Retro Gaming Australia

Everybody’s favourite sailor hunting, father avenging, kitty petting Sega hero – Ryo Hazuki – will be joining the range of video game characters with statues designed by First 4 Figures in 2013.

There aren’t any solid details as yet, but you can look at past F4F releases to get an idea of what you’re in for.

While it’d be nice if this were the first of many Shenmue things to happen in 2003, I won’t hold my breath.

After 12 years and 9 months on the market and 21.8 million units sold, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. has announced today that they will no longer be shipping new PlayStation 2 units to stores in Japan.

Japan is the first region where the PlayStation 2 has been officially discontinued. At least one new release is scheduled for 2013, with the latest Final Fantasy XI expansion, Seekers of Adoulin due in March.

So if you, like me, still have a ton of import PlayStation 2 games you want, you should probably get on it.

With everyone out on holidays, this is an especially light update.

Xbox Live Arcade
Nada

Nintendo eShop (Australia, Europe)

Wii Virtual Console
World Heroes 2 (Neo Geo) – 900 points

3DS Virtual Console
Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels (NES) – $AU7.99

Nintendo eShop (North America)

Wii Virtual Console
Shock Troopers: 2nd Squad (Neo Geo) – 900 points

3DS Virtual Console
Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels (NES) – $US4.99
Mega Man (NES) – $US4.99

PlayStation Store (Australia, Europe)

New Releases
Zip

Discounts
Last week’s sales ongoing, refer to that post for details.

PlayStation Store (North America)

New Releases

Discounts
Retro City Rampage – Free for PSPlus users
Galaga Legions DX – $US4.90 (30% off) for PSPlus users (til 31/12)
The Simpsons: The Arcade Game – $US4.90 (30% off) for PSPlus users (til 31/12)
Metal Gear Solid HD Collection – $US17.14 (30% off) for PSPlus users (til 31/12)
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater HD – $US7.34 (30% off) for PSPlus users (til 31/12)

Good Old Games

Discounts
GOG Holiday Sale continues til January 3

Steam
Steam Holiday Sale continues until January 5

New footage has been released for the cancelled Atari Games (aka Midway) fighting game Primal Rage II. The video comes from a former Atari engineer who still had a working board and hard drive for the game in storage. The game’s hard drive has been backed up, and the engineer has elaborated that the board is essentially a modified PlayStation, which could lead to the game being emulated some time in the future.

Primal Rage II features human fighters rather than the dinosaurs and primates of the original. There’s a plot driven reason for this, in that a being named Necrosian imprisoned the gods in a state of suspended animation. In order to fight back, the gods gave themselves human forms. Apparently the humans would eventually be able to change into their dinosaur/primate form. The story for the game was eventually released in a novel entitled Primal Rage: The Avatars. Action figures for some of the Primal Rage II characters even made it to market.

In 1996, a small developer called Pandora Box teamed up with publisher Takara to release the Super Famicom RPG Arabian Nights: Desert Spirit King. As the name suggests, the game has an Arabian theme – territory not often visited in the traditional J-RPG.

Players take the role of Shukran, an orphan girl who finds a ring which just happens to play host to the Ifrit, the King of the Djinn. Ifrit was sealed in the ring by his former master just before death, as the Djinn had sworn revenge on his master’s murderer. Upon granting his 1000th wish, Ifrit was to be freed, but it just so happened that Shukran, whose wish was the 1000th, wished for world peace. The two embark on an adventure to make that wish come true.

A rag-tag group of translators came together to finally bring Arabian Nights to English speaking audiences earlier in the year. Previous attempts to translate the game had petered out without result, but this group picked up where they left off and had the patch out in 6 months after commencement.

You can read more about the project and get the translation patch here

Sony is bringing it this week. Don’t forget the wallet busting Steam sale, which began yesterday.

Xbox Live Arcade
On sale until December 31
Jet Set Radio – 400msp (was 800)
The Simpsons Arcade Game – 600msp (was 800)
Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II – 600msp (was 1200)
Sonic The Hedgehog 2 – 160msp (was 400)

Daily deals are also running until the end of the year. Check your Xbox for more details.

Nintendo eShop (Australia, Europe)

3DS Virtual Console
Super Mario Bros. (NES) – 25% off
Dr. Mario (Game Boy) – 50% off

Nintendo eShop (North America)

3DS Virtual Console
Wario Land II (Game Boy Color) – $US4.99

PlayStation Store (Australia, Europe)

New Releases
OddWorld: Munch’s Oddysee HD – $AU14.45 ($AU10.85 for PS Plus members)
OddWorld: Stranger’s Wrath HD for PS Vita – $AU19.95 ($AU14.96 for PS Plus members)
Canis Canem Edit aka Bully (PS2 Classics) – $AU15.95
Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition Remix (PS2 Classics) – $AU15.95
Red Dead Revolver (PS2 Classics) – $AU15.95
Pacific Warriors 2 / WWII Soldier (PS2 Classics) – $AU10.25
Dezaemon Kids! (PSOne Classics) – $AU8.45
Rapid Angel (PSOne Classcis) – $AU6.95

Discounts
Sales last until January 10
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD – $AU12.25 (50% off, additional 10% off for PS Plus)
Deus Ex (PS2 Classics) – $AU8.45 (50% off, additional 15% off for PS Plus)
Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 2 – $AU10.25 (almost 50% off, additional 10% off for PS Plus)
Tomb Raider (PSOne Classics) – $AU4.95 (50% off, additional 15% off for PS Plus)
Tomb Raider II (PSOne Classics) – $AU4.95 (50% off, additional 15% off for PS Plus)
Under Defeat HD – $AU24.95 (50% off – additional 40% off for PS Plus)
Crazy Taxi – $7.75 (40% off – additional 10% off for PS Plus)

PlayStation Store (North America)

New Releases
OddWorld: Stranger’s Wrath HD for PS Vita – $US14.99
Sega Heritage Collection Bundle (Jet Set Radio HD, NiGHTS Into Dreams HD, Sonic Adventure 2 HD + DLC) – $US19.99
Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Bundle (Episode 1 & 2) – $US14.99
Bully (PS2 Classics) – $US9.99
Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition Remix (PS2 Classics) – $US9.99
Red Dead Revolver (PS2 Classics) – $US9.99

Discounts
Crazy Taxi (50% off, now $US4.99)
Daytona USA (50% off, now $US4.99)
Odin Sphere (PS2 Classics) (50% off, now $US4.99)
Resident Evil 4 HD (30% off, now $US13.99)
Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike Online Edition (30% off, now $US10.49)
Space Channel 5 Part 2 (30% off, now $US6.99)

More games are on sale for PS Plus users in the Sega Holiday Sale and Holiday Essentials sale. Consult the PlayStation store for further details.

Good Old Games

Discounts
Holiday sale

Steam
Holiday sale

The Mayan calendar thing is a load of bullshit, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t take advantage of a few companies offering sales in “celebration” of the event.

Good Old Games, who were already running a pretty neat sale, have increased the discounts on those sale items by at least an extra 25% in many cases.

Highlights include the Ultima series for just $US9, the Bullfrog collection for $US12 and the Sierra Quest bundle (Kings, Police, for Glory and Space) for $US20.

You can find the sale page here. It’s only on for another 6 hours, so hurry up.

Over the past year, Sega has been transitioning away from the standard box product model, instead opting to make the most of their back catalogue through digital distribution.

Sega Japan has launched the website Archives Sega to catalogue all of the games that have been released digitally, from the SEGA AGES Online service through to the new Model 2 collection.

There are currently no plans to replicate the website in English.

Via Segabits

Shadow Warrior, the politically incorrect ultra-violent follow up to Duke Nukem 3D, will be coming to iOS devices this week.

No price has been announced as yet.

Shadow Warrior was the final game 3D Realms developed in house before all focus shifted to the infamous Duke Nukem Forever.

The Tommo/Blaze developed and SNK-approved NEOGEO X Gold Limited Edition handheld is now available for purchase in North America and Europe.

For $US199.99 or £175/€199, you get the NEOGEO X handheld, a HDMI enabled docking station, an arcade stick modelled on the original AES sticks, 20 preloaded games an a Ninja Masters game card.

The jury is still out on whether the system is a worthwhile investment, however.