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

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sonic the hedgehog art book announce

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?

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English Sega Saturn Policenauts fan translation released

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English Sega Saturn Policenauts fan translation header

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.

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SEGA confirms Yakuza 0 Western release will be uncensored

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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)

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SonicBoomReview

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!

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

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PPCTGS

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

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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

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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!

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Hatsune Miku: VR Future Live prices and release dates revealed

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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

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Persona 5

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.

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Blade Arcus from Shining: Battle Arena demo now on Steam

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Blade Arcus from Shining: Battle Arena demo header

A Blade Arcus from Shining: Battle Arena demo has been released on Steam, allowing users to sample the game’s online multiplayer mode with 3 of the 16 characters.

Blade Arcus from Shining: Battle Arena was released to Steam on July 28th, 2016 and is based on Blade Arcus from Shining 2.1 EX, the most recent arcade version. It’s a 2D fighting game featuring characters from the Sega-published Shining Blade and Shining Hearts games.

Unfortunately, the game has potentially only sold a little over 2,000 copies if you go by the numbers SteamSpy suggests for it. Hopefully those excited to try it before buying will be able to find some online opponents this week thanks to the demo’s release.

The full game features a Story Mode, Training Mode, and local Versus Mode in addition to the Online Mode the demo restricts you to. If you fall in love with it, thankfully you’ll always have those and the new weekly tournament event to fall back on.

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Tetsuya Mizuguchi talks Rez and Rez: Infinite in new video

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A new video posted to Enhance Games’ YouTube channel features Tetsuya Mizuguchi talking about the creation of the original Rez and Rez Infinite. He discusses how he and his team wanted to make an environment where the player could have the ability to move freely and take advantage of stronger hardware to create a much more vivid experience.

Rez Infinite releases for the PlayStation 4 digitally in just under 2 weeks on October 13th, 2016. Gamers interested in specialty merchandise or a physical copy will have to order those through iam8bit. Be sure to read our recent hands-on preview of the game over here

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Casino Nights DLC now free to all Sonic Generations owners on Steam

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sonic generations casino nights dlc

In a surprising announcement at the end of this week, Sega has made the Casino Nights DLC free to anyone who owns Sonic Generations on Steam.

The news was revealed rather quietly a couple of days ago in a post to the Sonic Generations page on the storefront:

We are pleased to announce that from this point onwards, the ‘Casino Night’ DLC will be made available to ALL current and future Sonic Generations customers at no additional cost.

sonic generations casino nights dlc table

The Casino Nights DLC allows players to experience a pinball map based upon the beloved stage from the Sega Genesis classic Sonic the Hedgehog 2.

This is definitely a welcome surprise for a game released nearly 5 years ago. Naturally, some Negative Nancies in the comments on the post were immediately asking for a refund if they had purchased the DLC in the past. Even if they did so years ago.

The DLC itself has been met with many negatives reviews on Steam from buyers who did not read the description before purchasing it. Many seemed to blindly buy the package, thinking that they would be playing the classic original stage instead of brand new content inspired by it. We here at SEGAbits understand the issue for these Steam users: a one sentence description is a lot to sit through!

Have you played the Casino Nights DLC? Will you be downloading it this weekend to check it out? Let us know in the comments!

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SEGA News Bits: Yakuza 0 Business Edition Announced Reaction

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Another game, another launch edition from SEGA of America. On this SEGA News Bits, George and Barry get down to business to discuss Yakuza 0 “The Business Edition” for the Playstation 4, including what it contains, how it compares to other SEGA launch editions, and how far SEGA and the Yakuza series has come since last year’s Yakuza 5.

In the comments below, let us know if “The Business Edition” makes you want to pre-order the game.

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

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Henshin Engine passes Dreamcast release stretch goal on Kickstarter

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Henshin Engine is a game based on a web comic that is set to release in early 2017 to PC-Engine/TurboGrafx-16 and PC CD-Rom/Steam. The game features 2D action platforming and was programmed from the ground up for classic systems. With 6 days remaining in their Kickstarter campaign, Henshin Engine is $8,000 past their $16,400 goal, meaning they’ve started to chip away at their stretch goals. Of interest to SEGA fans is the promise of a Dreamcast post, set to release in late 2017, should the campaign pass $22,400. Given they are $2,000 past this goal, a Dreamcast version seems assured, though the developer has yet to release an update sharing this news.

When we have more details, we’ll be sure to share it! In the meantime, if you missed the news, last week the Henshin Engine team announced a character crossover collaboration with the Strike Harbinger team. Meaning Strike Harbinger, a game inspired by classic SEGA franchises, will see an appearance on the SEGA Dreamcast by way of this crossover collaboration.

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