Latest Posts

Has SEGA lost the trademark for Shenmue? [Updated]

by

RyoHaz
Weird the way things happen? In one month from today, March 19th, Yu Suzuki will take the stage at GDC to talk about Shenmue, Ryo Hazuki has made his return to SEGA’s All-Stars Racing games and now SEGA loses the trademark for the franchise in the USA? Seems like a step back for fans and it seems to be true.

According to the trademark page, the reason they dropped the trademark was “because registrant did not file an acceptable declaration under Section 8.” So what is Section 8? You can read it all here, but the whole thing revolves around SEGA not coming with a ‘declaration’ on why they should keep it and why they haven’t been making commercial uses of it. Though, I think this is a mistake since SEGA technically is making ‘use’ of the franchise with his appearances in recent games and even merchandise. I have a feeling this trademark issue is something SEGA is already working on fixing.

Update: It should be noted that the database shows two dead trademarks for Shenmue. One, filed on February 18, 1999 and cancelled on January 17, 2009, pertains to “computer game programs and prerecorded discs and ROMs for computer game programs”. This is likely referring to the original Shenmue for the SEGA Dreamcast.

The one that was cancelled on Valentine’s Day pertains to “entertainment services, namely, providing an online computer game”. This one was filed on August 25, 2003. The now cancelled Shenmue Online was officially announced in 2004, meaning this recent dead trademark is likely for that game and the potential for games like it.

3 Comments

Yakuza Restoration on the PS3 will have “a little bonus” for fans

by

yakuzaps3

The guys over at Siliconera recently spoke to Yakuza producer and all around tan man Toshihiro Nagoshi about the differences between Yakuza Restoration on the Playstation 3 vs the Playstation 4. He stated the the game will only differ visually since the Playstation 4 has 10x more power than the Playstation 3. He stated they have always intended for this title to be a launch game on Playstation 4 and worked hard in getting it ready.

Even though the Playstation 3 version won’t have as smooth framrate or fancy effects like the Playstation 4 version, it will have a ‘a little bonus’ for fans that have save data from previous Yakuza games. Not bad, right? Demo for Yakuza Restoration is now on the Japanese PSN store, game comes out over there on February 22nd. No Western release plans have been announced.

2 Comments

My Life with SEGA battles it out in Cyber Troopers: Virtual-On for the SEGA Saturn

by


 
My Life with SEGA is back! A.J. is back! Mickey Mac is back! In our first episode since our team up in Rambo for SEGA’s Master System, it’s time to get our mech on in SEGA’s critically acclaimed arcade smash, Cyber Troopers Virtual-On for the SEGA Saturn! Released in 1995 to arcade’s by Sega AM3, Cyber Troopers Virtual-On is a versus fighting game featuring robots known as the “virtuaroids”, appropriately powered by Sega Saturns. Yes, sticking consoles on your protagonists was a thing even before The Typing of the Dead. The game was later ported to the Saturn, which is the version we’re putting to the test in this 2-Man Scramble. Who will come out on top? Watch and find out!

Like this video? Subscribe to the SEGAbits YouTube channel!

5 Comments

SEGA in the Charts: MediaCreate charts for Feb 10 – Feb 16 2014

by

puyo_puyo_tetris.0_cinema_720.0

Last week saw the release of one of SEGA’s major Q4 titles in the form of Puyo Puyo Tetris. Whilst  SEGA benefited from multiple SKUs of the title in the charts posting some decent numbers all round, this time however they only manage one SKU but is the decline normal for the series or does SEGA have cause for concern and will the title meet its target? Hit the break to find out how well the latest entry did and how it compares to previous installments;

Continue Reading ➜

4 Comments

Bayonetta: Bloody Fate is number one selling blu-ray in Japan

by

Bayonetta-Bloody-Fate-3

SEGA’s animated feature based on the Bayonetta series, Bloody Fate, has opened taking the number one slot in the blu-ray charts. Beating out it’s nearest rival Arpeggio of Blue Steel Vol. 2 by 752 units, Bayonetta: Bloody Fate Deluxe Special Edition managed to sell 2,480 taking it straight to the top of the charts whilst the Regular Edition of the blu-ray also managed to enter the charts down in tenth moving 347 units. Check below for the full charts.

Rank | Title | Weekly Sales | Total Sales

1  – | Bayonetta: Bloody Fate Deluxe Special Edition | 2,480 | 2,480 |

2 – | TV Animation Arpeggio of Blue Steel Vol. 2 | 1,728 | 10,804 |

3 – | Free! 6 (Blu-ray) | 1,465 | 15,942 |

4 – | Natsume’s Book of Friends Itsuka Yuki no Hi ni (Limited Complete Pressing) | 1,439 | 13,310 |

5 – | Monsters University MovieNEX | 1,303 | 166,060 |

6 – | Wanna Be the Strongest in the World Vol. 3 | 773 | 773 |

7 – | Kill la Kill 2 (Limited Complete Pressing) | 724 | 7,455 |

8 – | Senki Zesshō Symphogear G 5 (Limited-Time Edition) | 610 | 6,681 |

9 – | Attack on Titan 7 | 507 | 26,877 |

10 – | Bayonetta: Bloody Fate Regular Edition | 347 | 347 |

2 Comments

SEGA to divide Index Corporation into two companies on April 1st

by

SEGA-ATLUS
 
Gematsu is reporting that SEGA will be dividing the recently acquired Index Corporation into two companies: Atlus and Index. The division, which will go into effect on April 1st, will also see Index’s Western subsidiary change its name to Atlus U.S.A., Inc. SEGA Sammy’s reasoning for the division is to “maximize the creation of synergies within SEGA Sammy, as well as within each industry of the SEGA Group”.

Atlus will be heading game planning and development with 121 employees, and current SEGA managing director and Index company director Yukio Sugino will be acting as Atlus’ new representative. Meanwhile, Index will handle content and solutions business with 166 employees, the current Index representative director and executive vice president Yasuhiko Hamada will be acting as Index’s representative.

It will be interesting to see what comes of this new division in 2014 and beyond, most intriguing is the mention of creating synergies between Index and Atlus and SEGA’s operations. Could we see Index taking on SEGA IPs, or vice versa?

No Comments

SEGA Japan releases a trailer for Shining Force Cross Exlesia Version B

by


 
SEGA of Japan has released a trailer for the version B upgrade to their arcade title Shining Force Cross Exlesia, which is a follow-up to 2012’s arcade title Shining Force Cross Elysion. The trailer shows off the various character classes, including human, darkrace, birdring, beasthalf, and elf. No release date has been given, but fans of the series can expect to see this revision hit Japanese arcades soon.

SEGA has really been shining the light on the Shining Force franchise as of late, with this announcement and the reveal of the Shining Force fighting game. Hey SEGA of Japan, where’s our Virtua Fighter 6?

No Comments

Sonic Talk #25 “We’re gonna need more sports tape.”

by

[ MP3 Download ] [ iTunes ]

Now with 100% more Mike Pollock! Yes, we got Dr. Eggman himself in an interview later in the show. In the meantime, we got five, count’em FIVE folks on the podcast with the clearest audio we’ve ever had. (Goodbye Skype recorder and good riddance.) Our main focus of this episode is the very recent announcement of Sonic Boom. Me, Alex, and Ben of SEGAbits, along with GX Echidna and Tanner Bates delve deep into our personal feelings on this new redesign of our favorite hedgehog and pals.

WARNING! After the Mike Pollock interview, I accidentally lost the last 20 minutes of my voice from the podcast, but I edited it so you can still hear the others (just expect some jarring changes in subject.)

Continue Reading ➜

4 Comments

Indie shmup NEO XYX releases today for the SEGA Dreamcast

by


 
It has been a busy time for indie SEGA Dreamcast games. Last month we saw the release of Redux: Dark Matters, next month is expected to see the release of Pier Solar, and today we see the release of NG:DEV.TEAM’s NEO XYX. Described as a maniac shooter, the game features 6 stages with 6 endbosses and 5 midbosses, all rendered in 16-bit hand-drawn graphics. The game supports the VMU, VGA out, and the Dreamcast arcade stick. The game also features both vertical (TATE) and horizontal (YOKO) controls, and depending on your screen orientation, the HUD changes to suit the screen mode.

You can purchase the game at the official NG:Dev.Team store, or you can find it for a bit less at Play-Asia in a Standard Edition release, a Limited Edition release which includes the game’s soundtrack, and a Collector’s Edition release.

1 Comment

Round Table: How we would like to see Sakura Taisen localized

by

SBRT
 
As Sakura Taisen week comes to an end, the SEGAbits writers and I look ahead to the future of the franchise. While we’re certain Japanese gamers want a sixth title, here in the West we’re still waiting for localized releases of the first four games. While there are no signs of Sakura Taisen 1-4 seeing a Western release anytime soon, that doesn’t stop us from speculating and sharing our own ideas for how SEGA could give gamers these SEGA classics. And who knows, with the recent developments of SEGA acquiring Atlus’s parent company Index and SEGA surprising us all with the localization of Hatsune Miku: Project Diva F, perhaps there is a future for the franchise in the West. Check out our thoughts after the break!

Continue Reading ➜

No Comments

Segalization and Sakura Taisen Week

by

SakuraWarsTokyo

Segalization heard that SEGAbits was running a Sakura Taisen-themed week, and we were happy to help commemorate the week by contributing something of our own. Sakura Taisen, or Sakura Wars as it’s known over here, is easily one of the most prominent SEGA franchises to never make it stateside. It is the poster child for what Segalization wants to correct. So please, read on as we go into Sakura Wars’ history, what it means to the Segalization mission and my own personal experience with the only game in the franchise that has been localized.

Continue Reading ➜

No Comments

Classic SEGA Ads: Segata Sanshiro is in love

by

The internet has made much ado about Chuck Norris as the manliest man who has ever lived, but that’s only because they are too afraid to admit that Segata Sanshiro will one day beat them all up for not diligently playing their SEGA Saturns.

Segata Sanshiro is the definition of an unstoppable force, the embodiment of an unmovable object, but even he is susceptible to love, as this Sakura Taisen 2 commercial shows. That said, it takes a true to be willing to gleefully play in a pile of Sakura pedals with his beloved. Do not be comforted by this ad though, non-Saturn owners. After Sakura Taisen Week is over, he will come for you all…with a vengeance.

5 Comments

Retro Review: Sakura Taisen 2

by

After the first Sakura Taisen game was met with commercial and critical success in 1996, a sequel was inevitable. The SEGA Saturn, though successful in Japan, was hemorrhaging money abroad, making a sequel to one of the company’s few late 90s success stories all the more important. So, SEGA collaborated with RED again to produce a sequel.

Sakura Taisen 2: Kimi, Shinitamou Koto Nakare, which roughly translates to “Beloved, You Must Not Die” was released for the SEGA Saturn on April 4th, 1998 as a three disc set. Introducing two new characters and improved game play, it remains the most successful game in the series. It sold over half a million copies, making it the second best-selling dating sim of all time. It was re-released for the SEGA Dreamcast two years later with brand new features that showed what the system was capable of.

Here is our retro review of Sakura Taisen 2 for the Saturn and Dreamcast.

Continue Reading ➜

No Comments

New Shining video game is an arcade fighting game, check out the trailer

by

Today SEGA announced the latest entry in the Shining franchise, Blade Arcus from Shining, a 2D arcade fighting game. Tony Taka, the man responsible for most of the franchise’s character designs of the last decade, has returned to design the characters for this game. I’m disappointed by this bit of news, as I don’t care for his work in the franchise.

The game will feature characters from Shining Blade, like Sakuya and Rage, as well as least two new characters. Blade Arcus from Shining is set to come out this summer in Japan.

2 Comments

SEGA PC games being discounted up to 90%! Check out these weekend deals

by

sonic_the_money_by_shadic592-d5qgtf9
(above image by DeviantART user: Shadic592)

This weekend is going to be huge for SEGA PC gamers, there are tons of sales across the internet, some on Steam and others on other websites like Gamefly. So let’s get started! 

Steam: Make War Not Love sale 

Amazon

Green Man Gaming

GameFly Digital: SEGA classics sale

(Note: All the games on sale by Gamefly use Games for Windows Live, which is being discontinued on July 1st, 2014. That means that the online portions of the games will remain offline, the games will still be playable on offline accounts.)

No Comments