Not For Resale is one of the most satirical, most wrong, and yet most right Sonic related things in existence. You remember that colorful, beautiful, wholesome CGI trailer we got for this game? Well, this comic reveals what’s really going on…
Now, if only NFR would update a little more often…
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UPDATE: Apparently, no video of the new wisp was taken, and since it was not meant to be used on a public demo, the people over at Spindash likely won’t be able to get another chance. However, the description of the wisp does match it’s appearance on the Sonic Colors box art, and Spark’s description of the new title screen has been confirmed with video. All in all, I believe this to be credible./UPDATE
Seems something more than a new level is on display for Sonic Colours at this year’s Gamescom. Sonic Stadium forum member and Spindash.de writer, Spark, says a new wisp was also on display: the green hovercraft wisp. Here is what he had to say:
– the new Sweet Mountain Act introduces the green wisp, the hovercraft wisp. (We also got some videos, we’ll upload them soon)
– the green wisp changes Sonic’s form to a green Kirby with spikes, sonic heroes-shiny effect included!
– when Sonic is in hovercraft mode, he can use the light dash to grab some ring-chains
– bottemless pits are still there, but only a few. An exclamation mark will appear if you get to close to one.
– the “new” title screen is old school! After the Sega and Sonic Team logos appeared, you get to see the space (Metroid Other M-like) and Sonic is running from one side to the other just like in the old Sega Mega Drive title screens (but no iconic “Seeeeeegaaaa!” shout out). Seems like this will be the new standard for all future games, which is pretty cool
Of course, until he sends in the video, we’ll have to consider this a rumor. We’ll have the video for you as soon as SpinDash puts it up!
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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CP93zD4SQYs[/youtube]
UPDATE: SSMB Member and Spindash.de staff member Spark has informed us that the booth seen in the above video is the public booth at Gamescom and will inquire with fellow staff still at the event about whether the demo is playable by the public. We’ll update you when we hear more. /UPDATE END
Sonic fans looking to try out Sonic Free Riders for Xbox 360 Kinect at Gamescom over the next few days are out of luck. The above video has been posted at YouTube this morning by theREALshoesy, in which we can see the demo is sealed off in an enclosure, very similar to the one at E3. SEGA staff are on hand again to show how the game is played, while the public can only watch from a distance through glass walls.
Yesterday however, the press got to try out the demo’s single track in full. You can check out a few of their videos below. GameTrailers also has a play test of the demo at their website.
GamesWorldGR
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQypT7QADo0&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]
XboxFRONT
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Duvbb30gwTY&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]
Gamer365On
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLWYvLrYrFk[/youtube]
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Though SEGA is not present at this year’s Gamescom, its games sure are! Sonic Colors is among them, featured on Nextplay.de’s Youtube channel. The featured video shows off gameplay from the newest level, Wisp World:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYRVPT2RBIo[/youtube]
If you look closely, you can see the ring counter pass 99 rings at one point in the video, dispelling the rumor that you can only collect up to 99 rings in this game.
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RubyEclipse has announced at the SEGA of America Blog that today’s new media releases for the Lost Labyrinth Zone in Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 aren’t the only updates planned. From tomorrow, fans can expect more info on changes made for the final build of the game, with footage of the Lost Labyrinth Zone coming soon, too. RubyEclipse says updates will be posted exclusively on the SEGA Blogs and the Sonic City Blognik. We’ll be keeping an eye out for the updates and post them here at TSS soon after. The above new screenshot has also just been released in hi-resolution. In it, we can see that Sonic will still be able to spin jump while holding a torch.
What changes to the game are you hoping for? Speak out in the comments.
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UPDATE: The UK, AU and U.S. official Sonic 4 websites have also been updated with music for Lost Labyrinth Zone Act 1, three new badniks, concept art and more screenshots. The concept art and new screens have been added with the Japanese ones at the bottom of this article.
Thanks to Shoryuken for the heads up and thanks to Woun at the SSMB for obtaining the screens! /UPDATE END
SEGA has officially revealed the Lost Labyrinth Zone in Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 today. The update arrived on their official Japanese Sonic 4 website with eight new screenshots. The screenshots show that there has been a major overhaul of the stage, including new elements, such as dark areas in which Sonic will need to carry a torch to light up his surroundings. Sonic will also require the torch to light dynamite packs in certain areas to advance. The mine cart seen in the leaked footage of this level is still present, but it looks like it will only be used for a short period of time rather than take up a whole act. Judging by the screenshot, the mine cart moves forward without the need for tilting the screen.
We’ll keep an eye open for a U.S. and European update and let you know of any new info/media that may get released. Meanwhile, you can check out the screenshots below. If you saw the leaks, are you happy with the changes? If you didn’t, do you like your first glimpse? Let us know in the comments!
Thanks to Blue Blood at the SSMB for the heads up!
UK, U.S. and AU website:
Japanese site:
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Many of you remember that Sonic the Hedgehog got a new voice actor in Roger Craig Smith back in July. Roger revealed later that the Sonic voice actor for Alton Towers Resort was him. A lot of people out there weren’t too keen on the new voice, claiming that it’s too deep and too slow, but this was predicted to be the fault of editing work on the clips for the resort. Today, we can prove that the clips were indeed edited with the original high quality voice clips released by ArchangelUK on his Radio Redux shows, which you’ll notice are higher in pitch and a little faster than than those played at Alton Towers.
Folks over at the SSMB, Sonic Retro and SEGA Forums have had a good listen to the clips. So far, feedback is pretty good with most noting a significant improvement compared to past recordings. What do you guys think of the clips? Speak out in the comments.
Thanks to ArchangelUK for playing these and to Hero of Legend at the SSMB for getting a hold of them.
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Sonic Eggs is probably one of my favorite web comics running. Acting as a fan continuation of Archie’s “Sonic X” comic book (which in and of itself was a strictly in continuity Sonic X storyline), Sonic Eggs is a weekly strip written by occasional Sonic Stadium contributor Jason Berry, and posted on the website Emerald Coast Comics. It both satirizes and pays homage to all things Sonic, while also making an effort to be (almost) as kid friendly as its source material.
So why is this being featured in the community blog? Well, renowned Archie Sonic artist Tracy Yardley!* has actually done a series of pages for it, which will be running in the comic over the next six weeks! In addition to Tracy, Eggs also got another Archie talent, Ben Hunzeker. He did the shading for this page, as well another upcoming page. The flats for this page where done by Deebs.
Unlike many pages in the comic, this page does not have an individual gag, though it is building to something later. For the thousands of you who don’t follow the series, Sonic Eggs’ current plot centers around “Shades”, and unfinished, sissy version of the dark brooding ball of emo! For those of you interested in catching up to the current plot, you can find the rest of the comic here.
*The exclamation mark isn’t a typ-o, it’s part of Tracy’s name.
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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xd6BeriHAcI&playnext=1&videos=YoPn_F3zs3I&feature=feedu[/youtube]
During his rounds last week, SEGA’s Brand Manager David Allen stopped by GamesRadar’s offices where they got to check out Sonic Free Riders for Xbox 360 Kinect. In the video we see Tails in action as David guides Chris through the demos controls, shortcuts and many interactive items and weapons. Speaking of items, in this preview we get our first look at the “Soda Can” item, which you shake until it bursts and gives you a boost as you ride on it in cartoon fashion.
If you look closely, you can see an image of Eggman on the soda can with the words “Power Up”:
(Thanks to Hero of Legend for the image)
With the bowling ball, rocket, golf club and now a soda can item, it appears SEGA are really taking advantage of Kinect to make this the zaniest and most interactive racer out there.
Source: GamesRadar
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Colours, colors, colours, colors, Colours, colors, colours, colors, Colours, colors, colours, colors, Colours, colors, colours, colors, Colours, colors, colours, colors, Colours, colors, colours, colors, Colours, colors, colours, colors, Colours, colors, colours, colors, Colours, colors, colours, colors, Colours, colors, colours, colors, Colours, colors, colours, colors, Colours, colors, colours, colors, Colours, colors, colours, colors, Colours, colors, colours, colors, Colours, colors, colours, colors, Colours, colors, colours, colors, Colours, colors, colours, colors, Colours, colors, colours, colors, Colours, colors, colours, colors, Colours, colors, colours, colors, Colours, colors, colours, colors, Colours, colors, colours, colors, Colours, colors, colours, colors, Colours, colors, colours, colors, Colours, colors, colours, colors, Colours, colors, colours, colors,
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The comic book website “FirstComicNews” is devoting an entire month to Sonic the Hedgehog! The event includes a variety of features, including character bios, best of lists, and interviews with the creators. For those of you still unfamiliar with the comics, this could be a good way to learn more about them!
If you want to check out all of their articles for Sonic Month, check out their columns section. One that some of you may find particularly interesting highlights some awesome looking Sonic tattoos.
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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQE9f86fRpY&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]
GamePro’s German division has put up the above video preview of the Wii version of Sonic Colours. The levels shown in the footage are the two usual suspects (Tropical Resort and Sweet Mountain) that we’ve gotten so used to seeing in E3 demo coverage, but much of the footage gives us a look at some new areas of those stages, which suggests that this is a newer build being shown to press.
Thanks to MarcelloF at the SSMB, we have a translation of the preview:
After the disappointing Sonic Unleashed, SEGA once again tires with a high-speed 3D Sonic. But, this time without bothersome Werehog stages. The “Sonic Colors” titles game is being release exclusively for Wii and looks phenomenal, as you can see in these impressions of the first level. Once again it proves that there’s a lot more in the Wii than muddy textures and “casual” simple graphics. Plus “Sonic Colors” runs unbelievably fast on the screen.
Similar to Sonic’s 2D adventures, you speed through set sections that are full of junctions and secret areas. Most of the time, you’ll see Sonic from behind while you’re speeding through the tracks. Time and again the perspective switches to the side perspective and your blue runner becomes tiny. Like this “Sonic Colors” plays almost like the classic 2D adventures. At least shortly, because the perspective usually switches fairly quickly back to the familiar “Hedgehog From Behind”.
As you can see, “Sonic Colors” is very colorful, but what does the reference to colors in the title mean? For that let’s see the World Map first. This is an overview of Dr.Eggman’s Interplanetary amusement park. The villain has converted the planets into attractions and it’s up to Sonic to free these planets. But, that still doesn’t explain the game’s title. Time and again Sonic encounters small, alien beings that are prisoned in capsules. If he frees them, he can use the powers of the blue or yellow creatures for a short time.
All that is done by a small waggle of the Wii Remote. If you have an alien, you just have to shake the controller to, in the case of the yellow alien, dig through the earth. The blue alien, on the other hand gives you a laser. Of course there are more colors in the final game to be found, but in our preview version, only the blue and yellow ones were implemented.
Overall, with “Sonic Colors” there finally seems to be a decent 3D game with the sneakered hedgehog in the making. We, at least, can not wait to play this Wii gem in its finished version.
GamePro has also revealed the below clear image of the games map (click to enlarge):
Thanks to Blue Blood at the SSMB for the heads up!
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It appears that while Takashi Iizuka was publicly doing his interview rounds with the media over a week ago, UK retailer GAME also got to have a chat with him and quietly published their interview over on their Sonic Colours product page. Continue reading Iizuka Teases 20th Anniversary Game In Interview
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Hey everyone! In between my real life work, socialising and co-organising the Summer of Sonic with ArchAngelUK of Sonic Wrecks (which went absolutely brilliantly, by the way, despite mishaps – you can check it all out on the official website, or check back on TSS for reposts) I’ve not had a lot of time to dedicate to you guys. The visitors of The Sonic Stadium, where it all begun.
Well don’t worry, I’ve not forgotten about you guys – although some of the editorial is done by some awesome members of the community, I’ve always had my head buried around the back of the site, tinkering with this and that. After ten years, you’d probably know me by now – never sitting on one idea at a time. And with TSS’ 10th Anniversary just around the corner (24th October) I’m making some preparations that will ensure we have an awesome time all over the Network.
First off, this post serves as a heads-up, in more ways than one – I will be doing some rather odd things to the site over the course of the next week or two. And that will occur across the whole TSS Network – TSS, SEGASonic Radio, Sonic Showcase Network and The Sonic Show will all seem a bit odd on occasion. Don’t freak out and think we’re being hijacked or something – we’re not. It’s just me faffing about. Continue reading Mind the Dust / Advance Design Alert!
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While browsing London’s Forbidden Planet store, SSMB member Gnasher came across a humorous Silver figure. The ultra rare “Pingas” edition.
P.S. In case anyone really can’t tell, that’s Silver’s tail. The body must have gotten twisted during packing with hilarious results.
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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5l0qPDykPg[/youtube]
SSMB member and Summer of Sonic 2010 staffer Gnasher recorded a tour of this years Summer of Sonic. Now, those of you who couldn’t attend can get a better look at what was there and just how jam-packed full of fans it was. If you attended, see if you can spot yourself.
Gnasher has also recorded an ‘unboxing’ of the contents of the goody bag, aswell as some other things gained at the event:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2D05TYEpQs&feature=related[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6Ru7oGiWxY&feature=related[/youtube]
Thanks to Gnasher for the videos!
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Those awaiting updates for Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 will be glad to hear that they won’t have to wait much longer. SEGA of America Community Manager RubyEclipse has revealed in a post at the SEGA Forums yesterday that the updates could be coming as soon as next week and hints at the next zone reveal by stating that the Sonic 4 website will be getting a new zone overhaul. In his post, RubyEclipse has a question to ask of the fans before SEGA reveal anything, “Would you guys like to know only about the biggest updates to the final version of the game, or would you also like to know about the smaller ones?”
Sonic 4 update question – for you guys!
Hi everyone,
With our Sonic 4 Birthday Contest wrapping up soon and our final Hedgehog Day prizes about to go out the door, I have a question for you all with regard to the next news about the game.
Coming up, we’re going to be revealing many of the changes that we spoke about a couple months ago when we announced the extended development. With the website getting another big zone overhaul (possibly as soon as next week), I wanted to pose another question to you guys and get your thoughts.
Would you guys like to know only about the biggest updates to the final version of the game, or would you also like to know about the smaller ones? I ask because though not every update is massively game changing, there are some nice minor touches that I think some fans would appreciate. In any case, I’d like to know what you guys think, since you’re all quite passionate and engaged. (You too, lurkers!)
Let us know which you’d prefer (only big changes, or all changes) in a post below. I’ll be looking over the feedback for a couple days until the end of this Thursday. Thanks everyone!
As stated in the above post, answers are to be posted in the SEGA Forums topic and must be in by the end of tomorrow to be taken into consideration.
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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxYl1UXKoLI[/youtube]
In their latest “On The Spot” show, Gamespot got to interview SEGA’s David Allen about Sonic Free Riders. David also demoed the game on the show. Those who have been keeping up to date with the Xbox 360 Kinect title won’t see anything new in terms of the track shown, but we do get a better look at rail grinding and the player interaction required for that technique.
David Allen explains that they have taken the best bits from the previous two Riders games and combined them into this game. When it comes to controls, a lot of detail is given about how interactive the game is, such as its skateboard or snowboard like steering. David, however, is quick to be secretive in response to most of Ricardo Torres’ questions about content, like multiplayer options, modes, other characters, tracks and items. Instead, David assures that the team are trying to get in as much content as possible while rushing to get the game out for its November launch.
You can check out Ricardo’s hands-on preview from the 3rd August at Gamespot’s website.
Thanks to bolt7 at the SSMB for the heads up!
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With Summer of Sonic 2010 wrapped up and us staff having recovered (at least a little bit), I thought it time I put my thoughts about the convention out there and share some photos (sorry for crappy DSi quality).
Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing World Championship Tournament
I was staffing the Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing tournament with Sonic Wrecks’ Blake Draco. Things went O.K. during time trial qualifiers, despite him and I having difficulty monitoring two pods each out of a total of four to make sure everyone kept to the three lap limit, didn’t cheat and helped new players/owners of other console versions to learn the XBOX 360 versions controls.
The 32-player knockout round was a mess since only about half the people showed up but it was more than likely because people had got stuck in queue for other things going on. We didn’t take this into consideration when planning the tournament and I deeply apologise to those who did show up that had to wait while we tried to find your opponents and sort out what to do from this point. The last thing we wanted to do was keep participants standing there wondering what the hell was going on and what you’re doing next.
I also apologize to the few that turned up later and/or didn’t catch our shout outs for you and then had to be disqualified. I felt so bad for you guys having to miss out and wish there was something we could have done.
Despite all of these problems with the tournament, we got our winner and runner-up crowned and their trophies given to them on stage to an applause from the huge crowd of attendees, which made the stress and difficulties all worth it.
The Days Events, Games and Guests
It goes without saying that this year has been bigger and better than ever, with so much to do and see there was plenty to keep any Sonic fan occupied. We had a Cosplay Contest, an Art Contest, a Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing tournament, a comics table where Sonic the Comic’s Nigel Dobbyn was present, a merchandise store,
Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1, Sonic Colours (both Wii and DS), plenty of other game pods, many on-stage events including Nevermind the Buzzbombers, The Wrecks Factor Live, the one and only Crush 40 and more. Now that is a lot of activities and entertainment. All for a whole day and all for free.
The People of Summer of Sonic
The Summer of Sonic couldn’t be what it is without the people behind the scenes who pull it all together voluntarily and the special guests who give up their time to attend. There is a huge team of us staff who work hard for this event and don’t get paid. They give up their free time, money and risk their sanity and health for the love of one spiny blue speedster and his community of fans.
Many of the Summer of Sonic’s guests and activities all come from the event’s main organisers. ArchangelUK, Dreadknux and T-Bird who deserve the highest respect and thanks for their huge efforts. Without these three guys, there was no way we could have had all of the special things we had and no way we would have gotten through the day.
All of the other staff at the event such as Vger, Flyboy Fox, JayZeach, DiscoPonies, Bmn, Roareye Black, Roarey Raccoon, Echo Hawk, Jemnezmy, Blake Draco, Urtheart, Nemain, Turbo, Iceman Etika, Gnasher and others deserve huge praise, too. This is what the true super power of teamwork has made: a large convention for the community and by the community.
The Heart of the Convention
The heart of Summer of Sonic is what keeps people coming back every year and makes the event really some thing special. The heart is within the community who attend this convention every year and it really shows. From every inch of the convention, you can see people socializing and making new friends, sharing each others experiences in their time in the fandom and even their creations in areas like the art tables. I myself got to see a good friend I’ve made in the community outside of the staff here, Doctor MK, who is the founder of the charity event Sonic Relief that I help out with. I also got to meet other folks, too, like Skai5er (on the left of the photo). To see a room full of love, friendship and spirit for our favourite blue dude with ‘tude is why we staff volunteer our energy and souls to this event.
Final Thoughts
I really enjoyed myself! It was good to see familiar and new faces, make new friends and a pleasure to work with my fellow staff. I didn’t get to take part in many of the days events since I was staffing, but it’s worth it to bring you guys the goods. I’m glad all of us, attendees and staff alike, got to enjoy the Crush 40 concert at the end. That’s an experience I’ll always remember and treasure. Johnny and Jun were fantastic! The way they interacted with the crowd who love them so much was absolutely fantastic. I’m sure the rest of the fandom are so grateful to them for coming down to see us all.
All in all, Summer of Sonic 2010 was a blast and I look forward to next years event for Sonic’s big 20th Anniversary. A massive thanks to my fellow staff and thanks to everyone in the community who have supported us. See you all next year!
Check out more photos of the event below –
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More than 800 people enjoyed the Summer of Sonic 2010 on Saturday, which took place in Shepherd’s Bush and featured the first public demos of Sonic Colours, Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 and an exclusive live performance from Crush 40.
At the end of the packed day, Svend ‘Dreadknux’ Joscelyne and Kevin ‘ArchAngelUK’ Eva took to the stage to formally announce the date of next year’s Summer of Sonic.
Those who wish to attend SoS 2011 will need to book their holidays for the 25th June 2011, the Saturday following Sonic the Hedgehog’s 20th Anniversary. After an intimate and exciting gig from Jun Senoue and Johnny Gioeli – only their second time playing together live, and the first outside of Japan – attendees were left astounded and wondering exactly how things can be topped for next year’s convention.
Feedback from visitors were mostly positive, with the lack of air conditioning in the venue not fazing Sonic fans eager to play games, watch Crush 40 and meet new friends. Unprecedented queues for Sonic 4, Sonic Colours and Crush 40 signings meant that there was some confusion in the venue, coupled with long waiting times.
Besides these drawbacks – which the team have taken on board to fix next year – the day went largely without a hitch, despite some issues with the venue and an alleged case of stolen equipment worth £3000 in total. Police are investigating the situation, after Roareye Black’s Sony Vaio laptop, netbook and HD camcorder went missing the very morning of the Summer of Sonic 2010 convention.
You can read recollections of the day from both ArchAngelUK and Dreadknux on the Summer of Sonic 2010 website.
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Hey, folks! While all you lucky Brits are checking out Summer of Sonic, I was checking out the newest Sonic toy from Toys ‘R’ Us. the Sonic and SEGA All-Stars Racing R.C. Car!
The car comes from NKOK Toys, a company based in The City of Industry. That’s only 5-6 miles from my house!!
The car is nicely detailed and nothing is left out, from fake glass over the headlights and windshield to the speedometer on the dash panel. It’s a good size, too. I’d say around 30% larger than the Jazwares Sonic car. The car itself goes at a good clip down the driveway. With the right skills, you can make it do skids. There’s a Knuckles R.C. car as well, but he’s a bit more rare. Also, the price can’t be beat at only $19.99!
There are some small downsides, though. It’s takes a whopping 6 AA batteries to run, but that’s standard for most R.C. cars out there. There is not much to the remote control either. It’s shaped like a tiny Playstation controller. It has two D-Pads on either side, one for going forward/backwards and the other for turning. No analog for this one.
Overall, I think it’s a quality R.C. car for such a cheap price and it’s well worth your money, especially if you’re a Sonic fan.
Enough of that though, you want to see it in action! Sorry for my cruddy looking garage. Also, it should be noted I had to hold both the remote and the camera in one hand for a short time.
Enjoy!
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ML1heLwB9L8[/youtube]
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Seems that SEGA’s finally comfortable enough about the progress of Sonic Free Riders to allow the press to play it and give their thoughts. We’ve already heard from 1UP, but what about some other members of the press? GiantBomb was able to get some time with the game, complete with video, which we have posted below.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqy73efhKCE[/youtube]
What do you think?
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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5myak7EvRU&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]
SEGA Europe and SEGA of America have just unveiled an exciting new gameplay trailer for Sonic Colours with more CGI cutscenes and musical goodness. Also unveiled are release dates and box artwork for both versions of the U.S. copies of the game. European fans will be able to get their hands on both versions later this year on November 12th and U.S. folks can go grab it November 16th. We’ll keep an eye out for the Australian release date which was revealed yesterday to be sometime in November.
Interestingly, the box art appears to reveal the Wisp roster for each version of the game. The Wii version will have Cyan, Yellow, Orange, Blue, Pink, Green and Purple, while DS version will have Cyan, Yellow, Orange, Red and Violet.
The below press release has also been issued by SEGA Europe –
SEGA® Europe Ltd., is excited to confirm that Sonic Colours™, a brand new high speed action adventure in which Sonic the Hedgehog races through incredible theme park inspired worlds, will hit stores across Europe on November 12th 2010 for the home video game system Wii™ and Nintendo DS™ system.
In addition to this news, SEGA has today released their first gameplay trailer for Sonic Colours, showcasing the amazing new Drill and Laser Colour Power, as well as two vibrant theme park inspired worlds – Tropical Resort and Sweet Mountain.
Sonic Colours™ will be released for the home video game system Wii™ and the Nintendo DS™ system on November 12th 2010. For more information about the game please visit www.sega.com/soniccolours.
Don’t forget, we’ll have the E3 demo of Sonic Colours Wii & DS at Summer of Sonic tomorrow. If you haven’t got a ticket, you can still join in the fun an hour after ticket holders from 11:30am onwards providing there is space inside the venue.
Are you looking forward to Sonic Colours? Speak out in the comments!
Source: SEGA Europe Blog and SEGA of America Blog. Thanks to Blue Blood at the SSMB for the heads up!
The Sonic Stadium may link to retailers and earn a small commission on purchases made from users who click those links. These links will only appear in articles related to the product, in an unobtrusive manner, and do not influence our editorial decisions in any way.
Couldn’t make it to this years top event? DON’T WORRY. We have it covered! The Sonic Show is providing you with a live stream again this year! Complete with better audio 
And for those of you who can’t be here in London, we have some nice little exclusives for you, like the first trailer of Return To Little Planet 2, only available to the folks watching at home!
There will also be a live chat room for you all to speak directly with other viewers and the Disco Ponies 
The Sonic Stadium may link to retailers and earn a small commission on purchases made from users who click those links. These links will only appear in articles related to the product, in an unobtrusive manner, and do not influence our editorial decisions in any way.
SEGA Australia have issued the above release date schedule(click to enlarge) for their upcoming games and on the list we can see both Wii and DS versions of Sonic Colours are planned for a November release, which fits the original Late 2010 plan perfectly. No exact date is given, but at least Australian fans know what month to save their money for. Sonic titles don’t usually have a big release gap between regions, so hopefully the rest of the world will see a November launch too. We’ll update when we know more.
Source: GoNintendo
Thanks to Hero of Legend at the SSMB for the heads up!
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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3x3n7OvPPE[/youtube]
1UP.com and IGN.com recently got some hands-on time with SEGA’s first Kinect for Xbox 360 title Sonic Free Riders, 1UP.com’s preview comes in video form and IGN’s in written form but they say a video version is coming. 1UP seem pretty positive and both testers agree it controls very well, while IGN think it will cater more to the younger crowd than the hardcore gamer.
New weapons are shown in 1UP’s footage including a bowling ball, which we assume replaces the bowling bomb in previous games, and a golf club. Did we say a golf club? Yes, a golf club for whacking your opponents with. Another thing you may notice in the footage is Sonic swimming, without his life jacket from Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, we’ll let you debate that and everything else in the previews in the comments section.
Don’t forget to check out five new screenshots from IGN’s preview below –
Sources: IGN(thanks fammicomander at the SSMB) and 1UP via Spindash.de
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U.S. magazine Nintendo Power has grabbed some time for a chat about Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 with renowned music artist Jun Senoue. Jun, as some of you will know, is providing the music for this new 2D entry in the series like he did with the last games in the classic series with Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic & Knuckles. In the interview, we see that maximum effort has been made to give Sonic 4’s soundtrack a classic and fun feel, even to the point that a Genesis/Mega Drive development kit would have been used if the right tech were available. Now THAT is dedication!
Thanks to Chaosmaster8753 at the SSMB, who grabbed a copy of the magazine, we have the interview in text form below –
Nintendo Power: What was your reaction when you first heard that Sonic the Hedgehog 4 was finally going to happen after more than 15 years?
Jun Senoue: Takashi Iizuka and I worked together for a long time-from Sonic Adventure through NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams. Before that, the first Sonic game either of us ever worked on was Sonic the Hedgehog 3. So we first met…I think it was 17 years ago now. Anyway, he came to me one day out of the blue and told me that we were going to do a classic Sonic game again! At that moment, we didn’t know yet if it was going to be called Sonic the Hedgehog 4. But from the beginning, he wanted me to compose the music in the same style as the classic Genesis games. Both he and I were really excited about the project and had a lot of fun working on it.
NP: How did you change or adapt your musical style for this return to the classic-style Sonic?
JS: Due to hardware limitations of the Genesis, we could only work with a certain number of notes and a certain number of sounds. Sonic the Hedgehog 4 is a game for current consoles, but I tried to compose the tracks the old-fashioned way. I went back to the basics. I didn’t actually go back and use the old FM sound tapes, but I tried to compose with as few notes as I could. I went about it largely the same way I did with the music for the Genesis. Actually, I did try to dig up a development kit for the Genesis. But it requires an old Japanese PC from NEC-not a very common PC-and I couldn’t find one of those. So all I could do was sample some sounds from the original Sonic.
NP: What was your approach to creating the sound for the various zones in the game?
JS: Splash Hill Zone is the first level in the game and it’s very similar to the opening levels in the original Sonic the Hedgehog 1 and Sonic 2. So I wanted the music to be similar; the key word was “fun”. Likewise, the second level is a casino-themed world, so I tried to draw from Sonic 2’s Casino Night Zone. And I think the special stage music in Sonic the Hedgehog 4 will remind you of the original game’s special stage. I tried to compose the songs with a similar beat or similar tempo to the first two games in the series. I want players to get the same kind of impression.
NP: Do you have a favorite track that you’ve composed for the game?
JS: I’d say the opening level of Splash Hill Zone. When I saw the game for the very first time, that track just came to me immediately. [Sonic Team director Toshiyuki] Nagahara really dislikes that song, though. He wanted me to compose a new one, but it was important to me, so I didn’t change it. [Laughs] I also really like the music for the first level of Mad Gear Zone.
NP: Since Sonic the Hedgehog 3 was the first game in the franchise that you worked on, does it feel like things have sort of come first circle now with Sonic 4?
JS: Absolutely. There are people I work with now who played Sonic 3 when they were very young children! That’s pretty amazing to me.
Thanks again to chaosmaster8753 at the SSMB for the heads up!
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The American/Canadian winners are here!! Thanks to all who participated. I’ll be sending out the Wisps near the end of the month.
Remember, this does not include the European winners yet!! Dreadknux will be taking care of that.
The winners are:
Sonikku08
Mushroom64
Troy
chaoscontrol14
R@qH1eL
SuperEV133
The Waffle Factory
Future
PSI Wind FTW
Indigo Rush
Hello. Look at my sig
SonikkuForever
Azukara
Andy1123
ReddRicochet
SuperCookie (Awesome Nick!!)
BlueBlueChrome
Sallygirl
Calypso
Ovarloard
Jeffery the NinjaPirate
Tailikku
strickerx5
Gamer18
Doctor Eggman
Mykonos
starforce
ZeroStar
GameboyHero
Chavis the Wolf
Hazard777
Edge
tjthefox
Brianzilla2004
Sapphire
F. Lobot
Trainer Rachel
HighCaliburFun
timmyboyblue
Golden~Hedgy
dirupti
Chan Kaylore
Cola
SuperScourge12
Lanmanna
Hypersoni
Vocaloidfan2525
Blue Hedgehog
Nickno
PRiNCE
For those who just missed out, better luck next time!! This won’t be the last time I do something like this for sure!!
Hello, faithful Sonic Stadium fans. Have we got a treat for you! During E3, Sonic Colors was shown to the world for the first time. During that time, Sonic freed tons and tons of Wisps away from the capture of Dr. Eggman.
A few too many. That’s where you come in! As a reward to our readers, you can adopt one of these little guys and give them a home. They don’t need fancy diets. They don’t make messes. In fact, I’m pretty sure they’re not even alive.
Look at ’em. Soulless monsters the size of your thumb.
So, how do you pick one of these up? Simple! Just use your SSMB account to PM either JasonTheJackass if you are in the USA, Canada or Australia or Dreadknux if you live in the U.K. and Europe. Give us your mailing address and tell us why you are excited about Sonic Colors. The best entries will be posted in another blog later on.
Reply as soon as possible. The amount of Wisps available are split 50/50. That means there’s 50 for the U.K./Europe and 50 for USA/Canada/Australia. We are not responsible for any Wisps possibly lost in the mail. Only one Wisp and one entry per person.
The Sonic Stadium may link to retailers and earn a small commission on purchases made from users who click those links. These links will only appear in articles related to the product, in an unobtrusive manner, and do not influence our editorial decisions in any way.
This year was my first Comic Con and it certainly was a sight to behold. It’s the only place you can see Darth Maul feeding his kids Cheerios. It’s the only place where you can see grown, hairy men dressed as a blue hedgehog. Most importantly, it’s the only place where you can find every single awesome comic book creator ever to exist in the same place, with some celebrities like William Shatner and Natalie Portman sprinkled in for good measure.
We had the titans of the comic book industry, DC and Marvel, there. Though really, a true comic book fan doesn’t come to Comic Con just for the big two. They also come to visit the small guys, like Slave Labor Graphics and Red 5 Entertainment. Among the little guys present at the show, nestled in a small corner of the convention behind Antarctic Press , was Archie Comics, the publishing company responsible for one of my favorite reads: Sonic the Hedgehog.
Paul Kaminski really is a great guy. Though I do stutter and pause quite a bit through this article, Paul Kaminski is thankfully very accommodating and nice, allowing this interview to go a bit better than it might have otherwise! Hope you all enjoy the sweet bits of new info Mr. Kaminski spilled for us!
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUDZvMzqRME[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3WACJItxz0[/youtube]
As you can see from my introduction, I was going a little out of my way to name drop the publishers of some of my favorite comics! Hope you all don’t mind if I name drop one more publisher, who created a very different animal based blue super hero you all should know and love: New England Comics.
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Edit
SEGA has announced the UK and U.S. winners of Sonic’s Birthday Contest along with a full statement regarding the course of action taken in regards to selecting a winner after the contest’s voting was stopped due some irregularities found in the voting system.
The full statement from the contest’s official website is below:
Today we are very pleased to announce the winners of Sonic’s Birthday Contest! The contest challenged the community in coming up with a video that showed the passion and excitement of being a Sonic fan and we were completely blown away by the 300+ videos submitted by everyone! Having enjoyed watching each and every one we finally picked our top 10 videos. And today, at long last, we are very proud to announce the winners of our first, second and third place prizes…
But before we announce these, and to keep you in suspense, we would like to address the concerns with the user participation portion of the contest. As you know we discovered voting irregularities on July 16th and ceased user participation a few days later. It was our original goal to create an opportunity for a winner to be picked by the community but due to these voting irregularities we have had to come up with a different solution. It’s important to all of us at SEGA that this process is made as transparent as possible because we respect and admire all the hardworking fans that created videos in the Birthday Contest.
In looking at the voting data we learned we could not discern the difference between legit and non-legit votes with any accuracy we were comfortable with. We felt it would be unfair to scrub the votes down to the first day or two of voting and award based on that. We also briefly discussed creating a new voting system – but the delay in crafting this new tool would take some time and be extremely limiting; quite the opposite of what we wanted initially.
The goal of this promotion was to do something big, something new and something that would reward the ceaseless efforts of the Sonic community that we are so regularly impressed with. Therefore we decided the fairest option would be for the Sonic Team themselves, along with a team of SEGA employees from our Japanese, American and European offices who worked on the Sonic Birthday Contest, to choose the winners.
Each person within this group has voted on their top videos from the 10 that were pre-selected. And so, after much deliberation, we are very proud and hugely excited to announce the US & UK winners:
Here are the winners (which include TSS and SSMB founder Svend ‘ Dreadknux’ Joscelyne, congrats dude!) :
UK –
Grand Prize Winner
“Blue Sky Dreams”
Joe M. from Glasgow, Lanarkshire
A trip for two to Japan to meet Sonic Team and be of the first to play Sonic the Hedgehog 4
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58sTptVl3Mc&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]
1st Place Prize Winner
“Mobiuscard”
Kristian F. from Warrington, Cheshire
A 32 gigabyte iPod Touch with Sonic the Hedgehog 2
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSWNAQ0Qv28&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]
2nd Place Prize Winner
“Sonic & Me”
Svend J. from Southend-on-Sea, Essex
A 32 gigabyte iPod Touch with Sonic the Hedgehog 2
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EKHkAfWe0c&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]
U.S. –
Grand Prize Winner
“Needlemouse the Musical”
Nathan M. from Los Angeles, CA
A trip for two to Japan to meet Sonic Team and be of the first to play Sonic the Hedgehog 4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48zUHUNFWr4&feature=player_embedded
1st Place Prize Winner
“Past Cool Birthday”
Tabitha W. from Galveston, Indiana
A 32 gigabyte iPod Touch with Sonic the Hedgehog 2
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94YRdocD8Dc&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]
2nd Place Prize Winner
“A Day in the Life”
Andrew S. from Walnut Creek, California
A 32 gigabyte iPod Touch with Sonic the Hedgehog 2
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWgtfaY-2do&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]
Congratulations to all of the winners from everyone here at The Sonic Stadium!
Did your favourite get picked? Do you agree with SEGA’s decision for selecting the winners after what happened with the voting? Discuss in the comments.
The Sonic Stadium may link to retailers and earn a small commission on purchases made from users who click those links. These links will only appear in articles related to the product, in an unobtrusive manner, and do not influence our editorial decisions in any way.
I know many of you “Crushers” out there can’t make it to Summer of Sonic this year, and that some of you have burning questions to ask Jun and Johnny…well, here’s your opportunity! During the Q&A session that we’ll have in the afternoon, I’m giving you all an opportunity to have your questions put to the dynamic duo!
Due to the limited time we have on stage to ask questions, and because we’ll also have questions being pitched by the crowd on the day, I will only be able to ask a selection of questions – so make your questions interesting and unique to increase their chances of being asked!
If you have a question you would like to be asked, please send them in an email entitled “Crush 40 Questions”, to tbird [at] sonicstadium.org. I’ll see if i can rustle up some C40 goodies for what I think is the best question as well!
Please submit all your questions by Thursday at 9:00am BST, so I have sufficient time to prepare them.
The Sonic Stadium may link to retailers and earn a small commission on purchases made from users who click those links. These links will only appear in articles related to the product, in an unobtrusive manner, and do not influence our editorial decisions in any way.
The Sonic Stadium may link to retailers and earn a small commission on purchases made from users who click those links. These links will only appear in articles related to the product, in an unobtrusive manner, and do not influence our editorial decisions in any way.
