SEGA News Bits: SEGA 60th Anniversary Mini Games Reviewed

On this SEGA News Bits, we share our thoughts on the newly released mini games as a part of SEGA’s 60th anniversary. How do the games play, which is our favorite and what is all this drama around the Golden Axe game?

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SEGA Talk Podcast #55: Ghostbusters (1990)

On this SEGA Talk, Barry schools George on his favorite non-Sonic Genesis platformer: Ghostbusters! Developed by SEGA and Compile, the game is a unique non-linear action adventure game. Learn about the all-star development team, the game’s unique place in canon and the discovery of demo tracks from the game’s soundtrack.

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!

SEGA News Bits: SEGA Releases Free Golden Axe & Yakuza Mini Games

SEGA West announced their plans for the company’s 60th anniversary, and the biggest news was the release of four mini games: Armor of Heroes, Streets of Kamurocho, Golden Axed and Endless Zone! Listen to our thoughts on these new (and old) titles as well as how this all ties in with an unreleased 2013 game.

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SEGA West Celebrates 60 Years With Limited Mini Games and 60 Days of Content

While SEGA of Japan kicked off the SEGA 60th anniversary celebrations earlier this year, SEGA West has officially started celebrations today with a 60 day long GO SEGA event and a dedicated website, SEGA60th.com. During the next 60 days, there will be let’s plays, competitions, employee interviews and content covering the company’s history. Additionally, a large Steam sale has begun, with themed weeks planned.

Most exciting are the reveal of four exclusive mini games. Available on Steam for a limited tile, the games include: Relic Entertainment’s Armor of Heroes, a multiplayer tank battle game featuring assets from the Company of Heroes games. Amplitude Studios’ Endless Zone, a mashup of the developer’s Endless franchise and SEGA’s Fantasy Zone franchise. Streets of Kamurocho, a Streets of Rage and Yakuza mash-up from SEGA. And finally… Golden Axed, the never thought to ever be released working prototype of SEGA Studios Australia’s SEGA Reborn project! The last one we are especially excited to play, as it is a cancelled project we covered quite a bit on this site in the past.

After the break, the full press release and a gallery of mini game screenshots!

Former SEGA Sound Designer Kazuhiko Nagai Shares Ghostbusters and Rambo III Music Demo Tracks

It seems like video game industry creatives stuck at home have been spent some of that time unearthing and sharing hidden treasures from past development projects. First we had Craig Stitt sharing cool STI game concepts, and now we have former SEGA sound designer Kazuhiko Nagai sharing music demo tracks from the late 80s!

Posted to his YouTube channel, demo tracks from the Genesis/Mega Drive release of Ghostbusters, the Genesis/Mega Drive release of Rambo III and a track from the Genesis/Mega Drive game Mystic Defender have appeared in recent weeks. The tracks are labeled as rough sketches and “maybe rejected”, with Nagai providing his best guess at times for what the intention of the track was. As of writing, a new video was just uploaded (after the break) with fingers crossed for many more over the coming days.

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SEGA Game Gear Micro Hardware Review – Bite-Sized Nostalgia

In June 2020, SEGA revealed the Game Gear Micro. Prior to the full announcement, fans speculated on if this would be the successor to the SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive Mini, how big the actual device was, how many games would be on the handheld and if it would receive a western release. Once the details were confirmed, internet reaction – specifically from westerners – was largely negative. With dimensions of 80×43 mm (about the size of a Dreamcast VMU) and four colors featuring four unique games each, the Micro truly was living up to its name. Micro in size, micro in game lineup, and micro in not living up to expectations set by the Genesis/Mega Drive Mini.

Now, five months later, I have the full lineup in hand (literally, I can hold all four in one hand!) and can make my own determination on the Game Gear Micro. Is it worthy of an import?

SEGA Talks About What’s Next After the Game Gear Micro

With the Game Gear Micro now releasing in Japan, SEGA’s Yosuke Okunari talked about what’s next in a recent issue of Famitsu Magazine. Thanks to Siliconera, we have some translated tidbits from the article:

“For the next Mini, we are considering everything that has been imagined by everyone.”
“Of course, it doesn’t mean we can realize all of them. We are also thinking about projects that nobody has imagined.”
“The projects are moved by a substantial amount of money, so we’re working first on the one that, realistically speaking, has the highest possibility.”
“The Game Gear Micro is only sold domestically in Japan. When we do the next one, I feel like the project scope will be much bigger as we gaze upon the world. So we won’t be able to release it at this time the next year or two years after the Mega Drive Mini. We can’t make it that quickly. (laughs)”
“I think for the next one, we may go with a concept close to the Mega Drive Mini. If I have to say some names, it could be an SG-1000 Mini or a Dreamcast Mini…”

It’s interesting that the Astro City Mini is not mentioned, and that SEGA are considering everything from their earliest console to their last console. What would you like to see next from SEGA? Sound off in the comments below!

[Source: Siliconera]
[Image Credit: KIDULT SHARINGS]

Yakuza Like A Dragon: The Quest Begins Trailer; Play iconic karaoke songs in English for the first time!

SEGA has just dropped a new trailer for Yakuza Like A Dragon. In the trailer, the down-and-out Yakuza scrapper, Ichiban Kasuga, describes his videogame-esque heroic journey that will take him through an amazing array of minigames in a veritable underworld playground. Yokohama features a plethora of fun and hilarious distractions, including kart racing, batting cages, SEGA arcades, high-octane vocational school tests, and the ability to manage and grow your own company! Ichiban and his ragtag crew of friends have endless fun activities to engage with as they try to restore justice to the streets of Yokohama.

And for the first time, players can play English renditions of fans’ most beloved karaoke songs from previous entries in the series, as well as several brand-new songs. The full list of English-voiced karaoke songs includes:

    • Baka Mitai (I’ve Been a Fool)
    • Hell Stew
    • Like a Butterfly
    • Machine Gun Kiss
    • Spring Breeze
    • The Future I Dreamed Of

Yakuza: Like a Dragon launches on Xbox Series X | S, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Windows 10 and Steam on Nov. 10, 2020. The Xbox Series X | S versions will offer a Smart Delivery upgrade path for Xbox One owners of the game, and the PlayStation 4 owners will receive a free upgrade to the PlayStation 5 version, both physical and digital, upon its release on March 2, 2021.

SEGA Talk Podcast #54: Sonic Advance (2001)

On this episode of SEGA Talk, George and Barry fire up the Game Boy Advance and discuss Sonic’s first 2D platforming adventure on a Nintendo handheld! What is Dimps? How does a speedy hammer wielding Amy Rose control? How does the game hold up almost 20 years later? Listen and learn!

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!

ToeJam & Earl’s Funky Fresh Foods of Funkotron Cookbook Launches On KickStarter

From the makers of “The Legend’s Cookbook” and “Mother’s Cookbook” alumni, with guidance from TJ&E co-creator Greg Johnson, comes ToeJam & Earl’s Funky Fresh Foods of Funkotron Cookbook which has officially launched on Kickstarter.

Owners of this cook book will be able to make 35 unique recipes, and the book features fresh photos and original illustrations with an authentic ’90s vibe taking inspiration from the Toe Jam and Earl franchise. This cook book is great for beginners and hardcore fans alike if you want to try out food from Toe Jam and Earl’s home planet, Funkotron.

You can pre-order the cook book on the official Kickstarter page until October 30th with additional backer rewards available such as stickers, enamel pins and your very own TJ&E apron. There will also be community events and challenges for a chance to win free copies of the “ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove” game on Steam with more details coming soon on the official Kickstarter and Twitter pages. Hit the jump to see sample pages of the recipes to try out for yourself!

Yakuza: Like A Dragon Releases Early on November 10th on all consoles (PS5 Version on March 2, 2021); New PS5 Gameplay Footage

UPDATE: “ Physical owners of Yakuza: Like a Dragon on PS4 can also use the original disc to upgrade to the PS5 version when it releases on March 2, 2021.

Save data will not be transferable between the PS4 and PS5 versions of the game.”

Yakuza: Like A Dragon will be releasing on consoles a bit early from the original date. The game will now be released on Xbox Series X | S, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Windows 10 and Steam on November 10, 2020, aligning the release dates for all current-generation releases with the Xbox Series X | S launch date. As previously revealed, the Xbox Series X | S versions will offer a Smart Delivery upgrade path for Xbox One owners of the game.

However, the Playstation 5 version will be released next year on March 2, 2020 with new gameplay footage shown running on the console which you can check out here and here.

Which version are you planning on getting? Like us know in the comments below.

Panzer Dragoon: Remake Out Now on PlayStation 4 and PC

Forever Entertainment’s Panzer Dragoon: Remake is now available on the PlayStation 4! Released in 2019 to the Nintendo Switch, the game is now seeing a wider release on PS4 and PC (Steam currently has it for 10% off). Currently, the game is digital only on those platforms and is priced at $24.99. Fingers crossed we see a release from Limited Run Games.

A new, remade version of the Panzer Dragoon game – true to the original, with improved graphics and controls, that suit modern gaming standards!
On a far, lone planet, you encounter two dragons awaken from the ancient times. Armed with a deadly gun from the past, and the guidance of your armored blue dragon, you must fulfill your destiny and keep the Prototype Dragon from reaching the Tower or die trying.

Key Features
– Pilot through seven unbelievably realistic levels ranging from tropical blue ocean cities to intricate subterranean ruins.
– Fight the Prototype Dragon who appears together with evil giant dragonflies, frightening man-sized wasps, giant sandworms, and lethal flying battleships.
– Attack approaching from all sides enemies quickly and without mercy, with improved 360-degree controls and lock-on targeting.

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TGS 2020: Astro City Mini Hands-On Details and Pink Second Player Variants Revealed

More news about the upcoming Astro City Mini plug and play was revealed at SEGA’s Tokyo Game Show digital events. A variant with pink buttons, based off the player two controls of an Astro City cabinet, was revealed. Additionally, there will be Astro City Mini controllers and arcade sticks with the pink variant, as well as an accessory to place over the marquee making it appear to be a New Astro City arcade machine (New Astro City was a 1994 revision to the 1993 Astro City with exposed speakers jutting out from above the monitor).

SEGA News Bits: Yakuza Movie Announced

The SEGA Cinematic Universe expands with the announcement of a Yakuza movie! Produced by 1212 Entertainment and Wild Sheep Content, this new live action project looks to bring the Yakuza games to the big screen. Who is behind it all and what can we expect? Find out by clicking that play button!

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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.