To love the
Virtual-On series -- like really
love it -- is to have some
fantastically deep pockets. Sega has
announced (via
Siliconera) that 4-on-4 robot battle fest
Virtual-On Force will arrive in Japan on December 22. While a
casual player might plunk down the standard ¥6,090 ($70) for the regular edition, the true fan would undoubtedly fork over ¥10,290 ($119) for the collector's edition. The
Virtual-On Force "Memorial Box" comes packed with the game, a six-disc soundtrack and
Virtual-On Chronicle 15, a booklet that explores the 15-year history behind the bot-blasting series.
Of course, to be that true fan, you would have already pre-ordered your
$350 twin-stick controller from Hori. Hmm? You say you haven't ordered the collector's edition
or the massive controller? And you call yourself a "fan."
Virtual-On Force dashes to Japan in December, collector's edition announced originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 30 Jul 2010 17:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink |
Email this |
Comments
Tags:
collectors-edition,
cyber-troopers-virtual-on-force,
Japan,
microsoft,
release-date,
sega,
virtual-on-force,
Xbox
Related posts
Sega parent, Sega Sammy Holdings, has reported net sales of ¥91.3 billion ($1.05 billion) for its fiscal first quarter, which ended June 30. The outcome compares favorably to the ¥60.5 billion ($700 million) recorded by the company during the
same period last year -- and it's
mostly due to pachinko sales. Still, Sega's consumer products division -- the part that makes home video games -- also enjoyed increased sales, bringing in ¥20.9 billion ($241.8 million), minus ¥636 million ($7.36 million) in operating losses.
Despite the generally upward trend, Sega reported slow sales of its major Q1 titles,
Iron Man 2 and
Alpha Protocol, due to "adverse market conditions."
Iron Man 2 sold 1.12 million units across multiple platforms, while
Alpha Protocol only sneaked into about 700,000 homes.
Sega sales up in fiscal Q1, despite Alpha Protocol's disappointing performance originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 30 Jul 2010 13:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink |
Email this |
Comments
Tags:
Alpha Protocol,
earnings,
financial,
fy-2011,
iron man 2,
q1,
Sales,
sega,
sega-sammy,
Software
Related posts
Sega parent, Sega Sammy Holdings, has reported net sales of ¥91.3 billion ($1.05 billion) for its fiscal first quarter, which ended June 30. The outcome compares favorably to the ¥60.5 billion ($700 million) recorded by the company during the
same period last year -- and it's
mostly due to pachinko sales. Still, Sega's consumer products division -- the part that makes home video games -- also enjoyed increased sales, bringing in ¥20.9 billion ($241.8 million), minus ¥636 million ($7.36 million) in operating losses.
Despite the generally upward trend, Sega reported slow sales of its major Q1 titles,
Iron Man 2 and
Alpha Protocol, due to "adverse market conditions."
Iron Man 2 sold 1.12 million units across multiple platforms, while
Alpha Protocol only sneaked into about 700,000 homes.
Sega sales up in fiscal Q1, despite Alpha Protocol's disappointing performance originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 30 Jul 2010 13:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink |
Email this |
Comments
Tags:
Alpha Protocol,
earnings,
financial,
fy-2011,
iron man 2,
q1,
Sales,
sega,
sega-sammy,
Software
Related posts
Sega hasn't found a whole lot of luck porting its classic titles to the iPhone and iPod Touch, largely due to the twitchy nature of games like
Sonic the Hedgehog and the totally non-twitchy nature of the devices' virtual controllers. However, that might not be too huge a problem for the latest Genesis game on the App Store: the classic strategy-RPG
Shining Force.
The game is currently available on the App Store in North America for $2.99, and doesn't require any split-second spin dashes or evasive maneuvers, meaning you
might be able to play it on a glassy, buttonless surface. That's as good a selling point as any, we suppose.
Download: Shining Force for iPhone and iPod Touch ($2.99)Original Shining Force now available on App Store originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 30 Jul 2010 01:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink |
Email this |
Comments
Tags:
app-store,
Mobile,
sega,
shining-force,
strategy RPG
Related posts
Vanquish is following in the stiletto-heel footsteps of Platinum's last action game,
Bayonetta, in a couple of interesting ways. First, the Shinji Mikami-designed shooter is being outfitted with an optional "Casual Auto" difficulty level, much like
Bayonetta's "Easy Automatic" mode, designed to allow even those new to action games have a good time.
"Once you get your target on the enemy, the rest is easy as pie," Mikami said in the
blog post announcing the mode. "I'm sure saying it that way makes it sound totally uninteresting, but when you actually give it a shot, the tempo it gives the game play will make you jump up and say, 'Woohoo!'" That's the other way in which
Vanquish echoes
Bayonetta: exclamations. It's "Woohoo!" from the player, versus "Wuhhh!!" from
Bayonetta.
"You know ... 'Wuhhh!!'"
Vanquish also includes an unlockable "God Hard" difficulty. "I think our fans will get where this one is going," Mikami teased. We suspect
apocalyptic beatdowns are to be found within this mode.
Woohoo! Vanquish has 'Casual Auto' and 'God Hard' modes originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 29 Jul 2010 14:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink |
Email this |
Comments
Tags:
microsoft,
platinum-games,
Playstation,
PS3,
sega,
shinji-mikami,
shooter,
Vanquish,
wuhhh,
Xbox
Related posts
Just over a week since Sega
confirmed that
Thor: The Video Game was on track for next year, the company has released the first bits of media. There isn't much to go on at this point, with only a brief teaser trailer and a pair of concept art images, but allow us to make this bold prediction: The core gameplay mechanic will involve
smashing things.
Continue reading Thor teaser trailer drops the hammer
Thor teaser trailer drops the hammer originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 28 Jul 2010 14:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink |
Email this |
Comments
Tags:
Ds,
microsoft,
Nintendo,
Playstation,
PS3,
PSP,
sega,
Sony,
thor,
thor-the-video-game,
Wii,
Xbox
Related posts
Tags: Ds, microsoft, Nintendo, Playstation, PS3, PSP, sega, Sony, thor, thor-the-video-game, Wii, Xbox
The Mighty Thor is still coming to a game from Sega in 2011, and some new concept art shows off what looks to be a "God of War"-scale atmosphere, which is appropriate considering that the title character is the Norse God of Thunder.
The second of the two images posted on on the Sega Europe Blog looks like it could be Muspelheim, home of Thor's fire demon foe Surtur, who once held the Odinsword I assume to be sitting in the background above the lava.
The first picture is unfamiliar to me, though. Maybe some Thor aficionados reading this will be able to share some insight, but it looks quite Viking/Asgardian-ish with its designs and mystical contraptions. It appears to be some kind of port with a raft ready to dock. The bigger mystery is what all of its ropes are attached to up above.
Anyhow, the artwork looks great, but the pressure will be on to see how nice of a game Sega can make to complement Kenneth Branagh's "Thor" movie, which already has some heavy-duty buzz behind it following Comic-Con last week.
What are your expectations like for Sega's Thor game? Do you recognize anything in the concept artwork? Share your impressions in the comment section below.
Tags:
marvel,
NEWS,
sega,
thor
Related posts
The early Sega Genesis roguelike
Fatal Labyrinth was released on PC download services last week, but Sega doesn't appear to be done re-releasing it yet. The ESRB listing for the game shows, in addition to its existing PC and Wii (Virtual Console) releases, plans for Mac, PS3, and Xbox 360 versions of the game.
Fatal Labyrinth is actually already available on PS3 and Xbox, as part of
Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection, but a separate ESRB listing for those platforms suggests a standalone downloadable release, like those given to games like
Gunstar Heroes, Sonic & Knuckles, and
Phantasy Star II. Good news for those of you who don't want to spend around twenty dollars for the
fantastic deal that is the
Ultimate Genesis Collection.ESRB lists Fatal Labyrinth for PS3 and Xbox 360 originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 26 Jul 2010 13:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink |
Email this |
Comments
Tags:
Esrb,
Fatal-Labyrinth,
microsoft,
PC,
Playstation,
PS3,
psn,
Retro,
roguelike,
rpg,
sega,
Xbla,
Xbox
Related posts
Tags: Esrb, Fatal-Labyrinth, microsoft, PC, Playstation, PS3, psn, Retro, roguelike, rpg, sega, Xbla, Xbox
Thanks to the success of Sega's
first wave of Genesis games on PC, the company has announced that it's bringing more classics to digital distribution channels. Sold for $3 each, the new batch of games includes several favorites such as
Kid Chameleon,
Sonic Spinball,
Columns and
Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine (a re-skinned version of
Puyo Puyo). All the titles are available now from
Sega.com.
The games are also set to hit Steam, GamersGate, GameStreamer and other sellers in time for the weekend. Find a full list of titles after the break.
Continue reading Sega brings more Genesis classics to PC
Sega brings more Genesis classics to PC originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 23 Jul 2010 01:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink |
Email this |
Comments
Tags:
gamersgate,
genesis,
sega,
Sega Genesis,
sega-genesis-classics,
steam
Related posts
In a recent
developer blog at the Platinum Games website, director
Shinji Mikami discussed the changes
Vanquish has undergone during development. In the beginning, said Mikami,
Vanquish was "an open battlefield type of game, where the goal was to move around crushing enemy positions." As development progressed, however, it became clear that an open environment hurt the game. The reason, according to Mikami, was an increased level of "visual density." There were so many things happening on screen -- special effects, loads of enemies, etc. -- that it was hard for players to focus on the objective.
"In an environment where we were doing whatever we pleased," noted Mikami, "it became pretty obvious that there was no good way of keeping your eye on the prize - the enemies you are targeting." As such, a more linear style of play helps keep players focused. Furthermore, Mikami also notes that the staple enemy, a robot called a Gorgie, was changed from white to red in order to make it stand out from the predominantly gray background.
If
Vanquish turns out to be anything like Platinum's most recent action-fest,
Bayonetta, then helping players focus on killing baddies is
probably a good decision.
Increased 'visual density' led to a more linear Vanquish originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 22 Jul 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink |
Email this |
Comments
Tags:
microsoft,
platinum-games,
Playstation,
PS3,
sega,
shinji-mikami,
third-person-shooter,
Vanquish,
Xbox
Related posts
Recent Comments