The official Astro City Mini website has now gone live and with it we have the reveal trailer you can watch below, and our first look at one of the system’s extra peripherals which will be sold separately.
The Astro City Mini control pad will be sold for an additional 2,780 yen (approximately £20) and feature a d-pad instead of an arcade stick, as well as the standard 6 button setup.
We also have a more accurate release date of December 2020, but the console is still Japan exclusive at the time of writing. The same lineup of 10 titles from yesterday’s news leak are also confirmed. There was some confusion about whether it was Puzzle & Action: Tant-R or Ichidant-R that was making it to the system, but as previously reported it is in fact Puzzle & Action: Tant-R.
Pre-orders from Amazon Japan are now available but only the Astro City Mini ships worldwide. The control pad is Japan exclusive:
– Astro City Mini
– Astro City Mini Control Pad
SEGA Japan (more specifically their SEGA Toys subsidiary) are back on the micro console hype train with their latest effort – the Astro City Mini. This mini arcade cabinet features 36 SEGA arcade titles and is due to release by the end of the year.
The full list of games has yet to be revealed, but a small selection have been confirmed and they are listed below:
– Alien Syndrome
– Alien Storm
– Golden Axe
– Golden Axe: Revenge of Death Adder
– Columns II
– Dark Edge
– Tant R
– Virtua Fighter
– Fantasy Zone
– Altered Beast
All games will be presented in their original arcade format. The Astro City Mini can be played using its built-in screen or sent to a television via HDMI. The system itself has its own arcade 8 way micro-switched joystick and 6 button setup. When the console is powered on the marquee also lights up. The system needs to be powered via a micro USB connection and there are also 2 extra USB slots for additional joysticks which are going to be sold separately. There is currently no word on whether the system will release in Western territories. The Astro City Mini will be priced at 12,800 yen which currently converts to £93.70.
The SEGA no Taiyaki Store in Akihabara is selling the SEGA logo-shaped Taiyaki that previously made an appearance at last year’s SEGA Fes. Taiyaki is a traditional Japanese cake normally filled with red bean paste.
Alongside the SEGA logo Taiyaki, the store is also selling an exclusive phone case that transforms your phone into a miniature Astro City arcade cabinet. Check it out in action below:
The SEGA no Taiyaki Store in Akihabara is located in the Akihabara Bldg, No.5 1F, Chiyoda 101-0021 Tokyo Prefecture.
For SEGA’s 60th anniversary, the company have revealed a new novelty micro console in the form of the Game Gear Micro.
Currently only scheduled for a Japanese launch on October 6th 2020, the console will be available in 4 colour variants, each bundled with its own compilation of 4 Game Gear titles. Each system will launch for ¥4,980. A special edition bundle is also available which includes all 4 console variants, a set of replica game cases for each of the included titles and a working SEGA Big Window (aka the Super Wide Gear) which allows you to magnify the screen. This will set you back ¥29,980.
The Game Gear Micro will measure 80mm wide, 43mm tall and 20mm deep and include a 1.15″ display. It also includes a single mono speaker, a headphone jack and is powered by 2 AAA batteries. Supposedly you can power the system for a longer period of time with a separately sold USB cable.
The full list of included titles on each of the Game Gear Micro variants now follows:
Black Game Gear Micro
Out Run, Puyo Puyo Tsu, Royal Stone and Sonic the Hedgehog
Blue Game Gear Micro
Baku Baku Animal: Sekai Shiikugakari Senshuken, Gunstar Heroes, Sonic & Tails and Sylvan Tale
Yellow Game Gear Micro
Nazo Puyo: Arle no Roux, Shining Force, Shining Force II and Shining Force: Final Conflict
Red Game Gear Micro
Columns, The G.G. Shinobi, Megami Tensei Gaiden: Last Bible and Megami Tensei Gaiden: Last Bible Special
SEGA Japan have revealed plans for a new Sonic the Hedgehog initiative that will run every month this year. The ‘Sonic 2020’ initiative promises new Sonic news on the 20th of every month throughout 2020 with today’s news being the reveal of the initiative alongside new key art, wallpapers, a Twitter header and profile icons. You can view and download them from this page on SEGA Japan’s Sonic Channel.
It looks like SEGA has big plans for the Sonic franchise this year, so keep an eye on the official Sonic 2020 page to see what new announcements come our way. If you’re a Sonic fan then this is definitely worth bookmarking!
SEGA’s UFO catchers are a staple of the Japanese arcade. This crane game allows players to win exclusive licensed merchandise from a huge range of properties. While similar games have existed in Western arcades for quite some time, the quality of merchandise is often lower quality to what SEGA offer in their UFO catchers.
SEGA Japan also run an online service where people can play on UFO catchers from their computers and still win physical prizes that are then delivered to your home. This service is going to be expanded outside Japan for the first time ever when it comes to the US on December 3rd 2019.
SEGA Catcher Online can be accessed via this link, but the US site won’t go live until December 3rd. Probably best to bookmark it and come back on December 3rd if you’re interested in winning some exclusive goodies produced by SEGA Japan’s SEGA Toys division.
2 new features on some rather obscure Dreamcast hardware have now been added to our hardware section.
To begin with we have a feature on the incredibly rare, Japan-only SEGA Fish Life unit. This piece of hardware was sold to businesses as a way to add a virtual aquarium to their decor.
The other hardware feature we’ve added is on the unreleased Dreamcast Zip Drive peripheral. This peripheral would have connected to a Dreamcast and sat underneath the console and given users access to 100mb zip disks to allow for greater storage space while browsing the internet and downloading additional game content.
Both features contain multiple images of both pieces of hardware.
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.
UPDATE 22/03/19: SEGA have confirmed that the character of Kyohei Hamura will be “adjusted” for the final Western release of Judgment, but the game will not suffer a delay. All official trailers and screenshots featuring the character have been removed. The Kyohei Hamura character is likely being re-cast and will now be represented by a different actor in the Western version of the game.
Sales of Judgment have been halted in Japan after the arrest of actor Pierre Taki for cocaine possession. Known as Judge Eyes in Japan, Pierre Taki plays the character of Kyohei Hamura in the PS4 exclusive. This halt on shipments has been done voluntarily by SEGA Japan.
Judge Eyes has been on sale in Japan since December 13th 2018 and is due for a Western release on the 25th of June 2019 under the name Judgment. Presumably, this will now be delayed as the game will likely re-cast Taki’s role with another actor and then re-enter development. There is currently no word on when Judge Eyes will resume shipping or if Taki’s arrest will affect the June 2019 release of the game in the West.
Japanese companies have a habit of dealing with celebrity drug and opiod rehabs in quite extreme ways. It is not uncommon for actors to be entirely stripped of all association to any companies and products they publicise or work with after an arrest involving drugs.
SEGA Sammy are in the process of moving to a new headquarters building in Ousaki, Tokyo. On September 11th 2018 they also held a press conference and took press on a guided tour of the new premises. The move will be completed by next month and there’s some fascinating memorabilia on display in the new building. Check out a selection of photos from inside SEGA Sammy’s new headquarters courtesy of Dual Shockers. It’s worth visiting their article on the new building as they have even more photos of the interior.
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