SEGA News Bits: Favorite SEGA Games of 2017

Its that time of year, when people online decide to talk about their favorite games of the year. While we here at SEGAbits play a wide arrange of games, we obviously adore SEGA games. So on this episode of the SEGA News Bits we discuss our favorite SEGA games of 2017. Which game did we decide to give our golden Opa-Opa trophy to? Watch the video and find out. What was your favorite SEGA game of 2017 and why? Let us know in the comments below!

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Brave Wave announces “Resurrection: Panzer Dragoon Saga 20th Anniversary Arrangement” on CD & Vinyl

DQ2sRCwUEAAHVyMThe music publisher Brave Wave Productions, who is known for its line of video game soundtracks has announced “Resurrection: Panzer Dragoon Saga 20th Anniversary Arrangement” coming to digital, CD and vinyl. The project will contain 20 tracks from the SEGA Saturn classic, Panzer Dragoon Saga, rearranged by the original composer Saori Kobayashi.

We are in a weird spot where there are two music publishers doing SEGA soundtracks. If you guys didn’t know the first Panzer Dragoon soundtrack was published by Data Discs, while this 20th Anniversary Arrangement soundtrack will be done by Brave Wave. It makes sense since Panzer Dragoon Saga‘s original composer, Saori Kobayashi is actually officially signed to Brave Wave. As far as to what 20 tracks made the cut for this release, we don’t know yet. We do know is that we will be getting more information (most likely pre-orders) on January 29, 2018, according to Brave Wave. We will keep you posted as more information comes out. Personally can’t wait for them to do some crazy 300 limited edition run of the soundtrack so I can miss out on getting it and hate myself for it. Yes, I’m talking about the Sonic Adventure soundtrack they published.

[Via: Brave Wave]

Atlus sets live stream to reveal Persona 5 The Animation details on December 24

Atlus is set to share new information about their upcoming Persona 5 The Animation via a live stream on December 24 at 20:00 JST. Atlus Japan is naming the live stream “Super Secret Information Reveal! Broadcast Special” which will air on live TV in Japan via Abema TV’s New Anime Channel as well as YouTube Live.

The Persona 5 The Animation reveal stream will also feature Persona 5 talent like Jun Fukuyama (voice of protagonist), Aoi Yuuki (Futaba Sakura), and Souichirou Hoshi (Goro Akechi). A lot of Persona fans love these animation entries because it adds new stories and backstories to characters found in the main games. We shall see what Atlus has to reveal by the end of the month.

Persona 5 recently won RPG of the year by the Video Game Awards earlier this month. You can pick up Persona 5 on both the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4. If you haven’t read our review, we highly recommend the game.

[Via: Gematsu]

A Certain Magical Virtual-On demo hits Japanese PSN on December 14

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SEGA has now revealed that the demo for A Certain Magical Virtual-On will hit Japanese PSN for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita (yeah, you read that right) on December 14. It was revealed by series producer Jurou Wataru via Dengeki Online.

The demo won’t feature online battles, but will have a tutorial explaining the games mechanics and CPU battles. The game will allow you to mess around with all 13 Virtuaroids that will be available in the full game. A Certain Magical Virtual-On is set to release on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita on February 15, 2018 in Japan. No Western release plans have been announced yet. How many of you guys will be trying the upcoming demo?

[Via: Gematsu]

SEGA News Bits: Bayonetta 1+2 & Bayonetta 3 Coming To Nintendo Switch Discussion

We got the big announcement from Nintendo the other day that they will be publishing both Bayonetta 1+2 collection and Bayonetta 3 exclusively for the Nintendo Switch. While SEGA published the PC version of Bayonetta earlier this year, it seems that Nintendo is keeping the IP exclusive on their platform when it comes to consoles. On this episode of the SEGA News Bits we discuss our thoughts on a Bayonetta 1+2 Collection on the Nintendo Switch, Our thoughts on Bayonetta 3 and theorize what the first teaser could be hinting at.  Tune in and let us know what you’re thoughts on Bayonetta returning with a brand new game, exclusively on the Nintendo Switch!

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Bayonetta 1+2 Coming to Switch, Bayonetta 3 Announced

The very last thing I expected from the Game Awards was Bayonetta. Just a few moments ago, during the 2017 Game Awards, Reggie Fils-Aime from Nintendo came on to reveal that the Wii U double pack of Bayonetta 1 and Bayonetta 2 would be coming directly to the Nintendo Switch. Not only that, but Bayonetta 3 was also given a world premiere reveal, also exclusive to the Switch. Nothing is known at this time about the new Bayonetta 1+2 release, whether pricing will be identical to the Wii U versions (both games for $60 or $30 seperately), amiibo support, etc. Likewise, the only thing about Bayonetta 3 is that it is coming to the Switch.

Bayonetta 2 (with Bayonetta 1 free download) will release on the switch on February 18, 2018. You can view the rerelease trailer after the break.

SEGA Europe teases that they have “exciting projects coming up”, sharing details in 2018

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SEGA Europe has been teasing new video game projects announcements via twitter the other day. So what could these mysterious projects be? We do have some past news articles that can hint at what they have up their sleeves. For example we reported back in 2015 that The Creative Assembly was working on a “multi-platform AAA blockbuster”, which would mean their return to the console space since they released Alien Isolation back in 2014. We also know that Two Point Studios (ex-Lionhead and Bullfrog) is working with SEGA Europe on a new simulation game, which is set to be announced on January 16th. There’s also that big rumor about the Shenmue HD collection is right around the corner, one of the rumors points at the port being done by UK developer Just Add Water. If that is true, then that would mean that SEGA Europe would probably be involved in handling the project. I also hear that SEGA Europe will be in charge of handling PC ports of upcoming SEGA Japan games, so I can also see them announcing a Valkyria Chronicles 4 port for the West, considering their port of the first game has almost sold a million copies. Of course, this is just my speculation based on past news articles and rumors.

But let me hand the mic over to you, what do you want to see SEGA Europe work on? SEGA Europe has been handling most of the PC stuff, including ports of last generation games like Bayonetta, Vanquish, and even created The Typing of the Dead: Overkill. Is there any other games you want to see them port? Maybe extend their porting program to modern consoles? Sound off in the comments below.

Dragon’s Crown Pro Coming West sometime in Spring 2018

Atlus USA has now revealed a launch window for the upcoming Dragon’s Crown Pro, which is an updated version of last generations PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita game. This time its coming to PlayStation 4 in North America and Europe sometime in Spring 2018. The price for the game has been revealed to be $49.99 in the United States and $64.99 in Canada. European prices have yet to be revealed.

So what is new in Dragon’s Crown Pro that separates it from the last generation version? They have updated the in-game graphics to support 4K resolution, Hitoshi Sakimoto’s soundtrack has been re-recorded with a live orchestra, this copy will include both Japanese and English audio, and will also include all the DLC on disc. The game has also confirmed to support English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish subtitles. Dragon’s Crown Pro will also let you use your own PlayStation 3 or PlayStation Vita save files and even play co-op online with PlayStation 3 or PlayStation Vita users. I think that’s a great move by Atlus and Vanillaware, allowing all versions to crossplay online.

Dragon’s Crown Pro will be featured and playable at this year’s PlayStation Experience 2017 which goes on from December 9-10 in Anaheim, California.

Bare your knuckles as Streets of Rage joins the SEGA Forever lineup

The SEGA Forever free-to-play mobile lineup expanded today, with the classic SEGA Mega Drive/Genesis beat ’em up Streets of Rage joining the fight. Released in 1991, Streets of Rage (Bare Knuckle in Japan) was SEGA’s answer to Final Fight and Double Dragon. Players take control of Adam, Axel or Blaze in a bare knuckle battle to take down a criminal syndicate led by Mr. X. This version of the game has local multiplayer over Wi-Fi, so you and a friend can play together. We here at SEGAbits love Streets of Rage, and we know SEGA fans do too as it made #44 on our Top 100 SEGA Games list.

Streets of Rage is available now on the Google Play store and App Store. You can follow @SEGAForever on Twitter and share your thoughts on the lineup using the hashtag #SEGAForever.

After the break, give our SEGA Talk podcast a listen as we discuss the history of Streets of Rage!

SEGA’s new A Certain Magical Virtual-On trailer shows off animated cutscenes, more gameplay

SEGA has unleashed a brand new trailer for the upcoming A Certain Magical Virtual-On, a crossover game featuring A Certain Magical Index and Virtual-On. The new trailer, which is a bit over 5 minutes in length will give you a look at the in-game characters you get to team up with, a glimpse at the in-game villain and even show you what the in-game animated cutscenes look like!

Personally, as a SEGA fan, I don’t care too much for the anime tie-in and happy that the gameplay looks likeVirtual-On with A Certain Magical Index being used to carry the story. One of the things that Virtual-On doesn’t have is good characterizations to make a story around. I’m sure the story will be silly, but hey, its Virtual-On, no whining! A Certain Magical Virtual-On hits Japan on February 15, 2018 only on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita. No Western release for this title has been confirmed, as of right now.

[Via: Dengekionline]

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]

Wonder Boy III: The Dragon’s Trap translated to Russian by fans

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SEGA Master System and Wonder Boy III: The Dragon’s Trap fan TEPA6ANT has released a fully playable version of Wonder Boy III: The Dragon’s Trap in Russian. Or would we call it Чудо-мальчик III? I don’t know Russian, so you’ll have to excuse me. But if you have been waiting since 1989 to play Wonder Boy III in Russian, now is your chance. According to the translation notes, the game is fully translated but some words had to be abbreviated, possibly due to restricted spacing and Russian having more characters per word.

You can get Wonder Boy III: The Dragon’s Trap in Russian right here. If you are interested in the new HD remake, the game has gotten a USA physical release on PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch for a decent price. Pick those up if you want to keep retro franchises like Wonder Boy III relevant! Of course the HD remake is also available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC digitally.

[Via RomHacking]

Valkyria Chronicles 4 reveals six new characters and details its Brave system

ValkyriaChronicles4SEGA revealed a ton of new information regarding the upcoming Valkyria Chronicles 4 via the latest issue of the Weekly Famitsu. They detailed six brand new characters (including one being a Valkyria) and the new “Brave” system being introduced in this title.

Check out all the information after the break. Valkyria Chronicles 4 is set to hit PlayStation 4 on March 21, 2018 and for Nintendo Switch in Summer 2018 in Japan. As for the European and American releases, its coming to PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch sometime in 2018.

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[Source: Gematsu]

Former Sega Enterprises, Inc. president and CEO Thomas Gill Petit has passed away

Sad news for SEGA fans. We’ve learned that Tom Petit, co-founder of Sega Enterprises, Inc. (USA) and president and CEO of the company for eight years, passed away at his home in Durango, Colorado on November 21, 2017. Tom worked in the video game industry for more than 28 years, with leadership positions at Atari, Nintendo and SEGA.

I’ll admit, in assembling information about Tom’s time with SEGA, I could not find a lot. I still do not have a firm idea of when he was at SEGA, though he did appear in news stories from 1986-1991. I came across an interview he did when the SEGA arcade game Time Traveler released in 1991 (seen above) and found this fun article on Tom and David Rosen at the 1986 JAMMA Arcade Game Show where OutRun was unveiled. I am also under the impression that Tom was the president and CEO of the coin-op side of things for America.

In 2004, Tom retired from the industry and started a career in ranch real estate development. His hobbies included fly fishing and scuba diving. A memorial service is planned for the summer of 2018, and you can leave a tribute here. We’ll provide more information on Tom Petit’s career as we find it.

Sonic Runners Adventure releasing to the App Store and Google Play soon

Sonic Runners, the Sonic Team developed always online 2D runner, was released in February 2015 and shut down in June 2016. While there was a good game there, SEGA made the mistake of including unfair casino-style awards and making the game always online. Since then, Gameloft has reworked the concept into Sonic Runners Adventure which received a soft launch in June 2017. The follow-up features gameplay tweaks and the ability to play offline. Now, Gameloft has announced the game will soon receive a wide release on the App Store and Google Play. You can check out the launch trailer above, which strangely is missing any mention of SEGA including the usual copyright information.

More information on Sonic Runner Adventure as we hear it!