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Sega Dreamcast: Collected Works teases never before seen production materials from Jet Set Radio, Shenmue and more

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Sega Dreamcast: Collected Works, an upcoming book from Read-Only Memory, is the followup to SEGA Mega Drive/Genesis: Collected Works. Successfully backed on Kickstarter late last year, Read-Only Memory sent a new years update to backers and boy is it an exciting one! Read-Only Memory received a large amount of production materials from SEGA of Japan, including several never-before-seen pieces from popular Dreamcast games. Included in the haul are:

  • Game mechanic sketches, environment concepts and high end renderings for Sonic Adventure
  • The complete design document for Jet Set Radio/Jet Grind Radio, including some amazing graffiti artwork concepts
  • A very early proof of concept video for Space Channel 5
  • Character studies and production artwork for Phantasy Star Online
  • Storyboards, character designs and environment artworks for Shenmue

Read-Only Memory will spend the coming weeks sorting through all the materials and identifying pieces to include in the book, with the final cut of the book to be laid out in a few months. Also revealed is that photoshoots for the Hardware Showcase chapter of the book will be taking place in the next few weeks, featuring everything from consoles to the fishing controller to the Samba de Amigo maracas. If you’re the proud owner of a Dreamcast hardware rarity you think should make the final cut, please do drop Read-Only Memory a line!

We here at SEGAbits can’t wait to get our hands on the book, and in the meantime we’re working to get Darren Wall of Read-Only Memory back for another Swingin’ Report Show podcast.

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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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SEGA News Bits: What to expect from SEGA in 2018

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On this episode of the SEGA News Bits, we say goodbye to 2017 and start discussing what SEGA has in store for 2018. Join us as we discuss all the major releases from SEGA, SEGA related games not published by SEGA and what surprise announcements we think SEGA has for us next year. So sit back, listen in and let us know what SEGA title you are looking forward to the most in 2018!

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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SEGA’s Toshihiro Nagoshi teases unannounced projects for 2018

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The Japanese website 4Gamer has put up an article talking to Japanese video game developers from a wide range of companies on what to expect from them in 2018. It is basically a yearly tradition at this point. Sadly we only got one person interviewed from SEGA and that was Toshihiro Nagoshi, who has many hats at SEGA including Chief Creative Officer. This is what Toshihiro Nagoshi had to say about 2018:

“We still have some unannounced things. We have more surprises, so please look forward to it!”- Toshihiro Nagoshi

Sucks that he didn’t tease what these announcements could be or from what studio within SEGA they are coming from. Toshihiro Nagoshi’s own studio, Yakuza Studios, seems to have laid out its future recently at this year’s TGS with titles like Yakuza Kiwami 2 (Just released earlier this month in Japan), Hokuto ga Gotoku (comes out March 2018), Yakuza Online mobile game, and the barely teased Shin Yakuza title. I doubt these announcements are from the Yakuza Studio, but you never know. There was that financial report that stated SEGA wanted to revive major IPs on their road to 2020. Could we be seeing some of the first hints of this next year? What do you want to see SEGA announce for next year? Let us know in the comments below!

[Via: Siliconera]

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Valkyria Chronicles 4 trailer shows off new gameplay mechanics

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The trailer above was shown off during the live stream for Valkyria Chronicles 4, which shows off a lot of the in-game mechanics SEGA has been talking about recently. The new trailer also shows off a brand new stage features such as environmental effects like fire and blizzards which can block areas in the map, making the user rethink their strategy during a match.

Another new features shown in the trailer is a “Dummy Tank” that is basically a decoy. Out side of that, it seems to have a lot of what we all loved from the first game and that isn’t a bad thing. Valkyria Chronicles 4 hits Japan on March 21, 2018 for PlayStation 4 and later on for Nintendo Switch. While we in the West will get the game sometime in 2018 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch.

[Source: Siliconera]

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Jet Set Radio composer lends talent to Persona 3: Dancing Moon Night

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While some people will say that remixing a track of Persona 3 isn’t a huge deal, it is when its Hideki Naganuma who has delivered some of the best remixed soundtracks of all time. If you didn’t know Hideki Naganuma is known for composing soundtracks such as Jet Set Radio, Jet Set Radio Future, Ollie King, Sonic Rush, and more. The last time he worked within SEGA was in 2012 when he did minor work on Yakuza 5.

Seems that he is back, at least at Atlus. He has confirmed via twitter that has joined the Persona 3 Dancing Moon Night soundtrack and will be remixing “When the Moon’s Reaching out the Stars”, which you can hear above. Another company name that made the remix list is Yuu Miyake of Namco-Bandai fame, who is doing a remix of “Deep Breath Deep Breath”. But he has been on Persona soundtracks in the past. Nice to get new soundtrack featuring a track by Hideki Naganuma, even if its just a remix. Hey, maybe SEGA or Atlus will hire him more in the future. Here is hoping.

Persona 3: Dancing Moon Night hits PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita, in Japan, on May 24, 2018. As far as I know there hasn’t been a Western release announced yet. Atlus plans to also release Persona 5: Dancing Star Night on the same.

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Hokuto ga Gotoku Limited Edition PlayStation 4 announced

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While I put SEGA in the title, this was actually shown off by Sony Interactive Entertainment Japan Asia. This Hokuto ga Gotoku limited edition PlayStation 4 is set to hit Japan this March 8th, 2018. The limited edition console will be sold on the Japanese Sony Store and come in 500GB for 33,480 plus tax ($296 USD) or 1TB model for 38,480 plus tax ($340 USD).

  • PlayStation 4 console (Jet Black)
  • Hokuto ga Gotoku PS4 top cover
  • Hokuto ga Gotoku PS4 original theme
  • Hokuto ga Gotoku PS4 original designed package
  • DualShock 4 Jet Black controller
  • Monaural headset
  • Power cable
  • HDMI cable
  • USB cable

Yeah, it does seem that the Hokuto ga Gotoku limited edition PlayStation 4 won’t be coming with a copy of the game. It seems to be a normal think for Japanese limited edition consoles. Seems like a good move for a publisher like SEGA but not so great for consumers. SEGA has yet to announce Hokuto ga Gotoku localization, but they already announced Catherine: Full Body? What gives?

[Source: Siliconera]

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ATLUS releasing Catherine: Full Body to the West, official website opens

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ATLUS has today announced that Catherine: Full Body, the remake of 2011’s Catherine, will be heading to the west. Release date and pricing is unknown at this time, but information will be revealed in the future. As we’ve detailed in our previous news stories, Catherine: Full Body will feature a new love interest, new storyline elements and additional puzzle content. For more information, you can check out the official website at catherinethegame.com/fullbody.

We’ll be sure to share more about the western release as we hear it, in the meantime you can check out the press release after the break!

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Sonic Forces Releases ‘Free’ Super Sonic DLC For a Limited Time

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If you guys forgot, we did a SEGA News Bits video on the Sonic Forces day one patch that had a Sanic shirt and Super Sonic. The Sanic shirt was released on November 27th for free. Well, now SEGA has made the Super Sonic transformation DLC live, at least in Europe. The page says it comes out on the 22nd, so expect it on the US PlayStation Store tomorrow.

“Speed through the levels faster than Sonic… as Super Sonic! Get the SUPER SONIC DLC for SONIC FORCES now to transform into Super Sonic across 20+ Modern and Classic Sonic. Collect the right amount of rings and Super Sonic will spring into action, giving you the ability to sprint across stages at break-neck speeds.”

According to the product description, you can’t participate in rankings with the Super Sonic DLC. If this was the end of this news story, I would say that SEGA did a great job, but sadly it isn’t. According to the Nintendo eShop page for the DLC, Super Sonic will be $2 paid DLC after January 23rd. I usually don’t mind companies adding new things to games and charging, if its worth it. But here are my issues with this…

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Swingin’ Report Show #90: Game Designer and International Video Game Hall of Fame Inductee Chris Tang

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The SEGAbits Swingin’ Report Show is back with returning guest Chris Tang! Chris is a game designer and gaming tournament champion, and was recently inducted into the International Video Game Hall of Fame. SEGA fans know Chris as the winner of SEGA’s Sonic & Knuckles Rock the Rock competition in 1994, and before that Chris was a finalist in 1990’s Nintendo World Championships. Since then, Chris has worked on games at Atari and Capcom, including Gauntlet IV, Primal Rage, Street Fighter III, Rival Schools and Power Stone. Chris is also the yearly announcer for the Tetris World Championships and originator of the BOOM! Tetris for Jeff meme.

Currently, Chris is hard at work on Flight Armor Project: STRIKE HARBINGER (working title – subject to change), a new game inspired by classic SEGA titles like Space Harrier. The game combines the fast paced forward flying gameplay of Space Harrier with the RPG and combat elements of Phantasy Star while utilizing a unique arcade control structure that evokes Virtual On. The game is developed by HitSparks Games, and features the work of senior artist Kiyoshi Okuma, whose past work includes Gauntlet: Legends, World Series Baseball 2K2, The Sims 2 and Darkspore.

I sat down with Chris for an update on the development of Flight Armor Project: STRIKE HARBINGER, including the incredibly fun two player mode, and to discuss more of his past career, his work as an announcer for the Tetris World Championships and his recent induction into the International Video Game Hall of Fame.

Want more information on Flight Armor Project: STRIKE HARBINGER? Visit the official website!

[Download] [RSS] [iTunes] [Archive]

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Nintendo Switch Top 20 Selling Games of 2017 Includes Sonic Mania, Puyo Puyo Tetris

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bestsellingnintendoswitchThe Nintendo Switch store has posted up the highest selling Nintendo Switch software for 2017. According to Reset Era post, this includes both digital and physical. The top 20 best selling Nintendo Switch games was mostly dominated by Nintendo games. No surprise there but it also included SEGA games like Sonic Mania and Puyo Puyo Tetris, while Sonic Forces didn’t make the top 20 list. According to people on the forum, Pokken DX sold over 500,000 units, considering Sonic Mania did better than that game its safe to assume it did over half a million digitally on the e-store.

Hit the jump to see the top 20 Nintendo Switch selling Nintendo Switch games of 2017:

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