#Dragon Force (Sega Series)

[annon-guy2]

SEGA Saturn Collection Game Volume Two - Voting Poll

Note 1: Puyo Puyo and Madō Monogatari were owned by Compile until SEGA bought the rights, so it is now a SEGA owned IP.

Note 2: Atlus Games is now a subsidiary of SEGA, so Devil Summoner is included here.

Note 3: Even if you hadn't played the game yet, you can still vote for that option if it appeals or interests you.

[doamarierose-honoka]

Yoshitaka Tamaki, the artist and character designer behind Shining in the Darkness, Shining Force, Landstalker and many other classic titles, passed away earlier this year, it has been revealed.

Tamaki passed away on July 13th following a battle with lung cancer. He was just 55 years old. A private service was held in his memory today.

Having initially worked as a freelance artist for Enix, Tamaki would join Hiroyuki Takahashi at the newly-formed Climax Entertainment to create Shining in the Darkness on the Sega Genesis / Mega Drive. While he is most famous for the art and character designs he produced, Tamaki would also contribute to story and scenario writing on several titles he worked on.

As well as working on the Shining series and the seminal action adventure Landstalker, Tamaki would also work on FEDA: The Emblem of Justice (Super Famicom), Lady Stalker (Super Famicom), FEDA Remake!: The Emblem of Justice (Saturn), Alundra (Playstation), Time Stalkers (Dreamcast), Shining Soul (GBA), Shining Soul II (GBA) and Shining Force Neo (PS2). He is also credited on Shining Force: Resurrection Of The Dark Dragon, a GBA remake of the original game.

Back in 2018, fellow Climax / Camelot Software Planning artist Hiroshi Kajiyama, who also worked on the Shining series, passed away.

[satoshi-mochida]

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii announced for PS5, Xbox Series, PS4, Xbox One, and PC - Gematsu

Publisher SEGA and developer Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio have announced Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC (Steam, Microsoft Store). It will launch on February 28, 2025 worldwide.

Get the first details below.

■ About the Game

A new legend begins as you step into the steel toe boots of Goro Majima, a man who has lost his memory and reinvents himself as a pirate on the open sea. Embark on an over-the-top, modern-day pirate adventure with an ex-yakuza, now pirate captain and his crew as they engage in exhilarating combat on land and sea in the hunt for lost memories and a legendary treasure.

Pirate Yakuza Adventure Ahoy!

Goro Majima, a notorious ex-yakuza suddenly finds himself shipwrecked on a remote island in the Pacific. Unable to remember even his own name, he sets sail in search of clues to his lost memories, accompanied by a boy named Noah who saved his life. Before long, they’re caught up in a conflict between cutthroat criminals, modern-day pirates, and other scoundrels over a legendary treasure.

Get Your Ship Together

Assemble a one-of-a-kind crew while upgrading your ship as you explore the open sea and forge your legend in the cannon fire of foes, unexpected friendships, and immense riches made along the way. When an enemy pirate ship catches you in their sights, an exhilarating real-time cannon battle breaks out. Quickly maneuver into position while avoiding fire, then deliver devastating damage to board the enemy ship and take down the captain in all-out crew vs. crew brawls. Conquer the seas, discover hidden islands and acquire loads of loot like a true yakuza pirate!

Kick Arrrss With Creative Combat

Dynamically switch between the “Mad Dog” and “Pirate” fighting styles to mix-up attacks and deliver explosive combos, juggles, and aerial takedowns that reward your creativity with over-the-top action. With “Mad Dog” style, utilize speed, agility, and flair to deliver precise yet powerful blows that stun your enemies into submission. Or make enemies walk the plank with the “Pirate” style that has you dual-wielding short swords and deploying tricky pirate tools to kick some serious booty.

■ Story

After losing his memory, Goro Majima, a once-feared legend in the yakuza world, sets sail in search of treasure. Half a year ago teaming up with Kiryu for a massive battle in the Millenium Tower, Goro Majima washes up with the wreckage of a boat on the shore of a remote, sparsely populated island. With no memories—not even his own name—Majima joins forces with Noah, the young islander who saved his life, and embarks on a search for clues to his forgotten past. However, what waits for them is a powder-keg world where scoundrels vie for a legendary treasure.

■ Cast

Goro Majima (voiced by Hidenari Ugaki)

Patriarch of the former Tojo Clan’s Majima Family.

An ex-yakuza with no memories who has washed ashore on a remote island.

Noah Rich (voiced by First Summer Uika)

Local boy on Rich Island.

A youth who dreams of the outside world, hoping to leave the confines of Rich Island.

Jason Rich (voiced by Kenji Matsuda)

Bar Owner on Rich Island and Noah’s father.

A former treasure hunter who, despite being a drunkard, is still a true sea dog.

Masaru Fujita (voiced by Ryuji Akiyama (Robert))

Bodyguard and ship cook.

A skilled chef for hire who’s sailed the seas on a long line of pirate ships.

Teruhiko Shigaki (voiced by Munetaka Aoki)

Patriarch of the former Tojo Clan’s Shigaki family.

An ex-yakuza with no memories who has washed ashore on a remote island.

Rodriguez (voiced by Ayumi Tanida)

Palekana disciple.

A burly warrior who guards Nele Island, Palekana’s holy site, with his massive sword.

Mortimer (voiced by Shunsuke Daitoh)

Head of the Mortimer Armada.

A handsome pirate with a charismatic persona who inspires fervor in the lowlifes around him.

Goro (voiced by ???)

Noah’s little friend.

An adorable little cat (?) that Noah found on Rich Island.

■ Battle

Push Combat to the Extreme with Two Battle Styles

In addition to his signature Mad Dog style, which is all about speed, Majima can also use his new Sea Dog style to wield a cutlass and other buccaneer gear. Pick the style that works for you to kick, pummel, and slash your way through the filthy bilge rats who stand in your way!

■ Adventure

Go wild and unleash chaos around the waters of Hawaii as Goro Majima!

Rich Island

A remote island that an amnesiac Goro Majima washes up on. Noah and his family are some of the island’s few inhabitants. Despite fishing being the mainstay of the local economy, pirates reminiscent of the Age of Discovery can be inexplicably seen sauntering around.

Madlantis

A secret island where multiple criminal organizations coexist. In a cave on the island hides a sprawling pleasure district built around a fleet of massive tankers. The Pirates’ Coliseum, a hub where pirates constantly engage in naval battles, is here.

Nele Island

A holy site of Palekana, a long-standing religious group based in Hawaii. The Haku, the most fervent believers of Palekana, inhabit the island. The island is notably larger than Rich Island and has a proper harbor.

Hawaii

One of the world’s most famous tourist destinations. You can learn a lot about Hawaii from the owner of a bar called Revolve in Honolulu City.

■ Early Purchase Bonus

Ichiban Pirate Crew Set

Crew Member: Ichiban Kasuga

Backup Crew: Nancy

Ichiban Special Outfit Set

Kasuga Outfit (Infinite Wealth)

Kasuga Outfit (Yakuza: Like a Dragon)

■ Game Editions

Standard Edition (physical / digital) – $59.99 / £54.99 / €59.99 / 6,930 yen

A copy of Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii

Deluxe Edition (digital) – $74.99 / £64.99 / €74.99 / 8,690 yen

A copy of Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii

Downloadable content

Legendary Pirate Crew Pack – Have Kazuma Kiryu, Daigo Dojima, and other fan-favorite Like a Dragon characters become shipmates with the Goro Pirates!

Legendary Outfit Pack – Give Majima more outfits to wear, including a T-shirt exclusively designed for this title and the iconic get-ups sported by yakuza legends such as Kazuma Kiryu and Taiga Saejima.

Ship Customization Pack – Personalize the appearance of your pirate ship, the Goromaru! Choose from designs based on popular characters from the franchise, including Kazuma Kiryu and Ichiban Kasuga.

Extra Karaoke and CD Pack – Add the Majima Construction Song to karaoke and gain the option to play karaoke staples while exploring.

Complete Box (Japan / Asia) (physical) – 19,800 yen

A copy of Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii

Goro Majima Pop-Up Pirate Jr.

Goro Majima Eyepatch

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii acrylic art board (A4 size)

Art book

Downloadable content

Legendary Pirate Crew Pack – Have Kazuma Kiryu, Daigo Dojima, and other fan-favorite Like a Dragon characters become shipmates with the Goro Pirates!

Legendary Outfit Pack – Give Majima more outfits to wear, including a T-shirt exclusively designed for this title and the iconic get-ups sported by yakuza legends such as Kazuma Kiryu and Taiga Saejima.

Ship Customization Pack – Personalize the appearance of your pirate ship, the Goromaru! Choose from designs based on popular characters from the franchise, including Kazuma Kiryu and Ichiban Kasuga.

Extra Karaoke and CD Pack – Add the Majima Construction Song to karaoke and gain the option to play karaoke staples while exploring.

Watch the announcement trailer, battle gameplay, and reveal event archive below. View the first screenshots at the gallery. Visit the official website here: English / English (Asia) / here.

Announce Trailer

English

Japanese

Battle Gameplay

English

Japanese

RGG Summit 2024

English

Japanese

[tailschannel]

Sonic to get "several new mobile titles" in the future, according to SEGA management meeting document

The Sonic the Hedgehog series is expected to receive "several new titles" for mobile platforms, SEGA's parent company confirmed in a management meeting early Wednesday.

Apple and Google were both named as "key players" in the mobile sector for SEGA, as the publisher detailed an encompassing transmedia scheme for the blue blur, which will include licencing and collaborations with other third-party properties.

"Several new" mobile games under development

With an established presence thanks to the likes of free apps like Sonic Dash and Sonic Forces Speed Battle, the franchise looks set to dive in the world of mobile gaming, as part of SEGA's future plans.

The publisher did not rule out exclusivity clauses with subscription-based mobile gaming services. In recent days, the publisher signed a contract with Apple to produce Sonic Dream Team, and Netflix announced a mobile port of Sonic Mania Plus for their game subscription service.

No word of a specific timeframe for the aforementioned mobile games, currently in development.

Future Sonic mobile games to adopt Rovio's Beacon toolkit

As part of the mobile expansion, the upcoming slate is expected to adopt "Beacon", an internal development and marketing toolkit powered by machine learning, frequently utilized by Rovio, the Finnish studio behind Angry Birds that SEGA acquired over the summer.

The studio described Beacon as a platform to "build games and get games to market, models to profitably grow and monetize the game and live operations tools to maximize our players’ fun."

The toolkit has been criticized in a number of fan-run Angry Birds forums for incentivizing revenue at the expense of gameplay quality.

SEGA did not disclose if the Beacon platform will extend beyond the present suite of HARDlight mobile games.

More details on SEGA's resurrection of classic hits

SEGA also unveiled these new images and descriptions for the five new games announced at The Game Awards, described as a "power surge" to re-electrify their classic hits, like Crazy Taxi and Jet Set Radio.

Crazy Taxi: Innovative & Fresh Style Driving Action! Cheerful feeling of freedom and fusion of nature and city. Peel out the new stage of Crazy City!

Jet Set Radio: "Counter-Culture" - Tokyo Street Open World! Experience the "rebellion" movement that feels free in a suffocating society. Make friends, increase your fans, and create a movement!

Shinobi: Slay the enemies in the silence of the moment. Run through the world of Shinobi, full of monsters and ninja actions. Grab Oberozuki, the legendary sword and slay evil once more. Your clan and the world are counting on you.

Golden Axe: Warriors arise to subdue the demons! Defeat your enemies with a variety of attacks with swords and magic! The legendary story about the battle axe, Golden Axe is about to begin!

Streets of Rage Revolution: Beloved side-scrolling beat 'em up action series! Take control of one of the ex-officers and make the city a place where people no longer have to walk the "Streets of Rage."

The announcement coincided with SEGA's plans to strengthen their flagship video game brands like Persona and Like a Dragon, and to expand with legacy properties.

(Edit 2:00 pm ET - post updated with new details)

[datcloudboi]

List of video games turning 20 years old in 2023:

Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising

Alien Versus Predator: Extinction

Amplitude (an early rhythm game from Harmonix, the creators of Rock Band)

Ape Escape 2

Aquaman: Battle for Atlantis (the Superman 64 for Aquaman)

Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits

Banjo-Kazooie: Grunty's Revenge

Batman: Dark Tomorrow (the Superman 64 for Batman)

Beyond Good and Evil

Bloody Roar 4 (the last game in the series to release)

Boktai: The Sun is in Your Hand (a very unique action RPG from Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima)

Brute Force

Call of Duty (the very first one)

Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow

Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge

Dark Cloud 2

Deus Ex: Invisible War

Devil May Cry 2

Dino Crisis 3 (C'mon, Capcom, do another one)

Disaster Report

Disgaea: Hour of Darkness

Dragon Ball Z: The Legacy of Goku II

Drake of the 99 Dragons

Dynasty Warriors 4

Enter the Matrix

Eve Online

Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly

Final Fantasy Tactics Advance (my personal favorite TRPG)

Final Fantasy X-2

Final Fantasy XI Online (in the States. Also the first MMO in the series)

Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade (the first Fire Emblem game to release in the States)

Freedom Fighters

Freelancer

F-Zero GX

The Getaway

Golden Sun: The Lost Age

Grabbed by the Ghoulies (the first game developed by Rare after being acquired by Xbox)

.hack//Infection

.hack//Mutation

.hack//Outbreak (yep, three .hack games were released in a single year)

Homeworld 2

Ikaruga (the most video game-ass video game that ever video game'd)

Jak II

Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis

Kirby: Air Ride

Legacy of Kain: Defiance (the last game in the series to release)

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker

Lost Kingdoms II

Manhunt

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga

Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour

Mario Kart: Double Dash!!

Mario Party 5

Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne

Medal of Honor: Rising Sun

Mega Man & Bass (was originally a Sega Saturn exclusive that only released in Japan. It released over in the States on the GBA.)

Mega Man Battle Network 3

Mega Man X7

Mega Man Zero 2

Metal Arms: Glitch in the System

Midnight Club II

Need for Speed: Underground

Otogi: Myth of Demons (an early SoulsBorne-like game from From Software)

Panzer Dragoon Orta

P.N.03

Pokémon Ruby/Sapphire (in the States)

Postal 2

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando

Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc

Rise of Nations

Robocop (the Superman 64 for Robocop)

Silent Hill 3

The Simpsons: Hit & Run

Sonic Advance 2

SoulCalibur II (the console versions)

Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy

Spongebob Squarepants: Battle for Bikini Bottom

Star Wars: Galaxies

Star Wars: Jedi Knight - Jedi Academy

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 (a remake of Super Mario Bros. 3 for the GBA)

Tak and the Power of Juju

1080° Avalanche

Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven

Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness

Tony Hawk’s Underground

Toontown Online

True Crime: Streets of LA (Activision's attempt at a GTA clone)

Unlimited SaGa

Unreal II: The Awakening

Viewtiful Joe

Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution

Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne (the last Warcraft game before WoW)

Wario World

WarioWare, Inc.: Mega MicroGame$!

Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille zur Macht (The Will to Power)

XIII

Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner

[marcmarcmomarc]

Super Smash Bros. Fighter Presentation

MASTER HAND: Now, let’s meet the downloadable fighters making their debut for this game. First is Capcom’s other mascot character, the quintessential fighting game character, a warrior trained in the Supernatural Martial Arts of Ansatsuken. “The Eternal Wanderer”, number 60, Ryu!

Theme: Victory! Ryu - Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

(Ryu steps to center stage and pulls his headband taut.)

RYU: You must defeat my Shoryuken to stand a chance.

CRAZY HAND: First appearance, “Street Fighter” for Arcade.

MASTER HAND: Next is the most recognizable character of Square Enix’s endorphin-heighteningly popular franchise. An ex-SOLDIER operative working against the totalitarian Shinra Energy Company as a member of the eco-terrorist group AVALANCHE, imbued with the powers and abilities of his deceased friend Zack Fair. “The SOLDIER 1st Class”, number 61, Cloud Strife!

Theme: Victory! Cloud - Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

(Cloud steps to center stage, twirls the Buster Sword and places it behind his back.)

CLOUD: Not interested.

CRAZY HAND: First appearance, “Final Fantasy VII” for the PlayStation.

MASTER HAND: Next, a dragon-human hybrid born to the Hoshido royal family, but raised by the Nohr royal family, and is forced to choose a side when the two countries go to war. “The Blood of Dragons”, number 62, Corrin!

Theme: Victory! Corrin - Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

(Both Corrins step to center stage. Male Corrin ducks down, stands back up, and poses with his head in dragon form.)

MALE CORRIN: I’ve decided my path!

(Female Corrin twirls the Omega Yato.)

FEMALE CORRIN: Watch this.

CRAZY HAND: First appearance, “Fire Emblem Fates” for the Nintendo 3DS, A.K.A, “Birthright” and “Conquest”.

MASTER HAND: And the last of the game’s DLC, the eponymous star of the Sega-owned, PlatinumGames-developed stylish action beat ‘em up series. She lost her memories after awaking from a 500-year slumber in a coffin at the bottom of a lake, fighting against hordes of angels in order to discover the truth about her past. “The Umbra Witch”, number 63, Cereza aka Bayonetta!

Theme: Victory! Bayonetta - Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

(Bayonetta steps to center stage, twirls around, then strikes a pose with both arms over her head.)

BAYONETTA: If you need to learn how to talk to a lady, ask your mum.

CRAZY HAND: First appearance, “Bayonetta” for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

[pixelgrotto]

Cool Cold War Ninja

Capcom's Strider series holds the distinction of starring one of the coolest ninjas in video games. Hiryu feels like he was designed to look as rad as possible, from the blue suit to the red scarf to the tonfa-esque cypher blade, and his appearance was partially influenced by Spawn (another hero engineered to radiate style) because Capcom character designer Harumaru saw some Todd McFarlane books one day. Even Hiryu's name (飛竜, "flying dragon") is cool, mostly because it taught me that 竜 is the Japanese simplified form of the Chinese 龍, a character in my own name.

But despite his coolness, Hiryu is better recognized for cameos in the Marvel vs. Capcom series instead of his own franchise. This is most unfortunate, especially considering that Strider's one of the earliest video game examples of a cross-media property. Way back in 1988, Capcom greenlit a Strider comic with the help of the Moto Kikaku mangaka group while also assigning two internal divisions to helm an arcade game and an NES title. The intent was to make Hiryu into a hero who would span multiple mediums and be recognized everywhere, from the printed page to the pixelated screen. And that sorta worked, but not as well as Capcom hoped.

The first and most famous Strider - the 1989 arcade release - begins with Hiryu gliding onto the towers of the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic in a truly iconic bit of spritework. Within three seconds, you're hit with an array of action as Hiryu strides forward, explodes enemies in half with his cypher, and does a signature flip where all of his limbs flail outwards in a mid-air cartwheel. The action and setpieces never let up, and over the span of the game's five levels, Hiryu fights a council of politicians who morph into a multi-limbed robotic centipede, runs from mountain avalanches, explores dinosaur-filled Amazon jungles, hitchhikes a ride on an airship, and battles robotic anti-gravity cores in the fringes of outer space.

Strider is a blend of a hundred different things that the developers considered cool. But beyond all of the set pieces, the factor that sticks out to me the most is the Cold War futurism that drips from every level, feeling original but somehow dated at the same time. What other games start with your character infiltrating the "Kazakh Federation" and end with them fighting the sorcerous Grand Master Meio, a dude who seems like a thinly-veiled stereotype of a communist dictator gone wild? What other games commit to their "born in a geopolitical era of tension" vibe by featuring speech samples in multiple languages, including Russian, Japanese and Mandarin? Strider came out right before the fall of the Berlin Wall, and you can feel it. On that note, I don't think Kazakhstan has appeared in any other franchise as much as Strider. Honestly, the world would probably be a better place if more people associated Kazakhstan with Hiryu's adventures instead of Borat.

Strider didn't receive a decent conversion for home consoles until the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive in 1990, and the NES "port" that came out around the same time wasn't a port at all. Instead, NES Strider is an early Metroidvania, and one that I actually enjoy a fair bit. This opinion goes against the norm, since while I can recall NES Strider getting lots of promo in Nintendo Power when I was growing up, popular internet consensus these days tells you that it's a broken game with controls that feel like they're stuck in a beta phase.

I can't refute that - NES Strider's controls stink, especially when you're forced to pull off a wall jump that's impossible to do unless you have perfect timing. (Thankfully it's only a mandatory move at two points.) The game's also got a weird glitchiness about it, with enemies respawning at an utterly aggressive pace and the edges of the screen flickering way too much every time Strider moves an inch. The bugginess of NES Strider supposedly kept its impending Famicom port from ever being released, making it a rare example of a Japanese game that sold in North America but not in its native country.

And yet, the ambition to NES Strider is admirable. The trend of backtracking through levels and using items to unlock previously inaccessible areas might be commonplace now, but it wasn't in 1989. The plot, while burdened by a messy English translation, also features far more of a story than any other game in this franchise thanks to its heavy basis in the Strider manga. (Which is pretty cool, by the way, and partially readable in English thanks to a fan scanlation of its first three chapters.) Instead of simply facing Grand Master Meio, Hiryu's got to dig out corruption from the ranks of his organization, and it's nice to actually get some insight into his companions, from a fellow Strider named Kain to a guy named Ryuzaki who left his Attack-Boots in China.

Strider never blossomed into one of Capcom's sequel-studded franchises of the '90s. The NES game was a bold but flawed experiment that didn't get much traction, and while the arcade game performed okay, many of its key developers left the company soon after its release. In the European market, though, arcade Strider received dozens of ports for home computer systems that really couldn't handle it, like the ZX Spectrum. Tiertex, a local developer behind a handful of these ports, got the rights from Capcom and made Strider II, a sequel with shockingly bad level design which also goes under the name Journey from Darkness: Strider Returns. Capcom effectively retconned Tiertex's work with an in-house Strider 2 in 1999, riding off of the wave that Hiryu received from his inclusion in Marvel vs. Capcom.

Released for the arcade and Playstation, Strider 2 seems to take place two thousand years after its predecessor, with the Hiryu the player controls a clone of the original. It's never entirely clear, as the plot was clearly just an excuse to have Hiryu fight a reincarnated Meio. Forgettable story aside, the game spans as many environments as the first Strider, and the opening level sees Hiryu fighting terrorists in Neo Hong Kong to the beat of some darn good music which sounds suspiciously like the Ozzy Osbourne song Shot in the Dark. There's also a rival Strider named Hein who wears an all-white uniform in a nod to Hinjo, the main character from Tiertex's Strider II, which is a polite ode to a game that Capcom has all but disowned nowadays.

My biggest issue with Strider 2 is that each level is divided into small chunks, with the player forced to sit through loading screens while the next segment loads. Most PS1 games released during this era suffered from long loadtimes, but it's annoying to deal with the same thing in an arcade game. Maybe the load screens are meant to give players a breather before the next spree of button mashing, but I feel like the game's pace suffers tremendously. It's hard to fall into the same "blaze through, slice 'em with the cypher, do a billion flips along the way" rhythm that the first Strider inculcated when you've got to wait five seconds after every major encounter.

Strider 2 released during a period when action platformers were nearly nonexistent in the arcades, and a 30-minute experience - which is about how long it takes to beat the game once you know what you're doing - wasn't going to really cut it on the PS1. And so the series went back into dormancy until 2014, when Capcom once again enlisted the services of a third party. Double Helix Games' Strider is yet another retread of Hiryu versus Meio, but there's a surprising ton of DNA from NES Strider present. These go from the music, which features an awesome remix of the NES game's level 1 Kazakh theme, to the decision to make Hiryu's journey into a full-fledged Metroidvania.

Double Helix clearly poured a lot of love into their work, and I give 'em props for that NES inspiration. But there's something missing from the experience, which is probably why you don't often see 2014 Strider on lists of the best recent Metroidvanias. Unlike the world-spanning levels of the other Striders, this one takes place solely in Kazakh, which is large but very samey. As a result, the game feels padded despite not being terribly long, and the in-game map is far too confusing due to different planes that Hiryu can jump across. While Metroidvanias are one of the few genres that tend to activate my completionist tendencies, I never felt the need to explore every nook and cranny or snag every ability. It's a shame, because Double Helix was almost there in melding Strider's disparate gameplay styles and finally bringing Hiryu back to mainstream stardom. But they didn't stick the landing, and Amazon Game Studios bought Double Helix right after Strider released, ensuring that the devs probably won't ever get the chance to improve on their formula.

It's been almost a decade since Hiryu got his own game. He most recently showed up in Marvel vs. Capcom Infinite, and Capcom threw Strider fans a bone with the character Zeku in Street Fighter V, who has a Hiryu-style skin and is said to be the dude who founded the entire Strider order. All of this is neat, but it's baffling that Hiryu - despite being one of the coolest ninjas in gaming - has never had a solo title truly take off since his debut. Some of this might be due to the fact that Capcom has to credit (and presumably pay) Moto Kikaku whenever Hiryu appears, and one could argue that the original arcade game's balls-to-the-wall action and high difficulty don't have a place in Capcom's catalog any longer, or at least aren't as money-printing as new Monster Hunters and Resident Evils. But I think you could easily make something like Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice starring Strider Hiryu, and I wish someone would. After all, we're talking about one cool ass Cold War ninja here, and he deserves to shine once more.

[flowergirlmiwa]

there's a small joke in a scott the woz video rhetorically asking if you can name eighty non-sonic sega mega drive / genesis games off the top of your head and I wanted to see how many I could do

1 virtua racing 2. Virtua fighter 2 3. Fatal labyrinth 3. Toy story 4. Aladdin 5. The lion king 6. The jungle book 7. Ms pac man 8. Gain ground 9. Madden NFL 10. NHL 95

11. World series baseball 12. Earthworm Jim 13. Earthworm Jim 2 14. Comic zone 15. The ooze 16. Altered beast 17. Golden axe 18. Golden axe 2 19. Shining force 20. Phantasy star 2

21. Phantasy star 3 22. Bubsy 23. Bubsy 2 24. Ghostbusters 25. Ristar 26. Dynamite headdy 27. Tommy lasorda baseball 28. Joe Montana football 29. Michael Jackson's moonwalker 30. Beavis and butthead

31. Streets of rage 32. Streets of rage 2 33. Streets of rage 3 34. That prerendered looney tunes game released really late 35. Kid chameleon 36. Alien soldier 37. Garfield caught in the act 38. Mega Man the Wily wars 39. Columns 40. Hang on

41. Space harrier 42. Fantasy zone 2 43. Super Monaco gp 44. Road rash 45. Frogger 46. Ren and stimpy stimpys invention 47. Theme Park 48. Batman revenge of the joker 49. Batman returns 50. Spider-Man vs The kingpin

51. Lightening force 52. Zero wing 53. Street fighter 2 champion edition 54. Super street fighter 2 55. Mortal Kombat 56. Mortal Kombat 2 57 mortal Kombat 3 58 ultimate mortal Kombat 3 59 clay fighters 60. There's a dragon ball z fighting game but like only one

61. Hook 62. Shanghai 63. Rocket knight adventures 64. Frank Thomas big hurt baseball 65. X-Men 66. X-Men 2 67. That Ronald McDonald treasure game 68. Ninja gaiden 69. Shinobi 3 70. Shadow dancer

71. Shinobi 2 72. That pitfall! reboot game 73. WWF raw 74. WWF WrestleMania the arcade game 75. WWF royal rumble 76. outrun 77. ESWAT 78. Ecco the dolphin 79. Ecco 2 80. Ecco jr!!

[superthatguy62]

A Reflection on Alex Kidd

Some time ago I played through two platformers that happened to have re-releases on the Switch.

The first was Klonoa 2: Lunatea’s Veil. An excellent game, very good platformer, would definitely recommend even if it gets kinda intense towards the end.

The other was Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX. Alex Kidd was one of those franchises that I knew existed, but didn’t think too much about. Most of my exposure was via Alex Kidd and the Enchanted Castle on the Genesis, which was decidedly kinda janky (and not in a fun way) and punishing. But it still remained a curiosity to me, so when the remake caught my eye, I decided to eventually nab it and experience it for myself.

Cut to now and I’ve not only played Miracle World DX, but the Sega Ages version of the original as well as read up on the other games in the series.

And now I have thoughts regarding this franchise and so must inflict them upon all of you. My apologies. 

(Janken Dance!)

The Origin of Alex Kidd

Alex Kidd is considered Sega’s second mascot, preceded by Opa Opa: A cute sentient spaceship that fights to protect to Fantasy Zone who is also a child soldier and traumatized by the events of the game up to and including killing his own father, the leader of the enemy forces. 

However, when Sega entered the home market and released the Mark III console (the basis for the Master System), they wanted a character that could stand against Mario.

(Sega showing themselves to be the masters of subtlety)

Alex’s creation, funnily enough, mirrors that of his rival: Sega had intended to create a Dragon Ball video game, but were ultimately unable to secure the license. They decided to take what they had and turn it into a new character: Goku’s power pole was replaced by by Alex’s fists and his design eventually shifted to what would become Alex. With this in mind, the series’ chibi artstyle could very well be rooted in OG Dragon Ball and people have pointed out some of the remaining similarities on sites like The Site That Formerly Had The Blue Bird. One particular similarity is vehicles: Various Dragon Ball artworks had an emphasis on vehicles owing to Akira Toriyama’s fondness for them and Kotaro “Ossale” Hayoshida has a similar interest. Thus, the two main console Alex Kidd platformers feature the Peticopter and the Sukopako Motorcycle.

Plot:

The Alex Kidd franchise is emblematic of Sega’s approach to storylines in their games and builds off of what Fantasy Zone did before, as well as setting a standard that the Sonic series would follow later.

Alex Kidd in Miracle World takes on the Planet Aries, which is invaded by a tyrant known as Janken the Great. At the time, Alex was an orphan who trained under a master named Saint Nubia and thus had no idea of Janken’s take over until he came across some citizens. Alex goes back to his master who reveals to him the truth: Alex himself is one of the two princes of the kingdom of Radaxian. The royal family has been in a tizzy as the king disappeared shortly before Janken’s take over with acting king, Prince Igul/Egul, being held captive in Radaxian Castle itself. Alex thus sets off to not only save his kingdom, but his family as well, using the technique of Shellcore; a style of martial arts that allows its users to embiggen their limbs (or at least, their hands).

It’s not the most original plot, nor is it really the first platformer to put such emphasis on plot (Maybe. I’m not sure.). Still, considering that Sega had eyed Alex as a potential rival to Mario, it’s interesting to see some degree of ambition here: The reveal of Alex being the prince of Radaxian is saved for a couple levels in. When Alex needs to get into a nearby kingdom after rescuing his brother, he has to collect a letter inside Radaxian Castle (in turn, rescuing his brother) or he’ll be turned away. Even after beating Janken, Alex still needs to reclaim the Crown of Radaxian that Janken was after. It gives a general context for why you’re going through the stages that’s a smidge more varied than usual. And then there’s something else that I’ll mention later.

Compare this with the Mario games, which generally had little plot: SMB1 had functionally no plot outside of a general premise, Mario 3′s only major plot development is saved for World 8 and while Super Mario World narrates prose after each Koopaling is defeated, it doesn’t really have any more of a significant plot as was seen in Super Mario Bros 3. Overall, Sega’s games would have more ambitious plotlines, with Sonic picking up where Alex left off and taking it to further and higher heights.

Gameplay

Alex Kidd in Miracle World is a simple platformer. Alex’s two primary actions at any given time are jumping and punching something with his enlarged fist. Aside from vehicles and temporarily from a certain powerup, Alex can only over take one hit before dying. Lose all of your lives and it’s game over... although, if you have enough money (and know of a certain code in the original game) you can purchase another continue. Levels in Miracle World tend to be short, so it’s not too bad to die in the game (although you do lose the Telepathy Ball on a game over and certain stages the jungle can be a pain to get through normally).

Stages in Alex Kidd tend to vary: sometimes they’re simple platforming stages. Other times, Alex can use a vehicle: The motorcycle is optional and can be purchased from the shop, the boat appears automatically and the Peticopter (a pedal-based Helicopter) varies. These vehicles can make getting through a stage a breeze, but they only have one hitpoint: In the case of the motorcycle or stages where Alex can purchase the Peticopter, Alex must brave the rest of the stage himself. In the cases where he starts in a vehicle, Alex will fall into a level underneath the play area and have to work from there. Lastly there are castle levels that are significantly more mazelike. There’s only two such levels in the game: Radaxian Castle and Janken’s Castle.

Powerups differ from Super Mario Bros as well. While you’ll occasionally find power ups (usually extra lives) scattered throughout Radaxia in marked boxes, you’ll mostly be getting them from shops that litter the world. These shops cost money, which you can find scattered all over the place. The powerups range from a barrier that makes Alex immune to enemy attacks at the cost of not allowing him to attack, a ball that can shoot mini clones of Alex at enemies and a magic rod that lets Alex hover in the air. One powerup that you can only get from item boxes is Death, who will promptly chase Alex until scrolled offscreen. Another is skull boxes which aren’t necessarily powerups so much as they stun Alex for a moment if he punches them. Lastly is the Telepathy ball, which may or may not be critical to winning at Jankenpon, depending on your knowledge anyway.

 At the end of certain stages, Alex will run into one of Janken’s minions (excepting Janken’s Castle, where he runs into the big man himself) and will have to play Jankenpon (i.e. Rock-Paper-Scissors). It’s pretty much as you’d expect: Music plays, Alex can pick a hand to chose, when the music stops you play the hand. Best 2 out of 3 are the rules and if Alex loses, he dies. There are two general work arounds for Jankenpon. 1st: Getting the Telepathy Ball allows Alex to see his opponent’s thoughts and therefore get an idea of what they’re going to pick. This is less helpful as it sounds as the thoughts occur in real time and are constantly shifting, meaning the opponent can suddenly switch their hand at the last second, giving you only a split second to react. However, the Telepathy Ball does help with the second option: Janken and his minions have set patterns when it comes to Jankenpon. Thus, if you know the pattern, you can easily sweep the two rounds needed to progress. The issue is that the patterns change if Alex loses a round (i.e. if the opponent chose scissors and Alex loses, he won’t choose scissors next time). Still, one could theoretically puzzle out the winning hands and learn to choose them each time.

Boss battles are a very non-graceful affair. In the first encounters with Janken’s generals, they will die immediately after losing. In the second encounters, they will actually fight by means of detaching their heads and/or shooting projectiles. Since mercy invulnerability does not exist for enemies and Alex himself dies in one hit, boss fights usually end quickly. The absolute irony is that the easiest boss in the game is none other than the final one, Janken the Great himself: His primary attack is shooting a projectile, and the nature of how he shoots it means that Alex can stand right next to him and be at no risk. Perhaps it’s for the best that the actual final challenge is a more puzzle-oriented level.

Re-releases and Ports

Alex Kidd in Miracle World was never as widely re-released as it’s Genesis sequel. The original game remained Master System exclusive until it landed on the Wii’s Virtual Console. It eventually made it to the PS3 in 2012 as part of the Sega Vintage Collection (or Sega Ages Online) line. Today, the two options for playing Miracle World legitimately are the Switch-Exclusive Sega Ages release by M2 or the Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX remake.

Miracle World DX generally updates the graphics, adds some new stages and expands on the story somewhat (the major difference being that Alex himself now has dialogue and the first stage now takes the place of the Japanese manual’s storyline to explain how Alex learns about Janken). The game has a few QoL options that make the game easier (better controls, infinite lives and permanently having the telepathy ball) but I believe achievements are disabled if those options are turned on. Also, I’m not sure if it’s a glitch, but progress seems to be tied to the game state (i.e. if you decide to replay Mt. Eternal after finishing the game, the game will reset your progress to as if you started a fresh game at Mt. Eternal). On the other hand, the game has some neat little touches such as collectibles referencing both other Alex Kidd games (even including Enchanted Castle’s interesting boxart) and other Sega games in general, including Sonic or how the food Alex eats can be changed (in the original game the donut riceball was changed to a hamburger. The remake gives you the ability to toggle the change and even adds a few new ones). The game also allows the player to shift the artstyle to one closely matching the original Miracle World at the push of a button. The overall consensus is that if you like the original Miracle World, you’ll probably like the remake, but if you didn’t, then you won’t be won over either. The game is faithful, perhaps to a fault (and even then, there’s almost assuredly some mechanical differences that I do not know about).

The Sega Ages version is more of a remaster. In addition to Original Mode, which is what that name implies, Ages mode adds a new soundtrack based on the FM Sound Unit: An add-on for the Sega Master System which improved the audio capabilities and could lead to some stark differences between it and the more “bleep-bloop”-ish PSG audio (Alex Kidd: The Lost Stars would have support for the FM Sound Unit and is a good example of such differences). Ages mode also adds new illustrations at the start of each level (covering the map, which can still be seen on the pause screen) and adds a rewind function, which can make playing the game easier.

Later Games 

The franchise after Miracle World went in some... odd directions.

(Multiverse theory means that there is a timeline where “with STELLA” became as much of a meme as “& Knuckles”, “Featuring Dante from the Devil May Cry series” “New Funky Mode”, etc)

The first follow-up was Alex Kidd: The Lost Stars (With Stella), an arcade title released the same year as Miracle World, getting a port to the Master System two years later. I’d tell the plot here, but there’s a bit of an issue: While I cannot read Japanese, the little I’ve parsed through DeepL suggests that it varies much differently from the English plot. This was kind of a thing Sega did on occasion (see: Sonic CD). Regardless of which region, the overall plot is that a greedy star known as the Ziggurat (or the Bloom?) is going around absorbing other stars. Alex and his new ??? Stella must go out and find the Miracle Balls to restore the constellations of Planet Aries. In terms of gameplay, it’s a bog-standard run ‘n jump with bizarre visuals. Alex can’t even attack enemies without a specific power up.

(Pictured: Sega of America’s depiction of Alex Kidd, which would remain consistent in terms of western covers until Shinobi World)

The second, more direct follow-up is Alex Kidd and the Enchanted Castle for the Sega Genesis. If Miracle World was a flawed, if somewhat interesting game, then Enchanted Castle says “you are like baby: watch this.”

Gameplaywise: Alex has a new jumping-kick move when he descends, which requires positioning as it’s not a traditional jump attack. The plot-related elements that Miracle World had are non-existent, being a straightforward platformer. Rather than being strictly a boss battle affair, Jankenpon is now necessary to buy anything in the stores (or rather, the one item they have on display) and speaking of, there is only one proper boss fight in the main villain Ashura. Every other “boss” is a bout of Jankenpon. Most damningly, movement is just as slippery as ever and Alex still dies in a single hit.

Then there’s the ending, which...

The plot of Alex Kidd and the Enchanted Castle is that Alex hears a tip that his father is on another planet... namely, the planet that Janken the Great from the previous game is from. Alex travels there and fights his way to a castle in the sky, where he encounters Ashura, Janken’s son (maybe?). After defeating him, Ashura runs into the next room where King Thor/Thunder is waiting, perfectly fine. As it turns out King Thor had never been taken prisoner; He was visiting Janbarik/Paperock and took Ashura as his servant. The End.

(Alex’s Enchanted Castle design would go on to become the base for his modern design, albeit with some minor changes).

And here’s where the franchise gets weird.

Alex Kidd in Hi-Tech World was released for the Sega Master System the same year as Enchanted Castle. This one is interesting as it never released in Japan. Why? Because I lied: It did, but it wasn’t connected to Alex Kidd at all.

Anmitsu Hime was a Japanese manga/anime about a tomboy princess getting into all sorts of antics. It got a licensed video game in 1987. About 2 years later, Sega of America decided to “SMB2″ it for... reasons I cannot fathom. The main character was replaced by Alex, the characters were changed to be legally distinct versions, and the objective was switched from reaching a cake shop to reaching Hi-Tech World to play some Sega games (meaning the title is technically a lie: Alex is in Hi-Tech World in the ending).

So if you were ever wondering why Radaxian Castle went from a European Castle to a Japanese castle, why Alex’s parents are suddenly overtly Japanese, why Alex is being attacked by ninjas, etc, that’s why.

And speaking of ninjas...

(Alex is by everything as he contemplates the state of his franchise) 

Alex Kidd in Shinobi World was the last Alex Kidd game originally released in 1990, just a year before his speedy blue understudy would enter the scene. The plot is simple: Alex’s girlfriend is kidnapped by the Dark Ninja. The White Ninja, deciding that Alex is a bad enough dude to rescue her, grants him ninja powers. And all of this takes place on Planet Shinobi.

This is a weird one.

Despite being made by Sega’s R&D 2, Shinobi World was never released in Japan. It was called “Shinobi Kid(d)” during development, raising questions of if it was ever intended to be an Alex Kidd-related game. The first boss was originally a parody of Mario. This game, overall, was the note this series ended on.

Apparently, it plays really well by virtue of being based on Shinobi, so a high note. Still pretty sad when you think about it.

There is one last game to talk about regarding the Alex Kidd franchise, but it isn’t a sequel. On the contrary, it predates the series and even afterwards, it’s not immediately clear how it fits.

(Pitter Potter)

Pit Pot is a puzzle game, somewhat like Tower of Druaga. A knight, wielding a magical hammer, must save a princess who is trapped in the titular Castle Pit Pot by a witchsorceress. The knight, Igul, searches the castle for the three treasures he needs and succeeds in rescuing the princess.

But what does that have to do with Alex Kidd? Because Igul, the knight who’s the main character, is in fact the same Igul/Egul who is acting king of Radaxian, and the princess who is rescued after defeating Janken, Princess Lora/Rooney, is indeed the same princess that Igul rescued in Pit Pot. This is furthered by the Alex Kidd Complete Album release, which includes music from Pit Pot.

And Pit Pot, itself, is a sequel to an unreleased game called “Chain Pit”.

In any case, the Miracle World DX remake references this further The collectible for Radaxian Castle is given to Alex by the captain of the royal guard. The collectible in question? Igul’s hammer.

Other Appearances & Legacy

While never reaching the lows of say, Bubsy for example, Sega did have some fun poking at Alex’s failure to truly take off. Altered Beast has tombstones reading “Alex” and “Stella”, a reference to Lost Stars. Alex also featured in Segagaga, including a scene where he speaks with the main protagonist, Taroh, in order to convince him not to give up after he has been fired from Sega. Segagaga is a parody RPG of sorts, being one of the last games Sega made before exiting the console market (with the game itself reflecting the state they were in). With that in mind, the entire game takes on a bittersweet tone and Alex’s speech and reflection on his failure to catch on have a similar feeling, especially one scene that implies that Alex felt envious of Sonic (his replacement).

Alex has also been a mainstay of the Sega Superstars/Sonic & All Stars brand since Superstars Tennis.  While the franchise in general never got a court or track, Alex himself still has a slew of references: His Superstar State in Tennis is based on Jankenpon from the two main console games while All Stars Racing features the Sukopako motorcycle as his standard vehicle and Peticopter as his All-Star move. Sega still finds use for Alex even today as a mascot for their early years, with the Sega Ages line on Nintendo Switch having Alex present the games. Alex also appeared in the back half of the Mega Man/Sonic Archie crossover Worlds Unite (i.e. Sega X Capcom, sadly not as exciting as you’d think).

(But it still gave us stuff like this image)

And of course, the Miracle World remake, which started as a fan project.

Conclusion

So... why did I type up all of that? 

I dunno. I feel like Alex Kidd is a series that had potential, but squandered it. Miracle World is decent, if flawed, but Enchanted Castle doesn’t fix (or even doubles down) on those issues. I haven’t played the other games yet but given what I’ve seen of Lost Stars and the nature of the other two games, I’m not keeping expectations high. I suppose I’m just lamenting what could’ve been with this charming little series after playing both versions of Miracle World.

Of course, we got Sonic from all of that. People can argue over how worth it it was considering the later games and the fanbase and etc, but overall probably the best call...

Alex’s future these days is no better or worse than it has been for years. A proper follow up game is as unlikely as it’s always been. “Ossale” has stated/joked that if he could make a modern day Alex Kidd, it would be a realistic first-person action game with a feeling similar to the movie, Shaolin Soccer.

Miracle World still has a fanbase, especially in regions such as Brazil where the Master System is fondly regarded. The game even has a modest fan-hacking scene: You won’t find anything on the level of, say, Sonic: The Next Level, but it’s still noteworthy. Full on fan-games are rarer, but SAGE 2023 did have someone make an “Alex Kidd CD” to imagine what Alex Kidd would be like on the Sega CD, so there’s that.

Will we ever see a fangame that reinvents Alex Kidd with a detail of quality comparable to the finer Sonic fan games? Probably not, but imagine if we did, and Alex and Stella got an adventure that endeared them to players.

It’d be a Miracle.

[glapplebloom]

You would think I would have similar opinions...

As you have seen with my Pony Comic Reviews, I don't seem to favor a lot of the decisions IDW made for the My Little Pony comics. While there were ones I do enjoy, it's their long going plots that I have issues with. But if you have been following my thoughts, you see I don't have that problem with IDW's Sonic comics. So that got me thinking, why is it that I enjoy Sonic's IDW stuff more than I do IDW's My Little Pony stuff? Thinking it over, I think I came up with a few reasons...

1 - Better Use of Underused Characters

If you played Sonic games recently, you may notice a lack of things for others not Sonic to do. Like the last playable thing that isn't Sonic was Forces with Shadow DLC and Sonic 06. So there are a lot of characters that are in desperate need of stuff to do and this comic provides it. We got Amy being a leader and motherly figure, Knuckles and Blaze talking to each other, Omega and Gemel fighting, Rouge being Rouge. It's nice to see these characters interact with each other. It's what made Sega's April Fools game so fun. Meanwhile, IDW Ponies tends to focus on the usual characters the show does. Sometimes doing similar stories we would see on the show. Yet there are so many characters they could use and when they do they're a lot of fun. Like IDW did a better job building up a potential Diamond Tiara face turn than the show did. Shame it came out after she turned good. Like wouldn't you like to see more stories with Gilda or Lyra and Bon Bon's relationship?

2 - Better Exclusive Characters

So far from reading, there has been no comic exclusive character in MLP that stays around beyond their one story. Mina the Dragon, great dragon to hang around with Spike. Gone. Princess Eris, cousin of Discord and just as powe... Gone. Cosmos, evil ex who was REALLY responsible for all the chaos Discord's reign di... GONE! Like the ones who stay around is the old pony who keeps the Princesses on track and Luna's Pet Opossum. Meanwhile IDW's Exclusive Sonic characters get to stay around for more than one story and explore things the main cast couldn't. Belle the Tinkerer finding out her father is gone and replaced by Eggman. Whisper having to get used to having a crew again. Tangle trying to curb her enthusiasm. Surge and Terrance basically doing the Android Saga without Cell. They fit so well, they could fit into the games with no issue. Speaking of which...

3 - Better connection with the Main Series

This is more about how tight of a control Hasbro and Sega has over the comics. Hasbro was more loose, only vetoing stories that they would likely explore on the show. So the IDW Crew could do whatever they want since nobody has to worry about missing something important in the comics since it's not necessary reading. Even the Season 10 comics are not required to enjoy the TV series, since they did a time skip and showed what would happen in the future and the Season 10 comics barely explored things leading to that ending (just a few times with Pinkie/Cheese). Sega was like this back in the days of Archie, which is why you hear some weird stories that probably wouldn't fly today. Then one of the writers decided to fight for the rights of his characters he made for the series. Because of the incompetence of Archie, Sega demanded stricter guidelines in future Archie works and eventually IDW. So they're more hands on at keeping the characters act like how they want. Though recently they are losing their grip with IDW... That's because the head writer for IDW Sonic is now writing the games for Sonic. Which allowed him to explore the main cast in the games like he would do for the comics. And the Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog showed so much personality among the crew. As far as I know, there was never a case where a Pony Writer for the comics worked on the show or vice versa.

So that's why I enjoy IDW's Sonic works more than their pony works. But I would definitely be open for a Crossover with the two. Ian Flynn did write the Pony/Transformers crossover and he is what made Frontiers good.

[tomorrowedblog]

Friday Releases for October 11

Friday is the busiest day of the week for new releases, so we've decided to collect them all in one place. Friday Releases for October 11 include DISCLAIMER*, We Live In Time, Metaphor: ReFantazio, and more.

We Live In Time

We Live In Time, the new movie from John Crowley, is out today.

Almut (Florence Pugh) and Tobias (Andrew Garfield) are brought together in a surprise encounter that changes their lives. As they embark on a path challenged by the limits of time, they learn to cherish each moment of the unconventional route their love story has taken, in filmmaker John Crowley’s decade-spanning, deeply moving romance.

Bad Genius

Bad Genius, the new movie from J.C. Lee, is out today.

Bad Genius is a high-intensity thriller starring Benedict Wong, Callina Liang, and Jabari Banks. It follows Lynn, a scholarship student at a prestigious high school, who joins a growing cheating ring to help students with their exams, ultimately challenging the American education system.

Piece by Piece

Piece by Piece, the new movie from Morgan Neville, is out today.

Piece by Piece is a unique cinematic experience that invites audiences on a vibrant journey through the life of cultural icon Pharrell Williams. Told through the lens of LEGO animation, turn up the volume on your imagination and witness the evolution of one of music’s most innovative minds.

Saturday Night

Saturday Night, the new movie from Jason Reitman, is out today.

At 11:30pm on October 11, 1975, a ferocious troupe of young comedians and writers changed television – and culture – forever. Directed by Jason Reitman and written by Gil Kenan & Reitman, Saturday Night is based on the true story of what happened behind the scenes in the 90 minutes leading up to the first broadcast of Saturday Night Live. Full of humor, chaos, and the magic of a revolution that almost wasn’t, we count down the minutes in real time until we hear those famous words…

Seven Cemeteries

Seven Cemeteries, the new movie from John Gulager, is out today.

A recent parolee (Danny Trejo) gets a Mexican witch to resurrect his old posse so that they can help him save a woman’s ranch from a ruthless drug lord.

The Silent Hour

The Silent Hour, the new movie from Brad Anderson, is out today.

Boston Detective Frank Shaw (Joel Kinnaman) returns to duty after a career-altering injury leaves him with permanent hearing loss. Tasked with interpreting for Ava Fremont (Sandra Mae Frank), a deaf witness to a brutal gang murder, they find themselves cornered in a soon-to-be-condemned apartment building when the killers return to eliminate her. Cut off from the outside world, these two strangers must lean on each other to outsmart killers they can’t hear coming for their only hope of making it out alive.

Uprising

Uprising, the new movie from Kim Sang-man, is out today.

In the Joseon Dynasty, two friends who grew up together — one the master and one the servant — reunite post-war as enemies on opposing sides.

DISCLAIMER*

DISCLAIMER*, the new TV series from Alfonso Cuarón, is out today.

Acclaimed journalist Catherine Ravenscroft built her reputation revealing the misdeeds and transgressions of others. When she receives a novel from an unknown author, she is horrified to realize she is now the main character in a story that exposes her darkest secrets. As Catherine races to uncover the writer’s true identity, she is forced to confront her past before it destroys both her own life and her relationships with her husband Robert and their son Nicholas.

Dragon Ball DAIMA

Dragon Ball DAIMA, the new TV series from Yoshitaka Yashima, Aya Komaki, and Akira Toriyama, is out today.

Welcome to the Demon Realm!

Metaphor: ReFantazio

Metaphor: ReFantazio, the new game from ATLUS and SEGA, is out today.

The throne sits empty after the king’s assassination. With no heirs, the will of the late king decrees that the next monarch will be elected by the people, & thus begins your fight for the throne…

DRAGON BALL: Sparking! ZERO

DRAGON BALL: Sparking! ZERO, the new game from Spike Chunsoft and Bandai Namco Entertainment, is out today.

DRAGON BALL: Sparking! ZERO takes the legendary gameplay of the Budokai Tenkaichi series and raises it to whole new levels. Make yours the destructive power of the strongest fighters ever to appear in DRAGON BALL!

End Of Summer

End Of Summer, the new album from DeJ Loaf, is out today.

[annon-guy2]

SEGA Saturn Collection Game Volume One - Voting Poll

Note 1: Puyo Puyo and Madō Monogatari were owned by Compile until SEGA bought the rights, so it is now a SEGA owned IP.

Note 2: Even if you hadn't played the game yet, you can still vote for that option if it appeals or interests you.

[gameforestdach]

In einer überraschenden Wendung in der Geschichte der Videospiele kommt Daytona USA 2, das beliebte klassische Arcade-Rennspiel von Sega, endlich ein volles Vierteljahrhundert nach seinem Debüt in den Spielhallen auf heimisches Terrain. Dieser begehrte Release, der bei vielen Nostalgiegefühle hervorrufen wird, wird als 'Sega Racing Classic 2' vermarktet und in das kommende Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name eingebettet, um eventuelle Urheberrechtsfragen zu umgehen.Ursprünglich war geplant, das Spiel auf dem Dreamcast zu veröffentlichen, doch stattdessen erschien Daytona USA 2001.Daytona USA 2, ein Kult-Rennspiel, findet ein neues Zuhause auf KonsolenDas Spiel schleicht sich als 'Sega Racing Classic 2' in Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name einEs umgeht etwaige Rechtsfragen und umgeht gekonnt den Geist seiner abgesagten Dreamcast-VeröffentlichungErweckt Erinnerungen an Segas reiche Arcade-Geschichte neben anderen Klassikern in der Yakuza-SpielserieEine Reise in die VergangenheitDas Originalspiel Daytona USA 2 wird oft als Höhepunkt des Arcade-Rennspielgenres bezeichnet und ist bekannt für seine bunten Grafiken, schnelle Action und süchtig machende Wettkampfatmosphäre. Die Umsetzung auf Heimkonsolen ist ein süßer Sieg für Fans, die 25 Jahre lang darauf gewartet haben, und bietet der neuen Generation die Möglichkeit, ein Stück aus der goldenen Ära des Gaming zu erleben.Like a Dragon Gaiden: Eine Schatzkammer voller Sega-KlassikerDas Gastspiel, Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, das sich zur Aufgabe gemacht hat, Sega Racing Classic 2 an die Massen zu liefern, ist nicht allein auf dieser Mission. Flicky, Galaxy Force und Fighting Vipers 2 sind ebenfalls in dem Paket enthalten, was diese Veröffentlichung zu einem wahren Fest der Arcade-Klassiker macht. Diese Praxis, klassische Sega-Spiele in der Yakuza-Serie zu verstecken, ist eine langjährige Tradition und bietet den Spielern eine entzückende Ostereiersuche beim Erkunden virtueller Welten.Segas moderne Arcade-StrategieTrotz des Verkaufs der Arcade-Abteilung von Sega Sammy im Jahr 2022 und der Umwandlung von Sega Entertainment in Genda GiGO Entertainment sowie der Neugestaltung der Spielhallen von Sega ist offensichtlich, dass der Geist der Arcade-Geschichte von Sega nicht in den Regalen verstaubt. Sega produziert und verkauft weiterhin Arcade-Maschinen, und die Übertragung von Daytona USA 2 und anderen Klassikern auf Heimkonsolen scheint ein strategischer Schachzug zu sein, um das Arcade-Erbe der Marke in den Herzen der Spieler weltweit am Leben zu erhalten.Höchste Zeit, die Motoren aufheulen zu lassenMit Daytona USA 2, das endlich auf Konsolen erscheint, können Rennspiel-Fans, ob alt oder neu, gespannt auf ein Spielerlebnis sein, das sich in den 25 Jahren seit seiner ursprünglichen Veröffentlichung weiterentwickelt und verbessert hat. Mit dieser neuen Begeisterung kannst du deine Gedanken über die Heimkehr von Daytona USA 2 oder deine Erfahrungen und schönen Erinnerungen teilen, die du beim Spielen des Originals in der Spielhalle hattest.

[satoshi-mochida]

Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name details story, cast, combat, and locations

Gematsu Source

[Yakuza 6 spoilers]

Publisher SEGA and developer Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio have released new information on the story, cast, combat, and locations of Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name.

Get the details below, via the official website.

Story

What must you sacrifice to protect the ones you love?

A former legend in the yakuza world, Kazuma Kiryu fakes his death in order to protect his loved ones.

He occasionally receives missions as a secret agent for the Daidoji Faction, a shadowy organization that once operated as a fixer for the government. Kiryu’s very existence is kept a closely guarded secret within Daidoji. There he languishes away each day in his self-imposed solitude. Until one day, somebody arrives to drag Kiryu back into the fold.

Cast

Kazuma Kiryu (portrayed by Takaya Kuroda) – A former legendary yakuza who has erased his past and name.

Kosei Shishido (portrayed by Yasukaze Motomiya) – A lieutenant of the Watse Family, an Omi Alliance subsidiary. The Watase Family’s ace-in-the-hole.

Yuki Tsuruno (portrayed by Yoshiyuki Yamaguchi) – A captain of the Watase Family, an Omi Alliance Subsidairy. A yakuza swordn to the Watase Family.

Akame (portrayed by First Summer Uika) – A shadowy figure who knows the ins and outs of Sotenbori.

Homare Nishitani III (portrayed by Kim Jaeuck) – Patriarch of the Kijin Clan, an Omi Alliance Subsidairy. Thidr partriarch of the Kijin Clan, a direct subsidiary of the Omi Alliance.

Kihei Hanawa (portrayed by Hiroki Tochi) – Leader of the Daidoji Faction.

Gripping performances from Takaya Kuroda, Yasukaze Motomiya, Yoshiyuki Yamaguchi, First Summer Uika, Kim Jae-Uck, Hiroki Tochi.

Combat

Yakuza Style – Dominate your enemies through brute force. The final form of Kiryu’s signature brawling style. Pummel enemies with a ferocious flurry of punches and kicks, or use your environment as a weapon.

Agent Style – Subdue targets with sheer speed. The secret martial art practiced by operatives of the Daidoji Faction. Codename Joryu’s preferred style of combat. A swift and deadly style inspired by different martial arts across the world. It incorporates the use of gadgets to quickly dispatch enemies.Mix and match both styles to take down your foes!

Mix and match both styles to take down your foes!

Locations

Sotenbori, Osaka – Sotenbori, Osaka serves as the main setting of the game. In areas under the control of the Omi Alliance, there is a high chance that somebody will recognize Kiryu.

Isezaki Ijincho, Yokohama – A city in Yokohama near the harbor that is home to the Seiryu Clan, the only yakuza organization in the area. They become the target of Kiryu as he attempts to solve a case.

Bonus Content

Legendary Fighter Pack (digital pre-order limited bonus) – Three legendary yakuza from the Tojo Clan (Daigo Dojima, Goro Majima, and Taiga Saejima) show up to the arena aboard the mysterious tanker at sea. Witness greatness as fabled men duke it out for the title of the strongest!

Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name is due out for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC via Steam and Microsoft Store on November 9.

Watch a new set of gameplay videos below.

Combat  Gameplay

Yakuza Style

(From 19:08 to 19:42.)

Agent Style

(From 20:35 to 21:29.)

[richvalor]

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[datcloudboi]

List of Video Games Turning 30 Years Old in 2024

Aggressors of Dark Kombat (what if Mortal Kombat was made by the KoF devs?)

Alone in the Dark 2

Art of Fighting 2

Beneath a Steel Sky (a highly influential point and click adventure game from the same team that would go on to make Broken Sword)

Blackthorne (a 2D platformer made by Blizzard)

Breath of Fire (the 1st one)

Bubsy 2

Bubsy in Fractured Furry Tales

Bust-a-Move (known as "Puzzle Bobble" in Japan)

Castlevania: Bloodlines

Contra: Hard Corps (the first game in the series to have multiple endings)

Cosmology of Kyoto

The Death and Return of Superman (a side scrolling beat 'em up made by Blizzard)

Demon's Crest

Donkey Kong (the Game boy version of the arcade original)

Donkey Kong Country

Doom II: Hell on Earth

Double Dragon V: The Shadow Falls (as opposed to a beat ‘em up like the other four games were, this one was a fighting game)

Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom

Dynamite Headdy

Earthworm Jim (with music from Tommy Tallarico. His mother is very proud.)

Ecco: The Tides of Time

The Elder Scrolls Arena (the very 1st one)

Final Fantasy VI

Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem (the 3rd one)

Ghoul Patrol (the sequel to "Zombies Ate My Neighbors")

Heretic

The Horde (a hybrid action/strategy game made by Toys for Bob, who are known nowadays for making Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time)

Illusion of Gaia

Indiana Jones' Greatest Adventures

Killer Instinct

The King of Fighters '94

King's Quest VII: The Princeless Bride

Live a Live (the original version, which went unreleased in North America. We wouldn’t get this game until the HD-2D remake 28 years later)

Majin Tensei (a strategy spin-off of the greater Shin Megami Tensei franchise)

Marathon (one of the earliest games made by Bungie)

Mega Man 6

Mega Man Soccer

Mega Man V (on the Game Boy)

Mega Man X

Mortal Kombat II

The Need for Speed (the very 1st one)

Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures (as an empath, seeing Pac-Man in pain makes me feel sick)

Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure

Pocky & Rocky 2

Policenauts (a visual novel and one of the earlier works from Hideo Kojima)

Rise of the Robots (often considered one of the worst fighting games ever made)

Robotrek

Samurai Shodown II

Shadowrun (the Sega Genesis version)

Shaq Fu (also often considered one of the worst fighting games ever made)

Shin Megami Tensei II (which, to this day, has never been officially released outside of Japan)

Shin Megami Tensei If... (also never officially released outside of Japan)

Shining Force II

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (just in time for the third movie)

Sparkster

Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage

Star Wars: TIE Fighter

Streets of Rage 3

Super Adventure Island II

Super Metroid

Super Punch-Out!!

Super Star Wars: Return of the Jedi

Super Street Fighter II: The New Challengers (this release saw the first playable appearances of T. Hawk, Fei Long, Dee Jay, and Cammy)

Super Street Fighter II Turbo (saw the series’ first secret character, Akuma)

System Shock (a remake came out very recently. It's quite good!)

Ultima VIII: Pagan

Warcraft: Orcs & Humans (the very 1st one)

Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3

X-COM: UFO Defense (the 1st game in the series)

Zoda's Revenge: StarTropics II (one of the last first-party releases for the NES)

Zool 2