Today is the launch day for the Xbox One in America, and as people head to stores to pick up the latest console, the Xbox 360 officially becomes a “last gen” machine. Last week George named the five best SEGA titles to grace the Playstation 3, and seeing as how I’m the site’s Xbox guy, I thought I’d do the same for the Xbox 360. As with George’s list, these are my personal picks, so feel free to add any titles in the comments section!
Atlus has been teasing a big announcement this weekend, since a few months ago. Now we are getting closer to the reveal, so Atlus wants to keep fan’s attention with teasers. This latest brief teaser was on their livestream on Nico Nico Douga, check it out above.
Atlus will be fully revealing the title on Novemeber 24, that’s this Sunday. Are we going to post what the game is here on SEGAbits? You betcha! See you then, as for now, what do you think it is?
The rollout of SEGA iOS titles continues with Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse! I don’t recall this title ever being announced for iOS, so this is quite the surprise. The game itself is fantastic, which you can read all about in our review. The game can be played on iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch for $9.99 USD. What game can we expect next from SEGA? Well, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 was promised a November release, so stay tuned for that one. Also, the Nintendo 3DS SEGA 3D Classics begin releasing next week with 3D Space Harrier and 3D Super Hang-On on Thanksgiving day.
Demon Tribe, produced by Masayoshi Kikuchi of Panzer Dragoon, Yakukza, and Jet Set Radio fame, is now available to download on iOS for free! That’s right, no need for us to convert prices or post a list of currencies for each country. The title is free to download now, and those who get into the game early gain access to exclusive KISS Demons and other launch rewards. As shared by the SEGA Blog, completing the following objectives unlocks exclusive demons designed to look like members of the band KISS:
Receive KISS ‘The Star Child’ Rare Demon (Paul Stanley) when you complete the tutorial!
Receive KISS ‘The Demon’ Rare Demon (Gene Simmons) when you share the exciting launch of Demon Tribe to your Facebook or Twitter profile from within the game!
Receive 1,000 CP (in-game currency) by raising your Organization Level to 20!
Receive Bonus Gems to summon more Demons just for logging in!
A weird, but welcomed, bonus indeed. SEGA describes the game as an intense real-time blend of MOBA, Card Collection and RPG gaming. Players are tasked with building a powerful team of fighters by capturing demons and fusing them into magic that transforms you and your tribe into the very demons you vanquish. For more info on the game, head on over to the SEGA Blog or simply download it now!
Despite it being a big week for video games, with both Sony and Microsoft releasing new consoles, very little has applied to SEGA fans. Aside from Xbox One’s Crimson Dragon, there are no actual SEGA games releasing on either console at launch. However, thanks to GameSpot editor Peter Brown, who we’ve been chatting with on Twitter, we may have an answer for whether or not you can play a Dreamcast through the Xbox One. After we tweeted “Awaiting the first video of a Dreamcast with VGA out going through an HDMI converter box, and into the HDMI in port of an Xbox One”, Peter replied, “I tried passing a composite signal into a HDMI conv box, and it won’t work. Following up with Microsoft re: HDMI passthrough reqs”. So it looks like the Genesis, Saturn, or any other composite signal console running through an HDMI converter is a no go. Peter then tried running a VGA signal through an HDMI converter and….
First 4 Figures latest line of Sonic statues departs from the Modern or Classic designations for a theme dubbed The Sonic Diorama Collection. Promising to “celebrate iconic scenes from Sonic’s amazingly diverse history”, the first of these diorama statues features Modern and Classic Sonic rolling around at the speed of sound through City Escape in Sonic Generations. The statue is now up for pre-order, with an exclusive edition featuring illuminated sparks and ramp for $329.99, limited to 450 pieces. The standard edition lacks the lights and is $299.99, limited to 1,000 pieces. Both are estimated to release on the second quarter of 2014.
While the first of these dioramas is quite attractive, as with previous First 4 Figures Sonic statues, the price is ever going up as each new statue is revealed. The first Sonic statue, released in 2009, featured Sonic in his classic design on a Green Hill base for $129.99. The most recent Sonic statue, featuring Shadow, in the exclusive form was $229.99. By comparison, this new diorama is a $100 increase from the last statue, and a $200 increase from the first of the Sonic statues. What do you all think? Is $300+ worth it for this new statue? What Sonic diorama’s would you like to see in the future?
It’s not every day we get to feature a Mario track on Tuesday Tunes. But given the love affair between Sonic and the Big N lately, it seems only fitting to celebrate the recent release of multiple Sonic and Mario titles with a soundtrack that combines the musical stylings of both.
Though this is a remix of a Mario song, it currently feels like something SEGA would produce. The structure of the song is more complicated then what you would typically find in a Mario track, which tend to be more simplistic, though no less fine to the ear, as the Mario Galaxy OST can surely attest to. This is an excellent remix of a track I could barely remember before hand. If this is indicative of Mario & Sonic 2014’s overall soundtrack, I will certainly be seeking out the rest of the OST in the future.
Sad news this morning as we have learned that Charles Bellfield, SEGA of America’s former VP of strategic planning and corporate affairs from 1998 to 2003, has passed away. Bellfield was best known as the spokesman for Sega of America during the launch of the Dreamcast. The news of his passing came from his brother Edward through Facebook, saying that Bellfield had passed away in San Francisco on Friday night. Bellfield held other positions in the gaming industry including executive roles at Edelman, Capcom, Codemasters, 3DV Systems, EmotionPlay, and Imagination Technologies’ Pure North America division.
Peter Moore, Bellfield’s SEGA boss during the Dreamcast era, described him as “good time Charlie. The life of every party, a true bon vivant. The quintessential Englishman abroad. You’ve left us way too soon Charlie, but you’ve also left us with a hundred stories to tell and a thousand smiles on all of our faces. The room was a better, more fun-filled place when you were in it.”
We here at SEGAbits send our condolences to Bellfield’s family and friends. He will be missed.
Today is the launch day for the Playstation 4 in America, many people are grabbing up the ‘next generation’ consoles and soon Playstation 3 will be a relic like the Playstation 2 before it. So I think its the perfect time to remember SEGA’s best Playstation 3 games. This is my personal list, if you want to share your favorites let us know in the comment section!
I’ll forego the Sonic franchise history lesson that typically kicks off a Sonic review. As SEGA fans, we know where the franchise has been. Sonic Lost World, a Wii U exclusive title, answers the question: where is the Sonic franchise headed? Unlike the series spanning celebration that was Sonic Generations, Sonic Lost World introduces several new gameplay elements and shakes up the familiar 2008-2011 Sonic formula. Some may take this as a breath of fresh air, as the series has finally moved away from boost mechanics. Others, content with the direction the series was headed and the refinements Sonic Generations made to the formula, may find Sonic Lost World to be too much of a reinvention. Did Sonic Team’s shake-up pay off? Read on as we enter Sonic Lost World!
Some sneaky individuals found this ‘secret’ page on the Atlus website, depicting a ultrasound of a baby. What could this be? A teaser? Is it related to their planned announcement for Novermber 24th? Could this be the much awaited Persona 5?
So, what do you think this is about?
Never say never, Sonic Lost World demo for both Wii U and 3DS hits the store today. What does this mean? Well, it means that if you live in the United States you can try out Sonic Lost World for both Wii U and 3DS. The Japanese gamers have had the demos since early last month, lucky them!
Expect a SEGAbits review for Sonic Lost World to be posted soon.
Haruka has been in the Yakuza franchise since the first title came out on the Playstation 2 back in 2005 and is a main character of the franchise. In this title, the character Ryoma Sakamoto (played by Kiryu Kazuma) meets Haruka (yes, they are keeping her name) after saving her from a incident (that isn’t revealed). After that, she decides to let him live with her. Yeah, even she’s confused in the picture above.
Check the gallery after the jump for more photos of her sweeping dirt, caressing Ryoma’s head and other creepy shots.
Miles Jacobson, studio head over at Sports Interactive has stated that Football Manager 2013 has been illegally downloaded well over 10.1 million times, during his talk at the London Games Conference.
How did they get this number? According to Jacobson the crack had a ‘Home’ flaw which allowed the developers to trace and track IP addresses of the pirates. So which country had the most pirated copies of the game? Not surprising it was China with 3.2 million downloads followed by Turkey with 1.05 million.
Out of the 547,000 people that downloaded the game in Italy was from Vatican City, I’m assuming downloading pirated software is not shunned by God. Of course just because they pirated the game doesn’t mean they lost a sale, which Sports Interactive seems to agree. They do say they lost 176,000 sales (their figure) due to pirates. That would mean that 1.74% of pirates would have purchased the game, but didn’t due to them getting it for free. How much did SEGA lose? $3.7 million in revenue. They say that this lead to the team creating harder to crack DRM for Football Manager 2014.
The end of our art contest is fast approaching, so it’s time we inspired you with some of SEGA’s more recent work!
In a generation dominated by brown grim-dark games, Valkyria Chronicles was a game that dared to look drastically different. When other games were focusing on trying to look realistic, Valkyria Chronicles was utilizing visuals inspired by canvas paintings, comics and storybook, to produce a beautifully fantastical world.