Unreleased ‘Breach’ port for SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive has been unearthed

The site GamingAlexandria has posted some assets from the unreleased SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive port of Breach. This whole project was compiled and preserved by David Ashley.

Thankfully if you wanted to try out the beta port of ‘Breach’ on your original hardware, you can download the rom and assets here. If you didn’t know Breach was the first installment of a trilogy of sci-fi strategy games developed by Omnitrend Software who are mainly known for their 1983 text adventure game ‘Universe’. Lots of people would describe Breach as a early version of X-Com. You can read more about this ports development via GamingAlexandria’s in-depth post. According to our sister site, SEGA Retro, the game was last seen again at Winter CES 1993.

 

Sakura Wars (2020) Review – The Revived JRPG Classic for the New Era of Gaming (PlayStation 4)

It has been a long journey and Sakura Wars is now available for a worldwide audience with a brand new cast of characters, a new story, and the charm of the original series that debuted on the SEGA Saturn back in 1996. But does it meet expectations for newcomers and older fans alike? Take a look at my review of Sakura Wars for PlayStation 4!

13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim physical & digital sales reaches 130,000 units in Japan

13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is one of the games that I have been looking forward to since it was announced way back in TGS 2015, since it was being developed by Vanillaware ( Odin Sphere, Dragon’s Crown and Muramasa: The Demon Blade). The game has been postponed and delayed. When it was first announced there was two versions: PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita; since then the Vita version has been cancelled. The game came out (with whispers considering how acclaimed the studio is) in Japan November 28, 2019 and since then Atlus Japan has confirmed the game has sold 130,000 units.

That means that it sold only 30,000 units in the last four months considering that Vanillaware confirmed in January that the game had sold 100,000 units. Is this good for the game that has been in the works for such a long time? I couldn’t tell you. As far as a western release, Atlus hasn’t announced a release date yet.

SEGA Talk Podcast #42: Skies of Arcadia (2000)

Ahoy! On this SEGA Talk, George and Barry take to the skies to discuss the SEGA Dreamcast JRPG Skies of Arcadia! Known as Eternal Arcadia in Japan, the game is often cited as one of the best RPGs on the Dreamcast, and an underrated GameCube port has since helped its legacy. Learn about the early character designs, the game’s many innovations and the game’s legacy.

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!

Son of Segata Sanshiro’s backstory revealed in latest commercial – translation details!

SEGA has been rolling out a new ad campaign in Japan for the company’s 60th anniversary, cleverly depicted as “GO SEGA” since “60” and “GO” look so similar in the SEGA logo font. The star of the campaign is Maito, the real life son of Hiroshi Fujioka, the actor who played Segata Sanshiro during the Saturn era. Maito plays Segashiro, whose catchphrase “It’s a SEGA” sounds a lot like “Segashiro”.

Previous ads just had Segashiro walking around spouting his catchphrase, but this latest ad really goes all out on fan service and Segata Sanshiro lore.

Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Mega Mix will launch west on May 15 for Nintendo Switch, demo out now

SEGA has confirmed that the Nintendo Switch game Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Mega Mix will launch May 15th in the west. The company has also confirmed that this title will launch as digital only, at least for now.

SEGA has already opened digital pre-orders for the game which includes two versions: The base game for $39.99 (101 Songs) and a Mega Pack for $59.99 which includes six downloadable content packs. Five of the six downloadable packs have already been released in Japan. But that isn’t all, SEGA has confirmed that if you pre-order the game you will also get early access to the “Theme Song DLC Pack” which includes playable versions of previous Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA theme songs like (will be free to all users after June 12th):

M2’s Shoot ‘Em Up Game Ikusaba is launching this fall in Japanese arcades

During the live stream of the Famitsu Dengeki Awards in Japan, developer M2 (SEGA Ages, 3D Classics Collection) announced that their previously announced shoot ’em up game ‘Ikusaba’ will be heading to arcades this fall. During the event M2 director Naoki Horii showed off the game’s first two stages, suggesting those stages are nearly done.

M2 also discussed some of the system, including that the game will have four different ships, with different pilots. Instead of dying and losing a life, in this game you will die and move on to the next character until you run out. As we covered this game last time, Ikusaba is a temporary title. The game was also set to get a demo at a Japanese event this month but due to the virus pandemic all events have been withheld but the game is still set for release this fall. This game is suppose to be added via SEGA’s ALL.Net P-ras MULTI Version 3 (APM3) arcades.

SEGA Talk Podcast #41: Sonic Chaos (1993)

The SEGA Game Gear is our focus on this episode as we discuss Sonic Chaos, or Sonic & Tails as it’s known in Japan. We discuss the game’s many “firsts”, the unique development and the impact it had on future Sonic games.

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!

Sakura Wars (2019) Hands-On Preview – A Dramatic Adventure at its best! (Playstation 4)

Sakura Wars has been a popular Japanese game franchise and media since the release of the original game in 1996 on the SEGA Saturn in Japan. It was known for its hybrid gameplay between dating simulation and turn-based tactical strategy. The franchise would later grow a cult following in the west through anime releases in the late nineties and the release of Sakura Wars: So Long My Love for Playstation 2 and Nintendo Wii by another publisher, NIS America. Since the release of So Long My Love, the franchise laid in dormant until SEGA made a surprising announcement in 2018 during SEGA Fes that a brand new entry to the series was in the works as a soft reboot and will be released worldwide.

With only 12 days to go with the release of Sakura Wars (2019) for Playstation 4, I’m going to share my hands-on experience of the game, courtesy of SEGA. Please note that this preview is the 1.0 version of the game before the Day One update with a full review coming to SEGAbits on April 27th. You can read my hands-on preview of Sakura Wars (2019) in full after the break!

Streets of Rage 4 releasing on April 30th for all platforms, Battle Mode revealed

Publisher Dotemu has finally revealed when Streets of Rage 4 will release. You can take to the streets and beat up thugs this upcoming April 30th, and it will launch for all four platforms. In addition, Battle Mode has been announced. In Battle Mode, you pick from a selection of different characters and beat the tar out of your opponents, with up to 4 players being able to participate in the brawl.

Also advertised is pre-orders for the physical copies of the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch versions of the game, by Limited Run Games. These physical copies come with a steelbook, a reversible cover, and a custom clamshell case mimicking the design of a SEGA Genesis case.

SEGA AGES G-LOC Air Battle releasing on April 30th in western territories


SEGA AGES G-LOC Air Battle has a release date for western territories. For those in North America and European regions, you’ll be able to take to the skies on April 30th, available on the Nintendo Switch eShop for $7.99 and equivalent.

In this spin-off of the popular arcade game After Burner, you once again pilot a fighter jet called the A8M5 Thunderfox “Zeek”, soaring through the landscape blasting down anything in your path with bullets and missiles. The key difference is the emphasis on switching between a first-person and third-person perspective, influencing how you control and aim with the jet. The SEGA AGES release will also include new features, such as a AGES Mode which adds more enemies, more missiles, and an improved lock on system, and a special border that mimics the swaying of the original arcade cabinet.

[Source: Official Website / Twitter]

SEGA to shut down SEGA Heroes servers on May 21st

SEGA and Demiurge’s SEGA Heroes mobile game is one of the few titles I pop in everyday to collect all my rewards so I could fill out my SEGA roster. Its not ground breaking but the diversity of SEGA IPs really got me into it. Sadly, I will have to say goodbye to this mobile title as Demiurge studio has now become independent from SEGA. SEGA had previously worked with Demiurge on the Aliens: Colonial Marines DLC Bughunt, the same year they made their smash mobile title ‘Marvel Puzzle Quest‘ in 2013. After that, SEGA stepped in to purchase the studio.

Demiurge and SEGA’s games weren’t all hits either, the first title that the studio brought out to mobile was Puzzle & Glory in 2015, which got a soft launch in Canada and then a year later they closed the game down. Then in 2017 came the mobile title known as Crazy Taxi Gazillionaire that was then changed into Crazy Taxi Tycoon which was a top-down endless business management simulator and idle clicker game.

Now the last game they did was SEGA Heroes. But why has Demiurge studios bought the studio back from SEGA and want to go independent? According to this interview with the studios co-founder, they want to get out of the mobile market and work on supporting AAA studios like they did before they made Marvel Puzzle Quest. If you look at their history of games they worked on (which dates back to 2004), they worked on console games.

SEGA has also made a notice about the game closing, you can read that here.

SEGA AGES Thunder Force AC coming soon, more information revealed

After Thunder Force III appeared previously in the SEGA 3D series on 3DS and the SEGA Genesis Mini, it once again returns, but with a bit of a twist. Indeed, Thunder Force AC is essentially an arcade version of the original Thunder Force III, using the SEGA System C2 arcade board also used for games such as Puyo Puyo and Puzzle & Action: Ichidant-R. But don’t be fooled, as the game mixes up the level design enough that it’s still worth a playthrough even if you’ve played the Mega Drive original, and also benefits from improved audio samples.

The SEGA AGES release adds several new features, most notably the selection of different ships. FIRE LEO-03 STYX being the default ship, FIRE LEO-03 STYX Mass Product being a revamped version of the original ship that was included in Thunder Force Gold Pack 2, FIRE LEO-04 RYNEX from Thunder Force IV, and FIRE LEO-04 RYNEX with the Thunder Sword. Like it’s predecessor SEGA AGES Thunder Force IV, there will also be a Kids Mode that increases the power of your attacks and doesn’t penalize you by stripping away your weapons upon death, ideal for more novice players.

It will be available at a price of ¥999 for the Japanese Nintendo Switch eShop, but with no announced date yet.

[Source: Official Website]

Phantasy Star Online 2 PC release window revealed, Xbox One cross-play confirmed

Phantasy Star Online 2 has had its Xbox One open beta going on for almost a month, and now we have news of when PC players can expect to start playing the western localization of the game. PSO2 is set for a North American PC launch of “late May” 2020, exclusively on the Microsoft Store. It has also been confirmed that there will be cross-play between Xbox One and PC players on day one of the PC release.

No information has been given about a Steam release, but once we hear something we’ll be sure to news it!

[Source: Forbes]