Puyo Puyo Chronicle Debut Trailer Hits The Net

SEGA has officially released the first details, trailer and screenshots for Puyo Puyo Chronicle, a action puzzle RPG for the Nintendo 3DS. The trailer above is being dubbed the ‘game introduction trailer’ that shows off the game’s new 3D character models debuting exclusively on Puyo Puyo Chronicle.

Puyo Puyo Chronicle will set you off in a world of mysteries as you play as Allie and have Carbuncle as your companion. Expect a lot of quests, towns and dungeon explorations throughout the full game. Oh yeah, also puzzles.

To check out SEGA’s description of Puyo Puyo Chronicles and see more screenshots, hit the jump.

Rez Infinite physical game copy, vinyl and art book revealed

RezUnlimitediAm8BitIt was recently announced that iam8bit will be publishing a physical copy of REZ Infinite on the PlayStation 4. This will be their first physically published game by the company. They are also releasing a REZ Infinite vinyl soundtrack that comes with a 7″bonus vinyl and a retrospective book. They have more goodies on their REZ Infinite Collection store page like t-shirts, form pins and such.

These are what you can get now:

As shown above one of the shirts is designed by Phil Fish, the infamous developer behind the indie hit game Fez. Pre-orders open tomorrow at 9AM PDT. This is a very tempting collection to have, especially for big REZ fans from the Dreamcast days. What are your thoughts about the collection?

SEGA News Bits: Virtua Fighter Trademark Renewed & What That Means

Welcome to another episode of the SEGA News Bits, this time we will be discussing SEGA renewing their Virtua Fighter trademark and what that actually means. We discuss the often fan requested Virtua Fighter 6, we talk about life of the franchise after the release of Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown and if there is even a market for a brand new VF game. So sit back, turn up the volume and lets have a virtua discussion about Virtua Fighter.

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Monster Boy’s GamesCom Demo Looks Fantastic

Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom, which is a spiritual successor to the Wonder Boy games and is being released by Atelier Games and FDG Entertainment. The game had a pretty nice demo at Gamescom, sadly we didn’t make it but this video will show you all the Monster Boy goodness we missed out on playing. I’ll be honest, there is something about the game’s art style that just doesn’t sit 100% right with me and I can’t put my finger on it. Not saying the game looks terrible, just preferences in art style. Maybe its something i’ll grow to like once I start playing it myself.

Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom is set for release later this year on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. Want to know more about the game? Check out our podcast with Monster Boy director Fabien Demeulenaere. What you think about this game? Let us know in the comments below.

[Via: Siliconera]

SEGA News Bits: Sonic the Hedgehog Creator Wants A True Mario Crossover

Welcome to a new crossover special episode of the SEGA News Bits, today George and Barry talk about Sonic the Hedgehog Creator Yuji Naka’s recent interview where he said he wanted a Mario & Sonic crossover action game. I know what you are thinking, that there are already Mario & Sonic the Hedgehog crossover games in the form of Olympic titles, but that isn’t really what fans and Yuji Naka envisioned for a Mario & Sonic the Hedgehog crossover game. Tune in and let us know what your ideal Mario & Sonic crossover game would be.

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Hatsune Miku: VR Future Live coming West on October 14

Hatsune-Miku-VR-Future-Live-Akihabara-1[Behold, the future of dating and gaming]

I don’t wanna say that I called it, but I called it! I wrote an article about how SEGA was submitting ratings in countries outside of Japan for Hatsune Miku: VR Future Live, saying I wouldn’t be surprised if its a PlayStation VR launch title in the West. Guess what? Hatsune Miku: VR Future Live is a launch title for the PlayStation VR.

Hatsune Miku: VR Future Live has been confirmed for both America and Europe which is coming via the PlayStation Store (digital only it seems). If you are lucky enough to be attending Gamescom this week, SEGA has a playable demo at the PlayStation Booth so you can enjoy Hatsune Miku in her VR glory.

This is the future boys, no more need for girlfriends.

[Via: Nichegamer]

Famitsu reveals first look at Puyo Puyo Chronicles

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As reported earlier, the new 3DS game Puyo Puyo Chronicles by SEGA has been announced for a December 6th release date in Japan. Blending in the many multiplayer options similar to the past Puyo Puyo 15th Anniversary and Puyo Puyo 20th Anniversary titles, but also including a new RPG-like mode where you engage in battles and assist with sidequests in a similar vein to the “Quest Mode” in Puyo Puyo Box.

Famitsu has provide a first look into the game. Notably it introduces a new artstyle where everyone adapts 3D character models instead of the 2D artwork the series traditionally uses. It also reveals the first images of the new character named Arie/Allie, while confirming the characters Amitie, Ringo, Satan, and Sig will return. In addition, it goes into detail about how battles work, where you form a party of three and engage in battle by clearing Puyo to inflict damage, how sidequests are handled between NPCs, and a first look at the exclusive 3DS theme and boxart.

No release date for outside of Japan is announced, and may not be released due to the series traditionally being Japan-only, but there may be a surprise like how 7th Dragon III: Code VFD was released outside of Japan despite the doubts.

Click below to see all scans and screenshots of Puyo Puyo Chronicles by Famitsu.

Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice Japanese Pre-Order Items Are Very Tempting

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It seems that SEGA of Japan will be having some really tempting Sonic the Hedgehog 25th Anniversary themed pre-order items for the upcoming Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice (called Sonic Toon in Japan) on the Nintendo 3DS. The Japanese site ebten.jp (You can buy the set on Play Asia outside of Japan) has two versions Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice, one being just a pre-order for the game and a Sonic 25th Anniversary set  which comes with the following:

  • Flat acrylic cut outs of Sonic the Hedgehog doing random poses and even has one of him sleeping. There are 7 patterns in total and it comes with a stand to display the cut outs (one at a time of course). Perfect to put around your desk. Note: while it looks like classic Sonic, he still has green eyes.
  • Sonic 25th Anniversary Mug which is a blue wrap around design featuring a white outline of Sonic’s head. On the other side of the mug we have a small cute, chubby classic Sonic.
  • Sonic 25th Anniversary 3D Crystal which looks pretty awesome (video of how it looks below). It is a crystal cube with 3D stereoscopic laser engraving of classic Sonic doing his famous finger wage pose and the Sonic 25th Anniversary logo in the back. The crystal changes color depending on the angle as well! The item is 50 × 80 × 50mm in size.
  • Sonic 25th Anniversary Nintendo 3DS theme. This digital theme will cycle through eras of Sonic’s 25 years as you select things in the Nintendo 3DS main menu. So far this digital Nintendo 3DS theme has only been shown for the Japanese release. You can see that in motion after the jump.

So how much is this all going to cost you? The Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice 25th Anniversary pre-order set costs 9,504 yen not including shipping (about $95 USD) and comes with all the items pictured here along with a copy of Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice. The set won’t ship until the games Japanese release date of October 27th, 2016. Of course since the Nintendo 3DS is region locked, that a Japanese copy of Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice would be useless but look at the sweet 3D crystal! Want to see more of that Sonic 25th Anniversary 3D crystal in action? Hit that jump.

Select SEGA 3D Classics get 50% off sale on North American eShop

SEGA3DCLassicsSaleIf you have been waiting to catch up on SEGA 3D Classics re-releases, this might be your time since the following nine titles will be discounted on the North American eShop!

These are the following SEGA 3D Classics titles that are on sale for $3 bucks each which means they are 50% off (worth every dollar, penny and even dime):

  • 3D After Burner II
  • 3D Ecco the Dolphin
  • 3D Gunstar Heroes
  • 3D Out Run
  • 3D Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master
  • 3D Space Harrier
  • 3D Streets of Rage
  • 3D Streets of Rage 2
  • 3D Super Hang-On

While I recommend readers get every single title they don’t have but if you can only get one title out of all of these PICK UP 3D OUT RUN! If driving cars isn’t your thing, get the Streets of Rage titles and celebrate the franchise’s 25th anniversary with your boys. The sale ends on August 29 at 8:59 AM PT/ 11:59 AM ET. What SEGA 3D Classics are you picking up? 

[Via NintendoEverything]

Yakuza 6 will introduce nine new characters

yakuza_6_trailerThe Yakuza series has always been known for its wide array of colorful characters, Yakuza 6 will be no exception. SEGA finally let the cat out of the bag on nine new characters that will appear in Yakuza 6, via the Weekly Famitsu magazine. One of the characters that was shown off is even being played by Ishimoto Doronzu (Happy Landing) which is another Japanese movie actor to add to the growing list already on cast.

Hit the jump to get details on all nine new characters that will appear in Yakuza 6. The characters will make their video debut on SEGA’s Sega-Nama live stream next Thuesday, August 23rd.  You can watch it on Niconico or AbemaTV Fresh.

Puyo Puyo Chronicle announced for Nintendo 3DS – just in time for the franchise’s 25th anniversary!

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The latest issue of Japan’s Famitsu magazine has revealed a new installment in the Puyo Puyo franchise, due out later this year. Titled Puyo Puyo Chronicle, the game is described as a puzzle RPG timed to celebrate the franchise’s 25th anniversary. The story involves the franchise’s heroes Arle and Carbuncle entering an alternate world, in which they must work with a girl name Arie to return to their own world. Graphics will be in 3D and players will be able to explore freely – so apparently no sprites or pre-set paths. Outside of the RPG mode, the game will also feature traditional Puyo Puyo play, featuring seventeen different rules found in past games.

The game will also feature a mode called “Boss Fight With Everyone” in which players team up with a party of four via local connectivity to battle a boss. The game also promises over sixty sub-quests. In terms of packaging, a special Anniversary Box has been announced, which will contain a soundtrack, a vocal track, a drama CD and a 25th anniversary theme for your 3DS. The game is set to release in Japan on December 8th of this year. Sadly, no word of an American release, and given SEGA’s Western track record with the franchise it is unlikely. Then again, 7th Dragon III: Code: VFD happened, so never say never.

[Source: Siliconera]

SEGA News Bits: Streets of Rage Turns 25 Years Old

On this SEGA News Bits, George and Barry split a trash can chicken and look back on SEGA’s iconic beat ’em up franchise Streets of Rage. Known as Bare Knuckle in its country of origin, Japan, Streets of Rage was SEGA’s answer to Final Fight. Now, 25 years later, many would argue Streets of Rage completely overshadowed the very franchise it set out to compete against. Enjoy the video, and after watching why not play some Streets of Rage? In the comments below, tell us your favorite franchise memories.

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Monster Boy’s Gamescom Trailer Looks Wonderful

We are very excited over here to get our hands on Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom later this year. If you haven’t heard, Monster Boy is a successor to the Wonder Boy series of games. Its crazy that we will be getting a spiritual successor and a remake of Wonder Boy III within the same time frame. I think we can consider ourselves a lucky bunch since the last official Wonder Boy game came out all the way back in 1994.

We actually got to talk to Monster Boy developer Fabien Demeulenaere on our Swingin’ Report Show Podcast where he talked about the process of getting the game off the ground, how he started working with Wonder Boy creator Ryuichi Nishizawa and how the Wonder Boy copyrights work with this title.

Check out the trailer and if its tickling your nostalgia funny bone make sure to pick it up when it launches later this year on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.  More information from the developer FDG Entertainment after the jump.

SEGA Renews Virtua Fighter Trademark

maxresdefaultI saw this floating around Twitter a few days ago, but has now been covered by VFDC and Shoryuken so why not cover it? SEGA has renewed the Virtua Fighter trademark according to trademarkia on July 4th. What does renewing the Virtua Fighter trademark possibly mean for the future of the franchise? Possibly nothing, seeing as SEGA does this all the time. Back in 2012 we did a story about SEGA renewing the Skies of Arcadia trademark and now we know that didn’t mount to much.

Of course SEGA renewed the Virtua Fighter trademark to protect its IP, not to mention they still do stuff with the franchise from time to time. For example Virtua fighter characters have had cameos in games like Smash Bros, Dead or Alive 5 ,Project x Zone 1/2 and even Dengeki Bunko: Fighting ClimaxAs we covered before, it has been a decade since the release of Virtua Fighter 5 and if the franchise needs anything its a new entry. Bring on Virtua Fighter 6, SEGA!

I personally think SEGA can test the market by re-releasing Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown definitive edition on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. Maybe try some experiments like Tecmo Koei did with Dead or Alive which had a free-to-play version and a full package release. But anyway, what are your thoughts on SEGA renewing the Virtua Fighter trademark? What do you want to see for the future of the franchise?

Summer of Sonic Postmortem Stream at 9PM UTC+1 Today

Check out the archive of the livestream available now! We take a look back at Summer of Sonic 2016 and talk more on Sonic Mania! I’m joined with Retro staff Overlord, Cinossu, Orengefox and Jen along with Becky(JennyTablina), Neowl and TrackerTD.

Tune in today for talk on Summer of Sonic, more Sonic Mania and more with Sonic Retro, SEGAbits and guests!