Shining Resonance promotional movie showcases characters and battle footage

SEGA recently uploaded a new Shining Resonance video to their YouTube channel, called the “Shining Resonance Promotional Movie.” It is a little more than four minutes long, and showcases party members and the game’s various antagonists. The video also shows off plenty of battle footage, include a field-to-battle transition in the latter half of the video. Be sure to check it out!

Shining Resonance is scheduled for a 2014 release in Japan, and is exclusive to the PS3. Were Shining Resonance to be localized for a 2015 release, it would have some company among other JRPG’s seeing a Western 2015 release. Tales of Zestiria is scheduled to come out during the summer of 2015 in North America, and Atelier Shallie is also scheduled to be released sometime in 2015. These first two titles are also PS3 exclusives, to say nothing of PS3/PS4 titles such as Persona 5 and Yakuza Zero, which release in Japan during 2015.

Phantasy Star Online 2 collaborating with slice of life anime YuruYuri

YuriPSO2Phantasy Star Online 2 in Japan is going collaboration crazy, this time announcing a collaboration with the slice of life comedy anime/manga YuruYuri.

The collaboration will feature four of the main characters: Akari, Kyoko, Yui and Chinastu. Also announced to be featured in the game is the series’ heroine, Majokko Miakurun. The collaboration will also have a bunch of exclusive costumes to collect.  You can check some of the items in the image below.

yuriPSO1

The update is set to go live the second half of November. As for the West, SEGA has been silent about Phantasy Star Online 2 release date. Here is hoping they stop pretending a 2 year plus wait since it was announced at PAX is reasonable.

“Hi☆sCool! Seha Girls” anime Episode 3 is out, here are our impressions

seha3

Hi☆sCool! Seha Girls is back once again, with the third episode now being available on Crunchyroll!

This episode sees the girls spend more time in the main area of the SeHaGaga Academy, as opposed to being focused on a game like last time. The majority of the episode focuses on the girls chatting about what they’ll do upon leaving the academy, with Dreamcast brainstorming ideas for SEGA Saturn. They eventually decide on Saturn becoming a weather girl, and also become fascinated by the idea of her getting married to a baseball player; this actually results in a reference to the relatively unknown Home Run King! They also try and convince Mega Drive to give the job a go, which results in a surprisingly moving scene, as Mega Drive “bugs out,” and begins discussing… rabbit death. Well, OK then!

Atlus to localize Attack on Titan 3DS game

AttackonTitan5
Atlus USA is looking into localizing Attack on Titan: The Last Wings of Mankind for the Nintendo 3DS, based on the popular manga/anime. All we know is that Atlus is bringing it to Australia thanks to the Australian Classification Board.

The Japanese publisher Spike Chunsoft has said that they will be re-releasing an enhanced version in Japan this December, this version would include online multiplayer. Since the listings for the Australian version does mention ‘online interactivity’, its safe to say that they are going to be releasing the enhanced version.

Seeing as how Atlus will need to translate the game to release it in Australia, don’t be shocked if a American and European release date are announced as well.

Retro SEGA themed console boxes will hold your trading cards

CardboxDreamcast3
Are you a Collectible Card Gamer (CCG)? You know, like Magic: The Gathering or even Pokemon? If so you might be interested in the variety of deck boxes, collection boxes and even card sleeves based on retro SEGA consoles that are offered by Amazon Japan. With SEGA Saturn’s anniversary coming next month, I think i’ll order myself a SEGA Saturn themed deck holder.

They  have them based on a variety of SEGA’s retro consoles, sadly nothing older than the Mega Drive and no handhelds. Hit the jump to check out the gallery.

Alien: Isolation’s first add-on pack set to release on October 28th

DLC1_Corp_Lock_-_Screenshot_3_1413886127
 
SEGA has announced the first Alien: Isolation add-on pack, titled “Corporate Lockdown”, is set to release October 28th. The first of five planned add-on packs, “Corporate Lockdown”, adds three new maps to the game’s Survivor Mode. Each add-on pack will feature new playable characters, offering a different perspective on the main campaign’s story. In “Corporate Lockdown”, players take control of Seegson Executive Ransome who takes on three new challenge maps: ‘Severance’, ‘Scorched Earth’ and ‘Loose Ends’. After the break, check out an additional screenshot from the add-on pack as well as SEGA’s full press release. Also, make sure to check out My Life with SEGA’s Alien: Isolation video review.

Get a sneak peek at Codemasters and SEGA’s upcoming arcade racer “Showdown”

segashowdown
 
Via Arcade Heroes comes early information on an upcoming arcade racer from Codemasters and SEGA Amusements titled Showdown. An Arcade Heroes reader spotted the game during a location test at a local arcade and snapped several photos of the game. The cabinet shares many similarities with GRID Racing, a previous collaboration between Codemasters and SEGA Amusements. It is speculated that this is an arcade port of the 2012 Codemasters game DiRT: Showdown. It looks like the game will have two styles of play: “Wild Racing” and “Demolition”. Also, the game features the ability to enter numeric codes on a keypad to unlock bonus content. The IAAPA trade show is just around the corner, so we’ll likely have more news on this game soon!

Taxman and Stealth celebrate Sonic & Knuckles’ 20th anniversary with a Sonic 3 & Knuckles proof of concept

Today marks the 20th anniversary of SEGA’s Sonic & Knuckles, and to celebrate, Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 remastered developer Christian Whitehead shared a proof of concept prototype from the Taxman & Stealth personal vaults featuring Sonic 3 & Knuckles running on the Retro Engine. Of course, this is presented unofficially, so don’t jump to the conclusion that a Sonic 3 & Knuckles remastered is on the way anytime soon. Still, awesome to see that they’ve done work on the much requested title, even in an unofficial capacity. The Taxman himself shared this link in Sonic Retro’s forums, stating that “this isn’t an official announcement of any Sega project, nor to we intend to work on this as a fan-project. It’s simply a proof of concept from our vaults that has been kept to our chests for some time.”

You can learn more about the technical side of the project in Stealth’s latest blog post!

Son releases tribute video to remember his SEGA-loving father


The above video comes from the ‘SEGA Channel’, a fan ran YouTube channel. This is a tribute to the uploader’s dad, who was a SEGA Genesis fan. He liked the Genesis so much that he made a home video trying to get his New York relatives to jump to the next level.

This video was released around September 1991, meaning that the SEGA Genesis was ramping up to being the number one sold console in the United States. Esposito, who made the tribute video to his father, who has since passed away. Thanks to Esposito for giving us a nostalgic look back to the early 90’s and sharing a personal moments he shared with his father. An entertaining video, must see.

Sonic & SEGA Fan Jam 2014 Prices and Event Details are here!

fanjam
 
The wait is now over! Our Sonic & SEGA Fan Jam 2014 event prices and details are finally here! The prices for the event for non members of The Guild Hall will be $25 (recommended for those who live out of town from Savannah), $20 for Guild Hall members, and $5 for children under age 12 to experience the full extent of the Fan Jam event as we will have numerous of Sonic & SEGA titles playable along with special guests of the SEGA Community and SEGA fan films made by talented filmmakers.

We will also have tournaments based on the 3 featured games and cosplay contest for everyone to get a chance to win some awesome prizes such as signed copies of Sonic Boom by the producers at SEGA, Hatsune Miku Manga, and more! Sonic & SEGA Fan Jam 2014 will take place at The Guild Hall in Savannah, Ga on Saturday on November 22nd at 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM. For more info on Fan Jam 2014, be sure to follow our event page here and The Guild Hall on Facebook. Hit the jump to see the cool stuff to be featured in Fan Jam 2014!

SEGA and Relic reveal Company of Heroes 2: Ardennes Assault pre-order incentives


 
SEGA and Relic Entertainment have released a new trailer and have revealed pre-order incentives for Company of Heroes 2: Ardennes Assault, which is due for release on November 18th, 2014 for Windows PC digital download platforms. The content consists of an all-new company known as the “Fox” Company, a band of Rangers led by Captain Monte Durante which sits alongside the game’s existing three Companies. Check out the trailer above, and read the full press release after the break!

“Hi☆sCool! Seha Girls” anime Episode 2 released, Impressions

1888480_735038386545121_713317907667407001_n
 
The next episode of the Hi☆sCool! Seha Girls anime has been released, and can be found over on Crunchyroll!

This episode sees the girls enter the world of Virtua Fighter, in which they are tasked with winning a whopping 100 matches to win Credit Medals! Each of them are given one Virtua Fighter move each, and must work together to win credits; as for whether they do work together, well you’ll just have to watch!

One thing I will say is that this episode certainly keeps up the fanservice with cameo appearances, and there’s even a sly dig at the palette-swapped bad guys of beat-em-ups past. And I know a certain SEGAbits contributor is going to be very happy to see the final opponent, who even gets the privilege of a speaking role!

It great to see the series continues to impress, and I’m excited to see what antics to Girls get into in the next episode!

See the episode here! 

My Life with SEGA both loves and fears Alien: Isolation for Playstation 3

On the latest episode of My Life with SEGA, rather than stepping back in time, we’re going to check out the newest title from SEGA and The Creative AssemblyAlien: Isolation. Developed in-house and released last week to PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and PC, Alien: Isolation takes a different approach when it comes to what players have come to expect from Alien franchise video games. For starters, it’s not a first person shooter! Instead, The Creative Assembly have cooked up a first person survival horror game that is very much in line with the tone of the original Alien film directed by Ridley Scott. How does SEGA’s latest Alien outing fare? Check out the video to find out!

Like this video? Subscribe to the SEGAbits YouTube channel.

SEGA Tunes: Wacky Races’ “Scarecrow Creek” and “Tombstone Pass” (SEGA Dreamcast)

Today marks the 15th anniversary of SEGA’s Dreamcast console in Europe, and seeing as we’re in the midst of Halloween season, what better way to celebrate both than with some creepy music from a UK developed Dreamcast classic! Wacky Races is a kart racer based on the late 60s Hanna-Barbera cartoon of the same name. Developed by Infogrames Sheffield House, formerly known as Gremlin Interactive, Wacky Races could be seen as a precursor to Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing. Sumo Digital, developer of the All-Stars Racing titles, was formed in 2003 by the former management of Infogrames Sheffield following its closure. Sumo Digital even used lessons learned in Wacky Races when developing their SEGA racing titles as revealed in a 2012 interview held by Sonic Retro with Executive Producer at Sumo Digital Steve Lycett:

Sonic Retro: The announcer is an element that people really loved or hated. I personally felt it was a welcome element to give the game some personality. What was the decision to include the announcer?

Steve Lycett: Wacky Races also featured an announcer type system that would call out for each specific character. The announcer came about for two reasons. Trav had seen SEGA Race TV and loved the concept of an announcer who commented the race, plus we wanted to make the player feel like there was more going off than they could see.

So you get this chatter that someone at the back is making a move up the field, or someone just had a really bad crash, and although it was happening and you couldn’t see it, it made it feel like it mattered. Plus… we’d done a similar thing a long time before making Wacky Races on the Dreamcast and PS2 in our previous guise as Gremlin/Infogrames Sheffield House. So we knew it could be made to work…!

Go behind-the-scenes with the Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal development team

SEGA has uploaded a new behind-the-scenes video to the Sonic the Hedgehog YouTube account, taking fans behind-the-scenes with the Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal development team. Shattered Crystal, the Nintendo 3DS Sonic Boom title, is unique in that it is the first fully original handheld Sonic title since 2008’s Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood.

While Sonic Colors, Sonic Generations, and Sonic Lost World on the 3DS were pared down versions of what home consoles had (albeit with unique stages and layouts), Shattered Crystal is a separate title from Wii U’s Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric with a unique story, stages, and an exclusive character named Sticks the Badger. In the above video, Sanzaru Games, Inc. delves into how they’ve collaborated with Sonic Team and Big Red Button, as well as how the 3DS and Wii U titles will connect.

Yeah, they even have a sports tape gag at the end.