SEGA News Bits: Sonic Forces Speed Battles Mobile Game Revealed

SEGA has soft launched their upcoming Sonic Forces Speed Battle mobile game for Android and iOS. The game will let you play as Sonic the Hedgehog and various of his friends as you race against people online to reach the end of the stage. On this episode of the SEGA News Bits we discuss what Sonic Forces Speed Battle could mean for Sonic Forces console game, what we think of a Sonic Forces mobile tie-in game and if Sonic Forces Speed Battle is teasing new stages for the console version?

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Atlus bringing “new classic RPG” The Alliance Alive to the West

Atlus USA just released the new trailer above to announce that they will be bringing the “new classic RPG” by FuRyu studio’s (The Legend of Legacy) The Alliance Alive to the West. The game is exclusive to the Nintendo 3DS.

The idea behind it being a “new classic RPG” is that the team took traditional RPG ideas and rebuild them for modern tastes. The story will have you and other humans going up against the authority of Amodians who have ruled over the world of hundreds of years. The world will be split into several zones where you will interact with unique cultures. The game even has nine playable characters and from what I gather has a similar art style to the team’s last game The Legend of Legacy.

I personally picked up The Legend of Legacy on launch because I liked the art style it was going for and wasn’t all that impressed with the game. It was just alright. I hope The Alliance Alive is a lot better.

 

Phantasy Star Online 2 Cloud coming to Nintendo Switch in 2018

Phantasy Star Online 2 Cloud was shown off on the new Nintendo Direct, but only in the Japanese presentation considering that the game won’t be coming west. I know, a major disappointment for western fans that have been waiting for Phantasy Star Online 2 since it was announced back in 2012. Its pretty big announcement for SEGA Japan to bring their Phantasy Star Online 2 game to the Nintendo Switch because I feel its the perfect platform for a game like this.

As for what the cloud in Phantasy Star Online 2 Cloud stands for, I have heard people online saying that it means the game isn’t running on the Nintendo Switch, but actually being streamed off the internet. Think of it the way that Onlive, PlayStation Now and those types of services work. It seems to be true considering the trailer suggest there won’t be a installation required. We know is that the game is coming to Japan in 2018 and that the Nintendo Switch has no region lock. (winks).

 

Swingin’ Report Show #89: Sonic Mania – Tee Lopes, Composer Interview

On this episode we chat with Tee Lopes, composer for Sonic Mania, who answers our burning questions about his career before working on a SEGA game, how he landed the Sonic Mania job, and how one goes about composing for video games. We also try to get some soundtrack secrets out of him, and we’ll let you be the judge on how well we did. If you loved the music of Sonic Mania and are a video game soundtrack aficionado, or if you just like an hour of video game chat, this episode is a must listen!

You can learn more about Tee Lopes and follow his work by checking out his website teelopesmusic.com, following him on Twittersubscribing to his You Tube channel, and if you want the best possible aural experience of Sonic Mania make sure to check out the official vinyl (and included digital music download) from Data Discs.

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

GameStop lists Sonic Forces Figure Pack by Tomy Corporation

sonicforcesfigurepackSpotted by eagle eye Sonic fan @DaPatMac on Twitter, it seems that Tomy Corporation are gearing up for the Sonic Forces Figure Pack which I guess will feature numerous characters in figure form. I know, we don’t much outside the items name and price of $24.99. I would assume the Sonic Forces Figure Pack would be something like this Sonic Boom figure pack that featured five characters. Would be interesting to see which characters make the cut for the pack.

The Gamestop page for the Sonic Forces Figure Pack says it releases tomorrow, yet the site doesn’t even have a product picture. So for Sonic Forces fans reading this, what Sonic Forces character do you want to see represented in this figure pack?

Humble Bundle having a Capcom x SEGA x Atlus bundle

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Humble Bundle is teaming up with Capcom, SEGA and Atlus to deliver a bundle of their PC games for a very affordable price. Like every Humble Bundle released in the past, this will have three tiers:

Pay $1 or more: 

  • Rollers of the Realm (Atlus)
  • Zeno Clash II (Atlus)
  • Sonic Adventure 2 (SEGA)
  • Bionic Commando (Capcom)
  • Citizens of Earth (Atlus)

Beat the average, $6.49 to unlock the previous and: 

  • Renegade Ops (SEGA)
  • Sonic Generations (SEGA)
  • Resident Evil 4 (Capcom)
  • Dead Rising (Capcom)
  • Tesla Effect: A Tex Murphy Adventure (Atlus)

Pay $12 to unlock the previous and: 

  • Motorsport Manager (SEGA)
  • Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition (Capcom)

All titles redeem on Steam. This bundle will include four SEGA published games, four Atlus published games and four Capcom published games. This bundle also gives you bonuses like 50% off select Capcom, SEGA and Atlus game which includes The Deadly Tower of Monsters, Dawn of War III or Street Fighter V.

A Certain Magical Virtual-On details its control styles, introduces characters and adds fourth weapon

A-Certain-Magical-Virtual-On_Points_SystemDegeki Online has put up a big preview for SEGA’s upcoming crossover A Certain Magical Virtual-On which confirms Kuroko Shirai and Misaki Shokuhou as new characters. It also goes into detail about the in-game system including the new ‘Transition action’ and control styles that will be introduced in this title.

Hit the jump to learn more about these new A Certain Magical Virtual-On systems.

Sonic Forces: Speed Battle revealed for mobile devices

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Various Sonic fans on Twitter have discovered a new iOS (and possibly Android) Sonic the Hedgehog game titled Sonic Forces: Speed BattleAccording to the App Store listing, the game has players racing against other players from around the world in real-time four-player races. Weapons play a role in the game, and playable characters include Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Shadow, Vector and more. From the look of things, the game is very much an online multiplayer version of Sonic Dash set in Sonic Forces locations. Eagle eyed fans might notice that a Sky Sanctuary looking stage appears in the mobile game, perhaps meaning we will see the stage return in Sonic Forces?

After the break, check out the app store description and screenshots.

Sega Dreamcast: Collected Works Kickstarter launches – New book from Read-Only Memory!

2519c6249487a58be2e8cb9e73bd7718_originalReaders of our site probably know that we are huge fans of the work of Darren Wall and Read-Only Memory, who was behind the excellent “Mega Drive/Genesis: Collected Works” book. Now, Darren and Read-Only Memory are returning to the world of SEGA books with “Sega Dreamcast: Collected Works”, a new book described as an “illustrated history of the cult games console, produced in collaboration with Sega”. The project is being funded by Kickstarter, and is already 30% funded with a £68,000 goal at the time of this article being posted. Given the project just launched today, that is impressive!

The campaign offers up several tiers, from the book itself to special slipcovers featuring Jet Set Radio, Shenmue and Phantasy Star Online logos. Already sold out are early bird editions at a reduced price and a Naoto Ohshima signed edition. There is also a Kickstarter exclusive Shenmue bookmark available for all backers. The campaign page has a LOT of information, from what the book will contain to who you can expect to be interviewed. Rather than copy and paste all that here, we urge you to check out the campaign page for yourself and consider supporting the project.

SEGA News Bits: Shenmue I & II HD & Bayonetta / Vanquish Double Pack Leaked Reaction

This weekend we had a couple of big retail leaks that we reported on, including the Bayonetta and Vanquish double pack and the Shenmue I & II HD; both are set to be coming out for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. On this episode of the SEGA News Bits we discuss both these leaks as we discuss if we think they are real, thoughts on the ports not being announced for Nintendo Switch and what other SEGA games we want to get double pack releases on modern consoles. Listen in and let us know what you think of the retail leaks in the comments below!

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.

Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap sells more on Nintendo Switch than the other three platforms combined

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The good people over at Gamasutra ran an article covering the ‘rise of the Nindies’, talking to developers that have been porting indie developed games to NIntendo’s Switch platform. One of the developers featured in the article is LizardCube, the developer of Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap, which released on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, and of course Nintendo Switch earlier this year. While the article talks about more than sales, the interesting bit was that Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap has sold more on the Nintendo Switch than PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC combined!

“more copies of Wonder Boy on the Switch than the three other platforms we released on combined.” – Omar Cornut from Lizardcube

While they didn’t get into specifics on how much Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap has sold on console platforms, according to Steamspy the game has only 8,141 owners which isn’t great at all. I really do think that the game deserves way more sales than that. As for ‘The Rise of Nindies‘ on the Nintendo Switch platform, I feel that a lot of these sales could be attributed to the fact that the Nintendo Switch platform is new at the moment, the real test in sales will come after the platform gets more Nintendo related titles. I surely hope that the momentum keeps it, I feel that the Nintendo Switch is the best platform to play these great indie games! What are your thoughts on this news?

Rumor: Shenmue I & II HD coming to PlayStation 4 & Xbox One According to Retailer Leaks

shenmueWe just reported a previous rumor that Vanquish and Bayonetta is getting a double pack release for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, but it seems that Shenmue I & II HD might be joining the rumor party as it has also been leaked by multiple retailers. The double pack has been leaked by Alza (same one that leaked the Bayonetta and Vanquish ones), Heureka, GetGame, and MadeGamer! Earlier this year, it was rumored that Shenmue I & II HD where suppose to be coming out by the end of the year, according to Rice Digital, then we had the CEO of Just Add Water say that these ports have been in works earlier this year. We had so much information about these ports being possible that we even did a whole video on it.

It would make sense considering that SEGA Europe has stated in the past that Shenmue I & II HD have had their full attention and then right after they registered Shenmue Remaster related domains.  I will say this is highly probable. What is your opinion? Will you pick up Shenmue I & II HD on PlayStation 4 or Xbox One? Are you excited to dip back into the world of Shenmue?

[Via: Dualshockers]

Rumor: Alza leaks console ports of Bayonetta & Vanquish PC remasters

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Seems SEGA and Platinum aren’t quite done putting these games out. According to an incidental result on Alza, a UK-based online electronics store, both Vanquish and Bayonetta are set to launch on PS4 and Xbox One later this year. Not only are they getting a second re-release, but they’ll be stuffed into one very jam-packed double feature. The current “expected” release sits at November this year for Europe, with no further details on North American or Asian territory releases, or a release date. Assuming this is a genuine mistake on Alza’s part and these are real, it’s safe to say SEGA will be having some very good stocking stuffers this year.

SEGA News Bits: SEGA Dreamcast 18th Anniversary Discussion

On 9/9/1999 the SEGA Dreamcast released in North America, and now 18 years later we’re still talking about it. On this SEGA News Bits, we celebrate the birthday of SEGA’s final home console by recommending the best exclusives, looking at the indie games released in 2017 and looking ahead to what indie games are coming in 2018 and beyond!

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.

SEGA showing off Tokyo Game Show 2017 lineup

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SEGA has launched their Tokyo Game Show 2017 website, showing off what games will be playable, only shown in video and which games will have press conferences. Not all SEGA games at Tokyo Game Show 2017 will be playable, sadly. So, lets get to it and see what we will see more of later this month.

  • Fist of the North Star – (Stage show, photo spot, trailers and gameplay videos)
  • Yakuza Kiwami 2 – (Playable, stage show, trailers, playable footage, merchandise, and photo spots)
  • A Certain Magical Virtual-On – (Playable, stage show, trailers and merchandise)
  • Hatsune Miku Project DIVA Future Tone DX – (Playable, trailers and merchandise)
  • Sonic Forces – (Playable, stage show, trailers, and merchandise)
  • Phantasy Star Online 2 – (Playable, trailers, stage show, merchandise, and photo spot)
  • Yakuza Online – (Trailers)
  • Dx2 Shin Megami Tensei: Liberation – (Playable, Stage Show and Trailers)

Translation is a bit iffy, but it seems that the stage shows will be streamed online from what I gather. We shall keep you updated on that via our twitter and on this blog. We will be having a writer at Tokyo Game Show, so expect a SEGA News Bits video and write up discussing some of these playable games.