SEGA of Japan launches SEGA Archives site


Just today, one of the SEGA producers who is in charge of bringing back many classic games that we all know and love has launched a new Sega website called “Archives.sega.jp” . It’s a web portal of all 150 titles available for digital services and a pretty neat web design too. The site includes digital games from the SEGA AGES Online line-up to the MODEL2 Collection. Just looking at all the games in one site brings back good SEGA memories I had back in the day. I hope we can get more games like Virtua Cop & Sakura Taisen next. Check out the site here with a click on the link.

Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed releases to Vita in the US today

Vita owners in the United States can finally get their hands on Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, as the game is now available to purchase! While released on the 7th in Europe, Americans had to wait a little longer to get the game. Was it worth the wait? Vita owners who picked it up, feel free to sound off in the comments section or over in our lovely forums. So far, critic reviews hover around 8/10, which is a great score! For those of you who plan to buy the game, remember that Gamestop is still giving away a free diecast Danicar Hot Wheels car with the purchase of any version of the game.

NiGHTS into Dreams now available on Steam

It’s a Christmas NiGHTS miracle! The Saturn classic NiGHTS into Dreams is now available to download on Steam for a cool $9.99. Buy it now so you can enjoy Winter NiGHTS and on Christmas day, Christmas NiGHTS. Make it a holiday tradition!

Features include:

Hd Dreams
See NiGHTS come to life like never before with HD graphics and widescreen. All 7 original dreams have been enhanced for an invigorated gameplay experience.

Christmas Nights
Experience the holiday season early with playable content from Christmas NiGHTS.

Achievements and Leaderboards
Track your progress against the most dedicated NiGHTS fans in the world.

Saturn Dreams
Long-time fans can re-play the game in its original form.

Extras
The Movie Theater and Gallery offer a behind-the-scenes look at the story and artwork that make NiGHTS into dreams… so special.

Happy Holidays from SEGAbits – deck the halls with SEGA ornaments!

Happy holidays from all of us at SEGAbits! We’re truly thankful the have such an awesome community, and look forward to what 2013 will bring. As a special holiday treat, we’ve made some SEGA themed ornaments for fans to print, cut out, and hang on their Christmas tree, or whatever plants they may have sitting about their house. Directions: Below are the two pages in thumbnail form. Open both in new tabs, hit print, glue them back to back and cut out the four ornaments. Using a hole puncher, or the pointy end of an ornament hook, make a hole in the top of the ornament. Then, if you did it correctly, you’ll have four cool SEGA themed ornaments. It’s that easy!

Again, a very happy holidays and all the best in 2013 and beyond.

– The SEGAbits Team

SEGAbits contributes to 1UP.com cover story – “A Dream Deferred: When Sega Got Out at the Right Time”

Gaming website 1UP.com has posted their cover story for the week, entitled “A Dream Deferred: When Sega Got Out at the Right Time”. The story covers the Dreamcast’s exit from the market, and argues why it might have been a good decision in the long run. 1UP writer Ray Barnholt reached out to SEGAbits earlier in the month for our thoughts on the Dreamcast’s demise, and the finished article features quotes from our very own Shigs and -nSega54-! Head on over to 1UP.com to read the article, and feel free to share your thoughts both there and here.

Again, a big thanks to 1UP and Ray Barnholt for thinking of us when it came to the opinions of SEGA fans!

Classic Game Room names indie Dreamcast game Gunlord game of the year

Leave it to Mark of Classic Game Room to still believe in the SEGA Dreamcast! In his top ten games of 2012 video, Mark named the Dreamcast indie game Gunlord from NG:DEV.TEAM as his favorite game of the year. Other notable titles mentioned by Mark: Under Defeat HD (an HD title, but originally an arcade and Dreamcast game), Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed (which beat Forza Horizon and F1 2012 on the list), and Yakuza: Dead Souls. Truly a SEGA fan after my own beer- I mean, heart.

Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed demo now available on Wii U eShop

Though it may seem a bit late at this point, North American Wii U owners still on the fence about picking up SEGA’s well-received kart racer now have the opportunity to try it before buying it. Sonic and All-Stars Racing Transformed may have an unwieldy title, but it’s a fun game with a massive amount of content easily worth your $39.99, so check it out if you haven’t yet!

Editorial: SEGA sues Level-5 over patent violations

The internet has gone into a tizzy over the news that SEGA has taken game company Level-5 to court, claiming Level-5 has infringed on two patents held by SEGA. SEGA claims that the Level-5 developed Inazuma Eleven games infringe on a patented mechanic which allows players to move characters with their fingers or a stylus. The lawsuit, if won, could prohibit sales of all eight Inazuma games on the DS, Wii, and 3DS, as well as win SEGA 900 million yen (roughly $11 million). Internet sites from Joystiq to Kotaku are reporting on the story, though in my opinion they are jumping the gun when it comes to the details of the lawsuit. For starters, following the news, Level-5 responded by stating that the first Inazuma Eleven game was released in 2008, while Sega didn’t file its first patent until 2009. Level-5 also claims that the second followed in 2011. “As a result of examining these discrepancies,” Level-5 stated, “we’ve concluded that there is no patent violation.”

SEGA CD Month – My Life With SEGA ventures into Soul Star

SEGA CD month heats up with Soul Star; the pseudo 3D space shooter set thousands of light-years away….

“Across a yawning gulf of space and time, the six planets of the Soul Star system perform a peaceful celestial dance around their youthful suns, unaware of the horror soon to come. A horror in the dreaded shape of the Myrkoids, an alien species older than the stars themselves, with a unified mind far colder than the space between those stars. The Myrkoids – killers of worlds – descend upon unsuspecting star systems, sucking them dry and draining every planet of its internal energies. They leave nothing in their savage wake but empty husks drifting lifelessly in space.”

C’mon, tell me you’re not curious?

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SEGA Tunes: Sonic Generations’ Casino Night Modern Remix

The Sonic series has played host to a wide variety of musical styles over the years, ranging from the old school chiptunes of the Genesis era to today’s modern cheese rock from bands like Crush 40. Never, however, have I ever thought to associate Sonic the Hedgehog with swing music. That is, until Sonic Generations was released.

Anyone who’s been paying close attention to Tuesday Tunes may know I have an affection for old school American genres like jazz and swing. So, when I first heard this track play in Sonic Generations 3DS, I was blown away. This is a really great piece of swing, serving as the perfect backdrop for the remake of Sonic’s first casino stage. Easily my favorite remix to come out of the Sonic Generations games.

Of course, it helps that the original track from Sonic 2 was also pretty kick ass. Nice example of what the Genesis could do musically in the right hands. Go ahead and see for yourself below the fold!

Buy any version of Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed at Gamestop, get a free Hot Wheels Danicar

Update: I visited a local Gamestop to learn more about the offer. Since I had my heart set on the 3DS version, I asked to pre-order the game. I was told the game was set for a February 12th, 2013 release date and that I could put down anywhere from $5 to the total cost of the game to pre-order. I put down $5 and then asked for the Danicar. The cashier was surprised I knew they existed, and asked the manager if I could have one. It was then that I learned stores were told that only those buying the game would get a car, but it wasn’t made clear if pre-ordering also meant the customer gets a car. Since, in the managers words “they had a lot” of the Danicar, I could have one. In short, buying the game now for the 360, PS3 or Wii U will get you a car (if they have them in stock). Pre-ordering for Vita may or may not get you the car, but given the game releases next week, you’ll just have to ask nicely and perhaps putting down the full amount for the pre-order will sweeten the deal. Same goes for the 3DS version. End update.

Back in October, SEGA unveiled Danica Patrick’s in-game model and made the announcement of an exclusive Hot Wheels SEGA-branded Danicar. Where could fans get the toy? Who knew! All we were told was that “the ‘Danicar’ will also be available as an exclusive diecast vehicle available this holiday season with purchase of Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed at select retailers.” Awesome! A month passed, the game released and… no Danicar. No sign of it at any store. Some fans, such as myself, waited until release week hoping to learn which “select retailers” would have the freebie before making a firm pre-order. No news turned up, so the Danicar was forgotten, fans bought the game and a month passed. Then, fans over at The Sonic Stadium forums discovered the toy car on ebay, with a “Gamestop Exclusive” label and as such, turned to Gamestop to see what the deal was. Some stores were genuinely confused, directing fans to stores like Toys R Us where they can find Hot Wheels cars. Other stores had the cars, but weren’t quite sure what to do with them. As of Sunday, it seems, stores are now giving the cars away with copies of the game.

Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed 3DS likely delayed until February

It’s not racing, it’s racing delayed! Via The Sonic Stadium comes news that Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed for the 3DS has most likely been delayed until February 2013. While the game released to 360, PS3 and Wii U in mid November, and the Vita version is due December 18th in the US, the 3DS version has been missing in action. SEGA hasn’t done a very good job in letting fans know when to expect the 3DS version of the game, and as such many have relied on retailers like Amazon and Gamestop. Both sites list a February 2013 release date, and a recent post from Nintendo Europe seems to confirm the delay as the 3DS version is listed with a February 2013 date.

Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown wins “Best Fighting Game of 2012” by G4TV’s X-Play

On December 6th, G4TV’s X-Play did their Best of the Year Video Games Awards for 2012. In the fighting game category, the nominees were SoulCalibur 5, Persona 4 Arena, PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown and Skullgirls.  The people have voted and the winner of the “Best Fighting Game of 2012” goes to SEGA’s Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown! Glad to see SEGA’s famous fighting franchise taking the spot. It’s one of the greatest arcade ports ever made. Hope to see what AM2 has in store for the series in the future. I look forward to the next bout!

Sonic, Eggman and Neff make the blu-ray cover art for Wreck-It Ralph

Disney has just revealed the cover art for the blu-ray releases of Wreck-It Ralph, and look who made both covers! Sonic stands alongside main characters Ralph and Felix in the gold bordered Ultimate Collector’s Edition release, with SEGA villains Eggman and Neff on either side. Meanwhile, the standard blu-ray release features Sonic, Eggman and Neff amongst other video game icons. Price and release date have yet to be revealed, but expect them to go for above or around $20 on release and to hit in March/April of next year.