If there was one old-school game that fans would love to see back in the limelight, one of the top 5 names surely has to be Shenmue. Fans have been dreaming of a Shenmue 3 game for years and we could have some new teasers and hints which suggest that an announcement may, just may be coming up at E3 2013 in a few weeks time.

Shenmue was last seen on the SEGA Dreamcast of course, with Shenmue 2 released way back in 2001. It then turned up on the original Xbox thanks to a port the following year in the US and later on further in Europe. Considering that Shenmue is still one of the most loved franchises ever, it is very surprising to think that we have gone this far without a sniff of Shenmue 3 evidence.

Until now that is. Corey Marshall is the original voice actor for main character Ryo Hazuki and he has posted some exciting new images to his personal Facebook page within the last few hours. The first is a new picture of him inside a recording studio, and the other picture is an older image with him posing next to a Sega logo with a poster of Ryo’s motorbike in the background.

While this could obviously turn out to be nothing, the speculation purists believe that a Shenmue 3 announcement could be coming at E3, what with the timing of the new images being posted so close to the event next month. Why has Wii U been mentioned above though you ask?

Well, it’s also been confirmed that Sega and Nintendo have signed an exclusive agreement together. The first result of this is Sonic: Lost World, which is a new original game that will release exclusively for the Wii U and 3DS platforms. Everybody keeps talking about how Nintendo are struggling on the exclusive front, but imagine if they are able to pull off a Shenmue 3 as a Wii U exclusive.

Along with Zelda, Smash Bros and Mario Kart, Shenmue 3 on the Wii U could end up as a system seller and a key game that Nintendo will hope to revitalize the company’s fortunes. See the images over on Facebook for yourself and let us know your memories of Shenmue on the Dreamcast.

Would you love to see Shenmue 3 as a Wii U exclusive?

If you enjoy playing games on your Android device on the go or indeed at home as your primary gaming fix, we have some good news for you. SEGA has just announced that Megadrive classic Sonic the Hedgehog is now available to buy direct from Google’s Play Store. Even better, is the fact that it is not just a port either – it comes with enhanced graphics and new playable characters.

You heard that last part correctly. While the 16 bit version of the game only allowed you to play as Sonic, SEGA has pulled some strings to tweak the game so that you can now play as Tail or Knuckles too! Previously, you may remember that Knuckles was only introduced in Sonic the Hedgehog 3, with players able to play as the Echidna by slotting Sonic 2 on top of the Sonic and Knuckles cartridge.

Fast forward back to 2013 though and the game is available to buy right now on the Play Store, priced at a very reasonable $3. Aside from the ability to play as Tails or Knuckles, the game also supports 60FPS playback and there’s a remastered soundtrack in there as well.

SEGA has also noted on the Play listing, that users can play the game using an Xbox 360 controller if they prefer. Knuckles was always considered the coolest character out of the three, so we have a feeling that some of you may be willing to pay the $3 just to revisit Sonic 1 with Knuckles.

It’s also refreshing to see SEGA re-release this game with some extras on board, not just a lazy port which they could have been tempted to do. Now if they only do the same with the Streets of Rage series and Comix Zone, the world would be a better place.

Will you be buying Sonic on your Android device for $3 or not?

Did you pick up a copy of Aliens Colonial Marines from SEGA and Gearbox? If so, you’ll be interested to know that both companies in question have now been targeted in a class action lawsuit, over false advertising claims relating to pre-release graphics and the resulting graphics that featured in the final copy of the game.

If you have been keeping an eye on the situation, you’ll probably know that bad things were coming Gearbox’s way after so many complaints on the issue. To give you a recap, watch the video that we have included above – which shows scenes from Aliens Colonial Marines being shown for the first time at E3 in 2012, and the same scenes in the final version of the game.

The differences in graphics are so clear cut, that even Gearbox president Randy Pitchford admitted in a Tweet that something suspect was going on, although he hasn’t made a definitive statement on the reasons why or indeed said anything yet about this lawsuit.

It looks like they have been truly caught out trying to deceive gamers on this occasion and it looks like the price may now be paid as a result of the lawsuit. The accuser is seeking damages for everyone who pre-ordered the game, or purchased the game on release date.

You can read much more about this over at Polygon, who have obtained a copy of the lawsuit from Edelson LLC. We have a feeling that this definitely isn’t over and it will be interesting to see what the ending result will be. The graphics are clearly different though, as you’ll see in the video.

If you have picked up a copy of Aliens Colonial Marines before or on launch date, are you now seeking some compensation as well?

Sega has a lot of pressure on their shoulders to deliver a top quality online RPG on the PS Vita. Sony’s handheld is in dire need of some new games to play and Phantasy Star Online 2 is surely going to help fill the gap when it releases later on this year. The game is already out in Japan and to prepare for the upcoming western release on PS Vita, we now have some extended gameplay to show you to get your juices flowing.

If you didn’t already know it, Phantasy Star Online 2 is a free-to-play game. You’ll be able to download and start playing the game for free, but you’ll find that many in-game items are locked out and in need of micro transaction payments in order to have access to the most worthwhile items.

This is a formula that many game developers are now favoring over standard format, with DUST 514 and Marvel Avengers Alliance just two examples that appear to be very successful – Star Wars: Knights of The Old Republic is another notable one after first being released as a paid-for game.

Unfortunately, there is still no definite indication on when SEGA plans to release the game in English, for US and UK PS Vita owners. It doesn’t look like it is coming any time soon either as the game is only being prepared for a Japanese PS Vita release this February – as it will obviously take a good deal of time to localize the game in English.

The gameplay itself in the trailer is very good though and should give you a nice conclusion as to whether you think the game is actually worth buying. There’s a detailed look (in Japanese) on how the in-depth character customization features work, while there is also an appearance from Sony mascot Toro as well for those that have seen the cat before in other Sony games.

What are your thoughts on the game going free-to-play? – Are you willing to spend all of your money via micro transactions rather than a one off payment? Enjoy the new gameplay footage below.

We really hope this happens, as it remains one of the true retro gems in our opinion and a game that first showed how fun co-op can be. Not only was the game one of the Megadrive’s best, but it also has arguably the most funkiest video game soundtrack known in history – we challenge you to find one game which has funkier music than ToeJam & Earl.

Unfortunately, Sega hasn’t confirmed this as a fact yet, but Siliconera seem to be confident that the game is coming along with ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron, as part of a new Sega Vintage collection on the PS3. We’re a bit disappointed that this is just a re-release rather than a full remake, as we think a proper HD remake would be an excellent addition on console.

It would also give a history lesson to the current generation of gamers who play nothing but Call of Duty every day. ToeJam & Earl belongs in the same leagues as Sonic, Mario and Zelda in our opinion and we hope that Sega are now planning to embrace it. I fondly remember the countless hours of playing with my pal Tim, flying down to a secret Lemonade island in the corner of the map. I also remember how annoying those boogeymen were and I’m pretty sure we never completed it, due to a no nonsense difficulty curve.

I even still have the original Megadrive cartridge as well, as you can see in the image above. If you played ToeJam & Earl too in the Megadrive glory days, let us know your thoughts on the idea of the game re-releasing on the PS3. Will you be buying it?

A pretty looking young woman by the name of Yukie Kawamura will be featured in the game, as Sega has thought that it would be a great idea to include the Japanese swimsuit model in limited edition versions of the game, as revealed by Andria Sang.

The levels in question will feature the model dressed in her favorite attire, with our monkey hero having to find his way around the arena dodging certain obstacles – one of which is her pair of breasts which Sega have transformed into a monkey ramp.

If you’re interested in playing these kind of levels, you’ll want to know that trying to get hold of a limited edition may prove to be a difficult task. Sega are only putting a handful of codes inside boxes of Banana Blitz (the full title), and there’s obviously a high chance that the adult levels will only see a release in Japan anyway – for obvious reasons.

What do you make of this? Is it clever marketing by Sega or an embarassing ploy to shift their game? It seems to work for Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive 5, another two games made by Japanese devs. Imagine the uproar by the parents if something like this happened in the UK, we wouldn’t see the end of it.

Let us know if you plan to import this asap!

Just to point out though, the beta will only be available for the PC version of the game, as SEGA recently confirmed that the Vita version of the game won’t be due out until 2013 and that the game is only 10% complete at the moment.

With that out of the way, Producer Satoshi Sakai has revealed that the upcoming closed beta testing will have space for 100,000 entrants and that players who were lucky enough to participate in the alpha test will be receiving priority for the closed beta.

The closed beta will bring significant gameplay additions compared to the alpha test, as Sakai states that they will be adding in story and quest elements, some town fields and even more weapon categories to play around with, as translated by Andria Sang.

If you are interested in getting into the closed beta, you’ll need to be aware that Sega are planning to hold an event at the end of this month, which they are calling the ‘Media Briefing 2nd’ event. In this event, they will announce when the beta will begin and we’re guessing ways in which to enter the beta as well. If you are fluent in Japanese or don’t mind using a translate service, you may want to check out the official PSO2 blog here.

We have added some gameplay footage from the second alpha test below, as we’re guessing a lot of you may not have seen the game in action yet. For an alpha test, it looks really impressive in our opinion and pretty mouthwatering to think that this game is on the way to the PS Vita as well.

To bring you up to speed, Jet Set Radio had been teased before this week and now Sega has just made things official. The game will be coming as a PSN and Xbox Live download during the Summer, with a PC version also apparently on the way as well.

Jet Set Radio is easily one of the best games on Sega’s ill fated Dreamcast console and we’re delighted to see Sega give this generation of gamers a chance to relive the 2000 classic. As mentioned above, this won’t just be a straight up port of the Dreamcast original – Sega will be upgrading the game with HD graphics and since the game was one of the first to utilize cel shaded graphics, it will probably still look as fresh as ever on the PS3 and Xbox 360.

While the news of Jet Set Radio’s return is obviously awesome, we’re a little bit disappointed that there doesn’t appear to be a PS Vita version in the pipeline. Jet Set Radio seems like a perfect fit on the Vita’s gorgeous OLED screen and it seems a strange decision from Sega not to cash in on the opportunity to bring it to the Vita, as it would simply fly off the shelves.

There may be one saving grace though for Vita owners, once Sony improve their remote play functionality via a firmware update. At the moment, remote play is basically non existent on the Vita and is actually quite frustrating for a lot of you who hoped that you would be able to play Killzone 3 at the very least after Sony’s heavy advertising at the Tokyo Game Show.

We’re confident though that remote play and other PS3-Vita cross platform features will work like a dream sooner rather than later though, so fingers crossed that this Jet Set Radio game will be just as good playing it via PS3 remote play on the Vita, rather than having a standalone title.

What is your reaction to Jet Set Radio HD coming out – would you like to see this on the Vita as well? Let’s get the word across to Sega.

February is a busy month for SEGA, on the 10th of this month Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games Sports will arrive for the Nintendo 3DS, dates in different regions may vary slightly, however unless you are in Japan it should arrive somewhere between now and six days time (Feb 14th). One game which we are particularly excited about is Virtua Tennis 4 for the PS Vita, this beautiful-looking game is said to arrive on 22nd February according to EuroGamer. The only other SEGA title which is said to arrive this month is Binary Domain, this tactical third-person shooter should hit PS3 and Xbox 360 on 24th February in the EU – four days later it should arrive in North America.

In March SEGA has two titles lined up, it has just been confirmed that Yakuza: Dead Souls will launch in Europe on March 16th, we’re not yet sure when it will arrive in other regions. EuroGamer also expect the Limited Edition of Total War: Shogun 2 – Fall of the Samurai to show up on March 23rd.

The rest of the releases don’t seem to be set in stone, however we should see London 2012 – The Official Video Game of the Olympic Games hit PS3, Xbox 360 and PC in June, Anarchy Reigns hit PS3 and 360 in early July and Super Monkey Ball Banana Splitz to hit the PS Vita sometime this summer, as for Aliens: Colonial Marines this has been pencilled in for Autumn 2012.

Games which we’ve heard nothing about include the North American release of Crush 3D for the 3DS, Rhythm Thief & the Emperor’s Treasure which should arrive sometime this month the 3DS in North America and Europe also we’d like to hear some solid information in regards to Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown and its PS3, Xbox 360 and PS Vita releases.

Which SEGA game release do you want to know more about? Perhaps we can find out information for you…

The game’s publisher, SEGA originally signified spring 2012 as being the period that we could expect to see the game released. However, today’s news suggests that the date has been pushed back a little further, as AVP Galaxy spotted that the official website now reports we won’t be seeing the game until autumn 2012. When the publisher was asked for a comment on the matter it was revealed that they were not discussing the release date for the moment, suggesting a simple delay was to blame.

Earlier this month we brought our readers the first details of the collector’s edition of the game which was packed full of bonus Alien content including a new game mode, unlockable weapons and a highly detailed resin display model, complete with a limited edition display box. The details came from what was thought to be a leaked image, making the announcement somewhat unofficial, but led us to believe we would be seeing the game released sooner rather than later.

With a new release date now thought to be coming in autumn we can expect to see a lot more details revealed about the game in the not too distant future. Perhaps some trailer and screenshots would be enough to get an idea of the quality of the game, but for now we will just have to assume that the game may end up being a disappointment as past Alien games have been, hopefully we get proved wrong.

What do you think of Aliens: Colonial Marines so far?