*American owners of a PlayStation Plus account will be soon be able to enjoy various free Genesis games. Sonic the Hedgehog (1 & 2), Altered Beast, Comix Zone, Golden Axe and Streets of Rage can all be downloaded free of charge from February the 21st.
*Famitsu magazine asked their readers for their most wanted games. Three SEGA games made the top 30: Binary Domain (#8), Yakuza: Black Panther 2 (#18) and Hatsune Miku & Future Stars Project Mirai (#21).
*SEGA Japan already found 20.000 people willing to playtest their upcoming PlayStation Vita game Samurai & Dragons.
*SEGA’s confirmed Total War: Shogun 2: Fall of the Samurai (the ’standalone expansion’) will be available worldwide from March 23.
*SEGA USA is hosting some Virtua Tennis 4 (PlaStation Vita) playtests.
*SEGA Germany posted their 2012 release schedule. Better start saving..
*Kotaku posted a hands-on feature of the SEGA Toylet. Err, groovy.
*Segadatabase network update: Strange happenings found in NBA Live ‘95.
A good week for Sonic Generations, a bad one for M&S.
This week’s entries in the Full price Top 40:
[#12](+2) Football Manager 2012
[#13](+8) Sonic Generations
[#23](-8) Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games
This week’s entries in the Budget price Top 40:
[#23](-5) Sonic and SEGA All-Stars Racing
Cinemablend reports:
[..]SEGA sent out a statement confirming and explaining the delay to the squad-based shooter:
“Aliens: Colonial Marines is a process of creativity and invention and those don’t necessarily follow the structure of an assembly line. While setting clear goals, deadlines and predictions is helpful, they are often subjective,” said SEGA.
“We don’t want to sacrifice the creative process just for the sake of following
a blue print. We prefer to have the creative discovery shape that blue print because our goal is to make a great game, and we are prioritising this goal over the previously targeted date.”
The Phantasy Star Online 2 Alpha Test 2 has begun. The Phantasy Star Blog posted ’some of the more important parts of the game manual as well as some player feedback from the English community’.
The latest gameplay videos:
- FOnewm gameplay
- RAmar gameplay
- HUcaseal gameplay
- Amudusia volcano area gameplay
- Naverius Forest area gameplay
IGN posted a teaser trailer of Aliens: Colonial Marines.
The EAG International 2012 Expo is over. Arcade Heroes and SegaNaomi posted some videos of SEGA’s latest Arcade games in action.
- Operation G.H.O.S.T (from 1:06)
- Virtua Tennis 4 (from 6:52)
- Let’s Go Island 3D
We’ll hopefully be able to show you more footage soon.
TheSixthAxis reports:
‘SEGA has announced that a playable demo for upcoming squad-based shooter, Binary Domain, will hit the Japanese PSN store on February 1st, just a few weeks before its EU release. The sample will include two stages from the game’s campaign mode and will enable Binary Domain’s voice command system.
Players will be able to direct squad-mates through vocal communication ala Mass Effect 3, though the feature isn’t Kinect exclusive. Catch the opening cutscene here (spoilers ahead!)’
One might wonder ‘Is Aliens: Colonial Marines becoming the next Duke Nukem Forever?’ Why? Well, according to TheSixthAxis the game has been pushed back again untill ‘Fall 2012′ (SEGA’s website still says ’Spring 2012′).
Owners of a Samsung Galaxy S/S2, Sony S1 or other Android-operated hardware rejoice: Sonic the Hedgehog 4 -episode 1 is now available from
the Android marketplace!
‘SEGA is pleased to announce the creation of a new boutique game development studio, Hardlight, located in the West Midlands area of the UK.
Hardlight is SEGA’s third UK based studio and is focused exclusively on creating high quality, innovative game experiences for both current and future platforms. Their first project, due for late 2012, will be a unique action adventure developed exclusively for the brand new Sony PSVita platform.
The team was founded with the ethos of staying compact, agile and focused – combining talent from a variety of game genres and backgrounds and working closely with SEGA R&D Studio to stay at the cutting edge of developments in technology, middleware and game experiences. ‘
Again, steady positions for all SEGA games in the Full price chart.
This week’s entries in the Full price Top 40:
[#14](-) Football Manager 2012
[#15](-) Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games
[#21](-4) Sonic Generations
This week’s entries in the Budget price Top 40:
[#18](RE) Sonic and SEGA All-Stars Racing
The Sonic Stadium reports:
‘We have received word from a tipster, who wishes to remain anonymous, that a new Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing game could be on the way. Our tipster recently spoke to a high ranking staff member at development studio Sumo Digital, and when queried about new projects, the developer gave the below reply.
“Now working on another title for Sega on 3DS, VITA and WiiU. [The] title we are working on is top secret but the last game we did for them was Sonic And Sega All-Star Racing, so the logical conclusion would be… ”
*The SEGA Toylet is becoming hot news. CBS News Online, FOX News, AFP,
The Telegraph, they all reported on SEGA’s latest ‘console’.
*Nintendo 3DS demo’s of Rhythm Thief & the Emperor’s Treasure and Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic games are now available from the Nintendo eShop.
*Master System fansite SMS Power! came up with plenty of new releases including the Australian exclusive HES 4 PAK All Action.
*SEGA posted some more concept art of Sonic the Hedgehog 4 -Episode 2.
Check SEGA’s Sonic-themed Facebook page for more.
*SEGA reports: ‘Sonic CD has arrived on the PC, for sale now on PC digital download stores! Ushering in this arrival is a special Steam deal: buy Sonic CD and get unique costumes for SEGA and Three Rings’ multiplayer adventure, Spiral Knights!’
*SEGA reports (again): ‘If that wasn’t enough, we do have more: Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode I is now also on PC digital download…along with brand-new DLC for Sonic Generations, the fabulous flipper-fingered fun of Casino Night Zone, inspired by Sonic 2.’
*The SEGA ‘Toylet’ (possibly the first urine powered console) gets a price.
The product, operated by the speed and volume of water passing through a series of sensors, will come with five games and will set you back $2000.
*Liked the Yakuza: Dead Souls trailer we posted yesterday? Liked it so much that you’re ready to pre-order the game? Well then, grab yourself some exclusive pre-order bonuses, why don’t you!
*A SEGA school has just opened in Tanzania, Africa. The school ‘receives 60 to 100 applicants a year, but only 30 are accepted per graduating class’.
The abbreviation SEGA stands for Secondary Education for Girls Advancement. Had you going there for a second, eh? Ahh..
*Sing-along the bonus video of the weeeeeeeeeeek..all hail Takenobu Mitsuyoshi!
SEGA posted two new trailers of their upcoming ‘Official’ (i.e. not featuring hedgehogs or plumbers) video game of the London 2012 Olympic Games.
The game will be released for both the PlayStation 3 and XBOX 360 in June.
It’s been a few months since we last reported on Total War: Shogun 2 Fall of the Samurai. SEGA have now uploaded a new Story trailer.
Steady positions for all SEGA games in the Full price chart.
This week’s entries in the Full price Top 40:
[#14](+1) Football Manager 2012
[#15](-2) Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games
[#17](-1) Sonic Generations
This week’s entries in the Budget price Top 40:
None!
CRUSH3D’s first review scores, freshly gathered by us:
- 7/10 (Nintendo Power)
- 7/10 (Official Nintendo Magazine UK)
- 7/10 (Eurogamer)
- 7/10 (Edge)
- 8.3/10 (NGamer UK)