the list below. This is also a good time to let you all know about another one of our sister sites, NEC Retro which includes coverage of PC Engine and Turbo Grafx-16 games if you have not seen it before!

Experience the Yakuza 6: The Song of Life “Essence of Art” exhibit opening night in newly released videos

Last weekend, SEGA opened their Yakuza 6: The Song of Life “Essence of Art” Exhibit at Gallery Nucleus in Los Angeles. While the event looked like a blast, it was missing our presence as well as the presence of countless Yakuza fans from across the globe. Thankfully, SEGA has bottled up the experience in two videos giving a recap of the event (above) and presenting the full live art and Q&A stream (after the break).

The Yakuza 6: The Song of Life “Essence of Art” Exhibit runs from March 17, 2018 – April 1, 2018 at Gallery Nucleus at 210 East Main St., Alhambra, CA 91801. The gallery is open from 12:00PM – 8:00PM, Tuesday – Sunday and is open to the public with free admission. More details are available at the official event page.

Yakuza 6: The Song of Life releases April 17, and comes in a fancy Essence of Art Edition and an After Hours Premium Edition.

Preview: IDW Sonic the Hedgehog #6

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The preview for issue six of IDW’s Sonic the Hedgehog is here! Following up from the previous issue, six features the story “The Fate of Dr. Eggman” Part 2. The issue is to feature Eggman, Shadow, Rouge and the Chaotix. Oh and of course, Sonic. It is becoming pretty clear that each issue, at least in this early run, will introduce new and returning characters to the IDW canon. After the break, check out the full solicits and a preview of a IDW Sonic collector’s box set!

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?

Yakuza 6 demo returns to the PSN Store

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As we found out with the initial release of the Yakuza 6 demo back in late February that SEGA accidentally uploaded the full game for free. Sony got around to actually revoking full access to the game when users connected to the internet and pulled the ‘demo’ off the store. Sony has finally announced the return of the Yakuza 6: The Song of Life demo on the PSN store.

Like we covered before, the demo weighs in at over 36 GB because you are technically downloading the full game but its being locked down to a certain point. If you like the game, you can buy it digitally and unlock the full game, no more downloading required. Not only that, you can continue the game right where the demo leaves off. You can also check out my review for Yakuza 6, as you can see I really liked it.

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Check out this amazing Hori Border Break branded controller

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Mech games like Virtual-On and Border Break need their own controllers to make the user feel more engaged with the game. Sure, you could play the games just fine on a regular PlayStation 4 controller, but why not increase the awesomeness with a mech like controller? Don’t worry, Hori’s got you covered with their newly (a few days ago) announced PlayStation 4 Border Break controller.

There hasn’t been a release date for the controller or the free-to-play Border Break PlayStation 4 software. All we know is that its tended to release sometime in 2018. But according to 4Gamer, we should be getting more Border Break news during April 14-15th, at the upcoming SEGA Fes 2018. So come back to the blog and we’ll keep you updated as always.

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SEGA reveals new details about Sonic Mania Plus, including Encore Mode and digital DLC

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SEGA and Sonic Team were at SXSW and presented a ton of new upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog stuff. Perhaps the most exciting is a physical release of Sonic Mania titled Sonic Mania Plus. While the staff detailed the new features, they did keep some new modes unexplained. Thankfully, a new press release details what we can expect from the release.

SEGA News Bits: Yakuza Kiwami 2 Coming West Reaction

It really does seem that the Yakuza franchise has finally gotten the attention its deserve since the release of Yakuza 0. Now with Yakuza 6 around the corner, SEGA has announced that Yakuza Kiwami 2 will be heading to the West this upcoming August! Considering it is one of my favorite entries to the franchise, I decided to record a little video for you guys talking about the release, what to expect and other nonsense. Are you guys picking up Yakuza Kiwami 2 when it releases? If not, you should!

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