Phantasy Star Online: New Genesis Version 2 just received a major update that included a level cap increase, concluding the Episode 6 storyline but that hasn’t stopped rumours that the next entry in the two decades old “Online” sub-franchise is in development.
This rumor comes by the way of X user MbKKsBHz3 (who despite having a handle that looks like a random password) is a well known leaker of all things SEGA and Atlus.
”There is a new PSO2 related title in development.” They wrote on X several days ago, which was picked up by the GamingLeaksandRumors SubReddit along with a collection of other tweets related to Atlus and SEGA related IP.
It is surprising to me that they specifically mention a “new PSO2 related game” as the base version of PSO2 is over a decade old and New Genesis’ open field concept hasn’t exactly set the fan base ablaze with hype. On a good day NGS can barely muster 2,000 players on Steam.
It will be interesting to see how SEGA handles a new entry in the PSO franchise given how fast they burned through 10 years of PSO2 base ver content in just 16 months only to launch NGS to mostly mixed reaction and server issues.
PSO2 did receive one spin-off game in the form of Phantasy Star Nova, a monster hunter type game using some assets from PSO2 for the PlayStation Vita. That game is long out of print but if you happen to have a copy, like I do, there is an unofficial English translation available.
The rivalry between Nintendo and SEGA that was forged in the crucible of 90s video game marketing has been so exhaustively covered that there are multiple books about the subject (personally I’m partial to “How Nintendo Conquered America” and “Service Games” myself). Twenty plus years onward game companies are still trying just as hard to sell us their products, yes the whole Sonic Vs. Mario thing was entirely corporate marketing to sell a product, “system wars” at its’ core is absolute nonsense. Nintendo’s own Switch Console reveals two very different strategies when it comes to releasing classic titles and in my opinion SEGA is willing to do what Nintenwon’t.
Studying The Classics
Retro gaming isn’t just the domain of lesser known emulators running on a PC these days, although emulation still remains a viable and valid way to enjoy older titles – they’ve long since found their way onto modern consoles with Nintendo’s Virtual Console service pioneering the idea all the way back in 2006. The packaging of older titles together onto a number of platforms has moved from solely the domain of hobbyists into the mainstream with the accessibility of platforms like Android and the digital distribution that has become the norm. With companies like SNK putting a large swath of their back catalog onto the E-shop and SEGA soon following suit with next week’s release of the Genesis Classics Collection, Nintendo’s three different models of distribution for classic games seem inadequate.
Retro gaming collections are always a bit of gamble for players because due to the sheer volume of titles included there bound to be more than few that are simply mediocre or possibly complete unknowns. In the case of the upcoming Genesis Collection there are the well known standouts: Sonic 1 & Sonic 2, Eco: The Dolphin and Streets of Rage – all SEGA classics. It is doubtful that anyone is purchasing the SEGA Collection to simply play Super Thunder Blade or Vectorman, but for the few lesser known titles in these collections the amount of variety is impressive. Want to play an action platformer? Play any of the Sonic games. Love RPGs? Three Phantasy Star titles and Beyond Oasis have you covered. Want to play a classic side scrolling Beat ‘em up while on the way to work? Streets of Rage I through III are the games for you.
Games Included In The Upcoming SEGA Genesis Classics Collection
Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle
Alien Soldier
Alien Storm
Altered Beast
Beyond Oasis
Bio-Hazard Battle
Bonanza Bros.
Columns
Columns III
Comix Zone
Crack Down
Decap Attack
Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine
Dynamite Headdy
Ecco the Dolphin
Ecco: The Tides of Time
Ecco Jr.
ESWAT: City under Siege
Eternal Champions
Fatal Labyrinth
Flicky
Gain Ground
Galaxy Force II
Golden Axe
Golden Axe II
Golden Axe III
Gunstar Heroes
Kid Chameleon
Landstalker
Light Crusader
Phantasy Star II
Phantasy Star III: Generations of Doom
Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium
Ristar
Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi
Shining Force
Shining Force II
Shining in the Darkness
Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master
Sonic the Hedgehog
Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Sonic Spinball
Sonic 3D Blast
Space Harrier II
Streets of Rage
Streets of Rage 2
Streets of Rage 3
Super Thunder Blade
Sword of Vermilion
The Revenge of Shinobi
ToeJam & Earl
ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron
Vectorman
Vectorman 2
Virtua Fighter 2
Wonder Boy III: Monster Lair
Wonder Boy in Monster World
Retro Consoles Reborn
Like it’s release on other platforms, SEGA Genesis Collection’s presentation on the Nintendo Switch is a love letter to the early 90’s to mid 90’s gaming scene that birthed SEGA as the first rival to Nintendo’s decade plus of domination in popular culture. Selecting which of the 50+ titles you’d like to play isn’t as simple as scrolling through a menu and selecting a game. Instead players are presented with a 3D snapshot of what a 90s teenagers room might have looked like if they’re were a total “SEGA Head”. Posters for Altered Beast and Golden Axe are hastily hung, with the edges curling. A small 13 inch-like CRT television blares static at the player with a shell of titles available to the immediate right. SEGA has taken a lot of care in capturing a very specific aesthetic when it comes to the SEGA Genesis Collection.
During my first few hours with the SEGA Genesis Collection I nostalgically flew through the opening few levels of Sonic The Hedgehog II – complete with A.I Tails sacrificing himself to the gods of speed over and over again. After clearing Chemical Plant Zone, Green Hill Zone and sadly after succumbing to the devilish hell waters of Chemical Plant Zone a few too many times I decided to switch things up a bit (heh!). Scrolling through the virtual bookshelf of games I settled upon Streets of Rage III, a game that I hadn’t played myself but was aware of – sort of. As the cartridge slide into the polygonal genesis and the small television went from static to the familiar SEGA logo, I couldn’t help but remember slipping SNES games from their plastic cases and swapping them out. For those of us who grew up during the 16-bit era or owned a Genesis / SNES, playing the SEGA Genesis Collection is a pleasant dose of nostalgia.
On the technical side SEGA Genesis Collection provides a number of modern conveniences and technical options that didn’t exist on the real SEGA Genesis. Some of these allow for multiple forms of pixel smoothing and up scaling to make the 16-bit experience shine on modern flat screen televisions. Supported pixel smoothing modes include bi-linear, EPX, HD4X and XDQ if those are appealing. For the less technically inclined the option to stretch the Genesis image to 16:9 full screen is also supported – or if you’re more of a purest 4:3 border-less is also available. For me the visual flair that drove home just how deep the emulation options SEGA has included was a virtual CRT television with adjustable viticulture and scan-lines. If you want to recreate the experience of playing the SEGA Genesis on a old, dying, CRT – you can do it here. Each of the 50 games included in the collection also support Quick Save and Quick Load with the flick of the Joy-Con’s joystick. All of the buttons are also completely remappable, something that would have been amazing to have 20 years ago. Not included are any sort of Game Genie or Gameshark like cheat menus, with an officially supported emulator this robust it’s a bit of a missed opportunity to let player become completely over powered. All and all SEGA’s emulator works fantastically on Nintendo Switch with no noticeable slowdown and a ton of tweakable options to boot.
A Fragmented Legacy
When all is said and done, SEGA has outclassed Nintendo in terms of their classic offerings on Nintendo Switch with the impending release of just the SEGA Genesis Collection. While not every noteworthy SEGA Genesis or even cross-console release is contained within the small 1GB download, the technical features, presentation and sheer variety of titles is leagues ahead of Nintendo’s official offerings via the Nintendo Entertainment System app. Nintendo banked on the low price-point ($20 USD) and Netflix style addition of games over time to sweeten the deal when paid online was introduced earlier this Fall. What we got was a bare bones selection of NES games which have appeared on multiple iterations of the Virtual Console over the past decade+, but with new restrictions like not being able to play them offline after a week because the NES App has to phone home. Honestly, who is looking for classic games and is going to subscribe to Nintendo Online simply to play Baloon Fight for the 100th time?
SEGA took the time to curate a selection of their first party offerings from the 9 years of the Genesis’ life and offer up most of the essentials plus some cool extras. Allowing players to re-map controls, forward and rewind gameplay. tweak graphical smoothing settings and even bypass the technical limitations of the Genesis Hardware puts their offerings miles above Nintendo’s own and on par with the complete cabinet customization that SNK has been offering on their single title Arcade Archives releases since the Switch launch. Icing on the cake is SEGA’s ability to nail down the 90’s aesthic in the menu presentation and the inclusion of in-collection achievements for a selection of the titles available. Did we need two versions of Columns? Probably not, but what they delivered more than makes up for it.
Where does this leave Nintendo? Well most of their big name retro games either aren’t available on Switch because SNES and GBA compatibility hasn’t been confirmed. This means first party games like Super Metroid, Super Mario World, A Link to The Past and others are locked behind aging digital store fronts like the Wii U E-Shop and are not portable. Or trapped forever on a limited number of units of 3DS ambassador units, or lastly, set to be forever unavailable – like Ogre Battle (SNES), Final Fantasy 3 (SNES), Super Star Wars Trilogy (SNES), Clayfighter (SNES / Genesis) and a whole pile of Turbo Graphics 16 games -that will be lost when the Wii E-Shop goes offline next January.
SEGA’s classic mix of Real Time Strategy, Visual Novel Storytelling and watercolor inspired aesthetics – Valkyria Chronicles – is now available digitally on the Nintendo E-Shop for Switch. It’s hard to believe that the original tale of Squad 7 was released a decade ago on the PS3, I remember buying it’s original release on day 1! Now veteran commanders and fresh recruits alike can join Alicia, Welkin and the other members of Squad 7 in the game that kicked off the Valkyria franchise. There wasn’t anything like it upon release, and to this day it remains a solid JRPG worth your time, even if it has quite a few harsh difficulty spikes.
Valkyria Chronicles is priced at $19.99 USD or $29.99 CDN and is actually smaller in file size than the PlayStation 3 original. While this release doesn’t support the 60 Frames Per Second that the Remastered version supports on PC and PS4 – it does include all of the DLC an EX missions made for the game.
Features:
Valkyria Chronicles – Everywhere, 23/7 – Play on your TV or via the Nintendo Switch’s built-in screen, the troops are ready to move out.
The complete Valkyria Chronicles experience – all additional downloadable content from the first game in the series is included in this Switch version.
A war, two fronts – Set during the Second Europan War, in this fantasy version of the 1930s. In Valkyria Chronicles, we follow Lieutenant Gunther and his Squad 7 in their fight against the Imperial Alliance.
Experience the CANVAS engine BLiTZ Battle System – Valkyria Chronicles is a watercolor come to life thanks to the CANVAS engine and gameplay mixing real-time and turn-based battle. The BLiTZ Battle System ensure an original and fascinating experience in more than one way.
A legendary composer for a legendary series – The great Hitoshi Sakimoto animates the battlefield with mastery thanks to a soundtrack that remains memorable.
Ryo Hazuki returns to home consoles in his own title for the first time in 17 years with today’s physical release of Shenmue I + II on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. This remastered port is also available on Windows PC as well as a digital only release through Steam.
Before Grand Theft Auto III, Saints Row and open world pioneers Shenmue attempted to create a semi open version of 1980s Japan and China respectively. With shops that have their own unique business hours, NPCs that have their own schedule for tasks and movements, part time jobs for Ryo, collectable capsule toys and real time weather there really was nothing quite like Shenmue when it dropped on the Dreamcast back in 2000. It is not surprising that Sonic Creator, Yu Suzuki’s magnum opus third installment still in development for the PlayStation 4.
John Clark, a VP at SEGA Europe had this to say about today’s re-release:
“SEGA Europe has wanted to re-release the Shenmue series for such a long time and thanks to tireless work behind the scenes, it is our pleasure to bring these games back, laden with accolades as one of the greatest gaming series of all time, for gamers of all generations,”
Shenmue I + II HD features a number of new features that the Dreamcast originals simply was not capable of. PC users have complete control over the game’s resolution and neither the PS4 / Xbox One or PC versions will have the slowdown featured in the original DC release. Enhancements from the 2001 Xbox (original) re-release such as improved water textures, shadows and world textures are also present in today’s release.
Digital Foundry did an exhuastive breakdown of all of the technical changes, improvements and differences between these 3 sets of Shenmue ports.
Have you ever played Shenmue or its sequel? I played Shenmue I back on the Dreamcast back in the day but never finished. I also picked up Shenmue II on the original Xbox and actually got to finish that one. If you’re interested in a piece of gaming history that helped shape one of the most modern genres, this double feature is a definite recommendation.
SEGA will take us back to mid 1980s Hong Kong and Japan with the re-release of Shenmue I & II on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC on August 21st. The publisher confirmed the price, release date, discount and various technical details surrounding this dual port in an F.A.Q posted on the official SEGA website.
Shenmue I & II will be priced at $39.99 CDN and includes the full version of the 1999 Dreamcast title and its 2002 Sequel. In their F.A.Q SEGA confirmed that the codebase for this port comes from the Xbox Version of both games which was originally released back in 2003 in North America. Working from the XBOX version ensures that features like photo mode, filters and better overall anti-aliasing are supported from the start. Gameplay segments will support 16:9 HD resolutions but cut-scenes will be preserved in their original 4:3 presentation. A “modern control scheme” has also been implemented that maps Ryu’s movement to the analog sticks rather than the D-Pad, as originally intended.
A number of other small additions have also been added to the Shenmue I & II port including both Japanese / English dialogue, configurable controls on PC, Achievements and the ability to save anywhere.
As well as the herculean effort of porting the code to the new platforms, there is a huge number of things we have added:
Choice of Japanese or English speech in both games
Saves can be carried over from Shenmue into Shenmue II on all platforms
Saving anywhere in both games
HD resolution rendering
Updated UI
New post processing effects for both games
Full controller support and configurable mouse and keyboard for PC users
Full Achievement support for both games on all platforms
Above: A Trailer From 2000 Official Dreamcast Magazine.
Shenmue I was heralded back in 1999 for its pseudo open world approach to game design – allowing players to explore a fully realized slice of Japan in full 3D with a working internal clock, the ability to rent motel rooms, visit pachinko parlors and even work a part time job. Players take on the role of Ryo Hazuki who witnesses the murder of his father – which launches a multinational adventure that spans multiple games as players help Ryo with his quest for vengeance.
On PC Shenmue I & II‘s minimum specs are quite relaxed:
Today, SEGA announced that Sonic Mania Plus, the definitive version of the critically acclaimed platformer Sonic Mania, will release on July 17, 2018 in North America and European markets. The game, which will also be released digitally for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch, is now available for pre-order from first party stores and at participating retailers.
Sonic Mania introduced two new playable characters from past Sonic games, Mighty the Armadillo and Ray the Flying Squirrel and an Encore mode in Sonic Mania Plus that will provide a fresh look to familiar zones with new challenges and layouts for new and veteran players alike.
Competition and Time Attack modes will receive an update allowing four player competitions, and ghost challenges for time trials. This content packaged in an all-new physical edition which will come with a 32-page collector’s artbook, a reversible SEGA Mega Drive cover, and holographic packaging.
For all those who purchased the original digital version of Sonic Mania on consoles and PC, an Encore DLC pack will be available for sale via Steam and first party stores on July 17th to upgrade to Sonic Mania Plus.
“You can rescue homeless cats for a cat café. 10/10”
…
Written By: Jeb Wrench
I have been informed by my editor that I need to provide more information than just that for this review.
Editors Note: Cats will always be welcome here on Broken Joysticks.
That is a fairly reasonable request, so what’s all this about Yakuza 6 then? Yakuza 6 is, naturally, the seventh numbered edition of Sega’s Yakuza series (if you’re confused as to why this is the seventh entry, there is also a prequel known as Yukaza 0), a series that has managed to successfully straddle the thin line between grittiness and extravagance. The series is equally comfortable having its characters sipping whisky in smoky bars talking about crimes as it is having them sing karaoke or take their hand at a game or two of Puyo-Puyo.
A word of warning is required, though. Yakuza 6 is extremely violent, and as such there are very vicious acts of violence and bloodshed on display as you play. As well, the game is, like its predecessors, not great at depicting women. Often women in the game fall victim to the ever-popular fridging trope, and there are inferences to sexual violence and harassment towards women as you progress through the storyline. If these sorts of things turn you away for whatever reason, it is probably for the best you avoid Yakuza 6.
Once again in the well-worn suit of Kiryu Kazuma, the game is set in Tokyo’s Kamurocho district, a bustling area full of bright lights, opportunities, and crimes. Lots of crimes. Fresh out of prison, it is 2016 and Kiryu is looking to get back to his now civilian life running his orphanage in Okinawa, looking after the kids he’s been raising since getting out of the Yakuza.
This, of course, does not go entirely as planned, as one of the girls he’s raised, Haruka Sawamura, has gone missing after retiring as an Idol. This is what leads him once again into Kamurocho, as what few leads he has lead him there. Shortly after arriving, Haruka is involved in a hit and run, and falls into a coma leaving Kiryu with more questions, and to his great surprise, a baby.
Naturally, this begins a larger chain of events that drags Kiryu through layers of betrayal, deception, misdirection, and conspiracy as he tries to find out if Haruka’s accident was really an accident as well as who the father of baby Haruto really is. Thus, he finds himself in the small shipbuilding town of Onomichi in Hiroshima. From there, he gets dragged further and further into the layers of conspiracy, travelling back and forth between the two locales looking for the truth.
Kiryu is versed in several useful skills to do his truth-seeking, all of them involving liberal applications of violence. Thugs, goons, and yakuza alike all get to experience firsthand why “The Dragon of Dojima” has long been such a legendary figure. Combat is integral to the Yakuza 6 experience, and it is its strongest aspect.
Strikes are quick and powerful, grapples and throws are effective crowd-control moves, and as always there are a lot of environmental moves and weapons to use in the heat of a scrap. While some, like the fruit crate, seem ineffective, the sheer brutality of objects like the sledgehammer, or breaking someone’s arm by countering their swing of a crowbar make up for that. And no matter how many times I execute the move, busting out an ushigoroshi on one mook to drop them on another is highly satisfying.
Being a Yakuza game, you would expect lots of side content in The Song of Life, and it does not disappoint. Minigames are everywhere in both locales, letting you play various Sega arcade games like the aforementioned Puyo-Puyo, Virtua Fighter 5, and Fantasy Zone amongst others, try your hand shooting darts or batting balls, or, well, uh, chatting with virtual hostesses online. These minigames give you rewards primarily in the form of experience, which you can spend to upgrade Kiryu’s stats or learn new abilities.
SEGA of America announced today that SEGA AGES, the original series that brought classic games to modern consoles, is being rebooted for Nintendo Switch. This series of retro titles will be launching in Japan, North America, and Europe starting in Summer 2018.
The first five SEGA AGES titles have been announced, including such games as the Sega Master System versions of Phantasy Star and Alex Kidd in Miracle World, Sega Genesis versions of Thunder Force IV and Sonic the Hedgehog, as well as a port of the original arcade version of Gain Ground. This collection will mark the first time that several SEGA titles have had official launches in the West.
More details about the first batch of SEGA AGES releases are on the way soon.
Developed by M2, the Japanese developer known for ports of classic games such as the popular SEGA 3D Classics series on the Nintendo 3DS, SEGA AGES aims to bring prominent titles from SEGA’s legacy catalog to fans around the world. From a selection of home console classics, to a multitude of perfectly-emulated arcade games, SEGA AGES gives fans the ability to build their own retro SEGA collection unlike any other.
Sports Interactive and SEGA are announced today that the latest game in the Football Manager series, Football Manager Touch 2018, is now available on Nintendo Switch as a digital download from the Nintendo eShop.
Football Manager is an in-depth and immersive football management simulation game. Putting you in the hot seat of any club in more than 50 countries across the world, Football Manager allows you to take on the role of a real-life gaffer: you decide who plays and who sits on the bench, and you’re in total control of tactics, team talks, substitutions and pitch-side instructions.
FM Touch has been optimised for the Nintendo Switch with a bespoke user interface and a customised control system that takes full advantage of the system’s various controller input options, including support for both the touchscreen and Joy-Con™ controllers. This gives fans a unique Football Manager experience that can be played on the move or docked at home and enjoyed on the big screen.
In addition, FM Touch on Switch will offer a fully-fledged single-player experience including the series’ acclaimed 3D Match Engine – the first time that the 3D engine has been playable on a home console.
“This is a milestone release for Football Manager,” says Sports Interactive’s Studio Director, Miles Jacobson. “This is our first console release in a number of years but it is also our most innovative release of Football Manager Touch to date thanks to the various control methods we’ve included that gives everyone a way of playing Football Manager that suits them.”
Football Manager Touch 2018 for Switch has been co-developed by Sports Interactive and sister game development studio Hardlight (the team behind Sonic Dash and Sonic Jump).
“It’s been a huge technical achievement to bring Football Manager to the Switch but, as a studio, we’ve embraced the unique design opportunities that the console offers,” adds Jacobson. “Thanks to the support we’ve had from Hardlight throughout the development process we’ve been able to create a Football Manager experience that is just as immersive and enjoyable whether you’re managing on the move during your commute or playing it on your TV.”
FM Touch on Switch includes the same feature set as the tablet version of the game. Some of the highlights include:
MANY WAYS TO PLAY – Start your managerial career at one of the world’s top teams, create your own club or tackle one of several management scenarios in Challenge Mode.
3D MATCH ENGINE – Football Manager’s acclaimed match engine and modernised match presentation help to bring your fixtures to life.
REAL WORLD SCOUTING – Play the transfer market like never before with a realistic and immersive approach to scouting.
TACTICAL INNOVATION – Developing your footballing philosophy is easy with tactical analysis steering you towards your strengths by highlighting your weaknesses.
BARGAINING POWER – A wealth of clauses and transfer options arm you with more ways than ever to finalise that blockbuster deal.
Football Manager Touch 2018 for Nintendo Switch is published by SEGA and is available as a digital download from the Nintendo Switch eShop.
If ever the phrase “Problematic Fave” was to mean something, it would be to describe Sega’s Yakuza series. The acclaimed series of intense action, crimes, and large men being lumpy and glowering at each other is riddled with tropes that can range from irritating to uncomfortable, yet the care and thought that went into its writing can generally shine through.
Yakuza 6, due out worldwide later this month, continues this tradition by quickly fridging Haruka Sawamura to motivate the long-running protagonist Kazuma Kiryu back into the world of large angry men being large angry men at each other. Again. Next verse, same as the first.
Still, I wouldn’t have referred to it as a “Fave” if I didn’t think this sort of thing was worth it. Because it is very much Yakuza, for all the bad and especially all the good things about it. Older, slightly wrinklier, ostensibly wiser, Kiryu is still a great character to assume the role of. In this installment, you will take the Dragon of Dojima through his old stomping grounds of Kamurocho to look for his lost daughter-figure, the recently-retired idol Haruka.
He’s Also A “Kickman”! (Image Provided By SEGA)
Being a Yakuza game, this will involve less searching as much as it does punching people very hard, kicking people very hard, throwing people very hard, and hitting people with nearby objects very hard. Which, in a way, provides some insight into what makes Kiryu so compelling even though he inhabits a series that contains so many cringeworthy tropes.
Kiryu is, for all his compassion and well-spoken mannerisms, not the most capable problem solver in the world. He can only truly address situations in three ways – violence, crimes, and violent crimes. Yet he keeps encountering situations that he cannot reasonably handle in these ways. And that’s how what could easily be a “boring punchman” protagonist becomes someone you want to follow for seven games of punching mans.
Surprising no one, Kiryu finds out that Haruka’s disappearance may involve some form of treachery and deception and just maybe, crimes. Thus, he heads off to the fishing town of Onomichi, in the Hiroshima prefecture. Not to give away too many spoilers, but in Onomichi, Kiryu may have to punch some people. He may also wind up wearing a mascot costume with a bowl of ramen for a hat. And then punching people.
(Editor’s Note: If you’re going to punch people VERY hard always make sure to do it in a mascot costume!)
SEGA’s annual “Make War Not Love” promotion is back for another round of community earned freebies and deep discounts on some of their more recent titles.
This year SEGA has chosen a motif similar to the 1995 film “The Usual Suspects”, by titling this year’s giveaway as “The Unusual Suspects” and placing characters from Dawn of War III, Company of Heroes 2, Total War: Warhammer and Endless Space 2 in a police line-up, similar to The Usual Suspect’s theatrical poster.
By signing up with your Steam account and authorizing SEGA to send you promotional emails over the course of the 5 day event you’ll gain access to two classic SEGA Genesis Titles – Revenge of Shinobi and Streets of Rage 2.
Each day has a community incentive to reach an unspecified total number of hours played across all titles per day to unlock an addition free game + DLC. As of the writing of this post the insentive for Feburary 14th has already been reached with a Total Warhammer II DLC and full copy of 2008’s Vikings: Battle for Asgard available.
Of course, SEGA isn’t giving away free titles just for fun (although wouldn’t that be grand of them?) – they’re obviously doing this to bolster the online population of their recent titles and get those games into the hands of potential owners. The following discounts are available until February 18th:
Total War: Warhammer (original game) – 60% off
Total War: Warhammer 2 – 10% off
Dawn of War III – 66% off
Company of Heroes 2 – 75%
If you don’t own any of the above games to participate in the unlocking of extra freebies – it might be worth it to sign up and stick around just to see what surprises have yet to come.
Developer of the Warhammer 40k RTS series Dawn of War and publisher SEGA have stated that they are ending support for the latest installment, Dawn of War III, just 10 months after the game launched.
Dawn of War III was a weird beast – not entirely traditional Real Time Strategy title and not entirely a Multiplayer Online Battle Arena. DOW3 fused both related genres together in an experience that had commanders still ordering around medium sized armies but with the MOBA like objective of destroying the competitors core before their own core is taken out.
So now, as is so ever common in the AAA gaming space – a once promising title anticipated by the existing fanbase, will be abandoned because the game couldn’t attract all of the players in the world. By abandoning what made the Dawn of War franchise a long-time genre staple and adding in mechanics no one asked for- we’re left with a title that has a smaller player base than a Dawn of War 1 expansion chosen at random.
Below is the statement that Relic/SEGA released to Eurogamer.
“While Dawn of War 3 has a dedicated player base, it didn’t hit the targets we were expecting at launch, and it hasn’t performed the way we had hoped since. It’s been tough for us as professionals who want to make great games for our players, and for us as people who care a lot about what we do.
When a game underperforms, plans need to change. With Dawn of War 3, we simply don’t have the foundation we need to produce major content. We’re working in close partnership with Sega and Games Workshop to determine the best course of action, while shifting focus to other projects within our portfolio.”
Publisher SEGA announced that they will be attending the annual video streaming convention TwitchCon from October 20th through the 22nd in Long Beach California. SEGA will be bringing two of their biggest Fall titles with them for attendees to play: Sonic Forces & Total War: Warhammer II.
Total War: Warhammer fans can get a sneak peek at the upcoming Mortal Empires add-on which merges content from both the original game and its sequel for a truly epic new campaign. Mortal Enemies brings the starting faction count to a staggering 117 and is only a small part of Creative Assembly’s vision for a Trilogy of Warhammer strategy titles that will intermingle via free add-on DLC. Mortal Enemies will make an appearance both on the show floor as well as on SEGA’s official Twitch.tv channel.
To comprehend the sheer density that is the content within Mortal Enemies here is how Creative Assembly’s official announcement describes it:
“In terms of content, Mortal Empires is way, way denser than we’d initially envisaged back in 2013, when we were in pre-production for the first game. That’s thanks in part to our New Content team, headed by the ever-cheery Rich Aldridge, whose small but insanely talented crew have contributed to massively more playable factions per-square-mile in the Old World (and therefore in Mortal Empires) than we’d originally imagined. New factions for all those original Old World races (Clan Angrund, Crooked Moon, Bloody Handz and all the rest) plus three new races in Bretonnia, Wood Elves and Beastmen, each with their own sub-factions and start positions. Factor in what the core Warhammer team has been working on for the last year and a half – four new races (that’s eight more Legendary Lords and start positions) with eye-poppingly different mechanics and playstyles for Warhammer II – and you’ve got quite a busy map to play on.”
Also coming to the show floor & twitch is brand new content from the upcoming Sonic Forces. Attendees will be able to check out 4 stages from the final game @ TwitchCon using either Classic Sonic. Modern Sonic or for the first time ever – a custom created character! Sonic Forces will be released on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on November 7th.
According to Deadline, Paramount Pictures has landed the movie rights to SEGA’s Sonic the Hedgehog. Neal Moritz, who made the move to Paramount from Sony, signed a first-look deal with his studio Original Film and Paramount Pictures and the movie rights to Sonic the Hedgehog come with that deal.
The picture was set up by Moritz and Deadpool director Tim Miller at Sony in 2014 as a hybrid live-action/CG-animated feature. In the new production Mortiz and his studio will produce. Jeff Fowler will direct.
Would you watch a feature length Sonic the Hedgehog movie? Are you cool with it possibly being a live-action/CG-animated feature or would you rather a fully animated feature?
It is that time of year once again where we look back at SEGA’s last home console – the Dreamcast. Powered by a then beefy 200 MHZ Hitachi processor and boasting 16MB of RAM, the specs on the DC might seem absolutely laughable by today’s standards but SEGA’s first party developers transported us to fantastical worlds with just as much computing power as you might find on a 2007 smartphone.
Considering that this anniversary is the console’s 18th birthday, several video game outlets, former executives (like former SEGA of America VP Peter Moore) and developers marked the occasion with a tweet or two.
Peter Moore celebrated with a well-framed image of a launch DC unity complete with commemorative plaque and bottle of Sake.
It was 18 years ago today we launched the Sega Dreamcast in the US, blazing the trail for online gaming as we know it today. Gone too soon.. pic.twitter.com/vwa7SFuMzN
Sonic The Hedgehog’s official twitter account reminded us that the VMUs were more than just memory cards – they had their own little games that could keep us entertained for hours.
Here’s to one of the world’s best consoles. Happy 18th Anniversary, Dreamcast! pic.twitter.com/Bq5jKKpqEP
IGN.com is old enough that their now shuttered Dreamcast Site wasn’t even their first channel. I’ll remember early mornings reading the weekly Q & A reader mail section – hoping that Brandon Justice would respond to my DC obsessed fan mail.
Remember that awesome black SEGA Sports limited edition Dreamcast? I wanted one so bad in 2000 and not because of the SEGA Sports branding. I looked forward to removing the SEGA Sports sticker and seating the sweet rare black Dreamcast next to my N64. Sadly, didn’t happen – I got a launch gray model that Christmas.
Lastly let us not forget that Dreamcast ushered in the age of online gaming with the PlanetWEB browser and SEGA Net supported games. Phantasy Star Online got he hooked into MMORPGs and tied up my parent’s phone line for months. Thanks to Joypad for reminding us that you can still load the Google homepage on it!
