SEGA published new character information and artwork for Puyo Puyo Chronicle earlier this week.
As their statement reveals, new characters become available in the second half of the main scenario for Puyo Puyo Chronicle. You have to wonder what sort of major plot change, if any, happens at the halfway point in the game! Anyway, the new character artwork pieces can be found below, along with some skill descriptions:
Tomorrow, on December 8th in Japan, Yakuza 6 will be publicly available for purchase in Japan. Ahead of its wide release, SEGA recently uploaded a new minute-long commercial for Yakuza 6 to their YouTube channel.
The commercial showcases the many characters and minigames within Yakuza 6, capturing the variety of elements to be enjoyed in what is being described as Kiryu’s final chapter as the leading protagonist of the Yakuza franchise. It also attempts to capture the multifaceted tones and sense of drama that the Yakuza franchise is known for, from the serious to the outlandish.
If you missed it: this past weekend at Playstation Experience 2016, Yakuza 6: The Song of Life and Yakuza: Kiwami were confirmed for localization in the West, with details on release schedule to be released at a later date. Anyone remember the days of the Yakuza franchise when people were writing and mailing letters to show support for Yakuza 5′s localization? It seems those moments are long past.
Watch the clip below!
A new developer diary for Shenmue III has been published by Ys.net, focusing on the music of the Shenmue series. The interview clips with Yu Suzuki were recorded in August, but provide insight into Suzuki’s mind with regards to music philosophy in games and in Shenmue III in particular.
The topics covered include: the types of music that Suzuki likes, the variety of roles he has taken on in video game music composition in the past, and his current focus in music composition. Suzuki says that his primary role is establishing a concept or thematic direction for music, and notes that since Shenmue III takes place in China, he is aiming to capture the atmosphere of China in 1987. Suzuki also expresses fondness for the erhu.
Famitsu has recently uploaded to their YouTube account three preview videos of Yakuza 6, ahead of the game’s impending release in Japan. Yakuza series director Masayoshi Yokoyama was present to provide commentary, and much of the commentary being featured is comical.
The first two videos contain many cutscene segments, while the third video is an adventure demo, set in Kamurocho. Please be warned that these videos, particularly the first two, are not for people who don’t want to be spoiled. Important plot progressions are already shown in the early parts of the game.
The demo for Yakuza 6 is scheduled to be made available today (November 29th in Japan) on the Japanese Playstation Store, as of this article’s writing! The full game will release on December 8th.
The next Yakuza title planned for release in the West is Yakuza 0, set for January of next year.
About a week ago, SEGA of Japan announced that they were running a series of polls to gauge fan interest levels in particular characters and franchises – most notably featuring a variety of legacy SEGA options.
During today’s SEGA Fes. stream, the results of the polls were announced. The corresponding NeoGAF thread (with specific post cited below) has compiled both the ranked results for each of the three polls and the number of votes each franchise received, with the top ten options being listed for each poll.
To recap, there were three questions: which franchise do you want to see revived, which brand are you most invested in, and who is your favorite SEGA character. The results are as follows (credited to NeoGAF user The Bankslammer, and Phanton River Stone for additional entries):
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SEGA has uploaded short demo videos of each of the 18 rule modes for the upcoming 3DS title Puyo Puyo Chronicle. While we’ve read much about the RPG-styled main scenario of Puyo Puyo Chronicle, the game will still offer many options for the classic head-to-head Puyo Puyo fun, and in a variety of ways.
Watch the demo videos below! A short description accompanies each one. Be aware that certain modes have to be purchased within the game’s shop (not the eShop.) Additionally, check out the added preview and ruleset pages on SEGA’s website if you so desire.
SEGA has produced the next main character trailer for Yakuza 0 , featuring the secondary protagonist and fan favorite Goro Majima.
Yakuza 0 is going to be an exciting game for Majima. As we all know, the Majima of Yakuza 0 is a very different man compared to the rest of the mainline games. In the preview trailer, we see a man who was tortured by the Yakuza and lost his eye, saying such things as he’s been “ready to die” for a long time. What we see in Yakuza 0 is a subdued Goro Majima, one who is sensitive and sedate. His story will be a journey from this man, to the Mad Dog we all know and love.
Watch the trailer below! And view an excerpt of SEGA’s press statement on the video!
While the 20th Anniversary of the Sakura Wars series has come and gone, events are still being held throughout this year to commemorate the storied history of the franchise.
First, Cinema City and Kotobukiya are partnering together to screen “Sakura Wars: The Movie” in Tachikawa, Tokyo. Chisa Yokoyama, the voice actor for Sakura Shinguuji, will also be present for a talk segment. The screening begins at 4:30 PM on November 3rd, and tickets cost 2,500円 across 382 seats.
ARTFX J is also developing a Sakura Shinguuji figure, which can be seen at this page. A short PV has also been produced and uploaded to Kotobukiya’s YouTube channel to promote the Sakura figure:
The figure will cost 13,800円 and is produced at 1/8 scale!
Additionally, a third iteration of what has now became the Sakura Wars Museum series will be held at the Akihabara GAMERS location! The next Sakura Wars Museum will be open from November 4th to November 20th. A new round of character goods will be introduced, and this time some of them goods will feature more characters from the Paris Assault Force. For example, the new round of acrylic key charms will feature all women of the Tokyo and Paris Assault Forces. However, members of the New York Combat Revue will also be present in the A4 file set and the mouse pad. There are many items to be purchased, once again!
The festivities seem to be continuing for Sakura Wars! Perhaps we may yet see more from this series in the future? Let us hope.
Announcing: SEGA Fes! It’s an officially sponsored and created SEGA festival, taking place at Belle Salle in Shibuya, Tokyo, and being held on November 19th and 20th. There will be live stream links on Niconico, YouTubeLive, and FRESH! for 48 hours of the event, starting from 7:00 PM on November 18th and concluding at 7:00 PM on November 20th. As for the event at Belle Salle itself, it is an event that is free of charge to enter, and the venue will be open from 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM on the 19th and 20th.
The Persona official website published an announcement of a Persona 5 cafe opening in Japan! It will open from today October 14 (in Japan) to November 23 in the second floor of Pasela Resorts in Shibuya. Following the strong commercial performance in the first weeks of the game’s release, this is a welcome promotion.
The menu features eight dishes and eight different soft drinks. The drinks are shown above. Each item is themed after a different Persona 5 character. Some of the available food items include a tomato cream pasta, a basket of fried food (onion rings, fries, etc.), fondan au chocolat noir, and a dessert pizza. Some of the drinks include a mojito-inspired drink, a strawberry soda, and a coffee drink.
All drinks cost 650円, while prices vary for the food items.
Be on the lookout for Persona 5’s release in the West on Valentine’s Day, next year!