Is Moonwalker 2 in development?

Ow! Hee-hee! Who's bad?

There have been rumours across the internet this week that Michael Jackson is set to appear in a new game. It is apparently being developed for the PS3, PS2 and Wii, with a release date of Christmas 2009.

The game is supposedly based on Michael's This Is It concert at the O₂ arena in London, and is being created by his film production company MJJ Productions. There has been no mention of a publisher, although Sega have published almost every game Michael has cameoed in so far.

Gameplay-wise, the game could be in the style of Dance Dance Revolution or SingStar, as the music videos are set to feature heavily. It is aimed at the whole family.

Past games Michael has appeared in include Moonwalker, Space Channel 5 1 and 2, Ready 2 Rumble Boxing and I'm Sorry. He also apparently created the music for Sonic 3.

It would be great if Sega published the game, but I doubt it will happen. I really enjoyed Moonwalker on the Mega Drive, so hopefully this new game will be good too!

[Source: 9Lives via NowGamer]

Arcade version of Golden Axe to be released on Virtual Console

Next week, the arcade version of the Sega classic Golden Axe will be released on the Japanese Virtual Console. The game will retail for 800 Wii Points, the same price as the Mega Drive version.

There are some differences between the Mega Drive and the arcade version, which may make you consider buying both. The arcade version features a higher colour palette, better animation and sound, parallax scrolling and generally more detail. The Mega Drive version, due to technical limitations, has less colour and detail but makes up for it with two extra levels and two extra modes ("Beginner" and "Duel").

All of the Mega Drive versions of Golden Axe are available on the Virtual Console, including Golden Axe III which was never released in cartridge form outside of Japan. They are also available on Mega Drive Ultimate Collection.

There has been no mention of a North American or European release yet.

[Source: Nintendo Life]

Master Systems do not make good Tap boxes

Picos aren't much good either.

Sega of America employees have been competing in a Let's Tap Tap-Off, each using a specialist "box" of their choice. Let's Tap requires the Wii remote to be placed on tappable surface in order to pick up the vibrations which control the game.

Choices of weapon included an Xbox 360, a NiGHTS magazine cover, a PS3 box and a Wii box. By far the best (yet least effective) boxes were the Sega Pico box and the Master System.


Whilst the Pico box faired okay, the Master System proved unsuccessful. Here's what the Tapper said:

"Let me just say that this was a mistake. I completely failed the third round because the poor Master System wasn't picking up the vibrations, and I didn't have the heart to hit it hard.

Don't try this one at home, folks."

In future just stick to cardboard. Take it from Sega: don't risk destroying your beautiful old consoles!

[Source: Sega of America Flickr]

Arcade version of Space Harrier released on Virtual Console

Space Harrier is one of the many arcade titles coming to the Virtual Console this year. Today it was released on the North American store, with the European store receiving it on the 29th May. Japan got it back in March when the games were first announced.

It was originally thought that the arcade titles would cost 500 Wii Points, 300 Points cheaper than their Mega Drive counterparts. It turns out that they too will cost 800 Points.

Nintendo Life gave the arcade version just 5/10, whereas the Master System version got one point more. I would rate the game higher than that just to watch the mesmerising chequerboard floor!

[Source: Nintendo Life]

More All-Stars Racing info emerges

Thanks to E3, a lot more information has emerged concerning the upcoming kart game Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing. More screenshots have been released, as well as a gameplay video.

The confirmed characters so far, according to Wikipedia, are:

• Sonic
  
• Tails
• Eggman
• Amy
• Shadow
• Big
• AiAi
• Amigo
• Ulala
• Billy Hatcher
• NiGHTS

In the screenshots we have seen Shadow, who is riding his motorbike; and Big, who is riding a tiny bicycle. Ulala, Billy Hatcher and NiGHTS are yet to be seen.

Joining the Seaside Hill circuit is a Billy Hatcher-themed ice level, complete with giant eggs. The tracks seem rather large with multiple routes, shortcuts and jumps. The gameplay video showed drifting and banked turns.

Also seen in the gameplay video was Sonic's "Star Move", where he turned into Super Sonic and sped towards pole position. Each character will have their own signature move relevant to them, such as Amy's Piko-Piko Hammer, and Shadow will probably "Chaos Control" to the front.

Power-ups seen in the video were speed shoes, shields, fish missiles (?), mines, and Chaos Emeralds (which trigger a "Star Move").

Aside from the E3 discoveries, many people in the community were concerned that the game would be download-only on the PS3, due to being listed only for PlayStation Network on the official website. This has now been changed to just PlayStation 3, and the PSN logo has been removed from the bottom of the page. It can probably be assumed that the game will come out on disc after all.

Hopefully more gameplay videos will surface from E3, as well as more character and circuit confirmations! Anyway, below is the gameplay video courtesy of GameKyo. See the new screenshots over on TSSZNews.

Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing announced

Sega have just announced their latest game, which will be entitled Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing. It has a release date of early 2010, and will be available on the PS3, Xbox 360, Wii and DS.

The game will be the latest installment of the Stars series, which includes Sega Superstars and Sega Superstars Tennis. It seems the series has been renamed to include Sonic in the title, perhaps to make it more clear that everyone's favourite hedgehog is present.

Expect loops and corkscrews aplenty!

The title explains the basic premise of the game - cartoon racing with Sega's most well-known characters. Here is the official press release:

"SEGA Europe Ltd. and SEGA America, Inc., today announced Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing, a fast and furious battle to the finish line in this supercharged racer. Developed for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system, PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system, the home video game system, Wii and the Nintendo DS system, Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing will speed into stores in early 2010.

In a frantic battle to the chequered flag, Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing sees Sonic and friends speed around tracks set in mediaeval castle ramparts, lush rainforests and bustling cities, all taken from the visually rich and varied universes of Sonic and SEGA. Fan favourites such as Dr. Eggman, Tails, AiAi, Amigo and many more will join Sonic in their custom built vehicles, revving their engines and jostling to stay ahead of the pack. Each character will race around the track in cars, planes, motorbikes, and in AiAi's case - a banana mobile! Secret short cuts, swift handling and avoiding strategically placed obstacles are certainly the best way to get to the top of the podium.

"Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing is no ordinary racing game. Its huge variety of characters and vehicles, plus the ability to play both online and off set it apart from other games of this type" commented Gary Knight European Marketing Director, SEGA Europe Ltd. "The team have pushed the boundaries on what you would normally expect and created a different and unique party racing title whereby you really can't take anything for granted!"

And winning is only part of the fun in Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing! Each character has a specific All Star move such as Super Sonic, Banana Blitz and Tails Tornado, allowing a quick way for competitors to get back into the race! Power ups and weapons can also be collected around the tracks and used against the opposition to ensure they don't become a threat to that number one position... Players can battle it out in single or multiplayer mode, allowing up to four friends to race in frantic split-screen action, or up to eight players to compete online in the ultimate racing showdown."

A new Sega game was expected to be announced tomorrow, but it has instead been brought forward one day. The title was said to be no "huge surprise", but I certainly couldn't have predicted this. I am actually glad - I've always wanted another Sonic racer!

Sega say there will be no new announcements at E3 next week, so this is the only surprise we'll get for the time being. Anyway, you can see the trailer for All-Stars Racing here:



[Source: C+VG]

Master System port of R-Type coming to Virtual Console

The Master System port of Irem's R-Type is coming to the Virtual Console, priced at 500 Wii Points. It is scheduled for a Japanese release on May 19th, with no dates set for a worldwide release.

The TurboGrafx-16 version is currently available on the North American and European stores, the Master System version being the second port of the game available.

Considered a shooting game classic, the Master System port is generally considered one of the best. Back in 1989, C+VG gave the game 87%:

R-Type is by far the best blast available on the Sega, so it goes without saying that no shoot-'em-up fan should be without it.

Although no dates have been given for a European and North American release, I would expect it to appear this summer.

[Source: Nintendo Life]

Pitfall released on European Virtual Console

The Mega Drive version of Activision classic Pitfall has just been released on the European Virtual Console. The game was released last month on the North American store.

Mayan Adventure, the fourth game in series, was first released back in 1994 on almost every major platform at the time. I personally have the PC and Mega Drive versions, with ports on the SNES, Mega CD, 32X, Jaguar and Game Boy Advance also available.

I really like this game - the humorous animations make it even better. For example, when you land in some quicksand, Harry Jr. waves goodbye as he sinks to his imminent demise. Nintendo Life like the game as well, giving it 8/10.

One of the best parts of the game is the ability to play the original Atari 2600 version. Just enter a secret code on the title screen and get ready to see all the pixelly goodness!

Overall, this is a recommended download. It is available now and costs 800 Wii Points.

[Source: Nintendo Life]

Fantasy Zone II released on European Virtual Console

Fantasy Zone II for the Master System has been released on the European Virtual Console today. The game costs 500 Wii Points, and has been available in Japan since January. It has yet to be released in North America.

The game was first rated back in March by the Australian Classification Board, which is extremely reliable when it comes to imminent releases. Secret Command was also rated and released in April; however Shinobi, which was also rated, has yet to make its way onto the Virtual Console.

Fantasy Zone II is generally regarded as better than the original, albeit with worse music. The vivid graphics are some of the best on the Master System, with rainbows and clouds aplenty. It retains the Defender-style gameplay of the original, as well as all the cutesy designs.

Interestingly, the game was "ported" to Sega's legendary System-16 arcade board in 2008 as part of the Sega Ages series of remakes. It was designed to be as authentic as possible, using real System-16 hardware to stay true to the technical limitations of the time.

The original Fantasy Zone is also available on the Virtual Console, and as an unlockable game in Mega Drive Ultimate Collection.

[Source: Nintendo Life]

Galaxy Force II released on Virtual Console

The Mega Drive version of Sega's 1988 superscaler classic Galaxy Force II has been released on the European Virtual Console. The game is available now and costs 800 Wii Points.

Released in Japan back in February, there has been no confirmed date for a North American release.

Galaxy Force II is one of Sega's most advanced superscaler games, surpassing the likes of After Burner and Out Run in graphics and technology. The game is not a sequel, despite the "II" in its title. The name was originally used to differentiate the sizes of cabinet the game was available in.

Although enjoyable, the Mega Drive version of Galaxy Force does not accurately represent its arcade counterpart. The floors and tunnels have been replaced with coloured bars, and lack of true sprite-scaling means the gameplay is somewhat jerky. Reviews for this game are generally around the 5-6/10 mark.

Why Sega have not released the arcade version of this game is a mystery. The arcade version of Space Harrier was released back in March, so surely Galaxy Force and other superscalers were up for release eventually?

Personally, I would wait for the arcade version to be released, if ever.

[Source: Nintendo Life]

Naruto lookalike spotted in Wacky World of Sports

Hey, I recognise him!

One of the characters in the recently announced Wii game Wacky World of Sports bears a striking resemblance to a certain anime character.

The character in question in Naruto Uzumaki, from the aptly-named cartoon Naruto. Both characters have similar spiky blonde hair and headbands, although the Wacky version is wearing different clothes from his anime counterpart. No orange jumpsuits in sight!

Naruto Uzumaki, with his many identical twin brothers.

Now, calling two characters similar based on their hair may seem silly. But the character in Wacky World of Sports is called Sasuke Lee, Sasuke and Lee being characters in Naruto. It is therefore a clear reference to the cartoon, not just a coïncidence!

On a side note, I find the pronunciation of Naruto annoying. I assumed it was (emphasis in bold) Naruto, but apparently it's Naruto. It's like how Americans pronounce French words with the emphasis on the second syllable, rather than the first...

Wacky World of Sports will be released in late 2009.

Wacky World of Sports announced

First discovered back in December, the Wii game Wacky World of Sports has been announced. The projected release date is late 2009.

Most of our predictions gathered from the title were indeed true - it is a Wii game, and it is a minigame collection. It is not, however, a Tom and Jerry licence.

The game involves travelling around the world, partaking in ridiculous sports such as Tuna Tossing and, my personal favourite, Extreme Ironing.

Wacky World of Sports sounds rather like Alternative World Games by Gremlin Graphics, released in 1987 for various home micros. This game also involved travelling around the world, playing games influenced by national stereotypes.

See the trailer below.



[Source: Sega Europe]

The Lost Stars and Secret Command released on Virtual Console

Two Master System games have been released on the European Virtual Console this week - Alex Kidd: The Lost Stars and Secret Command.

Alex Kidd: The Lost Stars was released on the North American Virtual Console back in March, and is seen as the last "good" Alex Kidd game before his downfall. The Games Machine gave the game 72% in October 1988, although Nintendo Life wasn't as kind and awarded it 3/10.

Secret Command, released as Rambo: First Blood Part II in North America, fared slightly better in its reviews. The Games Machine gave the game 74% in February 1988, praising the graphics and two-player coöperative gameplay feature. Nintendo Life recommends this over Alex Kidd because of its "mindless fun".

The next Virtual Console update isn't until May, so you'll have to settle for these games until then. Both games cost 500 Wii Points.

[Source: Nintendo Life]

MTV's Wii Usage Stats: April 2009

Today MTV posted their monthly update on how often certain Wii games are played. A large percentage of those games are from Sega, so let's see just how popular they are!

Here are the Sega games in order of total play in one month:

1. Sonic Unleashed - 13 hours, 15 minutes
2. Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games - 11 hours, 3 minutes
3. Sonic and the Secret Rings - 10 hours, 11 minutes
4. NEW ENTRY Sonic and the Black Knight - 10 hours, 6 minutes
5. Ghost Squad - 6 hours, 37 minutes
6. House of the Dead 2 and 3 - 5 hours, 37 minutes

Sonic Unleashed remains the most played Sega game, with the total play time increasing by almost 50 minutes. Last month the game's total play time increased by over an hour! Sonic and the Black Knight is a new entry, and sits just underneath its fellow Storybook title The Secret Rings.

Next are the games in order of total play sessions:

1. Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games - 8.35 sessions
2. Sonic and the Secret Rings - 6.97 sessions
3. Sonic Unleashed - 6.7 sessions
4. Ghost Squad - 5.28 sessions
5. House of the Dead 2 and 3 - 4.65 sessions
6. NEW ENTRY Sonic and the Black Knight - 4.41 sessions

As you can see, the total play sessions produce an entirely different chart. Despite Sonic Unleashed being played most, it has fewer but longer play sessions. The more arcadey the title, the more frequently it is played; albeit for shorter periods of time.

Next month will probably see the entries of MadWorld and House of the Dead: Overkill. Or not, due their dire market performance...

More figures next month. See last month's here.

New Japanese Virtual Console games revealed

A list of games to be released on the Japanese Virtual Console has been published, and includes some Sega! The first game, which has been released this week, is Sonic Chaos. Phantasy Star will then be released next month.

You may have noticed that Sonic Chaos is not the Japanese name for the game. Annoyingly, it has a different title in every region - Sonic Chaos in North America, Sonic the Hedgehog Chaos in PAL regions and Sonic and Tails in Japan. The reason why Sonic Chaos has been released is because it is the Master System version - Game Gear games are not yet supported on the Virtual Console, the only version to appear in Japan.

The next game to be released is Phantasy Star on the Master System, Japan being the first region where it is available. For those who don't know, it is an RPG set on multiple planets. It was unique in that it was a Japanese RPG that combined both 2D overworld maps and 3D dungeons, something only Western RPGs had done before.

Both games will cost 500 Wii Points.

[Source: Virtual Console Reviews]

Space Harrier out now on Virtual Console

It has been announced at the Game Developers Conference that Space Harrier is available to download now, along with other true arcade titles from Namco and Taito. Other games available include mouse-based platformer Mappy and Galaxian follow-up Galaga's sequel Gaplus. Phew.

I speculated yesterday that Space Harrier would cost 600 Wii Points, based on the fact that newer (i.e. late-'80s) arcade titles would generally cost that much. It turns out the game will cost 500 Wii Points, 300 Points cheaper than its Mega Drive port. I wonder which version you would choose?

The new Virtual Console Arcade service sounds promising. I wonder which games will be released on it in the future?

[Source: Sega Nerds]

Sega's arcade games available on Virtual Console

It has been announced at the Game Developers Conference that Sega will be releasing their arcade games on the Wii's Virtual Console. Other companies to do this include Namco and Taito.

Space Harrier will be the first Sega title available. There has been no price set as of yet, but games all ready available cost 500 Points for older titles and 600 Points for newer ones. This means that Space Harrier will probably cost the latter.

Thankfully, you will no longer have to settle for watered-down console ports, and can experience the real thing instead. Console versions of Sega's sprite-scaler games were remarkably hit-and-miss, so being able to play the proper versions is excellent.

I'm sure Out Run will be the most anticipated Sega title to be released. I would personally opt for Galaxy Force - the illusion of depth is even greater than a true three-dimensional game!

If you can't wait for these games to be released, you can unlock the arcade version of Space Harrier on Mega Drive Ultimate Collection right now, blobby filter (unfortunately) included.

[Source: Kotaku]

The Wii is a Mega Drive according to games developer

Peter Wanat, developer of such games as Chronicles of Riddick and Wanted, has compared the Wii to a Mega Drive (specifically the Genesis, of course). A rather strange comparison, you might think.

On GameTrailers Wanat said that it is very hard to make a profit on the Wii, due to competition from the first party and being difficult to port major games to. The PS3, Xbox 360 and PC all have interchangeable multiplatform titles, whereas an extreme step down would have to be made to get the game on a Wii. He said they would have to be designed as "less than a PS2 game".

This is where the comparison comes in - the Wii may as well be a Mega Drive compared to the PS3 and Xbox 360 when it comes to major multiplatform titles. They probably wouldn't even be attempted, and if they were, they would have to be severely cut down.

An interesting evaluation of the Wii, although any console could replace the Mega Drive in the remark. I wouldn't compare the two consoles - one had amazing games with great graphics for the time, the other has generally low-quality games with the worst graphics of its generation. Guess which is which!

[Source: PS3 Centre]

The Sun shocked by MadWorld's marketing campaign

I'm sure this won't surprise anyone, but tabloid The Sun is shocked over MadWorld's UK marketing campaign which happened this week. To promote the game, Sega placed black-and-white prosthetic limbs around London, each clutching a copy of the game.

The Sun claims the public were "sickened" by the stunt, stating that the "blood-soaked severed arms" reflected the game's style which "emphasises the red blood that is spilt with every kill". They seemed to like the game, however, awarding it 3/5.

A spokesperson for Sega defended the stunt, saying they had no complaints from the public whatsoever:

"Sega is delighted to be leading the way with adult games for the Wii, and we are sure that gaming fans will see it as a breath of fresh air.

The arms used were very clearly black and white to reflect the comic-book nature of the game.

We had a team of people carefully monitoring reaction to the arms, if anyone at all found them offensive we removed them immediately. But we have had no complaints from the public at all".

The Sun were equally melodramatic over Resident Evil 5's promotion this week, which also featured severed body parts. I was shocked over Nintendo's Nintendogs marketing back in 2005 - poor defenseless dogs cruelly forced to partake in a promotional event whilst being tethered by the neck, struggling to get free from their evil handler. Disgraceful.

[Source: Nintendo Life]

New Master System games rated

The rating of Master System games is now a regular occurrence, as we know they are going straight onto the Virtual Console. That means it's no surprise to us that a bunch of new Master System games have been rated for PAL regions!

Rated by the Australian Classification Board, which usually indicates a release in all PAL regions, are Fantasy Zone II, Secret Command and Shinobi. All of these games are available on the Japanese Virtual Console, but have not seen release in other regions.

Fantasy Zone II is a H-Scrolling shoot-'em-up set in some sort of dream world; Secret Command is a Commando-style V-Scroller, originally released as Rambo: First Blood Part II in North America; and Shinobi is a ninja-based platformer. Just in case you didn't know.

Expect all of these games to be released soon!

[Source: Virtual Console Reviews]