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SEGA announces new Sakura Wars game, fans not very pleased

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People have been wanting a new Sakura Wars game for awhile, the franchise might not be huge but it has a nice cult following. SEGA and RED (developer) have been teasing that it would be coming back. So we finally get it announced and it turns out to be a Mobage game.

“The yet untold story of the other battle faced by the young maidens!”

Mobage (Mobile Games) is a social portal used for games,  focusing on freedium sort of experiences where the user gets the based game for free but pays for ‘extras’. This is very typical in the mobile landscape. Also looks like Kōsuke Fujishima won’t be designing characters for this project, the first ever for a  Sakura Wars game. Japanese fans are not happy with the announcement, hit the jump to read some of their angry comments they left on Jin115.

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Takashi Iizuka explains why Sonic Lost World is Nintendo exclusive

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There have been a lot of theories flying around online as to why Sonic Lost World is a Nintendo exclusive. Some say that Nintendo came to SEGA, offered them a pay check for exclusivity, and that before then the game was supposed to come out on all platforms. So what does Takashi Iizuka say when asked the question in the Official Nintendo Magazine?

“The Wii U hadn’t been revealed when development began for Sonic Lost World, so we were working on a PC version in order to see what kind of platformer we could make. Then, when we tried to think about which platform would be best for this game, we chose Nintendo.” – Takashi Iizuka, head of Sonic Team

So there you have it, straight from Takashi himself. Though, I assume people with their own theories will brush this off and say it isn’t true. If it is or isn’t true, who cares, Sonic Lost World is coming exclusively to Wii U (and 3DS) this fall. Though, I would really like a PC version to be released, that would mean it’s still ‘console exclusive’.

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Yuji Naka’s Rodea the Sky Soldier is Still Alive

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Have you been wondering what Yuji Naka has been up to since leaving Sonic Team besides making a bunch of small and kinda neat games? Well, a new action adventure game called Rodea the Sky Soldier was announced for Wii and 3DS, publisher Kadowaka Games released a trailer which can be seen above. So why is it being released for Wii? Well, this trailer was released a little more than two years ago, after which the publisher never spoke of it again. Yuji Naka gave an update a few months later saying that the game was finished, but that they were waiting for Kadowaka Games to publish it. After a while everyone who did know about the game either forgot about it or assumed that it was scrapped.

Now we finally have an update on the title. Yoshimi Yasuda, the president of Kadowaka Games had said that they were having trouble adapting the control scheme to the 3DS version, which is being handled by the publisher. Yasuda said that the version is about 70% finished and that there will be more information in the near future. Maybe it’ll get a re-reveal at TGS 2013? We’ll see.

Prope also released a Digimon RPG called Digimon Adventure for PSP earlier this year in Japan, a western release doesn’t seem likely for this game though.

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Interview: Sam Mullen on Hatsune Miku: Project Diva F

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Here I am (tall, fat and handsome) with Sam Mullen, localization producer on Hatsune Miku: Project Diva F. The surprise hit at the Sega Arcade during San Diego Comic con last week. Despite a demo being readily available on PS3, there always was a big crowd for this game. Sometimes as big as Sonic Lost World (or more)! I ask some of the questions fans have been wanting to know. Will all the songs be included? What about DLC? Watch and find out.

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Summer Games Done Quick 2013 Charity Marathon Begins Today

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Speed Demos Archive and Speed Runs Live team up once again to bring you another charity marathon with Summer Games Done Quick, featuring several games that will be finished in the shortest time possible, live and in front of thousands of viewers over the internet in order to raise money for Doctors Without Borders. The event lasts for five days, until the 30th, which includes games like Sonic the Hedgehog on Mega Drive and Master System, Ecco: The Tides of Time and more during the period. Earlier this year they also held Awesome Games Done Quick 2013 which has helped to raise over $448,000 for the Prevent Cancer Foundation, and they’re looking to repeat that success again with an initial goal of $50,000. The event also gives donors several benefits as well, donations affect bidding decisions on games and provides chances to win several prizes.

The event is currently underway! You can check out the stream on the Speed Demos Archive page or through the Twitch channel.

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My Life with SEGA takes to the skies with Panzer Dragoon Saga

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Panzer Dragoon Saga. So much has already been said in regards to Yukio Futatsugi’s swan song for Sega’s then underrated Saturn console. It’s received unanimous praise from gamers and critics alike, and has become a highly sought after collector’s item since its release….

Expectations were exceedingly high throughout the course of Panzer Dragoon Saga’s 2 year development. Not only would it expand on the franchises mythology, but it would be the first – and, as of this writing, last – role-playing game in the series. Players would be free to explore this incredible universe by air and on foot. This series, much like the dragon itself, evolved.

Sadly, it fell on some dark days. Saturn was on its way out in North America, which resulted in Saga receiving a limited run of only 30,000 copies. Considering there were over 2 million units sold in the United States, Saga was spread pretty thin. Used copies have been known to fetch well over $500 dollars on Amazon and eBay. Just think, that’s the suggested retail price of an Xbox One.

Now, 15 years later, I’m finally going to review it. Like this video? Subscribe to the SEGAbits YouTube channel!

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Plants vs. Zombies running on the SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive

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This weekend at the PAX Australia event, fans of the game ‘Plants vs. Zombies‘ got to see a weird version of their favorite PopCap tower defense game. The game running on the SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive.

Penny Arcade got a chance to play the game and posted the above video of it in action. Dave Cudrev from Retrospekt said he bought the game from the creator, who is a Russian coder. His hobby was rebuilding games and selling them on Ebay.

He purchased the game for $30 dollars, with no box or manual. Other games the coder has re-worked include Darkwing Duck and Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers for the Genesis/Mega Drive. I have to be honest, this would be a cool conversational piece of software to have.

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Sonic Lost World Frozen Factory Gameplay Footage

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Sooo. No one wanted to comment on my preview I wrote days ago when Alex and I were one of the first to see Frozen Factory behind closed doors eh? HMMMPH! Fine! “Grumble, grumble”. Gamespot has footage of most of the level now for everyone to see. Now you can all see the new level I was talking about that no one wanted to comment on. Yay. Comment or don’t. “SNIFF!” See if I care! “Goes crying in the corner.”

Sonic “Sniff!” Lost “Sniff!” World “Sniff!” Will be out October 22nd in the U.S. “BAAAAWWW!

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SEGA releases second Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse behind the scenes video

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SEGA has released the second behind the scenes trailer for their upcoming HD remake of the Genesis/Mega Drive classic Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse. The first behind the scenes video discussed the classic title, while the second video mainly covers the remake, going into character, stage and sound design. The game is looking great, with a lot of fun little graphical and gameplay details. I especially liked the bit where the lamp switch doubles as a rope, and using it causes the light to turn on and off. After the break, check out a piece of promo art for the game.

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SEGA’s Project 575 revealed: Vocaloid iOS App And A PS Vita rhythm/puzzle game

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SEGA has been teasing Project 575 for a month and now they finally tell us what the whole fuzz is about. SEGA said Project 575 will be two things, one a app for iOS called Song Composer 575. Like the name suggest the app will allow you to synthesize your voice to sound very Vocaloid-ish. When it launches, you will be able to convert your voice  to sound like either of the two main characters, Azuki Masoka or Matcha Kobayashi. The point? Create vocaloid inspired music.

SEGA will promote the app by giving it to already to popular Vocaloid composers. The app also lets you watch both of the girls dance, allowing you to dress them up and take creepy augmented reality photos of them. The app is set to release on July 26th on iOS in Japan. If you pre-register for the game, they will give users a free waitress costume (oh boy!).

As for the Playstation Vita game…

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UDON to Release Art Book for Japan-Only Border Break Series in the States

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Ever heard of Border Break? If you’ve kept up with SEGA’s arcade games, you’ll know its a multiplayer class based shooter centered around mechas and online play. We may not be seeing a release of the game outside of Japan anytime soon, but thats not stopping UDON Entertainment which has announced during San Diego Comic Con on Friday that they’re releasing an artbook stateside based on the entire series as part of their recently acquired licenses including Ys, Devil May Cry, and more. The last time UDON brought over an artbook for a Japan-only SEGA title was for Valkyria Chronicles 3, which had already been established outside of Japan.

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Sonic Lost World: Frozen Factory preview

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Sega is in full force this week at their Sega Arcade across the street from the San Diego Comic Con. Fans are lining up to play the latest, upcoming Sega titles. Hatsune Miku is drawing a surprisingly huge crowd. Of course, there is no bigger Sega icon than Sonic the Hedgehog and he was there in full force. There’s a giant statue of him in front of the arcade that can’t be missed, a normal-sized statue for taking pictures with and the main Hedgehog himself posing with fans. You can even get a Sonic chili dog out front!

But of course, the biggest attraction for Sonic fans is Sonic Lost World. The E3 demo is available to the public for the first time and folks playing seem delighted. However, Alex and I got a special treat as Aaron Webber came by to show us a “behind closed doors” demo with a brand new level, “Frozen Factory” which… is once again another fake out level name and it is neither frozen, nor a factory. Well, it might be a factory come to think of it. Keep reading for more details on the level and what improvements have been made to the original demo.

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Mark Strong to play a role of a general in Total War: Rome 2

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Mark Strong is known for playing various villains in movies (Kick-Ass, Green Lantern and Sherlock Homes) and it seems he might continue this typecasted villain role in Total War: Rome 2. He is set to play General Silanus, a power hungry general that will guide you (the player) though the opening chapters of the campaign.

Even though he is mostly known for his villain roles, he did play the voice of Titus in the Warhammer 40k: Space Marine video game. Which is a pretty damn good game and is now published by SEGA (since it was developed by Relic).

You can check out the press release after the break.

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SEGA 3D Classics series on Nintendo 3DS announced for the United States and Europe

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I feel like we’ve been reporting on these forever, but up until now the games in SEGA’s 3D Classics line-up have been exclusive to Japan. However, that isn’t the case anymore! The SEGA Blog and the latest Nintendo Direct from the UK has revealed that we can expect 3D Altered Beast, 3D Ecco the Dolphin, 3D Galaxy Force II, 3D Shinobi III, 3D Sonic The Hedgehog, 3D Space Harrier, 3D Streets of Rage, and 3D Super Hang-On to release “soon” to the Nintendo 3DS eShop in North America and Europe. You can see the announcement for yourself at 5:13 in the above video. Hooray!

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