Check out the Gamespot’s On the Spot show on 2/23 to catch a ton of new Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown info straight from our producer, Patrick Riley! He’ll be on hand to talk about new features in the upcoming release, as well as show off the game running on Xbox 360 / PS3! Once you check out the show, come on back and let us know what you think!

We are proud to announce that ‘Virtua Tennis 4: World Tour Edition’ has been released on the highly anticipated Playstation Vita as a launch title and is available to buy today. Now there is no reason to be without your favourite tennis stars as the game is now available on the go!

The game consists of a World Tour map, with a new season for PlayStation Vita and a wide variety of mini-games to take on.

‘Virtua Tennis 4: World Tour Edition’ has embraced the ability of the Vita by taking advantage of the touch Panel control, network functionality, motion sensing system and the camera.

Now through March 6, we’ve got some special deals for PSN and PSN+ users on PS3 and PSP games. Let me be the first to say now is a great time to be a PSN+ member – you can get the SEGA Genesis Bundle for free!

PlayStation 3

SEGA Genesis Bundle (Altered Beast, Comix Zone, Golden Axe, Sonic the Hedgehog 1, Sonic the Hedehog 2 and Streets of Rage 2): FREE on PSN+, $19.99 on PSN (was $29.94)

Drive Me Crazy Racing Bundle (Crazy Taxi and SEGA Rally Arcade) : $9.59 on PSN+, $11.99 on PSN (was $19.98)

Crazy Taxi: $7.99 (was $9.99)

 PSP

Sonic Rivals 1 and 2: $9.74 on PSN+, $12.99 on PSN (was $19.98)

Sonic Rivals 1: $5.99 on PSN+, $7.99 on PSN (was $9.99)

Sonic Rivals 2: $5.99 on PSN+, $7.99 on PSN (was $9.99)

Crazy Taxi: $4.99 (was $9.99)

Crush: $4.99 (was $9.99)

There have been many beloved songs in the last 20 years of Sonic Games. Just like Sonic Generations took some of the most beloved levels and remade them in both Classic and Modern formats, Jun Senoue (Crush40, and Musical Director for Sonic), composers Tomoya Ohtani and Kenichi Tokoi, and Alex Makhlouf (Cash Cash) did the same with the music.

You probably have a lot of questions about what it’s like to make music for Sonic, and about the specific tracks in Generations… and here’s your chance to ask them! Post your questions in the comments below, and we’ll select some for these musicians. We’ll post their answers here on the blog in a few weeks for all to enjoy.

We’re revealing new concept art for Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode II each Friday, so you can get a sneak peek at what we’ve got in store for you!

Don’t forget to check the Sonic Facebook page for one additional piece of concept art!

Since we announced Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode II in December, and even as we reveal concept art for the game, fans have been  champing at the bit for actual game images and gameplay. Just like that famous candy, I’ve got some for you now, and the other later.

For now… screens!

For later… we’ll be debuting our first gameplay trailer on Gamespot in one week, on February 23rd at 9am US Pacific time. There’s great stuff coming, so stay tuned!

Welcome to this week’s Free Stuff Friday prize pack.

Whats on Offer?

1. Tournament of Legend Wii [PAL Region] + Sonic Cross Bones T-Shirt

2. Sonic & SEGA All Stars Racing Wii [PAL Region] + Sonic Cross Bones T-Shirt

3. Iron Man 2 PS3 [PAL Region] + Sonic Cross Bones T-Shirt

4. The Golden Compass PC [Region Free] + Sonic Cross Bones T-Shirt

How it Works

1. You must be following us on Twitter to be eligible. (If you don’t have a Twitter account, you can create one by going to http://www.twitter.com and click the green “get started — join!” button in the center of the page.)

2. At random times on Friday, we will announce the prize we are giving away, a word or phrase, and what number of response you need to be to win. Send us a direct message (DM) via Twitter and be that number to win the prize. (@ replies do not count as entries!)

Example:

We tweet “GIVEAWAY: Sonic T-shirt, size L. Be the 15th person to DM “Sonic Adventure” to win!”

You see this, and want to win it, so you send us a direct message that says “Sonic Adventure”. If you are the 15th person to do so, you are the winner!

Quotation marks do not matter, capitalization does not matter, but spelling does matter!

3. All followers are eligible to win all prizes, unless a restriction is noted. Restrictions are usually due to the prize being region-locked. For example, US games that won’t work on UK gaming systems. There may also be age restrictions due to the rating of the game.

4. We will announce the winner on our Twitter feed once eligibility is confirmed.

How to Send Direct Messages on Twitter

Due to a change in our account status with Twitter, you should be able to send us direct messages without us following you.

There are a few ways to send us a Direct Message on Twitter. The easiest way is to go to our Twitter page and select “message” under the “Actions” heading in the side bar. If you do not see “message”, this means that we are not following you. Please send a message to @sega to let us know, and we will follow you. When you click “message” you will be taken to a window where you can type a message and press send.

You may also select the “direct messages” tab from your Twitter homepage, and select SEGA from the drop-down menu at the top of the page. Again, if you don’t see our name there, it’s probably because we’re not following you. Let us know, and we’ll follow you.

There are also many Twitter clients that you can use instead of using the website. These include TweetDeck, Twitteriffic, Tweetie, and Twhirl. Each of these programs works differently, so you’ll want to figure out how to send a direct message on the program you use. If you want to send us a test message, we’ll let you know if we received it.

Prepare yourself for a journey into the heart of a once-mighty civilization — into the heart of Fallen Realms, an old-school RPG adventure you take with you on your Android.

Adventures have been exploring the Realms since the game’s launch several months ago, and the game has seen a steady stream of updates since then, as well. In the world of Fallen Realms, you step in to explore ancient ruins and uncover seven dark artifacts which may save — or destroy — the world.

You will also find yourself stepping back in time: Fallen Realms is a faithful adaptation of an 8-bit or 16-bit console-style adventure, complete with building your party and following quests that lead you through dungeons, along with a turn-based combat system.

Some features of note:

• Designed for RPG veterans looking for a fun & portable adventure for their Android, or for new players looking for an easy-to-learn adventure where they can build a character and meet people.
• The game is hosted on Papaya  – join 32 million gamers across tons of free games and interact with other Fallen Realms adventurers on Papaya’s social network.
• Journey alone or add party members — including other Fallen Realms adventurers!

The game, by the way, is totally free to download and play. You will find your Brave (energy) allows you a certain amount of actions per day, and this will recharge naturally over time — even while you are inside a dungeon.

Check out these other updates for the game — now LIVE!:

Valentine’s Day Promotion

To celebrate Valentine’s Day, New Bonus quests have been released … In the name of Love, complete these quests and receive rare & powerful weapons!

NEW — PvP Battle Arena

Now players can fight one another in the Battle Arena! Earn BRAVE points for winning, and the best fighters will win exclusive items!

Free Giveaway for New Players

New players who install and create their character in Fallen Realms before February 28^th will get cool free items!

A bonus Rookie Mace and Rookie Shield will be given to those who finish the opening tutorial — these will help send you on your way!

Click here to go to the marketplace page for Fallen Realms on Android, or just search for Fallen Realms on your Android marketplace!

It’s finally here! The demo for the much anticipated third person, squad shooter Binary Domain is now available for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3!

Two missions await you in the demo, both pulled from earlier sections in the game. You’ll take command of Dan Marshall and work together with a squad of teammates from an elite international taskforce who watch and react to your every move. Your opposition come in the form of highly intelligent robotic opponents, you’ll have to work closely with your team and get a chance to try out Binary Domain’s ground breaking Consequence System. Interact with and influence teammates in a variety of ways never before seen in a third person shooter – leading your team to success, or failure depends on your ability to read the battle, and your teammates. Get your mics ready and start using voice recognition in combat and non-combat situations players have a more natural dialogue with their allies, one which affects their behavior and attitude.

We hope you enjoy the demo and are looking forward to the game – don’t forget to get those pre-orders in and pick up some exclusive in game rewards, weapons, and multiplayer maps!

Click here to view the embedded video.

We leave you with the recent Multiplayer Trailer that brings a whole new fight online! Post your impressions of the demo, let us know what you think!

By now, you’ve probably played (and beaten!) Sonic Generations a few times, but what you may not know is that there’s a hidden Statue Room, and codes to unlock many different statues. Some of these codes have been posted around the internet, but it’s time to make it official — here’s how to get to the Statue Room and some of the statues within.

To get to the Statue Room, go to the Collector’s Room (to the left of Green Hill Zone) and hold the back/select button for 5 seconds. The floor will drop out, landing  you in the Statue Room! Once you’re in, try these codes:

Modern Sonic – 204390

Classic Sonic – 171045

Modern Tails – 632951

Classic Tails – 359236

Knuckles – 679417

Rouge – 888200

Blaze – 544873

Chao – 629893

Modern Eggman – 613482

Classic Eggman – 103729

Metal Sonic – 277087

Shadow – 262416

Silver – 688187

Motobug – 483990

Buzz Bomber – 852363

Crabmeat – 363911

Chopper – 639402

Cop Speeder – 640456

Gun Hunter – 668250

Egg Pawn – 125817

Taker – 513929

Crower – 711268

Air Cannon – 329494

Egg Chaser – 200078

Spring – 070178

Item Box – 209005

Capsule – 777921

Ring – 390884

Chaos Emerald – 008140

]]> http://blogs.sega.com/2012/02/15/find-hidden-statues-in-sonic-generations/feed/ 34 http://blogs.sega.com/2012/02/14/hotd-3-launch/ http://blogs.sega.com/2012/02/14/hotd-3-launch/#comments Tue, 14 Feb 2012 18:00:00 +0000 kateburning http://blogs.sega.com/?p=12609 House of the Dead 3 hits the PlayStation Network today!]]>

The House of the Dead 3 hits PSN today. This HD release of the classic horror arcade shooter, fully updated with trophies and PlayStation Move support, is available exclusively on the PlayStation Store today for $6.99.

“We know not everyone has easy access to an arcade with a House of the Dead cabinet, so we wanted to give players around the world the chance to have that same experience in their living rooms,” said Haruki Satomi, Senior Vice President of Digital Business at SEGA of America. “We hope everyone enjoys The House of the Dead 3’s classic gameplay and new features, and look forward to introducing console owners to the fourth, previously arcade-only, installment later this spring.”

The House of the Dead 3 added a number of key features to the series’ creature-shooting roots, including interactive “rescue events” and a ranking and grading system that tracks each agent’s shot accuracy. This new console version of The House of the Dead 3 can be played using a PlayStation Move controller or a standard PlayStation controller, and as a special bonus SEGA has also included a unique reward for players to earn in-game: their very own virtual The House of the Dead 3 arcade cabinet for their PlayStation Home space!

PlayStation Dynamic Theme

As I mentioned last week, PS Plus members can get a free dynamic theme and avatars – we’ve got a few sneak peeks at the the theme over on our Flickr!

[The following blog comes from our old friend Superfuzz, a self described Father, Husband, Gamer, Ex-Phantasy Star Universe Game Master, and lover of classic arcade gaming. Enjoy this first report at the recent Tournament for Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown here in San Francisco!]

On February 10th, Sega, in conjunction with iplaywinner.com and SouthTown Arcade held the first ever North American Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown tournament here in San Francisco. It was a fun night in which people came from across the country to play the only cabinets located outside of Japan! For many, this was the first time that people were able to play Virtua Fighter 5 with Jean Kujo and Taka-Arashi, both of whom were introduced/reintroduced in Virtua Fighter 5 R, which was a revision that was only released in Japan.

Few games have the history, or the hardcore following that the Virtua Fighter series. From its beginnings as the original 3D polygon based fighter upon the games release in December of 1993, the game has quickly built a reputation for being an extremely technical fighter that rewards smart play over flashy combos and button mashing. Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown continues this tradition, while adding a more robust costume system and gameplay rebalancing. This was the first time that the public was able to play Final Showdown here in the states since the game was displayed at PAX back in September.

Although the arcade was packed with Sega fans eagerly awaiting their turn to be some of the first in the US to get a crack at Final Showdown, there was a lot of other Sega related items at the arcade that would have made the hardcore fans happy. From the Astro City arcade cabinets that were host to some of the newer Capcom fighters, to the large number of games that were still running on Naomi hardware, such as Border Down and Marvel VS. Capcom 2. One of the more exciting discoveries was Cosmic Smash, a game that I have never seen in person! I remember reading about it in the Official Dreamcast Magazine and being taken in by its visual style. The best way I can describe the game: mix the play mechanics of Virtua Tennis with the block-breaking gameplay of breakout, all with the visual style of Rez. Sounds good yea? The game was definitely an interesting piece of Sega history that took me by surprise!

It was a fun night and I will be looking forward to attending more tournaments at SouthTown in the future. Although the game is not on permanent play over at SouthTown, Sega will be bringing the game over to SouthTown over the next few months in preparation for the Xbox Live Arcade & PlayStation Network release of the title during the summer of this year. The following is a tentative schedule of dates in which the public can take part in a future Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown tournament. Since these dates are subject to change, it would be a good idea to check out https://www.SouthTownArcade.com for more information as the tournament dates come near:

• March 30th
• April 27th
• May 25th
• June 15th

Miss the event? Iplaywinner.com archived their full stream (including commentary!) for your viewing pleasure. Check the full stream here and pop over to flickr to view the event photos!

Mario and Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games is out for the Nintendo 3DS in Europe already, and is launching in North America tomorrow, February 14th. You’ve already seen our launch trailer, but here’s your chance to see our TV commercials.

15 Second Version

Click here to view the embedded video.

30 Second Version with Sonic Ending

Click here to view the embedded video.

30 Second Version with Mario Ending

Click here to view the embedded video.

We’re revealing new concept art for Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode II each Friday, so you can get a sneak peek at what we’ve got in store for you!

This week, meet CHOP CHOP.

Don’t forget to check the Sonic Facebook page for one additional piece of concept art!

Today we are pleased to present some truly heartwarming deals on popular mobile titles, including the hit HD re-release of Sonic CD - just in time for Valentine’s Day. Whether you’re looking to impress a potential Valentine or just treat yourself to a few new games, don’t miss your date with these deals on the App Store and Android Marketplace! Sale prices are valid 2/11 through 2/14.

iOS

Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 (iPad) – $2.99/£1.99 was $4.99/£2.99

Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 (iPhone) – $1.99/£1.49 was $3.99/£2.49

Sonic CD -$2.99/£1.99 was $4.99/£2.99

Streets of Rage 2 -$0.99/£0.69 was $2.99/£1.99

Streets of Rage 3 – $0.99/£0.69 was $2.99/£1.99

Altered Beast -$0.99/£0.69 was $2.99/£1.99

Golden Axe 2 -$0.99/£0.69 was $2.99/£1.99

Golden Axe 3 -$0.99/£0.69 was $2.99/£1.99

Gunstar Hero -$0.99/£0.69 was $2.99/£1.99

Virtua Fighter 2 - $0.99/£0.69 was $1.99/£1.49

Super Monkey Ball- $0.99/£0.69 was $1.99/£1.49

Super Monkey Ball 2 - $0.99/£0.69 was $1.99/£1.49

Super Monkey Ball 2: Sakura Edition - $0.99/£0.69 was $2.99/£2.99

Android

Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 – $1.99/£1.28 was $3.99/£2.56

Sonic CD – $2.99/£1.92 was $4.99/£3.20

Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games releases on the Nintendo 3DS today in Europe, and this coming Tuesday in North America. Check out our launch trailer, and get excited to play!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Check out the box you’ll be picking up when Colonial Marines releases this fall!

We love it and hope you do too – let us know in the comments!

Click here to view the embedded video.

On the Block

1. Sonic Valentines, Sonic CD Lanyard and SEGA bag!

2. Giggles Bobblehead! 

3. Large Shirts! Out Run, Resonance of Fate and Sonic & Tails

4. Medium Shirts! Yakuza 4, “Tronic” and Napoleon Total War

5. Small Shirts! Resonance of Fate, Infinite Space and Sonic Boom

6. Extra Large Shirts! Phantasy Star, Yakuza 4 and Sonic Boom

How it Works

1. You must be following us on Twitter to be eligible. (If you don’t have a Twitter account, you can create one by going to http://www.twitter.com and click the green “get started — join!” button in the center of the page.)

2. At random times on Friday, we will announce the prize we are giving away, a word or phrase, and what number of response you need to be to win. Send us a direct message (DM) via Twitter and be that number to win the prize. (@ replies do not count as entries!) We only accept one direct message per person per prize!

Example:

We tweet “GIVEAWAY: Sonic T-shirt, size L. Be the 15th person to DM “Sonic Adventure” to win!”

You see this, and want to win it, so you send us a direct message that says “Sonic Adventure”. If you are the 15th person to do so, you are the winner!

Quotation marks do not matter, capitalization does not matter, but spelling does matter!

3. All followers are eligible to win all prizes, unless a restriction is noted. Restrictions are usually due to the prize being region-locked. For example, US games that won’t work on UK gaming systems. There may also be age restrictions due to the rating of the game.

4. We will announce the winner on our Twitter feed once eligibility is confirmed.

Other Assorted Information:

• Free Stuff Friday duties alternate between the London and San Francisco offices and are done during business hours (usually mid-morning) in our respective time zones.
• No, you can’t know what number message you were – so please don’t ask! We will tell you that the information is classified!
• If you have questions during the giveaway, please contact us with an @reply. As you can imagine, we get a whole lot of direct messages during the contests and there  is a very good chance we will miss your question if it is sent as a DM.

How to Send Direct Messages on Twitter

Due to a change in our account status with Twitter, you should be able to send us direct messages without us following you. However, third-party applications may not allow you to.

There are a few ways to send us a Direct Message on Twitter. The easiest way is:

1. Log in to your Twitter account.
2. Click on the person icon and select Direct messages from the drop down menu.
3. You’ll see a pop up showing your Direct message history. Click the New message button, highlighted below.
4. In the address box, type the name or username (SEGA) of the person you wish to send a message to.
5. Enter your message and click Send message.

You may also select the “direct messages” tab from your Twitter homepage, and select SEGA from the drop-down menu at the top of the page. Again, if you don’t see our name there, it’s probably because we’re not following you. Let us know, and we’ll follow you. If you still have questions on sending direct messages, please visit Twitter’s Help Section.

There are also many Twitter clients that you can use instead of using the website. These include TweetDeck, Twitteriffic, Tweetie, and Twhirl. Each of these programs works differently, so you’ll want to figure out how to send a direct message on the program you use. If you want to send us a test message, we’ll let you know if we received it or not. Please make sure your message says “test” somewhere.

We’re pretty excited to have a series of trailers coming your way all about Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown. Today’s video is a lesson in history straight from Makoto Osaki and Daichi Katagiri of AM2. Sit back and relax as they walk you through the original game to the current version of Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown!

Click here to view the embedded video.