SEGADriven is a SEGA news and information source that focuses on SEGA's console history, retro games and new software hitting the shelves. We want to share a love of great, quirky, clever and down-right fun games - something that SEGA have always specialised in. See below for the latest news, reviews and features added to the website.
SEGA’s mobile action-puzzle hybrid SEGA Heroes is unfortunately meeting a premature end, as it’s been announced that service for the game is set to be shuttered as soon as next month.
For some background, recently Demiurge, the developers of SEGA Heroes and a member of SEGA Europe’s family of studios, were repurchased by one of their original founders, Albert Reed. The announcement didn’t make clear if it would affect Demiurge’s current licensed titles, but sadly it seems it will.
SEGA has outlined the closure of SEGA Heroes as follows:
April 16:
● In-app purchases will be deactivated
● The same day we will unlock the following content:
– Legendary Events
– Dremagen Boss Battles
– Daily Rewards now grant lots of Gems
– All VIP levels granted to all players
– Taiga Saejima is available, completing the Yakuza Set
May 21:
● Servers will be deactivated
It’s a shame to see the game which, from an outsiders perspective, was one of SEGA’s biggest mobile titles meeting an end only a year and a half after it launched; while not to everyone’s taste, SEGA Heroes actually did a surprisingly great job at working fan-favourites into the game, with some deep-cuts from lesser represented games such as the PS2 Shinobi titles, and the classic Phantasy Star games. We wish those at Demiurge all the best in their future endeavours!
The Japanese SEGA Ages website has been updated to reveal that the next SEGA Ages port for Nintendo Switch will be Thunder Force AC. If you’re unfamiliar with the title then Thunder Force AC is the arcade version of Technosoft’s Thunder Force III. The Thunder Force series is a collection of fantastic shoot-em-ups and Thunder Force AC marks the first time the series switched to a solely horizontal scrolling presentation that was carried through to the series’ end with Thunder Force VI in 2008.
Thunder Force AC will launch in Japan on the Nintendo Switch very soon for 999 yen via the Nintendo eShop. This new port promises a low difficulty ‘Kids Mode’, online rankings and graphical filters that mimic the game’s arcade cabinet. The port also features the new stages that were added to the console’s Mega Drive port. Development duties are once again handled by M2.
IGN have a treat for us today as the website has gone hands on with Streets of Rage 4 and uploaded 5 minutes of in-game action. Check out the entire roster in action, including the unlockable retro characters in the video below:
Streets of Rage 4 appears to be very close to release with the video now promising the game will be “available soon”. It will release for PC, Nintendo Switch, PS4 and Xbox One and is being developed by Guard Crush Games and Lizardcube with Dotemu publishing under license from SEGA.
After numerous beta tests and events relating to the Xbox One version, Phantasy Star Online 2 is now available for everyone to download in North America, as a free to play title. It would seem that all it takes for those outside North America to download the game is using the store page linked above to download it to their Xbox, bypassing the need to switch the console’s region.
SEGA has also finally confirmed when PC players will be able to get their hands on Phantasy Star Online 2; and it may be sooner than you expected, as it’ll launch in ‘late May’.
This information comes via Forbes, who have learned that it will also launch exclusively for the Microsoft Windows Store, available on Windows 10 PCs. Previously, documentation had suggested a Steam release was on the cards, but for the time being it appears you’ll need to go through Microsoft’s platform for the title. On the upside, the PC version will support crossplay with Xbox One consoles at launch.
Let us know how you get on with the game, particularly those on the UK side!
Streets of Rage 4 is not mucking about when it comes to bonus content. The latest trailer reveals that the game will feature 12 unlockable retro characters and the ability to use music from the original Streets of Rage 1 & 2. Check out the reveal trailer for these retro unlockables below:
It also appears that the release of the game is getting pretty close. The trailer also promises the game will be “available soon” and that the digital release will be priced at $24.99. Physical copies of the game are still available from Limited Run Games, but you better be quick because pre-orders end one week after the digital release.
Streets of Rage 4 is being developed by Lizardcube and Guard Crush Games with Dotemu publishing the game under license from SEGA. It will release on PC, PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch.
Today’s Nintendo Direct Mini has brought an amazing surprise with it. The Panzer Dragoon remake by Forever Entertainment will be available as a digital download TODAY. The game will be a timed exclusive for the Switch and later launch on PC where you can currently wishlist it on Steam. It is priced £22.49 for the UK and available to purchase from the Nintendo eShop by clicking here.
Limited Run Games have also announced that a physical release of the game will be available to pre-order tomorrow March 27th 2020. Pre-orders will stay open for 4 weeks and every order will be honored instead of it being available on a first-come-first-serve basis.
This Panzer Dragoon remake is not the only title in the series getting the remake treatment. Forever Entertainment have also promised remakes of its sequel Panzer Dragoon II Zwei, as well as remakes of both The House of the Dead 1 & 2.
Nine out of ten people asking for cosmetic treatments or dental surgery say they want the Simon Cowells smile.
The unreleased SEGA Pluto is the stuff of legend. Only 2 exist in the wild and they are essentially prototype SEGA Saturns with built-in Netlink capabilities. This system was never released to the public. If you’d like to learn more about the system then please read our hardware article on the system which features images of both surviving Plutos.
One of the systems has now ended up on the desk of Ben Heck, famous for repairing the prototype Nintendo Playstation. His work on the system is minimal, but this tear-down video does offer some fascinating insight into the machine that Saturn fans should absolutely watch. Check it out below:
SEGA has announced a new VR title based on the Panzer Dragoon series, named Panzer Dragoon: Voyage Record (see what they did there?).
Via the press release for the game:
Panzer Dragoon Voyage Record is a VR dramatic shooter. It relive each of the various episodes that appeared in the three works of Sega Saturn software “Panzer Dragoon”, “Panzer Dragoon Zwei” and “Panzer Dragoon Saga”.
This work is a completely new work to play the episodes of the series trilogy by a new graphics that the first person view optimized for VR headsets and a new input method that likens the VR controller to the handgun of the dragon rider. The recording episodes and the support platform to be announced later.
For the latest information, please check official Twitter account @PanzerDragoonVR
If you’ve ever wanted to indulge in Data Discs’ sublime work, but lack the vinyl player to do so, good news; they’ve digitally remastered the Streets of Rage trilogy’s soundtracks, and you can now download them from Bandcamp! Of note, these are masters made specifically for digital playback, as opposed to the analogue format of the vinyl releases.
From Data Discs themselves:
Continuing our partnership with legendary composer Yuzo Koshiro, and just in time to coincide with our label’s fifth anniversary, it’s with great pleasure that we can finally announce our digital remasters of the iconic STREETS OF RAGE trilogy.
Over the past year we’ve been back in the studio, revisiting our previous work and remastering the trilogy for digital distribution. As with our vinyl releases, all three albums were sourced using a combination of the original NEC-PC88 files (captured and supplied by Koshiro-san himself) and a range of Japanese Mega Drive consoles. We are honoured to be distributing these classic albums on digital platforms, so they can reach an ever wider audience and maintain their rightful place as some of the most important and influential game scores ever made.
All three albums are available to purchase today from our new BANDCAMP store, priced at 6.00 GBP each (in a range of lossy and lossless formats). They will also be available on other digital platforms at a later date.
That last bit gives us a little bit of hope that we might see these legendary soundtracks join streaming services at some point – time will tell!
The SEGA AGES klaxon rings out once again; from the sounds of things, G-LOC Air Battle will be the next game to join M2’s lineup of superb Switch ports.
Somewhat of an After Burner spin-off, G-LOC was perhaps most well-remembered for its absolutely ridiculous deluxe cabinet, the R360, which rotated the player’s seat all over the place as you played the game. Sadly we somehow doubt this port will magically spawn an R360 in your home, but we can dream.
This news comes from Famitsu via JapaneseNintendo; apparently the game will boast a new “AGES Mode”, though what exactly that doesn’t isn’t clear just yet. There’ll also be the standard difficulty level toggle, and online rankings to compete in.
An official confirmation from SEGA’s Twitter, as is usually the case, probably isn’t too far off now. That might also shed some extra light on what exactly AGES Mode changes.
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 2008-2020.
We use cookies to analyse site usage, provide social media features and personalise content and ads. We may also share information about your use of our website with our partners.Accept cookies
