Sound the SEGA AGES klaxon – because Fantasy Zone will be joining SEGA’s lineup of Nintendo Switch re-releases this week, in Japan at least.
Previously announced to be the next game in the lineup, we now know the game will launch this Thursday, November 28th (thanks to timezones, that’ll be Wednesday afternoon in the UK). It’ll be the usual price of 999 JPY. The release includes the content of the 3DS port, such as the Upa-Upa mode, as well as new elements like a Time Attack mode and revamped HUD display similar to M2’s own ShotTriggers releases. More information is available on the Japanese page for SEGA AGES.
There’s currently no word on a Western release date for SEGA AGES Shinobi or Fantasy Zone, but we imagine it can’t be too far off now – we’ll report if one shows up.
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.
Alien: Isolation lives again with a port to the Nintendo Switch on December 5th 2019. Porting duties are being handled by Feral and a new trailer showcases how close the visuals are to the original version. Check it out via the embed below:
Alien: Isolation was originally developed by The Creative Assembly and released on PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One back in 2014. This new port for the Switch is a digital only release via the Nintendo eShop.
The next game to join the SEGA AGES lineup for Nintendo Switch will be the arcade shoot-em-up Fantasy Zone.
As expected, this release of the game will include the extra content introduced in the 3D Classics release of the game, such as Upa-Upa Mode (which lets you switch between power-ups freely, charging you for ammo rather than for each weapon), a ‘Coin Stock’ that accumulates over your playtime (so you can jump into the game with a loaded inventory of coins if you want), and bosses from the Master System version implemented as extra bosses in the arcade version. As you play and accumulate more coins, you’ll also unlock more options, such as increased power-up ammo, and the ability to change how many coins enemies drop when defeated.
There’ll also now be a time attack feature that gives you infinite lives, HD rumble support, the standard replay and ranking functions of the other AGES releases, and a massively overhauled HUD. The HUD is notable, as it’s actually very in-line with M2’s separate ShotTriggers line of shmup ports.
There’s no solid date on Fantasy Zone’s Switch release right now, but we’d expect it to show up within the next two weeks. Over here, it’ll probably launch alongside the recently released Shinobi port.
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.
A new “Behind the Gameplay” documentary on Streets of Rage 4 has been uploaded to the Dotemu YouTube channel and it offers some fascinating insight into the game’s development at Guard Crush Games as well as showcasing some new in-game footage. Check it out by watching the embed below:
Streets of Rage 4 will release on PC, PS4, Xbox One and Switch at some point in 2020. The game is being developed by Lizardcube and Guard Crush Games with Dotemu publishing under license from SEGA.
UPDATE
The event has not gone live yet. It is due to go live on the 20th of November 2019 as per details on the Phantasy Star Online 2 news page.
ORIGINAL STORY
Japanese Phantasy Star Online 2 players have a real treat on their hands as the game now features a crossover event with the Evangelion franchise.
The event features a mission based on the famous Ramiel battle where the fifth angel drills into Tokyo-3 in order to get to NERV headquarters. You can also equip your character with costumes based on Unit-01, Shinji, Rei, Asuka and Misato and there’s a choice of 4 weapon skins with one taking the form of the Lance of Longinus.
You can see all of this in action in the trailer below:
Phantasy Star Online 2 is still Japan-exclusive, but a North American released is scheduled for 2020 on Xbox One and PC. There is still no word on whether the game will release in Europe.
The first in-game footage of Feral Interactive’s Alien: Isolation port to Switch is now available to view via the embed below and my word does it impress. It looks like very little graphical fidelity and resolution has been lost. Have a look for yourself:
Alien: Isolation for Switch is due to release this Winter as a digital download title from the Nintendo eShop. There is no hard release date available at this time. Alien: Isolation was originally developed by The Creative Assembly and released for PS3, Xbox 360, PC, PS4 and Xbox One back in October 2014.
The next SEGA Ages title coming to the Japanese Nintendo Switch eShop is SEGA Ages: Shinobi and it will launch on the 31st of October 2019.
This new port of the game by M2 features a whole raft of enhancements that include:
– a dedicated button for melee attacks (these were previously context sensitive)
– a stage select option
– new difficulty options
– rewind functionality
– replay functionality
– online leaderboards
– support for HD rumble
– an arcade cabinet mode that simulates the background noise of a bustling arcade
– a brand new ‘Ages Mode’ which acts as an easier difficulty where you play as Joe Musashi in his white ninja garb with permanent buffs and the ability to take 2 hits to kill
Check out some screenshots below which showcase this new port in action. You can see the famous Marilyn Monroe images have been replaced with an image of the wolf transformation from Altered Beast – a nice little touch:
SEGA has released a new “Special Announcement” trailer for Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD. It confirms the monkeys will have alternate costumes in the game, including some referencing other games in the series, such as Baby’s Secret Agent costume from Super Monkey Ball 3D for the 3DS.
But the real special announcement here is the confirmation of one of the worst kept secrets in recent SEGA memory – Sonic the Hedgehog has been added to the game as an unlockable character, in his Classic design! This was actually leaked three times, first through achievements that referred to him and then through a datamine of the recently released Japanese demo, and finally just earlier today through a leaked trailer. However we now have official confirmation, and our first look at him in action! There’s no word on how to unlock him in the game as of yet, but given this is Monkey Ball we can’t imagine it’ll be a walk in the park.
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD launches October 29th for Nintendo Switch, Playstation 4 and Xbox One, with a PC port coming later in Winter.
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.
A Western release of Hatsune Miku Project Diva: Mega39s has been confirmed. The game will release in the West at some point in 2020 as Hatsune Miku Project Diva MegaMix.
MegaMix is the first Project Diva title to be released for the Nintendo Switch and features a new “anime” art style and an additional motion-controlled mode called Mix Mode that requires you to move the joy cons over 2 left and right panels at the bottom of the screen. Check out the Western announcement trailer to see that in action:
Project Diva MegaMix also boasts over 100 songs and 300 outfits for the Vocaloids, with mix-and-match options for outfits and hairstyles. You can also design your own t-shirts in this game. It would also appear that the game is getting a digital-only release via the Nintendo eShop.
SEGA has revealed its next offering for the SEGA AGES line on Nintendo Switch, and it’s the arcade party game Ichidant-R. Somewhat similar to Namco’s Point Blank, the game sees you playing a variety of minigames to progress.
There’s a slew of new features for this release, such as a Helper Mode to make casual playthroughs more feasible – but most interesting is the Mega Drive Mode, which brings over the various additional features that port had. The RPG-style Quest Mode and Free Mode for practising the games are included here, as well as a Competition Mode that supports up to 4 Players (something the arcade version previously couldn’t do). To go along with this, there’s also Netplay support for the Arcade version.
Key for Western players though, is that the previously unreleased English localisation of the game is also included, a la Puyo Puyo’s AGES release.
There’s currently no solid release date for Ichidant-R, but we’d expect to see it pop up in Japan over the next two weeks, as was the case when Columns 2 was announced. Meanwhile, tomorrow Western players will be able to get their hands on Puyo Puyo and Space Harrier, which have been available in Japan for some time.
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.
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