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Nintendo brings five more Sega Genesis games to Switch Online Expansion Pack
The additions include 'Altered Beast' and 'ToeJam & Earl.'
Sega considers reviving classics like 'Crazy Taxi' and 'Jet Set Radio'
Sega is considering reviving multiple classic game franchises, including 'Crazy Taxi' and 'Jet Set Radio.'
Flick up that 3D slider for Sega's 3DS classics
It's been a long-time coming, but Sega's 3DS classics are coming to North America and Europe across the next two months. Eight Sega remasters, each priced $6 (€5 or £4.50 in Europe), are set to remind us of the handheld's 3D slider, starting with Space Harrier and Super Hang-On on November 28. That pair are the first of four spruced-up couples, all coming on Thursday eShop updates. The following week's duo of 3D-enhanced oldies is Sonic the Hedgehog and Altered Beast, due on December 5, followed by Ecco the Dolphin and Galaxy Force 2 on December 12. Shinobi 3 and Streets of Rage round things off on December 19. The Western remasters should be the same as the ones that came to Japan, so expect additions like the optional spin dashes and button remapping of 3D Sonic. And when we say 3D Sonic, we don't mean like the more recent 3D perspective Sonic games, so don't expect Sega to patch in any talking or, Chaos Emeralds forbid, hedgehog-human romances.
Sega 3D Classics coming to 3DS eShop in North America, Europe
Along with today's reveal that Earthbound is now available on the Wii U eShop, Nintendo announced that a slate of Sega 3D Classics are coming to the European 3DS eShop. Sega confirmed that a North American launch is also in the works. No specific dates or prices were given for the games, which include Altered Beast, Ecco the Dolphin, Galaxy Force, Shinobi, Sonic the Hedgehog, Space Harrier, Streets of Rage and Super Hang-On. Of those games, Ecco the Dolphin, Super Hang-On, Space Harrier, Altered Beast and Sonic the Hedgehog already launched on Japan's 3DS eShop.
3D Sonic, Altered Beast ratings suggest Sega's 3DS line is due west
Australian Classification Board ratings for 3D Sonic the Hedgehog and 3D Altered Beast indicate Sega's line of 3DS re-releases may be headed west after all. The four games, also including 3D Space Harrier and 3D Super Hang-on, are all out in Japan already. 3D Space Harrier, rated by the ACB earlier this year, was playable at last weekend's MCM Expo in London. While there's nothing concrete yet, the evidence certainly points to the 3D line coming west, with 3D Space Harrier most likely to glide in first.
Altered Beast 3D coming to eShop in Japan
Altered Beast is about to wise fwom its gwave on 3DS. Sega has announced that Altered Beast 3D will arrive on the eShop next week in Japan, bringing with it several new features, according to Tiny Cartridge. Like the Japanese eShop re-release of Sonic the Hedgehog, Altered Beast 3D will include both the Japanese and western versions of the game, button remapping and an optional mode that emulates CRT monitors. None of Sega's 3DS re-releases have been confirmed for a North American release, including Space Harrier, Super Hang-On, Sonic the Hedgehog and, now, Altered Beast. Tiny Cartridge does note, however, that Space Harrier was recently confirmed for Europe, so there may be hope the game will be added to North America's growing Sega eShop library.
Sega Valentine's Day sale starts today for mobile titles
For some, Valentine's Day is a sweet occasion. Happy couples the world over will be lounging back, nibbling on an array of chocolate delights before partaking in the annual somersault contest that ensues. You know, like how our parents used to do before they got all old and stuff.For us loners, the holiday is a day of self-indulgent sobbing and darkness, but it doesn't have to be. If you're in the market for some iOS or Android games, you can snuggle up to Sonic and company through Sega's Valentine's Day sale starting today and running through the 14th.Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode 1 and Sonic CD lead the charge of discounted downloads for iOS and Android users, both half off, while iDevices also see considerable price cuts down to $.99 on Streets of Rage, Golden Axe and Super Monkey Ball. Gunstar Hero, Altered Beast and Virtua Fighter 2 are also on sale for a buck each.For the full list of what's on sale, hit the source link below.
PlayStation Plus users get free, timed-exclusive Genesis games starting in March
The latest venue for the same set of Genesis ports seen everywhere else is the PlayStation 3's PlayStation Network, which adds another console to the system's retro roster. Sega is releasing them all for free to PlayStation Plus members for a limited time, starting with the March 1 release of Sonic the Hedgehog, which is free to Plus members through April 5. Sonic 2, Streets of Rage 2, Golden Axe 2, Comix Zone, and Altered Beast will all follow on the day the previous game is removed. Those without Plus will have to wait for the opportunity to buy these Genesis games for $4.99 each: Sonic won't hit the normal PSN store until March 29, with the other games showing up around a month apart. You could wait for that, or you could get the Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection disc, which has all of these games and 42 more for ... $16.79.
New games flood App Store before impending holiday release freeze
The App Store is in constant danger of new release bombardments, sure, but many companies adhere to a regular, weekly bombing run beginning each Wednesday, through the wee hours of the night (UTC), dropping their new iPhone and iPad games on Apple's marketplace while many of us are snoozing. Last night was no exception -- actually, scratch that. It was exceptional! Pending the start of the "iTunes Connect Holiday Shutdown" next Thursday -- a six-day lockout period when developers will be unable to release or update apps, including games -- an army of companies, armed with their big holiday releases (for little iDevices), launched a massive attack on the App Store last night. What began as a few warning shots yesterday grew into a full-on assault, led by Gameloft's crisp clones, NOVA 2 and Shadow Guardian, and Square Enix's surprise (and apparently rushed) port of Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light. Even Sega couldn't resist launching a few more classics in Altered Beast and Sonic Spinball. And what's this ... Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3? Hey, if Street Fighter IV worked ... Pursue our complete list of new release highlights after the break, and then make double-sure "Santa" knows you've been good enough for an iTunes gift card this year.
Another week of big iOS releases: Real Racing 2, World of Goo, lots more
As expected, the App Store has released another round of new apps, and since we're right in the middle of the busy holiday season, there are a ton of great and long-awaited games to play either out today or coming this evening. Telltale has released the first episode of its Tales of Monkey Island series on the iPad, continuing the storyline from the classic game. Gameloft's Uncharted-like Shadow Guardian will be available this evening, as will NOVA 2, the sequel to last year's popular FPS. We saw a preview of both a little while back. Sega is bringing the old Altered Beast game to the App Store, and it's probably just as bad as you remember. Eidos has surprised us with a release of the Xbox Live and PSN title Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, arriving on the App Store for both iPhone and iPad tomorrow. Should be a good one -- reviews were excellent on the previous platforms. Aralon: Sword and Shadow HD is a really impressive fully 3D action RPG to play through, available for $6.99 on the App Store soon. Real Racing 2 is coming out this evening. I got to play an early build, and I can tell you that it's fantastic -- one of the best racing games on the App Store. Riven: The Sequel to Myst arrived on the store last night. Classic adventure title The 7th Guest is now out on iPhone for US $2.99 and iPad for $5.99. World of Goo is also due out on the iPad tonight, and this version is supposed to be one of the best. EA's Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is arriving on iOS in a streamlined version, but it's going to be on sale for just 99 cents, so that's nice. Duke Nukem 3D isn't a new game, but it (and the iPad special edition) has gone free recently. A few apps are updating for the holidays: both educational astronomy app Star Walk and destructive worm simulator Super Mega Worm have special Santa-related updates out now. Man oh man, that's a whole lot of great games to play. Most of these apps aren't quite out on the App Store just yet (though some of them are available in New Zealand, where it is already tomorrow), but they should all be live on the US store by 11:00 PM Eastern time.
Sega bringing Chu Chu Rocket, others to iPhone soon
Sega America hosted an iPhone gaming event earlier this week, and the lineup of titles they've got coming to the App Store this fall is a gamer's dream: Chu Chu Rocket (my favorite Dreamcast game!) is coming to iOS, along with classic side scrollers Gunstar Heroes and Altered Beast, Sonic the Hedgehog Episode 1 (the brand new 2D version of Sonic), and a free-to-play strategy/RPG MMO called Kingdom Conquest. TouchArcade was there at the event, and they say that Chu Chu Rocket is all you hope it will be, the new Sonic looks excellent, and Kingdom Conquest sounds like an intriguing mix of genres. Card battling, empire building, and RPG questing all built into one Sega-published free-to-play title? Chu Chu and Sonic already have their pedigrees, but it doesn't sound like you can go wrong with that last one. What a lineup from Sega for this year -- I'm actually more excited about their iPhone releases than I am about anything they're bringing out on consoles or any other platform. Unfortunately, there's no mention of Game Center in any of these previews, but all of the games seem to have multiplayer of some sort, from 1-4 players over both Bluetooth and wifi. So it's probably a pretty good presumption that they'll be Game Center-enabled in some way. So lots to look forward to in the next few months. Should be fun.
Sega Genesis Classics rising from their graves, hitting Steam and other PC platforms [update]
POWER UP in our gallerySega is bringing a Virtual Console-like experience to PC digital distribution platforms. Sega Genesis Classics is a series of individual Genesis games available for download via Steam and additional, unspecified download services. On June 1, PC users will be able to download Golden Axe, Ecco the Dolphin, Comix Zone, and Vectorman, "from $2.99." We don't yet know how the prices will vary per game, but even if just one is that cheap, it's quite a savings over the $8 Virtual Console price. The screenshots sent out by Sega also include images of Gain Ground, Altered Beast, Space Harrier, Crack Down, Sonic 3D Blast, and Shadow Dancer, so we can expect to see those games from the distant past on PC in the near future. Update: Sega's blog post about the collection clears up the launch lineup: all of these games will actually be available June 1. %Gallery-93483%
Sega discounting select Virtual Console titles for the holidays
Sega and Nintendo have teamed up to offer players a few holiday VC deals, announcing on Sega's UK blog that select Virtual Console titles will be discounted for a limited time. From December 24, 2009, until January 6, 2010, select titles will be reduced to 500 Wii Points each from down from 800 Wii Points. Titles getting the 40% off treatment include such Genesis classics as ToeJam & Earl, Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic 2, Sonic 3, Gunstar Heroes, Puyo Puyo 2, Golden Axe, Shining Force and Streets of Rage. Also, for the lump of coal types, Sega has discounted the "admit it, it stinks" brawler, Altered Beast. It's a great offer for new Wii owners, or those looking to relive their lost youth.
Polymer Vision gets new lease on life thanks to Wistron
Poor Readius, we barely knew ye and your folding e-ink screen before parent company Polymer Vision went bankrupt and, well, that was the end of that. Or was it? Wistron apparently made a bid for the remains of the company over the summer and, as of September, Polymer was acting as a division of the Acer spin-off. The Wistron board has finally approved the €12 million ($18 million) investment and so where once there were two companies now there is one. The jury is still out on whether the Polymer Vision brand will survive, but its technology -- and legend -- will still burn.
VC in Brief: Altered Beast (VC Arcade)
Altered Beast (Sega 1 - 2 players, 1,000 Wii Points)We say: Great game, but you can find it for less It's not that the VC Arcade version of Altered Beast is bad or anything -- in fact, it's the complete opposite, but for such an old game, there are less costly ways to enjoy it. If you have a PS2, there's a Sega Genesis Collection that's a more financially responsible way to play. If you've only got the Wii and have never played this, though, it might be worth your double sawbuck. Check out the video above and decide. Every week, we like to check out what's new on the Virtual Console. We offer these videos as a sort of taste to help you decide whether or not you would want the game in question. We also toss in our own two cents because we're pushy jerks.
NintendoWare Weekly: Dragon Quest Wars, Arkanoid Plus, Altered Beast
Welcome to another Monday, a day when most of us with jobs or school must go back to that place we just love to spend most of our time each week. That is, unless you're one of the lucky few who just sit around waiting for the Wii and DSi shops to update. If you fall into the latter group, we'd just like to thank you for waking up this early to check out what's available for download today on the Wii and DSi. It's nice of you to do so considering you don't have any obligation to be up before noon. Boy, that must be nice. So head past the break and see what's available already!
VC Friday: Hudson Powers Up
This week in Europe, Hudson Soft has one release on all three Wii download services. That's a pretty impressive feat, even if the individual games don't seem that exciting. We suppose 50 sudoku puzzles for 200 points is nice, and SimEarth is a good game.The Hudson releases are joined by Taito's Puzzle Bobble/Bust a Move update and by Altered Beast. Now, we love Altered Beast more than most people (by which we mean we love it some), but 900 points for the arcade version? What's that about? WiiWare: Puzzle Bobble Plus! (1-2 players, 800 Wii Points) Water Warfare (1-2 players offline, 2-8 online, 800 Wii Points) Virtual Console: Altered Beast (Arcade, 1-2 players, 900 Wii Points) SimEarth (Turbografx-16 CD-ROM, 1 player,800 Wii Points) DSiWare: Sudoku 50 for Beginners (1 player, 200 DSi Points)
XBLA in Brief: Sega Vintage Collection
This week, Sega has dropped six new games onto Xbox Live Arcade as part of its Sega Vintage Collection. These six titles are timeless classics and definitely need no introduction for Sega fans. For the rest of you, expect a crash course in Comix Zone, Altered Beast, Sonic 3, Shinobi, Phantasy Star II, and Gunstar Heroes (400/$5 each).
Second batch of Sega Vintage Collection titles confirmed
Sega has announced plans to release seven more of its classic titles under the Sega Vintage Collection banner later this year, thus confirming one of Xbox Live Arcade's worst-kept secrets. Included in Sega Vintage Collection 2 are Shinobi (arcade port), Comix Zone, Altered Beast, Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Phantasy Star II, Sonic & Knuckles and Gunstar Heroes. Interestingly, Gunstar Heroes is the only title also announced for the PSN.According to Sega, each title will include online leaderboards, re-worked graphics (using smoothing filters, not HD upgrades) and most will feature network play (Comix Zone, Phantasy Star II and Shinobi excluded). No word on pricing or release dates but Sega plans to release the titles separately this summer, with Sonic & Knuckles appearing last. Why the delay? With Sonic & Knuckles, Sonic 2 XBLA and Sonic 3 XBLA owners will be able to use the classic lock-on feature from the Genesis-era to import Knuckles into each classic adventure. Of course, if patience isn't your best quality, you could just buy Sonic's Genesis Collection now (which doesn't support lock-on).%Gallery-63190%
Achievements confirm XBLA release of Altered Beast, Shinobi, Comix Zone
If a few questionable screengrabs and a handful of ESRB ratings weren't evidence enough for you to believe in the XBLA-bound "Sega Vintage Collection Vol. 2," we now present you with exhibit C -- MyGamerCard recently dug up achievements for Altered Beast, Comix Zone and Shinobi, three of the titles belonging to the heretofore unannounced collection. Sadly, the other three titles which are rumored to accompany them, Sonic 3, GunStar Heroes and Phantasy Star II, are still unspoken for in the Cheevo department. We'll let you know when we hear more!See: Altered Beast achievementsSee: Comix Zone achievementsSee: Shinobi achievements
