LEGO Ideas Sonic Mania Green Hill Zone Given the Green Light

LEGO Ideas, the official LEGO outlet that gives fans the ability to submit designs for official approval and release, has announced that the Sonic Mania: Green Hill Zone set from Viv Grannell aka toastergrl has been given the green light! This means that SEGA has signed on to the project and it will carry the official Sonic the Hedgehog license. The next step will have LEGO’s builders review the build and make any refinements or develop new unique pieces. From there, we should see an official reveal, box art and some pre-order links! But it is going to take some time. Hopefully the Sonic Mania branding remains intact and it releases for the 30th anniversary.

After the break, check out the official word from LEGO.

Total War: Warhammer III announced for PC, coming late 2021

SEGA and Creative Assembly have finally announced the last part of their ‘Total War: Warhammer Trilogy’ which was planned all the way back in April 2015. Total War: Warhammer III is set to launch in late 2021 on both Steam and Epic Games Stores. Pre-orders get a free DLC “Race Pack”, kinda funny that the gaming world is OK with pre-order DLC because the studio actually got grief when the first game launched over this practice.

Hit the jump to read the press release by SEGA and check out the awesome trailer above:

Sonic Prime to take place in Sonic Team’s video game universe, SEGA crossovers not ruled out

One thing that the Sonic the Hedgehog brand has been doing recently is trying to keep the brand more streamlined. We first saw this when SEGA took the Sonic license away from Archie and relaunched on IDW, but this time making the story take place within the Sonic Team game universe.

We have also seen another recent shake-up with Roger Craig Smith being let go as the voice for Sonic, with rumors spreading that Sonic Movie voice actor Ben Swartz might replace him (making him the main Sonic actor going forward).

Recently we got the official announcement of the upcoming Netflix show Sonic Prime, but not that much information has come out about what the show will actually be. As we know Sonic Prime is being written by Duncan Rouleau, who did give us a bit of insight into what we can expect from the TV show come 2022, including talking about possibility of future SEGA crossovers:

Judgment Remastered announced for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Stadia

Judgment is a great game, one that I think any fan of the Yakuza franchise should give a try. While I enjoyed most of the game, there were moments within the game that could have used polished (one of those scenes is actually shown a bit in this trailer), so I hope the newly announced “Judge Eyes Remastered” (Judge Eyes being the Japanese name) fixes those issues. The new remastered version will cost you $39.99. This will also mark the debut for the game outside a Sony platform, with it being on Xbox and Stadia (who cares about that one, right?).

This is also the first time a RGG Studio game has gotten a world wide release date on the same day in Japan with the rest of the world. The game is set to come out on April 21st, 2021! Judgment Remastered is said to run at 4K at 60fps, but also include all the DLC on the disc. Hit the jump for the press release from SEGA:

Sakura Wars the Animation to receive an English Dub from Funimation

Sakura Wars the Animation, the animated sequel to Sakura Wars (2019), will be receiving a full English dub of all 12 episodes on Funimation’s website starting tomorrow (Feb 2nd). The series follows the division as they face a renewed demonic invasion and deal with a tournament, all while working to keep their beloved Imperial Theater open and operating. Here is the full English voice cast of the Sakura Wars the Animation dub:

English Voice Cast

Sakura: Cherami Leigh
Anastasia: Stephanie Young
Azami: Sarah Wiedenheft
Clarissa: Amanda Gish
Elise: Emily Neves
Hakushu: Luci Christian
Hatsuho: Amber Lee Connors
Kamiyama: Ian Sinclair
Kanzaki: Michelle Ruff
Kaoru: Monica Rial
Klara: Lindsay Seidel
Komachi: Tia Ballard
Lancelot: Felecia Angelle
Leyla: Terri Doty
ADR Director: Stephen Hoff
Mix Engineer: Rawly Pickens
ADR Scriptwriter: Terri Doty

Note that one of the voice actress, Michelle Ruff, is returning her role as Sumire Kanzaki from Sakura Wars: The Movie. What are thoughts on the cast for the animated series, do you think we’ll see the cast return for a new Sakura Wars game in the near future? Let us know in the comments below!

SEGA News Bits: Sonic Prime Animated Series Announced for Netflix

SEGA and Netflix have announced a new animated series titled Sonic Prime, and on this SEGA News Bits Barry runs through the press release and gives some of his own speculation on what the series might contain.

If you want to support this type of content, you can check out our Patreon!

If you enjoy our SEGA News Bits segments and want to support us: Give us a sub and give this video a thumbs up so it shows up on more like-minded fans YouTube recommendations. You know, how that YouTube algorithm is.

Netflix and SEGA Announce Sonic Prime, a 24-Episode 3D Animated Series Releasing in 2022

Move over Amazon, Metroid and Optimus. There’s a new prime in town! Netflix announced today via Twitter details about the previously leaked Sonic show heading to the streaming service. Sonic Prime will be 3D animated and run for 24 episodes, with the plot revolving around the fate of a new multiverse resting in Sonic’s hands, and a race to save the universe.

The series will be animated by WildBrain’s Vancouver studio, with SEGA jointly producing the series. Man of Action Entertainment, creators of Ben 10, will showrun and executive produce the series.

After the break, check out the full press release. In the comments below, share your thoughts on the series!

SEGA News Bits: Roger Craig Smith Will No Longer Voice Sonic The Hedgehog

We learned the sad news today that Roger Craig Smith will no longer be voicing Sonic The Hedgehog, after over ten years in the role. On this SEGA News Bits, Barry and George share their thoughts on his departure and what the future might hold for Sonic.

If you want to support this type of content, you can check out our Patreon!

If you enjoy our SEGA News Bits segments and want to support us: Give us a sub and give this video a thumbs up so it shows up on more like-minded fans YouTube recommendations. You know, how that YouTube algorithm is.

Roger Craig Smith Will No Longer Voice Sonic The Hedgehog

Sad news today for Sonic fans, as longtime Sonic The Hedgehog voice actor Roger Craig Smith announced via Twitter that he would be stepping down from the role. Roger said “Welp, 10 years was an amazing run. Onward to new zones! Much love to the fans who’ve been so kind. It’s been an honor.”

Roger began his career as Sonic not in games, but as the voice of a Sonic themed hotel room in the UK Alton Towers resort. Roger made his video game debut as Sonic in the Xbox 360 Kinect exclusive Sonic Free Riders and appeared soon after in Sonic Colors. From there, Roger voiced Sonic in a variety of roles, from video games to the multi-media project Sonic Boom to both Wreck-It Ralph films to LEGO Dimensions. Between all his Sonic work, Roger was and is undoubtably the most prolific Sonic voice actor to date who has portrayed more versions of the character than any other actor before. His work will be fondly remembered by generations of fans and his work as Sonic, alongside his nemesis Eggman voiced by Mike Pollock, will be sorely missed.

It is unknown at this time if Roger is stepping down on his own, or if he has been replaced. It is also unknown who that replacement is. We also do not know at this time if other voice actors from the series are leaving. More news as we hear it. In the meantime, we wish Roger all the best and thank him for his excellent work. After the break, check out our classic Swinin’ Report Show interview with Roger.

Sonic The Hedgehog Sequel Sees a Returning Actress PLUS Filming Locations Revealed

Since we’re all at home, its easy to catch daytime television. On Live with Kelly and Ryan, actress Tika Sumpter guested and confirmed she will be returning for the Sonic The Hedgehog movie sequel and filming will begin in March, 2021. Additionally, the movie will film in Vancouver and Hawaii.

Fans might remember the first movie filmed in Vancouver, which acted as Montana and San Francisco. So it is likely we will return to the small town of Green Hills, Montana. Additionally, the Hawaii location is interesting as it could act as Sonic’s world with some CG enhancements. We’ll know more as filming begins.

[Source: Twitter]

Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World comes to Japan on April 22nd, early 2021 for the West

One of the coolest resurrections in recent years has been the return of the Wonder Boy franchise. We have literally almost gotten a new entry in so many different aspects that I think all Wonder Boy fans will be happy from a remake of the first game, LizardCube remaking Wonder Boy and the Dragon’s Trap, a new entry with Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom, and now we are getting a remake of Monster World IV; with Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World.

Japanese publisher for the title, G Choice, has come out with developer Studio Artdink to confirm that Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World will launch on PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and Steam on April 22nd in Japan. The publisher also has two versions of the game on Switch, the regular version (3,980 yen) and the “Special Pack” (5,980 yen) that comes with a collectors box, two art books (one 80 pages, other 40 pages) and the game.

Western publisher ININ Games has come out and said that Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World is planned for a “early 2021” for both PlayStation 4 and Switch. Also something cool, this game will come with the original Monster World IV!

[Source Gematsu]

Atlus published Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception and Mask of Truth delisted from Western PSN Stores as license expires

If you haven’t bought the digital versions of Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception or Mask of Truth for either PlayStation 4 or Vita, you’re out luck. Atlus has delisted the games without warning because, according to a representative, the license ran out. The games still seem to be up on Steam, but those versions were published by DMM GAMES

While it does suck, it seems the physical versions are priced pretty fairly (Mask of Truth on Vita costs $25 bucks). To be honest both of these titles released in the West in 2017 and haven’t really heard too many people talking about them to the point of actually asking, do you think its worth it for a company like Atlus to update licenses for games that might not be selling so hot? Also shouldn’t these companies give us an advance noticed that these games will be delisted to see if any consumers want to add it to their library?

[Via Gematsu]

SEGA Talk Podcast #62: Bayonetta (2009)

On this stylish, sexy episode of the SEGA Talk Podcast, George and Barry look back at the Platinum Games’ masterpiece known as Bayonetta. We dive into the development, the characters, the games, and hopefully by the end we can silence what little critics this game has left.

Support us on Patreon! Get early access, tell us what games to cover, and have your SEGA memories read at the end and more!

[iTunes – Stitcher – YouTube – Play Music – RSS – Download]

If you want to give us feedback, suggest a topic for the next podcast or want to ask a question for us to answer on the next episode you can add  them as a comment below or send theme directly to our email. Make sure you use subject line ‘SEGA Talk’ and as always, thanks for listening!

Yakuza: Like a Dragon Pix’n Love Limited Edition Unboxing

Today we unboxed the Pix’n Love Limited Edition of Yakuza: Like a Dragon. While we have been lucky in the West getting special editions of Yakuza 0 and the premium edition of Yakuza 6, Yakuza: Like a Dragon sadly only got a steelbook version. Well, French publisher Pix’n Love got us covered with their exclusive Limited Edition. Check it out above.

If you like this type of content, I suggest subscribing to my YouTube page for more in the near future.