SEGA News Bits: What Is SEGA Forever?

You asked and we’re attempting to answer: What is SEGA Forever? On this SEGA News Bits, Barry and George dig through what we know about the mysterious SEGA Networks project titled “SEGA Forever” and attempt to guess that could, or could not, end up being. Have your own theories? Let us know in the comments below!

SEGA News Bits Q&A: We’re collecting questions for an upcoming Q&A video! Post your questions in the comments below and we’ll answer them.

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SEGA and Atlus E3 2017 lineup revealed

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SEGA and Atlus have officially announced their lineup for E3 2017, and while there are no major surprises there is a diverse lineup of great looking games! Yakuza and Sonic take center stage, with Yakuza 6, Sonic Mania and Sonic Forces on display. Atlus, meanwhile, will have 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, Etrian Odyssey V, Radient Historia: Perfect Chronology and Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux to play. SEGA Europe also has a booth, where they will have Total War: WARHAMMER II and additional Sonic Mania and Sonic Forces kiosks.

Worth noting, the upcoming Valkyria Revolution and Yakuza Kiwami appear to have no representation at this year’s booth. Valkyria Revolution makes some sense, as the game is due out in just three weeks, but Yakuza Kiwami is due out in two months. A kiosk for the game would have been nice, but it appears SEGA wants to focus on 2018’s Yakuza 6 which is a bigger game for the company.

SEGAbits writers will be attending E3, so expect coverage from us from the show floor. After the break, check out the full press release!

Sonic Mania Chemical Plant Zone revealed in new gameplay trailer

SEGA has revealed another returning classic Sonic stage to appear in Sonic Mania, Sonic the Hedgehog 2‘s Chemical Plant Zone. Often cited by fans as the favorite stage in their favorite game of the series, Chemical Plant is not new to modern gaming as 2011’s Sonic Generations featured the zone in the console version of the game. The Sonic Mania remix features new music from Tee Lopes and several new gimmicks including bouncy goopy rivers, sticky walls and teleporting bubbles. SEGA has provided us with screenshots and additional footage which you can see after the break.

Sonic Mania is now available for digital preorder and is set to release on August 15th for Nintendo SwitchPS4, Xbox One, and PC.

Yu Suzuki announces Shenmue 3 release date delayed to second half of 2018

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Yu Suzuki has announced, in a message to Shenmue 3 Kickstarter backers, that the game has become bigger and more beautiful than he initially expected. As such, the development schedule has been revised and the release of the game has shifted from the end of 2017 to the second half of 2018. This pushes the release date back 6-12 months. Suzuki mentions that new technologies have allowed the team to discover new possibilities and expressions, and promised that details of the revised schedule will be detailed in a backer report later this month. Suzuki closed the video message by thanking backers for their understanding and continued support.

The Shenmue 3 Kickstarter was initially revealed on the Sony stage at E3 2015 and upon completion of the campaign in July 2015, the team had raised $6,333,295. That amount increased to $6,762,419 following a “slacker backer” campaign held on the shenmue.link website for those who missed the campaign. Development was said to begin early 2017, so fans like myself were not expecting the game to meet the December 2017 deadline. To be honest, it’s good news to hear an announcement of a delay, as it relieves the team the pressures of rushing a much anticipated game and gives fans warning of a delay a full 6 months before the originally anticipated release.

Etrian Odyssey V Confirmed for North American Release Fall 2017

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Despite Nintendo shifting focus with it’s platforms we’re still going to receive a number of titles for the Nintendo 3DS, and Atlus fans in North America are certainly not missing out on the latest entry in the Etrian Odyssey series with Etrian Odyssey V: Beyond the Myth confirmed for a fall 2017 release on the platform. This comes from Atlus’ own website showing a test page for the game to appear on their main website’s slider which showcases new and upcoming releases. Perhaps this news was to be revealed during E3 which is just less than a week away. Until then this will make 3DS owners happy that RPGs are not in short supply on the system.

The game originally released in Japan on August 4th of last year with a western release nowhere in sight. With the release of the Nintendo Switch it seemed that their handheld line might be at the end of it’s life. Luckily fans of the series can rest assured that Atlus is just as eager to get the game into the hands of it’s international audience.

We will report more on the game’s western release date as it develops.

[Source: Atlus]

SEGA News Bits: Sonic & All-Stars Fighters and Football Concepts Reaction

Concept art for proposed Sonic & SEGA All-Stars games were found online via the creative agency Funsolve Limited, who have also worked on Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing and Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed. Had they been approved by SEGA, the games would have been Sonic & All-Stars Fighters and Sonic & All-Stars Football/Soccer. On this SEGA News Bits, George and Barry take a look at this concept art and discuss the proposed games. Should SEGA have made them? Will SEGA still make them?

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SEGA releases new Sonic Forces music track – give it a listen!

SEGA, via the official Sonic the Hedgehog YouTube account, has released a music track from the upcoming Sonic Forces. The track, titled “Park Avenue” was heard briefly in the gameplay teaser, but now we’re hearing the lyrics that only were heard at the tail-end of that teaser. SEGA PR had this to say about the track:

Hit that beat, Sonic! Today, SEGA® dropped a brand new music track featured in Sonic Forces, the upcoming Sonic game that lets players experience fast paced action as Modern Sonic, catapult past perilous platforms as Classic Sonic, and use powerful new gadgets as your own Custom Hero Character. The energetic, upbeat music is the background music for the Park Avenue Stage featuring the Custom Hero Character.

Composed by Tomoya Ohtani, the track is upbeat and features lyrics that evoke both Sonic Adventure 2‘s Knuckles stage tracks and Sonic R. Personally, I think it’s great to hear vocals back in Sonic games. What do you think of the track?

First 4 Figures shows off their amazing Sonic the Hedgehog 25th Anniversary figure

The people over at First 4 Figures making some amazing, quality figures that can be rather expensive (quality costs money) and it seems they have out did themselves with their latest Sonic the Hedgehog 25th Anniversary figure. You can see the scale of the Sonic the Hedgehog 25th Anniversary figure above and the figure is HUGE! So huge, I capitalized huge. How huge is that? The Sonic the Hedgehog 25th Anniversary figure goes for pre-order on June 6th and will cost you a cool $384.99! A figure for the serious collectors.

If you want to see more of the statue, the guys over at First 4 Figures will have a live stream on June 6th:

  • 7:00am (California)
  • 10:00am (New York),
  • 3:00pm (London)
  • 4:00pm (Germany)
  • 10:00pm (Hong Kong)

First 4 Figures will also be giving away reward points, if you follow these instructions on their facebook page. First 4 Figures also has a wide array of other SEGA IP premium figures on their website; including Shenmue, Virtua Fighter, Jet Set Radio and even Skies of Arcadia. So if the blue blur isn’t for you, you should check out what other SEGA IPs they have done figures for.  What do you guys think of this Sonic the Hedgehog 25th Anniversary figure? Are you picking up one? Let us know in the comments below.

Concept Art on various SEGA games discovered including an All-Stars soccer & fighter

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A website called Fun Solve has a gallery of concept artwork on various SEGA games has been uploaded online featuring works by game developers that had helped SEGA create video games based on their classic IPs, Sumo Digital and Headstrong Games, for game development and promotional use.

The website also features tons of concept art on SEGA games such as Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, The House of the Dead Overkill, SEGA Rally Revo, and more including two SEGA All-Stars games with concepts of a soccer and fighting game. Now looking closely to the concept art of the All-Stars brawler seems to take inspiration from Capcom’s Power Stone franchise with SEGA characters in which Steve Lycett, executive producer at Sumo Digital, would love to make.

Check out the concept artwork on all of the games by clicking the jump and tell us your thoughts on the two unreleased All-Stars games. Shout out to Nibroc.Rock for making the discovery.

SEGA News Bits: Sonic Mania Price and Release Date Reaction

SEGA has now given us a Sonic Mania price and release date. So on this episode of the SEGA News Bits George and Barry discuss the Sonic Mania price and release date, have a first glimpse at Stardust Speedway stage, discuss if the collector’s edition is worth it over the digital only copy, and even rant about those animated cutscenes teased in the pre-order trailer. So give this episode a gander and let us know what your thoughts on the Sonic Mania price and release date are in the comments below. Sonic Mania hits digital store shelves on August 15, 2017 for only $19.99 on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.

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Yasunori Mitsuda discusses Valkyria Revolution Soundtrack, plus digital pre-order bonuses

SEGA has released a new video with legendary composer, Yasunori Mitsuda, known for his work on Chrono Trigger and Stella Glow, discussing how he composed the music on Valkyria Revolution that reflects the classic feel of the European industrial revolution era that focuses on a war of liberation between two vastly different nations with Tokyo Symphony Orchestra conducting a live concert-hall recording for the soundtrack and his collaborator Sarah Àlainn, a multilingual Australian-Japanese singer with a voice spanning over 3 octaves, lends her hauntingly beautiful voice to a couple tracks.

With an added bonus, if you pre-order Vakyria Revolution digitally on PS4 and Xbox One, the player will be treated with the following DLC:

  • The Formation of Vanargand DLC Scenario
  • The Ring of Contract DLC Scenario
  • 30 ragnite shards
  • Special Ragnite: Time Flux+
  • Special Ragnite: Heat Field+
  • Special Ragnite: Fall Earth+
  • (Americas only) Special Ragnite: Shine Calibur+

For PS4 owners, they will earn an exclusive “The Princess and the Valkyria” theme featuring Brunhilde and Princess Ophelia. Valkyria Revolution is set for release on June 27th for PS4 & Xbox One with the Vanguard Edition is available for pre-order. Hit the jump to see the exclusive “The Princess and the Valkyria” theme.

Sonic Mania screens and high res trailer screenshots gallery

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A ton of Sonic Mania news hit yesterday, and following the bevy of information we’ve assembled the released press screenshots as well as a selection of screenshots taken from a high resolution version of the pre-order trailer. Some interesting images include new classic Eggman art, a look at Stardust Speedway and of course a tease of what we assume are the fully animated in-game cutscenes.

After the break, check out the gallery!

Superdimension Neptune vs Sega Hard Girls hits PC June 12

shg3For PC gamers that have been waiting for Superdimension Neptune vs Sega Hard Girls to hit PC, your wait is almost over. According to the Superdimension Neptune vs Sega Hard Girls steam store page, the game is set to release on the platform on June 12. Superdimension Neptune vs Sega Hard Girls on PC will be a PlayStation Vita port that promises up to 1080p graphics and other improvements over the original release.

Here is a overview of Superdimension Neptune vs Sega Hard Girls on PC:

[Source: Gematsu]

Sonic Mania Pre-Order Trailer revealed

SEGA has recently released a brand new trailer for Sonic Mania for pre-order as the footage showcasing unique sketch animation by Tyson Hesse, who has worked on Sonic Mega Drive comic, which strikingly resembles Sonic CD‘s opening and the leak that was revealed a few months ago. The video also revealed a new level and boss fights.

Stardust Speedway Past from Sonic CD is making a comeback with new level features with plant like robots and vines, a miniboss in Flying Battery Zone, and a boss fight with Heavy Gunner in action.

Sonic Mania is now available for digital preorder and is set to release on August 15th for Nintendo SwitchPS4, Xbox One, and PC. Hit the jump for screenshots of the new levels from the trailer.

Sonic Mania Steam price revealed, release date confirmed to be August 15

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Steam has just listed the pre-order price for Sonic Mania, and it appears to be much in line with what fans expected. The game will sell digitally, on Steam for PC, at $19.99 with a pre-purchase incentive price of $17.99. One would assume that this price will carry over to the PS4, Xbox One and Switch versions.

The Sonic Mania Collector’s Edition, available on Nintendo SwitchPS4, Xbox One, and PC, is currently priced at around $60 with discounts and Amazon Prime pre-order incentives applied. Minus the price of the game, this would place the “SEGA Genesis” style Collector’s Box, 12″ Classic Sonic Statue featuring SEGA Genesis Base, Metallic Collector’s Card and SEGA Cartridge Cast with Golden Ring at around $40 total. Not bad when you consider the statue alone would likely retail for more than $40.

Update: It was pointed out on Twitter that Sonic Mania‘s release date has been confirmed to be August 15, as previously revealed. The date appears when checking out.

What are your thoughts on the price? Which platform do you plan to play on?