It’s Halloween day at SEGA, and some of our employees came dressed in their best costumes! Since they went to all that work, I wanted to showcase their efforts here on the blog.

We’ve got some more photos on our Flickr feed, so you can see the rest of them there.

Just on the heels of the Japanese release this week, new information is now out about Bayonetta‘s US and EU release dates. Gamers around the world will soon taste the non-stop action from acclaimed PlatinumGames in their U.S. living rooms on January 5th and European January 8th!

In Japan, Bayonetta is just now reaching the hands of the Japanese gamers and we’re seeing some initial reviews from Japanese gaming press. One very huge review came out this last week from Famitsu, arguably the biggest and most well known gaming publication in Japan. What was the score and reaction? A perfect 40/40 for Xbox 360 and 38/40 for Playstation 3. That is huge and confirms what we’ve been saying inside the office – Bayonetta is one of the best action games we’ve ever played, just look to our CEO’s quote from the official press release:

“Traditionally high scoring games in Famitsu go on to perform very well at retail in both Japan and the rest of the world. PlatinumGames set out to deliver a game that redefines the 3D action genre, and we feel that they have set a benchmark for future games in the genre to aspire to,” said Mike Hayes, CEO of SEGA America & SEGA Europe. “We chose a January ship date for BAYONETTA as we firmly believe that it is the best time for SEGA and our retail partners to launch this exciting new IP in the West, and push for a number #1 retail slot. BAYONETTA is a huge title for us and the perfect start for the New Year, both for SEGA and gamers across the West.”

We’re looking forward to seeing the Japanese community’s response to the game and are especially looking forward to delivering it to both US and Europe this January. Congratulations Bayonetta!

When we last left Mario & Sonic in TV commercial land, they were trying to get through the airport security line. You’ll be pleased to know that they made it on to the plane with a bunch of other athletes. Wouldn’t you know it… people started playing some Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games to help the flight go faster!

Happy Halloween! Well, almost. To help get you in the mood, we’ve got a brand-new trailer featuring characters from House of the Dead. Enjoy!