Latest Posts

Summer of Sonic UK fan convention attempts a revival via Kickstarter

by

photo-original

Having taken a break since the last event in 2013, the Summer of Sonic organizers are feeling revitalized and ready to bring the event back for 2016 – and they need your help! Dubbed the largest fan run officially recognized Sonic the Hedgehog event in Europe, Summer of Sonic is relying on a Kickstarter campaign to fund their 2016 convention. With a goal of $28,675, and $20,842 already raised with 28 days to go, it should be no difficult task to fund the event. The planned location is the ILEC Conference Centre in Earls Court, London, and the proposed date is August, 6th, 2016. Activities at the event are said to include meet and greets with the special guests, competitions in art, gaming and cosplay, Q&A sessions with guests, and fan showcases.

If this sounds like the event for you, head on over to their Kickstarter and show your support!

No Comments

Convention Report: SEGAbits at GDC 2016

by

6962776691_4fbc856df4_o

Hello everyone, Kori here! Reporting back from the Game Developers Conference (GDC 2016) bringing you coverage from the show floor with my hands on the highly anticipated Rez Infinite for PlayStation VR developed by Tetsuya Mitzuguchi, my thoughts on virtual reality games, and my tour inside SEGA Networks Inc. Without further a do, hit the jump to read the coverage from the show floor.

Continue Reading ➜

5 Comments

SEGA News Bits: Flappy Bird Comes To Dreamcast’s VMU

by

Remember Flappy Bird, the mobile game that apparently destroyed people’s lives because of its simplicity? A SEGA fan going by the name of guacasaurus_mex has recreated Flappy Bird for SEGA’s Visual Memory Unit, so if you want to play it make sure you have some spare CR-2032 lithium batteries and lots of patience. Hit the play above and listen to me and Barry talk about Flappy Bird, VMUs and even Rappy Bird?

If you enjoy the SEGA News Bits video formats make sure to like, share and subscribe to our YouTube for more.

2 Comments

Big’s Big Fishing Adventure 3 The Trial is a real game that you can play right now!

by

Screen Shot 2016-04-01 at 9.19.13 AMIt has been teased for the past few months, but now we can confirm it is real. That’s right, Big’s Big Fishing Adventure 3 is a real fan made game that you can play right now! What more, while it is fan made it does have the support of SEGA’s Aaron Webber and the Sonic the Hedgehog social media accounts. This is The Trial edition of the game, meaning it is only a tease of the full game. However, despite being released on April Fool’s day, we can confirm that The Trail is not a joke and that there will indeed be a full game in the near future. The game can be found at www.bigthec.at and features static cutscenes, branching paths, and a variety of mini games which we won’t spoil here.

For those wondering why this game is the third in the series, aside from being an obvious Sonic Adventure 3 joke, this is actually Big’s third fishing game. Big first dropped his line in Sonic Adventure, and his second game entitled Big’s Fishing released in 2004 as a part of a McDonald’s Happy Meal LCD games collection. Sonic Heroes, Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing and Sonic Runners don’t count because there was no fishing, an omission that clearly hurt sales.

I am proud to confirm that I played a very very small part, as the Big the Cat action figure you see upon completing the game is from my collection. Which means my Big the Cat toy visited SEGA’s Burbank offices before I did. 🙁

Play the game for yourself, and in the comments below tell us what you think!

4 Comments

Takashi Iizuka returns to America

by

Screenshot_257

Director of the Sonic series since Sonic Adventure up to Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), Takashi Iizuka has served diligently as vice president of product development over in Japan since Sonic Team USA’s closure in 2008. However, he seems to now be leading a charge of some sort at SEGA America, a quote provided from Gamasuta attributed to Tatsuyuki Miyazaki states: “Plus, the Sonic business team, with Ivo’s strong leadership and the addition of renowned Sonic Team creator Iizuka in the Los Angeles office, SEGA of America is in the best position yet to diversify and grow its business. SEGA of America is entering new age of publishing[sic], and going back to the road to prosperity.” This news coincides with SEGA finalizing their acquisition of Atlus USA, whose CEO, Naoto Hiraoka, seems very excited to be working with the company.

It’s likely no coincidence that these two events happen alongside each other. Nor is it a coincidence that Iizuka returns to America at the new Los Angeles office just as things start rolling for Sonic’s 25th anniversary. There’s very little to speculate on what it could all mean, however. The press release is vague about exactly what Iizuka’s plans are; strengthening the ‘global brand’ is something brought up a couple times, but that’s about it. It could just as well mean he’s back in the US to oversee the 25th Anniversary project, or perhaps get directly involved. He could also just be stopping by to appear at events, many of which are in the coming months, both official and fan-sponsored. Whatever the case, we’ll keep you all posted on any news bits surrounding Iizuka or Sonic that appear.

(Img. from Aaraon Webber)

4 Comments

Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA X releasing Fall 2016 to the Americas for Playstation 4 and Vita

by

SEGA of America has just announced that Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA X will be releasing to the Americas in Fall 2016. Both Playstation 4 and Vita versions are receiving localizations, however there is no word on a European version just yet. The games will be released in digital and physical formats.

Project DIVA X sees players helping Miku and her friends as they sing and dance their way though 5 clouds that comprise of their world. Each cloud is unique, with themes that include Classic, Cool, Cute, Elegant, and Quirky. The game promises 30 new and classic songs as well as nearly 300 costumes. The game also features a full concert editor.

After the break, check out some screens from the Vita version as well as SEGA’s full press release.

Continue Reading ➜

No Comments

Join us for SEGA Week at Galloping Ghost Arcade in Brookfield, IL, April 25th to 30th

by

1924013_10208242414073772_5348128409347918382_n

SEGAbits is excited and honored to reveal that we’ll be collaborating with Galloping Ghost Arcade, America’s largest arcade, for SEGA Week from Monday, April 25th to Saturday, April 30th at midnight. Galloping Ghost Arcade is located just outside Chicago in Brookfield, IL, and features over 500 classic and modern arcade machines, and several of them are made by SEGA. SEGA Week’s main focus will be tournaments covering 10 SEGA arcade titles, of which will remain a mystery until the day of the tournament. Still, if you want an idea of what to expect, the arcade has SEGA titles which include OutRun, Space Harrier, Thunder Blade, Monkey Ball, Crazy Taxi, Zaxxon, SegaSonic the Hedgehog, Sonic Championship, Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker, Golden Axe, Golden Axe: The Revenge of Death Adder and several more.

On April 30th join us for SEGAbits Saturday, which will highlight the many SEGA games celebrating anniversaries as well as the arcade originals of the SEGA 3D Classics titles – SEGA 3D Classics Collection releases that same week to the Nintendo 3DS. We also plan to feature special tournaments with prizes courtesy of SEGA and Archie Comics. There will also be surprise reveals of classic SEGA arcade machines, playable for the first time at the arcade, and you might even encounter a special guest or two.

More details to be shared as SEGA Week draws near, but make sure to mark both the week and SEGAbits Saturday on your calendar now as it is an event that is not to be missed! For details on the arcade and more, visit the Galloping Ghost website and the SEGA Week event page on Facebook.

After the break, check out some photos of the arcade, just to get a sense of the size and selection of games. It’s huge.

Continue Reading ➜

3 Comments

Cranky Food Friends closing on March 31st, 2016

by

closed

The SEGA mobile closures continue, as the infamous Puyo Puyo!! Quest reskin Cranky Food Friends is closing on March 31st. Both Cranky Food Friends and Puzzle & Glory were announced at the same time, but unlike Puzzle & Glory, Cranky Food Friends experienced a much harsher time. Not even getting past the soft release phase and having reports of being very buggy to the point of being game breaking, Cranky Food Friends being closed down was not a surprise. This is especially good in the case of Puyo Puyo fans out there still bitter about the game.

Continue Reading ➜

3 Comments

SEGA News Bits: Shining series turns 25 years old

by

25 years ago today, on March 29th 1991, Shining in the Darkness released to the Japanese Mega Drive. While the original game did not light the world on fire, the later Shining Force games would become some of the best strategy RPGs ever produced. The series is still going strong, at least in Japan, with Blade Arcus from Shining EX releasing just last year.

Whatever you may think about the recent installments, most fans agree that the Shining Force games were legendary and the original Shining in the Darkness is to thank for starting the franchise. Join us on this SEGA News Bits as we share our Shining memories and talk about the possible future of the series, and don’t forget to brush up on all the SEGA anniversaries hitting this year!

If you enjoy the SEGA News Bits video formats make sure to like, share and subscribe to our YouTube for more.

 

5 Comments

GameFactory releases PC game Magical Stone, a competitive puzzle game inspired by Puyo Puyo

by

Japanese developer GameFactory has released a free to play beta of a new PC game called Magical Stone, a competitive falling puzzle game like Puyo Puyo. This game was developed to pander to the “eSports” crowd by focusing on a strong multiplayer presence, with features like rankings and tournaments to encourage players to improve their skills, in addition to creating a “pro” online version of Puyo Puyo for anyone to try. Progress is already being made to reach these goals, as competitive Puyo Puyo group Samurai Frontier Gaming is supporting the game, along with an official tournament on June 25th 2016 with cash prizes that will be the first season of possibly more.

Continue Reading ➜

1 Comment

SEGA News Bits: Fantasy Zone turns 30 years old

by

2016 is filled with milestone SEGA anniversaries, and one of the most anticipated by us – for obvious reasons – was Fantasy Zone! Join us on this SEGA News Bits as we discuss our thoughts on the franchise’s past, present and future.

Released to arcades on March 28, 1986, the Fantasy Zone franchise has released a surprising amount of games in its 30 year history. Despite the many titles, the story often remains the same: the sentient spaceship Opa Opa traverses the Fantasy Zone, sometimes joined by his brother Upa Upa, battling bizarre bosses and upping his arsenal thanks to a floating Parts Shop. Outside the franchise, Opa Opa has made appearances in both All-Stars Racing games as well as Amusement Visions’ Planet Harriers, a 3D installment in the Space Harrier franchise which also takes place in Opa Opa’s Fantasy Zone.

If you enjoy the SEGA News Bits video formats make sure to like, share and subscribe to our YouTube for more.

3 Comments

You can now play Flappy Bird on your Dreamcast’s VMU

by

12901511_1156202091077801_6632965311063464141_o

Thanks to Instagram user guacasaurus_mex, the world’s most frustrating iPhone game can now be played on your Dreamcast VMU! guacasaurus_mex is not new to the world of VMU game creation, having also created Deadpool and Star Wars: The Force Awakens VMU games, but Flappy Bird pushes things to a whole other level of absurdity. guacasaurus_mex had this to say regarding how to get the game working on your own VMU:

“If anyone is interested I just finished making a Flappy Bird clone for the VMU. Just put the file on an SD card, load with Dreamshell and once Speud’s VMU Tool has loaded navigate to ‘Open CD’ and copy FLPPYBRD.vmi to the VMU.

Like most VMU games this doesn’t work properly in the emulator so please use on an actual VMU!

Also, for anyone giving this a go, you hold A rather than tap like in the iOS and Android versions. Tap functionality didn’t work so well with only 32 vertical pixels!”

You can find the direct download link for the .VMI file here.

[Via The Dreamcast Junkyard]

3 Comments

7th Dragon III Code: VFD coming to North America on July 12

by

7thDragon_glamshot

SEGA has confirmed that 7th Dragon III Code: VFD will be hitting North American store shelves on July 12th exclusively for the Nintendo 3DS. The upcoming 7th Dragon III Code: VFD will also have a day one limited edition that will come with a collector’s box and a art book, this will be a free upgrade to anyone that buys the game when it comes out (while supplies last).

Amazon Prime subscribers get 20% off of 7th Dragon III Code: VFD  pre-orders, so you can always pick it up there.

4 Comments

SEGA Retrospective: The career of Tomoko Sasaki, composer of NiGHTS Into Dreams…

by

Screenshot_234

There are typically three things that people associate with SEGA: Sonic the Hedgehog, consoles that never got to shine, and great music. SEGA has undoubtedly housed some of the most creative composers in the industry, making everything from sweeping, pseudo-orchestral soundscapes, to fast-paced, pumped-up techno. But the best composers don’t let their skill and talent end with their music.

Enter Tomoko Sasaki, best known to SEGA fans as the main composer of NiGHTS into Dreams…. Her sound, helped along by Naofumi Hataya and Fumie Kumatani, is what arguably sold NiGHTS‘ surreal dream worlds and energetic gameplay. It’s often considered one of the best soundtracks in SEGA history, let alone on the Saturn, but it was only Sasaki’s third composition. And even then, it wasn’t even the strangest thing she ever did.

Continue Reading ➜

12 Comments

Hatsune Miku: Project Diva Future Tone to launch with two versions, 220 total songs

by

maxresdefault
Hatsune Miku: Project Diva Future Tone is coming to PlayStation 4, but we didn’t know before is that it will be coming in two different variants. Hatsune Miku: Project Diva Future Tone is set to hit Japanese PSN later this year and according to the latest issue of Famitsu this is what each version will come with:

  • Hatsune Miku: Project Diva Future Tone – Future Sound: will include 120 songs focused on the Hatsune Miku: Project Diva home console series.
  • Hatsune Miku: Project Diva Future Tone – Colorful Tone: will include 100 songs focused on the arcade game and 3DS Hatsune Miku: Project Mirai series.

Both will include 220 songs and 340 modules to keep your Hatsune Miku addiction going. The game has been confirmed to run at 1080p and 60fps, giving gamers the ability to customize six characters that can appear in-game music videos. This will be the first game in the series to also offer key configuration, which allows one button to trigger multiple presses. No western release has been announced for Hasune Miku: Project Diva Future Tone.

[Source: Gematsu]

 

6 Comments