SEGA of Japan have posted up a teaser site for an upcoming game, with the date of “2.12” being the only text floating atop a series of painted fantasy lanscapes. Could it be a new Phantasy Star? A Sonic Chronicles 2? Shenmue 1.5: How Goro Got His Groove Back? No, the game being teased is in fact a Korean massive online battle arena game known as Chaos Online. Most likely, SEGA will be localizing and releasing it for Japan. As you can see after visiting the site, the above image appears in the rotation, without the character and game logo of course. Most likely, the game will not be released outside of Japan, so as they say “move along, move along”.
The number three is quite an important one for SEGA fans: the highly successful Mega Drive/Genesis was the third SEGA console (excluding the many variations of the SG-1000 and Master System), Sonic 3 & Knuckles is considered to be Sonic’s greatest 2D epic, and fans often request Sonic Adventure 3 and a Shenmue 3. It is fitting, then, that we make such a big deal of our three year anniversary. While three years may not seem like a long time, for a website it is quite a feat. For three solid years our writers, admins and mods have strived to bring SEGA fans the best general SEGA fan site we can. We’ve done our best to keep up to date on SEGA news and reviews, from official stories to fan projects, and strived to create as much original content as we can. As such, we are very proud of our many features including the My Life with SEGA video series, Tuesday Tunes, writer round tables, the Friday Five (which will return soon), the Sonic Talk podcast, and our general SEGA podcast the SEGAbits Swingin’ Report Show. We have also redesigned the site a number of times, but always for the better, to give readers and followers the best visual experience we can.
Of course, all of the above means nothing without a crucial element: our readers and community members. Without all of you, SEGAbits probably wouldn’t have lasted as long as it has, and would be nowhere near the success that it is. As such, we want to give a huge “thank you!” to our readers. Thank you for frequenting the site, thank you for the comments and news tips, thank you for the hours spent in our forums and thank you for making us the number one general SEGA fan site on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr. Also, a big thank you to the many members of SEGA’s staff who helped us out with articles, interviews, contests, and events. You know who you are, and you’re awesome. So here’s to three years, and here’s to many more!
Numbers nerds rejoice, SEGA has released their 3rd quarter earnings for 2013! Of course, to the average SEGA fan, it’s a lot to take in and a bit difficult to work out the positives and negatives. Thankfully, the SEGAbits community has members who know their stuff. So a big thanks to Aki-at for sharing the news and making sense of the many PDFs. Overall net profits currently stand at ¥3 billion (£20,433,810/$32,003,400), this is from an original ¥7 billion which dropped to ¥3 billion due to costs. SEGA arcade sales operating profits were ¥2,6 billion (£17,742,998/$27,993,160) while the consumer division profited ¥519 million (£3,541,775.37/$5,587,865.40) and arcade centers profited ¥984 million (£6,715,042.32/$10,594,334.40).
Sammy, meanwhile, recorded ¥7.7 billion operating profits (£52,512,691/$82,168,240), a decrease from last year’s ¥71 billion (£483,600,170/$757,413,800). It is important to note, however, that the arcade division had no new major titles being sold and that some pachislot machines were delayed. A Fist of the Northstar pachislot machine was forecasted to sell over 200,000 units. As such, numbers were adjusted to account for this changing the net income projection down from ¥40 billion to ¥12 billion.
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night was a sleeper hit in North America when it landed on the Sony PlayStation way back in 1997. Beautifully drawn 2D sprites with dazzling 3D effects, and a brilliant score. There’s a very good reason why many fans consider it the very best of the franchise. As incredible as the game already is, Konami released an expanded version for the SEGA Saturn….only in Japan.
That’s right; it’s import month on My Life with SEGA. This week, I’m reviewing Dracula X: Nocturne in the Moonlight for SEGA Saturn. If you’re a fan of the American version, as well as the Saturn, you’re probably thinking, “Holy shit! The Saturn is one of the best 2D gaming machines ever created. This is gonna’ blow the PlayStation outta’ the water!”
Also, a reminder that the SEGAbits 3rd anniversary contest is going on now – win prizes like a SEGA Genesis, Genesis games and brand new My Life With SEGA DVD’s! All the details can be found here.
For SEGAbits’ 3rd anniversary I thought I’d devote this month’s Tuesday Tunes to choices from other staff members! This week we’ll be highlighting the host for the SEGAbits video series “My Life With SEGA” A.J. Rosa. His selection? Two songs from The Terminator for the SEGA CD, a game that he covered in My Life With SEGA as part of his Schwarzenegger double feature. Enjoy!
The Terminator for SEGA CD didn’t have any fancy scaling and rotation effects; it’s true. However, it did have a kickass soundtrack! That’s saying a lot, because I generally criticize movie-licensed games when they fail to include score from the actual film. While it does feature Brad Fiedel’s iconic theme, the score was written and performed by Tommy Tallarico. The man is a legend in his field, having scored hundreds of games, such as Earthworm Jim, Unreal, Robocop vs. The Terminator and Cool Spot. Rather than aping Fiedel’s destinctive style, Tallarico went his own way and wrote something more akin to rock opera. It’s bursting with wicked electronic guitars that kick-start your adrenaline, melodies that inspire feelings of foreboding and desperation….
That’s certainly appropriate.
This score is so fucking awesome that I made a copy for the car. I’ll listen to “Future Shock” on my way to work, “Destinations Unknown” on my way home. That CD didn’t leave my player for a month. So what you’re about to listen to is – essentially – my Going to work/Going home ritual. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
SEGA dropped a bomb today, revealing that After Burner Climax will be receiving an iOS port. The game, which will be playable on iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch platforms, looks to be completely rebuilt to support touchscreen play. Graphics appear to be scaled down, but presumably the smaller screen and super fast speeds will make the scaling down not so noticeable. In case you can’t tell, I’m trying to pad this article out to make it a paragraph, because SEGA has shared little else other than a screen, the platforms and a promise that more info is to come. Given the announcements of past SEGA iOS titles, we could very well see the game releasing within a week.
The SEGA Blog has today revealed new screens and details regarding the Nintendo 3DS release of Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed. The screens, seen after the break, look rather jaggy and blurry. However, as we’ve seen the game looks a lot better when it is actually being played, which is typically the case with 3DS titles when it comes to screenshots. The game is still set for a February 8, 2013 release in Europe and a February 12, 2013 release in North America. Other features include:
StreetPass challenges and features
The ability to play with up to seven friends using multi cart or single cart play
22 playable SEGA All-stars characters
Over 20 tracks and arenas
Also noted, like the other versions of the game there will be a bonus edition available for a limited time. Bonus edition content features: Metal Sonic along with his transforming vehicle and Mod Pack, an additional Outrun Bay Track plus challenges and time trials, and stickers for your in-game driver’s license.
Despite being a week away, there has been a severe lack of Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed gameplay footage. That is, until today! YouTube user Dafstervideos has uploaded a whopping sixteen and a half minutes of gameplay footage. I have to say, the game is looking surprisingly good, for a handheld port of a console title. It is far better looking than the DS version of the first game, that’s for sure. Give the video a watch and let us know what you think of the 3DS iteration. The game is due to release in the EU on the 8th, and in the US on the 12th.
I figured it’d be fun to post something a bit out of the normal since it’s the weekend. Every Sonic fan knows who MarioTehPlumber is. Turns out he wasn’t happy with SEGA’s blog entry today for Hedgehog Day, and thinks Sonic Adventure 3 is coming and it upsets him greatly. Skip to the 2:40 mark for the good stuff if you aren’t patient. Language warning, NSFW, etc.
While SEGAbits.com doesn’t officially turn three years old until February 6th, we were too excited to wait and want to officially announce the SEGAbits 3rd anniversary My Life with SEGA contest! AJ lays out all the rules and prizes in the video above, but to nail the details into your heads here is a recap:
WHAT TO DO:
Create a review of a SEGA game, a game on a SEGA console, or a piece of SEGA hardware. The format is up to you: written, video, a drawing, a photo of a sculpture. As long as it is a review of something SEGA, and you’re able to share it with us, you’re in the running.
WHAT YOU GET IF YOU WIN:
The top three winners will be featured in a SEGAbits.com article. First place will receive AJ’s personal copy of Technocop for the Genesis, a Genesis model 2 and a copy of the official “SEGAbits Presents My Life with SEGA” DVD. Second place will receive AJ’s copy of Outlander as well as the My Life with SEGA DVD. Third place will receive a copy of the DVD. The best runners-up will also be featured in an article.
SUBMISSION DEADLINE:
Submissions must be sent to us by the end of February (the 28th). Winners will be announced the second week of March and prizes will be sent out at the end of March.
Written reviews can be submitted via the contact button in the navigation bar at the top of the site, or emailed to us at: SEGAbits@gmail.com
Drawings can be submitted the same way, either as a link to a page where your drawing is hosted or by attaching the drawing to an email.
Videos can be shared by being posted to your personal YouTube account and then shared with SEGAbits as a video response to the above video, or by emailing us a link.
GOOD LUCK, SEGA FANS! We can’t wait to see what you come up with.
SEGA Japan has released a new trailer for Phantasy Star Online 2 for the Playstation Vita. The PC version has been released in Japan since early last year and now they are preparing to release the Vita version this February. Yes, the Vita version will also be free to download and play, which of course is awesome.
The best news? You will be able to play with PC players on the Vita and also use ‘character data transfer’.
We already know that Archie Comics was planning on doing a Sonic the Hedgehog x Mega Man crossover entitled “Worlds Collide”. This new first look at Sonic Universe #52 takes place five issues into the new exciting arc (which is set to be 12 issues long).
Patrick “SPAZ” Spaziante has cover duty. Check out the variants allowing you to choose eitther Team Sonic or Team Mega Man. I think you all know who I’m rooting for. Hit the jump for more information.
Sadly SEGA has had a pretty bad history of DLC, sometimes promising that they will release content for a game then hush up after they release a few pieces of content. It seems they will try to fix this issue with Aliens: Colonial Marines by offering season passes priced at $29.99 (this price being 33% off if you buy the four packs they include individually). It is said that these packs will include new “campaign content, additional multiplayer maps, new modes, character customization and more.”
One more tidbit, the season passes are only being posted for the PC version of the game. I’m assuming they will also be released for their console brethren, but who knows. Remember SEGA dropping support for AVP on consoles? Could the console version of this game also be an inferior version? I guess we will find out when it is released.
Me and Nux are big fans of internet celebrity Angry Joe and his video reviews. I even got to meet him at E3 2 years ago. It looks like he’s just as excited for Aliens: Colonial Marines as we are. Here, he gives a top ten list of things he’s most excited for in this upcoming release. It feels a bit stretched with some of the reasons, but it shows his enthusiasm for the upcoming release. Check it out.
Move along, folks. Nothing to see here. SEGA of Japan’s mystery game, Code of Joker, has been revealed by Famitsu to be a digital card game for mobile phones arcades. Famitsu describes the game as a “digital trading card game” and notes that people who attend events at select locations tomorrow in Japan will receive digital gifts including a ” login bonus stamp at the start of the game”. The game most likely will not see release outside of Japan given SEGA’s past mobile trading card arcade titles.
Update: Seems the game is not for mobile phones, but is rather for arcades. It is still, however, a card game. The mobile phone mixup came from the mention of players mobile phones, which is actually referring to an “Aime card“. Players use physical Aime cards to access their data on arcade machines, much like the old idea of using a VMU with arcade machines. Players can also access their Aime card data via their mobile phones.
