Around the internet there is a rumor floating around that Microsoft may purchase Sega.  Now this is only a rumor, with no official word from Microsoft this is only speculation at this point.

So it’s no surprise that rumours are once again circulating that Microsoft may be about to make a move for SEGA (now SEGA Sammy Corp). It’s certainly not the first time we’ve heard about such a move - the last mention of it being back in early 2004 when it was speculated upon on many industry sites such as The Register and Gamespot. When you think about it, such a move would make perfect sense.

Microsoft are expected to make a ’shocking and desperate’ announcement at this years E3 - all we know is that it will be software related and nothing to do with hardware. It’s also no secret that Microsoft has had a very hard time in Japan with the 360 - SEGA might be the very company to help turn that around.

SEGA has a huge back catalogue of titles that could be relied upon to help strengthen the Redmond giant in the land of the rising sun. Titles like Sonic, Daytona, Virtua Fighter, Sega Rally and of course the Panzer Dragoon series all have a serious following over there and having those exclusive to the Xbox platform would be a sure fire boost to the Xbox over the next few years. 

SEGA Sammy shares have taken a battering over the last two years, dropping from a high of 2050,40yn down to 1020,00yn this week - that effectively halves the market value of the group making it an ideal takeover target.

Sega recently signed developer PlatinumStudios to publish three upcoming titles, made up of many former Clover Studio (Okami, God Hand, Viewtiful Joe) designers, their first title will be on Nintendo Wii and is titled ‘Mad World’.  What makes this title so interesting is it’s violent gameplay and stylized black and white graphics.  Mad World is a game that should stand out from the majority of the Wii library, check out the following debut trailer and see for yourself.

ClassicGaming.com’s Museum had this Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) regarding the Sega CD. The following should answer any question you may have, and provide a complete look at the history, a list of all games, little known facts and more.

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Recently found this - first off it’s definitely NSFW - primarily because of tons of profanity & drug references throughout this animated episode entitled “Game Over”. I found this over at College Humor and this episode features many references to favorite video game characters, including Sonic, Double Dribble, and Contra.

If you are easily offended the following video may be unsuitable.

ScrewAttack compiled this top 10 list of best games and franchises that managed to take a great 2D game and ruin it when making the jump to the third dimension. I think they made some good choices… can you think of any games that should have been included on this list? Let’s hear your opinions in our forum or leave a comment.

Okay so he started as “the angry nintendo nerd” and without informing me, he graduated to become “the video game nerd”… the dude still likes feces in his ear. He also states the obvious, and rants the 32x to near death (c’mon the 32x was rushed to market, plus we all know it was Sega Japan vs. America communication that killed this ill fated add-on…?) what am I doing? Fuck it, be a angry videogame nerd with a the $2.50 32x which is pennies on the dollar (I’m jealous of that too) - fellow reader Ksee was a proud owner of this… I remember having a hard time really getting impressed by the games I played on it, but I remember wishing I had one. I know Ksee paid a bit more than $2.50 price, and maybe… I want to play Halo 3. I’m so jealous of my friends right now. Watch out you don’t want to see a REAL angry gamer - plus I know I’d so kick his ass… I shouldn’t post after drinking, but do we need to be reminded the dudes a nerd… watch the video and see for yourself… oh yeah, TGif.

Ahh the memories… Sega’s 1989 Genesis version of their arcade hit Altered Beast, “Rise from your grave!” - watch as a three EGM dudes sit on a couch and play this classic then follow it up with Crime Patrol, the 1993 American Laser Games (originally an LaserDisc arcade game) FMV shooter that was released for Sega CD.

The two guys in the video are the comedy duo, Tunnels.

The SC-3000 was the computer equivalent of the SG-1000 cartridge-based gaming console manufactured by Sega.

The SC-3000 sold for ¥29,800 in 1983 and was marketed as a computer for beginners. Since games were compatible with both the SC-3000 and SG-1000, and since the SC-3000 was also able to run computer applications, it outsold the SG-1000.

Users were able to create their own programs and games on the machine. A speech synthesis unit, light pen, and several other third party accessories were also available.

The SC-3000H, which originally sold for ¥33,800, was an upgraded version of the SC-3000 with more RAM and an upgraded keyboard (the original keyboard was of the low-end membrane type).

The SC-3000 had an add-on called the SF-7000. The SF-7000 added 64KB of RAM and 8KB ROM, a 3-inch floppy disk drive, a Centronics parallel port, and an RS232 serial port.

[source Wikipedia & TVinJapan]

This news comes from CVG:

Sega’s Dreamcast repair service, which has continued to operate despite production of the console having been halted in 2001, will cease from September 28, hammering the final nail into Dreamcast’s coffin.

This news comes after production of the GD-ROM, Sega’s proprietary discs used for Dreamcast, having been aborted in February. This puts an end to the few Japanese releases which, oddly, still snuck out from time to time, Trigger Heart Exelica and Karous being two released this year.

This could also mean the end for Sega’s Dreamcast-based Naomi arcade machines, which also use the GD-ROM format, although it is suggested that developers may be able to continue using ROM boards as an alternative on the machine.

This also marks a complete end to Sega’s involvement in the hardware market. We’re wiping a tear from our eye…