Did you know that the intro “SE-GA” chime that we all love took 1/8th of the cartridge space? If you are a regular here, you probably already knew this. If you visit Reddit’s /r/TIL subreddit you probably saw this post and now you are seeing my blog posts regarding that blog post. Inception.
So 1/8th of the space? Totally worth it.
While we can’t report on EVERY piece of Sonic merchandise (if we did that, we’d be up to our necks in pencil cases, DVDs, statues, figures and the occasional toothbrush), we do like to share the unique and awesome items emblazoned with Sonic’s mug. “Where’s Sonic?: A Search-And-Find Adventure” is definitely of the unique category. It’s a Where’s Waldo/Wally style book in which fans try and find Sonic as well as other items as they litter recognizable zones and stages from the franchise. Currently the book is only listed in the UK and Australia. Amazon UK is taking pre-orders for £2.99 with free shipping within the UK. The release date is October 11th, so until then try to find Shadow creeping in the shadows in the image above.
Red Entertainment will be bringing you Sakura Wars socially through the mobile game Sakura Wars: Allstar Collection. The game will be released through GREE later this month and feature “LIPS” (Live & Interactive Picture System) conversation system that has made the series famous since the SEGA Saturn era.
The system will work the same as it did in the Saturn era, during conversations you have choices that effect the path of the story and moods of the characters. Hit the jump to see the other photos.
The Dreamcast’s greatest strength is easily its selection of arcade perfect ports. Few games exemplify this trait better then Capcom’s Cannon Spike. This game is a pure arcade shooter through and through and a nice little love letter to Capcom fans. It also holds the increasingly rare distinction of being a Dreamcast exclusive. Cannon Spike was a difficult game for me to find. I have only seen it a half dozen times since its release, and its price has been increasing for years. When I finally decided to buy it, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but my hopes were high. I’ve picked up a couple fan favorite Capcom games over the last few years, like Project Justice and Power Stone 2, and they had yet to disappoint. I am grateful to report that Cannon Spike doesn’t break that trend, though it’s also not quite what I was hoping it was. Eleven years after its release, is Cannon Spike still worth checking out?
Thirteen years ago today, the SEGA Dreamcast released to the United States. Why is it that the US release is so widely celebrated? Well, the marketing geniuses behind the launch chose an incredibly memorable date: 9/9/99. Of course, that isn’t to say that the European launch date of 10/14/99 or the Japanese launch date of 11/27/98 aren’t just as important, but nothing sticks like a string of nines. Despite being one year older, and well past the point where it is still deemed a current gen console or even a last gen console, the Dreamcast has managed to remain relevant. SEGA has kept the dream alive with rereleases of popular Dreamcast games, including the Dreamcast Collection and the upcoming SEGA Heritage Collection titles. Indie developers have been hard at work on new Dreamcast games including the awesome GunLord, the Dux sequel Redux: Dark Matters and redspotgames Sturmwind. Like a fine wine, the Dreamcast just gets better with age. Even now, fans are still discovering titles on the console. Just check out our forums where fans are sharing their favorite obscure titles.
So whatever you have planned for today, try to squeeze in a play session of your favorite Dreamcast game. Don’t have a Dreamcast or don’t have the time? Check out a retrospective video, read an article, or just think back to that time thirteen years ago when SEGA ruled the console world and wowed us with hardware and games that were as technologically impressive as they were filled with innovation and imagination.
The Dreamcast’s birthday is right around the corner, and you know what that means? That’s right, Dreamcast articles! As a big fan of many of the Dreamcast’s more obscure games I enjoy writing about Dreamcast games that even many Dreamcast owners, over a decade later, haven’t played yet. The five games in this list are games that are still relevant, games that Dreamcast owners should still pick up even years later. These games have aged gracefully and while not necessarily unique to the Dreamcast, are still games that need to be experienced on the Dreamcast.
SEGA’s last handheld caught a lot of flack in its day. It was large, clunky, and while I’ve found accusations of the battery life to be rather outlandish, its paltry 3-5 hours of battery life was nothing compared to its contemporaries, particularly the hugely successful Game Boy.
In the days since, though, it seems people have grown a little more appreciative of the Nomad. The system has sold regularly on eBay for between $70 and $150 for over a decade now, having become sought after by collectors and Genesis fans alike as an ideal way to experience the vast Genesis library.
It has been confirmed by SEGA that a Rhythm Thief game will be coming to iOS as a freemium game sometime this winter. The exact nature of the game and whether or not it will be released in the west is currently unknown, though the game will supposedly be tweaked for shorter play sessions and will include social features. Freemium games typically give you a basic game package for free, than charge you for additional in-game items. SEGA’s Spiral Knights online RPG uses such a system.
We should find out exactly what this game will be when the Tokyo Game Show rolls around later this month. Cross your fingers for a western release!
Rhythm Thief is a rhythm game originally released for the 3DS. It uses rhythm games to play out a variety of scenarios in the game’s storyline. It received a B+ from us last month and has been well received by critics. As a major fan of the game myself, I would highly recommend picking it up and supporting SEGA’s original IP releases.
We already know how much Hatsune Miku Project Diva F sold. But is this enough for a sequel? Not according to Nakanohito, spokesperson for Hatsune Miku, who stated on his twitter that seeing the current sales trend it will be difficult to make a sequel.
Also interesting is that the download version of the game only accounted for 10% of sales, 90% was the box version. Nakanohito has stated that his team at SEGA want Hatsune Miku Project Diva F to be the best selling Playstation Vita title of 2012 and will work hard achieving this.
This week on My Life With SEGA, AJ plays the SEGA Genesis classic Flashback: The Quest for Identity. Here’s a question: if it’s titled “Flashback”, why does it take place in the future? Anyway, here’s what AJ has to say about this week’s show:
This is largely considered one of the best cinematic platformers ever made, along with Prince of Persia and Another World. It had one of the most ambitious marketing campaigns I’ve ever seen, boldly exclaiming it’s “A CD-ROM game in a CARTRIDGE!”. My brother and I were amazed….back in 1993.
Is it a flashback worth having, or should we data-dump it like a fresh brownie?
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Selvaria Bles from Valkyria Chronicles was recently announced as a villain for the upcoming crossover title Project X Zone. She wasn’t the only character announced, they also announced Nemesis T-Type from the Resident Evil series and Vajra from the God Eater series.
Yakuza series voice actors for Kazuma Kiryu and Goro Majima are back to play some Yakuza 1&2 HD while giving you commentary. Sadly you don’t speak Japanese, so just look at the gameplay.
The Playstation Vita hasn’t been selling like hot cakes, but last week it saw a huge spike in sales thanks to SEGA’s Hatsune Miku Project Diva F. The Playstation Vita sold 46,877 units, quadrupling what it did the week before.
As for Project Diva F, the game came in #1 for the week with 158,009 units sold. Hit the jump for the full sales charts for last week in Japan.
No idea if this will mean that the game is coming to digital services, but seeing how we are getting NiGHTS into Dreams and Jet Set Radio, I wouldn’t be shocked if this is announced soon.
It could also mean that SEGA hates us and loves to tease us.
XBox360achievements.org has revealed the Achievement list for NiGHTS Into Dreams. The list (which I’ll reveal in the comments link) includes clearing Spring Valley in Christmas mode. This, along with the presents option finally confirms Christmas NiGHTS is in the game. However, it does not confirm playing as Sonic from the original demo but keep your fingers crossed!
Continue reading to see the full list.