Back in July we learned that Bayonetta would be getting its release date pushed back to January 2010 but did not know of an exact date. Luckily, we now know that the title will be making its way onto store shelves on January 5th in the US and January 8th in Europe.

If you know nothing about Bayonetta, just know that Famitsu recently gave the game the first ever perfect score for an Xbox 360 title. Need I say any more?

via thatvideogameblog

Sure, smoking may most one of the self destructive habits you could take up but if you’re going to do it, you might as well do it in style. Geek style, that is.

What you see above are Branpresto’s recently announced Sega Mega Drive and Sega Saturn Zipp style lighters. Both of them are available for pre-order right now for ¥10,500 or about around $115.

Of course, if you don’t smoke you can always keep them as collectibles.

via joystiq

Famitsu, one of the premiere Japanese gaming magazines, has been known to be extremely critical when they review various titles. In fact, up until now they have not awarded an Xbox 360 game with a perfect score.

Today, it was made known that the lucky Xbox 360 title that will be getting a perfect score from Famitsu is none other than Sega’s Bayonetta.

Haven’t played Bayonetta yet? Well, that’s no surprise as it doesn’t hit North American shelves until January 2010.

In an interview with CVG, Obsidian’s Feargus Urquhart comments on the delay:

“We’re very happy that Sega has made the decision to hold back the shipment of the game in order to give it the best chance at becoming the publishing success that we at Obsidian and our partners at Sega are striving for.”

Sega’s Alan Pritchard also comments:

“By pushing Alpha Protocol to Spring 2010, we can ensure that the game will be released in the best commercial release window possible and will also receive the focus this true AAA title deserves.”

So, they don’t want to release it around Modern Warfare 2? That sounds about right.

The first we heard of an Alpha Protocol delay was late last month when GameStop and Amazon.ca updated the game’s release date as to June 1st, 2010 and June 10th, 2010, respectively.

Well, today, Sega has officially announced that Alpha Protocol will be getting delayed until a vague Q2 2010. So, this leads up to believe that the release dates listed on the above two sites were just place holders.

Either way, we should be seeing Alpha Protocol hit store shelves for the PS3, PC and Xbox 360 sometime mid-2010.

Not a fan of plug-and-play consoles? Neither were we, until we saw the FireCore, that is. This console is essentially a Sega Genesis remake in the sense that it lets you play Genesis carts. That’s where the similarities end, however, as the console itself actually comes installed with 20 Sega Genesis games that you can play right out of the box.

Want want? Of course you do, Buy.com has the FireCore console up for sale at just $50.

Fans of the Yakuza series will know that it took some time before SEGA finally decided to release a North American version of their hugely popular Yakuza 2. Well, if recent rumors are to be believed, we may not be subject to such a tedious wait with Yakuza 3.

Rumors come to us from 1UP who says that an anonymous source close to the project told them that “Yakuza 3 is currently being localized for release in the U.S. and European markets”.

As with any rumor, take this with a grain of salt, at least until we hear and official announcement from SEGA, that is.

GameSpot sat down with associate brang manager of Sega America, Ken Allough, who commented on the game:

Old-school Sonic fans have long asked to see Sonic return to a more 2D style of gameplay. Many liked the daytime stages in Unleashed, but wanted to see a game that plays purely similar to the early games of the Genesis. Project Needlemouse is that critical first step that brings Sonic back to his 2D roots.

So folks, tease yourself with the above teaser trailer and then wait from Project Needlemouse’s impending 2010 release.

No word on pricing yet, but we’ll keep you updated.

A forum post on NeoGAF reveals that Sega will be releasing a budget priced Phantasy Star Portable this October. Included with the package comes a UMD which contains a three-episode story feature which covers the story called Phantasy Star Universe Chronicle.

Surprisingly, the opening cinematic for Phantasy Star Portable 2 of the game will also be included with the said UMD. This is the first time we’re hearing of a sequel or the game. The packaging mentions that the game is due for release this winter in Japan. No other information is present at the time.

via NeoGAF

“America and Europe is the same release. Usually the European version comes a year after, let’s say the Japanese release,” Yoshino said. “During the year, a lot of people are going to like, well this is old news now. We’re going to be losing a lot of interest if there is such a long time as a year. We’ve scheduled it in so we can get it out as quick as possible.”

Resonance of Fate will be released Spring of 2010, and the fourth quarter of this year in Japan.

Sega’s new Iron Man game looks a lot better than its predecessor, and will hopefully play better, too. As announced yesterday, Iron Man 2: The Video Game will go beyond than just what was told in the movie, but will also expand on the story.

As shown on the trailer, the game will be hitting stores April 2010 for all “major consoles”. The movie itself will be released on May 7th, so it’ll give you enough time to soak up the Marvel fandom.

Expect more details come Comic-Con.

In a recent press release Sega noted that Iron Man 2’s storyline would not only follow the movie’s plot but also take some elements from the comics that started it all.

Additionally, Joystiq reports that the Iron Man 2’s (the video game, not the movie) story will be inked by Matt Fraction, the guy behind Invincible Iron Man and Uncanny X-Men.

Featured on the site is a blog which contains said screenshots, and an information page explaining the game’s concept. While you can’t expect the game to look as good as its home console counterpart, for the most part it looks impressive.

Valkyria Chronicles is slated for a winter release in Japan, with no planned release date in any other part of the world.

Read (戦場のヴァルキュリア２　公式サイト)

“Bayonetta is an extremely important new IP for SEGA and adds a new level of depth to our growing portfolio. As a result of market analysis we have taken a Publishing decision that January 2010 is the optimum release time in the Western Markets to maximize this exciting new title’s potential,” said Mike Hayes, President and COO for SEGA West.

If you live in Japan or are planning to import, the game is still scheduled for an October 29th release for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

via ShackNews

There’s no telling what the game could be, but seeing the teaser site’s theme, one can assume that it will most probably be a sequel to Sega Casino for the Nintendo DS. But who knows, it could even be the return of the Dreamcast for all we know.

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games has been officially dated by Sega for an October 16th release. The sequel has basically the same premise as its predecessor, but this time, is based on events in the Olympic Winter Games. Along with a release date, Sega has released a spiffy website for the game, showcasing some new multimedia and epic music.

The site also reveals a few of the Olympic events to be featured in the game. Confirmed for the Wii version, sports taking place will be Alpine Skiing, Ice Hockey, and Speed Skating. As for the portable counterpart, Snowboard Cross and Skeleton will be included, along with Alpine Skiing.

Read (Sega Blog)

It can be noted that publisher Sega had claimed that the project was still being worked on as of June 15. However, it has changed its tune now.

"At this point, Sega has no plans to move forward with the Aliens RPG," said a Sega representative. "We plan to continue working with the Aliens franchise and ask fans to be patient and stay tuned for more information about what SEGA has coming out for the Aliens series of games, starting with the upcoming Alien vs. Predator game."

Other titles in the franchise are still going forward as planned. This includes Rebellion’s shooter Aliens vs. Predator which is scheduled for release early next year. And Gearbox’s co-operative shooter Aliens: Colonial Marines, which still has no release date.

I don’t know about you guys but I think I’ll have to side with Shia LaBeuof on this one, despite a few good titles nothing on the Wii has really caught my eye, that’s why I’m so excited for The Conduit. It looks to push the graphical capabilities of the Wii along with providing top notch first person gameplay.

Well, it seems Sega has found it fitting to provide The Conduit with a television ad as its June 23rd release date draws ever closer. Wait, that’s tomorrow!

Please excuse us for the poor quality video, we will provide you with a better one as it becomes available.