There’s good news tonight for Sonic fans going to this year’s Gamescom event, with the announcement that Takashi Iizuka will be attending. The Sonic Team head disclosed the news of his attendance just 4 hours ago on his Facebook page with the short message you see below.
これからGamescomに参加するため、ドイツに向けて出発します！それにしても今、朝の6時…眠い…。
I’m going to Germany for Gamescom!
Iizuka has been very busy attending events around the world all year celebrating Sonic the Hedgehog’s 20th Anniversary and it doesn’t look like he’s going to stop anytime soon. We told you last week that SEGA will be going to Gamescom and will be designing their booth in the style of Green Hill Zone from the first Sonic the Hedgehog game on Mega Drive/Genesis. Attendees will be able to go hands-on with both console and handheld versions of Sonic Generations and Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games at the event, too.
Now we have to wonder if Iizuka is attending just to help SEGA with the Sonic 20th Anniversary celebrations and to do the usual interview rounds, or does he have some Sonic announcements to make? I guess we’ll find out this week.
Gamescom will run from 17th-21st August at the Koelnmesse in Cologne, Germany.
Source: Takashi Iizuka’s Facebook page
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Today it was noticed that our youtube account had been hacked into. Nothing much had changed, they altered the title of the profile and reset the channels skin. I quickly changed my password and restored these alterations. However approx 15 minutes laters, they had deleted my whole account. This account is 5 years old, and contains videos dating back to the beginning. At this moment in time they are all gone. While I do have a lot of them backed up, some are not. If the account cannot be restored then episodes like our Summer Of Sonic special will not be able to be reuploaded due to time limitation now placed on accounts after ours was created.
This is a huge blow for The Sonic Show, as someone has basically deleted our history, our existence.
We have emailed youtube requesting for account restoration thought youtube state that they will not restore the videos or comments. We now play the waiting game.
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Hey folks! I wanted to let you in on a lesser known Sonic Podcast The Spindash “Your source for all things blue, rapid and spikey” as it has just celebrated it’s 50th episode with a 2 hour long show. This small podcast has been running for about 2 years now and is hosted by GX Echidna, Evil Dr. Reef and Saber Pilot with myself as the occasional guest. In this episode, we discuss the Chemical Plant Zone, current Sonic news, a look back at issue #50 of the Archie Sonic comic and some other silly stuff. So, if you got an MP3 player and/or 2 hours to kill, check ’em out!
BTW, also check out their 48th episode which is a hour long interview with the great, wonderful………me! Also, I’ll be getting pics and info of the upcoming contest as soon as my witless brother gives me my memory card back for my camera.
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Following comments on Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 a few days ago, VG247 has posted up their full interview with SEGA West CEO Mike Hayes, and it features a couple more pieces of discussion about Sonic. When asked what his standout moment for the company is, Hayes expresses his pride for SEGA and Nintendo’s bringing together of both of their mascots for the Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games series.
“In my time at Sega, I’d come back to Chronicles, but I have to say Mario and Sonic simply because of many things,” said Hayes when asked for a standout moment.
“For me personally, doing that deal with Nintendo when we were such adversaries and bringing the two greatest icons together, for me, is a real sense of pride. Then the fact that its sold 20 million units so far on the two that we’ve released mean people like it, which is great.
That’s not the only standout moment for Hayes, though. The SEGA West boss also talks about his fondness for Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, which he admires because it does something different with the Sonic the Hedgehog brand.
“But in terms of imagination, I actually thought what we did with Chronicles was pretty good, which was actually trying to do something with Sonic that wasn’t just about speed and getting from A to B as effectively as possible. And that, I thought, was a pretty good game. Sold reasonably well, didn’t break any record, but I enjoyed that because it was different.
With Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood in mind, Hayes thinks there are more chances ahead to arc Sonic out to do other things.
“And that gives us kind of a clue about mainly the future of Sonic. There are chances for him to sort of arc out to do different things, maybe.”
Hayes ends the interview by noting the success of Sonic Colours in sales, ratings and popularity.
I like [2010 Wii and DS title] Colours a lot because I think that’s the best main platform standalone Sonic that we’ve done in many years. And it was hugely popular and it did extremely well based in America and Europe. I just think that was an excellent game, I think [Team Sonic producer Takashi] Iizuka did a good job on that and it rated pretty well. But for me, from my time at Sega, I’d probably say M&S and Chronicles.”
Source: VG247
Would you like to see the Sonic the Hedgehog series explore other genres? If so, which ones? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
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Much like their ”Life with Archie” magazine, Archie is planning a quarterly magazine dedicated to Sonic “Sonic Super Special”. Similar to the UK’s “Sonic the Comic”, it will be mostly made of reprints of some of the bigger Sonic stories from the comics (although the UK version had new stories in theirs), but with some extras and articles included. The first issue arrives in late October.
SONIC SUPER SPECIAL MAGAZINE #1
Sonic the Hedgehog’s 20th Anniversary celebration kicks into high gear this fall with the all-new SONIC SUPER SPECIAL MAGAZINE! Get your need-for-speed on with non-stop action and tons of heroes and villains from the SONIC THE HEDGEHOG games and cartoons! This magazine-sized, quarterly collection takes new readers on a journey into GENESIS, a bombastic birthday bash with Shadow the Hedgehog, and the incredible assault on Eggman’s Empire! Sonic super-fans will also be treated with part one of the SONIC TIME LINE, featuring new art from fan-favorite artist Jamal Peppers, as well as tons of bonus features!
Script: Ian Flynn.
Art: Patrick Spaziante, Tracy Yardley!, Jamal Peppers, Terry Austin, Jim Amash, John Workman, Jason Jensen and Matt Herms
Enhanced Cover by Patrick “Spaz” Spaziante
Shipping Date: October 12th, 2011
On Sale at Comic Specialty Shops: October 26th, 2011
On Sale on Newsstands: November 1st, 2011
128-page, full color magazine
$9.99 US
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In a recent interview with VG247, SEGA West CEO Mike Hayes revealed that digital download title Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 has sold over one million units across all platforms since its release in October last year.
“It did very well and it continues to do well,” Hayes told us in a phone interview this afternoon.
“Particularly when it gets a little shot in the arm with some promotion or some price activity, sales are quite phenomenal. Its downloaded clearly over a million units, so its sold particularly well and continues to sell.”
Hayes also told the website to expect information on Episode 2 “very soon”, but wouldn’t clarify how soon. Instead Mr.Hayes just said “look out for that one.”
Source: VG247 (via GoNintendo)
Thanks to SSMB member Emeraio at the SSMB for the heads up!
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SEGA has announced their lineup of playable titles for PAX Prime 2011 in Seattle, Washington. The event runs from August 26th-28th. There’s no sign of Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games, but the big game for Sonic fans this year Sonic Generations will be present, as well as six other titles, including the first opportunity for the public to get a look at Aliens: Colonial Marines. Unfortunately, Like other events, there’s no word on platforms.
SEGA fans will be happy to hear that the GameWorks community event the company held last year is returning this year after the show at 6pm on Saturday August 27th until 12am.
Check out the press release below for more details.
Play SEGA’s Blockbusters on the Show Floor and Hang Out with SEGA at the GameWorks Community Event!
August 12, 2011 – SEGA® of America, Inc. today announced their lineup of titles for PAX Prime 2011 in Seattle. Located at Booth 3625 on the show floor, the company will have a number of highly anticipated titles playable at the show, including Sonic Generations™, Rise of Nightmares™ and the first chance for fans to get a look at Aliens: Colonial Marines™. SEGA is also hosting an exclusive community event for its fans after the show on Saturday night!
The list of games playable at SEGA’s booth at PAX includes:
* Aliens: Colonial Marines™
* Binary Domain™
* Renegade Ops™
* Rise of Nightmares™
* Shinobi™
* Sonic Generations™
* The House of the Dead: OVERKILL™ – Extended Cut
SEGA is once again throwing an arcade event to celebrate its fans. Located at GameWorks near the convention center (1511 7th Avenue, Seattle), the event is open to the public and kicks off at 6pm on Saturday, August 27th and goes until 12am.
For more details about PAX Prime 2011, head over to their website.
Source: SEGA Forums (via SEGA Twitter)
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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCAkmjloTPA&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]
Live in Australia and want to check out Sonic Generations and Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games before release like everyone else in the world? Well, you’re in luck, as EB Games Australia has announced that those two games and more will be present at this year’s EB Games Expo, with more games to be announced at a later date. Unfortunately, the company hasn’t announced what platforms the games will be on and say “Playability of game differs for each title”, but with both Sonic Generations and Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games playable at other events a month before, then it’s very likely attendees will be able to get hands-on time.
EB Games Expo Gold Coast 2011 will take place October 15th and 16th in Broadbeach on the Gold Coast of Australia at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre. Tickets are available to purchase from EB Games’ website.
Source: EB Expo Gold Coast 2011 website (via GoNintendo)
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Gameswelt.de reports that SEGA will be attending Gamescom in Cologne this year in full force. The publisher will be hosting more 20th Anniversary celebrations for their spiky blue mascot Sonic by recreating the hedgehog’s first stage Green Hill Zone in real life. Attendees will also find an 8 meter tall Sonic model/statue at their booth. As for games, SEGA has so far confirmed that both console and handheld versions of Sonic Generations and Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games will be at the event.
Gamescom will take place from 17th-21st August at the Koelnmesse in Cologne, Germany. Tickets are available to purchase from the event’s website.
In the UK, Eurogamer.net has announced that a bunch of SEGA’s games will be playable at their Eurogamer Expo. The games announced are as follows: Sonic Generations, Binary Domain, Anarchy Reigns, Renegade Ops and House of the Dead Overkill: Extended Edition. No word has been given regarding platforms.
The Eurogamer Expo will run from 22nd-25th September at London’s Earl’s Court One. Tickets are available to purchase from the event’s website.
Sources: Gameswelt.de and Eurogamer.net
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Following August 5th’s portion of an ONM interview with Sonic Team head Takashi Iizuksa regarding pleasing fans of the older Sonic titles, the magazine has posted up the full interview on their website. The interview is made up of questions from fans about the Nintendo 3DS version of Sonic Generations, but as is the norm so far for the portable edition, there are not really any new details about the game to share that we haven’t known for a while now. Outside of that, Takashi Iizuka expressed an interest in making titles for Nintendo’s new home console Wii U.
You can read the interview at ONM’s website.
Would you like to see a new Sonic game on Wii U? Let us know in the comments.
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Last night SEGA announced via their Twitter feed that Sonic Generations and Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games will be among the many games playable at the upcoming Simon Malls US GamePlay tour. The tour will make 26 stops beginning tomorrow in the Dadeland Mall in Miami, FL and ending November 13th at the Ontario Mills mall in Ontario, CA. SEGA says only the console version of Sonic Generations will be available on the tour, so those who want to try out the 3DS version are out of luck. There’s no word on platforms for Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Other publishers attending include THQ, Namco Bandai Games, Eidos, Sony with PS3 and PlayStation Move titles and Nintendo with Nintendo 3DS titles.
Will you be attending any of the tour stops? Let us know in the comments.
Sources: SEGA Twitter – Link 1, Link 2, Link 3, SEGA Flickr, Simon Malls Website
Thanks to Eternal X at the SSMB and Nuzamaki90 in our comments section for the heads up!
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We take a flash back to 2008 and see what was grinding Brad Flick’s gears in the community. See how Brad’s harsh words may have help Shawnspaz16′s work improve to today…. maybe lol. http://www.youtube.com/user/shawnspaz16
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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsKwNWYowwY&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]
German gaming website Gameswelt.de shared a new Sonic Generations gameplay video on Thursday, which until now has gone unnoticed by fans. The video is of the Xbox 360 version, and it gives us our first look at the Chemical Plant Zone in action in both Modern and Classic forms. Some new footage of the Modern and Classic City Escape stages is also available later on in the video.
What do you think about Chemical Plant Zone now you’ve seen it in motion? Share your thoughts in the comments section.
Source: Gameswelt
Thanks to Nuzamaki90 in our comments section for the heads up!
YouTube conversion courtesy of DranicTheLombaxProdu.
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GAME UK has today announced the titles SEGA will be bringing to their GAMEFest event in Birmingham UK next month, and Sonic fans will be happy to hear that Sonic Generations and Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games will both be available to try out. No information about platforms has been given. Other SEGA titles available to demo include House of the Dead: OVERKILL Extended Cut and Rise of Nightmares.
GAMFest will be held 16-18 September 2011 at the Birmingham NEC. If you’re interested in attending, you can purchase tickets from the GAMEFest website.
Source: Videogamer.com
Thanks to Woun at the SSMB for the heads up!
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In a portion of a soon to be published interview with ONM, Sonic Team head Takashi Iizuka has expressed difficulty to please old Sonic fans when creating new Sonic titles. Iizuka says the team are always making efforts to build new gameplay innovations, but they then find it hard to please the fans who prefer the gameplay found in the older games. With Sonic Generations, Iizuka thinks classic fans will find some enjoyment, though, and he says Sonic Team is looking into continuing the Sonic 4 series, too.
Check out the interview quotes below:
“Our team are always trying to present new gameplay innovations so it’s hard to please fans who like the gameplay from the older games,” said Iizuka.
“However, we have included the older gameplay as part of Sonic’s 20th Anniversary, so we think the fans of the older games will enjoy it [Generations] as well. We are also looking into continuing the Sonic 4 series which was released on WiiWare, and we’ll keep developing titles so more fans will enjoy the games.”
Source: ONM
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Is your Xbox Live Avatar feeling a bit left out of the Sonic 20th Anniversary celebrations? Well, today SEGA has released 2 Sonic Generations Avatar items on the Xbox Live Avatar Marketplace to help your Avatar join in the festivities. The first item is a 20th Anniversary Cake prop, and the second is a 20th Anniversary party hat. The cake will set you back 400 MSP, while the hat costs 160 MSP. Both items are available for a limited time only, so don’t hang about if you want to grab them.
Source: Xbox Live Marketplace (via Xbox Avatar Gear)
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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgpBacEzC9E&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]
For those not in the know, Crush 40 have been playing a couple of gigs in Tokyo the past few nights to two delighted crowds, where the band played a whole host of Crush 40 hits from the past decade and beyond; event goers were even treated to some classic Hardline tracks including Hot Cherie. The two shows are the first Crush 40 live performances to have a full ensemble including Takeshi Taneda on bass and Toru Kawamura on drums.
Only a few videos have cropped up so far, but the one above is of high audio and visual quality – let’s hope more pop up in the future!
So now that Crush 40 have rocked Japan…who would be up for some gigs in the west? Let us know in the comments where you’d like to see Crush 40 play in the future!
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