Cancelled Akira Genesis game brought to the limelight

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It’s not every day new info about old games comes out. It’s even rarer for new info about old, cancelled games to come out of the woodwork. In the dust of archived footage of CES, Space World, and E3s of twenty years ago, major undocumented secrets sometimes spring out. And now there’s been a very, very interesting find: a preview of a cancelled Genesis adaptation of the 1988 anime film, Akira. Hit the jump for details and analysis, as well as the video showing the prototype.

Persona 5 getting special broadcast on May 5th

P5_fami_h2h3_160411Persona 5 fans have been waiting for more information regarding the latest entry that is due out this summer in Japan. I guess Atlus knows there are fans around the world waiting for information regarding Persona 5, so they have announced a Niconico special broadcast for May 5th at 21:30 Japanese time (5:30 am PT/8:30 am ET).

Atlus will call their Persona 5 broadcast the ‘Take Tokyo Tower’ and will go live when the counter on their site hits zero.

Persona 5 hits PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 this Summer in Japan.

[Via: Gematsu]

Humble Friends of Nintendo Bundle includes SEGA’s Rhythm Thief

RhythmThiefCoinHumbleRhythm Thief & the Emperor’s Treasure was a pretty excellent rhythm game by SEGA on the Nintendo 3DS, it is just too bad it didn’t sell up to expectations. Some consider the game to be one of the rare 3DS games to get physically and if you have always wanted to play the game on the cheap, Humble Bundle will give you a chance along with more Wii U & 3DS games.

Here are the tiers for their Humble Friends of Nintendo Bundle:

Pay $1 or more to get

  • Retro City Rampage: DX (3DS)
  • Affordable Space Adventures (Wii U)
  • Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse (Wii U & 3DS)

Beat the average (right now its $9.57) to get

  • Freedom Planet (Wii U)
  • Rhythm Thief & the Emperor’s Treasure (3DS)
  • Citizens of Earth (Wii U & 3DS)
  • Retro City Rampage: DX HOME theme (3DS)
  • More games coming soon…

Pay $13 dollars or more and also get 

  • Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Ed ( 3DS)
  • Darksiders II (Wii U)

Just like past Humble Bundles, if you get the top tier you get everything below it. Now is Rhythm Thief & The Emperor’s Treasure worth $10 dollars? Yes! Now put in games like Freedom Planet and Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse, makes this a steal. Check the Humble Bundle for yourself.

Americas release date revealed for Atlus published THE KING OF FIGHTERS XIV

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Earlier this month we shared that Atlus would be publishing SNK Playmore’s THE KING OF FIGHTERS XIV in the Americas. While we had a trailer, screens, and a fancy press release, what we did not have was a release date outside the “later in 2016” window. Now, the Atlus website lists August 23, 2016 as the game’s release date. So in another four months fans of the series will have the game in their hands, assuming you live in the Americas.

SEGA Memories: Looking back on Fleetway’s Sonic the Comic

s5Remember when Knuckles used to ride a pterodactyl? Remember that time Eggman was called “Kintobor”? And who could forget how Super Sonic was Sonic’s evil split personality? What’s that? You don’t remember? Well then, you’ve probably never seen Fleetway’s unique spin on the Sonic universe before.

Whether you’ve read it or not, most people are at least a little familiar with Archie’s long running comic series based on the blue blur. However, as a poor little English boy, I grew up with quite a different set of comics in my youth. In this installment of SEGA Memories, I look back on this unique moment in Sonic history.

Galloping Ghost Arcade’s SEGA Week tournament games revealed

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SEGA Week at Galloping Ghost Arcade in Brookfield, IL (just outside Chicago) kicks off today! While we have a lot of fun stuff planned for this Saturday the 30th, dubbed SEGAbits Saturday (which you can read more about here), all week long you can take part in tournaments for ten SEGA arcade games. Simply show up to the arcade, ask the front desk for more information, and start playing. But what will you be playing? That was a mystery… until today.

While we knew there would be some new games added to the arcade as part of the tournament, the big surprise was that all games in the tournament are new to the arcade! Players will battle for the high scores in: The rare SEGA AM2 action game Arabian Fight, the Tetris-like puzzler Bloxeed, the classic puzzle game ColumnsFantasy Zone starring everyone’s favorite Opa Opa, the 2D fighter Golden Axe the Duel, Zaxxon‘s sequel/revision Super Zaxxon and the Westone developed Wonder Boy, the beat ’em up Fist of the North Star, and biggest of all (literally) the sit down deluxe Galaxy Force II! So come on over to Galloping Ghost Arcade all week long for dozens of classic SEGA arcade games and more.

Note: Astro Blaster has been pulled due to technical issues, but will be replaced with another game soon.

NIS America and Atlus no longer working together to release games in Europe

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MCV is reporting that publisher NIS America will no longer be distributing Japanese Atlus titles to Europe. The reason given is that since SEGA acquired Atlus, it has become harder for NIS America and Atlus to work together. All this comes from NIS America’s managing director Takuro Yamashita who cited the increasing difficulties. As such, Atlus titles will not be published in Europe by NIS America and vice versa for America. Past collaborations between the two companies include distributing games in the Persona series and Etrian Odyssey. Once we learn more we’ll be sure to share it. In the meantime, head over to MCV to read more comments from NIS America.

Check out Valkyria: Azure Revolution’s Five Grave Sinners

Valkyria-Azure-Revolution_2016_04-22-16_001So what are the ‘Five Grave Sinners’ and how do they tie into the story of Valkyria: Azure Revolution? Well, its the name given to five young people that are said to led the war between the Jutland Kingdom and the Rus Empire which will be known as the “Miraculous War of Liberation”.

Want to know who each of the Five Grave Sinners are? Hit the jump to find out! The content below is from the Valkyria: Azure Revolution site, translated by Gematsu.

Atlus is handling Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE localization

TokyoMirageSessionsIt seems that some Nintendo fans aren’t too thrilled with Nintendo of America’s liberties when it comes to localization. Not only that, Nintendo of America has changed characters and/or removed content in the American versions of the recent Fire Emblem. If you were looking forward to the Nintendo Wii U Shin Megami Tensei and Fire Emblem inspired Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE, fear not! Nintendo has confirmed via Gematsu that Atlus was in charge of localizing Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE!

Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE was localized by Atlus in a way that is consistent with the localization work they do on games they publish. It was a priority to ensure the game feels familiar and appeals to longtime Atlus fans. Any changes made to the in-game content were due to varying requirements and regulations in the many different territories Nintendo distributes its products.”

Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE is out now in Japan, will launch in North America and Europe on June 24th. Who here is picking up a copy of Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE?

[Via: Gematsu]

Infinite Space getting a reprint by Canadian retailer

infinnite_space_esrbRemember that Nintendo DS game by Platinum Games called Infinite Space? No? I don’t blame you since not too many people picked it up. Now that Platinum Games has become more popular over the years, many fans have been trying to find a copy of the game but it is now considered rare. Don’t worry it seems that Canadian retailer VideoGamesPlus has ordered reprints of the following game titles:

These are considered the last Nintendo DS carts to be produced and all come brand new and sealed. Each game (except GTA) costs $49.99 CDN (39.46 USD) and according to the store page are ‘region free’. But even if they aren’t, American systems can play Canadian DS carts. The site is also running a free shipping promotion this month on all orders over $40 dollars!

[via: Tiny Cartridge]

Review: SEGA 3D Classics Collection (Nintendo 3DS)

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SEGA 3D Classics Collection is the latest in the long line of compilations that SEGA loves to produce. For years the company has to rereleased various titles in a neat packages for convenience, often times Genesis titles from the golden days. Examples include both Sonic Mega Collection and Sonic Gems Collection, SEGA Genesis Collection, and SEGA Smash Pack. However, few of these compilations were released on handheld systems, and often times arcade games would get the short end of the stick. So SEGA 3D Classics Collection is a bit special in this case since it has several games that you don’t normally see in these compilations like Power Drift, Puyo Puyo Tsu, and Maze Walker.

SEGA Mega Drive Classics hub to support Steam Workshop and modified games

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Following yesterday’s announcement of the SEGA Mega Drive Classics hub, an update to the existing collection of SEGA Mega Drive games which now places them in a hub world that resembles a kid’s bedroom, more details have surfaced. Those who saw the trailer noticed the mention of mods, and soon after it was confirmed that the hub will feature Steam Workshop support allowing players to share modified versions of games. More details on mod support is said to be shared sometime next week. It’s great to see SEGA embracing fans tinkering with their classic games. Once we learn more, we’ll be sure to share! The updated SEGA Mega Drive Classics hub arrives April 28th for Europe, word on a wider release is unknown at this time.

SEGA Europe announces free Mega Drive Classics Hub for Steam, releasing April 28

The latest episode of SEGA Central, SEGA Europe’s video series covering SEGA happenings in Europe, have just revealed SEGA Mega Drive Classics Hub, a free Steam digital hub which allows for an updated way to view and access SEGA Mega Drive games available for the service. The hub is a digital recreation of a 90s kid’s bedroom, complete with an old TV, Mega Drive console, shelf of games and various SEGA collectibles. It also appears this European kid clearly was not a Fleetway fan and decided to import the Archie series instead. The hub also features various settings for both Mega Drive games and and the room itself. The hub is free and releases April 28th to Steam. No word on if the hub is a European exclusive or not, or if it will be retitled to Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Classics Hub if it ends up releasing to the Americas.

Also worth noting, SEGA Europe now has their own news page at www.sega.co.uk/news. Meanwhile, US news will continue to be posted at the SEGA Blog which will remain more US-centric. The division makes sense, given SEGA of America and SEGA Europe don’t always release the same products or have the same promotions.

After the break, check out the trailer for SEGA Mega Drive Classics Hub.

SEGA Talk: Our Ideal Sonic 25th Anniversary Game (Feat. Matt from Tails’ Channel)

Welcome to our newest video series, SEGA Talk! Like SEGA News Bits, SEGA Talk features hosts George and Barry discussing all things SEGA. However, instead of detailing the latest in SEGA news, we bring on a guest to take part in a round table SEGA discussion. To kick things off we are joined by Matt from Tails’ Channel to share what we think the ideal Sonic 25th anniversary game would be.

Want the SEGA Talk crew to tackle a topic? Submit topics and questions for future SEGA Talk episodes, as well as suggestions for guests, using our handy contact form or you can leave a comment below or on the YouTube video.

If you enjoy the SEGA Talk, make sure to like, share and subscribe to our YouTube for more.

Zen Studios releases a trailer for Alien: Isolation digital pinball

2014’s Alien: Isolation, developed by SEGA owned The Creative Assembly, was one of the year’s best games. So while we anxiously hope for a sequel, Zen Studios has something to tide us over. Last week, the Pinball FX 2 studio announced that they had teamed up with Fox Digital Entertainment to create an all-new pinball three-pack set in the ALIEN Universe. Dubbed Aliens vs. Pinball, the pack features tables based on the films Aliens and Alien vs. Predator as well as the video game Alien: Isolation. While SEGA themselves have no involvement in the pinball table (Alien is owned by FOX, SEGA just holds the license to create games set in the universe), it is very cool to see Alien: Isolation worthy of sitting alongside the movies in this digital pinball pack.

Alien: Isolation pinball has players helping Amanda Ripley survive Sevastopol Space Station while evading a merciless Xenomorph. Additionally, players have to contend with “Working Joe” androids (a SEGAbits favorite) and Station Security Guards, craft weaponry, and hack computers while you keep an eye out for the relentless Alien.

Alien: Isolation pinball will launch on ALIEN DAY (April 26, 2016) as part of the Aliens vs. Pinball three-pack for consoles, PC and mobile.

[Source: Zen Studios]