It’s not a good month for SEGA games and delistings – first Judgement was the subject of of a huge drugs scandal that’s taken it off shelves, and now the bizarre Japan-only Index vs Virtual On crossover title A Certain Magical Virtual On is being delisted from both physical and digital sale too.
No reason has been given for the removal, but it’s likely down to the license agreement with Dengeki running out. There’s nothing to suggest this affects Dengeki Bunko Fighting Climax: Ignition, thankfully, but if you’re itching for some new Virtual On action today’s your last chance to grab it. Currently a PS4 copy of the game will set you back about £40 with shipping from Amazon.JP, and if you’re on Vita it’s only £30 – so it might be worth jumping on it before prices start to rise (as is becoming the case with Judgement).
SEGA has referred to the delisting as “temporary”, but given the difficulty of licenses and the fact the game apparently didn’t do so well sales-wise, it’s looking too likely that it’ll be back in the short term. The upside is Virtual On fans still have ports of 3 of the games most loved entries on the way to PS4 with support for an all-new Twin Stick peripheral to boot, but losing games like this to the void of licensing is always a shame.
When Tracker isn’t playing SEGA games, he’s talking about SEGA games. Or drawing about SEGA games. Or all of the above. You can also catch him over on Twitter.
UPDATE 20/03/19: This article previously stated the replay feature was new to Virtua Racing – as CubeDragonX has pointed out, it’s actually from the rare Virtua Formula version of the game. The article has been amended to reflect this.
SEGA has re-confirmed Virtua Racing for the SEGA AGES line on Nintendo Switch, now with a fresh slew of details as to what exactly will be in the port – and we have to say, it’s sounding pretty snazzy.
Firstly, the game will support up to 8 players locally and 1v1 online. There’ll also be a splitscreen view for local matches, so you can see how other racers are doing. In addition to this, the Normal race and Endurance based Grand Prix modes are both accounted for.
One very impressive new feature is that replay mode in VR’s port is a step up from the other AGES titles, which offered a robust but simple means of watching back your run. Virtua Racing’s replay mode is actually taken from the rare, high-end Virtua Formula version of the game, with live commentary from Mr. Virt McPolygon! No, really. That’s his name.
On the whole, it’s shaping up to be an incredible way to bring Virtua Racing’s arcade version home for the first time. We’ll keep an eye out for a more solid release date, though given the silence on Puyo Puyo’s AGES release it’s likely to be a while. And that’s just for Japan – the SEGA AGES line has been silent in the West for over 2 whole months now, and it’s unclear when the next game in the West’s lineup, Gain Ground, will actually be released.
When Tracker isn’t playing SEGA games, he’s talking about SEGA games. Or drawing about SEGA games. Or all of the above. You can also catch him over on Twitter.
It’s been a while since we’ve heard anything about the HD virtual reality remake of Space Channel 5, but the Playstation channel has revealed an English language version of the previously released trailer for Space Channel 5 VR: Kinda Funky News Flash!, confirming its Western release:
This new version of the game has been developed by Grounding Inc and features a new chapter where you play as twin sisters Lou and Kee. There is currently no word on a release date, but the title is PS VR exclusive.
Before the release of Sonic Advance and Sonic Adventure 2 Battle for the Game Boy Advance and GameCube respectively, SEGA did publish their games on some rather bizarre third party hardware. In this video we take a look at Tiger Electronics’ answer to Nintendo’s Virtual Boy – the R-Zone. A slew of SEGA titles were released for the system and we take a closer look at the ports of Daytona USA and Virtua Cop:
The US branch of SEGA have unveiled a new survey which asks fans to determine the next steps for the Sonic The Hedgehog, Yakuza, Valkyria Chronicles and Phantasy Star franchises.
The survey takes 10 to 15 minutes to complete and every entry enters you into a prize draw to win up to $500 in gift certificates. You can complete the survey and enter the prize draw by clicking here.
If you’re a SEGA fan based in the US with a passion for any of the franchises listed, this is an important opportunity to share your love for them and get SEGA to act on that passion. SEGA have been making big steps in terms of quality in recent years and that’s been down to a renewed focus on their legacy franchises. If you want to see the company do more with Super Monkey Ball, Gunstar Heroes, Shinobi, Jet Set Radio, Phantasy Star, Sakura Wars, Altered Beast, Virtua Fighter, Streets of Rage, Puyo Puyo, Shenmue, Golden Axe, House of the Dead, Virtua Tennis and Crazy Taxi then this is the way to let them know.
The US is finally getting a selection of Sonic Boom episodes on DVD. While the UK and Brazil have received DVD releases since 2016, the US hasn’t had a single DVD release until now.
The first volume is available now and is called Sonic Boom: Here Comes the Boom! It is available to buy on Amazon for $6.69 at the time of writing. This volume contains 8 episodes and runs for around 90 minutes.
A second volume called Sonic Boom: Go Team Sonic! will release on May 21st 2019 and you can pre-order it on Amazon for $6.79. It contains 9 episodes and also runs for approximately 90 minutes.
Tyson Hesse is back in the director’s chair for another animated series based on a Sonic property. This time it’s a two-part series based on Team Sonic Racing called Team Sonic Racing Overdrive. The first episode was unveiled at SXSW and is now available to watch on YouTube. Expect the usual humorous Sonic hi-jinks that comes with a Tyson Hesse animation, but this time it’s displayed with a modern Sonic style:
The next episode of Team Sonic Racing Overdrive will go live next month. The series is based on the upcoming Team Sonic Racing for PS4, Xbox One, PC and Nintendo Switch which launches May 21st 2019.
Another new Sonic remix was revealed at SXSW and this is a special remix of Knuckles’ theme from Sonic the Hedgehog 3. Arranged by Tee Lopes and Jun Senoue, this remix also contains a little nod to Knuckles’ Unknown from M.E. theme from Sonic Adventure. You can listen to it by clicking the embed below:
This isn’t the first time Tee Lopes and Jun Senoue have collaborated on a Sonic Mania Adventures special remix. The duo also released the song Discovery last month and you can listen to that by clicking here.
We also have a Sonic & Shadow in Team Sonic Racing t-shirt which is currently being bundled together with a Team Sonic Racing logo pin badge. Click here to be taken to the listing on the UK SEGA Shop. This item is currently priced at £20.
A new song from the Team Sonic Racing soundtrack has been debuted at SXSW. This new track is called Bingo Party and it’s actually a remix of the Bingo Highway theme from Sonic Heroes. This remix was arranged by original composer Jun Senoue and features a Sonic series debut for chiptune artist TORIENA, who also collaborated on the track. Check it out:
Bingo Party is just one song on the 130 song Team Sonic Racing: Maximum Overdrive soundtrack which will launch the same day as Team Sonic Racing on digital music streaming and download services. Team Sonic Racing launches on May 21st 2019 for PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC.
SEGADriven and its original content are copyrighted to their respective authors. Media related directly to SEGA is copyrighted to its respective authors. Any comments on SEGA-related materials do not represent SEGA themselves. All rights reserved 2008-2022.
It’s not a good month for SEGA games and delistings – first Judgement was the subject of of a huge drugs scandal that’s taken it off shelves, and now the bizarre Japan-only Index vs Virtual On crossover title A Certain Magical Virtual On is being delisted from both physical and digital sale too.
