Wait, they just announced this title for Japan? Yes, they have. The website has gone up and says it will be out this summer for our Japanese readers (so basically 2 people). That is not all, they also said it was going to cost 800 Microsoft points. As far as I know this is the first time we have gotten a price point.
Check out the Japanese website here and act like you know what it says.
[Source: AndriaSang]
16 years ago today, SEGA of America President Tom Kalinske took to the stage at E3 and announced that the SEGA Saturn was now available in select retailers across the United States. Though this would later be seen as one of the greatest marketing blunders in SEGA’s history, it nevertheless marked the debut of one of the greatest consoles ever made. In commemoration of this momentous birthing of this epically underappreciated game console, we at SEGAbits are committing not a day, not a week, but a full month for all things SEGA Saturn! You can expect to see plenty of reviews, articles, and a dedicated episode of the SEGAbits podcast all about the Saturn from here until E3 on June 7th.
Those of you who don’t know much about the Saturn, or think there was a big load of nothing between the Genesis and the Dreamcast, should learn something this month. The SEGA Saturn is a veritable treasure trove of SEGA hits that have yet to see the light of day on other systems due to the Saturn’s difficult to emulate architecture, and the general obscurity of its library. Sure, we’ve all heard of NiGHTS and Panzer Dragoon, and Guardian Heroes has recently risen from obscurity to be remade as an Xbox Live Arcade release. But have you ever heard of Blazing Heroes? Ever heard of Astal? Did you know the SEGA Saturn had two Die Hard games, one which was a piece of crap and one which kicked ass? Have any of you guys even seen Dragon Force?
While Nintendo spent the 32 bit generation giving its 16 bit hits the 64 bit upgrade, and Sony spent it producing games that would go on to define its Playstation brand for more than a decade to come, SEGA went through a creative renaissance, almost completely ditching the franchises that made the Genesis a hit in favor of all new franchises that, regrettably, no one would buy. Even Sonic took a backseat to NiGHTS, which became and still remains one of the best reasons to own a Saturn.
So sit back, relax, and enjoy this month long ride through SEGA’s forgotten generation.
The latest issue of OXM has a ton of new Sonic Generations information, for those of you who are interested in the upcoming Sonic game. There’s even an interview with Takashi Iizuka, where he is asked how they picked levels for the game.
“We took a democratic approach. We only get to celebrate Sonic’s 20th birthday once, so we wanted to make sure everyone got a say. What we did was poll every Sega worker – including those in Europe and America – and asked them to nominate their favourite Sonic levels of all time. Then we did some research with the core fanbase and we were able to draw up a shortlist from there.” – Takashi Iizuka
Ah, but there is more information for those who want it. Hit the jump to see all the new information including what the storyline in the upcoming game will be.
Though we’ve known about this for some time, SEGA has now officially confirmed their port of Crush for the 3DS. It turns out it’s going to be more than just a port of the PSP game, though. According to the press release, the game will feature all new locations, all new characters, and an intuitive hint system. In addition to the new content, it will also make use of the 3DS’ StreetPass function, allowing you to leave gifts for your friends to collect in game.
“CRUSH3D gives all gamers a chance to experience this critically acclaimed concept in full 3D,” said Gary Knight, Senior Vice President of Marketing of SEGA West. “With features specifically designed for this exciting new platform, CRUSH3D is right at home on the Nintendo 3DS.”
The game is scheduled to release September 6th in America and September 9th in Europe and Australia. Whether or not it will feature content from the original is currently unknown, as though it was originally confirmed to be a port, it sounds and looks much more like a sequel. The art style looks different from what I remember seeing in the first few levels of the original, and I’m not sure fans will be happy about that, especially since the main character being shown looks way different from the original’s weirdo in a helmet. He’s certainly more generic looking, which is a shame.
I for one am really happy to see this game series being given a second chance on the 3DS after it crashed and burned on the PSP. Unlike when it was released on PSP though, the 3DS is still very young, and great content for it will continue to be scarce until the holiday season. Hopefully, SEGA will take advantage of this opportunity and market the heck out of CRUSH3D, and get it the recognition the original deserved.
If this is at E3, we will be on hand to tell you how awesome (or not) it is!
You can find screens for the game here.
1up reports, via Famitsu, that Imagepoch is developing a sequel to the DS RPG 7th Dragon, which never saw release in North America. Called 7th Dragon 2020, the follow-up is looking to take place in a futuristic version of Tokyo, a contrast to the original game’s more medieval style. The game is said to feature a revamp in art direction and character design, and will supposedly release this year.
SEGA will once again be publishing it, though since they never localized the first 7th Dragon, chances of the West getting this one seem pretty slim.
Check out the official site.
[Source: 1up.com]
XBOX 360 Director of Programming “Major Nelson” has announced via his blog that SEGA Rally Online Arcade is set to release on May 18th for 800 msp ($10). I’d assume this means the game will release to PSN on the same d- oh… right, it’s still down.
In any case, exciting news for SEGA fans as the game will be released in only 8 days!
[source: Major Nelson]
This is one of those creative ways of getting around trademarks to sell SEGA merchandise without the big bad SEGA license. Though it means that you will probably have a Sonic shirt that no one else in your town will have, so you can sit back and laugh at all the 8 year old kids that bought their shirts at Hot Topic.
Problem, kids?
[Source: J!NX]
[Via: GoNintendo]
There are two halls, SEGA will be located in the South Hall. They will be neighbors with Microsoft Studios and Konami. Sounds romantic.
SEGA hasn’t confirmed if there will be a playable build of Sonic Generations, Anarchy Reigns or Binary Domain. But does it matter when they have confirmed a playable Guardian Heroes build? As for E3, yes we will be there.
I thought the game was going to be English, world wide. Seems that is not the case. I hope it allows you to play through it with Japanese voices and English subtitles.
This shows some footage from the English trailer and a few new pieces. Also they changed the music. The game is looking better every time I see it.
SEGA and Creative Assembly have released the newest patch for their Shogun 2 game. This one updates the graphics engine and uses effects only available on DX 11 compatible cards.
What else is changed? Hit the jump and see the huge list (when I say huge, I mean huge).
As many know, Famitsu recently had a massive 20 page spread of SEGA interviews, news, and information. One highlight was an interview with Toshihiro Nagoshi and some of his comments have been translated from the latest Famitsu issue. Those who listened to the podcast will know how I hoped that there would be several ways to win a battle and it seems Nagoshi is emphasizing that point. Read on to find out some details that have been translated from his interview and please excuse the dodgy translations.
Wait, people out there want something like this? Michael Pachter’s an infamous gaming analyst who has a show on Gametrailers called “Pach-Attack” where he answers readers’ questions. One of those questions happened to be what the chances were of a SEGA/Apple console.
Micheal Pachter opened it up by insulting SEGA’s content, saying that they have nothing ‘compelling’ to offer. Now I understand why users online keep on calling him a stupid fuck.
Isn’t this guy always wrong or does he just state the obvious? I assume more of the obvious with clueless comments. Only America would pay you for a job like this.
Hey guys, welcome to Episode 16 of SEGA Sequel Saturdays. Before I get into it this week, there’s some business to take care of. I’d like to start by thanking George and Nuckles87 for contributing episodes to this feature, either when I haven’t been able to, or, in some cases, when I’ve been totally out of ideas. I’d also like to thank all of you who read these and create discussions each week by commenting. It makes writing them fun and rewarding, and I’d love to see this continue as a weekly feature. I feel that the best way to do that is, well, to open the floor to you guys. If you want to write an episode of Sequel Saturdays, drop a me a private message or say so in the comments section. You’d send me your write-up and I’d format, edit, and post it. I’d love to keep this feature going and if you would too, and if you want to write an episode, definitely let me know.
Alright, that out of the way, let’s jump into this week’s episode, this one about a good old childhood franchise of mine.
The GameStop/EBGames release schedule for Nintendo 3DS games in 2011 has just been printed and it seems that there’s a nice suprise hidden amongst a torrent of meh games and ports. Sonic Generations is way down there at the bottom of the list! So awesome a real reason to buy the 3DS! I wonder if this’ll turn up on the NDS or the next Nintendo console too?
Worth a mention CRUSH 3DS (one of the best puzzle games EVER MADE) is on the list and so is Mario & Sonic at the London Olympics.
[Source: Hero of Legend on NeoGaf]
Hit the Jump for the printed schedule.
The podcast is back! After being away for far too long, we have decided to give podcasting another go, this should end up a bit better than when MC Hammer tried to make a comeback.
[audio:http://www.segabits.com/wp-content/uploads/Full_podcast_7_Segabits.mp3]
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On the show this week:
What we talked about:
If any readers want to ask questions or send their comments, you can always send them here or post them in the comments.
