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SEGA and BBC Earth team up to fuse technology and nature

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That’s right, SEGA has announced a partnership with BBC Earth to create a unique user experience. Yes, the press release actually calls it an “experience,” and quite a number of times at that. The “experience” will be coming to both the USA and Japan in the next couple of years.

“I am very happy that we have been able to join together with BBC Worldwide who possess one of the world’s finest libraries of Natural History footage. I am confident that by fusing this fabulous content with our entertainment know-how, we can deliver a new and thoroughly unique experience of the natural world. Through the universal theme of nature, SEGA will create a new live entertainment experience that will be enjoyed by all nationalities, ages and genders” said Okitane Usui, SEGA Corporation’s COO.

Where exactly can you experience this collaboration? No locations or solid dates have been set yet, but SEGA says they will be announced in the upcoming months. I personally can’t wait, since I love BBC’s Planet Earth series.

[Source: SEGA Sammy]

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Border Break 2.5 coming to Japanese arcades next week

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This is Border Break, one of those arcade games I really want to play on a home console but probably will never get a chance to, due to the limited market for a game like this. The game seems to be doing pretty well in Japan and SEGA continues to support it. It even has a big update coming this week.

The game is getting new mechs (Blast Runners as they are called by SEGA) and new maps There is also a new element called Daikouousen. Basically “Big Offensive” and “Defensive Battle”. The players will be split into offensive and defensive teams that will have to either defend or attack the core.

SEGA is also allowing users to edit and customize their emblem in game, which will be placed on their Blast Runner of choice.

[Source: AndriaSang]

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SEGA Sequel Saturdays: Skies of Arcadia

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For Episode 23, I thought I’d go back to in-house SEGA: a fan favorite, and one of the many greats to come from the Dreamcast era. Of course, you can see from the picture that I’ve picked Skies of Arcadia. As an RPG it was, in many ways, as traditional as they get. It had turn-based combat, it had a lack of voice overs, it had chirpy characters, and it had a bright and colorful world much more reminiscent of Japanese RPGs out of the old days than the much darker turn they took with the likes of Final Fantasy VI and VII. That said, Skies of Arcadia also took place in a world in the sky, a truly incredible setting which remains one of the most impressive worlds created for a Japanese RPG that I’ve ever experienced.

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The Weekly Five: Overthinking Sonic

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In his 20 years of existence, Sonic has not only appeared in dozens of games, but he has also introduced a ton of irregularities. The irregularities I’m referring to are the things that exist within his video games that support the gameplay and the player playing the game, yet don’t make a whole lot of sense within the context of the world within the game. For example, it’s a ton of fun to run through a twirling highway in Sonic Adventure, but why in the world would such a highway even exist? Or what about all those springs and item boxes? Surely Eggman didn’t put them there, because they assist Sonic. So just how and why do elements like that exist in Sonic’s world? In this week’s weekly five, I’m going to attempt to explain five oddities of Sonic’s world. Most of my explanations will probably be complete bullshit, but that’s the fun of over-thinking!

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Swingin’ Report Show #10: Hack it to me

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This week, George, Ben (-nSega54-), Aki, and Cory (Sega Uranus) sit down and chat about SEGA being hacked, the latest Rise of Nightmares and Binary Domain trailers, the new SEGA PlayStation Vita team, and much more. Oh, we also babble about Vectorman. You like Vectorman, right?

[audio:http://www.segabits.com/wp-content/uploads/sb_podcast_10.mp3]

[Download] [Archive]

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Yu Suzuki to leave current role at SEGA in September

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Legandary SEGA designer Yu Suzuki is set to leave his current role with Amusement Research and Development division, and has confirmed that he shall remain at SEGA in an advisory role from this September. He will continue to work on his personal company, YS Net. Speaking to Gamasutra, Suzuki said the following:

“In 2008 I established YS NET, my current company,” he said. “I’ll be leaving my current job at Sega this September, and after that point I’ll remain on as an advisor.”

“So I’ve formally been with both companies from 2008 until September 2011. With the new company, I’ve been doing pretty much what I personally want to do myself,”

The interview itself is fairly long and gives another great insight into what the man has been doing and what he may go on to do. It is well worth a read for anyone interested in Suzuki and his thoughts, not only on his time at SEGA but also the industry in general.

[Interview: Gamasutra]

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Classic SEGA Magazine Corner: SEGA Visions introduces us to Sonic 20 years ago

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Oh snap, is this magazine already 20 years old? SEGA Visions magazine was the first official magazine of SEGA of America. It was launched to compete against Nintendo Power. It was actually free for a year if you owned a SEGA console. Not bad, not bad at all.

In this issue we will be looking at SEGA of America talking a bit about their new hero, Sonic the Hedgehog. It’s so odd reading their description of what Sonic is like, since we have known him for 20 years.

The other scans show SEGA’s Game Gear US launch and profiles of people that used to work at SEGA… 20 years ago. Interesting indeed.

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Sonic Generations demo impressions

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Happy Birthday, Sonic. I think it is fair to say that many of us can thank the blue hedgehog for who we are today (in a sense). I know that part of the reason I work on this site has something to do with the blue blur’s influence on my early life, and when I look at how many comments we get on Sonic articles compared to most other Sega games it’s evident that there is still a lot of passion for the character 20 years on.

My first Sonic game was Sonic the Hedgehog, the original Sonic game. I got it as a pack in with my Sega Mega Drive and I was hooked right from the start. For me, it took what Mario was doing and made it faster and gave it some attitude; it was like a roller coaster and I’ve stuck with the character through the years. Whilst Sonic went through a really rough patch where even I stopped playing his games, I’m happy to report that I absolutely loved Sonic Colours and as I type this, I’m playing the Sonic Generations timed demo which, despite a few hiccups, I’m enjoying quite a bit.

Sonic Generations demo impressions after the jump:

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Sonic Boom t-shirt and buttons giveaway

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Celebrating Sonic’s birthday? We are too, by giving away some Sonic Boom swag for those of you that didn’t make it to the event. Here’s what we have to give away:

  • 3 Sonic Boom shirts
  • 3 Sonic Generations buttons
(Winner gets one of each item. Contest open worldwide. Shirt sizes available: S, M, L, XL. Contest closes on Wednesday.)

How do you enter? We want to hear your Sonic story. Tell us how you were introduced to the blue blur and what made you fall in love with the franchise. You can send your e-mails here. Also, make the email subject “Sonic 20th anniversary contest.”

The SOA staff said they are willing to sign the swag. If you win, whether you want your swag signed will be up to you. Thanks to all the SOA people for supporting this site and contest by giving fans sweet swag. We love it.

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GameStop Sonic Generations Pre-Order Bonuses Revealed!

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So, you say you’re pumped for Sonic Generations, but think it’s too far off for any real reason to place a pre-order this instant? Think again! United States gaming store GameStop is offering digital content for those who pre-order Sonic Generations! You can see what they’re offering for yourself right here. XBOX 360 owners who pre-order will receive a DLC mini-game pinball stage based on Sonic 2’s Casino Night Zone. Think of it as being like Sonic Adventure’s pinball stage. Also included is a Super Sonic avatar costume, basically confirming Super Sonic in Generations, and an exclusive theme for your 360’s menu. PlayStation 3 owners also receive the Casino Night Zone pinball stage and a theme for their PS3 menu.

Still no word on a birthday pack or special packaging, but we’ll keep you posted. In other news, the full stage and boss list as well as a load of other info on the game has leaked due to fans digging through the recently released demo assets. I’ll abstain from mentioning any of the leaked content, as SEGA has yet to officially reveal it, but it’s out there on the Internet.

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SASASR for iOS (iPhone, iPad) Available Tonight. Only $1.99!

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Just in time for Sonic’s 20th birthday, TSSZ reports that Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing will be, well, racing to the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch tonight. The game is a higher-resolution version of the DS port. The best news is it will be available for the low, low price of only $1.99 U.S. (1.19 Europe) until June 25. At that point it goes up to $4.99. I got the chance to play this at E3 and it’s a well done port that even looks great on an iPad.

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Let’s Take a Look at Sonic #226 – The Genesis Saga Part 1!

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Just a day until Sonic’s 20th, and this arrives in the mail: Archie’s Sonic the Hedgehog #226. This issue is better known as being part one of the hotly anticipated Genesis saga, which throws the main cast of the Archie continuity back into the SEGA Genesis days of Sonic. In the previous issue, #225, the Eggman of the Archie continuity (who looks like the modern Eggman of the games but has a back story so complicated I’ve yet to wrap my head around it) unleashed a resurrected Death Egg on the Freedom Fighters. After a bit of fighting, Eggman killed a well known character from the SatAM days and powered up a device that enveloped the universe in white (hmm, sounds like something that is happening in Sonic Generations) and rebooted the entire universe. As such, when issue #226 kicks off, Sonic is acting as though he is from the Genesis era (with a modern design), running through Green Hill and bopping badniks which he seems to be encountering for the first time.

Click here to read more

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Sonic Generations demo coming & Anniversery bundle on PSN [Updated]

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[Update: According to the fine fellows at Destructoid, the demo will allow you to play both as modern and classic Sonic.]

For those eager to try out the demo for the latest Sonic game, you will not have to wait much longer. The EU Playstation blog has confirmed that the Sonic Generations demo will be online from tomorrow, which just so happens to be the birthday of Sonic the Hedgehog, so for those all eager to try out the physics and control in the latest Sonic title, the wait is almost over.

But it does not stop there, for a duration of 20 days only, PSN members can purchase the 20th Anniversery Bundle from the 23rd of June which will include the following; Sonic the Hedgehog 1 and 2, Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 (Along with dynamic theme) and Sonic Adventure DX (With DX add-on) all for £13.99/€17.99, a decent price for a good amount of games.

[Source: EU Playstation Blog]

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Yakuza series sells over the 5 million mark

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As I revealed in my last SEGA in the Charts post, the Yakuza series was due to cross over the 4 million mark in Japan if sales of Yakuza of the End were to continue and indeed, as confirmed by SEGA, it has shipped 400,000, which means that the series has crossed the 4 million mark in Japan. SEGA however also confirmed that the series has topped over 5 million units worldwide, making the series one of SEGA’s most consistent and best sellers in the last seven years.

[Source: Andriasang]

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Yakuza of the End DLC pack has American themed Kazuma

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Yakuza of the end is getting Patriotic DLC. Look at Kazuma Kiryu sport that sexy American flag as a shirt. America, fuck yeah. That is not all though, this fourth free pack will also feature a pirate themed Majima and even a Rambo Ryuji Goda.

Check out the pictures below. Come on SEGA America, how can you not port this game over now?

[Source: Destructoid]

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