Monthly Archives

February 2012

Game News, Sega Retro

House of the Dead III Released for Playstation Network This Week, Lover

For the Valentine’s Day update week on the Playstation Network in the U.S. and Europe, Sega has released a PlayStation 3 edition of The House of the Dead III, complete with support for PlayStation Move or a standard controller and trophies. The game stars aging Agent G and Lisa Rogan, who are on the search for Agent Rogan after suddenly disappearing. It’s a perfect game for couples to go blasting endless mindless waves of the undead. The game is available through PSN for $6.99 and includes an avatar for a limited time.  PlayStation Plus subscribers can purchase it with an additional discount, and get access to a demo of the game.

While this is the fourth time the third entry in the series has seen a home console port, Sega still has The House of the Dead IV in the pipeline for release on the network, which will be the first home console release of the arcade title.

For the Valentines Day update week on the Playstation Network in the US and UK, Sega has released a Playstation 3 edition of The House of the Dead III, complete with support for Playstation Move or a standard Sixaxis controller and trophies. The game stars aging Agent G and Lisa Rogan, on the search for Agent Rogan who has gone missing. The perfect game for couples to go down blasting endless, mindless waves of the undead. The game is available through PSN for $6.99 along with an avatar for purchase for a limited time and is also available for a discount through Playstation Plus. Plus members also get access to a demo of the game.

While this is the fourth time the third entry in the series has seen a home console port, Sega still has The House of the Dead IV in the pipeline for release on the Network, which will be the first home console release of the arcade title.

For the Valentines Day update week on the Playstation Network in the US and UK, Sega has released a Playstation 3 edition of The House of the Dead III, complete with support for Playstation Move or a standard Sixaxis controller and trophies. The game stars aging Agent G and Lisa Rogan, on the search for Agent Rogan who has gone missing. The perfect game for couples to go down blasting endless, mindless waves of the undead. The game is available through PSN for $6.99 along with an avatar for purchase for a limited time and is also available for a discount through Playstation Plus. Plus members also get access to a demo of the game.

While this is the fourth time the third entry in the series has seen a home console port, Sega still has The House of the Dead IV in the pipeline for release on the Network, which will be the first home console release of the arcade title.

Game News, Sega Retro

Index Holdings Subsidiary Atlus Teams with Sega for Distribution Deal in Japan

Atlus Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of Index Holdings, has entered a distribution contract with Sega in Japan which allows the developer to take advantage of Sega’s wider distribution network, which is quite an advantage for the smaller developer. This however does not apply to digitally distributed titles. The deal will take effect in April (Spring) 2012. All Altus titles published will now carry the Sega logo on game covers. Currently this does not effect other subsidiaries of Atlus or Index Corp. outside of Japan.

Atlus is well-known for the Shin Megami Tensei series, its spin offs including Digital Devil Saga, Persona, and Devil Survivor, as well as Catherine that had recently come out in the UK.

Via: (Japanese) http://indexweb.jp/news/2012/news_20120217_01.html

Atlus Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of Index Holdings, has entered a distribution contract with Sega in Japan which allows the developer to take advantage of Sega’s wider distribution network, which is quite an advantage for the smaller developer. This however does not apply to digitally distributed titles. The deal will take effect in April (Spring) 2012. All Altus titles published will now carry the Sega logo on game covers. Currently this does not effect other subsidiaries of Atlus or Index Corp. outside of Japan.

Atlus is well-known for the Shin Megami Tensei series, its spin offs including Digital Devil Saga, Persona, and Devil Survivor, as well as Catherine that had recently come out in the UK.

[Via: (Japanese) http://indexweb.jp/news/2012/news_20120217_01.html]

Atlus Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of Index Holdings, has entered a distribution contract with Sega in Japan which allows the developer to take advantage of Sega’s wider distribution network, which is quite an advantage for the smaller developer. This however does not apply to digitally distributed titles. The deal will take effect in April (Spring) 2012. All Altus titles published will now carry the Sega logo on game covers. Currently this does not effect other subsidiaries of Atlus or Index Corp. outside of Japan.

Atlus is well-known for the Shin Megami Tensei series, its spin offs including Digital Devil Saga, Persona, and Devil Survivor, as well the recently-released Catherine.

Source: (Japanese) http://indexweb.jp/news/2012/news_20120217_01.html

Atlus Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of Index Holdings, has entered a distribution contract with Sega in Japan which allows the developer to take advantage of Sega’s wider distribution network, which is quite an advantage for the smaller developer. This however does not apply to digitally distributed titles. The deal will take effect in April (Spring) 2012. All Altus titles published will now carry the Sega logo on game covers. Currently this does not effect other subsidiaries of Atlus or Index Corp. outside of Japan.

Atlus is well-known for the Shin Megami Tensei series, its spin offs including Digital Devil Saga, Persona, and Devil Survivor, as well the recently-released Catherine.

Source: (Japanese) http://indexweb.jp/news/2012/news_20120217_01.html

Atlus Co. Ltd. a subsidiary of Index Holdings has entered a distribution contract with Sega in Japan which allows the developer to take advantage of Sega’s wider distribution network, which is quite an advantage for the smaller developer. This however does not apply to digitally distributed titles. The deal will take effect in April (Spring) 2012. All Altus titles published will now carry the Sega logo on game covers. Currently this does not effect other subsidiaries of Atlus or Index Corp. outside of Japan.

Atlus made famous for the Shin Megami Tensei Series, it’s spin offs including Digital Devil Saga, Persona, Devil Survivor, the recently released Catherine and more.

Source: (Japanese) http://indexweb.jp/news/2012/news_20120217_01.html

Atlus Co. Ltd. a subsidiary of Index Holdings has entered a distribution contract with Sega in Japan which allows the developer to take advantage of Sega’s wider distribution network, which is quite an advantage for the smaller developer. This however does not apply to digitally distributed titles. The deal will take effect in April (Spring) 2012. All Altus titles published will now carry the Sega logo on game covers. Currently this does not effect other subsidiaries of Atlus or Index Corp. outside of Japan. Atlus made famous for the Shin Megami Tensei Series, it’s spin offs including Digital Devil Saga, Persona, Devil Survivor, the recently released Catherine and more. Source: (Japanese) http://indexweb.jp/news/2012/news_20120217_01.html

Game News

More Sonic 4: Episode 2 Shots, Straight From The Source

It was only a couple days ago when we finally got our first glimpse at Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 2. Sure, maybe we weren’t supposed to see it yet, but that doesn’t really matter anymore. Especially since Sega’s official blog has decided to do their own public reveal of the game, with screenshots aplenty. We may not know if their original plans for letting out all this information has changed because of the Xbox Live showing, but either way we finally get a better look at what is to constitute Sonic’s latest romp in 2D.


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Game News

Sonic 4: Episode 2 Screenshots Released on Xbox Live Marketplace (UPDATE)

UPDATE: The release date was spotted on Xbox Live as well shortly before it was removed along with the screenshots (which were re-uploaded later on). If the date is correct, we should be seeing this game as early as May 16th.

While it’s entirely possible we weren’t supposed to see these just yet, we were warned by Ken Balough we’d see some interesting things in the next couple of weeks regarding the one Sonic title we definitely know is coming: Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 2. And with no fanfare whatsoever, we can now see, at the very least the visual style they are going for in the next chapter of the “Sonic 4 saga.”

Oh man, they even pulled the original Tornado out of storage for this one. Remember, the reason it says Sonic on the side is because it was Sonic’s plane in the first place.
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Game News

Plumber and Hedgehog Visit a Royal Palace… Again

Last November SEGA released a couple of TV commercials for the release of the Wii version of Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games. Now that the 3DS version has been released as well another pair of advertisements come with it, again with each having their own gameplay clips and ending.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvQndquqxrY

In this commercial Mario and Sonic get a tour around a royal palace while they try not to act like their usual selves. Above is Sonic’s version, after the jump you can view the version with Mario’s ending and the launch trailer for the 3DS edition.

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Game News

All Stars Racing Sequel To Cross The Finish Line By Year’s End

Leave it to Sega to have their secrets disrupted by every external force in the universe. Kotaku is reporting that toys pitching the upcoming racing sequel were spotted at the New York Toy Fair with further confirmation from the representative on deck that the game will be out by year’s end and feature new playable characters. This information links up well with a teaser posted on Sonic Stadium that Sumo Digital was at work on another racing title.

We can only hope the shortlist includes the likes of Wonder Boy, a Rag Rappy from Phantasy Star, and Segata Sanshiro riding on a Sega Saturn controller.

Game News

Sonic 4: Episode 2 Concept Art: Week 4

It’s that time again! Friday has once again made its merry way, and what do we get? More Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 2 concept art! We were spoiled a bit last week, seeing as we got two days in a row of conceptual Sonic the Hedgehog imagery thrown at us, so this week Sega has decided to scale things back to normal, with the black and white/color combo of the main attraction at their official blog, with the Facebook side dish. So, what do we get today?

Seems not every badnik we’ll be fighting off will be original. If that fish looks familiar, just one glance at his name will tell you why. Meet Chop Chop (or simply Piranha if you want to be Japanese for a day), the blue fish that would love to rush at you back in Sonic the Hedgehog 2‘s Aquatic Ruin Zone. Unless he’s learned how to fly, you can expect to trend some water in the next installment, so those who have a fear of the drowning music best get prepared now. He has been slightly redesigned since we last saw him, with the brand new addition of eyes.

The bonus piece of art is simply being called the “Flip Platform,” so make of that what you will. Yes, that bottom does kinda look like a bumper. But who yet knows if it is, or simply something interesting to look at while running through the game? I’m sure we’ll find out how it all comes together at some point.

[Source: Sega.com Blog]

Fan Works, Hacking

Sonic Generations Model Swapping Fun

The PC version of Sonic Generations has already gotten a couple of mods in the past. First there was Classic Sonic Adventures which allowed you to play as Classic Sonic in Modern Sonic’s levels. Then we discovered we could import levels from Sonic Unleashed into the game. And now the Russian Sonic fan MrHelias94 has found out how to swap Sonic’s model in the game:

This basicly means that other characters in the game can be made playable, so if you ever wanted to play as Tails it’s possible now. How this can be done is shown in the video tutorial above. The results this delivers depends on if the character is about Sonic’s size, so if you’d try to play as a character like Eggman the outcome may not be what you expect, though this is not necessarily a bad thing. Videos of various characters being played like this can be found after the jump.

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Game News

Sega of America Begins Digital Download Service, However…

 

Courtesy of forum user RGamer2009, Sega of America has recently launched their digital download store to make it easy for people to locate SEGA titles for purchase through their own website. Currently the store only offers a line up of PC titles, including DLC, with no known plans for other platforms. The games can either be downloaded through Sega’s website, or if it’s noted, will give you a Steam key to activate on Steam instead. In addition, a network connection is usually required to activate your games online. This means that most, if not all titles, will have DRM enforced. This includes a limit as to how many times a game can be activated, and you must contact Sega directly to gain more activation codes.

With most of the legal hoopla out of the way, some of the games you can expect on the service include Steam activated titles such as Sonic Generations, Renegade Ops, and Football Manager 2012. In addition are non-Steam activated titles including Sonic & Sega All Stars Racing, House of the Dead 2, and of course your usual suspects of Sega Genesis Classic Collections.

There are a few problems with some of the store’s game specifications and logistics. For example, at the time of this writing, House of the Dead 2 was given a rating of Early Childhood. Plus the Sonic 20th Anniversary Pack which includes six Mega Drive/Genesis related Sonic games is offered for $29.99 compared to Sonic Mega Collection Plus, which is also readily available with six Game Gear games, comic book covers, illustrations and more for $9.99. Still, an interesting move to combine games sold through Steam as well as bringing back a handful of respectable PC ports through one service.

 

 

 

Courtesy of forum user RGamer2009, Sega of America has recently launched their digital download store to make it easy for people to locate SEGA titles for purchase through their own website. Currently the store only offers a line up of PC titles, including DLC, with no known plans for other platforms. The games can either be downloaded through Sega’s website, or if it’s noted, will give you a Steam key to activate on Steam instead. In addition, a network connection is usually required to activate your games online. This means that most, if not all titles, will have DRM enforced. This includes a limit as to how many times a game can be activated, and you must contact Sega directly to gain more activation codes.

With most of the legal hoopla out of the way, some of the games you can expect on the service include Steam activated titles such as Sonic Generations, Renegade Ops, and Football Manager 2012. In addition are non-Steam activated titles including Sonic & Sega All Stars Racing, House of the Dead 2, and of course your usual suspects of Sega Genesis Classic Collections.

There are a few problems with some of the store’s game specifications and logistics. For example, at the time of this writing, House of the Dead 2 was given a rating of Early Childhood. Plus the Sonic 20th Anniversary Pack which includes six Mega Drive/Genesis related Sonic games is offered for $29.99 compared to Sonic Mega Collection Plus, which is also readily available with six Game Gear games, comic book covers, illustrations and more for $9.99. Still, an interesting move to combine games sold through Steam as well as bringing back a handful of respectable PC ports through one service.

 

 

 

Courtesy of forum user RGamer2009, Sega of America has recently launched their digital download store to make it easy for people to locate SEGA titles for purchase through their own website. Currently the store only offers a line up of PC titles, including DLC, with no known plans for other platforms. The games can either be downloaded through Sega’s website, or if it’s noted, will give you a Steam key to activate on Steam instead. In addition, a network connection is usually required to activate your games online. This means that most, if not all titles, will have DRM enforced. This includes a limit as to how many times a game can be activated, and you must contact Sega directly to gain more activation codes.

With most of the legal hoopla out of the way, some of the games you can expect on the service include Steam activated titles such as Sonic Generations, Renegade Ops, and Football Manager 2012. In addition are non-Steam activated titles including Sonic & Sega All Stars Racing, House of the Dead 2, and of course your usual suspects of Sega Genesis Classic Collections.

There are a few problems with some of the store’s game specifications and logistics. For example, at the time of this writing, House of the Dead 2 was given a rating of Early Childhood. Plus the Sonic 20th Anniversary Bundle which includes six Mega Drive/Genesis related Sonic games is offered for $29.99 compared to Sonic Mega Collection Plus, which is also readily available with six Game Gear games, comic book covers, illustrations and more for $9.99. Still, an interesting move to combine games sold through Steam as well as bringing back a handful of respectable PC ports through one service.

 

 

 

Courtesy of forum user RGamer2009, Sega of America has recently launched their digital download store to make it easy for people to locate SEGA titles for purchase through their own website. Currently the store only offers a line up of PC titles, including DLC, with no known plans for other platforms. The games can either be downloaded through Sega’s website, or if it’s noted, will give you a Steam key to activate on Steam instead. In addition, a network connection is usually required to activate your games online. This means that most, if not all titles, will have DRM enforced. This includes a limit as to how many times a game can be activated, and you must contact Sega directly to gain more activation codes.

With most of the legal hoopla out of the way, some of the games you can expect on the service include Steam activated titles such as Sonic Generations, Renegade Ops, and Football Manager 2012. In addition are non-Steam activated titles including Sonic & Sega All Stars Racing, House of the Dead 2, and of course your usual suspects of Sega Genesis Classic Collections.

There are a few problems with some of the store’s game specifications and logistics. For example, at the time of this writing, House of the Dead 2 was given a rating of Early Childhood. Plus the Sonic 20th Anniversary Bundle which includes six Mega Drive/Genesis related Sonic games is offered for $29.99 compared to Sonic Mega Collection Plus, which is also readily available with six Game Gear games, comic book covers, illustrations and more for $9.99. Still, an interesting move to combine games sold through Steam as well as bringing back a handful of respectable PC ports through one service.

 

 

 

Courtesy of forum user RGamer2009, Sega of America has recently launched their digital download store to make it easy for people to locate SEGA titles for purchase through their own website. Currently the store only offers a line up of PC titles, including DLC, with no known plans for other platforms. The games can either be downloaded through Sega’s website, or if it’s noted, will give you a Steam key to activate on Steam instead. In addition, a network connection is usually required to activate your games online. This means that most, if not all titles, will have DRM enforced. This includes a limit as to how many times a game can be activated, and you must contact Sega directly to gain more activation codes.

With most of the legal hoopla out of the way, some of the games you can expect on the service include Steam activated titles such as Sonic Generations, Renegade Ops, and Football Manager 2012. In addition are non-Steam activated titles including Sonic & Sega All Stars Racing, House of the Dead 2, and of course your usual suspects of Sega Genesis Classic Collections.

There are a few problems with some of the store’s game specifications and logistics. For example, at the time of this writing, House of the Dead 2 was given a rating of Early Childhood. Plus the Sonic 20th Anniversary Bundle which includes six Mega Drive/Genesis related Sonic games is offered for $29.99 compared to Sonic Mega Collection Plus, which is also readily available with six Game Gear games, comic book covers, illustrations and more for $9.99. Still, an interesting move to combine games sold through Steam as well as bringing back a handful of respectable PC ports through one service.

 

 

Courtesy of forum user RGamer2009, Sega of America has recently launched their digital download store to make it easy for people to locate SEGA titles for purchase through their own website. Currently the store only offers a line up of PC titles, including DLC, with no known plans for other platforms. The games can either be downloaded through Sega’s website, or if it’s noted, will give you a Steam key to activate on Steam instead. In addition, a network connection is usually required to activate your games online. This means that most, if not all titles, will have DRM enforced. This includes a limit as to how many times a game can be activated, and you must contact Sega directly to gain more activation codes.

With most of the legal hoopla out of the way, some of the games you can expect on the service include Steam activated titles such as Sonic Generations, Renegade Ops, and Football Manager 2012. In addition are non-Steam activated titles including Sonic & Sega All Stars Racing, House of the Dead 2, and of course your usual suspects of Sega Genesis Classic Collections.

There are a few problems with some of the store’s game specifications and logistics. For example, at the time of this writing, House of the Dead 2 was given a rating of Early Childhood. Plus the Sonic 20th Anniversary Bundle which includes six Mega Drive/Genesis related Sonic games is offered for $29.99 compared to Sonic Mega Collection Plus, which is also readily available with six Game Gear games, comic book covers, illustrations and more for $9.99. Still, an interesting move to combine games sold through Steam as well as bringing back a handful of respectable PC ports through one service.

 

Game News

Another Round of Sonic 4 Episode 2 Concept Artwork

Yesterday’s boss artwork reveal didn’t stop SEGA from continuing their weekly Concept Art Friday series, as they have revealed another couple of all new badniks to those that bother to check their official blog or Facebook page.

First up is Scarabesque, which like the name suggests is a scarab-badnik. This one pushes a ball around and seemingly rolls it at Sonic as his attack. Second is a new, more menacing looking version of the Sandworm from Sonic & Knuckles, it having prolegs suggests it can crawl around instead of just jump out of the sand. Considering these badniks are both desert themed, it’s easy to conclude that the game will have a level themed after the desert as well. For more concept art goodness, check back next week as SEGA has shown no sign of stopping with these yet.

[Via SEGA Blog]