SAGE is Live, Launches With a History Video of the Event, Livestream Schedule

The wait is finally over! The Sonic Amateur Games Expo of 2019 is live, and now it’s time to dig into some awesome fangames!

Continue reading SAGE is Live, Launches With a History Video of the Event, Livestream Schedule

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Leak: Sonic to Appear in Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz HD?!

Is it possible!? It looks like Sonic the Hedgehog is rolling his way into the Super Monkey Ball universe as an unlockable character in Banana Blitz HD!

Continue reading Leak: Sonic to Appear in Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz HD?!

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Sonic Talk 63: “Let’s be Sonic Heroes!”

Another month, another (incredibly late) episode of Sonic Talk!

In this episode, we discuss Sonic’s appearance in OK KO!, and how he single-handedly caused the series to end (kidding). We also chat about Tangle and Whisper, a Mighty plush, Sonic #19,  Mario and Sonic 2020 Olympics arcade and much, much more! So what are you waiting for? RECENT topics?!! Hah! Like we’d do that!


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“The Genesis is Back!” SEGA Genesis Mini Launches with a Sizzlin’ Trailer

The wait is finally over! The highly anticipated mini console is now available for purchase in the North American region. Here’s some information on where you can get your hands on it, and what games are inside!

Continue reading “The Genesis is Back!” SEGA Genesis Mini Launches with a Sizzlin’ Trailer

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See Sonic Racing and Chu Chu Rocket! Universe in Action Here!

So, with Apple Arcade launching today, we’re finally getting our first in-depth looks at both Sonic Racing and Chu Chu Rocket! Universe. With no official footage being released, we decided to record our own footage of these games.

It should be noted that both of these games are being recorded off of an iPhone 7, which could only achieve medium graphical quality for either game. This footage is not representative of how the games will look on more advanced hardware.

For Sonic Racing, I recorded the tutorial and a few races in the default vertical orientation, before later recording some footage horizontally. Check them out below:

I actually found it more difficult to play this game with the landscape orientation. Here’s hoping the Apple TV version has controller support:

For Chu Chu Rocket! Universe, I recorded the opening minutes of the game, including some bits of story mode, then recorded another puzzle separately to show off how arrows are selected (and because it was the first puzzle I had some trouble with).

You’ll find those recordings below:

Be sure to stick around for more news on these and other games!

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Sonic Racing & Chu Chu Rocket! Universe Launch Today as Part of Apple Arcade (UPDATED)

Two Sonic Team franchises have launched new entries today as part of Apple Arcade’s launch line-up. Sonic Racing brings a version of Sumo Digital’s Team Sonic Racing to Apple’s platforms, letting players race as a variety of Sonic characters in a team-based racer. Chu Chu Rocket! Universe brings back the classic puzzle action of the Dreamcast original, where the player has to direct mice through a course to their rocket ship, without letting the cats eat them. Both games were made by SEGA HARDlight, the same developers behind the Sonic Dash games.

Apple Arcade is a subscription-based game service for Apple platforms, including iPhone, iPad, Apple TV and Macintosh. For $5 a month, you gain access to every game on the service, without needing to deal with ads, in-app purchases, or other kinds of micro transactions. Every game on the service is exclusive to it, so it’s unlikely these games will be appearing on other platforms (or at least mobile platforms) any time soon.

If you want to try the games now, you can take advantage of a 30-day free trial after downloading iOS 13 for iPhone. Unfortunately, only iPhone users can currently access Apple Arcade, as the updates for Apple’s other platforms are arriving until September 30.

UPDATE: We have been able to confirm that both games boast controller support, including support for PS4 and Xbox One controllers. To sync a PS4 controller, hold the share and home buttons to put it into pairing mode. For Xbox One, hold the sync button. Afterwards, each controller can be linked to your iPhone from the phone’s Bluetooth menu.

SEGA has also released a trailer showing off both games, which you can check out below:

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UPDATE: New Mario and Sonic Trailer Shows Sonic Forces’ Metropolis and New Footage

One of the coolest things about the Mario and Sonic series, besides seeing Mario and Sonic together in the same game (that never gets old for a 90s kid) is seeing them compete in familiar territory. Dream Events are how we do it in Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games, and in the Tokyo 2020 edition, we get a glimpse of a level from the more recent Sonic Forces, among others. Continue reading UPDATE: New Mario and Sonic Trailer Shows Sonic Forces’ Metropolis and New Footage

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SEGA Live-streams Footage for Three New Mario & Sonic 2020 Events

SEGA showed game play from three new events in their Tokyo Game Show livestream earlier today. Twitter user SonicWindBlue ripped the footage and posted it to showcase the new modes.

Two new dream events and a new retro event were shown. To see the footage, check out SonicWindBlue’s tweets below:

https://twitter.com/sonicwindblue/status/1172886849972506624?s=21

If you want to watch the Japanese-language livestream, you can check it out in the embedded Youtube video below. The Mario & Sonic stuff starts at around the two-hour forty-minute mark:

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Speculation: Is NiGHTS Dream Wheel A Switch Exclusive?

In July, we reported on a trademark for a potential new game called “NiGHTS Dream Wheel” by SEGA. With the reveal of a new Nintendo peripheral called the “Ring-Con,” our minds are now flying in circles at the possibility that this could be related, and therefore, logic dictates that this would be a game made exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.

Continue reading Speculation: Is NiGHTS Dream Wheel A Switch Exclusive?

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Sonic Mania Programmer Creates New Spooky Platformer “Vertebreaker”

Sonic community veteran and Sonic Mania programmer Simon Thomley aka “Stealth” of Headcannon is working on an original, new 2D platformer reminiscent of the old-school SEGA glory days, and it’s quite a spooky one!

Continue reading Sonic Mania Programmer Creates New Spooky Platformer “Vertebreaker”

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SAGE Shows Off Its 2019 Lineup with New Trailer

Every year, SAGE gives Sonic fans around the world a stage to show off their game programming and design chops to the community. This year will be no different, and they’ve dropped a little trailer to whet our appetites for what this year’s exhibitors have in store. Check it out below!

SAGE, or the Sonic Amateur Game Expo, is an online exhibition held every year by Sonic Fan Games HQ. The expo gives creators a chance to show-off Sonic fan games, hacks, and original games inspired by the franchise. SAGE 2019 is being held on September 27th through October 4th.

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Watch the Sonic at the Olympic Games – Tokyo 2020 Mobile Title Trailer

The trailer for Sonic at the Olympic Games – Tokyo 2020 mobile title shows off a host of gameplay, and reveals gimmick-filled Ex Events!

Continue reading Watch the Sonic at the Olympic Games – Tokyo 2020 Mobile Title Trailer

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New Sonic at the Olympic Games Screenshots Revealed by Famitsu

Check it out! Japanese gaming news publication Famitsu just dropped some new screenshots of Sonic at the Olympic Games for mobile devices.

Continue reading New Sonic at the Olympic Games Screenshots Revealed by Famitsu

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Chu Chu Rocket! Universe coming to Apple Arcade

A new entry in Sonic Team’s long-dead Chu Chu Rocket franchise made a surprise appearance in an Apple press release today: Chu Chu Rocket! Universe.

The game is being developed by Hardlight, and is slated to come to the Apple Arcade service, a video game subscription service for Apple Devices that will let subscribers play a variety of games for $4.99 a month on iPhones, iPads, Apple TVs and Macs. It’s important to note that Apple’s press release specifies that it is a “mobile and subscription service” exclusive which doesn’t necessarily rule out console ports of the game, although devices that support Apple Arcade are the only confirmed platforms.

The game has 100 3D puzzle courses, and features gameplay that appears pretty faithful to the Dreamcast original: direct your mice to rocket ships without letting cats devouring them all. Chu Chu Rocket! Universe is slated to launch alongside the debut of the Apple Arcade service on September 19. Chu Chu Rocket! won’t be the only Sonic Team series hitting the service either: as we reported earlier this year, Sonic Racing will also be coming to Apple Arcade.

The Dreamcast original was the first game on the system to feature online play, so a sequel being announced a day after the system’s 20th anniversary is neat timing. This will be the first new entry in the franchise since the Dreamcast game was ported to iOS and Android back in 2011.

Nothing else is known about the game. Check below for a screenshot and game play footage:

 

 

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Happy 20th Anniversary, SEGA Dreamcast!

Back in 1999, SEGA was on the ropes. Their 32-bit console, the SEGA Saturn, had been a failure everywhere but Japan. The SEGA Mega Drive/Genesis was long dead. The arcade market was struggling. Japan was in the midst of a decade-long depression. The SEGA Dreamcast was its last hope at remaining a contender as a console maker.

Of course, we all know how that went by now. The Dreamcast struggled in Japan, initially selling out when it launched on November 27 1998, but then failing to meet subsequent sales targets. The Dreamcast had a record breaking launch in America, where it sold 500,000 units in just two weeks. The system also did very well in Europe, where it managed to sell 400,000 units in about 5 weeks. Unfortunately, this success would not last, and on January 31, 2001, SEGA announced that the system would be discontinued.

Despite its short life, the Dreamcast has become something of a cult hit among hardcore gamers. It saw many acclaimed releases, like Soul Calibur, Skies of Arcadia, Jet Grind Radio, Grandia 2, and Shenmue. It pioneered console online gaming, becoming the first system to feature a built in modem, which allowed many developers to inject online functionality into their games, including DLC, leaderboards, and online multiplayer.

Around here, the system is probably best known for being the machine that powered Sonic’s first true 3D outings, permanently changing the franchise forever.

Today marks the 20th anniversary of the system’s iconic 9.9.99 US launch. Do you have anything memories of that launch? Or the system? Or its games? Feel free to share them in the comments below!

This won’t be our only Dreamcast article marking the occasion. Keep an eye out for a few more articles over the next month!

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TSS Retrospective: The Needlemouse Debacle: Episode I

“Speed returns, in an all new 2D adventure built from the ground up.”

Ten years ago, on September 8th, 2009, mere hours before the 10th anniversary of the Dreamcast, SEGA dropped a teaser trailer for “Project Needlemouse.” Catching the gaming community by surprise, this mysterious project promised to bring Sonic the Hedgehog back to its 2D roots with a new 2D platformer in the style of the Mega Drive games. This project would later be officially titled Sonic the Hedgehog 4, an episodic download game that hoped to please the older Sonic fans who grew up with the classics.  Continue reading TSS Retrospective: The Needlemouse Debacle: Episode I

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The Official Sonic Art & Design Book To Be Updated With 32 New Pages In Next Reprint

Video game art dealer Cook & Becker have announced that the next reprint of the Official Sonic the Hedgehog Art & Design Book will feature 32 pages of new content from Sonic Mania, Sonic Forces, and Team Sonic Racing. First released in 2016 as part of Sonic’s 25th anniversary, the book originally only went as far as releases from that year.

Cook & Becker hinted at this last week, leaving many to speculate that Sonic Mania would be receiving its own art book. However, according to the company’s twitter account, there would not have been enough content from the game to fill out its own art book, so they decided to update their 25th anniversary art book instead.

The updated book can be pre-ordered off of their website for $39.99 (plus $12.50 for shipping), and is currently scheduled to ship sometime in November.

They released some samples of the new pages, which you can check out in the gallery below:

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In Memoriam: Nigel Dobbyn

We at The Sonic Stadium are deeply saddened to hear that Sonic the Comic artist Nigel Dobbyn has died.

Continue reading In Memoriam: Nigel Dobbyn

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Data Discs’ Sonic CD Vinyl Release Looks Incredible [Photos]

Way back in June, we reported that retro game album producers Data Discs had announced a special vinyl of the Sonic CD soundtrack. As a game that still resonates with many Sonic fans, 26 years after its original Mega CD release, this news caught a lot of people’s attention – with a limited edition ‘splatter’ edition selling out almost immediately. Continue reading Data Discs’ Sonic CD Vinyl Release Looks Incredible [Photos]

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Brand New Sonic Themed Monopoly Game Releasing in September

A new version of classic board game Monopoly is due to be released on 15 September in North America, featuring SEGA’s spiky blue mascot! Continue reading Brand New Sonic Themed Monopoly Game Releasing in September

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