Contest: Tell us your favorite moment from Yakuza 5 for a chance to win an official t-shirt from SEGA

YAKUZA5contest

Yakuza 5 for Playstation 3 is 25% off through April 5th, and to celebrate we’ve teamed with SEGA to give away eight Yakuza 5 t-shirts featuring the franchise’s iconic dragon emblazoned on the front and back. We’re especially excited for Yakuza 5‘s temporary sale as it means more people will play the game and in turn the fanbase will grow. The Yakuza franchise is an incredible series of games filled with rich stories, fun and interesting characters and varied gameplay.

To enter, all you have to do is share your favorite moment from Yakuza 5 (or another game in the Yakuza series) in the comments below. You must use a valid email address in the email field (nobody will see it except us, this is how we will contact you should you win) and please specify if you are in the US or Canada in the comment field, as we would like to give each region even chances. Shirt sizes are limited and the contest ends March 29th. Eight will win.

Learn more about Yakuza 5 and series creator Toshihiro Nagoshi:

Yakuza 0 confirmed for Europe, early 2017 release date planned and new trailer released

SEGA has good news for European Yakuza fans, as it has been confirmed that Yakuza 0 will be releasing to both the Americas and Europe. Prior, only an American release was confirmed when the localization was revealed at the Playstation Experience in December 2015. Even better, the game will be released both physically and digitally! SEGA’s plan is a simultaneous release in both territories and the release window is “early 2017”. While the game was released on both PS3 and PS4 in Japan, westerners will only be receiving the PS4 version. Given the PS4 version is obviously superior, I’m not going to complain. Better that than give us the one for older hardware. SEGA was also quick to point out that the localization is 100% SEGA, and that Sony and PlayStation have no involvement on a production level.

If early 2017 is too long a wait, SEGA has more good news. If you’ve yet to play Yakuza 5, the game is currently on sale for 25% off through April 5th. We loved the game, and we’re certain you will too. Now’s the time to pick it up, support the franchise, and play a great game. Win-win-win!

sss Olj UuxyzB jZnvN

Demiurge Studios’ Puzzle & Glory closing on April 15th

closed

Bad news for people playing the SEGA and Demiurge Studios mobile game Puzzle & Glory, it has been announced on April 15th, 2016 the game will be shutting down due to not achieving a large enough audience. It has been advised that anyone playing this game to spend any remaining Arelium and gold before shutting down. In-app purchases have also been disabled until closure.

SEGA News Bits: Sonic 25th Anniversary SXSW Panel Discussion

Come get nerdy with me and Barry as we talk about the Sonic 25th Anniversary SXSW Panel and our thoughts on the secret announcement. The panel was moderated by Aaron Webber (Sonic community manager), featured the ex-Sonic Team developer Yuji Naka, current head of Sonic Team Takashi Iizuka, current voice actors Roger Craig Smith (Sonic the Hedgehog), and Mike Pollock (Dr. Eggman). This will be one of the many Sonic 25th Anniversary events SEGA has plan for this year, so expect more coverage on the site!

If you want to see the panel yourself, we have it up here. What did you think of the Sonic 25th Anniversary panel? Tell us in the comments below.

Sonic the Hedgehog 25th Anniversary SXSW Panel

The Sonic the Hedgehog 25th Anniversary SXSW Panel took place on Saturday and was live streamed on Twitch.TV. Now you can watch the panel at your own leisure on YouTube. The panel had Yuji Naka (ex-head of Sonic Team), Takashi Iizuka (head of Sonic Team), Roger Craig Smith (voice of Sonic) and Mike Pollock (voice of Eggman).

Sonic the Hedgehog 25th Anniversary SXSW Panel is a little under 40 minutes long and goes through the history of the franchise. The biggest announcement was the Sonic the Hedgehog 25th Anniversary party that we posted about.

So what are your thoughts on the Sonic the Hedgehog 25th Anniversary SXSW Panel?

pwEYulNhe SNL

Rumor: Treasure to stop making new games

TreasureRIPLong time SEGA-collaborative developer Treasure Games might be out of the gaming biz, at least for brand new titles according to the latest Giant Bombcast (time stamp: 2:22:20 – 2:24:38). The hardcore cult studio seems to be moving towards becoming more of a license holding company, which isn’t surprising when you consider they hire under 30 employees.

The last full game developed by the company was a license game for Gaist Crusher, that came out in 2014 and was exclusive to Japan. While getting re-releases of their older games on new consoles isn’t terrible, I think we will all miss that Treasure Games magic that we grew up with.

What are your thoughts on all this? Are you surprised? Let us know in the comments.

[Via: NeoGAF]

Welcome your new SEGAbits writers!

SEGAbitsFlag

Last month, we put out a call for new writers to join our team. We received several applications from SEGA fans all over the globe, and in the end we landed on three who we think are best suited for a fan site like SEGAbits. That’s not to say that those who didn’t make the cut weren’t bits-worthy, and as with any application process we have your information on file should we ever need help in the near future.

So who are the new writers?

Game Symphony Japan SEGA Special Event to focus on anniversary titles

logo

Game Symphony Japan, a Japanese concert that focuses on creating orchestrated music from varies video game titles, will host a special SEGA themed event as part of it’s 17th line of concerts, which will focus on the anniversaries of Sonic the Hedghehog, Puyo Puyo, and NiGHTS into Dreams…. This is the second time a special SEGA event will be hosted on Game Symphony Japan, with the 14th line also including a SEGA event last year that focused on varies classic SEGA titles.

The concert will open on July 17th 2016 at 17:30pm (5:30pm) Japan Standard Time at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Space Theater Concert Hall, with the price of submission ¥8,500 ($76), ¥7,500 ($67), or ¥6,500 ($58) depending on seating. Tickets can be purchased from PIA Japan, ePlus, or I-tike.

[Source: Game Symphony Japan official site]

 

 

POd Snmzh sCD vPSwz LDsCrY

SEGA Announces Sonic 25th Anniversary Party in July during San Diego Comic Con

Sonic25thAnniversaryPartyDuring SEGA’s SxSW panel, which was filled with Sonic the Hedgehog alumni including series developers Yuji Naka and Takashi Iizuka. SEGA announced that they will be having a Sonic 25th Anniversary Party on July . The party will be held in San Diego and tickets are already on sale! Tickets cost $25 dollars and can be purchased online at Universe.com/Sonic25.

This was the announcement that Sonic the Hedgehog teased for the event, even if Sonic fans want it to be the Sonic 25th Anniversary game instead. Who knows, maybe that’s what will be shown at the Sonic 25th Anniversary party?

After the break, read the full event description.

Hatsune Miku: Project Diva X Gets PS Vita demo on March 24th in Japan

HatsuneMikuX.jpgIf you own a PlayStation Vita, have a Japanese PSN and can’t wait to try Hatsune Miku: Project Diva X, you will be able to give it a spin on March 24! That’s right, SEGA will be launching their Hatsune Miku: Project Diva X demo on the Japanese PSN store which will include the following playable songs:

The game will also have a tutorial song (levan Polkka). Hatsune Miku: Project Diva X demo will also let you try the new “Rush Notes” system and the heart-racing modules. At the same time SEGA has oddly announced launch day DLC for the game, which you can view after the jump.

Hatsune Miku: Project Diva X hits PlayStation Vita on March 24 in Japan, later this year on PlayStation 4. No Western release plans announced yet.

[Via: Gematsu]

gSohQF

The Truth About Ben Kalough video hints at things to come

For months, the Sonic the Hedgehog social media accounts have been hinting at something. It could be the reveal of the new Sonic game, or it could be something bigger. Whatever it is, another piece of the puzzle has arrived in a video titled The Truth About Ben Kalough. The video, seen above, catches us up on what the former SEGA of Antarctica staffer has been up to and what the future holds for him. Memes, the word “big” and Aaron Webber all come into play. Could this be it? Or are we all about to be taken for buffoons? Who knows, but once we learn more we will certainly share it in a cryptic article that keeps using the word “big”.

Total War: WARHAMMER – Vampire Counts In-Engine Trailer

Far from home, an Empire Witch Hunter seeking the source of this corruption will soon find that there are fates in the Old World far worse than death. The Vampire Counts have arisen, and today in this brand new Total War: Warhammer in-engine trailer, they are unleashed.

Vampire Counts are the forth and final race to be revealed for the first of the Total War: Warhammer trilogy. Other races in the first game include; Empire, Dwarfs, Greenskins and if you pre-order Chaos Warriors. The combinations of all three games will eventually cover all major Warhammer races and much of the land combining into one epic game, Shining Force 3 style.

Total War: Warhammer releases 24th of May 2016, for PC.

Sonic and SEGA print collections from Iron Gut Publishing announced for the UK, art event revealed

SEGA2504

Iron Gut Publishing has announced via a press release that they will be creating art prints for SEGA’s Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, as well as other SEGA IPs including Shinobi, Golden Axe and Streets of Rage. The collection is timed to release alongside Sonic’s 25th anniversary, and Iron Gut Publishing promises an art event which will feature the upcoming prints. At the moment, this is UK only. No word on if those from outside the UK can import the prints.

It is also worth noting that “art collaborations” were revealed last month at Tomy’s booth at New York Toy Fair. This seems to be what that Sonic poster was referring to.

Iron Gut Publishing, the company that specialises in creating limited edition art collections for global brands have signed a UK license with SEGA® Europe Ltd.

The art collection will feature the iconic video game character Sonic the Hedgehog, as well as a host of other classic brands from the SEGA video game portfolio including Golden Axe™, Streets of Rage™ and Revenge of Shinobi™.

2016 is the 25th anniversary year of Sonic and we will be organising an art event to celebrate this which will showcase the collection to fans. The event will allow us to drive awareness and increase visibility of both the brand and collection available.– Anthony Marks, M.D Iron Gut Publishing.

Framed products will be available from bricks and mortar stores and unframed for mail order and online sales. The range will be available from Q2 2016.

[Via: GoNintendo]

Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA X gets high praise from Famitsu

MikuX

On this week’s Famitsu issue, the Japanese magazine reviews a bunch of new games including the PlayStation Vita version of Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA X.

Here are all the reviews:

  • Dance with Devils (PSV) – 8/7/8/7 [30/40]
  • Dead or Alive Xtreme 3: Fortune (PS4) – 8/8/8/8 [32/40]
  • Dead or Alive Xtreme 3: Venus (PSV) – 8/8/8/8 [32/40]
  • Hatsune Miku: Project Diva X (PSV) – 9/9/9/9 [36/40]
  • Nobunaga’s Ambition: Sphere of Influence Sengoku Risshiden (PS4) – 9/9/9/8 [35/40]
  • Nobunaga’s Ambition: Sphere of Influence Sengoku Risshiden (PS3) – 9/9/9/8 [35/40]
  • Nobunaga’s Ambition: Sphere of Influence Sengoku Risshiden (PSV) – 9/9/9/8 [35/40]
  • Shirogane x Spirits (PSV) – 7/6/6/6 [25/40]
  • Trackmania Turbo (PS4) – 8/8/7/8 [31/40]
  • Trackmania Turbo (XBO) – 8/8/7/8 [31/40]

That’s right, it was the highest rated game of the week by getting all 9s. If you don’t know how Famitsu reviews work, they get four writers to review one game and rate it from 1-10; adding up the scores in the end. Thus Hatsune Miku: Project Diva X gets a 36 out of 40.

[Via: Gematsu]

Contest: Tembo The Badass Elephant Playstation 4 skin giveaway – game is 60% off on PSN & Xbox One

Tembo

Tembo The Badass Elephant from SEGA and Game Freak Inc is a loving homage to the early 90s platformer era, featuring outlandish gameplay and cartoonish over the top graphics. To celebrate the game, we’re teaming with SEGA to give away six Tembo The Badass Elephant skins for your Playstation 4 and controller. The artwork is awesome, and we especially love the use of the classic SEGA Seal of Quality logo. To enter, all you need to do is follow SEGAbits on Twitter and retweet the contest tweet. Six winners will be chosen, and the contest is open to the Americas and Canada. The contest ends on Monday, March 21st at 11:59PM CT and winners will be announced the following day.

Tembo The Badass Elephant is on sale for 60% off on both PSN and Xbox One, and a free Tembo The Badass Elephant theme is available for download now on PSN. Good luck to all who enter and don’t forget to take advantage of the sale and snatch up that free theme!

svLfhx YGd