Today, it’s time to give back!

People across the world have felt the effects of the massive earthquake and tsunami in Japan. As someone who was there when it all happened, we saw firsthand many of the challenges that the Japanese people are now going through. Now, more than ever, it’s crucial that we all do our part to help those who truly need it.

Here at SEGA, we’ve decided to gather some of the rarest, most unique items we could find, and we’re auctioning them all off right now, donating 100% of the funds to the Red Cross to assist in Japan relief efforts.

If you’re a SEGA fan, this is your chance – bid on super rare SEGA merchandise, and do your part to help Japan in this crucial time of need.

To all those in the SEGA Community – let’s get this started!

Yakuza Track Jacket

A super-rare, high-quality Yakuza Track Jacket! Originally valued at over $200, we’ve started the bidding at .99 cents! This jacket is officially licensed from Ryu Ga Gotoku, or “Yakuza” here in the west. It looks and feels like one of the most epic jackets you could ever own – and, if Nagoshi himself is willing to wear it, it probably is.

You can also see this item in today’s edition of “On the Spot” over at Gamespot!

Bid on this item now!

Dreamcast Hoodie

We created these for the recently-release Dreamcast Collection, and they’ve been super popular ever since. We’ve given away many of them through Free Stuff Friday and partnerships with other sites, but we still get asked all the time how people can buy one of them. Until today, the answer was that you can’t. This is your chance to pay for a hoodie — just be the highest bidder, and its yours. We have sizes XS, M, L, and XL (sorry, we’re out of smalls!).

Bid on this item now!

Dreamcast Bag

This is from the Dreamcast days… a big bag to hold all your stuff. We found this in our old office, rescued it, and have been hanging on to it for several years now, just waiting for the right occasion to part with it. This is it! It is a big bag (about 17 inches wide and 15 inches tall) and was originally intended to hold your Dreamcast console, controllers, etc. It could be used for that, or as a cool computer or book bag. There is one zippered pocket on the front (just above the logo), and it zips open to reveal one interior front pocket and 4 smaller mesh pockets on the back to organize your stuff. It has two handles at the top for hand carrying, a shoulder strap, and also some backpack straps, if that’s how you choose to roll.

Bid on this item now!

Yakuza 4 Officially Licensed T-Shirt from Japan

This is an amazing shirt. It’s officially licensed, and has the Ryu Ga Gotoku tag still on it. It’s a black long-sleeve shirt in a size XL, but it’s a Japanese XL so it’s smaller than a US size XL. But you may not even want to wear it, because it’s so pretty! The front, sleeves, and back have a tattoo design in gold — as you can see, it’s very intricate and shiny. This shirt sells in Japan for approximately $110 US, so it’s definitely rare and valuable!

Bid on this item now!

Valkyria Chroncles – Signed copy for PS3

One of SEGA’s best games for the PS3 – and perhaps one of the best games on the console itself – this is a rare chance to pick up a shiny copy of Valkyria Chronicles, signed by two key members of the Japanese development team. This includes Ryutaro Nonaka, the game’s producer from SEGA of Japan! The winning bid scores both the open case and a brand-new, unopened copy of the game, still in its original shrink-wrap. How’s that for awesome?

Bid on this item now!

Yakuza 4 US Promo T-Shirt

While less rare than the Yakuza shirt above it, this is still a pretty rare item. We made 500 of these shirts to promote Yakuza 4, and just because they are more subtle than your average game t-shirt doesn’t mean it’s any less awesome. We have these in size M, L, or XL (winner picks their size). It’s a black short-sleeve shirt with a tattoo design over the shoulder, and the Yakuza 4 logo on the opposite sleeve. The screenprint design continues over the shoulder and on to the back of the shirt.

Bid on this item now!

Sonic Colors Kiosk Art

This is art that was originally placed in demo kiosks for Sonic Colors. Now it could be yours! There are 6 pieces in total, each with a different design of Sonic and his Wisp friends from the game. Each piece is about 28 inches tall and 9 inches wide, and they’d look great hanging on your wall!

Bid on this item now!

Virtua Tennis Sweatbands

These are some brand-new promo items for the upcoming Virtua Tennis 4 game. Keep your forehead dry during long jogs or some marathon gaming sessions. You get 5 sweatbands in total — one in each color we made — to keep yourself cool.

Bid on this item now!

Super Monkey Ball Step & Roll Promo Poster Art

This is a piece of promo art that we used at several locations during the promotion of Super Monkey Ball Step & Roll. It’s a really big poster — 28 inches wide and 35 inches tall — and it’s mounted on heavy 1/4 inch foam core. This is a piece of art that will stand the test of time!

Bid on this item now!

OutRun Art – Signed by Yu Suzuki

If this looks familiar to you, you’re probably a frequent Free Stuff Friday viewer/participant. This was one of our prizes for last week’s giveaway. The winner contacted us and asked to donate it to an auction to benefit relief in Japan, and we were happy to oblige. Thanks to @bdavid81, who gave up his prize for auction.

Bid on this item now!

Yakuza 4 – Model Car Kit

Nothing says “I was once top boss of the Tojo clan” like a painmobile. (Well, that’s the literal translation, at least.) This rare Yakuza Model Car Kit comes to us from Japan, and includes a ton of awesome car stickers for use as decals! Instructions might be in Japanese, but thankfully, the box itself has enough English to tell you what you need to get this model put together and painted up.

Bid on this item now!

The House of the Dead: OVERKILL – Promo “Meat” Package

This is a medium-sized (12 inches by 7 inches) package wrapped in brown butcher’s paper and packing tape with a House of the Dead OVERKILL logo sticker on the front. Inside is a styrofoam tray similar to what you’d find in a butcher shop. On that will be a fake body part of some kind — a hand, a foot, an internal organ — we don’t know what it is, because the package is unopened! So, have a heart, and you may get a heart in return!

P.S. – Not for kids!

Bid on this item now!

Sonic the Hedgehog Limited Edition Lanyard

This is a black ribbon-style lanyard with the running sprite animation from the original Sonic the Hedgehog. We made these for PAX Prime 2010, and they were a monster hit. If you didn’t get a chance to pick one up, you can do so now — and for a good cause, too!

Bid on this item now!

MADWORLD Gamestop Manager’s  Pre-order Kit

Better watch your step! This is a kit that was handed out to GameStop managers and employees before the launch of MADWORLD. It is a MADWORLD-branded box, that has the SEGA and GameStop logo on it as well as “MADWORLD Employee Kit” on it. Inside, there is a big red plastic button (like the Staples “easy” button) that takes 3 AAA batteries and makes a chainsaw noise when pressed. The kit also contains a bag of “Pre-Order Today” buttons with the MADWORLD logo on them, and a package of MADWORLD stickers. These stickers have the “Caution” sign design that was used throughout the marketing campaign. The box also includes a flyer for GameStop store managers.

Bid on this item now!

Sonic Classic Collection – Signed by Ken Balough

The cover of this game has been autographed in silver pen by Ken Balough, who many Sonic fans know as the SEGA Brand Manager for Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode I. The front cover says “Sonic 4 games in one as you truly imagined it – Ken”. This is a blend of two recurring jokes: The first came about from the SEGA US community managers teasing that this was “Sonic 4 … games in one”. We made this joke several times on our blogs and Free Stuff Friday videos, and it’s possible that it is only funny to us. The second part, “as you truly imagined it” is a quote from Ken himself, and it became a meme within the Sonic community. Ken is a great guy, and doesn’t mind laughing at himself, so he signed this on the game for a lucky fan to cherish.

Bid on this item now!

Valkyria Chronicles – Rare Promo Poster Art

What you’re looking at is one of the rarest pieces of original Valkyria Chronicles promotional merch in the west. Featuring Welkin Gunther, Alicia Melchiott, and their tank the Edelweiss, this beautiful piece of art was printed on a huge piece of glossy, thick posterboard, and was one of three pieces of promo Art used at the Valkyria Chronicles Launch Event in San Francisco.  Now you can bid on this exclusive piece of promo art and help Japan at the same time!

Bid on this item now!

NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams Pillowcase

Dream delight! One of the more unique pieces of promotional merchandise we’ve ever created, this NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams pillowcase is the perfect addition to any NiGHTS fan’s collection. (Not to mention, you can actually sleep on it!)

Bid on this item now!

Yakuza 4 Japanese Promo Fan

This is a fan that we picked up at the Tokyo Game Show in 2009. It’s got a tattoo design and the Japanese website for Yakuza 4 on one side, and the Japanese logo for the game on the other.

Bid on this item now!

Check them out on video!

Want to see some of the items above on film? Check out the video we’ve put together to show them off on YouTube! Almost all of the items listed are shown, though we’ve had even more items join the auction pool after filming.

Good luck, and happy bidding!

On behalf of all of us here at SEGA, thank you to everyone to who bids and donates to help Japan in this time of need. Good luck on all those rare pieces of SEGA merchandise – we hope you’ll give each and every item an awesome new place to call home!

SEGA!

Hooray for free stuff!

If limited edition SEGA Swag has your interest, this contest is one you won’t to pass up. We’ve teamed up with the guys over at VGChartz once again to offer our communities some special prizes, including:

• Resonance of Fate T-shirts
• Infinite Space T-shirts
• Phantasy Star T-shirts
• Sands of Destruction Sweatbands
• Valkyria Chronicles DLC Codes

To enter, all you have to do is drop a comment on their contest page letting them know which upcoming SEGA game you’re most looking forward to.

You can enter their contest here, or by clicking on the picture above.

Good luck guys, and enjoy the swag!

Recently, we set out to Boston to visit a the Penny Arcade East convention and show off some of our titles and one of my favorite games, Alpha Protocol. It’s always a bit of a downer to be back in the office after a fun event, especially such an active event like PAX, but the added bonus is to post all the fun photos from the show for those that couldn’t attend. If you haven’t been to a Penny Arcade and you consider yourself a gamer, you have to come; it’s great. Penny Arcade is just fun and it’s filled with people that love games; from the costumes, to the attire, to the smiles and good-natured conversations. I’m a fan.

One of the joys of coming to an event like PAX is meeting die hard Sega fans and fans of our games. One of our favorite things is when we can walk over user feedback to our teams and relay conversations and opinions back to the Sega. Fans are passionate, we’re passionate; it works out great. So in walking the floor of PAX, I have two pictures of fans I met that make me smile and a brief description of each. The first is a shot of someone rocking our Bayonetta Penny Arcade T-shirt. I love the photo because you can tell how proud he is to have it and be at Penny Arcade. I was equally excited to see him with it on!

The second image is of a Sonic fan, Max, who I met at the booth. We talked about Sonic 4 and how it wasn’t on the show floor (boo) and general discussions on the Sonic series. We had a small number of shirts to pass out to mega fans, costumed fans, and general supporters and Max wanted one and I wanted to give him one. Before we could pass along a shirt, I asked him jokingly to prove how big a Sega fan he was and man, did he come through and reveal his Sonic pride. First a shirt, which was enough for me, but then a wallet, keychain and even pulled out a NeoGeo pocket to reveal a Sonic cartridge, nice. It was awesome and a shirt well earned.

Cosplay – Two Bayonettas

One thing that always catches me off guard is costumes. I love them. I’m thrilled when people take the time to create them, and I love the attention to detail in the outfits they create. While at the show on Friday and Sunday, I had the good fortune of meeting not one, but two Bayonettas! Both looked the part perfectly, complete with expert hairdos, attention to detail, and both very tall. Enjoy the photos of their efforts, including a surprise visit by Luka. The costumes were amazing and one of the unexpected highlights of the show for me, thanks for being awesome and coming by the booth!  More photos are available on our Flickr of the costumes, head on over to check them out.

Sega Classics

Penny Arcade is a celebration of all things gaming, which includes not only current releases and big booth spaces, but also smaller rooms for table top gaming and a whole section devoted to old school / classic gaming. The classic section held a good deal of games ranging from a variety of systems and Sega stuff was very prominent. For your general enjoyment, you can walk in, grab a Dreamcast game of your choice and relax with a gem you haven’t played in a while – all free of charge and for the pure enjoyment of the activity. Walking through, I saw Sonic Adventure DC, Streets of Rage 2, ToeJam and Earl, and a big crowd around Bomberman on the Saturn.

So why did I travel all the way to Penny Arcade East to spend most of my time off the floor? We had a very special limited demo for some the gaming press to show off Alpha Protocol. The game, as you may or may not know, features a high degree of choice and reactivity, which we did our best to show off to the people in attendance. The real challenge in demoing is in the reactivity, rather than the choice elements. Choice is something people understand, while reactivity is subjective to what you, as the player, do throughout the game. Reactivity in Alpha Protocol is what makes a custom experience, what makes one scenerio play out differently than before, and ultimately shapes the choices you make (both obvious and subtle) in the long and short term of the game. The demo featured, in part, how one conversation in one small part of the world could play out, depending on how you treated a key character in the game up until that point. Unlike other games of the choice RPG genre, the two outcomes we offered are only two extremes outcomes of many – play the section of the game again and you could hit a completely different outcome, that’s just how Alpha Protocol works.

To help further illustrate the heavy emphasis on freedom of choice and overall game reactivity, Obsidian Entertainment was on hand for a Penny Arcade Panel, “But Thou Must”, which looked at the history of choice in games, a look at how Alpha Protocol will change choice and reactivity in games, and the importance of Apple Juice in the development community. On hand for the talk was Joseph Bulock [Cinematics Designer, Obsidian Entertainment], Shon Stewart [Lead Cinematics Animator, Obsidian Entertainment], Matt MacLean [Lead Systems Designer, Obsidian Entertainment], and Chris Avellone [Lead Designer, Obsidian Entertainment]. The panel was completely packed and for good reason, Obsidian Entertainment has made a name for themselves in creating excellent games with excellent choice mechanics. The panel went great, informative, and funny. The best part is we got the entire thing on tape and we’re working to get it out and uploaded for everyone to view. I won’t spoil any of it, except to say it was a great presentation and well worth the trip to Penny Arcade.

So there you have it! Be sure to check out our flickr page for a few more photos from the show floor and as always, leave us your comments!

In case you haven’t already, be sure to get your votes in for PSO-World’s Rappies make it better contest! Celebrate PS0 and the PS series’ Rappy Heritage – and give some props to the people behind all the fantastic entries, which you can see on their contest page.

Vote for your favorites here, and be sure to check back on PSOW soon for the winners! Good luck to everyone who submitted entries, and seriously – nice job. (We got a good kick out of these here in the office!)

Hello from SEGA!

As promised, Monday is here and we’ve got new details about our first ever Play With SEGA! Event, this time featuring Phantasy Star Zero! First up, the event details:

Event Details:

• Who: Anyone with a copy of Phantasy Star Zero and internet access!
• When: Tuesday, Nov. 17th, from 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM Pacific time!
• Where: That magical place we call the internet.

How to sign up for the event

• First, check to make sure you can attend and will be free at the time the event begins tomorrow!
• Second, take a look at the open brackets (We have different difficulties up for different players) and figure out who you’d ideally like to play with!
• Once you’re decided, post here on the blogs with your PSZ name, your friend code, and the party you’d like to jump in! Please also provide an alternate party, just in case your first choice gets filled!

Parties will fill up on a first-come, first-served basis, so be sure to get your comments in fast! We will be posting our SEGA Friend codes here on this blog on Tuesday, so be sure to check back often to see if you made the list, and if so, to add the others who will be in your group!

The Event Attendee List

Party 1:

• Aaron – 1204 9290 9672 (Ruby – PSZ Community Manager) – Hard Difficulty
  
• Andy – 2149 8265 1760
• Snafu – 2622 2722 7853
• Kakeru – 1634 4282 2368

Party 2

• Clumsyorchid – 2922 9084 5300 (SEGA Community Manager) - Hard Difficulty
• Dax – 2278 6735 7235
• Ifrian – 2708 1698 4313
• Kairi – 2450 4720 9801

Party 3:

• Edward – 2794 0782 0537 (PSU Community Manager) – Normal Difficulty
  
• Azier – 3781 9145 5404
• GldSonic – 0947-2386-8936
• Ana – 1419-6800-2154

Party 4:

• Kellie – 4640 9139 0822 (SEGA Community Manager) – Normal Difficulty
• Rondo – 4898-6037-0203
• Link – 3051-7690-1481
• Akaimizu – 0818 3842 4440

Party 5:

• Updated: Jeremy – 4597 9645 0166 (Lead PSU Tester) – Normal Difficulty
  
• Teraku – 5414 0060 4028
• Gspawn – 0302 9893 4434
• feiticeira – 0990 1903 9486

Party 6:

• Elvin - 1161 9906 3495 (PSZ PR Manager) – Normal Difficulty ***NOTE: This party will be starting between 4:10 and 4:20 Pacific.****
  
• Skjoldr – 4855 6552 4481
• Fin – 2837 0267 8476
• Zephton – 4168 4653 3612

Party 7:

• Rich – 1290 8395 5554 (SEGA Web Producer) – Normal Difficulty
• Bakuryuu – 1333 7834 4520
• Para – 2922-9259-4324
• Orion – 1462-6294-4164

Party 8:

• Rob – 4340-2460-2253 (SEGA Customer Service Manager) – Normal Difficulty
  
• Mitts – 0818 3844 1229
• Yamishi – 4469 1070 0456
• Rayzidd – 0904-2838-2526

Party 9:

• Aaron P. – 3696 0213 5856 (PR Coordinator) – Normal Difficulty
  
• Koriko – 2235 7237 2931
• GHNeko – 0174-1395-9244
• Gemel – 3008-8179-4031

Party 10

• Updated: Ruby – Round II @ 5:00 PM! – 1204 9290 9672
• Dragna – 4898-6079-8079
• Misaki Ki – 5328-1029-8367
• Blazinblue – 3481 2643 2333

Party 11

• Evan – 2665 2290 9523 (SEGA Customer Support) – Normal Difficulty
  
• Taco – 2020-9756-8325
• Nilam – 4254 3625 7390
• Dan – 0861-3370-4070

Party 12

• Marj – 4640 9140 4621 (SEGA Web Producer) – Normal Difficulty
  
• Hamblsto – 0045-2904-6901
• Rath – 3524 2142 8715
• Kireek – 1849-1768-2477

Party 13

• Jackie – 4340 2663 3595 (SEGA Web Producer) – Normal Difficulty
  
• Sair – 2751-1200-8137
• Zabrio – 4812 7043 2145
• Zach – 3094-7173-2025

Phantasy Star Zero has arrived!

As the game ships across the country, we’re celebrating the launch of PSZ with the announcement of our first big event, new avatars, and a Rappy T-shirt giveaway!

Our first PSZ Event: Play with SEGA!

Want to team up with the folks at SEGA and run through some dungeons? This is your chance to run with those of us in San Francisco – no matter where you live – and score some sweet Visual Chat (and maybe exclusive items!) at the same time!

When: Tuesday, November 17th from 4:00 – 6:00 PM Pacific!

Who: Anyone with a copy of Phantasy Star Zero!

How to join: Be among the first to post your friend code in the comments when we post the Event Blog next Monday! We have room for at least 30 or so people, and might even take that higher if community response is high!

New Phantasy Star Zero avatars!

Also to celebrate today’s launch, we’ve added a whole new set of Phantasy Star Zero avatars to the forums! These avatars can be selected in your User CP and instantly applied to your account! Today we’ve added avatars for the following classes and characters:

Classes:

• HUcaseal
• FOnewm

Story Characters

• Sarisa
• Kai
• Reve

Check them out on the SEGA boards, and use them here on the PSZ Forum!

Check out the official Rappy T-shirt!

Bask in its glory! The Rappy T-shirt is now revealed, and we know what’s going through your mind right now - something to the tune of: Can I have one?

We’re going to be giving these shirts away to a number of SEGA Community and Fansites for PSZ cross-promotions, including special chances to win them for Phantasy Star Universe subscribers on PC/PS2 and Xbox 360! In the days to come, keep your eyes peeled for all sorts of cool ways to snag your very own limited edition (and super rare) Rappy T-shirt!

How excited are you guys for Phantasy Star Zero? Let loose all that built up excitement in the comments below, and keep on checking your local game stores – PSZ is here!

With only a single day left until Phantasy Star Zero ships in the US, we’re bringing you all a new forum skin to celebrate the launch! You can check out the skin here in our Phantasy Star Zero forum.

5/5 Rappies approve.

The new skin is notably more blue than its PSU counterpart, and at the top you’ll find the logo and a cast of characters, with each of the three races represented. We hope you guys are all as excited as we are about this game finally arriving – on launch day, we’ll be unveiling even more new avatars, and also announcing our first exciting online PSZ event!

And just in case you haven’t heard yet, we’ve also launched the Official Phantasy Star Zero Community Website! You can check it out at www.sega.com/ps0 for lots of details about the game, classes, and a few hidden extras here and there. Last week we also added a new Visual Chat page, and this week things are really going to pick up.

We worked really hard to make sure the site is a lot more entertaining and fun to read than your average video game site, so we hope you all enjoy it!

Hey there Phantasy Star fans,

The PSZ Community Day Event is almost here! As promised, we’ve now got full details including time, what to bring, and what you can expect from our first event where fans like yourselves get to visit SEGA! Please note that due to the overwhelming response last weekend, we have upped the reservation list from to thirty people. This means that there are still a few spots left!

Who: You! If you’re on the reservation list below, you can attend!

When: Wendesday, November 4th from 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM.

Where: SEGA of America, 350 Rhode Island Street, Suite 400, San Francisco. Come up to the 4th floor and check in with our receptionist!

What to bring: Your Nintendo DS or DSi !

Details: For the first time ever, SEGA is hosting a special event that is open to both press and our fanbase! Phantasy Star fans are to invited visit our office for a special three-hour multiplayer session with Phantasy Star Zero!  Fans will need to bring their own DS or DSi – we’ll provide the rest, including snacks and drinks! Space is limited, so make sure you’re on the reserve list below. Those on this list need to post here or contact RubyEclipse on the SEGA forums to confirm their reservation.

The Reservation List:

1. Daniella- Confirmed!
   
2. Ron- Confirmed!
   
3. Pants – Confirmed!
   
4. Allan & his brother – Confirmed!
   
5. Andrew R. – Confirmed!
   
6. Anthony Carreon - Confirmed!
   
7. William C. – Confirmed!
   
8. Paul Tidd – Confirmed!
9. Paul’s Brother – Confirmed!
   
10. Travis G. - Confirmed!
    
11. Andrew G. – Confirmed!
12. Krupp’s Friend – Confirmed!
    
13. DeVeAn – Confirmed!
    
14. Ryan Cameron - Confirmed!
15. Steve Cameron – Confirmed!
    
16. Jason – Confirmed!
    
17. Nai_Calus – Confirmed!
    
18. Juan – Confirmed!
    
19. Jonathan – Confirmed!
    
20. Robert W. - Confirmed!
21. Robert’s Friend – Confirmed!
    
22. Jonathan’s Friend – Confirmed!
    
23. Mario – Confirmed!
24. Skubator – Confirmed!
    
25. Gabe Ponce – Confirmed!
    
26. Peter – Confirmed!
27. Tami – Confirmed!
28. Sarah R. – Confirmed!
29. Oscar - Confirmed!
30. Eliwood – Confirmed!
    

The Waiting List

1. Tenshinoneko
2. Tenshinoneko’s Friend

How to confirm your reservation

If your name is on this list, all you need to do is post here on the Blog or send me (RubyEclipse) a Private Message on the forums to confirm your reservation. Once your reservation above has “Confirmed!” next to it, your name is on the final guest list and you’re all prepared for the visit!

How to get here:

Need directions on how to get to us here at SEGA? Not sure which map result is really the right one? Look no further – our address is:

350 Rhode Island Street
Suite 400
San Francisco, CA 94103
USA

MapQuest Link

Final Details

As mentioned on the PSU Forums, we will also be holding a special 30 minute Q & A Session with the Phantasy Star Universe Game Masters from 8:00-8:30 PM, just after the PSZ event finishes.

And that’s that! Cameras are welcome, and while we obviously can’t show off too much of the office (secrets, secrets!), you guys will get to take pictures in the event room we have set up, of our lobby, and with all of the SEGA staff that will be there.

If you’re on the list, please get your confirmations in as soon as possible here on the blog or on the forum! There are also a few spots left open, so if you’ve got a friend with a DS/i who also wants to come along, you can hurry and reserve them a space. Anyone who is reserved (name in bold) needs to respond by this coming Monday, Nov 2nd, or that spot will be going out to the next person in line on the waiting list.

Until next week – we’ll see you guys at 5 PM on November 4th!

Hi everyone,

If you happen to live near San Francisco, and would like to see what SEGA’s offices look like – oh, and if you’d like a chance to play Phantasy Star Zero before anyone else, and win some prizes while doing so – then you might find this post to be full of win.

For the first time (ever, I think), SEGA of America is looking to hold a special event here in San Francisco to celebrate the upcoming release of Phantasy Star Zero in the US! We’d like to mix it up from simply press this time, and invite all Phantasy Star fans around the Bay area (or who can make it here) to join us for an early taste of PSZ, free swag, and a chance at winning some even bigger prizes! Everyone who attends goes home with a free Inflatable Rappy.

When everyone goes home with a Rappy, you know it’s a good event.

Right now we’re looking to get estimates on how many people think they can attend. The event would be in the evening and is tentatively planned for November 4th, so that you guys have some time to take off work or plan a day trip down.

So, we’d like to hear – are any of you guys interested or able to attend? We are going to limit this event to the first 20 or so people on the list, so even though we haven’t revealed all the details yet, you can post on this thread and reserve your spot ahead of time.

Thanks everyone – we hope you guys enjoy this special chance to check out both PSZ and SEGA! We’ll be posting full details about the event soon.

When I was younger, I used to dream of accomplishing at least a few big dreams in life – one of those, as the longtime blog readers here know, was working at SEGA. The second was one I’ve hoped for since Jr. High school, when I did two-day presentation on the country – and that dream was to one day go to Japan.

On Monday, that dream will become a reality as I board a plane bound for Tokyo and set off overseas. While there, I’m going to bringing you guys coverage from the Tokyo Game Show, a special visit to SEGA of Japan, and a daily journal about my travels. Whether you’re excited about our upcoming games like Valkyria Chronicles II or Phantasy Star Zero, the legacy behind classic SEGA games and arcades, or a mix of both like myself, you’ll be able to check back here every night (Tokyo time, that is) for new content exclusive to the SEGA Blogs!

Ask your questions to developers!

It’s your chance to ask a question to teams like the one behind this gem of a game – don’t miss it!

After TGS is over, I’ll be going to the SEGA of Japan offices to meet with some of their teams face to face – and that’s where you guys come in. Got a question you always wanted to ask a developer, but never had the chance? Send them my way, I’ll grab the best to include in my interview, and you might see your Q&A posted here on the blog! Post your questions over the weekend on this blog post, and let me know who you want to address it to. You can pose questions for:

• Resonance of Fate (Tri-Ace)

• Phantasy Star Zero (Sonic Team)

• Valkyria Chronicles I/II (SEGA WOW)

So get to it! This is the first time ever that SEGA is offering our community front-row seats to both TGS and a special look at parts of our Japanese offices. We’re stoked to see it happen, and we hope you guys are just as excited to hear the news.

Until Monday then – have a great weekend guys!