Yep. After the first Sonic Advance from the Game Boy Advance made its way onto the Wii U Virtual Console in Japan back on Feburary 18th last year in 2015, it’s been announced that Sonic Advance 2 is next in the series to make it to the Wii U VC in Japan next week on February 24th for ¥702, same as Sonic Advance 1.
Sadly we still have no news to report on either of the two games being released in the west.
Via Nintendo’s Japanese page of the game.
I wish that the releases for Eshop titles in Japan and the West were swapped. Japan always gets everything we don’t
So sad they won’t put these out for U.S.! I’d cough up any amount of money for a Sonic game at this point, even if it is just a re-release, and the Advance series was SUPER fun!
Agreed.
FUCK YEAAAAH. My dumbass brother dropped my copy in the hole that holds the seat belts. Now’s all I got to do is get me a Wii U. Wee-hoo!
Then move to Japan!
Ugh, my 2 favorite handheld games is stuck in the Japan limbo. Why release anything Sonic in Japan? Nobody in Japan has ever cared about Sonic unless it’s the people over at Sega of Japan
shut up
Japanese exclusivity in this day and age is an legitimate concern in an increasingly globalized and online-driven market.
So no, you child. YOU shut up.
Gee… What side of Interwebs where you born and raised on…
Yes daddy, I’m sorry for being right, I won’t do it again plz no more abuse daddy.
Yes of cuourse because Sega Of Japan are so dumby about Sonic Runners sales are bad & now their going to release Sonic Advance 2 Wii U Visual Console in Japan only on February 24,2016 I guess Sega Of Japan like Sonic a lot? But not Sega Of America this is almost kind of remind me of Capom Of America likes Mega Man a lot but not Capom Of Japan you know about the defensive ok?
What the hell SEGA? The advance games were your actually good Sonic games, and your not releasing them to the west? What gives?
yeah i remember that game AH good times XD
Stop the abuse daddy
I’d like to be that the entire trilogy will get released over here as part of the 25th anniversary celebrations. Just have patience
I’d be cool with that.
Don’t know why SEGA just release a compilation of all the Advanced games in one package similar to their 3D classics and update them with online features for the e-shop. This would be especially popular on the 3DS.
Oh right…because then they wouldn’t be SEGA, now would they?
^^^^ This. ^^^^
Alternatively, they could release TWO Compilations: A Sonic Advance Collection for 3DS, and a Sonic Legacy Collection for Wii U, with actual Pro Controller Support for 1P, and the Tiny Chao Garden can interact with the Chao Gardens of the Legacy Collection. 3DS-Wii U Connectivity at its most convenient.
Cool idea.
Too bad they won’t do it. It would end up released AFTER the 25th Anniversary.
I’d be okay with that. Haven’t you heard SEGA’s new motto? QUALITY!!!
I like this game more than most. I think it’s the only Sonic game that did speed really well.
What a nice birthday present you got for me, Sega! But my postal address is in America.
Hahaha 🙂
Why Sonic Advance in particular? I heard one of them was also released for Android in Japan only. Huh.
Well, that’s cool for Japan at least.
Unfortunately, the English version of the game is in copyright limbo due to being published by the now-defunct THQ over in the US, so unless something has changed, I doubt America is ever going to see any re-releases. Too bad.
THQ had a hand in Sonic Advance?! I never knew that. Well, if that’s the reason, then I suppose I understand. I still don’t get why THQ went under though. They had so much good stuff under their belt.
Yep. THQ mostly handled localization and distribution though.
THQ was largely a licensed game developer. Due to an infamously high amount of low quality games, the interest in licensed game genre essentially died after the PS2 ran its course. But evidently nobody told THQ that, because it kept buying up expensive licenses to continue making licensed games. Unable to recoup the costs of these licenses alongside game development costs, it floundered to its doom. It made one last blast to improve by rebranding itself as an indie developer, but the indie community and fanbase felt that move was insulting as THQ was an established big corporation and not an independent development group. This proved both embarrassing and fatal for the company.
Awww… what a sad ending. 🙁 Thanks for the info though; it’s good to know. If the licenses were given to people who actually cared about the character that they were licensed, perhaps the genre wouldn’t have seen so many low quality games. R.I.P. THQ. 😐
Yeah… Note to developers: Video games aren’t just quick money! You gotta put some good stuff in them too! Also be willing to adapt or your time is limited!
I just wish THQ had settled the distribution rights before its untimely passing. They ended up taking the American version of the Advance series down with them.
@Mad Convoy
I always look at the SpongeBob video games as a good example of well-made licensed games. Battle for Bikini Bottom was terrific. The Kim Possible video games also appeared to be solid (save for the very first game boy one). I don’t know why the trend couldn’t catch on.
I liked the Revenge of the Flying Dutchman. Well, the GBA version anyway, which is apparently completely different from all other versions. I thought the bubble mechanics were done very creatively and fit the show perfectly. While platforming could be a bit slippery at times, it was manageable enough not to be too much of an impediment. Its a good game overall and one I’d definitely recommend.
I agree that licensed games can be good, but more often than not, they’re just used as a cheap, quick cash-in titles. Which is a real shame as some shows could lend themselves well to video games.
@Mad Convoy
I agree. Revenge of the Flying Dutchman for the GBA is really well made. I especially love the music for the game. Magnificent.
“licensed games can be good, but more often than not, they’re just used as a cheap, quick cash-in titles. Which is a real shame as some shows could lend themselves well to video games.”
‘Aint that the truth.
Good luck with those special rings…
YouTube guides FTW. 😉
Gosh darn it. Why do these things happen? *sob* The advance games are a big part of the core reason I got into Sonic back in the golden years; it’s a shame they are restricted like this. After all, no Sonic games have aged worse than the Advance games. (Soon Rush too when 3DS compatibility of DS games goes away.) No re-releases, no ports, and forget about remasters. It’s just a shame these terrific games get no respect. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that Dimps made them and not Sonic Team. Either way, I hope one day these virtual console releases make it to the West. That’s a good step in showing these handheld games some love.
Why does Nintendo Japan insist on thinking that no one over the seas will want to buy these things? I seriously want to play these games without hurting my fingers from the GBA controls. Plus maybe, MAYBE, the control set up might increase my chances of doing better on these games. Maybe…probably…..sigh, who am I kidding, I still suck at these games. Everybody loves them, but why did they have to make those special stages SO FREAKING IMPOSSIBLE!!??
I see what you mean, but I’d take them over another round of half-pipes.
Times like this make me feel glad I bought all the GBA Sonic titles (including Sonic Pinball Party).
And that the Wii’s Homebrew Channel can emulate GBA games via VisualBoy Advance GX.
Ew, do yourself a favor and get enhanced mgba, it’s got better scaling, better emulation, better support, they all run at full fps. VBAGX runs them like garbage… like Sonic Classic Collection.
Seriously you can even use a 3DS as controller, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Is this a PC thing, because mine likes to overheat and shut down on me. Not happening.
It’s a port of mGBA for GC and Wii.
Google “enhanced mgba”, you’re sure to find it.
There’s a standard port but is missing many features.
You should definitely try it, it’s a great way to play GBA on TV. If you like it you should read up on the list of features. Display-wise it’s very thorough.
So I noticed it’s only out in Japan. Should I assume that this “west” I keep hearing about is the rest of the world, or does Japan consist of the UK… Or are we just ignoring regions aside from U.S. and Japan??
When people say “The West” they’re 90% of the time referring to outside Japan as a whole, since Japan is in “The East”.
I wonder who now has the publishing rights to the Advance Sonic games, as THQ was the publisher at that time, and given what happened to them…
Never crosed the mind. Maybe they recleimed it while buying Relic?
They wouldn’t simply be up for grabs would they?
I’m not a legal expert, so please correct me if I’m wrong about anything.
Its essentially in limbo. Due to the screwed up nature of US copyright law, the only ways to get distribution rights in the US is to buy it from the owner or wait for it them to not get renewed/expire. Copyrights aren’t up for renewal until 25 years have passed, at which point Sonic Advance will likely be forgotten. Plus, obviously, you can’t buy anything from a rights holder which doesn’t exist anymore. Sega could have prevented this with smarter contract stipulations, such as having a plan for when the distribution ended. That way, should something happen to THQ, the game would not be in copyright limbo for too long. But this combined with the Pendering gives me the impression that Sega wasn’t too big on thinking its contracts through back then. If you’re curious on the details, here’s a more detailed article on common mistakes companies make with distribution rights: http://www.neweraconsulting.com/avoid.htm Its probably talking more about manufacturer-distributor relations, but one of the jobs of a video game publisher is to manage manufacturing so I think it still applies. Besides, I’m pretty sure Sega and THQ did at least a few of the things the article advises against.
I wonder if a remake or re-localization would be held to the same standards, or if Sega would be free to sell distribution rights to such a product to somebody else. If so, there may well be a loophole, though one I doubt Sega would use.
It all makes sense to me, but I’m no legal expert either. Turns out copyright is a pain for creators too. Haha. Thanks for the Link. Looks like, one day, Sonic Advance will see the light of day again here in America… just not any time soon.
Yeah… Its unfortunate that copyright systems are so short-sighted in the US… and that Sega too is short-sighted…