Welcome to the 3D Zone! 3D Fantasy Zone II Double coming to the 3DS in Japan!


SEGA has announced that their 12th 3D project is coming to the Nintendo eShop next week and happens to be none other than 3D Fantasy Zone II Double! The 3D remake will feature two game modes combined.

One is titled “The Tears of Opa Opa” which is the original game and a new game mode called “Link Loop Land” which seems to be a score attack/ endless mode to determine how far the player can go. Along with Link Loop Land comes a unique game mechanic called the LINK gauge. The LINK gauge will increase when you WIN the coin and will continue to decrease over time.

The game is set for release on Nintendo eShop in Japan on July 16th. US and EU dates for the game has yet to be announced. In the mean time, there are a couple of 3D SEGA Classics to check out in the Nintendo eShop for a cheap price to try out now in US and EU territories.

Swingin’ Report Show #66: Interview with Roger Craig Smith, voice of Batman, Sonic the Hedgehog, and many more!


 
This week on the Swingin’ Report Show, hosts Barry and George welcome a guest who has helped shape the sound of SEGA’s speedy mascot – Roger Craig Smith, voice actor of Sonic the Hedgehog! Roger is also well known for voicing Batman, Captain America, Chris Redfield, Ezio Auditore, and more. Recent projects include Batman: Arkham Origins which features the recently released “Cold, Cold Heart” DLC pack and SEGA’s Sonic Boom which spans video games and a television show which release later this year.

Join us as we talk with Roger about voicing Gotham’s Dark Knight and Green Hill’s Blue Blur. Roger also provides details on how he got into the business, and has some great advice for aspiring voice actors. Yes, we even asked him about his work on Valkyria Chronicles and his earliest work as Sonic at Alton Towers.

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Project Diva F & SEGA Booth at Anime Expo

So, if you didn’t know, SEGA America was at Anime Expo with a big booth dedicated to Hatsune Miku. This booth looks to be much bigger then the presence Project Diva had at E3. If you watch the video you will see a lot of cosplaying people, people playing Project Diva F, and bits of the Project Diva F tournament. So, if you want to see how the pros play, watch this video. Overall, it looks like it was a fun time!

If you are interested in the official tournament rankings, check out the official tournament brackets.

Alien Isolation on Oculus Rift is just a prototype

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If you guys read all our E3 2014 hands-on impressions, you guys probably saw that we got a chance to try a prototype of Alien Isolation on the Oculus Rift. According to Creative Assembly, the prototype is just that, a prototype. There is no active developement on a full version supporting the Oculus Rift.

“At present, it’s just a prototype and does not represent a game currently in development at this point in time. It’s a truly amazing experience though and brings the game to life in ways we could not have imagined when we started the project. It’s one of the most terrifying demos you’ll ever play.”  – SEGA’s statement to Eurogamer

I have a feeling that Oculus Rift support will come to the title on PC, just not at launch. But you never know, I find it sort of strange that they would show a demo for the Oculus Rift and say its not the game they will be selling the consumer… its not like the last Aliens game was false representation of what they showed at E3 or anything.

Sonic Jump Fever releases worldwide Thursday, July 10th

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SEGA and Hardlight Studio’s followup to the mobile game Sonic Jump, Sonic Jump Fever, has been announced to be releasing worldwide on July 10th. The had a soft launch in Canada back in April, and we went hands-on with the game when we attended E3. From our experience, the game is faster paced and more frantic than Sonic Jump, and it has enough new elements (including Chao gardens!) to make it worth checking out if you enjoyed the original. The game is expected to be free-to-play, so it can’t hurt to download it when it releases in a few days.

First 4 Figure’s Skies of Arcadia statue available to pre-order at 12% discount

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Its no secret that First 4 Figures aren’t cheap and saving any type of cash on these expensive but well crafted figures is a nice relief to one’s wallet. Well, the online shop where I pre-order my comicbooks also does pre-orders for figures, statues and all that jazz; including the First 4 Figure’s Vyse statue.

If you pre-order through DCBS, you just need to pay the shipping (which is like 6 dollars within the United States) on top of their 30% discounted price of $175.96. That may seem like a lot, but consider that the figure is 17 inches tall and originally costs $199.99 on First 4 Figure’s website, that’s a nice discount.

 

SEGA Networks and gumi is bringing Chain Chronicle and other Japanese mobile titles to the West

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SEGA Networks and gumi had recently made an announcement today to form a partnership by bringing SEGA Networks’ Japanese game titles in North America, Europe, South Asia and other territories. Gamers can expect the first batch later this year starting with the launch of the popular Japanese RPG mobile game, Chain Chronicle.

For those who are unfamiliar with Chain Chronicle, Chain Chronicle is a popular Japanese mobile game that allows players to become a soldier who builds an army and fights to protect the imaginary land of “Yugdo” from the menacing Black Army. As the game advances, players begin to unravel each member’s story to create a long chain of chronicles where all are connected.

Both companies are collaborating in order to provide localized support for player preferences, languages and gameplay environments. Hit the jump to view the press release of the game and footage.

SEGA teasing “HUGE” Alien: Isolation news to be revealed this Wednesday

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The Alien: Isolation Twitter account has begun to tease a reveal for this Wednesday that they describe as “HUGE”. The above image was shared with the hint “Solve, seek and you shall find: http://www.youtube.com/______ ?”. Savvy fans scrambled the message to reveal a YouTube account titled “nostromoedition”. Could Wednesday’s tease be a Collector’s Edition of the game dubbed the Nostromo Edition?

The nostromoedition YouTube channel features a lone video titled “Are You Ready To Play?” and the description “Congratulations for unlocking this hidden Alien: Isolation video. As our Robot friend is telling you, the next reveal happens tomorrow -Tuesday, 8th July at 15:00 PM GMT. Come back and don’t miss out!”. The video itself features a screen from the game and the July 8th reveal time.

What could the reveal be? We’ll have to wait until tomorrow to learn more.

Sonic Adventure 2 scene recreated on Source Filmmaker


The Source Filmmaker (SFM) is the movie-making tool created by Valve, it allows users to make movies inside the Source game engine. SFM is available for anyone to use and has powered some really creative short films.

Here is one such film I thought was worth sharing. The film is a recreation of the Sonic Adventure 2 ‘faker’ cut-scene where Sonic faces off against Shadow. It is incredibly well made and a joy to watch for any fan of the Adventure series. Check it out!

SEGA Channel Retro: Independence Day Stream Archive

Originally broadcast the day before today, I check out a couple of fan favorite SEGA games on the original Xbox console in favor of America’s 4th of July celebration. Watch me play the first hour of Jet Set Radio Future and take notes on how I try to woo the ladies of OutRun 2. Finally I stretch my freedom as far as possible by playing Mario Kart Arcade GP 2 which released on the Triforce Arcade Hardware, which was a cross production between Nintendo, Namco and SEGA.

You can check out our live streams on our Twitch channel or catch the archives on our YouTube channel. You can also expand this article to check each listing for each video, with our Twitch videos reaching 60 frames per second. Also be sure to check out highlights of our previous streams in the related posts!

SEGA already auditioning for the next Yakuza game

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Now that we know there is a new Yakuza game in development for both the Playstation 3 and Playstation 4, SEGA has started two campaigns to get new faces into the unannounced title. They are doing  auditions for men and sexy actress popularity contest for women. I can hear the screams of Tumblr feminist already.

For men they are looking for males over 20 and to be a in-game model in the next Yakuza title. SEGA says they want a guy that has a sense of ‘violence’, ‘fortune’ and of course ‘spirit’. But if you don’t make it into a in-game model there is also a spot with your face on hostess signs. If you get chosen in the audition you will be able to be character model in game, but also win a Playstation 4 and Vita, including the new Yakuza game when it comes out.

But if you only get your face on host club signs you won’t get as much as the model characters. You get a copy of the new Yakuza game and either a Playstation 3 or Playstation 4. Who would choose a Playstation 3 over a Playstation 4?

As for women…

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Dengeki Bunko FIGHTING CLIMAX set to be released for Playstation 3 and PS Vita this fall!

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The time has come as the French-Bread and Ecole-developed crossover fighting game, Dengeki Bunko FIGHTING CLIMAX, is set for a release this fall on Playstation 3 and PS Vita systems. A good opportunity to import the game as the Sony consoles are region-free.  

First released to arcades in Japan on March 18, it launched with eight playable characters, since adding four more playable and four more support characters. Details have yet to be announced, but the console version will have new contents. Hope to see at least few more SEGA characters and levels for the console release.

SEGAbits may have something planned for FIGHTING CLIMAX when it releases in Japan this fall so stay tuned for that!

 

SEGAbits at Too Many Games 2014 – “Surviving the Dreamcast Apocalypse” panel and more!

SEGAbits made its very first convention appearance this year at TooManyGames in Oaks, PA. In addition to walking the convention floor, Barry the Nomad, Patrick aka Kori-Maru (Website of the Dead), David the Lurker (Sonic Retro) and A.J. Rosa (My Life with SEGA) held a panel discussing the life and death of SEGA’s swan song, the Dreamcast. The same panel also included a presentation from Sonic Retro, covering the history of Sonic the Hedgehog 2‘s Hidden Palace Zone – with rarely seen footage of Sonic 2‘s release and early efforts to remake the lost zone. We also met with several fellow SEGA fans, gave away a pile of rare SEGA swag, and did we mention the panel was standing room only? SEGAbits Does.

Also featured in this video is a convention walkthrough with the crew, and a one-on-one bout between Patrick and A.J.

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Swingin’ Report Show #65: TooManyGames 2014 Gaming Convention Wrap-Up

Last week’s assault on TooManyGames in Oaks, PA was a big success! Our panel, “Surviving the Dreamcast Apocalypse: SEGA Fans in the 21st Century”, was packed to the point of standing room only. The panel itself went very well, with a great round table conversation about the Dreamcast’s demise and SEGA’s future, an exciting new episode of My Life with SEGA, a fascinating look at the behind-the-scenes of Sonic 2‘s Hidden Palace Zone, and tons of SEGA prizes. This week’s episode of the Swingin’ Report Show features Barry, A.J., and Kori-Maru’s thoughts on the convention, a bit of gloating about retro gaming purchases, and that awkward feeling of meeting people from the internet in person for the first time. Unfortunately for George, he wasn’t there, but he lives vicariously though us in our lively post convention wrap-up.

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#Sonic23on23 Celebration Round-up

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A golden birthday only happens once and we at SEGAbits wanted to make sure there was some fanfare! That’s why we teamed up with Sonic Stadium and Sonic Retro for an entire week of articles, features and videos, with the intent of looking back at Sonic’s past, analyzing the present and looking forward to the future. For those of you who may have missed some of it, we thought we’d post a run-down of all the content the awesome staff of our three sites created.

Enjoy!