Astro Boy beaming down to the U.S.

Today, Sega announced that it is bringing two titles based on the popular cartoon Astro Boy to America. Development on the PlayStation 2 Astro Boy game is being led by Yuji Naka, creator of Sonic the Hedgehog. Already available in Japan, the Game Boy Advance game, called Astro Boy: Omega Factor, is currently being tweaked for the U.S. market at Sega's Hitmaker studio. Both games will be available sometime in Q3 2004.

Created by legendary Japanese animator and illustrator Osamu Tezuka, Astro Boy is one of he most famous characters in Japanese cartoon history. (Tezuka's other seminal work, the comic book Metropolis was recently remade into a full-length animated film.) In an unsurprising coincidence, the Astro Boy game announcement comes shortly after the launch of an all-new Astro Boy television series on the Kids' WB! network.