Cover by: Patrick “SPAZ” Spaziante
Sonic the Hedgehog comic universe is nearly twenty years old, its about time it gets a “best of” trade paperback release. For those that waited this long, here is a preview of what you can expect in the full release on the 26th (yes, the day after Christmas). Retail price for the trade will be $14.99 and be about 144 pages long.
Sega has just released the Sega Ages 2500 Phantasy Star Complete Collection on PS2 Classics today just in time to celebrate the series 25th anniversary for digital download. The collection contains all 8 titles from the entire original series I-IV and the side-story games. It’s only 800 yen ($10) to download. If your interested in buying it, make sure that you have a Japanese PSN account and buy JP PSN cards from import sites or Ebay. Even though players can play the original four games on Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection in English, this is a unique gift for die hard fans of the series. Here’s the list of games that are featured in the collection.
Don’t freak out, we’re not turning into CAPCOMbits. However, this story may be of interest to some SEGA fans. Capcom wants to know what sorts of digital titles fans want to see, and to let them know all you need to do is take a survey. Of interest to SEGA fans is that the survey asks “From which Capcom franchises are you most interested in seeing digital games?” followed by a number of franchises that were popular on SEGA consoles, including Power Stone and Project Justice (aka Rival Schools). Once you select the games you wish to see digitally rereleased, you get to answer more detailed questions including your levels of interest for HD ports of Power Stone 1, HD ports of Power Stone 2, and an HD port of a Power Stone Collection.
So if you’ve ever wanted to see some classic Capcom titles that appeared on SEGA consoles rereleased, head on over to the survey and make sure Capcom hears you!
SEGA CD month continues, and misery loves company in the latest episode of My Life With SEGA.
If you love FMV games, as well as watching Mickey Mac suffer, this one’s for you. This is the full-motion shit-fest only Tom Zito of Digital Pictures could produce. That’s right, I’m talkin’ about Wirehead. Written and directed by James Riley (Night Trap), this game takes FMV gaming to a whole new plateau. This is the 2-Man Scramble that nobody wanted to experience. Especially Mickey Mac, because he’s yet to speak to me since.
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SEGA and Level/Up has teamed up once again to bring Virtua Fighter fans of North America a tournament of a life time, the “Sega Cup: Virtua Fighter Tournament 2013”. Sega Cup will feature a full day of Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown competition in the heart of SoCal’s fighting game hotspot Super Arcade in Walnut, California on April 20, 2013. There will be cash prizes given to the top 16 players. I would love to be a part of it, but I’m a bit better in Fighting Vipers. Anybody joining this awesome event? If so, do you have what it takes to win the battle? Read more for more details about the event.
As the year draws to a close, as a Dreamcast fan I always like to look back on the indie Dreamcast titles that were released and announced in 2012. While the start of the 2012 looked great for indie Dreamcast fans, it ended up being a less than stellar year. Sturmwind, published by redspotgames and developed by Duranik, was meant to have a release in the second quarter of 2011. But manufacturing delays lead to a November 11th, 2011 release date. However, according to redspotgames ,the release date had been postposed yet again “due to difficulties with the CD factory”. As such, the release date changed to some time in 2012. Now, just a few weeks before 2013, the game has yet to be released and the latest update from redspotgames is that they “decided to work on the game even more. So the weapon system and the HUD has been improved.” A better game is always great, but in my opinion a year and a half delay is uncalled for. Those who put money down for a pre-order are sure to be angry at redspotgames by this point. Which is a shame, given their past high quality efforts including the awesome Wind & Water Puzzle Battles and Rush Rush Rally Racing.
SEGA has updated the iOS game Sonic Jump today, adding two new characters: Silver and Rouge, more boss battles, new level objects and gimmicks, new wallpapers, graphical updates and more. Upon starting up the game, players will notice additional screens including an easy to access pop up panel that gives gameplay records including completion percentages and ring totals, as well as a panel that shows total zone progress. Within stages, graphical flourishes have been added including animation on once static objects and new elements such as Green Hill Zone flowers. Later stages feature diagonal springs and swing gimmicks. Each zone has double the boss battles, with the sixth stage of each zone being replaced by a new Eggman fight featuring new layouts. Additional characters, Silver and Rouge, bring with them more levels with 30 looking to be the new maximum level to attain.
SEGA’s recently launched Archives site reveals more details of the 3D rerelease of Space Harrier, including release date, price, features and more. The game is set to release on December 26th in Japan, for 600 yen (about $7). According to a translation of the site, features include: the ability to put in credits to increase your playtime, stage select screens, the ability to save the game at any time, the ability to save and watch replays, control with either the circle pad or the d-pad or the touchscreen, change difficulty, change the number of lives you start out with, change rate of fire, a time trial mode, change the range of movement, an enhanced sound test and a variety of screen sizes (seen below).
Perhaps the most interesting feature is, what appears to be, a mode which simulates the arcade experience: “When ON, the game screen is tilted up, down, left and right according to the movement of the player.” Environmental sounds also play, which are said to simulate the various sounds that were heard from the arcade machine based on the movement of the player. For an idea of what that might feel like, check out a YouTube video of the arcade machine in action after the break.
No details have been given on a Western release, but when we hear something from SEGA we’ll be sure to share it! This is looking to be a truly awesome rerelease of a SEGA arcade classic.
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.
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.
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 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
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!
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.
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!