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Alien Syndrome and Columns added to SEGA 3D Archives 3: Final Stage

October 11, 2016 by FlareHabanero

The final two bonus titles for SEGA 3D Archives 3: Final Stage have been revealed, which is the arcade game Alien Syndrome and Columns. Alien Syndrome being an arcade game released in 1987 with an overhead prospective similar to Gauntlet, where as Ricky or Mary you’re tasked with finding a certain amount of the hostages in a level while killing aliens with varies types of weapons. Once you get enough, you can reach the exit and fight the boss. Columns is a dropping block sort of puzzle game in the same vein as Tetris, the twist being you can only rotate vertically, with the task of simply trying to get a high enough score.

While these choices may sound random at first, they were mentioned before. This interview with M2 staff members talked about how Columns was once considered for SEGA 3D Archives 2 (Aka SEGA 3D Classics Collection) before settling on Puyo Puyo Tsu instead, and also mentions they wanted to do Alien Syndrome thinking stereoscopic 3D would be effective.

So what are your opinions with these final titles for the collection? Excited or disappointed?

[Source: Gematsu]

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SEGA planning a third Valkyria: Azure Revolution demo

October 11, 2016 by George

SEGA is readying itself to release Valkyria: Azure Revolution in Japan. They already released one demo in earlier this year and had the second demo with the latest build at Tokyo Game Show 2016 (where we posted up a hands-on impressions of the game). Unsurprisingly lots of fans have had nothing but negative things to say about the latest demo (including our preview), which was given limited access by SEGA. Well, soon anyone with a Japanese PSN account will be able to try Valkyria: Azure Revolution, at least when the third demo is released:

“We released Ver. 2.0 of the Battle Demo the other day, and starting next week we’ll be holding hands-on experience events across the country. In the future, we’re planning to provide one more, additional demo. At that time, we’re planning for everyone to be able to enjoy it, rather than just a limited amount of users.” – Youichi Shimosato, Valkyria: Azure Revolution producer

But I wouldn’t be expecting major changes, even though they did state that they changed the game due to fan feedback a lot of the issues users had with the first battle demo are still present in the 2nd demo and from what Valkyria: Azure Revolution‘s producer is saying it doesn’t sound like much will change with the latest demo:

“We’re putting in all the elements that should be included, leaving only minor adjustments and bug fixes after.” – Youichi Shimosato, Valkyria: Azure Revolution producer

Valkyria: Azure Revolution hits Japanese store shelves on January 19, 2017 only on PlayStation 4. No western release date has been announced but little birds told me that SEGA Japan did hand out English ‘how to play’ cards at the Tokyo Game Show 2016 for Valkyria: Azure Revolution and Puyo Puyo Chronicle, so anything is possible. But would you be interested in purchasing Valkyria: Azure Revolution if it comes over?

[Source: Gematsu]

Yakuza 6 promises full-fledged baseball team building simulation

October 11, 2016 by George

Just revealed in the latest issue Famitsu Weekly that Yakuza 6 will have a Baseball manager play spot. It seems that Yakuza 6 won’t just let you play in a Baseball team, but will also make you the manager allowing you to collect players, train, organize the team and much more. The team that you manage is called teh ‘Setouchi Warriors’. Yakuza 6 promises to have a ‘full-fledged Baseball team building simulation’ built into the play spot.

Crazy how much stuff the Yakuza 6 team have packed into the game, since they revealed last month that a full version of Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown, along with online play would be part of the package. If you want SEGA to bring Yakuza 6 to the west, make sure to pick up a copy of Yakuza 0 (which got a day one edition with free goodies).

[Source: Famitsu]

Check out the latest Superdimension Neptune VS Sega Hard Girls dialogue screenshots

October 10, 2016 by Barry

A slew of new screenshots for the upcoming Superdimension Neptune VS Sega Hard Girls game has been released by Idea Factory International, with the game’s dialogue being the focus. The 36 new screens, half of which are from the North American release and the other half being from the European release, give fans a peek at how the game will read and the color differences between Dreamcast’s outfit in both regions.

You can see the gallery of new screens after the break, and you can pre-order Superdimension Neptune VS Sega Hard Girls for PS Vita today and can expect the game to release on October 18th in North America and on October 21st in Europe.

SEGA and Cook & Becker to team up to release the Sonic the Hedgehog 25th Anniversary Art Book

October 7, 2016 by Barry

Via the Cook & Becker blog comes the awesome news that SEGA has teamed with the art dealer to release a Sonic the Hedgehog 25th Anniversary Art Book. The book will cover Sonic’s entire history and will include design sketches, official illustrations, in-game and pixel art, promotional art and box art. The book will also contain never-before-seen artwork and will have interviews with designers and artists who worked on the series. Pre-orders have not yet opened, but Cook & Becker expect pre-orders to open wordwide in October or November with the ship date set as early 2017. There will be two versions, a Standard Edition and a Collector’s Edition.

Not to toot our own horn, but back in July of 2015, we interviewed Aaron Webber and when asked what sort of Sonic merchandise we’d like to see, we asked for a Sonic the Hedgehog art book. Aaron sounded genuinely interested in making such a thing happen. So, you’re welcome and Aaron… can we have a free copy of the book?

Localization Producer for Yakuza 0 talks about the game

October 7, 2016 by James Barton

This new video from Sega of America features Scott Strichart, Localization Producer for Yakuza 0. In the video, he sets up the story for the game, talking about the time period in Japan and where the main characters Kiryu and Majima are at in their lives.

Yakuza 0 releases on January 24th, 2017 for the PS4 in the West.

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English Sega Saturn Policenauts fan translation released

October 7, 2016 by James Barton

An English Sega Saturn Policenauts fan translation has been released today, which is certainly not the October surprise you were expecting to be excited about.

Policenauts is a graphic adventure game that follows in the footsteps of Konami’s Sega CD cult classic Snatcher. Several years ago, an English translation patch was released for the PlayStation version of the game. Which was nice, but what most of us wanted was for the Sega Saturn release of the game to get the same treatment.

The Japanese Sega Saturn port of Policenauts contains all of the same content as the other editions of the game, but with a number of improvements. Most notably, the anime cutscenes run at 24 frames-per-second, while it’s PlayStation counterpart chugs along at just 15. In addition, it features more dialogue and scenes, less censorship, bonus videos after the game is completed, and an alternative credits sequence. It also features light gun support if you still have a handy Virtua Gun and old CRT TV to play it on.

The translation team has already made the game region free with the patch, so all you need to do is patch your game and load it up. You’ll be good to go and finally be able to experience this lost Hideo Kojima classic.

Head on over to Policenauts.net to download the patch and instructions.

SEGA confirms Yakuza 0 Western release will be uncensored

October 6, 2016 by George

It seems that online gaming fans have lost some trust with SEGA when it comes to them releasing uncensored Yakuza games due to them censoring Yakuza 3 when it came out. Should you be worried about Yakuza 0? Well, no because SEGA has gone on the record to state that Yakuza 0 will be 100% uncensored when it hits PlayStation 4 in January 2017. Not surprising considering that SEGA knew censoring Yakuza 3 was a mistake after its release and released the uncensored Yakuza 5 last year.

SEGA confirmed that all gameplay modes will be intact in Yakuza 0, that means those shady girly video parlors will be accessible to your Western eyeballs. Make sure to pre-order Yakuza 0 if you wan the day one ‘The Business Edition’ featuring extra Yakuza swag for free. I would ask you if censoring Japanese games for the West is a good idea, but I already know the answer is no. Right?

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Review: Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice (Nintendo 3DS)

October 6, 2016 by Barry

Prior to sitting down to write out this review for Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice, the third Sonic Boom game and the second to appear on the Nintendo 3DS, I told myself I would not fall into the reviewers trap of carting out some year that pinpoints when the Sonic series “went bad”. Not only have far too many reviewers done this already, but often I feel they are incredibly misinformed. Sonic Boom was, and is, a product of SEGA of America. While Sonic Team members do have their names attached to the multimedia project, credit really should go to select SEGA of America staff, OuiDo! Productions, Big Red Button and Sanzaru Games. Past games like Colors, Generations and Lost World were completely separate, both in canon and production, and as such I think it is unfair to say that the failings of Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric should sully the main brand.

Sonic Boom was a chance for SEGA of America to fully control a piece of the Sonic pie, and while some elements of the multimedia experiment fell flat, others were and are actually quite enjoyable, namely the TV series and the short lived Archie Comics adaptation. When Sonic Boom is at its best, it evokes the old Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog cartoon and early Archie Comics. Light, funny and self-aware whilst retaining the sense of adventure. Does Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice fall into this category? Did Sanzaru Games learn from their previous title? Am I going to ask questions with the promise of answers if you click “Continue Reading”? Find out in my review of Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice!

SEGAbits at Tokyo Game Show 2016 Preview: Puyo Puyo Chronicles (Nintendo 3DS)

October 5, 2016 by Aki-at

Going into Tokyo Game Show, this was the one title I wasn’t expecting at least not in the form it took. SEGA have tried numerous methods to keep the Puyo Puyo franchise fresh from new aesthetics, gameplay modes and even mixing it with Tetris but the combination of RPG and the traditional gameplay was something I didn’t see coming. As a fan of the franchise I was interested to see how well the new play style would suit the gameplay we all know and love, hit the jump to read my impressions on latest Puyo Puyo Chronicles!

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Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed now Xbox One backwards compatible

October 4, 2016 by Barry

SEGA and Sumo Digital’s Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed was a huge deal when it released back in 2012. Fans were surprised to see a sequel to the original Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing, and were even more surprised to see just how ambitious the game was. Featuring three different vehicle modes that actually played differently (sorry Mario Kart 7), the game touted far more diverse racers and tracks, compared to the original, and appeared on just about every piece of modern hardware.

Today, the game adds a new console to its belt by way of Xbox One backwards compatibility. Via Major Nelson comes news that Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed is now playable on Xbox One! If you haven’t picked the game up yet, there is really no excuse not to. Regardless of the SEGA fan service, it is a quality racer on its own. Want our expert opinion on the game? Check out our reviews of the console and handheld versions.

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SEGA News Bits: Tokyo Game Show 2016 Impressions

October 3, 2016 by Barry

Another Tokyo Game Show 2016 has passed, and in this SEGA News Bits your hosts George and Barry are joined by SEGAbits’ Tokyo Game Show 2016 correspondent Steve aka ap0c. Steve shares with us his firsthand impressions of what SEGA had to show at the event. Yakuza 0, Valkyria: Azure Revolution, Puyo Puyo Chronicles and more are covered in this special SEGA News Bits!

In the comments, let us know what SEGA or Atlus titles you are most excited for from the event.

You know the drill. If you like our SEGA News Bits segments, please give us a like and subscribe on our YouTube page. Thanks!

Hatsune Miku: VR Future Live prices and release dates revealed

October 3, 2016 by Barry

SEGA has announced prices and release dates for the upcoming Hatsune Miku: VR Future Live. That’s right, we’re using plurals, as the game – or should we say, “experience” – is releasing in three stages to both the US and Europe. Timed to coincide with the release of PSVR, Stage 1 will release on October 13th for $14.99 and will include seven tracks. The experience itself is free to download and comes with one free song, but of course if you want more you’ll need to download the Stages of which there are two more after Stage 1 with release dates to be announced. A Season Pass Bundle can be obtained at the discounted price of $39.99.

Hatsune Miku: VR Future Live is best described as a virtual reality concert, allowing players to sit in a stadium filled with Miku fans. Players are given free movement throughout the audience and are even allowed up on stage. Players can use their controllers as glow sticks to unlock easter eggs, and after progressing through three songs players receive a special solo encore performance.

After the break, check out the list of songs included in Stage 1 and in the comments below share your thoughts on Hatsune Miku: VR Future Live.

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Persona 5 ships over 550,000 copies in Japan; new DLC announced

October 1, 2016 by James Barton

Persona 5 has been a stunning success for Atlus since it’s launch on September 15th just a couple of weeks ago. The company announced at the end of this week that over 550,000 copies of the game have been shipped between PS3 and PS4 editions in Japan.

Let’s put that in perspective for Atlus. Persona 4: The Golden, the PS Vita re-release of the last mainline Persona game, had reached 350,000 units in Japan only after almost 2 years of being available. Clearly, Persona 5 is going to be a monster hit for the company and seriously fill parent company Sega’s coffers this year.

To celebrate this achievement, Atlus has announced it will be releasing two free sets of DLC costumes for players. Hit the jump to see pictures of the cast in their swimsuits and Morgana dolled up like a ram.