Sega Blog posts Q&A with Rise of Nightmares developers

Today saw the release of Rise of Nightmares in North America, and to help satisfy our craving for zombie craziness, SEGA has posted an interview with the game’s producer and director (Satoshi Ito and Ryuta Ueda, respectively) to their blog. The interview covers a wide range of topics, such as those discussing the target audience, the aims of the development team, the game’s lack of firearms, the composition of the music, as well as the title’s similarities to House of the Dead.

Rise of Nightmares is being created by the team behind House of the Dead, what similarities can we expect?

Ito: Actually, I’m the only one in the Rise of Nightmares team who used to be a member of the House of the Dead team, and I worked for the first original House of the Dead title. As for “similarities” with House of the Dead, there are lots they have in common; such as: having the player stand while gameplay, first-person view, and life-size zombies are coming closer, but the major similarity is that developing a Kinect title is much alike with developing an arcade game (AC), which is one of SEGA ‘s greatest talent. When developing a new title for AC, we usually think about what to carry (or to ride on), where to place the buttons, and how to play the game. At the first phase of House of the Dead development, we have tested various things like implementing a mechanic where the player can kick by pedaling. House of the Dead has ultimately turned out to be a simple game, but we have made use of those trial-and-error experiences for this title.

The rest of the interview can be found at Sega.com.

The game comes out in Europe on Friday September 9th.

Guardian Heroes coming to XBLA on October 12th


We had a false alarm last week, when Major Nelson said that Guardian Heroes was suppose to come out. It actually did come out on Mexico’s XBLA, but was quickly taken down. Now SEGA says we actually have to wait till next month before we get to play Guardian Heroes and its 12 player online co-op.

As for readers, like myself, that would prefer a PSN version, there is nothing to announce at this moment. So if you have an Xbox 360, put down 800pts when this hits the service on October 12th.

[Source: SEGA.Blog]

SEGA drops prices on some Game on Demand titles


Something I always hated about Games on Demand or any other ‘buy full titles digitally’ on consoles is that they always overprice the game in question. Did you know that Vanquish was $40 dollars? Well was, since SEGA just announced a much needed price drop.

Here are the price drops:

  • Vanquish – $39.99/£29.99   $19.99/£14.99
  • Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing –  $29.99 $19.99
  • Virtua Tennis 2009 – $29.99 $19.99
  • Aliens vs. Predator – $29.99 $19.99
Now these titles are ten dollars under the ‘greatest hits’ or ‘platinum hits’ fee they would normally charge for them new. So they aren’t badly priced anymore. 
[Source: SEGA.Blog]

Sonic the Hedgehog paper craft up for pre-order

 

Ami Ami, the largest Japanese internet figure shop, has put a new product up for pre-order. A Sonic the Hedgehog paper craft. So what do you get with the product? I assume the printed out full color high quality paper and instructions on how to assemble the figurine. They said you can make the figure above in 10 minutes without using scissors or glue.

The figure will be 11cm tall and will cost you 630 yen (About $8 USD), doesn’t include stuff like taxes or shipping and handling. It will get release mid-November. It takes time to print paper.  Yes, Ami Ami does ship world wide.

[Source: AmiAmi]
[Thanks: dhjfgh via e-mail]

Check out the size of SEGA’s TGS booth

It is not long now until Tokyo Game Show but the above floorplan shows SEGA will be pulling all the stops, hiring out (Along with Capcom) the biggest booth at the video game expo. So far the confirmed titles to be at Tokyo Game Show are all titles that we already knew beforehand, but with such a large booth perhaps it would be wise to expect some more titles to be unveiled! Make sure to click on the picture above to see the full picture and check out other publisher’s booths too.

MEGA64 films their own Rise of Nightmares ad


MEGA64 releases a Rise of Nightmare online commercial, an epic 3 and a half minutes commercial. So if you like wormholes to other dimensions, garbage cans and Dr. Who references; you’re going to love this.

Its always good to see anything from the MEGA64 guys and glad we don’t have to travel dimensions to enjoy good Kinect games.

Rise of Nightmares Releases TODAY in America to Positive Reviews!

SEGA haters, Kinect Haters and zombie game haters please sit down and shut up. SEGA’s latest Kinect exclusive title “Rise of Nightmares” releases today and early reviews have been positive. In fact, many seem to be VERY positive. Gaming-Age.com said:

What I love most about Rise of Nightmares is that it actually works. Having finished the game I’m still very impressed with how responsive all the movement controls were, and how well they meshed together to perform a very cohesive experience.

vgrevolution.com gave the game a 7/10, however in the areas that matter for a Kinect title, those being gameplay and controls, the game rated 8/10. YouTube review channel StuffWeLike loved the game.

We here at SEGAbits promise to have our own review up soon. In the meantime, check out other reviews and if it sounds like your type of game, pick up a copy! The game releases today in America and this Friday in Europe.

Aliens Infestation Trailer Hits Web

Yesterday, Sega’s latest blog showed off the trailer and a preivew for thier upcoming Aliens Infestation game for the Nintendo DS. The game is being developed by the talented folks at WayForward and will be available in the U.S. on October 11th and in the UK Sept 30th. Check it out.

[Source: Sega Blogs]

Swingin’ Report Show #19: Buff Shirtless Men


In this episode we sit around talking about the recent announcements of Yakuza Black Panther 2, Yakuza 5, and show our appreciation for buff men without shirts. We go over this weeks news and answer viewer questions, even if they are a bit odd this time around. We are also on iTunes now, having some issues with the RSS still, but you can subscribe. Remember to leave us pretty reviews.

[audio:http://www.segabits.com/wp-content/uploads/Swingin_Report_Show_19_Buff_Shirtless_Men.mp3]

[Download] [Archive] [iTunes]

The Weekly Five: Great American Dreamcast Ads

It’s Labor Day weekend here in America, and only a week until the Dreamcast’s 12th birthday! So I thought it would be fitting to present to you a weekly five that is light on the labor for me, and Dreamcast related for you. Thus, we’re talking a look at five great Dreamcast adverts that ran on American television. So let’s get started, less reading more watching!

Celebrate the Dreamcast’s 12th Birthday With Us!

Since 2009, It has become a yearly tradition for me to throw a Dreamcast birthday party by way of Dreamcast gaming, a live stream, chit chat, drinking and pizza. This year will be no different from last year: Starting at 11am Eastern Standard Time (5pm GMT) on Friday, September 9th, I’ll be kicking off the party at twitch.tv/dreamroom. We’ll play a ton of games, chat, reminisce and celebrate the 12th anniversary of the Dreamcast’s American launch. We’ll check out the original launch titles, play some wacky imports, go on a Dobuita shopping spree and I even have a few surprises.

So mark your calendars and keep your eyes on The Dreamcast Junkyard and SEGAbits as the big day nears!