RIP Michael Jackson - Sega gaming legend
Posted by Graham. Filed under Arcade, G, News, Retro. Tagged with Fan Stuff, Genesis, Mega Drive, Michael Jackson, Moonwalker, Ready 2 Rumble Boxing: Round 2, RIP, Sonic & Knuckles, Sonic 3, Space Channel 5, Space Channel 5 part 2.
With the news of Michael Jackson’s death, it is a sad day for the music industry but also for the gaming world (albeit to a lesser extent).
While Michael Jackson is mostly famous for his music career and crazy social life, we should not forget that he was also an icon of the gaming world.
Gameworks hosting racing tournament in Long Beach
Posted by George. Filed under Arcade, George, North America. Tagged with GameWorks: Long Beach, outrun, racing, Tournament.
Hey, it’s more GameWorks tournaments, this one in Long Beach, California. They will test your skills in Maximum Tune 3 (Time Trial Attack on Nagoya Expressway), Need for Speed: Underground (Time Trial Attack on Markel Street) and Outrun 2 SPD (Time Trial on Goal C).
You will have to pay $3 dollars for each game, though you will have the ability to win $150 dollars. Seems like a fun weekend, for those people that live or are going to Long Beach this weekend.
[Soure: SEGA Blog]
Golden Axe is heading to Virtual Console Arcade
Posted by George. Filed under Arcade, George, Japan, Nintendo Wii, Retro, Virtual Console. Tagged with Golden Axe, Milk, Port, Virtual Console Arcade.
Seems that Sega has now decided to port the arcade version of Golden Axe to Nintendo’s Virtual Console Arcade. The game is set to be released in Japan on June 23rd for 800 points.
The rating has also gone up. The Genesis/Mega Drive version was rated CERO A (all ages) in Japan, this one will be rated CERO B (12 and up).
To celebrate the release of the game, Sega will be printing special Golden Axe shirts. See the design below, it will feature a pixel art look. The shirt will cost 3,990 yen (about $41USD).
[Source: Game Watch]
[Thanks: STORM!]
Sega shows off their dual screen arcade cabinets
Posted by George. Filed under Arcade, George, Japan. Tagged with Double Touch Screen Cabinet, Lilipri Yubi Puru Hime Chen, Touching.
Sega took the idea of the DS and applied it to a new arcade cabinet. This arcade has two fairly big touch panels and is called “Double Touch Screen Cabinet.” It takes advantage of Sega’s Ringwide BD arcade board, the ‘cheaper’ version of the two Ring boards.
The cabinet features a new bar code reader and some form of force feedback when you touch the screens. Sort of how some phones rumbles when you touch it, making it easier to know when you touch a button.
The game above is called “Lilipri Yubi Puru Hime Chen,” apparently it is a newly created franchise that already has a manga out in Japan. This game will have trading cards and will probably be one of the seven arcade trading card games Sega is set to release this fiscal year. The game is set to invade Japan this winter.
[Source: AndriaSang]
Crazy Sega Nerds: Man and (possibly) woman go on a “Sega Honeymoon”
Posted by Graham. Filed under Arcade, G, Japan, News. Tagged with Club Sega, Crazy Sega Nerds, Holiday, Sega Honeymoon, Sega Joyopolis.
You know you are a true Sega Nerd when you insist on visiting Sega-related theme parks and arcades on your honeymoon to Japan.
What I can only assume was a mutual honeymoon arrangement, the bride and groom set off to visit various buildings dressed up with Sega goodness:
“One of our stops was the SEGA Joypolis in Yokohama… famous for having the SEGASONIC bowling alley and karaoke bar. Well, SEGA sold off that section, but as the pics can attest, remnants of SEGA remain.”
Well I can’t blame the man, you’d be a fool to visit Japan and not trek to at least one of the many Sega Joyopolis’ or Club Sega’s around, even if it is meant to be your honeymoon. If your new wife doesn’t understand the need then either you have made a mistake, or you can always give the bell boy a nice tip to ‘look after her’ for the day while you pop out for some real fun.
For many, many more pictures of the honeymoon (none of which actually feature the mysterious man or his wife), click here.
[Source: UK:R]
Sega plans a card based gaming comeback
Posted by George. Filed under Arcade, George, Japan. Tagged with Don't call it a comebak, Mini arcade units, Mushi King, Oshare Majo.
It might not mean much to us in the west, but games like Mushi King and Oshare Majo are part of a huge business in Japan, a 40 billion yen business. An industry that Sega help create.
The problem now is that Sega is facing stiff competition from other publishers. There is only one way to beat them, it seems, Sega is set to release seven new card games this fiscal year!
The first of the seven horsemen is called Ehon no Tamago (Picture Book Egg), this game is targeted at pre-elementary kids and is making its debut early July. Even though this is the only title mentioned in the article, Sega already stated that the other six titles will “suit varying child interest.”
Sega has shipped 448 million Mushi King cards and in 2007 over 30,000 mini arcade units were set up around Japan.
[Source: AndriaSang]
Sega trademarks “Sega Racing Classic”
Posted by George. Filed under Arcade, Europe, George. Tagged with Arcade, Sega Racing Classic, trademark.
Check it out, even has a nice logo to go along with it. The trademark was filed by Sega Europe for arcade machines and coin operated electronic arcade games, so we might not get it on consoles.
Now we have to ponder what Sega is up to with this trademark. So what does “Sega Racing Classic” mean to you? I think most people will shout out names like Daytona USA, Sega Rally and Outrun. If the game is anything like those, it will be a winner in my book.
[Source: Siliconera]
Wii gets Let’s Catch and Space Harrier
Posted by George. Filed under Arcade, George, Nintendo Wii, North America. Tagged with Let's Catch, Space Harrier.
Let’s Catch has just been released on WiiWare in the US, costing 1,000 Wii Points. The game is being released the day before Let’s Tap, which comes out tomorrow. For those not in the know, if you have Let’s Catch, it will unlock ’special’ items in Let’s Tap.
Space Harrier has just been released on Nintendo’s arcade virtual console for 800 wii points. This Yu Suzuki classic is worth its weight in digital fake points. Not a bad update for the week, what titles are you guys picking up?
[Source: Joystiq]
It’s Sega day on XBLA
Posted by Graham. Filed under Arcade, G, Microsoft Xbox 360, News, Retro, Sonic, Worldwide. Tagged with Altered Beast, Comix Zone, Downloads, Genesis, Gunstar Heroes, Mega Drive, Phantasy Star II, Retro, Sega Vintage Collection, Shinobi, Sonic the Hedgehog 3, XBLA.
Do you remember last month that Sega announced several titles that would be joining the Sega Vintage Collection on XBLA? Well they’re here!
As announced in the press release, the new titles now available on XBLA are:
- Altered Beast (Arcade version)
- Comix Zone (Mega Drive/Genesis)
- Gunstar Heroes (Mega Drive/Genesis)
- Phantasy Star II (Mega Drive/Genesis)
- Shinobi (Arcade version)
- Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (Mega Drive/Genesis)
Each game costs 400 MS points and the games that feature multiplayer modes are online enabled - so you can happily play Altered Beast, Gunstar Heroes and Sonic 3 with a friend.
Of course if you want value for money, then it would be better getting your hands on the Sega Mega Drive Ultimate Collection, which features over 40 titles, including all these games with the exception of Gunstar Heroes.
Also don’t forget that Sega announced that Sonic & Knuckles would be joining the Vintage Collection, but that is not due till late this summer. Sonic & Knuckles will allow players to use the lock-on feature on both the Sonic 3 and Sonic 2 titles on XBLA - which should be fun.
Note: Gunstar Heroes should also be available for the PS3’s PSN service. However not owning a PS3 I cannot check to see if it has also been released today - so if someone can confirm that’d be great.
Fans virtual fighting for VF5R console port
Posted by Graham. Filed under Arcade, G, Microsoft Xbox 360, News, Sony PlayStation 3. Tagged with Console Port, Facebook, Fan Stuff, Virtua Fighter, Virtua Fighter 5 R.
Recently a lot of Virtua Fighter fans started sending requests to Sega for a console port of Virtua Fighter 5 R, on Facebook.
If you don’t know, VF5R is a revised version of the original Virtua Fighter 5 game, released in Japanese arcades July 2008, with minor tweaks to gameplay various alterations and tweaks to the game but, more notably; new soundtrack, new stages, a new character and the return of sumo wrestler Taka-Arashi.
The group of people originally started sending their comments and suggestions to Sega Japan last October, but heard nothing back. So they decided to take their fight online and started posting their request for a console version of VF5R on Sega’s Facebook page.
After being (literally) bombarded with requests from crazed Virtua Fighter fans Sega posted this message on their Facebook wall:
