Homebrew indie developer Orion (creator of Alice’s Mom’s Rescue) has announced that they will be bringing their upcoming 16-bit JRPG Zia And The Goddesses of Magic to SEGA Dreamcast, Sony Playstation and Windows platforms.
Here is a short description of Zia And The Goddesses of Magic from their store page:
SEGA of America have released a new trailer for their upcoming 3DS JRPG, 7th Dragon III Code: VFD. This is actually first 7th Dragon game to make it West. This 7th Dragon III Code: VFD trailer is focused on the game’s battle system which is pretty interesting and unique in its own way. Believe me, I have been playing the game recently and this isn’t one of those ‘auto attack’ (maybe if you grind a lot) JRPGs that I have grown to hate.
7th Dragon III Code: VFD hits North American store shelves on July 12th only on Nintendo 3DS. If you want SEGA to localize more Japanese games, I suggest looking into this title.
We’ve known for a while now, thanks to information posted at Tomy’s New York Toy Fair booth, that Sonic Boom the TV series was heading to Hulu and now we have official confirmation! Variety reports that Hulu will be the exclusive subscription video on demand service to host the series in the United States. All 52 episodes of the first season will be available in both English and Spanish, and the episodes will hit in late May. Sonic Boom will still be available on Cartoon Network video on demand and select episodes will be available on the CN.com website.
No news on a DVD or blu-ray release for the series in the US, however the UK has been receiving the series in DVD volumes with one released currently and a second due out at the end of the month. While a DVD release would be great, especially a complete series, Hulu is a great way to catch up on the first season in anticipation of season two.
This video was uploaded online a few days ago, titled ‘This is SEGA TEST’ a titled “trainumentary” created by the SEGA test department in 1995-1996. The video was shot on location at Sega of America in Redwood City, CA. The SEGA Game Tester documentary talks about what SEGA is looking for in a game tester, but gives you a interesting inside look at the company during that era and the people that worked as testers.
Tom Kalinske, President of SEGA of America at the time is in the video talking about the processes of selecting a SEGA game tester. We had a chance to interview him in our podcast, if you haven’t listened. Its a great little documentary, especially for retro SEGA game fans. Watch it and let us know what you guys think in the comments below and tell us how many of you wanted to be a SEGA game tester during the mid-90s.
Multiplayer Showcase is the review show where you get to see me and some friends of mine play multiplayer games that have been long forgotten and give it a proper analysis by sharing our opinions on the game in a roundtable discussion to see how things have held up for gaming’s past brightest stars and lowest points.
This episode compares the boxing gloves to the green shells with the Mario Kart-inspired Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing. I never got to play this game much with friends locally. I’ve certainly played it online some time ago, but as you might recall, there are limitations added when playing online, so playing with a group of people with everything unlocked lets everyone dig in for some four player action coupled with SEGA nostalgia.
SEGA-SAMMY’s latest financial report is now out. So let’s dig our fingers into this baby and find out how SEGA did and what their plans are for the future.
GranBlueFantasy developer CyGames has published details of the collabration event just in time for the Sakura Wars series 20th Anniversary this year titled “Maiden Kakeru Sakura Wars ~ sky ~ loaded with new character designs by series illustrator, Kosuke Fujishima, and story for the event. The event will be implemented on to the servers from May 13th to the 23rd.
When you participate, Sakura Shinguji, the main series heroine & title character, will be your temporary companion and continues to follow you even after the conditions are met. Erica Fontaine can be unlocked by obtaining the Tresure during the event along with a weapon. Gemini Sunrise has also been included in the event. For more inside look of the designs which includes Ichiro Ogami & Shijiro Taiga, be sure to hit the jump!
The Mario & Sonic series has become kind of same ‘ol same ol’. When the original Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games released in 2007, it was pretty jaw dropping to see the two franchises sharing the screen. But as time went on, and the two teamed up five more times along with Sonic’s two Smash Bros. appearances, the notion of a Mario & Sonic game has become kind of… stale. It doesn’t help that Nintendo primarily handles the publishing and marketing of the series, so as far as advertising the series is hardly given much attention. And if you’re a lowly non-commercial SEGA fan site, such as ourselves, it is difficult to get Mario senpai to notice you when it comes to exclusives, interviews or review copies.
I say all this, while sharing the latest trailer, for two reasons: I can no longer fake being excited for the latest Mario & Sonic trailers and because despite the apathy I’ve built up over the years, the Wii U footage of Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games actually looks pretty great. Graphics are bright and colorful with excellent framerate and the competitions appear to be motion control gimmick heavy than past titles. Mario & Sonic may no longer be able to wow people with the crossover aspect, unless of course SEGA and Nintendo bring in other franchises which would be awesome, but at least this upcoming game looks solid.
In the comments below, tell us what you think of the Mario & Sonic series. Does Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games look promising, or more of the same?
In the latest episode of the Europe-focused SEGA Central video series, SEGA Europe community manager Dan Sheridan answers some viewer mail. To the request for more Japanese games receiving American localization to release in Europe, Dan confirms that one game is indeed coming. Dan’s exact words were: “We have also heard that fans are looking forward to the release of SEGA 3D Classics Collection in Europe, and subject to approval submissions, we’ll have news to share soon. One thing that I can tell you, is that it is coming.”
On the topic of Shenmue and Shenmue 2 receiving HD releases (or “hay-ch dee” as they say), Dan replied: “Of course we would love to release these tomorrow. Of course it’s not as simple as just porting the games to the current platforms, as we would need to ensure that any HD remaster lives up to the quality of the original titles, and with games as immersive as Shenmue 1 and 2 there are further complications from licensed products that were included in the original games. That said, we’d love to do it, and are currently investigating how to make it a reality.”
Japanese toy and model import site Amiami has just listed Wave’s upcoming SEGA Astro City arcade machine model for pre-order. You might remember Wave produced the excellent Hang-On arcade machine model late last year. This new 1/12 scale model features the iconic Astro City (a refined version of the Aero City) multi-purpose arcade cabinet from 1993, complete with stool, game marquees and corresponding game visuals for the screen. Head on over to Amiami to place your pre-order, as the kit releases very soon – July 2016.
After the break, check out a gallery of images of the tiny Astro City cabinet!
Way back in December 2014 it was announced that SEGA was planning to move many of their classic franchises into the realms of movies and television. Stories International, a joint venture between SEGA and Hakuhodo DY Group launched in 2011, would manage and maintain these brands and work with external studios and creatives to make SEGA franchise based movies a reality. Now, we have news that Shinobi is the first of these SEGA franchises heading to the big screen with Marc Platt (Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, Drive, Josie and the Pussycats) and cohort Adam Siegel producing. In this SEGA News Bits, George and Barry break down the story, take a look at Platt and Siegel’s background in the motion picture industry, and speculate how a Shinobi movie might play out.
If you enjoy the SEGA News Bits video formats make sure to like, share and subscribe to our YouTube for more.
Matt from Tails’ Channel got to sit down with Sonic’s social media manager and Sonic PR Aaron Webber (or how Phantasy Star people know him as Ruby Eclipse). The topic of the interview was the upcoming Sonic 25th Anniversary party including questions about what to expect, if Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice will be playable and what sort of merch will be sold at the event.
If you guys decide to go to the Sonic 25th Anniversary party, make sure you stop by and say hi to me and Barry since we will be attending the event. So are you going to Sonic 25th Anniversary party?
SEGA and Humble Bundle have joined forces yet again to save you money on great SEGA games and give to charity in the process! Dubbed the “Build Your Own SEGA Bundle”, thirteen SEGA PC games ranging from RTS to first person horror to racing to sports are on sale for 75% off. If you buy three games, they all get discounted 80% while four games gets an 83% discount and five increases the discount to a cool 85%. The sale ends in 22 hours as I am writing this, so better jump on it while you still can! Games on sale include: Total War: Attila, Alien: Isolation, Company of Heroes 2, Warhammer 40k: Space Marine, Company of Heroes, Total War: Rome II – Emperor Edition, Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, Company of Heroes 2: Ardennes Assault, The Typing of the Dead: Overkill Collection, Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War II Retribution, Total War: Shogun, Valkyria Chronicles, and Eastside Hockey Manager.
Namco’s Project X Zone 2 just came out a few months ago and its already dropping below $20 on Amazon. Last I checked, it was around $17! As I’ve been playing Project X Zone 2 on and off the last month, I can tell you its worth the price of entry just for all the great SEGA cameos. Not only that, Namco fixed up most of the complaints I had with the first one and best of all it has its own self contained story. Did I mention Segata Sanshiro is in it?
If you already have a copy of Project X Zone 2 for the Nintendo 3DS, what did you think of it? If you don’t, is this a suitable price drop to pick it up? Let us know.
Get ready, as our Strike Harbinger coverage continues! In this SEGA News Bits, Barry talks George through what it was like playing an early arcade build of Strike Harbinger during its debut at Galloping Ghost Arcade‘s SEGA Week. Created by the game development and design studio HitSparks Games, which is co-owned by Lead Game Designer Chris Tang and Senior Artist Kiyoshi Okuma, Strike Harbinger takes inspiration from classic SEGA titles including Space Harrier and Phantasy Star. The game is not due out until 2017, but this early first look at the game shows a lot of promise! Featuring unique controls and RPG-style elements, there is a lot more to Strike Harbinger than you’d think. So click play above and hear what Barry thought of the game and see some lovely 1080p 60fps gameplay footage courtesy of the developers.
More SEGA Week coverage is to come, including even more Strike Harbinger details and footage, so stay tuned! If you enjoy the SEGA News Bits video formats make sure to like, share and subscribe to our YouTube for more.