Things have been good for SEGA’s profits this last year. First, SEGA reported a profit on it’s third quarter statement back in February. Then, in August, SEGA reported 7 billion yen in profit for it’s first quarter of it’s 2010-2011 fiscal year. All of this great news has resulted in SEGA’s stock price hitting it’s highest price since 2007, where it’s stayed close to ever since.
The good times keep on coming. While video game giants like Nintendo continue to lower their own fiscal year forecast, SEGA has now raised it’s overall sales forecast for its entire fiscal year, ending March 31st 2011, from $400 billion yen ($4.7 billion) to $410 billion yen ($4.9 billion). This has mostly been brought on by increased revenue from SEGA’s amusement division, particularly it’s Pachinko/Pachislot machine sales.
It’s consumer sales, however, have continued to be weak. According to SEGA, “While the consumer business saw mainly sales of new titles in overseas markets hover at weak volumes, the amusement machine sales business and amusement center operations business are expected to maintain robust operating results.”
For further details on this forecast, checkout SEGAbits.
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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.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPDe5vIR4Vg[/youtube]
Some new footage of both versions of Sonic Colours was released this morning at Nintendo’s Fall Press Conference as part of two video showcases for upcoming Wii and DS titles. The Wii video gives us our first snippet of footage from the Starlight Carnival stage, while the DS video gives us our first snippet of Aquatic Park footage. In the Starlight carnival footage we see Sonic running across a materializing pathway, reminiscent of Sonic and the Secret Rings‘ Levitated Ruin stage and in Aquatic Park on DS we see Sonic running across water at top speed before springing off a jellyfish. Creative stuff.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgRu10KDh8U[/youtube]
Wii footage can be seen in the top video at the 0:53 mark and the DS footage above at the 2:04 mark.
What do you think of this brief footage? Speak out in the comments.
Source: Nintendo’s Press Conference website
Wii
DS
Thanks to Woun for the YouTube conversions.
Also, SEGA has released a new Sonic Colours themed wallpaper for download at the EU and U.S. blogs.
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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oz4DMVHiA1Y[/youtube]
SEGA Europe has today released the Sonic Adventure DX: Director’s Cut downloadable content pack on the European PlayStation Store. EU PS3 owners of Sonic Adventure can now now upgrade the game with 60 missions and playable Metal Sonic character for (£3.19/€3.99). Be warned though, you need to collect all of the 130 emblems in the game before you can play as Metal Sonic. To see Sonic’s robotic rival in action, check out the above video of him in action on the Gamecube/PC version of the game, courtesy of YouTube user burgerkingJ.
Source: EU PlayStation Blog
Will you be downloading the pack? Let us know in the comments.
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According to this link from IGN, Sonic 4 will be out as soon as next week. Here’s the breakdown of the prices and release dates for each console:
- iPhone on October 7th ( Across all territories. No price mentioned as of yet.)
- Wii Shop Channel on October 11th (15th in EMEA countries) for 1500 points.
- PlayStation Network on October 12th (13th in EMEA countries) for $14.99 / £9.99 / €12.99 / AU$19.95
- XBOX Live Arcade on October 13th (across all territories) for 1200 points.
Start buying those point cards, kids! We’re only two weeks away!
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In an interview with Vandal, Sonic Free Riders Producer Kenjiro Morimoto has confirmed some new details about the game. Since the game was unveiled at E3, there’s been no sight or mention of a story mode, something that has featured in both of the previous Riders titles. Morimoto-san tells Vandal that there will be a story mode in this game and that it is catered to help players improve their skills and take their time with the game.
Morimoto-san also details the amount of players the game will support in its multiplayer modes. Two players can play in versus and 4 players can take part in the games co-op mode. Finally, Morimoto-san reveals the game will contain 16 characters from the Sonic universe, as well as your Xbox 360 Avatars. Whether the character roster will contain guest SEGA characters on top of that total (like with past Riders games) is unknown.
You can check out the interview in full at Vandal, but beware, it’s in Spanish.
Google Translate link
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Videogame retailer GAME are holding a big videogame trade fair called Gamefest in Madrid this year and SEGA Europe will be attending, along with other big names in the business. This will be the first of what is hoped to be an annual show for the capital, on par with E3 in Los Angeles and the Tokyo Game Show in Japan. Gamefest will be open to the public, allowing attendees to try out all of the upcoming game releases before they hit store shelves. SEGA will be bringing their future releases, though no list of games has been given on their page on the Gamefest site, but they do say that you will be able to meet Sonic. SEGA will be located at stand 17.
If you’re interested in attending, the event is being held from October 8th to the 10th in the exhibition site Recinto Ferial Juan Carlos I de Madrid. Doors will be open from 10am to 8pm and tickets can be bought at GAME.es for 3,00€ each, but unfortunately only Friday and Sunday tickets are still available. Saturday appears to be sold out.
Source: Gamefest 2010 official website
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Hey folks!!
Well, there’s no Sonic Eggs comic this week, but Kichi is working hard on them as we speak. This week, you’re getting something better….
Tracy Yardley art!! It’s time for you to show off your creativity and sense of humor. Sonic style!!
We got three separate contests for three pieces of art. Let’s look at the categories.
Category 1 – Shades Fanart
Winning Page = Page 13 “The Hedgehog’s new clothes”
Draw me your funniest art of our resident sissy clone to win this page of Shades in his Sunday best.
Category 2 – “Two for one” Funny fanart
Winning page(s) = Page 11 “Ms. Manners”
Although this was only one comic strip, it was on two pages so the winner is getting two pages of art!! Just draw me a very humorous piece of Sonic art. Keep it funny, but also, KEEP IT CLEAN!
Category 3 – “Writers deserve love too.”
Winning page = Page 14 “Playing God and Playing Favorites” and a bonus secret prize.
For this page you can do two things. Either write me a funny short story containing 300 words or less, or make a funny comic strip. Either one can win! If a friend does the art, you must share one of the prizes with him. (It will be mailed to one address though.)
RULES – Contest is open to U.S., UK and any country where it’s allowed. Winners will receive their art page in a plastic sleeve for extra protection and it makes it easy for posting on a wall. Only one entry per person for all three categories. That means if you go for the Shades art, you cannot enter for the other art.
Winners will be PM’ed and shown here on the front page you must enter by 10/15/10 and I will decide the winners the following week. Winners will be decided not only on skill, but humor and creativity. So you can draw like a toddler but if it makes me laugh, that counts.
Entries must be posted in the categories shown in Sonic Showcase here on SSMB, or on Sonic Eggs Universe forum. at Emerald Coast Comics.
So do your best and have fun!!
….And yes, I’m keeping the other pages so nyaah!! XD
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Courtesy of Amazon.de, we can now see what the full Sonic Colours Special Edition looks like for both versions of the game and it appears it is actually called the ‘Limited Edition’, which of course means that only so many of these will be made available, so if you’re after one then you should get pre-ordering. The contents appear to be no different to the loose contents EB Games Australia revealed, but at least collectors can now rest assured that they’re not going to get lumped with the figure and Wisps being loose on the side. Also of note is some new artwork revealed on the side of the packaging, which includes a new render of Sonic. You can view that and the DS package below. If you’re in the UK, don’t forget that you can get this action figure and Wisps for free by pre-ordering either version at Argos.co.uk, who recently dropped their prices.
Source: Amazon.de
Wii
DS
Thanks to MarcelloF at the SSMB for the heads-up, Hero of Legend for the hi-res images and to Aries for extracting the new artwork.
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This was a really good issue. The last couple of two-parters really only felt serviceable, but this one not only gives some much needed back story to a character that’s long needed it, but has introduced some shades of gray that Sonic comics have been lacking in. In any case, the issue is now out in comic specialty shops this week, and will released on newsstand come next week.
This comic also sees the debut of new artist Ben Bates as the main story artist.
Here’s the preview pages and solicitation.
“Thicker than Water” Part One:
Sonic and Bunnie head out into the Great Desert to aid Freedom Fighters in need, but they get caught up an whirl-wind ruckus! Who is friend and who is foe? Sonic comes face-to-face with enemies of the past while Bunnie is reunited with someone of her mysterious past! Then, in “Welcome Back, Chao!” Amy Rose runs into a few familiar faces – and a few new ones, too!
SCRIPT: Ian Flynn.
ART: Ben Bates, Tracy Yardley!, Terry Austin, John Workman and Matt Herms
On Sale at Comic Shops: 9/22/2010
Newsstands: 10/5/2010
32-page, 40 lb glossy stock, full-color comic
$2.99 US
To find a comic shop near you, call 1-888-comicbook or visit www.comicshoplocator.com
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UPDATE: SEGA’s Ken Balough has informed via the SEGA Forums that the price of the game will also be announced next week. /UPDATE END
In a post at the SEGA Forums, SEGA of America’s RubyEclipse has announced that the release date for Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 will be announced next week.
Hi everyone,
Just a little heads up that we will be officially revealing the Sonic 4: Episode I release date next week.
Have an awesome weekend!
– The Sonic 4 Team
No more information than that was given, so whether or not the four platforms digital stores will receive it on different dates is currently unknown. We’ll update you when SEGA make their announcement. For now, speculate away in the comments.
Source: SEGA Forums
Thanks to speedduelist at the SSMB for the heads-up!
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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ky-Dus0Lx0[/youtube]
SEGA Europe has released the above new trailer for Sonic Colours. Not much that we haven’t already seen before is shown, but we do get a look at some more footage of the CGI cutscenes in the game, such as Sonic confronting Dr.Eggman.
Seven more facts about the game were also released, which you can read below:
• Contrary to the E3 build some of you may have played getting S-ranks are TOUGH. You’ll need to maximise your grabbing of bonuses whilst still maintaining your speed and maximising your ring count in order to gain them.
• Yacker doesn’t have a voice as such, but makes an audible chittering noise. He’s also big on body language communication – think Sonic: Night of the Werehog.
• Since you guys love the Tails facts so much… FOXY FACT: Tails is more interested in inventing than Sonic’s heroics.
• Sometimes bad situations can lead to good discoveries!
• You CAN skip cutscenes – press + on the wiimote.
• Dr. Eggman ALSO has something of a 4th wall breaking moment.
• The Wisps have a, rather rude nickname for Dr. Eggman!
That’s all for now, oh wait… one bonus item for you to deduce.
Sept 19th > Cowboys.
That’s all. 🙂
Source: Sonic City Blognik
Thanks to Woun at the SSMB for the heads-up!
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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.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lsqcsz2sSH4&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]
Joystiq has revealed a new trailer for Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1‘s Casino Street Zone. The trailer shows new sections that see Sonic platforming across playing cards and also running across paths of them that appear in front of him one by one. These sections are presumably from Act 2 and replace the old build’s version of the Act, which was solely about score attacking on a pinball table, something that a lot of fans who saw the leaked build didn’t react well to.
Joystiq also released a preview of the zone along with the trailer. In the preview, Joystiq’s David Hinkle explains that this stage won’t be accomplished by just charging straight through the zone, there is more involved than that.
Sure, there are some Badniks sprinkled throughout, but navigating through the neon-lit gambler’s paradise poses several threats to Sonic. Not every situation can be conquered through brute force; it’s navigating the terrain and calculating the next step on the fly that got me through all three acts.
SEGA’s Ken Balough was also on hand to introduce the zone and spoke to Joystiq about balancing the number of enemies with the traps already set throughout the stage.
“When it came to each of these levels, we toyed with the idea of how many enemies would be overwhelming to the player. The enemies that we do have in it work really well for the Zone — like the enemies with the shields that Sonic kinda pings off of. Considering that there are a lot of other traps in the environment, those kind of things can really set the player off and kill them, but the fact that you might be running incredibly fast and hit one of the Badniks with the shields and it springs you back, it may end up throwing you back into a trap that you thought you had escaped from. So those ideas, we definitely wanted to toy with, but we wanted to achieve a balance, where the environmental mechanics stood out as much as the enemies so I think we struck a good equilibrium here, but, obviously, it’s up to the players to tell us what they think.”
Hinkle also talks about the cannons, which return from Sonic 3 and explains how the new playing card gimmick works and the bonuses it offers:
The aforementioned cannons play the biggest role in Casino Streets Zone and are gradually introduced throughout the prior Acts. It’s simple: Sonic hops into a cannon; you aim the cannon; and Sonic is blasted out. Rings indicate the best trajectories, but later on the game leaves it to you to make that call.
The benefit to finding these alternate pathways is obviously collecting more stuff, but throughout the level there are cards that Sonic can touch and flip around. The quicker you flip them, and the more of them you flip, gives Sonic a chance to match up cards. Get three Sonic heads and you’ve got yourself another life, for example. It’s only a matter of finding these pockets of cards and touching them.
Five screenshots of the zone were released too, which you can check out below:
Thanks to Woun at the SSMB for the heads-up and YouTube conversion!
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.
A week after the Xbox Live release, Dreamcast classic Sonic Adventure is now available to purchase and download on the PS3’s PlayStation Store, for £6.29/€7.99/$9.99 and weighs in at 1.52 GB. It was made available yesterday in the U.S. and just minutes ago in Europe. If you’re in the U.S. and you’re after more content for the game, a DLC pack that upgrades the game to Sonic Adventure DX: Director’s Cut with extra missions and Metal Sonic character (after obtaining 130 emblems) is available for $4.99 and weighs in at 173 MB. Europe will have to wait until at least possibly next week for the DX DLC pack, according to Sony Europe’s Mike Kebby at the EU PlayStation Blog.
> It looks like the Sonic Adventure DX Upgrade is out next week, though don’t hold me to this just yet.
Will you be downloading the game? Let us know in the comments.
Full PS Store updates for this week:
Europe
U.S.
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Nintendo Power has posted some preview pages for the next issue of their magazine. Two of the pages shared are a preview of both versions of Sonic Colours, which reveals new information about the game that we’ve listed for you below.
* The Purple Wisp transforms Sonic into a “berserker that chomps through anything in its path”
* Asteroid Coaster Zone is revealed, with the following description. “Run on a Saturn-like planet’s rings, deal with reversed gravity and toxic green goo.”
* The Wii version contains six Acts per zone, some short and some long and one boss, while the DS version contains 2 lengthy Acts per zone and one boss.
* Aswell as the previously revealed Sonic Simulator, where you can play co-op with a friend, you can also “challenge every level in sequence via the Egg Shuttle”.
* The DS version has a Time Attack mode and also allows you to compete against friends locally or over Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.
Overall, the preview is very positive, with their only complaint being the “cringe-inducing jokes” in the cutscenes. You can check out the preview in full, with a few new screenshots at Nintendo Power’s website.
Thanks to PC the Hedgehog at the SSMB for the heads-up!
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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhCNBQzxZS4&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]
GameZone has posted up a couple of video interviews they held at PAX this year, in which they interviewed SEGA’s Ken Balough about Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 and another unidentified SEGA representative about Sonic Colours. Balough talks about how they incorporated fan feedback to Sonic 4, such as level tweaks to make the levels flow easier, reaching top speed quicker and a blurry effect on his quills to make it look like he’s “really hauling ass”.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BFeSTkL104&feature=player_embedded#![/youtube]
In the Sonic Colours video, the SEGA rep explains how feedback has been incorporated into the game and also tells us in-depth, what the story is about, what Eggman is up to and how the Wisps are involved.
Source: GameZone
Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 interview
Sonic Colours interview
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In a bold statement to Official Nintendo Magazine UK, Sonic Team head Takashi Iizuka said that he thinks Sonic Colours is one of the best Sonic games ever.
“This is a similar title to Sonic Adventure 2 Battle, but the similarity comes from the concept – keeping the tempo very fluid,” said Iizuka. “A similar concept applies here. Is it the best since then? We always strive to make the best Sonic game yet. It’s at least on a par with Sonic Adventure Battle 2, and I’m confident it is one of the best Sonic games ever.”
The game has been getting a positive response from fans and critics thus far, but will it really be one of the best Sonic games ever? Let’s hope that Iizuka is right when the game is released on Wii & DS this November.
Source: Official Nintendo Magazine UK
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CVG has published a new interview with Sonic Team head Takashi Iizuka today. In the interview we find out Iizuka’s thoughts on how Sonic Colours compares to past 3D titles and why this latest entry isn’t being released on Xbox 360 and PS3.
Iizuka explains that the comparison between past 3D Sonic games and Sonic Colours is the cast of characters. The older titles had a large playable cast, while Colours has Sonic alone, which he says is what the fans want.
If you look at previous 3D Sonic games, it began with Sonic Adventure and moved on to others. Those titles always had Sonic as the main characters but also had different rival characters. Those characters were like different action characters – Sonic was the speed character. This time around in Sonic Colours the team really wanted to focus on high-speed Sonic, which is what made the Sonic games special to begin with. The focus was always on the Sonic character itself, they wanted to make Sonic as the only playable character because fans only want to play as Sonic.
Instead of having other characters with different gameplay twists, Iizuka says this time they decided to implement the Wisp power-ups, so they could keep Sonic’s fast-paced gameplay and not break the tempo.
At the same time they also want a different twist to the gameplay and that is why we introduced the Colour powers. The focus is on high-speed Sonic and those colour powers are in more of a complimentary role. We wanted high-speed to be the main focus and didn’t really want to break up the tempo. It’s more like we tried to blend in those actions in a more efficient way, not really distracting the player from the core gameplay.
When asked if Sonic fits with the Xbox 360 and PS3 audiences, Iizuka details why they went with the Nintendo platforms for Sonic Colours and that Sonic still has an audience on the HD platforms.
It’s not that Sonic is for the Nintendo platform, it’s more like when we looked at the target audience for this particular title we wanted to expand the franchise more to newcomers. That is why we chose the Nintendo platforms.
This doesn’t mean that the PS3 and 360 don’t have an audience for Sonic any more, it’s just this title in particular is more tailor made for the Nintendo platform fans – more like fun, enjoyable and vibrant, which Nintendo platforms excel at. It’s more that this type of game is more tailored to those platforms.
Finally, Iizuka tells CVG how Sonic Team recognise there are different needs in the Sonic fanbase, how some want speed, others want platforming and the rest want something new. He says they are looking forward to developing more titles in the future that cater to these different groups of fans.
This year the reason the team is releasing Sonic 4 and Sonic Colours in the same release window is because we recognise there are different needs in terms of Sonic games and characters. There is the platforming, the high-speed and people looking for something new. This is the style that the team thinks works best, looking at the classic fans in one way and the new one in another.
It’s pretty hard for the team to satisfy those two very different fans with just one title. We probably look forward to developing titles which are made more towards the core and casual Sonic fans, that’s probably one of the ways the team thinks it can keep Sonic popular and expand fans for the future.
For the full interview, head over to CVG.
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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mI0DKYdaxLs[/youtube]
YouTube user Eyspire has uploaded a video of a project in the works involving Sonic the Hedgehog 2 zones in 3D, and judging by the video, it looks amazing, but would you believe this is being made for satire use?
This is the result of many hours of persistance during my spare time over the last fortnight. As I played through the original Sonic 2 on a genesis emulator, I snapped screenshots along the way, and recreated the levels in true 3D. using textures from the game. Imagine if the Sonic Team made something along these lines!
This is a fan-made animation. It’s part of a satire series i’m working on, this is just a segmented portion.
Great work Eyspire! We’ll keep an eye out for the final product.
What do you guys and gals think of Eyspire’s work?
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Some new previews of Sonic Colours on Wii have hit the net and they’re all very positive, making a change to the usual reception 3D Sonic titles receive from critics.
Spanish gaming website Meristation believes that SEGA has listened to the fans requests and taken on board past mistakes:
An interesting proposal
Though still several weeks for the release of Sonic Colours in our country (not arrive until Nov. 19), and although it has largely remained quite hidden from your ad on arrival to the store just half a year passes , the truth is that things are looking very well. Sega’s blue hedgehog is showing signs of taking good note of all that its supporters claim on his adventures, and this new release is getting to attract more attention than Sonic 4, becoming the focus of all international fairs in the past months.
The very attractive story mode, which offers similar gameplay to the stage of Sonic Unleashed day but with the addition of the powers of the Wisp, there is also an interesting cooperative multiplayer that not only lengthens the life of the title but challenges and complexity also promises enough to have users who enjoy the challenges demanding. All with what promises to be a very worthy technical finish, both Wii and DS, and in the case of the first without having much to envy of its own productions in high definition consoles. Sonic and Sega are willing to redeem the mistakes of the past, and if things go wrong at the last minute, it seems that going in the right way to do this.
Full 2 page preview in Google Translator
In their preview, Dealspwn saw a clear emphasis on speed as well as platforming and thinks Sonic Team are truly trying to bring Sonic back to gaming fame once again and are “going the right way about it”, they add.
It’s telling that when pressed on what his favourite title of the series, Iisuka leans towards Sonic Adventure, and equally important when he notes that the great desire for Colours is to ‘introduce Sonic to a whole new audience, building on the success and publicity garnered by the Mario and Sonic titles. Hopefully, with the emphasis set on speed and core platforming, along with the new Wisp elements, it will be a game for old fans and newcomers alike.’ Colours is absolutely a statement of intent, to propel Sonic back into the big leagues and, on this evidence, he’s going the right way about it.
Full preview
NowGamer notes that the game has been given a lot of love to it’s production and is a very enjoyable experience, but they remain cautious in case any Werehog type gimmicks are added before release.
That Sega is releasing Sonic Colours solely on the Wii and DS, without making any promises about quality or appeal, is admirable but perhaps slightly misjudged. Although the build we played featured three of the available planets, we felt content that Sonic Colours is a solid, enjoyable experience with strong production values and a refreshing lack of fluff. Then again, we haven’t seen the whole game yet, and much like Sonic Unleashed’s Werehog debacle, there’s still time for Sega to spring some unexpected gimmick on us. We remain cautiously content for now.
Final Summary
We’re surprised Sega isn’t making a bigger song and dance about this surprisingly polished, charming Sonic title.
Full preview
The Sonic Stadium founder Svend “Dreadknux” Joscelyne has put out a new preview over at SPOnG, a gaming website where he works. It’s a good read and very in-depth, since Svend clocked-in 25 hours of play before writing it out. We won’t spoil it here for you, so head over to SPOnG to check it out.
Svend also responded to questions about the game at the SSMB today, with the below list of information:
* You can HA some badniks, note I said ‘you can’t HA most badniks’ in the preview Buzzbombers in Sweet Mountain and Crabmeats in Aquatic Park are two examples of classic badniks that can be HA’d.
* Spiny’s and Motobugs can’t be HA’d. Neither can underwater badniks. You only encounter Burrobots while drilling, so you obviously can’t HA those either.
* 3D underwater areas don’t equal ‘sudden death,’ mostly because there are no real 3D underwater areas to speak of. All underwater activity is done in 2D.
* [In response to a question about instant water deaths in 3D Sonic games] To the above point, if you mean like in Unleashed where Sonic will instantly die if he touches a foot of water during the 3D segments, you don’t need to worry. Bottomless hazards are always identified as bottomless pits, there are no watery quagmires that will suck you in. In Aquatic Park, when you come up to an area of water in 3D, the camera automatically pans back round to 2D view. You can boost along like Jesus, or fall and plunge into the water.
* There are ways of getting around the uncurling – the easiest (and probably most fun) is to stomp. But it can be a pain in the arse when underwater and you want to bop a Chopper, and you uncurl just before you land on it.
* No side-missions, no mini-games. The only thing you’ll be playing are Acts within worlds, or the Game Land/Sonic Simulator (which is essentially the same as the 1-player Story levels anyway). There are no other gameplay mechanics besides bosses.
* You can play Sonic Simulator on your own. Pressing the 1 or 2 button (in the Wii Remote + Nunchuk configuration) will allow you to switch between ‘RoboSonic Player 1’ and ‘RoboSonic Player 2’ (not official names). That’s what the red ball is, following you around – it’s the other ‘RoboSonic’.
* Although you can get pushed off the screen in multiplayer mode, you can escape death and the loss of a life by pressing the 1 or 2 button (Wiimote+Nunchuk config) – you’ll turn back into a spinning ball and follow the remaining player around the level, until you press something and jump back into the action.
Two more quotes from the game have also been revealed today at Sonic Wrecks and the official SonicGames Twitter:
“Ouch! I think I gloated so hard I pulled a muscle!” – Dr. Eggman, Sonic Colours
“Hasta la bye-bye, suckers!” – Dr. Eggman, Sonic Colours
What do you think of such positivity for the game from the critics? Let us know in the comments.
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Today’s been a good day for Sonic Colours information. Basically, information from an advance preview code has the green light to be made public from this week onwards – and I was one of the lucky few to have played it for an extended period of time. For a detailed preview of my experience, you’ll have to check SPOnG (it’ll be worth it, trust me – it should be live Tuesday morning), but for all the little bits of details inbetween, there’s the new TSS Sonic Colours Info Page, which has just gone live.
Every now and then, I’ll be trickling new details into this page from my play experiences – story elements (no spoilers), enemies, moves, Wisp powers and level mechanics. The reason it’s a bit thin right now (although there’s still some interesting tidbits that you likely didn’t know before, including badnik information) is because the site has been going pretty slow today, so I apologise for that.
When you’re done snooping as usual, you can chat about new details on the SSMB right here. Enjoy!
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As well as a Sonic Colours action figure, U.S. toy retailer ToyGlobe.com now have 3 listings for Sonic Free Riders action figures. The figures can be bought as a two-piece set of Sonic and Jet for $18.95, or you can buy them individually. Alone, Sonic costs $9.95 and Jet will set you back another dollar at $10.95, so buying them together will save you $1.95. The figures are currently listed for a November release, which of course matches the month of the games release. No pictures or sizes are available at present, but we’ll keep an eye open for any released in the future and pass them along.
Source: ToyGlobe.com
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Todays Sonic Colours news keeps stacking up, with ArchangelUK revealing seven more interesting facts about the game over at the Sonic City Blognik.
• Cubot’s voice processor is broken – and stuck on “cowboy mode”.
• If you run out of Wisp power when underground in Drill mode you WILL die.
• FOXY FACT: Tails isn’t as keen on high speeds as you might think…
• Pits of death DO exist, however when you approach a section where this isn’t immediately obvious a hazard warning triangle will appear at the bottom of your screen so you do get some warning.
• FOXY FACT II: Tails’ toolbox is painted like the blue Tornado paint scheme, and even has his two-tail logo on it.
• Destroying all enemies in a built up area using a Wisp power or dash will get you a “SLAM” bonus.
• Starlight, star bright – is that a Motobug? Alright!
A quote from the game has also been revealed on the official SonicGames Twitter account:
“Experience has taught me to investigate anything that glows.” – Sonic, Sonic Colours
Another bit of info has been posted at Sonic Retro too:
It was spotted earlier that there was also what appeared at least to be a Crabmeat.
Speaking of Motobug, you remember that Sonic Short with the Motobug kid with stabilisers? Colours has what could be termed a Daddy Motobug…………. Retro exclusive factoid~!
Source: Sonic City Blognik and SonicGames Twitter
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UPDATE: The two new screenshots of the Blue Wisp in action are now available in high resolution. Thanks to an update at the SEGA of America Blog /UPDATE END
ArchangelUK at the Sonic City Blognik has officially revealed Sonic Colours‘ Blue Wisp and its powers. Using the Blue Wisp will transform blue rings into blue blocks and vice versa, which will make new routes available to you. You can also use the Blue Wisp to smack down on enemies. Two more new screenshots of the Blue Wisp are also now available.
When Sonic absorbs Blue Wisp, a cubic Wisp with three eyes, he can exercise the mysterious “Blue Cube” Colour Power. This mysterious power switches blue blocks and blue rings, meaning routes that were once inaccessible can now be explored. In addition, when using the Blue Cube Colour Power and landing on a ground, nearby enemies can be destroyed.
Sonic Stadium Founder Svend “Dreadknux” Joscelyne who has played the latest build of the game has added to that description with an in-depth explanation at the SSMB:
Here’s how it works – you shake the Wii Remote, some dude yells “KYOOOOOB!” If Sonic’s in the air, he’ll fall down and whomp the floor as that blue cube. Any blue coins turn into solid blue platforms. Any solid blue platforms turn into blue rings. Sonic turns back into Sonic immediately after this ‘cube ground pound’ to take advantage of this change before the charge meter runs down. You can continue to use the power for as long as there is charge still in the meter (in later levels this becomes necessary as you will need to keep flipping blue coins and blocks around to traverse through a particular route). Once the meter runs down, blocks and rings go back to what they were – unless you collected the rings, in which case those platforms won’t return.
The artwork is available in an even higher resolution at SEGA’s Flickr.
Source: Sonic City Blognik
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EB Games Australia is now listing the Sonic Colours: Special Edition that other countries have been listing for a while, which comes with a Sonic Colours themed action figure, but until now we’ve not seen a picture of it. Two pictures are now available, but why two you say? Because it appears you get different Wisps with your Sonic figure depending on which version of the game you purchase. The Wii version comes with a White Wisp, an Orange Wisp and a Cyan Wisp, while the DS version comes with a Yellow Wisp, a Red Wisp and a Blue Wisp. Seems odd that the Blue Wisp would come with the DS version, since it only appears in the Wii version. If you pre-order, you can still get the free Sonic hat too.
Argos, who we told you will be giving the figure away with pre-orders in the UK, has now
slightly lowered their prices for both versions. The Wii version has been dropped from £33.99 to £31.99 and the DS version has been dropped from £25.99 to £24.99.
Thanks to Blue Blood at the SSMB for the heads-up!
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UPDATE: Two more Wii screenshots have been added, courtesy of the Sonic City Blognik. Looks like the Aquatic Park boss will chase Sonic at a point in the battle. /UPDATE END
Two batches of Sonic Colours screenshots have hit the net this morning, one Wii batch and one DS batch. The screens are taken from a new water themed stage, which is revealed at SPOnG to be titled Aquatic Park. You’ll notice right away that the stage strongly resembles Sonic Unleashed’s Chun-Nan stage, with plenty of Chinese themes all over the place and even the Egg Pawns are in costume again, this time dressed as Samurai’s. Sonic is quite out of the norm in this stage, since he treks underwater without dying like he usually would in his 3D games, so could we see the return of the classic drowning countdown and air bubbles? This stage also gives us our first in-game glimpse of the Wii exclusive Blue Wisp in action, which turns Sonic into a cube to turn blue rings into solid platforms and vice versa, SPOnG explains.
With a shake of the Wii Remote, Sonic transforms into a blue block, which acts as a switch to turn blue rings into solid platforms and vice versa. It’s a good way of finding some alternative routes through stages.
Also revealed, are the stages bosses on Wii and DS and some more shots of the Wii versions co-op mode. You can check the screenshots out below and discuss them in the comments.
Wii:
DS:
Thanks to Woun at the SSMB for the screenshots.
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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkocJI1Kacw[/youtube]
SEGA attended this years J-Pop Summit Festival yesterday and brought along playable demos of some of their upcoming games for attendees to get some hands-on time with. Sonic fans were also treated to a presentation of Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 on the big screen in the Viz Cinema, where SEGA of America’s Aaron Webber aka RubyEclipse played through Act 1 of Splash Hill Zone in an attempt to beat a time record set at the event. Does he beat it? See for yourself. The demo shown appears to be from a new build, since it has the changes to it RubyEclipse has mentioned up until now at the SEGA Blogs, such as a new running animation, achieving ‘blurry’ feet’ quicker and the ability to run off screen at the end of an Act.
What do you think of this new build? Speak out in the comments.
Thanks to YouTube user JostheLynx for the footage.
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Brad Flick: Our running crew at Sonic Retro usually hops on Skype once a day. It’s pretty ridiculous. A recent tradition at the annual Sonic Amateur Games Expo has been to get together and read incredibly awful fan-fiction (aka most fan-fiction) with Dom of Rare Candy. Back in 2008, this was the most ridiculous fan-fiction that we had read to date. It still stands as one of the all-time greats. Retro member H_Hog recently finished an animation on his DSi, a projecttwo-years in the making, to accompany the audio.
Complete with Dom’s amazing musical talents, his Andross-inducing reverb and H_Hog’s Flipnote Studio animation, Sonic Retro presents… “Cream Kills Everybody: A SonicBlast08 Masterpiece.” Warning: language and poorly-drawn gore.
Starring the voice talents of: Dom, H_Hog, Kroze, InstantSonic and Katzu Niku. Stay tuned for more dramatic fan-fic readings. Trust me, we’ve got plenty. Yes, I play Rotor in most of them. He’s so fabulous.
View Original TSS Post
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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pqWEOM3KQA&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6Vlm–VdMc&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]
SEGA Japan held a musical performance for Sonic fans at the Tokyo Game Show, including music from SEGA’s three upcoming Sonic titles, Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1, Sonic Free Riders and Sonic Colours. Among the performers is fan favourite Jun Senoue, who plays some of his tracks from Sonic 4, aswell as joining a band for performances of Sonic Free Riders theme music, Sonic Colours’ ‘Reach for the Stars’ and an all new song for the game too. You’ll also see plenty of new gameplay footage of Sonic 4’s new build, with Sonic’s new running animation and his faster time of achieving ‘blurry feet’. Also on show is new CGI cutscene footage from Sonic Colours.
Source: SEGA’s TGS USTREAM.
Thanks to Woun at the SSMB for the find, heads-up and YouTube conversions!
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From TSSZNews comes a surprising report that seems to finally clarify the delay on Sonic 4. It appears that a focus groups negative reaction to the game was the main cause of the delay. Not due to the iPhone or negative reaction to leaked videos apparently.
“We weren’t ready, in any shape or form, to reveal what was in the game. It shouldn’t have been out there in the public domain.” Says Ratcliff.
Source.
What do you think? Is this the main case of the delay, or do you think it was a number of factors? Sound off on our comments and forums.
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Here it is, everybody. The final page. Not much to really say about it, honestly, except that it’s probably one of my favorite pages Yardley! did. So I’ll end this feature with some talk about both ECC and Tracy Yardley!
Emerald Coast Comics is a web comic website, run mostly by people who aspire to become professionalism in the comic book industry. The comic projects on the site are used to give writers and artists a conduit through which to practice and hone their skills, as well as bring to life characters they’ve loved since they where children. Sonic Eggs isn’t the only comic on the site, and you are certainly welcome to check out a few of the others for yourself. ECC is a lot like SonicVerseTeam of old, except it does all of it’s comics in-house and has, over the years, developed stricter quality control measures to ensure most things on the website are a step up from your typical web comic fair, aside from a strip called Staffers, which is mostly used as practice for new artists.
We do occasionally give out commissions to smooth out the process, such was the case with Tracy Yardley! If you want to commission Tracy Yardley, whether it be a comic page, or just a damn cool piece of art, contact him on his DA. a penciled and inked piece will run you around $120, plus an additional $10 if you want him to send the picture to you. Yardley!’s time is precious, as being a comic book artist can be rather difficult to make a living off of. Keep in mind that he does this professionally and very well when you take the price into account.
Finally, I’d like to say that Yardley! is an absolute joy to work with. His e-mail correspondences where always fun and cheerful, he got each commission done promptly and quickly despite his busy schedule, and when he sent Jason the pages in the mail, he included a kind letter and some ashcan art books. Frankly, his personality and promptness alone was worth every penny.
So, without further ado, I bring you the conclusion to Tracy Yardley’s run on Sonic Eggs, colored by Jamie Lee. The story doesn’t end here, though. Check out ECC next Saturday for future Sonic Eggs pages, penciled and inked by ECC Staff member Kichi. If you want this comic featured regularly on the front page, let us know.
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UPDATE:
Starlight Carnival’s description:
Carnival attraction of “Egg Planet Park” that looks like a space fleet that has been colored with neons and fireworks. Various space battleships, such as battleships with a constellation motif, meet Sonic in a parade of lights and sounds. Enjoy the feeling of a roller coaster that weaves its way among the parade.
Thanks to Woun for obtaining the Japanese original text and to Core for the translation. /UPDATE END
Even more artwork for both the Wii & DS versions of Sonic Colours has emerged from the official Japanese website for the game, courtesy of SSMB member, Woun. The artwork is from the Starlight Carnival stage seen in recent screenshots of the game. In the artwork you can see various star signs of the Zodiac, aswell as plenty of Eggman’s ships. Could Eggman be planning a gigantic attack on the various planets in the game? The DS map of the stage shows a large ship with Eggman’s face on at the top left, could it be this stages boss?
Thanks to Woun at the SSMB for obtaining this content.
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Yet another thing I saw at PAX that I apparently didn’t tell you guys about. While I was wondering around the SEGA booth trying to get some hands on time with other games, I noticed people playing the game with the Wii remote by itself, no nunchuck. Apparently, this is a control option available in the new build. I didn’t have a chance to try it out for myself, but I have a feeling most would probably prefer to just use the nunchuck anyway. Still, it’s a neat option, and useful for co-op if you lack a second nunchuck.
Sonic Colors is scheduled to come out this November.
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