Sonic 4’s Episode Metal game length revealed?

Sonic 4 rep and on-again-off-again moustache wearer Ken Balough has possibly revealed Episode Metal’s length. Ken spoke of Episode Metal in an interview and stated the following: “You’re going to unlock about 25% more game”. This percentage is interesting. Does Ken mean that Episode Metal is 25% the size of Episode 1? Episode 1 consisted of 17 acts. 25% of 17 is 4.25 acts. Episode Metal’s teaser promised “Four Exclusive Levels”. So with this in mind, Episode Metal might actually end up being shorter than a typical Sonic 4 episode. It could consist of four reworked acts/levels, each act taking place within a different zone. Either the four zones found in Episode 1, or three Episode 1 zones and Stardust Speedway or an Episode 2 zone. Fans disappointed in this news may be happy to hear that Ken also revealed “there’s more cutscenes in Episode Metal than all of Episode 2”. So while Episode Metal may be short, it will have a good deal of story. Also, it’s basically free so don’t complain!

Rhythm Thief still coming to America

One of the first things I did when I got to PAX was ask a SEGA rep “off the record” if Anarchy Reigns and Rhythm Thief were canned. The reply I essentially got was “we don’t know yet”. Because I asked off the record, and I want that to mean something in the future, I decided to wait until I asked in an actual interview to report it. Then, the next day, Joystiq reported that Rhythm Thief was still coming, as told to them by a SEGA rep. Finally, on Sunday, I asked Kellie Parker the same question, and got the same answer as before: they don’t know.

Who was this SEGA rep who did know? I still have no idea, but Joystiq definitely wasn’t bullshitting: it has now been confirmed by Aaron Webber on the SEGA forums:

As you may have already heard via news from PAX, the game has not been cancelled for the US and yes, it is coming out here.

So…there you have it! It’s coming! Be happy! Buy it! I hear it’s totally awesome, and if you guys really want SEGA to have insentive to keep making games like this in some capacity, you’ve got to vote with your wallet!

Want Sonic PC games released on GOG.com? Vote!


If you have never used GOG.com (aka Good Old Games) than you are missing out. The service is a retro store of PC games, most of these older games don’t work on Windows 7, so the team tinkers around to get them running. Games are reasonably priced and have zero DRM. Zero DRM means you can download and install it on as many PCs as you want. No limit. You can install it in all of your friend’s computers and force them to play Sonic games all day.

GOG.com has a ‘wishlist’ section where users cast a vote for games they would love to have on the service. Luckily for SEGA, the wishlist is packing quite a few Sonic titles…

Phantasy Star Online 2 PC character creator demo out now, download here

[Above character created by forum member CrazyTails, shout out!]

Sadly the demo is in Japanese, but the guys at bumped have made a mini-guide walking you through it. There is also a bench mark, but what do the scores mean?

  •  Less than 2000: Please adjust your game settings because the processing load is quite heavy.
  •  2000 through 5000: The game runs fine at the setting, if you have room, you can adjust some settings.
  •  5001+: The game works wonderfully at this setting.

So where can you download it? Right here [466mb].

If you want to share your characters you can do it on our forum topic or you can post them here in the comments.

Football Manager coming to Android on April 11th


Most SEGA fans might not be big fans of Football Manager, but the franchise has dominated the PC market for years and the recent iOS handheld version has also shared success. SEGA and Sports Interactive have announced that Football Manager will be coming to Android on April 11th.

“Since the first release of Football Manager Handheld for mobiles a couple of years ago, the most asked question on social networks has been ‘When is it coming to Android?’ Now, we can reveal the answer.” – Miles Jacobson, Sports Interactive studio director

The game will cost  £6.99 (about $10) and will require the user to have the Google Play store and Android 2.2 or above.

SEGA x Capcom x Namco Bandai mystery project gets countdown clock


The site has been giving us “chromosome” teases for weeks and now it seems we will finally be counting down to the big reveal… or are they? All we know is that there are no more “chromosomes”, they seem to have ‘broken out’.

The clock will end on April 12th at midnight. So if you are waiting, you still got a little less than 5 days. We here have ‘tried to guess’ what characters the chromosomes belong to, but thanks to the interweb, someone already matched those. Check out the photos below.

 

PAX East: Hell Yeah! Preview

What happens when you take Sega’s special brand of lunacy, a Western developer, a digital platform, and toss it all in a blender? This game. I didn’t really care for Hell Yeah’s debut trailer or initial screens. Perhaps it had something to do with the opening trailer’s focus on gore, I’m not really sure. All I did know was I was disinterested. Needless to say, after playing the demo, my interest has been caught.

Sonic 4: Episode 2 release dates have been released


SEGA has revealed the release date for Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 2. So when can you pick the game up? If you are on PSN, you will be able to purchase the title on May 15th. Xbox 360 will have to wait until May 16th, the next day.

The iOS and PC version of the title will be coming out in May as well, but there hasn’t been a specific release date announced yet. If you are an Android user, you will be able to pick up the game in June and if you are a Windows Phone 7 user, you will have to wait all the way until July.

What platform are you picking it up on?

SEGA trademarks Flick of the Dead

SEGA has filed trademarks for Flick of the Dead. What could this possibly be? Well, first of all its going to be a House of the Dead spin-off, that much is for sure. If SEGA’s latest iOS title, Miku Flick, is any indication, its going to be a House of the Dead title on smartphones.

What do I want it to be? I wish it was a full console release game where you play zombie filled stages from various zombie movies from the past three or so decades. Come on, that’s cooler than a mobile game, right?

PAX East: Jet Set Radio Preview

I don’t think it’s unusual for a SEGA fan to get a warm, fuzzy feeling every time he or she remembers the Dreamcast. Everyone knows the drill: it was an amazing swan song for a dying console maker, received more quality content in two years than most other consoles receive in five. While the console itself is fondly remembered, it’s the games that truly make the console. So when SEGA first revealed their line of downloadable Dreamcast games for XBLA and PSN, many fans naturally had designs of finally playing amazing epics like Skies of Arcadia and Shenmue in high definition. Unfortunately, the first two waves of games left something to be desired. Sonic Adventure was a fairly bare-bones port of the slightly inferior PC version, lacking even widescreen. Crazy Taxi lost its entire original soundtrack in the process of being brought over and SEGA Bass Fishing is hardly what one would call a Dreamcast classic. This left Space Chanel 5 Part 2 as the only well done master class Dreamcast title, and even that was ported in lieu of the more well-known original.

Nuckles87’s PAX EASTer Egg Hunt

See Shigs, I can do puns to!

Greetings, SEGAbitters. This Nuckles87, talking to you from PAX EAST. Today, I would like to announce a little contest I’ll be running while I’m at PAX: an easter egg hunt. In this case, the easter egg is me, or more specifically, my 3DS’s Mii. You have to street pass me with your 3DS!

My Mii is a rather portly fellow in a blue shirt wearing a pirate hat, named Alex. He greets you with the SEGAbits web address, so you’ll know it’s me! More details below the fold.

Japanese Sonic 4 site updates – reveals Oil Desert Zone and more

SEGA of Japan’s Sonic the Hedgehog 4 site has updated to reflect yesterday’s news, however there are a few new additions. For one thing, the unnamed desert stage will be known as Oil Desert Zone. Simple, but it fits. The site has also added twelve new screens of the zone, showing off new gimmicks and badniks. The site also has a cleaned up version of yesterday’s trailer, in true HD and without the Gamestop watermark. Other additions to the site include the confirmation of the $15 price tag, unchanged from the first episode. Also, there are badnik profiles and a story tab that shows Little Planet approaching Earth. The story text is in Japanese, so any readers who know the language, if you can translate it that would be “boss” of you.

Update: Added nine more images, courtesy of Andriasang.com, the images include more Oil Desert screens, high res “box art” and screens from Episode Metal.

The Weekly Five: Things we need to see in a digital version of Sonic Adventure 2

It’s coming. It’s all but confirmed. As we reported earlier in the week,  it appears that Sonic Adventure 2 will be heading to X-Box LIVE and probably PSN sometime this year. Just like its predecessor, it will most likely include some achievements/trophies, some Avatar awards I’m sure and probably some wallpaper or what not. But the port of SA1 was not all that great and left room for improvement. Read on to see what I feel should, if not MUST be done to make Sonic Adventure 2 a great port.

Sonic 4 News: Metal Sonic playable in episode 1, sand zone revealed and release dates!

Gamespot’s On the Spot internet show has just revealed that Metal Sonic will be playable in Sonic 4 Episode 1. Dubbed “Episode Metal”, the new play mode will be unlocked for owners of both episodes. Episode Metal promises: a playable Metal Sonic (duh), four exclusive levels and promises that fans will “discover the rebirth of Metal Sonic”. So a Sonic CD side story, perhaps? Ken Balough likened it to Sonic & Knuckles Lock-On technology. The episode 1 stages are reworked and are promised to bridge the gap between Sonic CD and Sonic 4. The show also revealed a new trailer showing off a sand zone that up until now was only seen in a single screen leaked on XBOX.com. Release dates were also given for the game: May 15th – PS3, May 16th – Xbox 360, May – PC, iOSn Tegra devices, June – Android, July – Windows phone. You can view the full video here, skip to 29:00.

Xplay features new preview for Aliens: Colonial Marines

Xplay has today previewed the upcoming (and expensive-looking) Aliens: Colonial Marines, a game that has gotten no shortage of attention, not only for its status as a sequel to the legendary Alien film franchise, but also for its lengthy development time: something quickly becoming a legend all its own.

This preview highlights some of the game’s environments, details the plot, and shows off plenty of gameplay. It’ll be interesting to see whether this becomes the hit that SEGA desperately seems to need.

Aliens: Colonial Marines is set to release (hopefully) later this year.