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Second wave of SEGA’s 3D Classics set to kick off January 15th with After Burner II

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Afterburner-Sega-Art-by-Daniel-Vendrell-

Perhaps the most exciting news last year for Nintendo 3DS owning SEGA fans was the announcement that the second wave of SEGA’s 3D Classics were heading West in early 2015. Revealed to be releasing monthly, think of it as a SEGA Arcade Game of the Month Club, Nintendo Life has discovered that After Burner II will be kicking off the collection in Europe on January 15th and that the games will be priced at £4.49/€4.99. An American release date has not been discovered, but it will likely be the same or just a few days apart from the European date.

It can be assumed that 3D Fantasy Zone, 3D OutRun, 3D Fantasy Zone II, and 3D Thunder Blade will be released between February and May, making the first half of 2015 a retro SEGA fan’s dream come true!

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Aliens: Colonial Marines and Alien vs Predator have been pulled from the Steam store [update]

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alienhugger
We know that Aliens: Colonial Marines and Alien vs. Predator (2010) could have been better games, but did they really have to get pulled from the Steam store? One might say that it has to do with the Alien license, but that isn’t true since SEGA just released Alien: Isolation, which is still on the Steam store.

The even odder thing is that the older Alien vs Predator (published by Rebellion) is also still on Steam, making me think this could have been done by SEGA to weed out the ‘shitty’ Alien games. Though Aliens: Colonial Marines is still available to buy on Amazon, GMG, and other digital PC stores (all even redeem on steam and probably have limited codes).

Alien vs Predator and Alien: colonial Marines join a list of SEGA titles to be pulled from digital services. Others include the recent Afterburner Climax, Outrun 2: Coast to Coast, Sega Rally Revo, and more.  Read more about pulled games in the Steam forum topic.

Edit: Alien: Colonial Marines and Alien vs Predator have now reappeared on the Steam store. 

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Drift Stage: An OutRun inspired driving game gets early alpha demo

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Driftstage

Drift Stage is a driving game inspired by mid-late 80’s racing games, particularity SEGA AM2 games like OutRun. The game finally got its first ‘early alpha’ demo on Windows, Mac and Linux computers. If you’re a fan of early SEGA driving arcade action, this is a game you won’t want to slip through your radar.

This early alpha demo contains a single time trial event for you to challenge three target time ghosts (novice/intermediate/expert) and your personal best.

This is not a final product. Drift Stage is still in its early stages of development. This early alpha demo is intended to give a general impression of the game’s intent but should not be considered at all representative of the final product. Modes, music, graphics, gameplay, and all other facets of this product are subject to change.

You guys can download the demo here. It is a little under 100mb in size. What are your thoughts on the game? Enjoy what you guys have seen or played?

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Devolver Digital wants to make a new Seaman game

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Seaman

The Seaman franchise caused a lot of confusion for us here at SEGAbits when it was announced and, well, probably more confusion when we first played it on Dreamcast. That doesn’t mean the game didn’t have a fanbase, the game was the third highest selling Dreamcast game in Japan when it was released and the sequel Seaman 2 (Japan only) sold similar numbers when released in 2007.

In 2008 the creator and company president behind Seaman and Seaman 2, Vivarium Inc, actually tried to get a Seaman spin-off called GABO! on to the Apple App Store. Sadly they where rejected by Apple and doesn’t seem like the game ever came out.

Now flash forward to the present, Chief Financial Officer from the US publisher Devolver Digital has openly asked SEGA to allow them to handle a new entry to the Seaman franchise via the power of Twitter. Devolver Digital is known for publishing titles like Hotline Miami, Shadow Warriror and bringing back the Serious Sam franchise. The only issue I see here is that Devolver Digital is a publisher, basically what SEGA (and their other company they own, Atlus) does already (and has been doing for decades).

But since SEGA hasn’t done anything with the the IP in 8 years, can it really hurt them to license it to another publisher and get it off the ground? What are your thoughts?

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Developer Retrospective: We celebrate the legacy of SEGA AM2

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yotsd_AM2

SEGA AM2 is just one of those developers that always puts a smile on my face whenever I talk about their games. Not only do they have one of the most vast libraries, but they also revolutionized gaming in general multiple times over the past decades. Let’s look at the developer that popularized sprite-scaling in the 80s, gave us modern 3D with their Virtua series and created one of the most expensive games ever as we walk through their legacy.

Don’t forget to join us all month long while we talk more about SEGA AM2 and all their legendary franchises.

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SEGAbits Round Table: Our Favorite SEGA Games of 2014

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segabits2014

It has been an interesting year for SEGA games. During the first few months of 2014, Western SEGA fans had very little when it came to new games, while those in Japan enjoyed the puzzle mashup Puyo Puyo Tetris and the Yakuza spinoff Ryu ga Gotoku: Ishin!. Thankfully, those in the West had Alien: Isolation and Platinum Games’ Bayonetta 2 to look forward to, and in early February it was revealed that Sonic Boom would be releasing to the Wii U and 3DS. Another reveal came, much to the delight of the Hatsune Miku fanbase, with the announcement that Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA F 2nd was set for a Western release in November. Meanwhile, fans of Relic Entertainment and The Creative Assembly’s real time strategy PC titles were treated to Total War: Rome II DLC and Company of Heroes 2 standalone expansions Ardennes Assault and The Western Front Armies.

Suffice it to say, the year has been mixed but not a disappointment. While certain blue hedgehogs failed to give us a good game, fans who step outside their comfort zone of Sonic and traditional SEGA games will find several great titles from SEGA. What are these great games? Read on to find out what our favorite SEGA games of 2014 were in our annual year end round table!

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Christine Cavanaugh, voice actress of Bunnie Rabbot in ABC’s Sonic the Hedgehog, has passed away

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Sad news as 2014 winds to a close, we have learned that voice actress Christine Cavanaugh had passed away on December 22nd. Her obituary, which was posted by the LA Times today, does not give any cause of death but the focus really should be on celebrating Christine’s life and her incredible work.

If you don’t know Christine Cavanaugh’s name, you’d undoubtably recognize her voice as she not only performed Bunnie Rabbot in ABC’s Sonic the Hedgehog, but she is also well known as the original voice of Dexter from Dexter’s Laboratory, Chuckie from Rugrats, Marty Sherman from The Critic, and Oblina in Ahhhhh Real Monsters. Film and TV audiences will best recognize her as the voice of Babe in 1995’s Babe as well as playing a major supporting role in the classic The X-Files episode “Small Potatoes”. You can see Christine’s many roles at her IMBD listing.

Our thoughts are with Christine’s family, she will be missed.

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“Sonic Runners” officially announced, smartphone game due in 2015

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Takashi Iizuka has officially announced Sonic Runners, the rumoured game we previously reported on, during a Sonic event as Tokyo Joypolis.

The game is set to come to smartphones, with 2015 being mentioned as a release window, and is being developed by Sonic Team once again. That being said, very little is currently known about the game; more details are apparently set to be released in January. Whether Sonic Team have anything else in the works for next year is currently a mystery, but to be perfectly honest, I would like to think they’ve spent the past year or so since Lost World’s release doing more than a smartphone game, and one that it’s currently tentative in just about every way. It can at least be assumed “smartphones” refers to both Android and iOS versions of the game being on the way.

Once more details come out we’ll report on them, so stay tuned for Sonic Runners news!

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This is Saturn gets festive with Christmas NiGHTS into Dreams for SEGA Saturn

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Jingle Bells, Sonic smells, Saturn all the way! Oh what fun it is to ride in Opa Opa today…

Terrible rhyming aside, it was recently Christmas, and this calls for This is Saturn to get festive with the much-loved NiGHTS demo, Christmas NiGHTS! But are those who love it just looking through frosty, but rosy-tinted nostalgia lenses? Or is this demo really more than meets the eye? Find out, on this special Festivus 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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SEGAbits & Sonic Retro present Boom Talkalaka #2: The Boom, the Bad and the Ugly

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SEGAbits and Sonic Retro team up to bring you a podcast focused on SEGA’s new Sonic Boom franchise! Hosted by Barry the Nomad of SEGAbits.com and David the Lurker of SonicRetro.org, Boom Talkalaka features discussion of the many aspects of Sonic Boom – from comics and episodes of the cartoon, to the video games and toys.

In the second episode, Barry and David review the latest episodes of the TV show through to “Eggheads”, 2014’s final episode, discuss the direction the comic book is taking, and Barry shares his thoughts on the 3DS and Wii U games.

Give the show a listen and in the comments tell us what you think! If you have any questions or comments you want David to read on the next episode, leave your message here with the subject line “Boom-Grams”: http://segabits.com/contact/

[Download] [RSS]

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“Hi☆sCool! Seha Girls” Episode 12 AND Episode 13 are here as the series concludes, Impressions

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Hi☆sCool! Seha Girls episodes 12 and 13 are now up on Crunchyroll, as the series reaches it’s end!

The girls aren’t far off graduating, with Medal counts into the 80s… except for Saturn, who’s only got 78. Before the next lesson can begin however, Center-Sensei is hacked into once again; and this time, things get really messy, with him turning into Black Asobin, an evil sod who promptly takes all of the credit medals the girls have accumulated; Saturn keeps one for some reason, a rare moment of good luck for her. The only way they can reclaim their medals is to enter Black Asobin World, a theme park of doom and stuff… this is beginning to sound like the Dreamcast’s Illbleed. Thankfully, the biggest threats here are SEGA games, not demon Sonic the Hedgehogs.

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Yakuza Zero branded limited edition Playstation 4 consoles come in four variants

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Goro Majima Black & White Edition
Goro Majima Black & White Edition

This isn’t the first Yakuza branded Sony console to hit the scene and it won’t be the last. This one will be avalible in two versions: the Kazuma Kiryu edition and the Goro Majima edition. The console will feature a laser etched design on the case, featuring tattoos of both of the game’s protagonist.

Not only that, each version comes in either white or black, which is a nice option. The console will set you back 41,980 yen (about $348 USD) plus tax. Sadly the game isn’t included, but there is a bundle with the game for 6,480 yen (about $54 USD) more.

So, which one do you guys like the best?

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Etrian Mystery Dungeon and Devil Survivor 2 get box art and pre-order details

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EtrianMysteryDungeon
Atlus has released the box art for Etrian Mystery Dungeon  and Devil Survivor 2: Record Breaker, which just happen what you’d expect. Its the Japanese cover with the the American logo. But you have to admit, that is a those are some nice looking logos.

The first printing of the games will come with a soundtrack CD, so if you don’t want to miss out on getting a hard copy of the OSTs, you should probably get a pre-orders in. The games are set to be release sometime in Spring.

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SEGA fan shares his 1993 Christmas home movie featuring Sonic CD

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You guys might remember the SEGA Channel from a post we did where he gathered his home movies and did a touching tribute video to his dad. Now he is back, this time sharing a 1993 Christmas video. I got to admit, I love this sort of stuff and honestly a bit jealous, mostly because my parents weren’t so hip about the ‘vidya gaming’ growing up.

So the question for you all are, do you remember what you got for Christmas of 1993?

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Classic SEGA Magazine Corner: Fall 1988’s Team SEGA Newsletter previews Phantasy Star

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Screen Shot 2014-12-20 at 11.03.09 PM

Today marks a big day for fans of Phantasy Star, as it’s the 27th anniversary of the original game and the franchise as well. On December 20th, 1987, SEGA’s now iconic RPG released to the Sega Mark III. Following the original’s release, three numeric sequels released to the SEGA Mega Drive/Genesis and further installments released to numerous other platforms. The series has come a long way since 1987, and it’s amazing that it continues to this day with the releases of Phantasy Star Online 2 and Phantasy Star Nova. But rather than focusing on the newest installments, and grumbling about how we still can’t play them in the West, let’s take a trip back to the Fall of 1988 when SEGA’s The Team SEGA Newsletter previewed Phantasy Star for the Master System.

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