Leaked Sony Pictures e-mails show excitement for SEGA’s “SONIC – THE HEDGE DOG”

sonicmovie

You probably remember when Sony Pictures had thousands of emails leaked last year following controversy over their movie The Interview. Despite Sony’s best efforts to pull the emails from the internet, once they were out there the damage was done. The emails revealed a ton of strange and fascinating behind-the-scenes information, from a Men In Black crossover with 21 Jump Street to silly salary disputes. Given Sony’s dealings with SEGA in regards to an upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog movie, it was only a matter of time before some emails related to the upcoming movie leaked out. One such email from Senior Vice President of Sony Pictures Releasing International, Noriaki “Dick” Sano, features a funny typo and some details about the upcoming film. Dick writes:

SONIC – THE HEDGE DOG
Dear All,

Hannah Minghella just called to give me an early heads up that a very popular video game for years from Sega game maker
named SONIC – THE HEDGE DOG will be made into a Live Action film.

Script is not yet completed but it would be financed 50-50 by SPE and Sega. Ms. Mie Ohnishi from Sega ( actually now called Sega/Sammy)
would be stationed to Burbank until the completion of the film. She will be coming to my office for a courtesy visit this afternoon,
so Hannah’s phone call was very timely and appreciated.

According to Hannah, the release date in the US would hopefully be in 2016.

I hope this would be another franchise like RESIDENT EVIL for our Japanese market.

Sincerely,
Dick

Aside from the funny typo of “SONIC – THE HEDGE DOG”, we now know the film will be financed 50/50 by Sony Pictures Entertainment and SEGA. Also, SEGA’s Mie Ohnishi who serves as a Producer/Development Executive at Marza Animation Planet Inc. will be stationed in Burbank, CA working on the film with Sony. It is also noted that as of June 2014 a script was not written and the goal is to release the movie in 2016. Dick ends his email with hope that a Sonic movie would be a good fit for the Japanese market like Sony’s Resident Evil movies. Nobody show him Sonic‘s Japanese sales numbers!

After the break check out a few more SEGA related details from Sony that have surfaced.

Check out SEGA’s new Chain Chronicles English ad

We know that mobile gaming apps have been getting an increase in ads on television and other medias. I mean, I can’t turn on a TV without them cramming those ‘Game of War‘ ads down my throat. SEGA Networks has recently posted the above ad that just happens to be in English for Chain Chronicles, but seems to be aimed for Japanese audiences since SEGA isn’t publishing the game in the west (sadly).

The advertisement was filmed in Chateau de Beloeil castle which is in Belgium. The actual pop-up book used in the ad wasn’t computer generated as you can see in their making of video, which is posted after the break.

 

Devil Survivor 2: Record Breaker 3DS theme is now out in North America

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Atlus has now released their Devil Survivor 2: Record Breaker 3DS theme in the North American e-Shop and is available to purchase for only .99 cents.

Its nice to see some companies aren’t scared of releasing their Japanese 3DS themes in America. I wonder when SEGA will release those awesome SEGA console 3DS themes?

Want to see the new theme in action? Hit the jump.

SEGA has announced Monster Gear for mobile phones

MonsterHunt

[Artwork not from actual game]

We already know that SEGA is all in when it comes to mobile video game development and their newest entry into the mobile landscape is being called ‘Monster Gear‘, a Monster Hunter like game.

In this game players will be able to go on missions with 3 other players, the missions are set to take roughly five minutes to complete, unlike Monster Hunter where they can take generations.

The game will come with three main commands including attack, guarding and ‘special pair attack’. Once the service starts you will be able to use five different weapons including lance, large sword, dual swords, a hammer, and a bow. The game will be free-to-play, which means it will include microtransactions. The game will release in Japan as early as next month. We will keep you updated as new information is released.

[Via: Nichegamer]

A look back at Smilebit’s Gunvalkyrie – an underappreciated SEGA classic

gunvalkyrie

In the West, SEGA’s Smilebit has become synonymous with the Jet Set Radio games, and for good reason. Like Sonic The Hedgehog to the Genesis and NiGHTS into Dreams to the Saturn, the original Jet Set Radio became one of the Dreamcast’s defining games, showcasing unique graphics and reinventing a video game genre. As SEGA left the hardware market in 2001, internal developers announced which consoles they would favor and Smilebit fittingly ended up with Microsoft’s Xbox.

I say “fittingly” because it only made sense that a developer known for pushing the graphical envelope would choose the Xbox, given Smilebit members’ propensities for expansive worlds in past titles like Team Andromeda’s Panzer Dragoon Saga and the first Jet Set Radio. While Jet Set Radio tried to conceal the fact that the game actually consisted of several small areas linked by clever tricks allowing the Dreamcast to load the next area as the player skated to the another section of the map, on the Xbox Smilebit could truly create expansive and detailed worlds. Utilizing the Xbox’s power, Smilebit did just that with Jet Set Radio Future, Panzer Dragoon Orta, and Gunvalkyrie.

SEGA’s Stella Glow stream shows an extensive preview of the game

If you have been living under a rock and missed the news that SEGA was going to publish Imageepoch’s 3DS SRPG Stella Glow, now you know. Another good piece of news is that the game is also coming to the west thanks to Atlus later this year.

Above is a Japanese live stream that shows off what you can expect form the game when it comes out. Including a look at the artistic graphics, variety of places to visit and much more. Also, lots of anime babes (if that is your thing).

So what do you guys think about this game? Worth your time?

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Archie Comics Sonic the Hedgehog July 2015 Solicitations – Worlds Unite heats up!

Sonic#275

Direct from Archie Comics comes the latest solicits for what Sonic and Mega Man fans can expect for July, and if the covers and descriptions are any indication, general SEGA and Capcom fans should also pay close attention to what is to come. As the Sonic and Mega Man crossover Worlds Unite heats up, several other franchises from the famous video game companies join the fray including Golden Axe, Ghosts ‘n Goblins, Ōkami, NiGHTS, Street Fighter, Skies of Arcadia, Panzer Dragoon, Monster Hunter 4 and more! If that’s not enough, another milestone issue is hit with Sonic The Hedgehog #275 which features a whopping six different collectible covers and the special one-off Sonic: Worlds Unite Battles expands the crossover story with even more pages dedicated to classic characters duking it out.

All this and more after the break!

First Look at 3D Streets of Rage 2 Gameplay

Recently SEGA and M2 announced that they would be continuing their incredible range of 3D remakes for the Nintendo 3DS. In the next wave of titles comes three of the most beloved SEGA Megadrive/Genesis titles; 3D Streets of Rage 2, 3D Sonic 2 and 3D Gunstar Heroes.

Today SEGA uploaded the first look at 2D Streets of Rage 2 or as it was known in Japan ‘Bare Knuckle 2.’ Check it out above!

A look at SEGA of Japan’s Yakuza stage show

LikeaDragonStage4
Did you know that the Japanese love going to stage shows? Did you know that SEGA have made quite a bit of stage shows of their franchises including stuff like Phantasy Star Online 2 and now Yakuza aka Ryu Ga Gotoku? I have to be honest, the stage show doesn’t look half bad from Famitu’s photo gallery and most of the actors fit their roles unlike the Takashi Miike directed ‘Like a Dragon’ movie.

Below you can see a few of the photographs taken from the stage show’s debut. If you want more head over to Famitsu’s extensive gallery.

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3D Streets of Rage 2 screenshots tell you to trust your fists

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If you missed the announcement, SEGA is set to add three more titles to their wave 2 of their 3D Classics on the 3DS. We already got great titles like 3D Fantasy Zone, 3D Outrun and just last week we got 3D Fantasy Zone II. Now we are set to get Genesis/Mega Drive hit titles like 3D Sonic the Hedgehog 2, 3D Gunstar Heroes and of course 3D Streets of Rage 2.

The screenshots give you a taste of what the game will look like on your 3DS before it comes out later this year. It seems that M2, the developers behind this port will be sticking with the original aspect ratio of the game instead of working on making this titles widescreen. I now expect the same will happen with 3D Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and 3D Gunstar Heroes. Also nice to see Yuzo Koshiro gets that big credit under the SEGA copyright like always. A few other things we know is that the game will support local multiplayer (if both 3DS’ have a copy of the game) and a new Quartet mode that allows you to play a single player mode with all characters.

My Life with SEGA kicks putty butt in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers for Genesis and SEGA CD

The power is on this week as Andrew Rosa revisits the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers on Genesis/Mega Drive and SEGA CD.

But the action doesn’t stop. For the first time, our Green Ranger worshiping SEGA boy will be reviewing Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie, also on Genesis.

It’s time to get back in action! Like this video? Subscribe to the SEGAbits YouTube channel!

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SEGA officially announces Total War: Warhammer, first part of a trilogy

Just like The Creative Assembly’s Alien title, SEGA have kept their Warhammer licensed title underwraps, that is until now. The newly announced game only has a CGI trailer with scarce information other than the fact the game will feature “Gigantic monsters, flying creatures, legendary heroes and storms of magical power take their place on the battlefield, alongside thousands of warriors clashing in real-time tactical battles” and that this is but one of two more stand alone installments making a trilogy of Warhammer titles.

It’d be interest to know if this is hinting at a possible Dawn of War 3 which would be using the Warhammer 40,000 license. Whatever the case, enjoy the CGI trailer and with E3 only a month and a half away, you won’t have to wait long to find out more information on The Creative Assembly’s latest strategy title.

SEGA has said that this first title will be part of a trilogy and other content packs they are planning on releasing. This is going to be a big license for SEGA going out, so what do you guys think? Should have SEGA taken the fantasy turn or stuck to time period games?

SEGA Retrospective: Jet Set Radio Future and The Latch Brothers

LatchBrothers

Jet Set Radio and its sequel Jet Set Radio Future are often cited as having some of the best music to come from SEGA thanks in a large part to Hideki Naganuma and Richard Jacques. While in-house talent played a large role in creating such memorable soundtracks, the soundtracks also consisted of licensed music from artists that included Guitar Vader, Cibo Matto, Deavid Soul and others. This week on SEGA Tunes (the feature formerly known as Tuesday Tunes) we’re focusing on a third type of Jet Set Radio music contributor: The Latch Brothers.

SEGA puts out survey about Hatsune Miku: Project Diva Arcade home port

Project Diva Arcade

From today to April 24th, Project Diva Arcade players can take part in a survey about on which platforms they’d like to see the game ported to. People can choose which platform they’d like to see the game the most and second most on. According to Gematsu, the options are PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Wii U, PC, smartphone, and “non applicable”. There’s also a question asking fans which elements they’d like to see added in potential future models.

If you want to take part in this survey, unless you live in Japan you’re likely not going to have a chance to. As NeoGAF member Articalys pointed out, the only way to get access to the survey is by getting a Project Diva Arcade account ID. And the only way to get one of those is by playing the arcade game. But even if we can’t take part of it, it’s nice to know that we’ll likely see the game get ported to consoles or PC.

Which platforms would you like to see the game be ported to?

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SEGA still hasn’t registered as an E3 2015 exhibitor

Waiting for SEGA to announce their upcoming games and have them playable at events like E3? Well, you might be in for a shocker, seems that SEGA isn’t listed in registered exhibitors for this year’s E3.

Am I shocked? No, SEGA has already announced that they are restructuring and moving form San Francisco to the LA area this upcoming June. Sadly with the move comes a lot of the staff leaving and most likely people that helped with these events. I can see SEGA just showing off games with other bigger booths, like Yakuza 5 at Sony’s booth for example.

Personally I find that E3 is slowly becoming less relevant to consumers and wouldn’t mind if SEGA just focused on having their own version of Nintendo Direct where we see all the games coming in an hour long type of live stream. One thing with SEGA is that their fans are spread from Sonic the Hedgehog only fans to Total War only fans, these two fan bases have millions of users and having them come together for one stream will allow you to show them franchises they would otherwise never hear of.

What are your thoughts on SEGA not being registered for a E3 2015 booth?

[via: Sonic Stadium]