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Developer Retrospective: A look back at the games of SEGA’s WOW Entertainment

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WOW

When SEGA WOW Month began, we took a look back at the games of SEGA’s Overworks. While Overworks existed for only a short span of time before merging with WOW Entertainment, this month has made it very clear that Skies of Arcadia made a major impact on SEGA fans. But what of WOW Entertainment? Unlike Overworks, WOW managed to release a large number of games spanning different genres on different pieces of hardware. From sequels to classic franchises like The House of the Dead and Columns, to new franchises like SEGA GT and arcade oddities like The Typing of the Dead, a collaboration with Namco, and a dog walking simulator. While WOW Entertainment can’t be pinned down to one iconic title, they more than made up for this with an amazing library of games!

Join us now for part two of our SEGA WOW retrospective, in which we take a look at the many games of WOW Entertainment.

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Final Worlds Unite teaser adds Skies of Arcadia, Panzer Dragoon, Monster Hunter, and Street Fighter

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Worlds UnitedWhat a great way to end the Worlds Unite teasers from Archie by announcing both Skies of Arcadia and Panzer Dragoon. As you know we have been celebrating games from Overworks, the developers of Skies of Arcadia. It’s good to see that the blue rogues never die. Its even more surprising that the comic crossover announced Panzer Dragoon as another SEGA IP it will be using for their mega crossover event. But I guess if you think about it, Monster Hunter and Panzer Dragoon ‘monsters’ battling it out would be rather interesting and appealing.

Here is a handy list of all the SEGA franchises this game will be using:

  • Sonic the Hedgehog
  • Sonic Boom
  • Alex Kidd
  • Billy Hatcher
  • Golden Axe
  • NiGHTS into Dreams… 
  • Skies of Arcadia 
  • Panzer Dragoon

Worlds Unite crossover is begins on May 2015. If you guys want to pick up the issues head over to your local comicbook retailer and add it to your pull list. Who is excited about this?

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This is Saturn celebrates one year of SEGA Saturn reviews with SEGA Touring Car Championship

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It’s been one whole year of This is Saturn! To celebrate, Liam takes a look at SEGA Touring Car Championship, in the newest episode of This is Saturn; the Season One finale! 

AM Annex’s very own arcade racer for the Model 2 board and Saturn has been very much maligned throughout it’s stay in SEGA’s history, often criticised for supposedly lacking playability. But this is Liam’s show; and considering his love of the similarly maligned Gale Racer, is there something in Touring Car that can shine through likewise? Or is this one better left in the scrapheap?
Find out, in this episode of This is Saturn!

This is Saturn is a video series created by British teenager Liam ‘TrackerTD’ Ashcroft, aiming to give an alternative and in-depth look at the good, the bad, and the ugly of SEGA Saturn gaming, all whilst maintaining a somewhat strong accent.

Like this video? Subscribe to the SEGAbits YouTube channel.

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Sonic Runners is out now on Google Play and iTunes

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SonicRunners

If you are excited about the new Sonic Team developed Sonic game, Sonic Runners then the wait is over (maybe). The game is officially out on the Google Play for Android, but sadly many people (myself included) have been plagued with the ‘This app is incompatible with all of your devices.‘ message. Meaning you can’t download it at this exact moment. Many people have been saying the app won’t be officially up until February 26th (time zone differences from Japan). As for the Apple version, that has only appeared in the Japanese iTunes, which you can see below.

Android | iTunes

Android APK

If I get my hands on the APK file, then I will post it here later. If you get the game downloaded, tell us what you think in the comment section. Will keep you updated when its officially up to download in the US.

[Update] The game as of right now is out in the Canadian iTunes and in Japanese online stores. SEGA America and Europe have issued the following statement:

Sonic Runners is a new mobile game developed by the Sonic Team in Japan. We are soft-launching it in select countries to see how the game does and to work out any bugs.  No decision has been made yet whether it will be released in the US or Europe. It will depend on our observations during the soft-launch phase which could take several months.  

To learn how to download and install a APK on Android, please read this. Here is a work around for non-Canadian iPhone/iPad users to get Sonic Runners.

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SEGA announcing a new game and anime series at AnimeJapan 2015

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SEGA has been saying they are looking into crossing over into more multimedia projects. SEGA Japan has experimented with having animes based around their games for awhile now including the Shining series of anime, Valkyria Chronicles anime and even Hero Bank got one. Now SEGA is set to announce a new game along with its anime series day one at this year’s AnimeJapan event, according to Famitsu.

Since the popular (in Japan) Nanamori-chu Goraku-bu girl band will be there for the event, I would assume it will be a franchise similar to Yuri Yuri; which they voice.

The announcement will be made on March 21st, so mark your calendars and come back; we will definitely be posting it up.

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Former SEGA of America CEO Tom Kalinske has harsh words for the company

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Tom Kalinske oversaw SEGA of America in the early 90s during the Genesis era, arguably the company’s most successful time in the console space. Despite their incredible Western success under his leadership, his relations with SEGA of Japan were sometimes strained, most notably with regard to the launch of the Saturn. He departed the company in 1996.

Speaking to Gamesindustry.biz at the DICE Summit, shortly after the recently-announced downsizing and relocating of SEGA’s American headquarters, he does not mince words when discussing his former company.

“[Their departure from hardware] was not inevitable,” Kalinske said. “It could have been avoided if they had made the right decisions going back literally 20 years ago. But they seem to have made the wrong decisions for 20 years.”

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Toejam and Earl: Back in the Groove Kickstarter looks to bring the funky aliens back to Earth

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While the official Toejam & Earl Facebook page has been teasing it for a good month, the official unveiling is finally here! Toejam and Earl are set for a return to video games with the announcement of a Kickstarter set to fund the fourth game in the series Toejam and Earl: Back in the Groove. This game has no connection to SEGA, as noted in the Kickstarter description, and will be developed by a small team headed by Greg Johnson, one of the two original creators and owner of the Toejam and Earl games. The game is set to be much like the original, with a fixed isometric camera, 2D sprites, simple controls, and an emphasis on co-op play. Despite resembling the first game, there are plans to bring in elements of the sequel, though no mention is being made of the third game.

head on over to the official Kickstarter page for a pitch video, several pieces of concept art, and a long list of various reward tiers including some really nice looking vinyl toys. With 29 days to go, the game has already hit $5,818 of their $400,000 goal. Stay tuned to SEGAbits for updates on the campaign and additional Toejam and Earl: Back in the Groove news!

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Worlds Unite comic book reveals continue, bringing us NiGHTS, Golden Axe and more!

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The third day of IGN’s roster reveal for “Worlds Unite” brings us a few surprises and at least one everyone predicted. From the arcade classic, “Golden Axe” comes the bikini-clad warrior Tyris Flare. Along with her, comes the wolf goddess Ameratsu from “Okami”. Next up is Red Arremer AKA Firebrand from the controller-chucking classic, “Ghosts and Goblins” and last but definitely not least is the one everyone saw coming. The dream warrior itself, NiGHTS.

Stay tuned as the final two days reveals the rest of the cast.

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Hit Reset: Why Sonic 3D Blast deserves another chance

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Everyone tends to think that Sonic has been dead for an undisclosed amount of time, and generally seem to miss out on or dismiss a lot of interesting games along the way. One of the first games to start the march of “Sonic hasn’t been good since…” was Sonic 3D Blast. So, on this episode of Hit Reset, will take a look at why this game was not the beginning of all our problems, and why you may actually be missing out on something pretty cool.

Like this video? Subscribe to the SEGAbits YouTube channel.

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Hucast Games announces Redux: Dark Matters revision disc

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Hucast Games, developer of indie Dreamcast shmups DUX and Redux: Dark Matters is well known for releasing revision discs of their games. The original DUX, for example, saw an original release, a 1.5 revision, and a special release featuring an earlier version of the game. Redux: Dark Matters was an enhanced remake of DUX funded on Kickstarter, featuring new gameplay modes and enhanced graphics. Unfortunately, the original release of Redux: Dark Matters had its share of problems, namely a game freezing bug during one boss battle and fuzzy 240p graphics. Hucast is looking to remedy these issues with a version 1.1 revision disc, featuring “Super sharp TV screen picture via RGB/S-Video Cable (And VGA of course)” and a fix to the “Boss Freeze” bug. Unfortunately, the initial 240p graphics are not being bumped up to 480p, but rather the developer plans to do something else to feature “super sharp TV screen picture”.

The revision Disc will be available in March, and Hucast promises more news and instructions for how purchasers can get the disc soon.

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Yakuza Zero gets an hour demo walkthrough on PS4, running at 60fps

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The new Yakuza Zero title is set to hit both Playstation 3 and Playstation 4 this upcoming March in Japan, that means its time to hype up the fans by releasing tons of press materiel. Not sold on the 60fps upgrade on the new Playstation 4? Don’t worry, someone has posted an hour long demo walkthrough in full quality for you to enjoy. This is the demo that is already on the PSN store, but if you don’t have a Playstation 4 yet, this is a nice video to watch.

As of today Yakuza Zero is a Japanese exclusive, but I guess if people buy Yakuza 5 that is coming out later this year, we might get a Yakuza Zero port (possibly a year+ late, like always). Tell us what you think! Young Kazuma or old Kazuma?

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Alex Kidd, Billy Hatcher and more join the “Worlds Unite” crossover

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More characters have been officially revealed in the lineup for the upcoming Sonic/Mega Man (or is it now Sega/Capcom?) crossover event “Worlds Unite”. IGN has started day 2 of the reveals. Now entering the fray will be Billy Hatcher, Alex Kidd, Viewtiful Joe and Nina from the Breath of Fire series. In fact, Ian Flynn has revealed that the full cast of Breath of Fire 3 will be involved. Ian has also stated on Twitter that should NiGHTS appear (hypothetically speaking, of course) that it would be the game universe and not a revisit to the Archie comic universe of NiGHTS last seen in 1998. The full roster of characters will be revealed day by day this week so stay tuned!

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Archie Comics First Looks: Sonic Universe Issue 73 – “Spark of Life” Part Three

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In addition to yesterday’s solicits, Archie Comics has sent us preview pages for Sonic Universe issue 73, which features part 3 of the 4 part “Spark of Life” story arc. Below is the plot description and release details, and after the break a five page preview and a look at the two available covers.

SONIC UNIVERSE #73

It STARTS with a SPARK! “Spark of Life” Part Three: Shocking truths are exposed as Dr. Ellidy reveals the tragic origin of the beloved A.I., Nicole! Meanwhile, Phage erupts from the shadows of the Digital World to sew chaos on the island! Can our heroes rally to save Nicole and drive off this new threat? Night is falling, and terrible monsters are closing in! Don’t miss this exciting next chapter in the latest Sonic Universe epic, featuring all-new cover art from Sonic artist supreme Tracy Yardley, and a special new “EXTREME BFFs” variant cover from My Little Pony artist Agnes Garbowska!


Script: Ian Flynn, Aleah Baker

Art: Tracy Yardley, Jim Amash, Jack Morelli and Matt Herms

Cover: Tracy Yardley

Extreme BFFs Variant Cover: Agnes Garbowska

On Sale Date: 2/25
32-page, full color comic
$3.99 U.S.

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Playable build of Sonic X-Treme now available

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We all know the story. 19 years ago, everyone was getting super excited about the upcoming release of Sonic X-treme, which would mark Sonic’s first fully three dimensional adventure. Long story short, the game was never released, and the Sega Saturn always had a hole in its library, no main Sonic title ever being released.

While bits and pieces of what the game would have been have leaked/been released over the the years, last November JollyRodger showed up with a plethora of material from defunct gaming studio Point Of View, including the source code for a variety of Sonic X-treme builds on both the Saturn and the PC. Being as the code could only run natively on hardware very few people have access to, Jolly took it upon himself to begin the process of porting the code to modern PC’s. Earlier tonight, the first public release of this labor of love was been released, “version 037” of X-treme now fully operational.

Download links and more after the jump.

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Skies of Arcadia is still one of the best RPGs ever made

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skiesbest

Nearly ten years ago, Skies of Arcadia completely changed the way I viewed video games. What I once saw as a passive medium, where I followed a trail of bread crumbs from point to point to see what the developers had in store for me, I now saw something greater.

Arcadia drew me into its world in a way no game has before or since with colorful characters, beautiful locales, and a sense of adventure that the game not only emphasizes, but cherishes. Even today, when I come back to the game after having experienced the likes of Oblivion, Mass Effect, and Skyrim, I still get a feeling of adventure that no other game seems able to provide in quite the same way. Naturally, there are some spoilers ahead, so if you’d prefer to go into this game ignorant, don’t read any further!

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