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Our annual SEGA fan meetup, Arcade Adventure, is happening at the Galloping Ghost Arcade in Brookfield, Illinois on Saturday, October 3rd, 2026! Consider this the save the date before we reveal this year’s logo and artwork (by Pseudochel, as always), as well as the specific times. But until then, put Saturday, October 3rd on your calendar for Arcade Adventure 5 and we will see at the Galloping Ghost Arcade in Brookfield, Illinois!
It’s your favorite podcast, back in podcast form! We’re back! We catch up on the news and with each other.
Smash your head into a Prize Block because on this episode of SEGA Talk we’re transforming into Kid Chameleon! How did this ambitious platformer come to be? Which teen heartthrob did they base the hero on? And what legacy – if any – did this game leave behind? Find out on this transformative episode of SEGA Talk!
https://segabits.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/segatalkkidchameleon.mp3[iTunes – Stitcher – YouTube – Download]
Support us on Patreon! Get early access, have your memories read on the show, select the games we talk about!
TJ Davis is apparently as big of a fan of Sonic’s Open-Zone game debut, or at least its music, as I am.
The legendary singer who lent her vocal talent to Sonic R and Metropolis Street Racer has marked her grand return to Sonic the Hedgehog music with a new EP featuring her own covers of some of the vocal tracks from Sonic Frontiers. The EP, titled “New Frontiers”, will feature reimaginings of four vocal tracks from the game as well as one new, original song inspired by the Sonic the Hedgehog community at large and their kindness and passion towards creatives like her who were part of Sonic at one point. The campaign is looking to raise £15,000 pound sterling (About $20,154 USD currently) in order to print various physical copies of the EP on CD and vinyl records, along with gauging interest in future physical musical releases. Maybe more Sonic and/or Sega themed projects will come of that?
The campaign runs until August 16th, 2026, and to help sell everyone on this EP, TJ Davis is also releasing new music videos for the five songs on New Frontiers weekly throughout the timeframe of the Kickstarter campaign. As of this writing, she has currently debuted her version of I’m Here on YouTube. Check in past the break to see that video and the other four, which will be added to the article as they are uploaded online. You’ll also find more info about the Kickstarter and a link to it, should you decide you wanna throw down some rings on it.
Here is a good look at the general vibe that New Frontiers will have. TJ Davis’s version of I’m Here is co-arranged by Mark Boden and goes for a very different mood from the original song or even any songs from Sonic R. This time, the song has a far more relaxed, atmospheric, and organic mood heavily emblematic of the vast landscapes that players had to explore in Sonic Frontiers. It drops the screaming guitars and pounding drums and doubles down on the piano and strings (guitars aside). In fact, it’s more like the exploration background music accompanying each of the islands in Sonic Frontiers. This also gives Sonic fans who are unfamiliar with TJ Davis’s work outside of Sonic R a better idea of her true vocal range.
07/25 Update: Davis has uploaded her cover of One Way Dream. This cover is arranged and composed by Bentley Jones (The same Bentley Jones who gave us Silver’s theme from Sonic 06 and the vocal theme from Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing) and is actually much closer to the original version than her cover of I’m Here was. It retains the guitars, though they’re not as intense as the original and the guitar solo is out. It’s balanced out with a more orchestral touch and electronic drums that sound like they come from Sonic R’s soundtrack.
Along with the song is the touching collection of photos and videos of Sonic fans at various events. There’s a lot of pictures of them with Davis and videos of Davis performing concerts at many of these events, including the Sonic Symphony, along with some fanart. The original version of One Way Dream was Sonic Team’s own message of gratitude toward the Sonic community and their undying support that carried them through the development of Sonic Frontiers, and now Davis’s adaptation of it is her way of giving back to them as well. She still has an original song made to be a gift to them that’s also part of this EP, which has yet to be revealed.
07/31 Update: Ooh! Sonamy. Spicy.
We already got the original song now, and it’s nothing like what we were told to expect. This is a duet with TJ Davis featuring Kayley James, who also wrote the song, while arrangement, production, and mixing fell on James Hawkins. The song goes back to the same style of arrangement as Davis’s version of I’m Here: A laid-back, somber ballad, but this time, consisting entirely of piano.
The video consists almost entirely of cutscenes from Kronos Island, where Amy Rose was, and the song appears to be speaking from her pov, as if speaking toward Sonic. It describes Amy’s struggle to get Sonic to notice her and her feelings after a long time of supporting his heroics from afar. At least, my first instinct is to interpret it as an ode to unrequited love, but I do get the feeling there’s more going on here, like how the lyrics describe Sonic’s insistence on relying only on himself in tough times even when he can count on Amy. You might be able to interpret something else from it. Scenes of Amy in the ghostly digital state she was in during Frontiers does work as a visual analogy for this song’s theming and its title.
It’s not quite the ode to the Sonic community that One Way Dream was, but if you’re really into the idea of Sonic and Amy as an item, then this is for you.
8/8 Update: TJ Davis is throwing us a bunch of curveballs now. Guess her version of I’m Here didn’t really reflect the tone of every song in this EP after all. That’s what I get for assuming.
Davis’s cover of I’m With You is a collaboration with EDM composer RoBKTA, with a video featuring art by Miitara, who’s actually had Sonic fan art showcased by Sega before. This song goes for the exact opposite tone that the original version of I’m With You had in Sonic Frontiers. Davis and RoBKTA have turned it into an upbeat, electronic disco track, much closer to the bangers you remember Davis making for Sonic R and Metropolis Street Racer. The original song is still a jubilant and triumphant one, but it was a softer song heavy on piano, especially the version with lyrics made for the Final Horizon expansion of the game. It has an even more victorious mood to it now that you can dance to it.
If you’re a fan of this direction, and a fan of actually owning your media, physical or otherwise, than consider dropping some money on the Kickstarter for copies of the EP in your preferred format and other physical goodies. If you’re short on cash, a single pound earns you a spot for your name in a Special Thanks video Davis will release at a later date, along with access to exclusive sneak peeks. £10 will earn you a license for the EP on Bandcamp, where you can stream it freely and download it in a wide variety of digital audio formats like .MP3, .AAC, .WAV, or .FLAC. £15 earns you a physical CD to be shipped to you. £25 earns you a T-shirt, but not the CD. £45 earns you a Kickstarter exclusive vinyl, but not the CD or shirt. The CD, T-Shirt, and vinyl tiers also earn you the exclusive sneak peeks, Thank You video spot, and the Bandcamp license.
There is also the £150 “Undefeatable” tier, earning you everything above, plus a gold enamel TJ Davis pin, a custom voice message from Davis herself, a bundle of other merch, and autographs on the CD and Kickstarter exclusive vinyl. The “Other merch” can also be added onto any other tier for extra cash and includes things like stickers, a giant poster, and the CD, vinyl, or t-shirt, in case you’re selecting a tier that includes one and not the others or you want an extra of anything.
Several stretch goals to unlock extra goodies were also detailed. So far, the only ones revealed are instrumental and acapella versions of each of the New Frontiers tracks at £25,000, a Sonic R t-shirt to be added to the available add-ons at £30,000 (You can change your tier or the money you wanna spend anytime before the Kickstarter ends), and an album of reimagined Sonic R vocal tracks at £50,000.
Although this particular campaign is treating this like a pre-order campaign, it’s important to remember Kickstarter is not a store and does not operate by a normal store’s rules. You are pledging money toward something that is not yet completed and may take a long time to complete and ship to your door or cancelled altogether. Once the Kickstarter is over, assuming the project’s goal is reached by then, any money you’ve pledged is gone and refunds are unlikely. If the project does go pear-shaped, refunds will only happen at the discretion of the project creator if they’re benevolent enough to offer refunds and haven’t blown too much money already to afford them. I strongly recommend you do not back anything on Kickstarter if you aren’t willing to accept any of this.
In this case, however, all of the songs are already written and recorded and TJ Davis just wants to fund all the physical products, so chances are good that you’ll get them with no fuss.
With all that said, walk forward through the cold dawn, always to the New Hori- New Frontiers Kickstarter page to find read more about the campaign and to pledge some of your money if you’re interested. If you are backing, let us know in the comments below what tier you’re going for. You can also tell us how much of a fan you are of TJ Davis’s singing. If you’re not backing or you don’t like TJ Davis’s reimagining of these songs, feel free to tell us why not too.
You might be interested in knowing this isn’t TJ Davis’s first time singing Sonic tunes decades after the Sega Saturn years. She and Sonic R’s composer Richard Jacques appeared at a Sonic Symphony show in London to perform a Sonic R medley alongside the orchestra. She also joined two other Sonic music veterans, Johnny Geoeli and Bentley Jones, to perform a Sonic concert at Sonic Expo last year, which ended with all three singing Live & Learn together. She even put on her own Sonic Frontiers medley during that same concert, which ended up being a lot like the covers she’s making now.
Today, ATLUS announced its upcoming partnership with Kura Sushi USA, bringing Persona-themed dishes and more to Kura Sushi nationwide to celebrate the Persona franchise’s 30th anniversary. From Saturday, Aug. 1, 2026, through Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026, the Persona x Kura Sushi Bikkura Pon immersive crossover will treat guests to a specially curated menu, capsule prizes, an original animation, and an in-restaurant giveaway special for Kura Sushi Rewards Members.
Hit the next section of the article for the full press release and screenshots!
Let’s Show ‘Em A Good Time: Kura Sushi USA Partners with ATLUS to Bring the Immersive World of Persona to Restaurants Nationwide August 1
Dive into the world of the beloved Japanese RPG series with a dynamic Bikkura Pon dining experience at Kura Revolving Sushi Bar featuring crafted menu items, animations, collectible prizes, and more
IRVINE, Calif. (July 30, 2026) — The world-renowned gaming series Persona, is taking over Kura Sushi USA, Inc., the nation’s largest brand of revolving sushi restaurants, with a limited-time interactive dining experience. In partnership with video game titan ATLUS, this collaborative launch celebrates 30 years of the globally acclaimed Persona series with chibi-style character illustrations from multiple game versions spanning the game’s legacy.
Rolling out at Kura Revolving Sushi Bar locations nationwide Saturday, Aug. 1, 2026, through Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026, the Persona x Kura Sushi Bikkura Pon immersive crossover will transform the dining experience into a gaming oasis, treating guests to a specially curated menu, capsule prizes, an original animation, and an in-restaurant giveaway special for Kura Sushi Rewards Members. Mascots including Morgana, Koromaru, and Teddie will be infiltrating the tablet screens with an original short animation video series that will play after 5 sushi plates are disposed down the plate chute.
Inspired Plates Made to Immerse You into the World of Persona:
Sushi rolls and a beef bowl that will awaken appetites adapted from Persona 3 Reload, Persona 4 Golden, and Persona 5 Royal.
- Weird Takoyaki Tempura Roll: Takoyaki wrapped with sushi rice and seaweed, tempura-fried and topped with mayonnaise, green onion, and bonito flakes.
- Rainy Day Special Beef Bowl: Sushi rice topped with sukiyaki beef and a seasoned soft-boiled egg.
- Calling Card Tuna Roll: Negitoro and cucumber wrapped in seaweed and sushi rice, finished with sesame seeds and topped with tuna, mayonnaise, spicy crunchy garlic, and fried onion.
Summon Your Favorite Capsule Prizes Before the Shadows Take Over:
Take home a piece of Persona after your dining experience with 11 collectible sticker 3-piece sets, acrylic charms, and can badges. Kura Revolving Sushi Bar guests will receive a single randomized Persona x Kura Sushi Bikkura Pon capsule prize after consuming sushi plates—15, 25, then every 15 plates thereafter. Capsule prizes will be available for individual purchase in-restaurant, online at order.kurasushi.com, and DoorDash.*
Exclusive Kura Sushi Rewards Member Offer:
Kura Sushi Rewards members will receive a collaborative Persona x Kura Sushi cooling towel and case with their $85 minimum in-restaurant order starting Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026, while supplies last.**
“The Persona series is celebrated worldwide for its stylish art direction, unforgettable characters, and deep storytelling, and we are thrilled to partner with ATLUS to bring the iconic universe of Persona in our restaurants and entertain our gaming fans with popular menu items from the series, an original animation that features the widely recognized and endearing mascots, and collectibles with fan-favorite characters,” said Newton Hoang, Vice President of Marketing at Kura Sushi USA, Inc.
Kura Sushi’s proprietary Bikkura Pon prize platform, an integral part of the brand’s innovative dining experience, is powered by plate count and adds an element of surprise and excitement to every visit. With more than 600 million plates served in the U.S., the program remains a fan favorite.
For more information about the Persona x Kura Sushi Bikkura Pon collaboration visit kurasushi.com, and fans can follow along on Kura Sushi’s Instagram and enter a suave giveaway on Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026, rules apply.
*Availability may differ by location and is not guaranteed.
**Kura Sushi Rewards members only. Limit 1 unit per member. Limited time offer, no substitutions. Availability may differ by location and is not guaranteed. Additional charges, terms, and exclusions may apply.
About Kura Sushi USA, Inc.
Kura Sushi USA, Inc. is the nation’s largest brand of revolving sushi restaurants that serves authentic Japanese cuisine and delivers a joyful dining experience with more than 90 locations in 24 states and Washington D.C. Utilizing advanced innovation to enhance service speed and accuracy, guests have a wide variety of more than 100 menu items at their fingertips via conveyor belt service inclusive of sushi, sashimi, tempura, noodles, desserts, and more, made with high-quality ingredients free of artificial colorings, preservatives, seasonings and sweeteners. Kura Sushi USA, Inc. was established in 2008 as a subsidiary of Kura Sushi, Inc., a Japan-based revolving sushi chain with more than 600 restaurants internationally and 45 years of brand history. For more information about Kura Sushi USA, visit kurasushi.com, follow Kura Sushi USA on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok & X, and download the Kura Sushi Rewards app to make a reservation and roll into delicious loyalty perks.
About ATLUS
ATLUS delivers unforgettable, story-driven gameplay experiences to enthusiastic and dedicated fans around the globe. Established in 1986, ATLUS features a portfolio of beloved and long running game series including PERSONA, which has sold over 30 million units worldwide, and the legendary SHIN MEGAMI TENSEI. ATLUS games are published in the west by SEGA of America, Inc. with its principal office in Irvine, California. Learn more about ATLUS at www.atlus.com.
©ATLUS. ©SEGA. All rights reserved. SEGA is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. ATLUS, the ATLUS logo, Persona, Persona 3 Reload, Persona 4 Golden, and Persona 5 Royal are registered trademarks or trademarks of ATLUS Co., Ltd or its affiliates. SEGA and the SEGA logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of SEGA CORPORATION. All other trademarks, logos, and copyrights are property of their respective owners.
Attention Sonic Squad! A fifth Chaos Emerald is landing, this time in Chicago around Lollapalooza! Fans attending Lollapalooza or who live in the area are welcome to stop by and check out the Cyan Chaos Emerald drop, take pictures, and meet Shadow the Hedgehog during his first live appearance in the US! There will also be special prizes for the first 300 fans, so make sure to get there early! More details on the Chicago Emerald Drop can be found below:
- WHAT
- Fifth Chaos Emerald Drop in Chicago.
- WHERE
- Maggie Daley Park, 337 E Randolph St, Chicago, IL 60601
- Fans can find the activation within Maggie Daley Park, on the way into Lollapalooza.
- Maggie Daley Park, 337 E Randolph St, Chicago, IL 60601
- WHEN
- Saturday, August 1, 2026, from 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM CT.
- WHO
- Sonic and Shadow the Hedgehog will be available to hang out and take pictures with the fans!
- Additional Details
- The first 100 fans will receive a free Chaos Hunt shirt, and the first 250 fans will receive an exclusive Shadow the Hedgehog and Cyan Emerald enamel collectible pin.
- Fans will also be able to scan a QR code to collect the Emerald on their phones for a chance to win the grand prize of an all expenses paid trip to Club Chaos in October!
For more information surrounding the Chaos Hunt please head HERE, and sign up for SMS updates and follow the Sonic the Hedgehog social channels to get real time alerts about the upcoming Club Chaos celebration in New York on Friday, Oct. 9, 2026!
Cowabunga! SEGA has officially released the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Pack for Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds! Players can now join the chaos as the pizza-loving Turtles race their way for first place. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Pack includes:
- Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello and Michelangelo as playable characters
- Pizzafire Van Vehicle
- New York City Course
- New Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles-inspired Music Tracks
- Six different emotes per character
Players who own the Digital Deluxe Edition will automatically receive the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Pack as part of the Season Pass. The Season Pass is also available separately for $29.99 USD, granting access to even more exciting characters, vehicles and courses. Players can also purchase the standalone Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Pack for $5.99 USD.
Those who do not own the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Pack will still be able to compete online against those who do, including racing on the New York City course against the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles characters.
Calling all crazy drivers! SEGA is inviting players from select regions around the world to put their driving skills to the test by participating in the Crazy Taxi: World Tour Multiplayer Closed Network Test. Applications to participate in the multiplayer closed network test (CNT) are open now until August 31st with selected players being some of the first in the world to experience two of the top-speed online multiplayer modes from the game. Crazy Taxi: World Tour is set to release in 2027.
While the full retail game will include single-player and story modes, the CNT will focus entirely on online multiplayer action. Players will be able to participate in two multiplayer modes, Pickup Race and Cops ‘N’ Cabbies, both playable via Ranked Match or Custom Match, where custom lobbies and rules can be set.
- In Pickup Race, up to 6 players will compete with each other to drop off as many passengers as possible within a set time limit, earning as much crazy money as possible.
- In Cops ‘N’ Cabbies, players will be split into two, 3-person teams competing against each other
- Players will be able to race across 2 maps and choose between 4 characters and 6 cars with various tune-up options.
The CNT will run from 5:00 PM PT on September 11 through 5:00 PM PT on September 13 (September 12 00:00 UTC to September 14 00:00 UTC). It will be used to test the stability of the online multiplayer functionality ahead of the game’s full release and will support cross-play performance on XBOX Series X|S, XBOX on PC, PlayStation 5, and Steam. For more details on the CNT, including info on participating countries, how to apply and requirements for participation, please visit the official CNT website.
West Coast Map Trailer
Alongside the CNT’s announcement, SEGA revealed a new travel-inspired trailer highlighting the game’s West Coast map, an iconic location to fans of the series.
Featured Storefronts
Echoing the spirit of the original game, Crazy Taxi: World Tour will continue the tradition of including in-game storefronts of popular real-life retailers. With the new game set to take players on a globetrotting adventure, each World Tour map will feature regional retailers. Some storefronts and destinations confirmed to be in the West Coast map include iconic brands such as IHOP and Amoeba Music.
Players can look forward to additional in-game storefronts and retailers to be announced alongside the reveals of remaining World Tour maps.
Crazy Taxi: World Tour will be available on XBOX Series X|S, XBOX on PC, Steam, PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch 2. It is an XBOX Play Anywhere game and is available to wishlist on XBOX Series X|S, XBOX on PC, Steam and PlayStation 5.
Sonic Squad get ready! A fourth Chaos Emerald is landing, this time around San Diego Comic Con! Fans attending SDCC or who live in the area are welcome to stop by and check out the fourth Chaos Emerald drop, take pictures, and meet Sonic and Tails. There will also be special prizes for the first 100 and 250 fans, so make sure to get there early! More details on the San Diego Emerald Drop can be found below:
-
WHAT
- Fourth Chaos Emerald Drop in San Diego
-
WHERE
-
Gaslamp Quarter, 538 Seventh Ave, San Diego, CA, 92101
- Fans can find the activation in the parking lot at Seventh and Island, about a ten-minute walk from the convention center.
- WHEN
-
Saturday, July 25, 2026, from 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM PT
-
WHO
-
Both Sonic and Tails will be available to hang out and take pictures with fans!
-
Additional Details
-
The first 100 fans will receive a free Chaos Hunt shirt, and the first 250 fans will receive an exclusive Tails and Yellow Emerald enamel collectible pin.
- Fans will also be able to scan a QR code to collect the Emerald on their phones for a chance to win the grand prize of an all expenses paid trip to Club Chaos in October! Fans will also have a chance to win the exclusive San Diego prize – the Leblon Delienne Sonic Statue.
Put on your detective badge, step into the neon-lit streets of Kamurocho, and get ready to trade your heat actions for courtroom objections as we dive into the boldest spin-off Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio has ever produced: Judgment. This isn’t just “Yakuza with a lawyer.” This is a game that traded Kazuma Kiryu for Takuya Kimura, swapped organized crime for legal suspense, and asked whether the Dragon Engine could tell a whole new kind of story. Find out on this episode of SEGA TALK!
https://segabits.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/SEGATalkJudgement.mp3[iTunes – Stitcher – YouTube – Download]
Support us on Patreon! Get early access, have your memories read on the show, select the games we talk about!
Today, SEGA officially released the Minecraft Pack for Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds! Players can now hop in and play as fan-favorite characters including Steve, Alex, and a creeper while racing through the Minecraft World course, immersing them in the pixelated and blocky world. The Minecraft Pack includes the following:
- Steve, Alex, and a creeper as playable characters
- Minecart Vehicle
- Six decals for the Minecart Vehicle
- Minecraft World Course
- Five original Minecraft Music Tracks
- New remixes of original Minecraft Music Tracks
- Six different emotes per character
Players who own the Digital Deluxe Edition will automatically receive the Minecraft Pack as part of the Season Pass. For those who want to take part in the Minecraft action, the entire Season Pass is separately available for $29.99 USD, which includes access to even more upcoming exciting Season Pass characters, vehicles, and courses. Players can also purchase the standalone Minecraft Pack for $5.99 USD.
Players who do not own the Minecraft Pack will still be able to compete online against those who do and will be able to race on the Minecraft World course against the Minecraft characters.
Barry and the hosts of Sonic Weekly cross through the ring portal – as heard in part 1 – and emerge on the Swingin Report Show LIVE! We learn more about how the Sonic Weekly podcast came to be, discuss the canon elements of the Sonic Racing games and take your questions!
https://segabits.com/wp-content/uploads/Sonic%20Weekly%20CrossPod%20_%20The%20SEGAbits%20Swingin'%20Report%20Show%20LIVE.mp3[Download] [RSS] [iTunes] [Archive]
Barry the Nomad returns to the show to settle his fake rivalry with David the Lurker. We cover the weekly news, Rings of Saturn, and give our review scores for Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds! Lastly, David eulogizes Dan Drazen, a legendary figure in the Sonic fan community.
We had our first festival in Sonic Racing CrossWorlds, and on this News Bits we talk about how it went! Also, news has dropped that Sonic is teaming back up with the Olympics!
If you want to support this type of content, you can check out our Patreon!
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Today, SEGA announced its partnership with the International Olympic Committee for a multi-year licensing agreement. SEGA & IOC are seeking key partners for a full merchandise collection to launch in 2026.
The first look at the upcoming “Five Rings” collaboration is available now, featuring the Olympic rings with a supersonic Sonic the Hedgehog spin. This sneak peek into the custom art highlights the connection with Sonic and the core Olympic values, including excellence, respect and friendship.
Check out further details in the press release here!
SEGA® Teams up with the International Olympic Committee on a New Multi-Year Licensing Agreement Celebrating the Olympic Brand and Sonic the Hedgehog
The New Licensing Agreement Unites the Olympic Brand and Sonic the Hedgehog in a Celebration of Speed, Sportsmanship and Global Unity
Tokyo, Japan – Oct. 6, 2025 – Today, SEGA CORPORATION and the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the guardian of the Olympic Games and the leader of the Olympic Movement, announced a new multi-year agreement celebrating the legacies of Sonic the Hedgehog and the Olympic brand.
The first look at the upcoming “Five Rings” collaboration is available now, featuring the Olympic rings with a supersonic Sonic the Hedgehog spin. This sneak peek into the custom art highlights the connection with Sonic and the core Olympic values, including excellence, respect and friendship. SEGA & IOC are seeking key partners for a full merchandise collection to launch in 2026.
“We’re committed to fostering respectful and inclusive communities across the globe at SEGA,” said Shuji Utsumi, President and COO, Representative Director of SEGA CORPORATION. “Partnering with the International Olympic Committee allows us to bring those values to the forefront, especially with the Five Rings program, and celebrate the innovative and diverse spirit both of these brands promote.”
“The IOC is delighted to unite with SEGA for this exciting new chapter for the Olympic brand, embracing the power of storytelling and innovation to engage audiences globally,” said Elisabeth Allaman, Deputy Managing Director IOC TMS. “By combining the universally recognized Olympic rings with the beloved character of Sonic, we are creating fresh opportunities for fans of all ages to experience the spirit of sport and play in new and memorable ways.
Through the forging of the agreement with the International Olympic Committee, SEGA and the IOC will explore opportunities to license the designs for select merchandise collaborations, inviting like-minded brands to join in this unique fusion of sports and video games.
–
About SEGA CORPORATION
SEGA CORPORATION is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, and is a worldwide leader in interactive entertainment. The company develops, publishes, and distributes a variety of games for consoles, PCs, and wireless devices as well as character products, and various other products. Moreover, SEGA distributes a range of gaming content developed by its domestic and overseas studios worldwide via its global publishing bases. SEGA is leveraging its own IP to accelerate the development and commercialization of its IP not only in games but also in various other media, thereby dramatically increasing the value of its IP. SEGA is positioning transmedia as an important strategy for providing new content to users around the world.
SEGA CORPORATION’s website is located at https://www.sega.co.jp/
Expanded Olympic licensing opportunities
The licensing agreement is the result of the IOC’s Global Licensing Strategy – an initiative driven by Olympic Agenda 2020+5 that aims to engage and connect fans through official merchandise that strengthens and promotes the Olympic brand, not only during the Olympic Games, but between Games editions as well.
In addition to the Olympic Collection, which aims to engage a young and active audience through unique branded products, including apparel, toys and games, bags, stationery items and sports equipment, the IOC’s core licensing programmes include the Olympic Heritage Collection which offers products featuring art and design elements from previous Games editions, such as apparel, mascots and accessories, connecting fans and connoisseurs with the rich heritage of past Olympic Games, and the Olympic and Paralympic Games Collections, which celebrate each upcoming edition of the Games and include a wide range of accessories, souvenirs, fan gear and apparel.
Through the sale of official merchandise, collectibles and souvenirs, the Olympic licensing programmes offer fans a tangible connection to the Olympic Games and the Olympic values.
© 2025 – International Olympic Committee – All Rights Reserved. Olympic, Olympics, Olympic Games are registered trademarks.
© 2025 – International Olympic Committee – All Rights Reserved.
On this SEGA Talk, we discuss the first half of the fourth Sonic the Hedgehog game that arrived nearly 15 years after the third game! How did Sonic 4 come to be? Why is it so controversial with some fans? What is the ideal way to play it? Can you physically own it? Find out on SEGA Talk!
http://www.segabits.com/wp-content/uploads/SEGATalkSonic4Ep1.mp3[iTunes – Stitcher – YouTube – Download]
Support us on Patreon! Get early access, have your memories read on the show, select the games we talk about!
David and Bo celebrate the launch of CrossWorlds, deliver a public service announcement about your elderly neighbors and relatives, and decide that when it comes to copyright law, you can’t just live and learn.
The Shinobi legacy returns with Shinobi: Art of Vengeance, a modern reimagining of SEGA’s iconic ninja action series. Released earlier this year, the game slices its way onto PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC, bringing a mix of stylish combat, retro-inspired flair, and fresh design sensibilities. Behind the project is Lizardcube, the Paris-based studio best known for revitalizing another SEGA classic with Streets of Rage 4. Having earned widespread praise for blending hand-drawn artistry with tight, old-school gameplay, Lizardcube now turns its attention to one of SEGA’s most enduring heroes, aiming to reintroduce Shinobi to a new generation while respecting the series’ stealth-and-slash roots.
But will their trademark flair fit seamlessly with the iconic Shinobi franchise? I spent time with Art of Vengeance, and in this review, we’ll talk about what works, what doesn’t, and whether this revival lives up to its legendary name.
The Story of Shinobi ContinuesShinobi: Art of Vengeance brings back Joe Musashi to face a new threat from the shadowy ENE Corporation, a global syndicate that has resurfaced with ties to dark magic and advanced technology. The group’s experiments unleash supernatural forces across the world, and Musashi once again takes up the mantle of protector to dismantle their operations stage by stage. On paper it’s a solid continuation of the franchise’s tradition of pitting Musashi against overwhelming odds, blending ninjutsu mysticism with cyberpunk villainy.
It is clear that the team wanted to bring more weight to the story than past entries ever attempted. The effort is noble, but the execution is uneven. Older Shinobi titles dropped you straight into the action with little more than a stage title card, which gave them the pacing and intensity of nonstop action films. Art of Vengeance, on the other hand, frequently interrupts gameplay with cutscenes that slow the momentum. While these sequences flesh out the world and spotlight newly introduced side characters, I rarely felt invested in their struggles or motivations. Musashi himself remains wisely silent, but the supporting cast lacks the spark needed to carry the narrative forward.
The saving grace is that these cutscenes showcase the stunning hand-drawn work of Ben Fiquet. His bold lines and expressive designs elevate otherwise forgettable dialogue into moments worth watching, even if they disrupt the flow. Still, the contrast with past titles is hard to ignore: where those games felt like pure adrenaline with no downtime, Art of Vengeance sometimes feels bogged down by its own storytelling ambitions. In the end, the story is the weakest aspect of the game, though that speaks more to how strong the combat and presentation are than to any outright failure in the writing.
Striking Visuals and Bold Art DirectionVisually, Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is nothing short of striking. The hand-drawn animations and unique art style give the game a modern energy that feels distinctly like a Lizardcube production. While the original Shinobi games carved out their identity through sharp, moody pixel art, this entry takes a different approach, leaning into the same bold aesthetic that made Streets of Rage 4 stand out. The result is a presentation that feels alive and stylish, with every movement and attack flowing seamlessly from one frame to the next. It is a reinvention of Shinobi’s visual identity, yet one that still captures the sense of spectacle the series has always thrived on.
Some longtime fans have voiced concerns that the art direction and character designs stray too far from the series’ roots, but I found the change refreshing. The bold lines, fluid character animations, and exaggerated designs give Art of Vengeance a unique identity instead of simply rehashing the past. Every slash, dodge, and combo is animated with a level of smoothness that makes the action feel responsive and cinematic. It may not look like the Shinobi of the late eighties and nineties, but this new style works, and in motion it is nothing short of glorious.
The Gameplay is KingGameplay in Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is surprisingly deep, striking a balance between honoring the series’ roots and introducing modern refinements. Earlier Shinobi games, especially those influenced by Rolling Thunder, thrived on the high-risk “one hit, one kill” mechanic. While that tension worked in its time, Lizardcube wisely expands on what made the series unique by layering in mechanics that feel better suited for today. Joe Musashi still showcases his iconic techniques like the dive kick, shuriken throws, and the devastating ninjutsu arts seen in Revenge of Shinobi. On top of this, players can unlock new abilities, outfits, and power-ups by collecting Oboro Coins, which can then be spent at the Yokai Shop. These upgrades not only add variety but also give players a sense of progression that keeps the combat fresh from stage to stage.
At the heart of the game, the combat feels razor-sharp, quick, and incredibly responsive. One of the best additions is the new dash ability, which lets you evade incoming attacks with precision. Not everything can be dashed through, though; attacks highlighted in dark purple are unavoidable, forcing you to dodge the old-fashioned way or rely on smart positioning. This mix of offensive and defensive options keeps battles tense and exciting, and it makes controlling Joe more fluid than ever. Combined with a simplified juggle system, reminiscent of Streets of Rage 4, combat becomes both accessible and endlessly rewarding. Launching enemies into the air and experimenting with combos feels natural, and with the right sequence of moves, you can wipe out squads of enemies in one stylish run.
The difficulty curve hits a sweet spot that feels challenging without becoming punishing. Stages have their tough moments, but instead of frustration, they spark that addictive “just one more try” mentality. Checkpoints and lives are more forgiving than in past entries, which means you won’t be forced to restart entire levels when things go wrong. For players with limited time, this design is a welcome change, while veterans still have plenty of challenges thanks to Elite Squads and the Ankou Rifts. These special encounters mix platforming gauntlets with intense enemy battles, pushing you to master your moves and adapt on the fly.
One of the biggest shifts comes in the level design. Where past games leaned on straightforward, linear stage layouts, Art of Vengeance adopts a more open structure that encourages exploration. Branching paths, hidden secrets, and alternate routes make each level feel expansive and worth revisiting. The structure still funnels you toward a clear objective, but the freedom to experiment with different approaches adds a welcome layer of replayability. Combined with the upgrade system, fluid combat, and varied challenge stages, Shinobi: Art of Vengeance elevates itself beyond a simple throwback and into the realm of a modern action-platformer with real depth.
The Sound of VengeanceThe soundtrack of Shinobi: Art of Vengeance carries serious pedigree, with Tee Lopes and Yuzo Koshiro collaborating to bring the music to life. Lopes, best known for his breakout work on Sonic Mania, has quickly become one of SEGA’s go-to composers for modern revivals. Koshiro, meanwhile, is practically royalty in the SEGA pantheon, with legendary scores for The Revenge of Shinobi and the Streets of Rage trilogy cementing his reputation decades ago. Bringing these two together is a perfect move, as it bridges past and present talent while setting high expectations for the game’s soundscape.
Rather than sticking purely to adrenaline-pumping action tracks, the soundtrack mixes approaches. Some stages lean on more mystical and ambient tones, building atmosphere instead of constantly driving the pace. At the same time, there are standout pieces that echo SEGA’s classic sound, such as “Lantern Festival Escape,” which channels the vibe of Streets of Rage 3 with its high-energy layering. Koshiro’s contributions in particular feel like deliberate callbacks to his earlier Shinobi and Streets of Rage work, delivering tracks that instantly feel at home within the series’ history. Lopes brings in fresher, more experimental touches that round out the score. While not every track is designed to keep your pulse racing, the variety works in the game’s favor, and the full soundtrack is absolutely worth a listen on its own.
Conclusion: A Worthy Return for a Ninja Legend Shinobi: Art of Vengeance is not a perfect revival, but it is a bold and confident one. The story tries to add more weight than past entries, yet its uneven writing and reliance on cutscenes often slow the action instead of elevating it. What redeems those moments is the gorgeous art of Ben Fiquet, whose visuals alone make the narrative sequences worth watching. The real magic of the game, however, lies in its presentation, its fluid combat, and its willingness to evolve the Shinobi formula without losing sight of its roots.
The fast, responsive gameplay and new mechanics like the dash and juggle system breathe life into Joe Musashi, while the upgrade paths and more open level design make every stage feel replayable and fresh. The soundtrack, with Tee Lopes bringing modern flair and Yuzo Koshiro grounding the score in Shinobi’s legacy, ties it all together in a way that feels both nostalgic and forward-looking. Some fans may debate the art direction or miss the relentless pacing of the classics, but for me, Art of Vengeance delivers what matters most: a game that makes Shinobi feel vital again. It is a triumphant return for Joe Musashi, and a reminder that this series still has plenty of fight left in it.
Positive:
- Fast, responsive combat with new mechanics like the dash and juggle system
- Impressive story, tight writing
- Striking hand-drawn visuals and smooth animations from Lizardcube
- Open level design with branching paths and rewarding exploration
- Excellent soundtrack blending Tee Lopes’ modern flair with Yuzo Koshiro’s callbacks to the classics
Negative:
- Story and side characters lack impact and slow down the action
- Frequent cutscenes disrupt the fast-paced, arcade feel of classic Shinobi
- ome fans may find the art direction too far removed from the series’ roots
“Shinobi is finally back!”
SEGA has announced another iconic SEGA villain that will be appearing as a guest in the upcoming SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance DLC.
That villain is none other than the mighty Death Adder, the fearsome giant from the Golden Axe series, responsible for murdering the loved ones of Yuria’s heroic warriors.
Take on Death Adder, Dr Eggman and another mysterious villain as Joe Musashi in the SEGA Villains Stage DLC for SHINOBI: Art of Vengeance, coming later in 2026!
Where does the time go? It only feels like yesterday that I reported on the one and only Yuzo Koshiro being hard at work on his first new Genesis/Mega-Drive game since 1995’s Beyond Oasis, which we later heard would be named Earthion. Now, before I even knew it, Earthion had released on Steam and just came out for modern consoles earlier this month. Limited Run Games also started pre-orders for physical copies of the game on those modern platforms until September 28th, as well, but have yet to open pre-orders on cartridges for your old Genesis consoles. (Sorry for not letting you know sooner.)
Yuzo Koshiro’s studio Ancient has been kind enough to offer us a review code for Earthion on Steam, and I have run the game through its paces many a times. Now that the wait to experience this modern Genesis classic is finally over, it’s time for me to report on how this shooter turned out. Suffice it to say, the game pushes the Genesis to limits never thought possible, but is the game fun to play? Find out now after the break.
(Neither Ancient nor Limited Run Games have influenced this review or seen it before it has gone live.)
Cleared for takeoff.Earthion is a Genesis game through-and-through, running in a software emulator on Steam and on other platforms. Upon booting up the game, you are taken to a main menu outside of the actual game, which starts you off by allowing you to select your language. The menu and game are both available either in English, Japanese, or Brazilian Portuguese. Make sure you don’t get this mixed up, because you’ll want to check out the multitude of settings to refine your experience. There are a ton of options for customizing the visual filters, sound reproduction, and controls here. If you’re as into customization as I am, you may end up having a ton of fun just with this before you even start playing.
The visual settings allow you to adjust the filter going over the game screen and the borders surrounding it. There are many borders to choose from, including wood and metal panels resembling an old CRT television, artwork from the game, the Ancient logo, or nothing but black if you prefer no borders at all. You can also select from sharp or smoothed pixels, adjust the size and shape of the game screen, or make a fully customizable CRT filter with scanlines, curved edges, a glowing effect and an extra TV panel border that can reflect the game’s graphics, giving the illusion of light coming off of a CRT display. You can save up to five different combinations of settings when you’ve come up with a screen filter you like, or select from a few preset options.
The sound options give you just as much freedom to refine the audio, including low pass filters to give the audio an analog feel. This will go well with the CRT visuals to help sell the illusion of playing the game on real hardware, including an old TV like the one you may have grown up with as a kid. Considering this game comes from a legendary game composer, this is for any of you who really care about getting the best out of his signature sound, but more on that later.
Finally, there’s the options for the controls. The game is automatically designed to optimally map buttons to any modern controller that Steam is compatible with or are designed with your console, but you can change them to your liking. It’s also worth mentioning that if you are using any of Retro-Bit’s Genesis or Saturn controllers, when the game’s control options are set to Raw Input, the game actually maps the buttons onto where they would be on a Genesis controller correctly. This happened with me, to my delight, so feel free to use your Retro-Bit controllers if you got them. If you have any other modern Genesis or Saturn controllers and this doesn’t work, remapping them on your own is simple enough. However, I had some trouble using the menus with the Genesis Mini 2’s pack-in controller, as the default mapping was too nonsensical for me to even navigate the menus enough to change it. The in-game options menu also allows you to remap controls so you can still do so playing the game from a real Genesis when cartridges are available.
Got all that? Lets finally move on to the game then.
This Summer (or Autumn. Whatever), you will believe your Genesis can fly.The game starts off silently as you get past the logos coming up on bootup and go into the title screen. After this, no matter where you go, that’s when things get loud. We know Yuzo Koshiro fans wanna know all about the music, since he’s the main composer, so we may as well cut to the chase. This game has phenomenal music unlike anything you’ve ever heard in a real Genesis game. It sounds nothing like Streets of Rage, the games he’s most well known for, but very few of the other games he’s worked on do. (The menu features Streets of Rage sound effects though, the same ones also used in the menus of the Genesis Mini 1 & 2, which he also composed music for.) Instead, you’re greeted with bombastic sci-fi tracks with some crazy drums. Right away, it sounds like a greatest hits compilation of original music inspired by some of the greatest Genesis classics from Konami and Treasure, even using some familiar sound samples from both.
Even the sound effects are likely to blow you away, right from the intro that sees your character operating the controls from inside the Earthion’s cockpit. Buttons and levers click and slide with such heavy tactile sound that you feel like you’re reaching out and touching some heavy machinery. The explosions are so bass heavy that you really feel the impact from those too. Throughout the game, you also hear very clear voices from Game Sack’s Joe Redifer announcing to you what sub-weapon you just picked up, like Thunder Force, or to let you know you’re doing great when a boss is nearly beaten. Unlike Thunder Force, however, the music doesn’t need to cut out to play the voices this time.
Yuzo Koshiro said himself on Twitter a while ago that when you play this game on your Genesis, you should make sure you’re set up with the best speakers you can use with the console, and he wasn’t joking around. It really makes sense why the game menu has such detailed options for the sound playback too. You really won’t believe a Sega Genesis can reliably pull off this kind of pounding sound. That said, the sound effects can drown out the music in game, so as nice as the sound is, it still is hard to appreciate the music while playing the game. The in-game options do feature a sound test option to allow you to enjoy the music at your leisure, though.
Gimmie a hand here.Speaking of playing the game, lets finally get to that now. Earthion features a familiar system for shmup fans, but with its own unique twist. You have one button to fire your main gun, another button to fire your sub weapon, and one to swap between sub-weapons if you have more than one equipped. If you’re using a 6-button Genesis controller (Or pretty much any modern day controller), you’ll also have buttons to fire both weapons simultaneously or separately or to cycle sub-weapons left or right instead of in one direction only. You can hold multiple sub-weapons at a time, which get dropped by certain enemies, and some sub-weapons are clearly meant to be used in certain parts of a stage to make things easier. This is actually hinted at by the fact some Steam achievements require you to beat certain bosses with a certain sub-weapon that’s given to you in that same stage, and that sub-weapon noticeably makes scrap metal of those bosses in no time flat, while certain others are much more difficult to use in those situations.
Right before you reach the boss of a stage, you are presented with an “adaptation pod” that takes up a sub-weapon slot. It won’t do anything if equipped, but if you choose to keep the pod and manage to hold onto it until the boss is destroyed, you can choose between multiple upgrades for your ship to bring with you for the rest of the game. You can increase your maximum shot level and shield, which also further strengthens your sub-weapons, increase your sub-weapon slots so you can hold more sub-weapons at a time, give yourself an all new sub-weapon right away, or give yourself an extra life. When you understand the best strategies and sub-weapons to deal with each boss, then these upgrades are worth going for after each stage, but you have to choose your upgrade carefully.
When you pick up a sub-weapon while your sub-weapon cache is full, the sub-weapon you had previously equipped gets dropped right in front of you. This also occurs when you pick up the adaptation pod. The weapon doesn’t fly far from you though, so if you’re busy dodging relentless enemy fire, you could accidentally pick that old sub-weapon back up, which drops the new sub-weapon in front of you. Depending on your movements, you could either constantly switch sub-weapons or leave behind the new sub-weapon you were trying to pick up or the old sub-weapon you wanted to keep. This can get frustrating in such cases, especially if you know you’re coming to a point in a stage where having a particular sub-weapon is critical or if you really want the adaptation pod to upgrade your ship with.
What also gets annoying is how slowly sub-weapons activate after switching from one to another in your cache. Unlike most shooters that give you multiple sub-weapons to switch between at will, like Thunder Force, your ship in Earthion has to take a second to withdraw the sub-weapon and pull out the one you’re switching to. The upside is that you do get to see the module that fires the sub-weapon trailing your ship at all times, though it won’t block enemy fire like the pod in R-Type. The slow switching of weapons does make the ship feel a lot more mechanical, helped by the crunchy sound effects, to remind you you’re piloting a state-of-the-art and weighty spaceship with moving parts. However, most of you would prefer snappier weapon swapping in the heat of the moment, and I couldn’t blame you.
It’s all in the jewels.There are also green gems constantly coming out of enemies and debris after you destroy them. These power up your shot level and your shield. The shot level is your main and sub-weapon’s power level, and the higher that is, the more effective each weapon will be. Your shield protects your ship from destruction, resulting in a life lost, but with green orbs always appearing, you’ll feel a lot less pressure if you get overwhelmed with enemy attacks, until you hear “WARNING”, meaning your shield energy is empty and another direct hit will finish you off. Of course, it’s also hard to tell when you’ve actually been hit, as your ship has a small and easily missed visual indicator that you’re hit, and if there is any sound, it’s usually drowned out by the explosions and music. Only the aforementioned “WARNING” can be heard clearly above all else.
Just like the music feels inspired by classic shooters from Konami and Treasure, so too does the style of gameplay. There’s also a lot of Compile and Technosoft’s DNA in there as well. This game is clearly taking after legendary classic shooters like Thunder Force, Aleste, Gradius, Thunder Cross, Alien Soldier, and so on. If you played a lot of those games, this will feel like the best of all of them cranked up to 11.
What also feels inspired by a who’s-who of shooters is the stages. True to the title of the game (Which is also the name of the ship you pilot, if you haven’t figured that out), the game starts you out above the Earth’s atmosphere with a clear view of the blue planet below you, which looks stunning, of course. Other stages take you to some wild new areas, including a planet of lava, the post-apocalyptic ruins of a city, an interior area overrun with grotesque biological mutants reminiscent of R-Type or Life Force, and the exterior of a huge battleship where you fly around it shooting off its various thrusters and cannons. I’d hate to spoil the last stage for you, but I have seen it and it is a trip. The sense of progression is also palpable as your ship gets visibly souped up in the final few stages as part of brief in-game cutscenes. Add in the improvements you likely get from adaptation pods, and the improvements to your ship really help you feel like you’ve come a long way and that it’s made you much stronger.
Genesis Does way more than you thought.As I’m sure you can tell from all these GIFs I’m showing off here, the game looks as good as it sounds. Remember, this is a Genesis game designed for Genesis hardware, which you’ll soon be able to buy cartridges for. The visual trickery extends to the gameplay as well. Some parts of the game have you watching out for enemy fire coming from the background, with visible reticles placed over anything scaling that can hit you. It may be tough to tell when something is close enough to make contact with your ship, but even with all the visual overload, the reticle is very clear and I had no trouble missing it. Because this is still Genesis we’re talking about here, sprites still don’t scale in with all the grace of the arcade version of Space Harrier, but it does look much better than, say, the way Space Harrier II or Super Thunder Blade tried to simulate the effect on Genesis. On rare occasions, there are also enemies coming in from the foreground too, but enemy bullets never come in from the foreground.
You would think all the visual effects would cause you or the enemy bullets to get lost in all the action, but I’ve never found this to be a problem. Your ship has a clear contrast with all the backgrounds in the game and most enemy fire flashes colors to keep it from blending in with anything else. You’ll be able to clearly see anything coming your way. I’ve never seemed to have trouble understanding what parts of the environment can cause damage if you collide with them either, which is a constant worry in many shooters for me. Sometimes shooters with multiple background layers make it tough to tell what parts of the environment are on the same plane as your ship and which ones are not, but Earthion doesn’t have this issue. Anything that scrolls alongside you and enemy ships can be crashed into. Keep in mind that this won’t instantly destroy your ship thanks to your shield system.
Besides the main story mode, the game also has a unique score attack challenge mode. The game will give you multiple different stages to select from and each one puts you into an endless wave of enemies and obstacles. You just have to survive as long as possible while gunning down as many enemies and debris as you can to get your highest score. In the Steam version, and presumably the modern console versions as well, your scores can be documented on the online leaderboard, giving you plenty of motivation to practice to achieve the highest score possible. The mode is really fun and incredibly exhilarating, and with this game’s rather forgiving shield system, you might find yourself lasting a lot longer than you’d expect if you have a decent grasp on the game.
The only other gameplay mode, accessible through the main menu instead of the game’s title screen menu, is a selection of pre-release versions of the game that you can try for yourself. This includes various betas and trade show versions of the game. You might even remember a few of these from the tweets that Yuzo Koshiro put out showing the game in-progress before his studio had even settled on a title for the game. Make some time for this if you’re really interested in what the game looked like back then and how much its changed and improved.
Verdict:I do not say this lightly, but even as a game quite literally built for a console over 3 decades old with some major hardware limitations even for its time, Earthion puts many games of its ilk to shame. Not only is this a major technical showpiece for a retro game console, the kind you almost never see for any retired game platform today, but it is an incredibly fun and shockingly user friendly shooter. It strikes a balance between forward thinking modern features and systems that harken back to some of the greatest shooters of yesteryear. Even if action can be a bit overwhelming, you never truly feel outmatched due to the forgiving shield system and the game is built around making you plan out your upgrades and sub-weapons for maximum power which you really start to feel. The sound mixing can make the game sound like audio noise, but when you sit down to take in the music and mechanical sounds, it really pulls you in in ways even retro-style games not bound by a 16-bit console’s hardware limits often struggle to.
Not only that, but you have to appreciate the fact this game came from a team of old masters with an undying love for the games they not only grew up on, but who built their very careers making some of those very same games. A lot of developers with a major passion for old game systems are capable of making some truly wonderful content on those consoles today, but only once in a blue moon does a team of developers who actually worked on some of the best original games for that console come back to show us all how it’s done just one more time. If you love the Sega Genesis, whether you’re a new fan or an old fan, cherish this moment and have a blast.
Earthion is currently available digitally on Steam, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and 5, and Xbox for $19.99 USD. Physical versions for each platform remain up for pre-order on Limited Run Games until September 28th, 2025, this Sunday, at 11:59 PM EST. If you hurry right after reading this, you might still be able to get one if you want. Limited Run Games will also offer up physical cartridges for Genesis consoles in North America in 2026.
The game’s digital soundtrack is also currently available from Brave Wave Productions on Bandcamp for purchase or for streaming.
Positives:* The game’s visuals are outstanding and push the Genesis beyond its limits. * The forgiving shield system make the game approachable while preserving the challenge shooter fans love. * Multiple sub-weapons and ship upgrades give you plenty of room to strategize. * The music shows Yuzo Koshiro’s not even close to losing his touch. * Tons of options for customizing visual CRT filters and analog sound delivery (Perfect for helping you wait for the chance to finally play the game on original Genesis hardware.) * Challenge mode gives you a fun mode to push your skills more than the story mode can.
Negatives:* Audio balancing can sometimes drown the music out in an unrelenting torrent of sound effects. * Sub-weapons drop too close to your ship after replacing them, causing you to constantly pick them up again and again. * Sub-weapons take a little too long to switch out.
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Today, SEGA and PDP unveiled the all-new Sonic REALMz: Shadow Space Colony ARK Wireless Controller for Nintendo Switch systems. The new Sonic REALMz: Shadow Space Colony ARK controller celebrates the immersive universe from Sonic games, including the just launched SONIC X SHADOW GENERATIONS, with an exciting design featuring a collectible Shadow figurine set in the controller’s … Continued
Today, SEGA launched SONIC X SHADOW GENERATIONS, the definitive blend of Shadow, Classic Sonic, and Modern Sonic gameplay. SONIC X SHADOW GENERATIONS introduces a brand-new Shadow story campaign featuring the new Doom Powers, as well as a complete remaster of the original Sonic Generations™ for the latest console era. SONIC X SHADOW GENERATIONS is now available both digitally and physically starting … Continued
With SONIC X SHADOW GENERATIONS officially releasing to all major platforms today, SEGA has announced that the title has surpassed one million units in worldwide sales! SONIC X SHADOW GENERATIONS brings together Classic Sonic, Modern Sonic, and Shadow in an all-new collection featuring iconic 2D and 3D Sonic levels within two completely unique experiences, making it … Continued
Thanks to Amazon Prime Video, we had the chance to preview the first three episodes of Like a Dragon: Yakuza. Based on SEGA’s global hit video game series, this crime-suspense-action adaptation spans two decades—1995 and 2005—following the lives of childhood friends and exploring the lasting consequences of Kazuma Kiryu’s choices. Kiryu, a feared Yakuza warrior, … Continued
Welcome to SEGA Talk! Today, we’re taking a riskier than ever journey into the uncharted territory of Sonic Frontiers. Is this open-world adventure a groundbreaking leap forward for the franchise, or a misstep that’s left fans feeling lost and confused? We’re talking cyber prisons, AI dads, and the potential for a franchise-changing shift. So, fasten … Continued
The stylish 2004 DS romantic microgame video game made by Sonic Team is getting a 20th anniversary in-person livestream event on December 1st, 2024 at 7pm GMT, located at Loft PLUS ONE in Kabukicho, Tokyo. Led by series and game director & developer Yoshinaga Takumi, the livestream will house a variety of guests from the … Continued
SEGA & AirAsia has recently announced and officially reveals themed flights featuring Sonic the Hedgehog & Persona 5. This comes as a push from SEGA to develop their brands outside of gaming, and in an interview with President & COO of SEGA Shinji Utsumi, he says: “that the synergy created by the collaboration of travel … Continued
On this SEGA Talk, we page through each issue of the North American Official Sega Dreamcast Magazine! What articles caught our attention? How did the magazine come to be? Joining us via archival SEGAbits interview clips are magazine staff members Simon Cox and Francesca Reyes to give us an inside look at working with SEGA, … Continued
Today, Sonic Team released the second episode of the SONIC X SHADOW GENERATIONS: Dark Beginnings prologue animation, following Shadow the Hedgehog as he dives into his tragic past to confront the origins of his haunting nightmares of conflict and loss. In Episode 2, Shadow’s search for answers brings him into the crossfire with his allies and Dr. … Continued
Today, SEGA announced an exciting collaboration between Sonic the Hedgehog and leading streetwear jewelry brand, King Ice. The new collection, priced at $150 USD per piece, includes iconic characters Blaze, Metal Sonic, Silver and Super Silver! Read more information on the collaboration and view screenshots of the products in the next section of the article.
Today, Sonic Team released the first episode of the new SONIC X SHADOW GENERATIONS: Dark Beginnings prologue animation, following Shadow the Hedgehog as he dives into his tragic past to confront the origins of his haunting nightmares of conflict and loss. The first episode centers around Shadow’s memories with his childhood friend, Maria. The release schedule for … Continued
Studio Zero Game Director Katsura Hashino announced today at the Metaphor Launch Event in Tokyo, Japan, during the week of Tokyo Game Show (TGS), that the Prologue Demo for ATLUS’ highly-anticipated fantasy RPG Metaphor: ReFantazio is now available on Xbox for free. The free demo will also be available for PlayStation and PC today at … Continued
Today, as part of PlayStation’s State of Play broadcast, SEGA revealed the SONIC X SHADOW GENERATIONS: Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Movie Pack which will be included in the game’s Digital Deluxe edition. On December 12, all SONIC X SHADOW GENERATIONS Digital Deluxe owners can take on a new look as Shadow and play through a … Continued
Earlier today, SEGA has revealed a slew of Sonic the Hedgehog announcements for upcoming titles including SONIC X SHADOW GENERATIONS™, Sonic Rumble™, Sonic Dream Team™, as well as details on upcoming partnerships and more. Several highlights of Sonic Central 2024 included: SONIC X SHADOW GENERATIONS – A new story trailer was unveiled that featured a … Continued
Prepare to be amazed as we unearth the hidden gems of the SEGA Saturn’s 3D library. From classic favorites to underrated masterpieces, we’re covering it all. Tune in to SEGA Talk for a wild ride through time. [iTunes – Stitcher – YouTube – Download] Support us on Patreon! Get early access, have your memories read on the show, select the games … Continued
Looking for a new game in a functioning cartridge for your Genesis/Mega-Drive console? Rocket Panda is finally available to purchase as a physical cartridge complete with a box and manual to play on your original Genesis. The game was made available on September 16th, 2024. (Please excuse our tardiness in reporting the news.) Rocket … Continued
RINGS OF SATURN: I found a cool debug menu in Golden Axe: The Duel that lets you play as the boss character, display developer info, and control various game parameters. It’s not hooked up by default, but I patched it in so you can play it. More below…! pic.twitter.com/9JqoBQLomb — Bo (Low Context Burning Rangers) … Continued
During the recent RGG Summit stream, SEGA and RGG Studio dropped an electrifying announcement that has fans buzzing: Goro Majima, the beloved and eccentric character from the Yakuza/Like a Dragon series, is getting his very own spin-off game titled Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii. This thrilling new chapter will see Majima, the notorious … Continued
Today, ATLUS and the MoneyGram Haas F1 Team announced a race partnership bringing gaming entertainment to racing fans. The one race partnership will see Metaphor: ReFantazio logo adorn the top nose of the cars for Nico Hülkenberg and Kevin Magnussen during the Singapore Grand Prix. The logo will feature the in-game characters’ Hulkenberg for Nico Hülkenberg’s car … Continued
The third Sonic movie is on the horizon, and with it is merch! Toys, plush, playsets and more are releasing right now – and on this video, Barry breaks down what is releasing, where to find it all, and what to pass on. If you want to support this type of content, you can check out … Continued
Today, SEGA has announced its partnership with HJC Helmets for the release of a brand-new Shadow the Hedgehog themed helmet, following the release of the Sonic the Hedgehog helmet. Fans can now bring their favorite brooding hedgehog along with them on their own Dark Rider adventures this October 2024. The RPHA 12 helmet features Shadow … Continued
Today, SEGA announced the latest jam-packed content update for Sonic Dream Team – the latest 3D Sonic the Hedgehog action-platformer, playable exclusively on Apple Arcade. This update brings some overhauls to the popular Tails Challenges, as well as newly added Powers including Stomp, Super Glide, and more! Here is what the update has to offer: Powers Have … Continued
With the third Sonic movie on the horizon, it only makes sense to have a third entry of our own: SEGAbits Presents Arcade Adventure 3! Meet up with fellow SEGA fans at Galloping Ghost Arcade in Brookfield, Illinois on November 2nd, 2024 to play hundreds of arcade games in the world’s largest arcade! Let us know you … Continued
Today, SEGA released a new, exclusive interview with Sonic Team Creative Officer Takashi Iizuka, who sat down to answer questions from fans in the Sonic community about Shadow the Hedgehog and the Fearless: Year of Shadow campaign. Sonic Team’s Fearless: Year of Shadow campaign spotlights Shadow, who is set to star in the upcoming video … Continued
Today, ATLUS launched the final content release for the Persona 3 Reload Expansion Pass, Episode Aigis -The Answer- on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows PC, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Steam, PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4. Added to the game 16 years ago with the release of Persona 3 FES, Episode Aigis -The Answer- (originally … Continued
The year is 1999. In that year, films such as Toy Story 2, The Sixth Sense, The Matrix, Fight Club, and Pokémon: The First Movie came out in theaters. Shows like SpongeBob SquarePants, The Sopranos, Futurama, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?, and Ed, Edd, n’ Eddy premiered on TV. Songs such as “…Baby, One … Continued
It’s no secret if you read this blog that I’m a big fan of both SEGA Dreamcast and Limited Run Games. So, the idea of both of them coming together into a 25th anniversary collaboration should have me giddy with excitement. I was hoping that Limited Run Games did have something planned for the anniversary … Continued
Today marks the 25th anniversary of the SEGA Dreamcast. To celebrate the console release, SEGA has teamed up with Limited Run Games once again to provide new merchandise such as trading cards, apparel, and many other items. This Dreamcast Collection will feature 200 premium trading cards featuring art from the system’s most iconic games and … Continued
Bonus translation patch drop! Our English patch for SEGA PS1 rhythm game Mini-Moni. Shakatto Tambourine! da Pyon! is now available! pic.twitter.com/KRPBpgF9AR — Hilltop 🇵🇸 (@HilltopWorks) August 18, 2024 No, this ain’t Samba de Amigo, but it’s not that far off. The only PlayStation game Sega has ever developed “Mini-Moni. Shakatto Tambourine! da Pyon! (2002)” has … Continued
As a surprising announcement from SEGA and Limited Run Games, Limited Run Games is opening global pre-orders TODAY for the way-past-cool SONIC X SHADOW GENERATIONS Collector’s Edition with pre-orders only remaining open until October 6, 2024! What makes this Collector’s Edition set so special is that a copy of SONIC X SHADOW GENERATIONS will be … Continued
Gamescom is happening this week and ATLUS has recently announced the full English voice cast for Metaphor: ReFantazio, including the voice role for the Protagonist. Here is the full list of voice actors for the upcoming game: Voice Cast Protagonist – Caleb Yen Strohl – Stewart Clarke Hulkenberg – Kristin Atherton Gallica – Alejandra Reynoso … Continued
According to The Hollywood Reporter, American media production company Skydance is set to produce a live-action adaptation of the SEGA Genesis classic fighting game Eternal Champions. Derel Connolly, known for his work on the Jurassic World movies, has been assigned to write the script. David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, and Don Granger will produce the project … Continued
Another Dreamcast classic returns online. F355 Challenge (2000), the Ferarri focused arcade racer by the great Yu Suzuki that is otherwise unrelated to OutRun, has it’s own website restored, re-enabling all the online features of the Dreamcast game. The website can be accessed straight from the game’s disc when running on a Dreamcast connected to … Continued
On this SEGA Talk we take a look at two Shenmue games you most likely never played: Shenmue Online and Shenmue City. We take a look at one unreleased MMO and a mobile game that never made it out of beta. [iTunes – Stitcher – YouTube – Download] Support us on Patreon! Get early access, have your memories read on the … Continued
The year is 1989. In that year, people such as Taylor Swift, Danielle Radcliff, the late Avicii, SZA, Pewdiepie, Markiplier, and myself were born. Songs like “Bust A Move” by Young MC, “Cherish” and “Like A Prayer” by Madonna, and “Love Shack” by The B-52’s topped the charts. Movies like Disney’s The Little Mermaid, the … Continued
It’s time to reload your wallets with money as Graveyard Goods is selling limited The House of the Dead merchandise which are available for pre-order within 72 hours ranging from head caps to hoodies. These items include: The House of the Dead 1996 • Curien Mansion (60×50″ Woven Throw Blanket) The House of the Dead … Continued
Today, ATLUS shared a trailer highlighting Metis, the new android companion in Persona 3 Reload’s Episode Aigis -The Answer –. The trailer also introduces Lizzie Freeman, the voice actor bringing Metis to life. Episode Aigis is the third and final addition to the Persona 3 Reload: Expansion Pass, featuring 30 hours of all-new gameplay, new costumes and background music sets. … Continued
SEGA Talk takes a detour! This episode we’re trading our blue blur for a trip down memory lane. Join us as we reminisce about our gaming days and explore some non-SEGA classics. Of course, there is still plenty of SEGA games that make it in! [iTunes – Stitcher – YouTube – Download] Support us on Patreon! Get early access, have your … Continued
TMS Entertainment, a beloved Japanese animation studio currently owned by Sega Holdings Inc., a subsidiary of SegaSammy holdings, has just announced that for their 60th anniversary, they’ll begin uploading special animated features of significant importance to the company to their official YouTube page. Most noteworthy to Sega/Sonic fans, this includes the first six episodes of … Continued
SEGA and Nintendo’s long running Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games series has come to an end. Speaking with Eurogamer, series veteran Lee Cocker explained that the International Olympics Committee left the partnership with SEGA and Nintendo in favor of new partners that focused on NFTs and esports. Believe it or not, there IS … Continued
From the fans behind the Shenmue fan site Shenmue Dojo comes the third issue in their fan magazine Shenmue World! Hitting Kickstarter just yesterday, the campaign for Shenmue World: Issue 3 is already $17,330 pledged of a $22,496 goal. If issues 1 and 2 are any indication of the quality we can expect, then issue … Continued
SEGA and the official Super Monkey Ball social media account on X has revealed the content roadmap for Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble featuring a list of DLC content within the coming months. The first set of DLC will include a new multiplayer stage alongside playable characters – Tails, Knuckles, and Amy – which will … Continued
Thanks to the production team of the upcoming streaming series Like a Dragon: Yakuza and Prime Video, SEGAbits was given the opportunity to interview Series Lead Ryoma Takeuchi and Co-Star Kento Kaku, and series Executive Producer Erik Barmack. In a round table setting, joined by fellow video game fan sites, we asked the creative team … Continued
A panel for Prime Video’s Like a Dragon: Yakuza was held at San Diego Comic Con today with series lead Ryoma Takeuchi, co-star Kento Kaku, James Farrell, Head of International Originals at Amazon MGM Studios, and the show’s executive producer, Erik Barmack. The official teaser trailer of Prime Video’s Like a Dragon: Yakuza, the TV … Continued
An all new homebrew action platformer for Genesis/Mega-Drive, called Hayato’s Journey, has just finished development and is now free to download. Developed by Master Linkuei, Hayato’s Journey is a fanmade spiritual sequel to the Master System game Kenseiden (1988). The game is now available on his itch.io page for whatever price you wish to pay. … Continued
Sega Rally 2006, the first Sega Rally game made exclusively for a console, has just gotten an all new fan translation released. Previously only released in Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan, this PS2 classic had all of its text in those countries’ only, until now, that is. For the first time ever, you can play … Continued
How many of you were aware the Grand Theft Auto III (2001) was originally meant to have a version on Sega Dreamcast? It moved away from Dreamcast after developer DMA Design, today known as Rockstar North, came into agreement that the Dreamcast was no longer a viable platform for the game, most likely due to … Continued
Today, ATLUS announced that the next livestream showcase for their upcoming fantasy RPG Metaphor: ReFantazio will take place on July 29, 2024 at 6pm PT/9pm ET on the ATLUS West YouTube channel. The showcase titled, Metaphor: ReFantazio “ATLUS Exclusive” Showcase – Characters will reveal more details about Metaphor: ReFantazio’s dynamic cast of characters, social systems and the fight to be crowned … Continued
This is for the Sega Saturn racing fans out there. Solo indie developer Walaber (Creator of the Jelly Car series and credited on Where’s My Water?) is paying tribute to the mighty Saturn with his brand new retro styled time trial racer Parking Garage Rally Circuit. This game is designed to look like an authentic … Continued
If you’re a fan of old school Sega and the 32X, then chances are you’ve heard of the Sega Neptune before. It was an official Genesis console with the 32-bit 32X hardware built right in, allowing for Genesis and 32X games to be run from one unit. We all know what happened with the 32X … Continued
The Genesis/Mega-Drive did have a few ports of SNK’s Neo-Geo games, but until now, Real Bout Fatal Fury Special was not one of them. Brazilian Genesis homebrew developer RheoGamer sought to rectify that by developing his own port, titled “Real Bout Fatal Fury Genesis” which he has just now completed and released to the public … Continued
We’ve all heard about Doom and how it can be made to run on just about everything (Including Dreamcast), but now it’s Doom 64’s turn for a Dreamcast port, thanks to fan developer JNMartin (@falco_girgis on Twitter). JNMartin has been working hard on a new port of quasi-sequel Doom 64, originally released for the … Continued
The creator of the Everdrive series of flash cartridges, the one and only Krikzz, has just debuted a new budget priced Mega Everdrive cartridge for Genesis/Mega-Drive systems called OpenED (Open Everdrive). How budget? Try $40 USD. That’s right. For less than the cost of most brand new video games (And certainly less than most original … Continued
There’s been talk lately of an all-in-one Sega FPGA console in the works called the SuperSega. Lots of people are excited by the reveal of this indie project, while others are skeptical about its chances of fulfilling its promises or even coming out at all. We’ve waited a bit for more concrete info about the … Continued
Join this on this mega extended episode where we talk all things SEGA Collecting including our history with the main SEGA Consoles, the retro game markets and our favorite SEGA things to collect. [iTunes – Stitcher – YouTube – RSS – Download] Support us on Patreon! Get early access, have your memories read on the show, select the games we talk about!
If you happen to be attending San Diego Comic Con or around the area. The official Sonic the Hedgehog Speed Cafe, the popular Sonic-themed restaurant, will be making its return in San Diego with the Grand Opening taking place on July 25, 2024, on 910 J St Space 2, San Diego, CA 92101 from 11 … Continued
Back during the heights of first person shooters and gritty settings & characters, it was also at a time where Sonic looked he was on the up. After Sonic Colors, something interesting happened that hadn’t been as exciting since the unveiling of Unleashed trailers. Odd that I have 11/1/11 etched into my brain but to … Continued
SEGAbits is back from attending Anime Expo, and we have some exciting stories to share from SEGA and RGG Studio’s Essence of Fandom: Like a Dragon & Yakuza Experience, an event dedicated to the Yakuza/Like a Dragon franchise and its passionate fans. If you missed out on the event, don’t worry—we’ve got you covered with … Continued
Arise, acolytes of Shadow! For it is the year of our edgy hedgehog overlord! To commence our pilgrimage of praise, let us dissect this magnum opus and potential Pulitzer Prize nominee in video game design. Let us dive deep into the ultimate lifeform known as Shadow the Hedgehog! [iTunes – Stitcher – YouTube – RSS – Download] Support us on Patreon! Get early … Continued
Thanks to the generous folks at Atlus, we recently had the opportunity to delve into an early hands-on demo of Metaphor: ReFantazio, their upcoming RPG slated for release on October 11, 2024, at Anime Expo. Developed by Studio Zero, renowned for their work on the Persona series, this title promises to captivate both longtime fans … Continued
Back in the day, the SEGA Dreamcast had quite the list of unreleased games, one of which was “Far Nation.” Briefly announced in 2000, Far Nation was planned to be one of the first console MMORPGs alongside Phantasy Star Online. Details about Far Nation have been scarce for over two decades. Sega only mentioned the … Continued
If you were unable to attend Anime Expo this year, no worries as SEGA has officially released the teaser for SONIC X SHADOW GENERATIONS: Dark Beginnings in high definition. Serving as a prolouge animation to the upcoming game, past and present collide in a frantic chase for truth and understanding! Shadow is haunted by the … Continued
Today, ATLUS released a new trailer for their upcoming fantasy RPG Metaphor: ReFantazio. The trailer was first revealed to attendees of today’s Anime Expo 2024 panel, “ATLUS Presents: The World of Metaphor: ReFantazio featuring Katsura Hashino & Shigenori Soejima.” This story-focused trailer offers viewers an early peek at the turbulent events that kickstart the player’s … Continued
Are you guys ready for an especially wonderful new Sega Genesis/Mega-Drive experience? Apparently a lot of people were. A Kickstarter has been recently opened up for an incredible new shooter by the developer of indie Genesis darling Tänzer and its publisher Mega Cat Studios. ZPF is a game that aims to push the beloved 16-bit … Continued
The original role playing Master System title that started it all, Phantasy Star will be receiving a table top roleplaying game powered by Esper Genesis, a comprehensive sci-fi roleplaying rules system you can use to build, customize, and expand your game, with the only limit being your imagination. The Phantasy Star Tabletop RPG is a … Continued
Remember the Retro Diner Amy skin that was recently available exclusively to Ihop Rewards members? It is exclusive no longer. You can now finally download this skin completely free on the digital storefronts where Sonic Superstars is available. So if you’re like me and don’t have a Ihop for many miles to travel to just … Continued
Sega’s back to raid your email with news once again for free cosmetic DLC. If you’re a fan of how Sonic was presented in the Sega Saturn days, you’ll wanna sign up for the Sonic X Shadow Generations email newsletter for this free Sonic Jam Legacy Skin for our favorite boy in blue. As the … Continued
Every once in a while, there comes an indie game for retired game consoles that does something really special to stand out from all games on that system, new and old. This is one of those times. Kai Magazine Software, who have developed a bunch of games for the Genesis/Mega-Drive before, have debuted their newest, … Continued
The upcoming second remake of the classic arcade horror rail shooter set to be released by Forever Entertainment and Microids has been officially rated on the ESRB website with an M rating featuring the usual blood and gore. Here is the description from the rating summary: “This is a rail shooter light gun game in … Continued
Jet Set Radio’s renegade Rudie, Beat, makes a triumphant return to the world of Super Monkey Ball as a playable character across all game modes while sporting his new look from the upcoming Jet Set Radio game! Get ready to glide, grind and roll with Beat as he joins the monkey gang’s search for the … Continued
On this SEGA Talk, we jump way back to SEGA’s early years as an Electro-Mechanical Arcade Machine manufacturer! So plug in and take a break from screens as we take a look at ten Electro-Mechanical SEGA Arcade Machines! [iTunes – Stitcher – YouTube – RSS – Download] Support us on Patreon! Get early access, have your memories read on the show, select the … Continued
SEGA’s Netflix series Sonic Prime has a season 2 blu-ray releasing soon! On August 27th, fans can get their hands on a physical copy of the second part of the series in lovely 1080p. Amazon has the Season 2 pre-order up now for $19.99, and if you missed it Season 1 is available now. It’s … Continued
Axel, one of Crazy Taxi’s iconic cabbie drivers, makes his way to Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble as part of the SEGA Pass DLC.Axel joins AiAi and friends, causing chaos along the way! Axel will be playable across both Adventure Mode and Battle Mode, with unique stats to help him on the courses. Plus, for … Continued
Yesterday, on June 6th, 2024, NES Homebrew developer extraordinaire Matt Hughson aired the second ever Homebrew Games Summer Showcase video presentation. The 34 minute long presentation showcased a whooping 120 games across many retro game systems, most notably including many Genesis/Mega-Drive, Master System, and Game Gear games, as well as even one Saturn game and … Continued
Today, during Summer Game Fest 2024, SEGA had officially unveiled a new trailer for SONIC X SHADOW GENERATIONS and announced that the game will be set to release digitally and physically on October 25, 2024 and is now available to pre-order for PlayStation®5 (PS5®), PlayStation®4 (PS4®), Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, the Nintendo Switch™ family … Continued
Now that SEGA owns Rovio, that means SEGA has involvement in all things Angry Birds and just this week the announcement was made that there will be a third animated movie for the franchise. Titled The Angry Birds Movie 3, the movie is now in production and a press release has been sent out detailing … Continued
The crossover tradition continues in Super Monkey Ball: Banana Rumble as Sonic and friends joins the adventure. Not only Sonic and Tails are returning as playable characters, but Knuckles and Amy joins Banana Rumble. Each with unique stats and Gold Rings as in-game pick-ups. The Sonic Superstars will be available as part of the SEGA … Continued
Did you know that Burning Rangers (1998) was planned to have a two-player co-op mode during development? This was shown in early previews and was found in some prototype builds of the game, but no such mode exists in the final retail release. Turns out that the code for the co-op mode was left within … Continued
RGG Studio dropped some major news regarding a live-action series adaptation of Yakuza/Like a Dragon series by announcing Like A Dragon: Yakuza for Prime Video set to be released on October 24th. According to Variety, The series’ story is set in two time periods, 1995 and 2005, and follows the life, childhood friends and the … Continued
Well, today is the 64th birthday of Sega, so Happy Birthday, Sega! Now, in the past few years, Sega made announcements of new mini consoles on their birthdate, as they had done with the Genesis/Mega-Drive Mini 2 and the Game Gear Micro, so we now we can expect a new one to be announced any … Continued
The Regal theater chain has announced their Summer Movie Express lineup, and featured in the lineup are the Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 movies. The kid-focused budget priced matinees are priced at $1 a ticket and feature budget priced concession items. Showings are Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 11am, with the first Sonic … Continued
On this episode of SEGA Talk we get lock and loaded into the criminal underworld of Virtua City and break the case of SEGA’s 1994 revolutionary light gun shooter Viruta Cop, we look at its history, ports and legacy it left behind. ALL THIS AND MORE ON … SEGA TALK! [iTunes – Stitcher – YouTube – RSS – Download] Support us on Patreon! … Continued
Enjoy the Ride Records has just released a limited run of soundtrack vinyls for the Paramount+ Knuckles series. How limited? Only 300 are being made in the Knuckles Spin Dash version. No other version is currently listed, so it is unknown if the soundtrack will see a wider release. The soundtrack is $24.99 and is … Continued
ATLUS today announced they will host a panel titled “ATLUS Presents: The World of Metaphor: ReFantazio” featuring Katsura Hashino & Shigenori Soejima at Anime Expo 2024 in Los Angeles, California. The panel will be held at the Petree Hall on Friday, July 5, 2024 from 10:30AM to 11:20AM PT. We will be covering as much … Continued
Another Sega Dreamcast classic has just had its online multiplayer modes restored for Dreamcast Live, a new fanmade online connection service for Dreamcast. Sega Tetris (2000) is now back up and running online thanks to the efforts of one Shu, who has restored online features for many Dreamcast games already, including The Next Tetris: On-Line … Continued
SegaBits is a great one-stop-Sega-news-shop, but one service we cannot provide for you is free cosmetic DLC for the latest Sega games. We can still tell you when Sega offers you some however. Case in point, this special new Shinobi costume that Sega is offering to anyone who signs up for their email newsletter for … Continued
On this episode Reel Ghostbusters Artist Chris Sorrentino (aka PizzaPlazm) talks about his 80s animation inspired art which brings scenes from the Ghostbusters films into the style of The Real Ghostbusters cartoon! We’ll also talk about the many faces of Chris Sorrentino, including his longtime podcasting (Super Live Adventure), his cosplaying (Baby Belushi) and his … Continued
SEGA announced they will have a panel at the biggest anime celebration in Los Angeles, Anime Expo 2024. The panel will focus on everyone’s favorite brooding hedgehog, Shadow, including his origins, his story in SONIC X SHADOW GENERATIONS, and more. Hosted by popular voice actor Zeno Robinson (Hawks in “My Hero Academia”, Hunter in “The … Continued
Looking for something new to play on Sega’s 8-bit console library, including the Game Gear? French publisher 2Minds has reopened their online store as well as opened pre-orders for a new narrative exploration adventure for Game Gear titled “The Sword of Stone”. In addition, they’ve also opened pre-orders for new Mark III and Genesis/Mega-Drive cartridges … Continued
On this episode of Sega talk we discussed the 1988 arcade classic Gain Ground. How did this game Translate to the Mega Drive and Master System? Does the game have memorable characters and a story? What Legacy has it left? We discuss all this and more on Sega Talk! [iTunes – Stitcher – YouTube – RSS – Download] Support us on Patreon! Get … Continued
Remember the amazing indie Dreamcast shooter Sturmwind? Developed by Duranik and originally published by redspotgames in 2013, Strumwind was a fun and beautiful side-scrolling shmup that has long since gone out of print. Now, a new publisher, VGNYsoft, who is no stranger to publishing new Dreamcast games, has gotten a hold of Sturmwind and is … Continued
It is with a heavy heart that I inform you all of the news recently shared on Twitter by Ecco The Dolphin creator Ed Annunziata that his old colleague, Jon Miller, has sadly passed away on May 7th 2024. Unfortunately, his exact birthdate is unknown, so we don’t know of his age at the time … Continued
Columns is, without a doubt, a bonafide Sega classic, but it didn’t start out as a Sega game at all. The truth is that Columns was invented within the walls of computer hardware company Hewlett-Packard in 1989, by programmer Jay Geertsen. He made the original Columns game for HP-UX, an operating system unique to HP’s … Continued
Would you believe that the 1993 McDonald’s Sonic 3 (the game, not the movie) Happy Meal commercial and the 2022 McDonald’s Sonic 2 (the movie, not the game) Happy Meal commercial, filmed 29 years apart, were actually filmed in the exact same location? That’s right! Over on Facebook the page Film Locations – Then and … Continued
Today, SEGA has officially revealed Sonic Rumble, the newest addition to the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, releasing this winter. The upcoming Sonic mobile game invites players to enter a twisted toy world created by the notorious Dr. Eggman. In Sonic Rumble, players will take control of toy figures to compete in thrilling 32-player battle royale … Continued
Today, Sonic Mania Plus is now available on mobile for the first time, exclusive to Netflix Games for free! Sonic Mania Plus is a true, classic Sonic experience – gorgeous pixel graphics featuring a variety of new original Zones along with iconic favorites from Sonic 1, 2, 3, Sonic & Knuckles and Sonic the Hedgehog … Continued
C2E2, the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo, was this past weekend running from Friday, April 26th through Sunday, April 28th and SEGAbits was there! Armed with nothing but a press pass, a handheld voice recorder and a $75 budget host Barry walked the show floor and checked out the artists and voice actors attending the … Continued
On this episode of SEGA Talk we look back at the career of Tom Kalinske, the man who started at Mattel and took on Nintendo with the SEGA Genesis and leaped over to take over the education toy market with LeapFrog. This is the retrospective of Tom Kalinske! [iTunes – Stitcher – YouTube – RSS – Download] Support us on Patreon! Get early … Continued
You know it’s a slow news day when we’re talking about something like this. Sonic fans everywhere were shocked and confused yesterday, April 29th, 2024, when the official Google Play twitter account decided to give everyone an unhinged informed look back over the years at how Sonic the Hedgehog has evolved with time. It … Continued
You thought there was snow way we’d talk about a Nintendo 64 game here on SegaBits, but being a part of Atlus history means this is now Sega history too. You shred that right. Cult classic N64 racer Snowboard Kids (1998) has just come out with a new soundtrack on vinyl courtesy of Fangamer. Atlus … Continued
According to Variety, an animated adaptation of SEGA’s beloved franchise, Golden Axe, will be produced by Titmouse and is currently greenlit to air on Comedy Central with 10 episodes ordered. The show will be led by co-creators Mike McMahan and Joe Chandler. Matthew Rhys (“The Americans,” “Perry Mason”), Danny Pudi (“Community,” “Mythic Quest”), Lisa Gilroy (“Jury Duty,” … Continued
Gear up, RPG fans! Atlus just dropped a bomb – they’re hosting a special livestream for their brand new fantasy RPG, Metaphor: ReFantazio, on April 22nd! Mark your calendars for 3:00 PM PT / 6:00 PM ET to catch a 30-minute deep dive with director Katsura Hashino himself. Expect fresh info, never-before-seen gameplay, and all … Continued
File this one under “headlines I never would have thought I’d type”: Keanu Reeves has been cast as Shadow the Hedgehog in the upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog 3 movie. The news was a rumor earlier today, leaked from discussions held at last week’s Cinemacon, and has since been confirmed by Variety. Keanu Reeves was a … Continued
Welcome to the SEGA Talk Podcast, where we dive into SEGA’s golden age of gaming and bring you the classics that defined a generation. Today, we’re shifting gears and taking a high-speed trip down memory lane with SEGA’s iconic arcade racer, Power Drift. Released in the late 80s, this game took the racing genre to … Continued
RapidEyeMovers and Wolf & Wood have joined forces to bring back the nostalgia of SEGA Russo’s cult classic, Cosmic Smash, in a stunning virtual reality experience. Now available on Meta Quest 2, 3, Pro + Pico 4, and PlayStation VR2, with a non-VR version for PS5 slated for later this summer, Cosmic Smash VRS catapults … Continued
After many months, the Pix’n Love Collectors Edition of Sonic Origins Plus has arrived! This big box edition went up for pre-order last year and it has been several months. But now fans have it in hand and I just had to make a quick unboxing video showing off all the cool items included. If … Continued
SEGA released the latest Super Monkey Ball: Banana Rumble trailer this morning showcasing the game’s Adventure Mode, an immersive story mode which features 200 all-new stages set across different worlds with their own unique twist and turns players can experience either solo, or with friends local or online 4-player co-op. Here is the synopsis of … Continued
To celebrate all things Shadow the Hedgehog who made his debut in Sonic Adventure 2 for the SEGA Dreamcast, SEGA has unveiled their second annual fan celebration with Fearless: Year of Shadow to celebrate the amazing fans of Sonic and Shadow similar to last year’s campaign, Fast. Friends. Forever, which highlighted the special bond that … Continued
Knuckles Gets His Own Show: Diving Deeper into the Sonic Movieverse Gear up, Sonic fans! The lightning-fast blue blur may be sharing the spotlight as the movie franchise ramps up for “Avengers-level events,” but that doesn’t mean your favorite side characters are getting left behind. In a recent interview, Sonic movie producer Toby Ascher hinted … Continued
Japanese arcades, once a global gaming giant, are facing a slow fade. Over the past ten years, nearly 8,000 game centers have vanished, with bankruptcies hitting a five-year high in 2023. This decline isn’t new – arcades have been losing ground since the 80s (remember 26,000+ back then?). The culprit? A double whammy:
Persona Fans Rejoice: Paint Bucket Theory Was True! Eagle-eyed Persona fans can celebrate – their wild theory about the next game’s color scheme seems to be spot-on. Long time Persona leaker Midori spilled the beans on X/Twitter, confirming Persona 6 will rock a green theme. This lines up perfectly with the series’ tradition of each … Continued
Looks like there’s some drama brewing on Twitter! Yuji Naka, fresh off his legal dust-up with Square Enix, isn’t exactly stoked about their recent employee shuffle. Apparently, the longtime Dragon Quest producer heading to mobile games ruffled some feathers. But hey, at least the new president seems alright in Naka’s eyes! I guess there’s always … Continued
Sonic the Hedgehog speeds his way back into restaurants with a Sonic themed menu at IHOP (aka The International House of Pancakes), and SEGAbits was there to sample Sonic’s offerings! Longtime readers of the site might know I have an affinity for Sonic food promotions, so much so that I dedicated a YouTube series to … Continued
Cowabunga! The final TMNT soundtracks are finally available to pre-order from Limited Run Games now. The rounds of pre-orders cap off with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters (1993) soundtracks. These soundtracks all contain the music from the Genesis/Mega-Drive version of the game, as well as the SNES and NES versions of the game … Continued
Calling all Imperial Combat Revue fans! This week on the SEGA Talk podcast, we’re setting a course for 1920s New York City in the unforgettable Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love. We’ll dive deep into the tactical RPG combat and charming visual novel romance that make this game a unique gem. Join us as we … Continued
Remember the homebrew port of the 1992 X-Men arcade game for Sega Saturn being worked on by hotrodx? They just came out with an all-new version of their demo adding Storm to the playable roster, as well as 3-player co-op and a new 2nd stage. Might as well cut to the chase. Check in past … Continued
Sega, out of nowhere, just announced their newest mini console and successor to the Sega Genesis Mini 2. The Sega Genesis Mini 3 will be releasing on October 16th, 2024 exclusively in North America and Japan (Sorry, Europe, but you better get ready to import.) Unlike the previous two Genesis Mini plug-and-play consoles, this console … Continued
In a move that shook the entire video game industry, Sega Sammy Holdings Inc. have announced that they have purchased a 99% share of Nintendo. Yes, that Nintendo. SegaSammy president and CEO Haruki Satomi have announced their near total takeover of Sega’s former console war nemesis late yesterday, March 31st, 2024, for exactly one billion … Continued
I don’t wanna alarm you, Sega fans, but I must inform you that Sega games have, for many decades, been damaging our eyes and our TV sets all along. A shocking discovery was just made by retro game engineer Salporoifl of an issue in which all Sega games, with the exception of any Atlus … Continued
The SEGA Talk episode 65 million years in the making, as we take a drive through Jurassic Park on the SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive! Its Raptor vs Man on this adaptation of Steven Spielberg’s classic film (which in turn, was an adaptation of a book)! [iTunes – Stitcher – YouTube – RSS – Download] Support us on Patreon! Get early access, have your memories … Continued
Here’s two more brand new Sega Dreamcast games for ya. Reknum Souls Adventures and Ploid, both originally made for NES by Nape Games, are now available for Dreamcast and up for pre-order in North America through VGNYSoft, a known publisher of physical indie games who also dabbles in Dreamcast games. Both games, like most other … Continued
Just announced earlier today at this year’s Disney D23 event, Gargoyles Remastered is a full-blown HD remake of the Sega Genesis game. That game, based on the classic Disney Afternoon cartoon series Gargoyles, originally released in November 1995, only in North America and only on Genesis. (It’s also most notable as the one game besides … Continued
In a recent issue of Famitsu, it has been confirmed that classic arcade titles, Daytona USA 2 (now renamed SEGA Racing Classic 2) and Fighting Vipers 2 will be fully playable as minigames in Like A Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name. For the first time ever, arcade goers can now play Daytona … Continued
Welcome back to Classic SEGA Magazine Corner! On this installment, we’re taking a look back at issue 12 of the Official Sega Dreamcast Magazine, dated March/April 2001. This issue is notable, as it was the final issue of the magazine’s run and the first issue to not include a demo disc. In fact, the issue … Continued
I recently took a trip to Canada and was surprised to learn that a key filming location for the Sonic the Hedgehog 2 movie was just eight minutes off our main route! Located in Fort Langley, British Columbia, Canada, this location was home to much of the Green Hills scenes in the sequel including the … Continued
On this fast food filled episode of SEGA Talk we take a quick drive-thru the last thirty years of Sonic’s fast food promotions! Buckle up and get ready to eat! [iTunes – Stitcher – YouTube – RSS – Download] Support us on Patreon! Get early access, have your memories read on the show, select the games we talk about!
Sonic Frontiers third content update has been revealed, with the subtitle “The Final Horizon” and a release date of September 28th. The update adds new story content, new challenges and the ability to play as Tails, Amy and Knuckles. The teaser trailer showcases a brand new boss and the return of Sage as she and Eggman … Continued
As gamescom 2023 kicks off, news has dropped on the upcoming Sonic Superstars! 2D classic Sonic is returning to all modern platforms, and he is bringing Tails, Knuckles and Amy Rose with him on a brand new adventure. While the game will have a single player mode, there is also a focus on 2-4 player … Continued
Out of nowhere, SEGA has dropped a demo of Samba de Amigo: Party Central for the Nintendo Switch. Usually these things get press releases or some fanfare from SEGA, but instead it’s just there. So head on over to the Nintendo eShop listing and check out the demo for yourself! The demo will finally allow … Continued
Here’s one for fans of mid 90’s PC games. Some of you may remember the publisher Segasoft, the independent publishing arm set up by Sega of America to develop and publish games, not just for Sega Saturn, but also for Windows PCs and for competing consoles. (Though they never got to release anything on other … Continued
The long awaited SNAIL MAZE episode is now upon us! Not only that, you get SEGA Swirl for free as a bonus! We also talk about other free SEGA offerings. All this and more in SEGA Talk. [iTunes – Stitcher – YouTube – RSS – Download] Support us on Patreon! Get early access, have your memories read on the show, select the games … Continued
Today, SEGA has launched the new Fast. Friends. Forever. campaign for Sonic the Hedgehog fans to show the importance of friendship, teamwork, inspiration, and loyalty. The initiative focuses on how Sonic and his friends demonstrate these values both in and out of the games. The Fast. Friends. Forever. campaign will also continue throughout the year … Continued
Another Sonic the Hedgehog fan event is on the horizon this fall with Sonic EXPO, a new and upcoming Sonic fan convention taking place in the heart of Dallas, TX on November 11 and 12 in 2023 and will be held by the experienced Chaos Creators team, known for their Arts Festival held in 2022. … Continued
Ready for another new Sega Genesis game? The new Sega Genesis/Mega-Drive version of Gunslugs is now available to pre-order in physical cartridge form, complete with box and manual. You can order it from The Retro Room Games right now as either a complete set for $44.99 USD, or just the cartridge and nothing else … Continued
We return once again to Kickstarter with an all new game for a Sega console. An all new action runner called Hunter Girls, starring three hunter girls of course, is in development for Sega Genesis/Mega-Drive from retro game publisher PSCD Games and has launched on Kickstarter. They have a surprisingly modest financial goal of $4,991 … Continued
On this episode of SEGA Talk we dive deep into unreleased Sonic the Hedgehog games! We go through 17 unreleased Sonic games and rank them! What could have been and never was. [iTunes – Stitcher – YouTube – RSS – Download] Support us on Patreon! Get early access, have your memories read on the show, select the games we talk about!
A new independently developed spiritual successor to Sega Rally Championship is now available to wishlist on Steam. Don’t get too excited though. I say “Wishlist” because the game is not available to purchase, pre-order, or download right now, at least from Steam anyway. Let me explain. Some of you may remember this game as a … Continued
YouTube video documentarian kayisthey has released a nearly hour long look back at the many failed attempts at a third Jet Set Radio game. “Jet Set Radio 3: The Lost Sequel” runs through all the concept art, footage and leaked information to give a rather concise history of the games we never got to see, … Continued
SEGA is opening up the Sonic Speed Cafe starting tomorrow and closing down on August 12th! The Sonic Speed Cafe will feature a big schdule including time slots to take photos with Sonic, product giveaways and even getting to meet Sonic Creative Officer Takashi Iizuka! You can check out the schedule below and follow the … Continued
SEGA has released the animated opening for Sonic Superstars and its beautiful. The art style is very reminiscent of the old school Classic Sonic from the 90s, its nice to see a new take on the classic formula. Hopefully the rest of Sonic Superstars matches up with the quality of this opening animation. Sonic Superstars … Continued
In a recent interview with SEGA Japan President and COO Yukio Sugino via Famitsu, the boss man had expressed interest in ‘reboots and remakes’ of Sonic the Hedgehog games. The interview talks mostly about the success that the Sonic the Hedgehog brand has been having lately with a strong fiscal year and great reception of … Continued
With Persona 3 getting a remake soon, the question in a lot of fans minds is when Atlus will reach back and remake older titles that deserve a brand new coat of paint. During a recent interview, Atlus was asked if there where other remakes in development which they said: “Atlus and Sega are experimenting … Continued
Nintendo has posted the most downloaded games on the Nintendo Switch so far for 2023. The list was really surprising, since it seems people are really buying re-releases of older games with Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection Vol. 1 and 2 made the rankings in the top ten. But on the SEGA side, the … Continued
Another Dreamcast game has had it’s online multiplayer mode reinstated thanks to Dreamcast Live. Daytona USA 2001 (Known in North America as simply Daytona USA) is now back online through the Dreamcast Live service, thanks to the efforts of a new member of their team called Ioncannon. This makes Daytona USA the 25th Dreamcast game … Continued
SEGA Talk throws you the whip on this episode as we talk about the SEGA Genesis game Instruments of Chaos Starring Young Indiana Jones! How did this Chicagoland developed game come to be? What are the origins of Indiana Jones and the TV series that details his early days? Run away from a boulder and … Continued
Fellow SEGAbits writer, Dakota, and I are planning to make a trip to Japan from September 17th to September 28th for Tokyo Game Show. During our trip to Japan, we plan to interview former SEGA designers, Yumiko Miyabe, known for her work as Art Director for the Space Channel 5 series, and Akihito Hiroyoshi, known … Continued
From Retro Game Books comes a new book focusing on video game maps from the SEGA Genesis and Mega Drive era, appropriately titled Video Game Maps: Genesis & Mega Drive. The book is the second video game maps book from Brian Riggsbee, the first focused on NES and Famicom games. This book features maps from … Continued
The newest video by Did You Know Gaming is covering ‘Lost Sonic Games’, in this video they take a look at a variety of Sonic games that never came to be. One of the biggest featured lost games happens to be Sonic Chronicles 2! The original Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood came out way back in … Continued
How’s this for an impressive new leap in Dreamcast indie game development? All new Dreamcast car soccer game (Think Rocket League, but played from an overhead camera perspective), Driving Strikers, is now finally available to purchase as both a physical game package and as a digital download from WAVE Game Studios. Built around the modern … Continued
Cryptocurrency has taken a big hit in value, but when it was in its all time high, SEGA and other big publishers where quick to announce blockchain gaming projects across the board. SEGA was even one of the biggest supporters saying their next big ‘super game’ and successor to Phantasy Star Online 2 would feature … Continued
Have you ever wanted to know what SEGA of America talked about privately about SEGA as a brand going into 1997? You know, the time period when SEGA was going against the PlayStation and Nintendo 64 in America? When they lost most of the market share they gained with the SEGA Genesis? You can now … Continued
Via Sonic Stadium comes the news that the Saturday morning Sonic the Hedgehog series, often referred to as Sonic SatAM, is returning to DVD. The series debuted in 1993 and had a handful of VHS releases, but it wasn’t until 2007 that Shout! Factory released a complete series DVD set complete with several bonus features … Continued
On June 27th, 2023, Sega added Crusader of Centy, Ghouls n’ Ghosts, Landstalker, and The Revenge of Shinobi to Sega Genesis – Nintendo Switch Online. Japan, of course, gets the same four games at the same time. All four games are immediately accessible to Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscribers following a quick patch … Continued
Live video showcases of new video games are all the rage now ever since Nintendo debuted their popular Nintendo Direct showcase over a decade ago. Many large companies are doing their own showcases now, including Sega with their new Sonic Central showcases. There are a few indie showcases as well, but this is gonna be … Continued
Guess who’s back with more officially licensed collector’s edition reprints of valuable Genesis/Mega-Drive classics? Retro-Bit have just announced their latest project with Edia Co., the current rights holders to the back catalog from Renovation: Special Edition reprints of El Viento and Sol-Deace. Pre-orders for North America are now open from Limited Run Games and Castlemania … Continued
Released June 24, 2022 to Apple Arcade, Yu Suzuki’s Air Twister was a Space Harrier inspired behind the back 3D shooter from the man who created the original SEGA franchise. In what was perhaps our biggest “get”, we managed to interview Yu Suzuki himself to talk about the game! And yes, I will try to … Continued
SEGA Talk takes a trip to Metro City, in this gritty, serial killer chasing video game Condemned: Criminal Origins, developed by Monolith Software. We take a look at the early titles of the studio, the failed Matrix Online and the plans for a ‘Star Wars’ multimedia franchise that never came to be! [iTunes – Stitcher – YouTube – RSS – Download] Support … Continued
The Sonic Central event announced a new classic Sonic one shot comic, this time celebrating 30 years of Amy Rose! The comic is due out later this year and will sit alongside the previously released Sonic and Tails 20th anniversary comics.
Sonic's not just racing to save Green Hill, but the fate of the entire Shatterverse!New episodes of Sonic Prime only on Netflix dropping July 13th! pic.twitter.com/y9mybH5g2e — Netflix Geeked (@NetflixGeeked) June 23, 2023 The Sonic Central event revealed new footage of Sonic Prime, the Netflix exclusive animated series, and announced new episodes will arrive July … Continued
Sonic Central, SEGA’s new(ish) video series debuting new Sonic content, has revealed new free content for Sonic Frontiers. Due out later today, the content update adds new challenges, new moves including the spin dash (!!!), new crazy looking Koco to collect, new game features and birthday cosmetics for Sonic to wear. All this arrives later today!
With Sonic’s anniversary just a day away, and a Sonic Central live stream planned, it appears some secrets have slipped out. Making the rounds on Twitter is an image showcasing what fans can expect from Sonic Superstars physical release when the game releases in the Fall. The game will feature a surprising amount of bonuses, … Continued
Since last year, retro game musician legend Yuzo Koshiro and his game development studio Ancient have been hard at work on an all new scrolling shooter for Genesis/Mega-Drive consoles, their first game for the classic 16-bit platform since Beyond Oasis (The Story of Thor outside of North America) from 1994. As of June 16th, 2023, … Continued
The SEGA Dreamcast is a great console that received a lot of great games, some of these games only got a Japanese release. Thankfully, in the last few years we have had fans go back and translate the games themselves. Nakoruru: The Gift She Gave Me was released back in 2001 on Windows PC and … Continued
What the hell’s going on? Learn more about Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth: https://t.co/73ydvwwWEg | #XboxShowcase pic.twitter.com/dWkCySBnQD — Xbox (@Xbox) June 11, 2023 It looks like SEGA really is dropping the Yakuza name from its upcoming releases, while Ichiban’s debut game was called ‘Yakuza: Like a Dragon’, the sequel is being titled ‘Like a Dragon: … Continued
Following the reveal at Summer Game Fest 2023, a demo of Sonic Superstars is now available to play at the event. The footage gives fans a lot to chew on. First, the opening title screen which harkens back to the Genesis/Mega Drive days. Second, the opening animation which is very Sonic Mania and Sonic Origins … Continued
During Summer Game Fest, SEGA dropped a new trailer and release details for Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name. Set for a November 9, 2023 release date to PlayStation 4, 5, Xbox consoles and PC, the game will be priced at $49.99. Pre-orders will get players a Legendary Fighter Pack. ERASE … Continued
On this SEGA Talk episode we pop in the VHS tape, take a job at the CDC and enter… The Matrix? Let’s take a look at the obscure SEGA Dreamcast game The Ring: Terror’s Realm! [iTunes – Stitcher – YouTube – RSS – Download] Support us on Patreon! Get early access, have your memories read on the show, select the games we talk … Continued
SEGA has just announced a new 2D Sonic game, and it’s not Sonic Mania 2! Titled Sonic Superstars, the game takes the 2D formula into 3D (well, 2.5D) and allows players to play as Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and Amy Rose on their own or with friends. Even more exciting, Fang the Sniper aka Nack the … Continued
39 years ago today, the original Ghostbusters movie hit theaters and kicked off a franchise that has endured to this day! Heck, they’re in New York right now filming the fourth film! On this Swingin’ Report Show, BillyTime! Games stops by to talk about his SEGA Genesis ROM hack Ghostbusters – Special Edition. Join us … Continued
Start working out those thumbs, because we’re announcing SEGAbits Presents Arcade Adventure! Meet up with fellow SEGA fans at Galloping Ghost Arcade in Brookfield, Illinois on September 9th, 2023 to play hundreds of arcade games in the world’s largest arcade! Let us know you will be attending by clicking “Yes” on this form (this is … Continued
This is an odd story. An arcade auction in Texas ended up auctioning off a rare 1980 SEGA Samurai arcade cabinet without even being aware of it. Patrick Scott Patterson, who reached out to us to share the news, was bidding on a Mr. Do! arcade cabinet that was a converted SEGA Samurai cabinet. Because … Continued
We all love new games for Sega hardware. Well, here’s another one for ya. Mega Slow Mole is an ultra-difficult, precision platformer being developed by SlowMoleStudio for the Sega Genesis/Mega-Drive. SlowMoleStudio was formed by accomplished animator and filmmaker, Erik Rosenlund, who also animated the claymation trailer for the original NES Slow Mole game. You can … Continued
During the Meta Quest Showcase, SEGA announced that Samba de Amigo: Party Central will be arrive for Meta Quest 2 and Meta Quest Pro later this fall. Pre-orders for the game are available on the Meta Quest Store. As a special bonus to those who pre-order the game ($29.99 MSRP) up until launch will also … Continued
Phantasy Star Online 2 New Genesis is preparing its biggest, most substantial update yet with PSO2 NGS Ver. 2, no separate disc purchases required this time. NGS Ver. 2 launches as a free update to the game on all available platforms on June 7th. Starting on that date, NGS players will have access to Ver. … Continued
If you’re looking for a device to play your digitized disc backups of your favorite Sega console classic games, then look no further than the Phøde, a brand new Optical Drive Emulator created by engineer Fixel. This single device supports almost every CD-Rom based game console from the 90’s, not just including the Sega CD … Continued
Back in April, I reported on Vshojo star Kson becoming a finalist in RGG Studio’s hostess grand prix and being awarded a hostess role in Like A Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, alongside 4 other lucky women. Well, now that contest is finally over and Kson has taken home the grand prize, … Continued
SEGA Talk takes a journey into the last Shining Force game by the original developers, Shining Force III! Not just the first game, but also scenario 1, 2 and 3. We also discuss the fan translations, development and more! [iTunes – Stitcher – YouTube – RSS – Download] Support us on Patreon! Get early access, have your memories read on the show, select … Continued
In the days of old, the long long ago times of 2009, professionally pressed indie games for SEGA consoles were both a rarity and a luxury. There were, at most, two or three games a year for consoles like Master System, Genesis and even the Dreamcast. Nowadays it seems that a new indie game is … Continued
This Friday, Limited Run Games will open up pre-orders for Alien: Isolation – The Collection for the Nintendo Switch. While this version is downgraded compared to the PC version, according to EuroGamer the Nintendo Switch version actually is more impressive than the PlayStation 4 version. The port is also done by Feral Interactive who are … Continued
Samba de Amigo: Party Central will be partying its way for Nintendo Switch on August 29th and SEGA has also announced today that the digital editions of the upcoming rhythm action game are now available to pre-order for Nintendo Switch on the Nintendo eShop. Those who purchase the Samba de Amigo: Party Central Digital Deluxe Edition ($49.99 MSRP) … Continued
We slingshot this episode and talk about… Angry Birds!? Yes, the early 2010’s mainstream mobile phenomena is now a SEGA brand. On this episode we talk about our feelings about the buyout, mobile games and the weird history of Rovio Entertainment! [iTunes – Stitcher – YouTube – RSS – Download] Support us on Patreon! Get early access, have your memories read on the … Continued
Rent-A-Hero No.1 on Dreamcast, a remake to Rent-A Hero on the Mega Drive, which both have been exclusive to Japan, has been translated by fans. The crazy part is, its not just a translation that the team has done, but have also added extra exclusive features, making this the definitive release! The exclusive features include: … Continued
While Sonic Frontiers isn’t the most perfect game ever made (check out our review), it is a huge step in the right direction for the franchise and it seems that Sonic fans have agreed as it becomes the best selling 3D Sonic game. SEGA confirmed the sales figures during their SEGA x Rovio press conference … Continued
As we previously reported, SEGA’s parent company Sega Sammy Holdings Inc. (SSHD) entered into an agreement to acquire Rovio, and SEGA Europe has since made a voluntary recommended cash offer to the shareholders of Rovio to tender all their shares and the option holders of Rovio to tender all their options in Rovio to SEGA … Continued
SEGA Talk takes a x-treme dive into SEGA’s short lived add-on, The 32X! We look at the creation of the device, why it came to be, what games are worth playing, and why it didn’t do better. Buckle up X-SEGA fans, its a bumpy ride! [iTunes – Stitcher – YouTube – RSS – Download] Support us on Patreon! Get early access, have your … Continued
A Twitter post announced a collaboration with The Grand Game at Osaka’s Grand Front Complex in Japan with the Sonic the Hedgehog & Puyo Puyo franchises as part of their special menu for the location’s 10th anniversary event. From now until May 14th, attendees can visit the arcade and try out some themed foods like … Continued
Recently, RGG Studio revealed the five winners among a group of women who auditioned to appear as hostesses in the upcoming Like A Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name. This is something they have done many times for earlier Like A Dragon/Yakuza games, with the winners usually consisting of actual hostesses, gravure models, … Continued
Many of you probably remember the announcement of Harlequest!, a brand new action RPG in development for Sega Dreamcast that is now live on Kickstarter. As of this writing, there are 5 days remaining for the Kickstarter to raise as much money as possible. Since I have written that article, I have gotten the … Continued
On the season finale of SEGA News Bits Live, Barry dishes on the Jet Set Radio 3 leaks, talks about the Knuckles Paramount+ series and covers the past month of SEGA news. 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 … Continued
Now available to watch and listen to on the SEGAbits Patreon, it’s SEGA Talk #117 where we discuss the history of SEGA’s 32X! How did the add-on come to be? Why was it such a failure? What games are worth playing on it? Support us on Patreon at any tier for early access!
SEGA and the LEGO Group announced a collaboration today that will bring beloved characters and environments from the Sonic universe to brick form. The LEGO Sonic the Hedgehog collaboration includes four sets of varying sizes and complexity, allowing fans of all ages to build and play in iconic locations. The sets include Sonic’s Speed Sphere, … Continued
On April 17, the official Sonic movie Twitter account revealed that the Knuckles series for Paramount+ was in production. The reveal included a clapper board with the series logo, the reveal that Sonic movie series director Jeff Fowler was returning and a sly inclusion of Knuckles treasure hunter hat as first seen in the 1996 … Continued
On April 18th, 2023, Sega added Flicky, Kid Chameleon, Pulseman, and Street Fighter II: Special Championship Edition to Sega Genesis – Nintendo Switch Online. This is the first update to the NSO Sega Genesis collection for 2023. Japan, of course, gets the same four games at the same time. All four games are immediately accessible … Continued
Back again with a Rovio update! As of this morning, SEGA has officially acquired Angry Birds developer Rovio for $776 million. The deal will be for the all of Rovio’s outstanding shares and options, valuing them at 9.25 euro per share, a 19% premium to their closing price before the announcement.
As reported by the Wall Street Journal and confirmed a day later by Rovio themselves, SEGA’s parent company Sega Sammy Holdings Inc. is in talks to acquire the Finnish mobile game company Rovio for a staggering 1 billion dollars. Rovio gained worldwide fame with its smash hit franchise Angry Birds which took mobile gaming by … Continued
Steel Empire is back again! Just announced by Strictly Limited Games, Steel Empire Chronicles was just announced for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4, containing the 1992 Sega Genesis original (known as Empire of Steel on Mega-Drive in Europe), the Game Boy Advance version from 2005, the remake that was released on Nintendo 3DS back in … Continued
A brand new indie dungeon crawling RPG has just been announced for Dreamcast and PC (Including Mac and Linux), called HarleQuest!, and has begun its bid for crowdfunding on Kickstarter on April 1st. No foolin’. Being developed by Ross Kilgariff, with assistance by Alastair Low of LowTek Games (Who have experience with Dreamcast development, porting … Continued
Missiles locked-on! FIRE! We dive deep into Treasure’s mech shooting, missile blasting, originally Nintendo 64 having, cult classic Bangai-O! Find out what unexpected game influenced the creation and more! [iTunes – Stitcher – YouTube – RSS – Download] Support us on Patreon! Get early access, have your memories read on the show, select the games we talk about!
We did it. Sonic is finally dead. At least in the context of this year’s April Fools from SEGA. To celebrate April 1st, SEGA has released a murder mystery game in which players solve Sonic’s murder. Titled The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog, the game is free to download and play right now on PC … Continued
The Sega Dreamcast had a handful of interesting kart racing games in its time, but here’s one that never made it past the finish line to retail shelves. Woody Woodpecker Racing was released for PlayStation, PC, and Game Boy Color, but a Dreamcast version was also planned, as evidenced by the above ad from the … Continued
Sonic Origins Plus is due out just in time for Sonic’s 32nd anniversary and developer Headcannon, a software development and publishing business founded and run by Simon Thomley, is confirmed to be working on the updated release. Headcannon famously worked with Christian Whitehead on Sonic Mania, and Headcannon worked alongside SEGA on Sonic Origins last … Continued
Sonic appearing in other Sonic Team games was a highlight of the Dreamcast era, so it was delightful to see the press release from SEGA this morning revealing that Sonic himself will be making a cameo in the upcoming Nintendo Switch exclusive Samba de Amigo: Party Central! Sonic and City Escape will play host to … Continued
SEGA has officially announced Sonic Origins Plus, which is an expanded physical release as well as digital upgrade for existing owners of the game. The compilation adds 12 Game Gear games, adds Amy Rose as a playable character in all four Genesis/Mega Drive and SEGA CD titles and adds Knuckles to Sonic CD. Also included … Continued
On this SEGA News Bits Live, Barry takes a look at leaked Sonic Origins Plus news and reviews the latest update to Sonic Frontiers. On the unboxing segment, Burger King’s new Sonic kid’s meal toys are detailed and Shadow finally is a juice bottle. If you want to support this type of content, you can check … Continued
While you wait for the release of Samba de Amigo: Party Central for Nintendo Switch, here’s a new development for what is probably the next best Samba de Amigo game. Samba de Amigo ver. 2000, which originally released on Sega Dreamcast exclusively in Japan in the year 2000, has gotten a new English conversion … Continued
Last year, SEGA promised three waves of free Sonic Frontiers DLC content, and the first wave entitled “Sights, Sounds, and Speed” is set for release on Wednesday, March 22 at 5:00 p.m. PDT / 8:00 p.m. EDT across PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, the Nintendo Switch family of systems and Steam. … Continued
On this EGGellent EGGpisode of the SEGGA Talk Podcast we will dive YOLK first into Elemental Gimmick Gear, a unique action RPG by a small unknown developer named Birthday. We will look at how a small egg model became a full blown Dreamcast cult classic! [iTunes – Stitcher – YouTube – RSS – Download] Support us on Patreon! Get early access, have your … Continued
Its a video game inception post! In episode seven of HBO Max’s The Last of Us (which, believe it or not, is based on a video game), our lead character Ellie has a flashback episode remembering her time with an old friend where she was taken to an abandon mall which happens to feature a … Continued
Thanks to the folks at Retro-Bit, I was able to get my hands on their newest SEGA controller offerings: The BIG6 line of SEGA Genesis arcade pads. If you’ve followed retro gaming news you’d know that in the past ten years there has been great advancements in technology to improve the quality of life for … Continued
Hey! First article I get to write in 2023! FINALLY! Pro-wrestling fans who tuned into to Impact Wrestling’s recent No Surrender event on February 24th, 2023 were in for quite a shock when it came time for the match between Joe Hendry and Quinn “Moose” Ojinnaka. Joe pulled out all the stops in this … Continued
SEGAbits and the Swingin’ Report Show podcast both turn 13 years old this month, making SEGAbits the oldest American SEGA fan site and the Swingin’ Report Show the longest running SEGA fan podcast! Celebrate with Swingin’ Report Show All-Stars Barry, George and Aki as we discuss Like A Dragon: Ishin! and Samba de Amigo: Party … Continued
On this episode we dive back into the illusionary world of Mickey Mouse, this time being teamed up with Donald Duck in the World of Illusion! We take a look at this multiplayer take on the Mickey Illusion gameplay, and… do you know SEGA? Watch and find out! [iTunes – Stitcher – YouTube – RSS – Download] Support us on Patreon! Get early … Continued
2023 is certainly shaping up to be the year of the Like A Dragon franchise, formerly the Yakuza franchise, with Like a Dragon: Ishin! releasing this week. SEGA has provided fans with a launch trailer, which you can watch above. Former SEGA Senior Director of International Product Development and Localization Sam Mullen, who had worked … Continued
Everybody loves a good dump, especially when it comes to ROMs. Twitter user @iamamazing100 has announced that a rare English version of the 1993 arcade game SegaSonic Cosmo Fighter has been dumped and is now publicly available online. The game is not playable just yet, as it must be added to MAME, however @iamamazing100 has shared … Continued
The teaser site for the mystery SEGA game has unlocked, and as expected it is a follow-up to the original NAOMI arcade and Dreamcast game Cosmic Smash. Titled C-Smash VRS, the game is a VR reimagining of the original game and is set to release on the PlayStation VR2. A demo will be made available … Continued
A rating for Sonic Origins Plus has appeared on The Game Rating and Administration Committee of Korea website, potentially leaking the existence of an enhanced and expanded (and possibly physical) rerelease of last year’s Sonic Origins. Fans knew something has been in the works for the game, as various updates have been in the approval … Continued
Amigo is BACK in a brand new game, and on this News Bits Live we break down who is behind Samba De Amigo’s return and take a look at past games in the franchise. PLUS, what is Sonic cooking? If you want to support this type of content, you can check out our Patreon! If you … Continued
While news leaked earlier today on social media, Nintendo Direct has officially dropped the news that SEGA’s iconic rhythm action game series, Samba de Amigo, will be making a comeback on the Nintendo Switch titled Samba de Amigo: Party Central with Amigo sporting a new attire for the upcoming game. Samba de Amigo: Party Central … Continued
It’s happening! After years of personally asking SEGA, a Sonic the Hedgehog cookbook is arriving this October! Sonic the Hedgehog: The Official Cookbook will be written by Victoria Rosenthal (Official Fallout, Destiny, Street Fighter, GoW, Pokémon & FFXIV Cookbook) and Ian Flynn (IDW Sonic series, Sonic Frontiers), and will be published by Insight Editions physically … Continued
On this SEGA Talk we dip back into the world of Classic Sonic with the portable classic Sonic the Hedgehog Triple Trouble! We look at this Game Gear exclusive and the creation of Fang… or is it Nack? [iTunes – Stitcher – YouTube – RSS – Download] Support us on Patreon! Get early access, have your memories read on the show, select the … Continued
On this Fastest Food Alive, Barry takes a look at the new Knuckles Sour Power G FUEL energy drink and mixes things up (literally! OH HO HO HO!) by making a Sonic & Knuckles G FUEL mixed drink. If you want some Sonic Peach Rings energy drink for yourself, check out the G FUEL shop … Continued
Heads up! SEGA has officially surprised us with the release of Sonic Colors: Ultimate on Steam which is now available to purchase. Along with the release of the remaster, other Sonic titles on Steam are on sale starting today until February 13 at 10:00 a.m. PST / 1:00 p.m. EST / 6:00 p.m. GMT between … Continued
A number of games and associated DLC is set for removal from the Xbox 360 Marketplace on February 7th, 2023. Of interest to SEGA fans, the titles from our favorite company include: DAYTONA USA, Jet Set Radio and Sega Vintage Collection: Alex Kidd & Co. It is unknown why these are the titles being pulled, … Continued
As part of their A Very Discotek New Years livestream, Discotek Media laid out their plans for 2023 as well as some new announcements. Last year the company revealed that at long last the Japanese language version of the Sonic X anime would receive a release in 2023. Now we have a release date window … Continued
On this SEGA News Bits Live, Barry has some beef with action figure scalpers! Also, Cosmic Smash is apparently back as a VR game, plus a quick look at the Wonder Boy Anniversary Collection. If you want to support this type of content, you can check out our Patreon! If you enjoy our SEGA News Bits segments and … Continued
Several social media accounts for a SEGA project titled CSVRS have appeared, directing users to a teaser website (csmashvrs.com) with a countdown clock ending 20 days from now. The teaser site for CSVRS presents trippy music over a grid of circles with different images appearing within, including eyes, tunnels and a game of Pong being … Continued
On this SEGA Talk, we return to the 1980s and take to the skies in the super scaler Thunder Blade! We discuss the development of the “taikan” arcade machine, the downgraded SEGA Genesis and Master System ports and the M2 developed Nintendo 3DS port that returned Thunder Blade to greatness. [iTunes – Stitcher – YouTube – RSS – Download] Support us on Patreon! … Continued
On this episode of SEGA Talk we break the ancient seal to talk about Shining Force II, a sorta sequel to the first Shining Force game. We dive deep into development, look at characters and strategically try to say Japanese names. All this and more on SEGA TALK! [iTunes – Stitcher – YouTube – RSS – Download] If you want to give … Continued
We’re only a few weeks into 2023, but that doesn’t mean we can’t look back and talk about our favorite and most disappointing SEGA and ATLUS games of 2022! Special guest Sonic Yoda from SEGA Driven will also be featured, selecting HIS (and by extension Europe’s) favorite game of 2022. Also, Patreon picks and Discord … Continued
Enjoy The Ride Records, who have previously released the first Sonic the Hedgehog movie soundtrack to vinyl, and the sequel to audio cassette, have announced a 2XLP vinyl release for the Sonic The Hedgehog 2 soundtrack! The release is set to drop at noon ET this Friday, January 13th on their website. The records are … Continued
Bitmap Books has been hard at work on their next visual compendium book, this time centering on the SEGA Mega Drive/Genesis, but today they have announced the project is cancelled. Past visual compendium books have been a mix of official and unofficial releases. SEGA fans might remember years back Bitmap Books covered the Master System, … Continued
Translated by the same team behind the original Sakura Wars game for the SEGA Saturn, the sequel, Sakura Wars 2: Thous Shalt Not Die, will be receiving a fan translation for the SEGA Saturn. The project was worked on last summer for a year in a half. Not only that the game will be translated, … Continued
This time on SEGA Talk we humbug the holidays away as we talk all things The Grinch! We talk about his humble beginnings and how his story became a Christmas phenomenon! Also did you know there was a Grinch SEGA Dreamcast game? [iTunes – Stitcher – YouTube – RSS – Download] If you want to give us feedback, suggest a topic for … Continued
As the year winds to a close, join us as we chat about all the Sonic the Hedgehog happenings in 2022! From the second movie to Sonic Origins, and Sonic Frontiers to Sonic Prime. What were the highlights and the lowlights, and what could SEGA learn going into 2023? We’ll discuss all this in a … Continued
The new developments on Sega Genesis/Mega-Drive just keep on coming. This time, it’s the new cyberpunk themed 2D fighter Insane Pain, with its impressive pre-rendered 3D graphics and blood and gore effects. The Germany based developers Blast Process Games have released the game in its ROM form on their itch.io page and are preparing an … Continued
On Thursday, December 15th, Sega has added 4 more of their own Genesis classics to the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack online subscription service. Alien Storm, Columns, Golden Axe II, and Virtua Fighter 2 are immediately accessible after updating the Sega Genesis – Nintendo Switch Online app to it’s latest version. Japanese players get … Continued
We dive back into the conspiracy world of The Conduit, with High Voltage Studio’s sequel Conduit 2. We dive deep into the conspiracies that shaped the game, the changes made and look at the bizarre cliff hanger for the sequel. [iTunes – Stitcher – YouTube – RSS – Download] If you want to give us feedback, suggest a topic for the next … Continued
Sonic Prime, the Netflix animated series which sees video game Sonic entering a multiverse of realities, is set to release December 15, 2022. However, fans can get an advance look in two places! First, the embedded video above, which details a scene in which Sonic meets shatterverse Tails. The scene is interesting, as it details … Continued
M2 has announced that the Nintendo 3DS SEGA 3D Classics title 3D After Burner II will be delisted from the Japanese eShop, along with Sega 3D Fukkoku Archives 3 FINAL STAGE. The delisting is also likely to affect storefronts worldwide, though M2 has not confirmed this. The reasoning? Nothing has been said, but it is … Continued
Back in 2015, SEGA of America went through a great deal of change with the biggest physical change bring their move from San Francisco to Irvine, California. We reported the news back when it happened, and even mourned the San Francisco HQ that the social media team invited us to visit. The 2015 move saw … Continued
Over the past week, Sonic Frontiers has been sweeping the vote in The Game Awards’ Players’ Voice Award, with SEGA’s game advancing to the final round. Now, with just a day left, Sonic’s best game in over a decade is less than 20% behind Genshin Impact, a free-to-play game that wasn’t even released in 2022. … Continued
Anybody remember that canned prototype of Segapede (later called Astropede) that was being developed at Sega Technical Institute and later shown publically for the first time ever by former Sega of America artist Craig Stitt? That was just a video of the pitched prototype in action, but now Craig has found a development ROM in … Continued
Genesis/Mega-Drive fans are about to be eatin’ good for a while with all the lovely new games, re-releases, and other interesting projects in development for the console. It’s almost like it’s out of retirement. That’s about to look much more true now that a longstanding developer that’s actually made games for the console in its … Continued
SEGA has dropped a bombshell on fans in the form of a MASSIVE Sonic Frontiers DLC roadmap for next year! The content, which is free for all platforms, will drop in three updates. While SEGA is not giving specifics just yet, they did reveal this image and the below description: The title’s 2023 content roadmap … Continued
Today, SEGA announced a huge rollout of Sonic Frontiers content for 2023. But before we get into that, there is a special holiday treat for fans hitting December 21, 2022. The DLC, dubbed “Holiday Cheer Suit” will be free for all platforms and “offers new apparel for Sonic to wear and bring some holiday spirit … Continued
Grab your six foot sword, drab yourself in black and get ready to slay demons as we dive into Sword of the Berserk: Guts’ Rage on Dreamcast! We dive into the manga that started it all, look at the world and go Berserk on this episode of SEGA TALK! [iTunes – Stitcher – YouTube – RSS – Download] If you want to … Continued
Retro-Bit sure is on a roll now. Hot off their recent announcement of their Valis Collection, Retro-Bit has now announced their official western cartridge debut for Advanced Busterhawk Gley Lancer, one of the most beloved shumup classics released exclusively on Mega-Drive in Japan only. Pre-orders are now open from several different stores in both North … Continued
There aren’t many widely celebrated classics on Sega Genesis/Mega-Drive quite like Streets of Rage 2. The beat-em-up classic exclusive to Sega’s 16-bit juggernaut still holds up perfectly well the way it is, but some fans have set out to modernize the game in Unity 3D with some amazing new enhancements, made through reverse engineering. Streets … Continued
According to Japanese news site fnn, Sonic the Hedgehog creator Yuji Naka has been arrested for insider trading involving the Dragon Quest Tact mobile game. According to the news site, Yuji Naka used insider information while working at Square-Enix about (then) unannounced “Dragon Quest Tact” mobile game which was being developed jointly by Square-Enix and … Continued
Netflix has dropped a new trailer for Sonic Prime, the streaming series set for a December 15th release date on Netflix. The new trailer details the show’s plot, including a very Sonic SatAM alternate reality where Eggman has completely taken over. Or should I say… EggMEN? The trailer also showcases several alternate worlds called Shatterspaces, … Continued
Sonic Frontiers continues to do well globally, we reported how it was performing in the UK and Steam yesterday, today we can see how well it’s been performing in Japan thanks to the latest Famitsu game charts. Unsurprisingly the Switch version was the best selling SKU this time round, but both the PS5 and PS4 … Continued
We’re sad to report that Akira Nagai, Managing Director at SEGA from 1965 to 2004, has passed away. Nagai was one of the longest serving managing directors and representatives at the company, initially starting out in jukebox distribution in 1963 at Nihon Goraku Bussan and continuing in amusement machine sales in the 1980s. During the … Continued
The Sonic & SEGA Fan Jam Remix convention has concluded, but our coverage hasn’t! Following our recap on SEGA News Bits Live here is another bit of the convention, the full audio I recorded of the Shenmue & Arcade All-Stars panel which featured a reunion of the Shenmue voice actors Corey Marshall, Eric Kelso and … Continued
Strap in and get ready to save SEGA as we venture into the year 2025 and cover the Dreamcast Japanese exclusive Segagaga! We discuss the cameos, parodies and more! [iTunes – Stitcher – YouTube – 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 … Continued
The biggest moment at this past weekend’s Sonic & SEGA Fan Jam Remix was the Shenmue & Arcade All-Stars Voice Actors Panel featuring the reunion of Corey Marshall, Lisle Wilkerson and Eric Kelso of Shenmue fame. This is the first time all three have been together since recording audio for Shenmue II over 20 years … Continued
Sonic Frontiers made a strong start to life in the charts, boosting a number 4 spot in the UK Game Charts and sold 5% more than 2017’s release Sonic Forces. While this might not seem a large increase this does not include digital sales so Frontiers’ actual increase over Forces could be quite significant … Continued
Another Sonic & SEGA Fan Jam event is a wrap, and for the first time a Barry or George attended! Which one was it? Click play to find out! On this News Bits Live, check out exclusive photos and videos from the event, details on the must see panels and some merch pickups. If you … Continued
Unless you have been living under a rock, you should know by now that Sonic Frontiers is now available on all major platforms! That includes the PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC. With the game’s launch came a launch trailer that has to be seen to be believed. Think … Continued
In what is a big week for SEGA, Football Manager 2023 has released to PC and Mac on Steam, Epic and Microsoft Store. The game is the latest installment in the long running franchise which, funnily enough, actually appeared in Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed for PC as the titular Football Manager appeared as a … Continued
Sonic Frontiers promises to be the biggest, longest and most open Sonic adventure to date and we here at SEGAbits have been playing the game for a few weeks. Here is our full Sonic Frontiers review, did Sonic Team really nail the open world design or is this just another experiment gone wrong? Find out! … Continued
An unreleased Segasoft game named “The Sacred Pools” has finally been found and dumped online for all to try. According to The Gaming Alexandria, who made and released this discovery, The Sacred Pools was developed as an “Erotic Thriller” sci-fi FMV (Full-Motion Video) game for Sega Saturn, PC, and PlayStation (I did not stutter, thank … Continued
We’re one week away from Sonic Frontiers, and SEGA has dropped a five minute animated short showing fans how Knuckles got from Angel Island to the Starfall Islands. Written by Ian Flynn and Directed by Tyson Hesse, the short brings together elements of the classic era, Sonic Adventure and the upcoming Sonic Frontiers. Social media … Continued
First 4 Figures has unveiled the Amy Rose resin statue on Twitter, which will be available for pre-order on November 8th to commemorate the release of Sonic Frontiers. The team used the Sonic Advance Yuji Uekawa design as a base for the statue, even coming equipped with her Piko-Piko Hammer. An exclusive and definitive edition … Continued
…And now here they are! The most powerful duo of daffy podcasters to ever whirl their wheels in the Wacky Races! Competing for the title of world’s wackiest racer! The cars are approaching the starting line. First, is the Giga Mega Drive Turbo driven by Gorgeous George. Next is Barry the Nomad in the AV … Continued
Yesterday the news broke that legendary SEGA Designer, Director and Producer Rieko Kodama had passed away. The first signs of her passing came, surprisingly yet in hindsight quite fittingly, from a SEGA game. The Mega Drive Mini 2 had just released, and within the credits was “In memory of Rieko Kodama”. There had been no … Continued
Sonic Frontiers is just days away, and in the lead up to the game’s release SEGA has given fans a two part digital comic starring Sonic, Tails, Amy and Eggman showing the events that lead to the game’s opening moments. The official Sonic Twitter account has shared part one and today dropped part two, with … Continued
Fans have asked nicely. They begged. They asked rudely! And in the end, Discotek Media has delivered! That’s right, the Japanese version of Sonic X is finally releasing to home video in America! While Discotek has released the full english dubbed run of the series on DVD and SD on Blu-ray, the Japanese version was … Continued
On this SEGA News Bits Live, we mix things up a bit for a live unboxing and review of the Astro City Mini V from Limited Run Games! Check out the Astro City Mini V for yourself here! You can also find the original Astro City Mini, a bundle of both and the Astro City … Continued
Retro-Bit have returned with a new reprint of Genesis/Mega-Drive cartridge classics. Today they have debuted the Valis Collection, a special box set of the 3 Valis games originally developed by Telenet Japan and published on the Genesis by Renovation. This collection comes officially licensed by the current rights holders to Telenet Japan and Renovation’s games, … Continued
Following up from yesterday’s news of Fantasy Zone, SEGA and Data Discs are back with another vinyl release! This time, the focus shifts to modern games as the upcoming Sonic Frontiers will see not one but TWO releases! First up, the 2XLP edition sees a “Sonic Blue” colored vinyl with a 12 page booklet featuring … Continued
Limited Run Games has announced a Western release of the Astro City Mini V. The V, as kids call it, is the second in SEGA’s line of Astro City Mini plug and play consoles which sports a vertically orientated screen and focuses on shoot ’em up games. What makes this release unique is that for … Continued
SEGA has its roots in the Western world and that influence is still ever so present today. It all started in Hawaii, went to Japan, then was bought by Gulf + Western, but then settled on Japanese ownership in 1984. But all those years of influence from Western staff and ownership never completely went away … Continued
Data Discs is back with an all new SEGA vinyl, this time featuring the soundtrack to the arcade classic Fantasy Zone! The release, set to go live on Saturday at data-discs.com, features the full 1986 soundtrack from Hiroshi “Hiro” Kawaguchi of OutRun and Space Harrier fame. The release will be available in two editions and … Continued
In a brand new announcement from Analogue, the creators of FPGA consoles like the Mega SG and the Analogue Pocket, their last ever pre-order run of the Mega SG will take place on October 28th. After this, there will be no more. This will also be your last chance to order a Super NT from … Continued
Today, SEGA revealed the cover for an upcoming digital comic, Sonic Frontiers Prologue: CONVERGENCE. As a prologue to Sonic Frontiers, Sonic Frontiers Prologue: CONVERGENCE is a two part digital comic prologue and dives into the events taking place for Sonic, Tails, Amy and Dr. Eggman right before they begin their journey to the Starfall Islands … Continued
As of Monday, October 20th 2022, Sonic Hacking Contest 2022 is now open, with all the many fan hacks and mods developed by some of the most creative Sonic fans out there ready to try. There are tons of mods from every Sonic game from the original Genesis classic to Sonic Forces, all of which … Continued
Sonic Frontiers is less than a month away, so now is the best time for SEGA to make their closing arguments to fans for why the game is worthy of a pre-order. In the latest trailer for the game, the combat and upgrades system is explored in a bit more depth as fans can see … Continued
Citing “unique challenges”, SEGA Europe has announced that the PlayStation 4/5 and Xbox One/Series console releases of HUMANKIND has been delayed until further notice. Developed by Paris based Amplitude Studios, which is owned by SEGA, HUMANKIND released to PC in 2021 and is a turn-based strategy 4X game. The game was set for consoles in … Continued
As the release of Sonic Frontiers approaches, SEGA has been revealing bonus content fans can enjoy on and after the game’s release. We’ve already seen the return of Soap shoes, and now we have our first collaboration DLC! Anybody who owns Sonic Frontiers will receive free DLC on November 14th which features content from Capcom’s … Continued
Today on SEGA Talk we discuss the Tournament of the not so Legends, as we discuss an overlooked High Voltage Software Wii exclusive fighting game. Let’s have a look at the humble beginnings of the title to what it became and the fall out. All this and more on SEGA Talk! Support us on Patreon! Get early … Continued
Let’s take a look at the latest SEGA smartwatch band from MobyFox which also includes a sizable library of digital faces. In the unboxing and review video above we showcase the 3D designs that mimic the look of the original hardware as well as some of the cool little touches MobyFox added. Like what you … Continued
Shenmue the anime has been cancelled after a successful first season, Sonic’s Soap shoes are back and Barry has beef with Sonic clothing collabs. All this and more on SEGA News Bits Live! 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 … Continued
The unreleased Sega Dreamcast game Dee Dee Planet has now had it’s online servers finally brought to life thanks to the efforts of the fan-run Dreamcast Live online service. Due to the game having been cancelled, it’s online multiplayer has never once been playable by the public until now. If you want to try it … Continued
E-mail newsletters used to be all the rage. Heck, here at SEGAbits we had one for a time. But as time goes on, people’s methods of taking in updates on brands and franchises they love shift and more and more social media becomes the place for such information. NOT ANYMORE. Thanks to SEGA, the company … Continued
Thanks to Shenmue AM2 Podcast, I was reminded of an obscure little game called ESPN NFL Football which just happened to include hidden cameos from several beloved SEGA characters. I am of course kidding about ESPN NFL Football being obscure, as the game was the first 2K sports title to carry the ESPN license. However … Continued
According to Shenmue the Animation executive producer Jason Demarco, who is also the SVP of Anime and Action series at Warner Bros. Discovery, Shenmue the Animation has been cancelled following a successful first season. You read that right, a successful first season and a second season is not happening. Such an ass backwards decision makes … Continued
Thanks to the Eurogamer Expo, I finally got my hands on Sonic Frontiers. There are so many questions to be answered. How are the controls? Does the game flow well? Is the Open Zone packed full of activities or is it a barren wasteland? Now after getting my hands on the game, I can finally … Continued
A new teaser for the upcoming Netflix animated series Sonic Prime has released, and with it we have confirmation of a winter release. The trailer itself shows Sonic racing Shadow while causing Big the Cat to fall over. Poor Big. Also teased is Doctor Eggman in a new mech and the show’s plot of reality … Continued
On Thursday, September 15th, Sega added three more classic Sega Genesis titles to the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack lineup, after skipping a month from their usual bimonthly update. Subscribers can now play Alisa Dragoon, Beyond Oasis, and Earthworm Jim on Nintendo Switch. Japanese players get all the same 3 games in their own … Continued
It has been a long time since Sonic Team had an animated logo. Fans of the Saturn and Dreamcast eras fondly recall lovely little animated logos with sound effects as they started up games like NiGHTS into Dreams and Sonic Adventure. But starting with Sonic Adventure 2, Sonic Team’s logo was simply a static image … Continued
On this News Bits Live, Barry reacts to the news of three new Yakuza titles as well as… wait, they’re not Yakuza games anymore? Okay, let’s talk about that too. Also, Super Sonic and a new island is revealed for Sonic Frontiers! All this and the past week’s news on SEGA News Bits Live! If … Continued
Can you feel the sunshine? Strap yourself in to your… uh… I mean grab the controller as you race as Sonic and his friends (and foes) in the SEGA Saturn and PC classic Sonic R! We talk about the history, the game, the tracks and of course the awesome soundtrack. Support us on Patreon! Get early access, … Continued
Usually we don’t news every new addition to Sonic Forces for mobile (originally titles Sonic Forces: Speed Battle), but we’ll make an exception for today’s reveal. It’s always fun when a long dormant character or super form is revived, and in this case Darkspine Sonic from 2007’s Sonic and the Secret Rings has made a … Continued
Super Sonic has had a raw deal for the past decade or so. While Sonic’s super form showed up in 2D titles as expected, yes I even consider Sonic 4 to be a title that presents Super Sonic in the proper way, the 3D titles largely used the super form of Sonic as an end … Continued
In a surprise announcement from the September 13th Nintendo Direct video showcase, the Treasure-developed Sega Saturn classic Radiant Silvergun was just released onto the Nintendo Switch eShop, courtesy of publisher Live Wire Inc. Well, to many of you, this may be a surprise. However, Treasure had actually teased a re-release of a “highly requested” game … Continued
The time has come! It looks like any and all issues have been resolved and Judgment and Lost Judgment are now available for PC. That’s right, they are listed right now! Click on over for Judgment and Lost Judgment or download the bundle which includes free DLC. It has been a big day for RGG … Continued
In another surprise at the RGG Summit, a new game was announced for 2023: Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name. The game stars Kazuma Kiryu in a story that takes place between Yakuza 6 and 7 with classic gameplay elements returning. The game is said to be smaller, about half the … Continued
In the early morning hours, at least here in the USA, SEGA of America dropped the trailer for the eighth game in the Yakuza franchise: Like a Dragon 8. The news dropped at Japan’s RGG summit event. Due out in 2024, the game will release globally to PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series … Continued
During Sony’s State of Play today it was announced that RGG Studio was working on a Like a Dragon: Ishin! remake of 2014’s PS3 and PS4 game Ryū ga Gotoku Ishin!. The remake, created in the Unreal Engine, is set to release on PlayStation and Xbox platforms, as well as PC in February 2023. What … Continued
Several Twitter accounts have spotted Windows PC versions of RGG Studios’ Judgment and Lost Judgment listed on the ESRB website. The news is significant, as it was previously rumored that the franchise had come to an end due to a disagreement between the talent agency for the franchise’s real life star, Takuya Kimura, and SEGA … Continued
Fans have noticed that ChuChu Rocket! Universe, the semi-sequel to the Dreamcast puzzle game ChuChu Rocket!, had disappeared from Apple’s App Store. The game, developed by SEGA’s Hardlight studio, was a worthy follow-up to the Sonic Team original, featuring new and returning puzzles, inventive 3D maps, a story mode and a classic multiplayer mode. The … Continued
[READ PART 1] Welcome back to the second part of our two parter interview with Noah Copeland, the director of Sonic the Hedgehog: Triple Trouble 16 bit. On our last interview we chatted about how Noah gained an appreciation of the SEGA Genesis and his background in the fangame development scene. Hit the break to … Continued
If you ever wanted to know what you missed out on as a kid when McDonalod’s teamed up with SEGA to release a bunch of Sonic LCD games well, you’re in luck! Thanks to developer Dfug hard work, we have been graced with the collection that has all the games from Knuckles Baseball to Tails … Continued
It’s that time of the year again where the Sonic Amateur Games Expo, or SAGE (No relation to the Sonic Frontiers villain!) for short, graces us with it’s presence. Filled to the brim with some of the most dedicated Sonic fans on the net, this event now boasts a huge selection of non-Sonic fangames from … Continued
Gamescom 2022 kicked off, and after several games that take place in the future where you shoot everything in sight the new Sonic Frontiers trailer dropped. Titled the “Story Trailer”, the new footage showcased CG cutscenes as well as gameplay in new environments including tropical and desert islands. Also showcased were the long teased cyberspace … Continued
A musical album released in the form of a game cartridge or ROM might sound like an odd concept, but quirky homebrew developer and musician Mike Yedley has done just that, and it’s not even his first one. Not too long ago, he debuted his second Genesis music ROM on his itch.io page, called “mikeyeldey95”. … Continued
On this SEGA News Bits Live, Barry runs through some of the notable titles releasing to the Mega Drive Mini 2 and Genesis Mini 2, talks the possibilities of a Space Channel 5 movie and shares his beef with Sonic fans on Twitter. If you want to support this type of content, you can check out … Continued
Thanks to the success of Paramount and SEGA’s Sonic the Hedgehog movies, it was only a matter of time more cinematic deals were made for other SEGA franchises to make the jump to the screen. The Hollywood Reporter has announced that SEGA has entered into a partnership with Picturestart to develop film adaptations of the … Continued
Enjoy the Ride Records have just released a limited run of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 soundtrack audio cassette tapes, limited to 250 copies, featuring the score by Tom Holkenborg. The cassettes feature UV-printed shells, meaning you get promotional graphics from the movie printed right on the tape. Pretty slick! To sweeten the deal, the case … Continued
TONS of SEGA Mega Drive Mini 2 and SEGA Genesis Mini 2 news today! First up, Europe WILL be getting the mini console as well. It will release October 27th alongside the Japanese and American models. At the moment we do not know if the lineup will differ for Europe, but for now it seems … Continued
Yes, you read that right. Apparently, at the turn of the millennium, an ambitious “TV Adaptor” was planned for Game Boy Color, that would at allow it to communicate with the Sega Dreamcast via your TV screen. This was planned for release in 2000, just a couple of months before Sega would announce their departure … Continued
Fans of FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) console clones may remember Analogue’s FPGA Sega Genesis/Mega-Drive clone system, the Mega SG, released to widespread acclaim in 2019. Since then, they’ve been busy working on clones of other beloved early 90’s consoles, including the subject of this article: The Analogue Pocket. For the uninitiated, the Analogue Pocket … Continued
Thanks to the Sonic Stadium and Sonic Paradise, we have some juicy information on Paramount’s Sonic the Hedgehog 3 which is due out December 20, 2024. The information comes from a movie industry trade, Production Weekly, which sits behind a paywall. Thankfully, Sonic Paradise bought the article and Sonic Stadium smoothed out their translation of … Continued
Buckle up because on this SEGA Talk, we put the pedal to the metal and hit the road to talk about Sumo Digital’s Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing! What are the origins of this racing franchise? What characters didn’t make the cut? What is a Bentley Jones? Click play and find out! Support us on Patreon! Get … Continued
Another stream has taken place in which SEGA Japan revealed additional titles for the upcoming Mega Drive Mini 2. The titles announced include: Ecco the Dolphin (Mega CD), Ecco: Tides of Time (MEGA CD), Gain Ground, Sorcerian, Phantasy Star II (which includes an easy mode when is from the PlayStation 2 SEGA AGES release), Tougi-ou … Continued
SEGA soundtracks have been pouring in on vinyl for the last few years, this time we are getting Phantasy Star II from Ship to Shore. This is a limited time release, coming in a “Rolf & Nei” blue and magenta swirl vinyl. While having a big, physical copy of the Phantasy Star II soundtrack is … Continued
The Sonic movie Twitter account has officially named the date for the third film, with Sonic the Hedgehog 3 set for a December 20, 2024 release date in North America. The announcement was timed with the home video release of Sonic the Hedgehog 2, which hits 4K Ultra HD, blu-ray and DVD today.
On this special SEGA Talk episode we look back at not only SEGA & Nintendo shared moment, but also the origins of SEGA’s rival, they’re dip into arcades, the console wars, and even predict each company’s future. Support us on Patreon! Get early access, tell us what games to cover, and have your SEGA memories read at … Continued
SEGA Talk podcast celebrates 100 episodes by covering the sequel to the first game ever covered on this podcast. OutRun 2! We look at why its considered the ‘true’ sequel to OutRun, the many versions and why can’t you buy it digitally anymore? All this and more, on SEGA TALK! Support us on Patreon! Get early access, … Continued
Yakuza fans are getting their first look at the eighth game in the franchise by way of a behind-the-scenes video shared by MMA fighter and YouTuber Mikuru Asakura. The video sees Mikuru Asakura visiting SEGA HQ and speaking with staff, followed by a tour of the offices and then a 3D scan of his body. … Continued
Another live stream has taken place in which more SEGA Mega Drive Mini 2 games have been revealed! In addition to the games announced, we got our first look at both the SEGA Genesis Mini 2 and Mega Drive Mini 2 side by side with their packaging. So what games did SEGA reveal?
SEGA Genesis Mini 2 has been revealed! Let’s talk about it. Oh, and is that Bayonetta? She’s back as well! And what’s Barry’s Beef this week? It’s Green Hill Zone. 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 … Continued
Pre-Order the SEGA Genesis Mini 2 SEGA has officially announced the SEGA Genesis Mini 2. The console is an Amazon exclusive and you can learn more on the official website. Our original news story, which broke before SEGA made the announcement, follows: An Amazon listing has appeared for an American version of the SEGA Mega … Continued
Publisher Nintendo and developer Platinum Games announced today that Bayonetta 3 will launch on October 28 for Nintendo Switch with a new game play trailer along with an introduction of the new playable character, Viola, who is ready to unleash hell on the Homunculi with her sword and her capricious companion, the feline demon Cheshire. Bayonetta … Continued
Kori-Maru sits down to talk about the upcoming Sonic & SEGA Fan Jam REMIX convention in Georgia! We talk about the history of the convention, plans for 2022 and Kori-Maru’s work with SEGA social media. Give it a listen and once you’re done, head on over to Georgia this November! Support us on Patreon! Get early … Continued
Data Discs had been pretty quiet on the vinyl front, likely due to international shipping issues and other pandemic problems, but they’re picking up steam with new releases and this is a big one! Sonic Spinball is releasing to vinyl as the 25th entry in their numbered line of video game soundtracks. This isn’t Data … Continued
Strap on your guns and get ready to fight some angels because SEGA Talk returns to the world of Umbra Witches as we cover Bayonetta 2! A once SEGA published title turns to their biggest rival, Nintendo! What do SEGA fanboys think of this outcome? Let’s find out… Support us on Patreon! Get early access, tell us … Continued
Since the launch of Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack, Nintendo and Sega have been updating the service with new Sega Genesis games every two months. On June 30th 2022, they surprised everyone once again with four more games for subscribers to play. This time, Expansion Pack subscribers now have access to Comix Zone (1995), … Continued
Spread out throughout the month of June 2022 was news that Persona 5 Royal, Persona 4 Golden, and Persona 3 Portable would soon be launching on Xbox consoles, PC platforms (Persona 4 Golden has already been on Steam since June 2020), and PlayStation 5. For Xbox and Windows PC users, all three will also be … Continued
Given the runaway (Pun unintended) success of both Sonic The Hedgehog movies thus far, Sega has been doubling down on gearing up their other beloved IPs, such as Streets of Rage, to grace the silver screen, If all goes well, Atlus titles will soon have their chance.
If you’ve been holding out on Phantasy Star Online 2 New Genesis to play on PlayStation 4, the wait will soon be over. In a surprise announcement at Anime Expo 22, PSO2 NGS will finally launch on PS4 in the western world on August 31st 2022. Both NGS and PSO2 will be fully playable on … Continued
You hear that? It’s the sound of engines revving, which can only mean we got a roundup of SEGA rumors to drop on you today! While some of these are indeed just rumors, others are cold hard facts. Which is which? We will leave that for you to decide. Because there are so many little … Continued
A new Nintendo Direct brought with it new footage and information for the upcoming Sonic Frontiers, due out for PC and all major consoles this holiday season. The biggest news was the reveal of a new enemy, named Sage, as well as information about high speed Cyber Space levels which should feel right at home … Continued
Famitsu hosted a live stream to debut additional games for the upcoming Mega Drive Mini 2, as well as a revival of a unique controller. Yosuke Okunari was on-hand to make the reveals and give a little additional insight into the games.
Yu Suzuki’s return to arcade gaming arrives today in the form of Air Twister, an Apple Arcade exclusive. Now before you moan and groan about it being on Apple products only, as revealed in our exclusive interview with Yu Suzuki it was Apple who asked him and his team for an arcade-style game. Apple is … Continued
In a brief showcase hosted by IGN as part of Summer Games Fest, which they promised would “Steal The Show”, Sega of Europe revealed Hyenas, a new sci-fi squad based multiplayer FPS by The Creative Assembly (Total War Series, Alien Isolation, etc.). Hyenas takes place in a dystopian future where “rich pricks” (Words from CA’s … Continued
Retro-Bit have just pulled back the curtain on the newest development of their partnership with Sega, this time being a completely new style of Sega Genesis controller merging features of the 3-button original and 6-button Arcade Pad. The Big6 features the same extra wide body shape of the original 3-Button Genesis/Mega-Drive controller, but with the … Continued
Join Barry live at 12:15PM Central time for a Sonic birthday party! Grab a chili dog, watch some Sonic Origins gameplay footage and enjoy a classic episode of Fastest Food Alive. 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 … Continued
SEGA recently published two episode of Sonic Origins Speed Strats by Strategy Guide PR, bringing players up to speed on all things Sonic Origins, the remastered multi-game collection of the original Sonic titles. The series covers the original Sonic collection with information on each game on lore, objectives and game play mechanics featured exclusively in … Continued
Let’s talk turtles! On this SEGA News Bits Live, we’re doing something a little different. Join Barry to shellebrate the release of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge! Check out some gameplay footage, hear how the game compares to the classics and take a TMNT collection tour as Barry shows off his favorite Turtle toys … Continued
On this SEGA Talk, we pop Rise of the Dragon into our SEGA CD and give it a spin. Is this cyberpunk adventure a hidden gem or a poor man’s Snatcher? How does the SEGA CD version compare to the DOS original? And what’s the background on developer Dynamix? Let’s find out! Support us on Patreon! Get … Continued
SEGA has dropped a ton of new Sonic Frontiers info on us, and we had to share it! The content showcases the battle modes, puzzles and free running segments. We also get to hear that mysterious voice that speaks to Sonic. We will share more info as we hear it, but in the meantime… enjoy! … Continued
It goes without saying that Yu Suzuki is one of the most influential figures in video gaming. Yu Suzuki was instrumental in the development of full body motion controls, 3D racing, 3D fighting, open-world gameplay and QTE. Even if you have never played one of his titles, which you really need to rectify right now, … Continued
The Sonic Central stream has announced that the Sonic Symphony is hitting the road for a live concert tour! A full list of cities will be announced soon, and a full orchestra and rock band are confirmed. More news as we hear it!
IGN’s Sonic Frontiers coverage continues with a hands-on impressions video talking about what the game plays like, something the previous gameplay videos lacked. Fans have been mixed on what IGN has shown off so far, so it will be interesting to hear firsthand impressions. Oh, and SEGA announced a new Sonic Central video which drops … Continued
Maybe you played PSO2 New Genesis a while ago, or maybe you’ve never played the game at all. If so, now may be a good time to jump in with all the cool updates on the way! Here is some of the new features and improvements arriving on June 8th with the Frozen Resolution update:
With so much SEGA news dropping this week, it only makes sense to have another SEGA News Bits Live! This time let’s talk about the newly released Mega Drive Mini 2 and discuss the Sonic Frontiers combat footage released by IGN. If you want to support this type of content, you can check out our Patreon! … Continued
IGN continues their Sonic Frontiers coverage with another exclusive video detailing combat in the game. This six minute preview gives players a better idea of how Sonic will control when encountering enemies in the game. Unlike previous 3D Sonic games, SEGA has promised an expanded combat system. Check out the video and let us know … Continued
This morning, Famitsu showed off nearly an hour of Sonic Origins in-game footage, including the overworld map, anniversary and classic mode footage, 2 player races and the museum. There is so much to see that I will leave it to you, the reader, to click play and skim through yourself. Some highlights for me was … Continued
In a stream which was previously teased to reveal a mysterious new project, SEGA unveiled the Mega Drive Mini 2! Like the Mega Drive Mini and Astro City Mini, the Mega Drive Mini 2 is a plug and play console and will include even more Mega Drive games as well as Mega CD titles. The … Continued
Join us live as we (well, me) talk about the recently revealed Sonic Frontiers gameplay from IGN! Plus, take a look at a new magazine featuring a killer Dreamcast retrospective and Yu Suzuki returns to the Fantasy Zone. If you want to support this type of content, you can check out our Patreon! If you enjoy … Continued
IGN has promised Sonic Frontiers content throughout the month of June 2022, and after a 30 second tease yesterday things officially kick off with a full gameplay preview trailer. The trailer, which debuted at 9AM Pacific time, gives fans a better idea of just how an open world Sonic game will play out. Check it … Continued
We put on our space suits and ready our weapons as we dive into the Hideo Kojima cult classic Policenauts! We look at the influences that shaped the game, look at why the SEGA Saturn is the definitive version and… why do the lead characters look like the stars of Lethal Weapon? Support us on Patreon! Get … Continued
All this time we were asking “Where is Shenmue 4?” when we should have been asking “Where is a new Space Harrier game?” In a surprise reveal from Yu Suzuki’s YS NET studio is a spiritual successor to Space Harrier titled Air Twister. Presented in full 3D, the game takes many cues from the SEGA … Continued
SEGA has released a short preview of what sort of gameplay fans can expect from Sonic Frontiers. The preview, clocking in at just 38 seconds, showcases the open world setting and speed and combat controls. SEGA promises more details will be released starting tomorrow at IGN, with a cover story, gameplay reveals, hands-on impressions and … Continued
Since both Virtua Fighter and Tekken dominated 3D fighting games in the 90s, fans have been wondering when the company would create a Tekken x Virtua Fighter cross-over fighting game. Officially, neither game has crossed over in an official game, until now. Virtua Fighter 5: Ultimate Showdown breaks that trend with the DLC “Tekken 7 … Continued
Following last week’s delisting of Sonic the Hedgehog SEGA Genesis, Mega Drive and SEGA CD games from digital marketplaces, in an effort to declutter online shops and give more value to Sonic Origins, another Sonic the Hedgehog has returned! That’s right, 2006’s Sonic the Hedgehog is back up for sale digitally on Xbox 360! Selling … Continued
On this Swingin’ Report Show, Sonic Retro’s own David the Lurker joins Barry to talk about the ins and outs of the Sonic video game timeline and canon. We will discuss the split that Sonic Mania and Sonic Forces introduced, how the Archie Comics and IDW canons interact with the games and answer YOUR questions … Continued
The SEGA Master System classic Phantasy Star is receiving an LP soundtrack release thanks to Ship to Shore PhonoCo. The release, which can be found on their website, is up for pre-order now for a cool $30. The soundtrack is available in PSG (Programmable Sound Generator) and FM Synthesis versions and includes new liner notes … Continued
Yakuza 7 or Yakuza: Like a Dragon as its known in the USA, changed the Yakuza formula massively when it replaced its real-time combat with a new turn-based system. Yakuza: Like a Dragon would even change the main cast and city, taking big risks with long time fans. The gamble paid off for Ryu Ga … Continued
Take a drag of your cigarette, suit up and get ready to slide in slow motion as we dive deep into Platinum Game’s Vanquish! 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 – RSS – Download] If you want to give us feedback, … Continued
Over in Japan, Mt. Rainier coffee will provide customers a QR codes on their coffee cans to listen to the beautiful soothing sounds of Seaman ASMR tracks. According to the company, the point of the promotion is to use soothing ocean tracks to help people who suffered stress during COVID-19 pandemic. Seaman will have four … Continued
Sonic has a cereal! So of course its time to return to the pantry with Fastest Food Alive as we look back at the many Sonic cereals and review the new cereal from General Mills. This episode released a full week EARLY for Patreon members, so why not become one yourself? If you want to … Continued
We have reached the last episode of Shenmue the Animation! On this After Show we discuss our overall review for Shenmue the Animation season 1, look at the finale episode and discuss our overall opinions on the changes the anime made from the game. You can check out our Shenmue the Animation After Show playlist … Continued
Shenmue creator and SEGA legend Yu Suzuki recently attended a event to celebrate Shenmue in Yokosuka, right during the finale of the Shenmue the Animation. At this event there where several gaming outlets including IGN Japan and Famitsu, where he discussed the anime and talked about the future of the series. One of the interesting … Continued
We have our first look at the upcoming Netflix animated series Sonic Prime thanks to a trailer showcasing the new Netflix After School programming. The clip shows Sonic, in his modern game design, racing through Green Hill Zone and collecting rings. Sonic says “I know what you’re thinking, I’m good! And powerful, apparently. Jealous?” It … Continued
Welcome to the world of Eternal Champions, we’ll be your guides as we look at the creation of SEGA’s answer to Mortal Kombat, talk about the characters in the game, talk about the 7-Eleven Slurpee promotions, spin-offs, and even cancelled games! Support us on Patreon! Get early access, tell us what games to cover, and have your … Continued
After four years of absence, Sonic & SEGA Fan Jam returns for another exciting gaming event celebrating the legacy of SEGA video games and will be the essential experience for fans of Sonic the Hedgehog, Yakuza, Persona, Virtua Fighter, Super Monkey Ball and other SEGA games old and new! As always, there will be games, … Continued
It seems that Yuji Naka isn’t happy with his time working at Square-Enix, which started back in 2019. Since then Yuji Naka and Square-Enix have announced Balan Wonderworld, had him removed as director before the game released and ended with Yuji Naka leaving Square-Enix last year. Yuji Naka has actually been rather silent over the … Continued
Update: SEGA Forever has clarified that the mobile ports of Sonic 1, 2 and CD will remain! SEGA of Japan’s Sonic Channel further clarifies that the following titles will be delisted: Xbox 360: Sonic 1, 2, 3, & Knuckles; PS Now: Sonic 1; PS3: Sonic 1, 2; Steam: Sonic 1, 2, 3 & Knuckles. The … Continued
We are almost coming to an end in our Shenmue The Animation After Show, on this episode our heroes journey into the Yellow Head Building, while the anime actually expands on both Joy and Wong’s character arcs and leaves us off with an epic stare down between Ryo and Lan Di! If you enjoy our … Continued
Sonic has returned to theaters in Sonic the Hedgehog 2, and Kiel Phegley is returning to the Swingin’ Report Show to talk about all he has been up to in the world of Sonic books since we last spoke! We’ll talk about how Kiel became the go-to Sonic movie novelization writer, the process of creating … Continued
Nintendo has announced three more games coming to the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack, this time it is the tactical role-playing title Shining Force II, the pseudo-Super Scaler title Space Harrier II, and the pinball game with ear bleed option menu music Sonic Spinball. All three games will be available in all regions for Nintendo … Continued
Fool your friends, be the envy of your enemies (or vice versa) with the Sonic Origins SEGA Genesis paper craft! I did it for Sonic 4 Episode 1, Sonic 4 Episode 2, Sonic Generations and Sonic Mania. So it only makes sense for me to do it again for Sonic Origins! The process is pretty … Continued
WAKE UP! There’s a lot to talk about this morning as Sonic Origins has been officially revealed and detailed. Let’s run through all the features, digital bonuses and prices. Also, we run through the past week of SEGA news including reboots of Crazy Taxi and Jet Set Radio and a Streets of Rage movie from … Continued
SEGA has officially announced Sonic Origins! The game is set to release on June 23rd, 2022, just in time for Sonic’s 31st anniversary. The game will feature a new 16:9 endless life anniversary mode in which players collect coins to unlock bonus content as well as a 4:3 classic mode featuring the games as they … Continued
We are approaching the last few episodes of Shenmue the Animation and on the 11th episode our boy Ryo finds out about Xiuying Hong’s brother, he enters a tournament and continues to get closer to The Yellow Head Building were a Lan Di is! We also look at changes from the game to the anime, … Continued
A Sonic Origins announcement could be imminent! On Monday, the PC version of the game appeared on a South Korean ratings website and shortly thereafter artwork for the game appeared on PSN. Twitter user Tanooki Joe pointed out to us that the same art seen for Sonic Origins showed up a few weeks back in … Continued
According to a report from Bloomberg, SEGA is in the process of developing big budget reboots of Jet Set Radio and Crazy Taxi, as part of the previously reported on Super Game project. For a refresher, the Super Game project is SEGA’s attempt to basically have their own Fortnite. Meaning a recurring revenue stream with … Continued
On this episode we talk Anarchy Reigns, the ‘sequel’ of sorts to Madworld… or is it? This Platinum Games open world beat ’em up has more to offer than you might think. Let’s look at the wide range of characters, development and of course the controversial delay in the West. Support us on Patreon! Get early access, … Continued
According to Deadline, Paramount’s Sonic the Hedgehog movie’s success has now gotten the studio interested in going forward with a movie based on Streets of Rage. If you read this blog, I don’t think we need to introduce you to this iconic SEGA franchise. Deadline’s sources tell them its being headed by Derek Kolstad, who … Continued
As you know, Konami is releasing a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection which is set to feature 13 of their classic Turtle games. While not all 13 are original games, some are the arcades and console ports (Turtles in Time for example comes both SNES and Arcade versions), but its a pretty comprehensive … Continued
Atlus has announced that Shin Megami Tensei V for the Nintendo Switch has surpassed one million units sold. This is counting both digital and physical shipments. If you didn’t already know, Shin Megami Tensei V has been the best selling entry into the franchise’s history, which launched way back in 1992 on the Super Famicom … Continued
The journey to find the Four Wude continues, each secret being held by a Martial Arts master. On this episode we are introduced to new minor characters from Shenmue II which includes Eileen M. Edelweiss and Izumi Takano; one of these two characters was meant to be Ryo’s love interest? Let’s get sweaty! If you … Continued
First4Figures dropped a new teaser trailer for the upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog 30th anniversary resin statue. With more information releasing on April 5th, the trailer shows a quick glimpse of the statue: with Sonic doing the iconic run through the goal ring and a 30th anniversary pop-art logo (reminiscent of all the previous press pictures … Continued
SEGA along with Vespa announced it was working on Shining Force: Heroes of Light and Darkness, based on the classic Shining Force franchise, way back in August 2021. Since the announcement, they’ve announced that it was suppose to get a full launch the first half of this year, as well as a beta before this … Continued
The Sonic movie sequel has an end credits theme! Let’s give it a listen and talk about it. Also, Knuckles prototype documents, new Sonic toys and complaints about scalpers. Enjoy! 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 … Continued
The Sonic movie sequel is almost here, and Paramount and musician Kid Cudi have dropped the end credits track “Stars in the Sky” along with a music video. The video above follows a similar format to the first film’s “Speed Me Up”, with pixel graphics and video game references. Check the video out for yourself, … Continued
SEGA Amusements has put together a short video showcasing what arcade games the company has for 2022. Some of the games we’ve seen talked about before like Mission Impossible Arcade DLX, but the video also showcases smaller titles like Capto Crane and Polar Slide. The video features: VR Agent Mission Impossible Arcade DLX Jet Blaster … Continued
The House of the Dead: Remake is coming out April 7, 2022. When the game was first announced, one of the missing details in the press release was if The House of the Dead: Remake would support gyro motion controls and now thanks to a interview by Way Too Many Games with producer and co-producers … Continued
Lost Judgment is getting ready to release the upcoming ‘The Kaito Files’ DLC, so part of SEGA’s promotional is giving us fans the recipe for a cocktail inspired by everyone’s favorite Yakuza, Masaharu Kaito. Check out the video, sip slow and stay home! You will need Japanese Whisky, orange juice, plum wine, mint and ice! … Continued
Today’s lesson we learn is that some people play games to relax, while other people play to blow off steam. On the other hand, 54-year-old Toyokawa, Japan resident got so heated, he decided to go and e-mail SEGA death threats. The man was arrested on March 16th. It seems that the man sent SEGA over … Continued
It looks like the the upcoming Forever Entertainment developed The House of the Dead: Remake will be getting three different physical releases from boutique publisher Forever Limited.
On this SEGA Talk, we put on some sports tape and discuss the flagship video game for the Sonic Boom multimedia project: Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric! What were the project’s origins? Why was it a Wii U exclusive? And we settle the debate once and for all: which was worse? Rise of Lyric or Sonic … Continued
Ryo continues his journey into finding the Four Wude, we talk about some of the new returning characters and our thoughts on this very ‘video gamey’ episode! If you enjoy our Shenmue The Animation After Show review segments and want to support us: Give us a sub and give this video a thumbs up so … Continued
If you saw our Knuckles news, we’ve got more! In sharing the Knuckles document, a discussion within a private Facebook group led to a mention of an eBay seller in possession of SEGA Technical Institute documents. The documents are being sold for (in my opinion) obscene amounts and it just goes to show the difference … Continued
Less than a month before Knuckles’ theatrical debut comes an early document from SEGA Technical Institute dated April 12, 1993. The document, which was shared on a private Sonic the Hedgehog collectors group, was meant to introduce the new antagonist to staffers of SEGA’s American development team. Given Sonic the Hedgehog 3 released on February … Continued
Back in January 2019, Wonder Boy Returns received a physical release to the PlayStation 4 courtesy of Strictly Limited Games. The game was a remake of the original arcade classic Wonder Boy, which was published by SEGA and developed by Escape (later Westone Bit Entertainment). In 2016, the remake Wonder Boy Returns was developed and … Continued
It has been recently revealed by Nintendo that three more titles from the SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive are coming to the Nintendo Online Expansion Pass service. Two of them are from Treasure, being the coveted action game Alien Soldier and the isometric adventure game Light Crusader. The third being Super Fantasy Zone, an original game released … Continued
Shenmue the Animation has finished the story for the first Shenmue game and has moved on to Hong Kong covering the first part of Shenmue II’s storyline. On this After Show we talk about the missing Boat scene, new characters introduced for the first time in the anime and our overall thoughts of some of … Continued
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (the movie, not the game) is less than a month away, which means the marketing is really amping up! Toys are hitting shelves, a Happy Meal is releasing in April and Paramount just dropped a new poster, final trailer and AMC has announced a fan event! The trailer, seen above, showcases … Continued
During Sony’s State of Play stream today, Konami announced it would be releasing their long awaited Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection for (at least right now) Sony’s PS4 and PS5 (it has also been confirmed for Nintendo Switch, Xbox and PC). The collection is set to have Konami classics ranging from their Arcade … Continued
Shenmue the Animation has concluded the events of the first Shenmue. On this episode we discuss an unlikely team up, Ryo’s departure changes from the game and Goro taking a urinating saves the day?! If you enjoy our Shenmue The Animation After Show review segments and want to support us: Give us a sub and … Continued
On this episode of SEGA Talk we dive deep into the life of the studio High Voltage Software, discuss their Wii FPS game The Conduit and even look at the made up instruments that created the game’s soundtrack! Support us on Patreon! Get early access, tell us what games to cover, and have your SEGA memories read … Continued
It’s been quite some time since the announcement of The House of the Dead Remake published by Forever Entertainment, the same publishers behind the Panzer Dragoon Remake. Today, Forever Entertainment released a new trailer for the upcoming arcade light gun remake that reveals new gameplay footage featuring cutscenes, creatures, and the infamous voice acting from … Continued
Let’s take a look at the books, figures and plush dolls releasing for the upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog 2 movie! 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 … Continued
The Shenmue The Animation After Show is back this time looking at the the Episode 4 ‘Shackles’ giving us more of a look at the iconic character Goro, Fuku-San gives up his piggy bank to Ryo, we meet the Mad Angels, and Nazomi has been kidnapped? Oh my! If you enjoy our Shenmue The Animation … Continued
The official SEGA Youtube channel revealed the first follow-up to the UFO A La Carte arcade machine series since 2009. A video was released showcasing the UFO A La Carte 3, the newest UFO machine developed by SEGA and the first under the GiGO license. The new catcher has bubbled pull strings to pull down … Continued
The official Sonic Japanese Twiiter account are doing a new video project where the team takes a plush Sonic and explores around Japan. Started back on January 31, 2022, the videos will highlight various locations and hotspots, including shrines, statues, and more. It is a fun little project that reminds myself of when Sonic Team … Continued
The PlayStation Blog has confirmed that Team Sonic Racing will join their free PlayStation Plus games for March. Sony has also added Ghostrunner, ARK: Survival Evolved and Ghost of Tsushima: Legends. I would say this is a really good month for the service, we will see if this improves the Team Sonic Racing’s lack of … Continued
Lisle Wilkerson voiced Joy and Yuan in Shenmue II, Sarah Bryant in Virtua Quest and Virtua Fighter 4 and 5 and Gina in Crazy Taxi! She has a new podcast of her own, Adventures of a Blonde Geisha, and we’ll talk all that and more on Wednesday, February 23 at 6:45PM Pacific, 8:45PM Central. Subscribe … Continued
Our Shenmue The Animation, The After Show is back! This time we cover the third episode of the Adult Swim/Crunchyroll adaptation of SEGA’s cult classic game Shenmue! This time we get introduced to Chen, a new looking Goro and more! If you enjoy our Shenmue The Animation After Show review segments and want to support … Continued
Finally! SEGA Talk covers the long awaited sequel to 2001’s Shenmue II – Shenmue III! We discuss the ups and downs of the Kickstarter campaign, the new gameplay elements and the future of the franchise. Support us on Patreon! Get early access, tell us what games to cover, and have your SEGA memories read at the end … Continued
Atlus has announced Soul Hackers 2 for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series, Xbox One and PC (Steam). The first game, at the time titled Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers is actually already the ‘second game’ in the ‘Devil Summoner‘ series which itself is a side-series of the Shin Megami Tensei franchise which originally came out … Continued
Let’s talk about the latest Sonic movie news, including the upcoming sequel, the newly announced third film and the Knuckles streaming series! 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 … Continued
On our Shenmue The Animation After Show, we discuss the second episode of the anime which includes some major changes, expanded storylines to some key characters and even a change in Ryo’s motivation? If you enjoy our Shenmue The Animation After Show review segments and want to support us: Give us a sub and give … Continued
The Paramount+ Twitter account shared the news today that a third Sonic movie is in the works, likely titled “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” as well as news that a Knuckles series will be releasing to Paramount+ in 2023 starring Idris Elba. The Knuckles TV series would be the first Sonic spin-off in the realm of … Continued
Magazines focusing on classic video games have seen a bit of a renaissance recently, and towards the top in terms of print quality and quality of writers seems to be [lock-on]. Unlike other contemporary retro gaming mags, [lock-on] has a much slower release schedule, with a Kickstarter campaign to fund each issue. While we in … Continued
Today we have a look at the first episode of Shenmue The Animation, this one is titled “Thunderclap”. We discuss some of the new high school karate tournament scenes added, look at Nazomi’s character change and gush over the way the anime handled some of the story set pieces! If you enjoy our Shenmue The … Continued
Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog has a complete series release on blu-ray (in SD quality), and to celebrate I thought I’d sit down and run through all the Sonic the Hedgehog home video releases on DVD and blu-ray! Which sets are the best? Which should you avoid? What bonus features do they contain? Watch and … Continued
SEGA Talk returns to the world of Shenmue, this time talking about the legendary SEGA-AM2 title, Shenmue II! We cover the development, talk about cut content, original ideas behind the game and even discuss a PS2 rumored port? Support us on Patreon! Get early access, tell us what games to cover, and have your SEGA memories read … Continued
Let’s discuss the shocking revelations pertaining to Sonic’s feet! Oh, and that small bit of news about SEGA pulling out of the arcade operations role for good. All that and the past month’s news on this SEGA News Bits Live! If you want to support this type of content, you can check out our Patreon! If … Continued
I’ve long been a fan of Sonic kid’s books, even when I was well past the age of being a kid. The past few years have seen some excellent short story collections set in the game universe, and with the new Sonic movies from Paramount there are even more Sonic books to collect! Now available … Continued
SEGA has now established SEGA Sapporo Studio, which is located in Sapporo city and is looking to hire local talent. According to SEGA’s new press release, the team was created due to the rapid progress of digital content in the recent years and is centered around increasing ‘game content’ for software manufactures. The idea will … Continued
Cha-cha-changes are happening with SEGA’s arcade division in Japan. If you guys have been keeping up with the news since Covid, SEGA went from trying to launch its own innovative cloud based “FOG” system, to closing down iconic SEGA Arcade landmark locations and even selling 85.1% of its arcade management business to GENDA! At the … Continued
Join us LIVE at 9PM London time/3PM Central/1PM Pacific! World’s collide as Sonic Yoda from the UK’s SEGADriven joins the American boys at SEGAbits to talk how SEGADriven came to be, the latest SEGA news, and more! Support us on Patreon! Get early access, join in the conversation, get Q&A priority, become a guest on the … Continued
For old school SEGA fans, before their entry into the (and then exit of) console market, the company had always been about arcades and still are. The latest entry is a licensed Mission: Impossible game that hos now begun shipping its Deluxe cabinets around America and Europe. SEGA’s arcade division isn’t a stranger to using … Continued
This interview originally appeared in the premiere issue of Xbox Nation Magazine. Stay tuned for scans of the magazine itself later this week! Takayuki Kawagoe – Smilebit Past projects: General development, project manager for various 16-bit titles, and head of the Saturn software lineup. Sega Rally 2 and JGR (Dreamcast), along with many others. Xbox … Continued
Horror returns in January as we take a dive into the spooky, comedic world of Illbleed. Can you survive this horrific theme park? Join Barry and George as they dive deep into this cult classic Dreamcast exclusive and find out how the game ties in with Sonic the Hedgehog! Support us on Patreon! Get early access, tell … Continued
Toshihiro Nagoshi has been a big figure at SEGA ever since he worked on the massively popular Daytona USA with SEGA-AM2. Ever since then he has had his own studio, first with Amusement Vision with creating hit games like Super Monkey Ball and later to creating the massively popular Yakuza series and the Ryu Go … Continued
SEGA x Storm Collectibles have added another action figure to their SEGA line, this time its Virtua Fighter mascot Akira Yuki, but Akira sporting his new look from the latest Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown (e-sports in Japan). The figure is even up to pre-order internationally on Amiami. Sadly the Akira Yuki figure won’t begin … Continued
The upcoming Shenmue Th Animation is set to premiere next month! February 5th, it has been announced by Adult Swim and Crunchyroll. The series will run for 13 episodes that follows our hero Ryo Hazuki through the story of the first game and part of the sequel. The new trailer also seems to show that … Continued
For all the wonderful writing that is in the Yakuza and Judgment franchise, it isn’t hard to notice that it comes straight from a Japanese company, mainly for a Japanese audience. And sometimes the transition is rocky when providing it for different languages. The team of RGG’s English localization team doesn’t give enough credit for … Continued
According to Japanese website Nikkan Gendai, who has pushed the rumor that Japanese Network TV Asahi is in talks with Takuya Kimura to star as his video game character Takayuki Yagami for a real life Judgment TV series. The Japanese network had tried to get Takuya Kimura back for another season of the popular BG: … Continued
This time on SEGA Talk podcast we take a look at the overlooked Smilebit Xbox exclusive Gunvalkyrie! We take a look at the cancelled Dreamcast port, talk about its unique controllers and why the game has stayed exclusive to Xbox over the years. All this and more, on SEGA Talk! Support us on Patreon! Get early access, … Continued
On our first live show of the year we look to Twitter and YouTube for YOUR questions and comments! Where is Jet Set Radio 3? Why can’t SEGA rerelease Saturn games? Oh, and where is Jet Set Radio 3? Also, we take a look at the deluxe release of the Sonic Encyclo-Speed-ia! Support us on Patreon! … Continued
Another SEGA attraction is now closed down after about 7 years of service. The Sonic Railway in the Lalaport Fujimi City shopping center in Saitama, Japan is no more after January 10. The train station had a miniature sized train cart (fully operational with buttons and lights for kids), affixed with blue and yellow and … Continued