Welcome to the Archive site of The Sonic Stadium (2008-2023)
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Soon you’ll be able to send those work emails out in style! Accessories brand Higround has announced a range of Sonic the Hedgehog and Sega Dreamcast-themed PC keyboards, due for release on August 5.
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It looks like we’ve got a new mobile Sonic game incoming from SEGA Hardlight, if a new job listing on Gameindustry.biz’s jobs board is any indication. The job listing is for a lead artist, who will work on a “new Sonic game,” who will, among other things, need to be ready to “push the limits mobile gaming to near-console levels.” While not technically an official confirmation, it might as well be.
The job listing also includes another interesting detail: this new mobile title will be apparently be an “ambitious” narrative driven platforming game. This would be new for a Sonic mobile game, which typically focus on very arcade-y game play (such as autorunners or racing games), that only occasionally have a story mode, and have never tackled traditional platforming. Beyond this detail, little else is currently known about the project.
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Fancy getting your hands on Sonic Frontiers before the game is out this Winter? Well if you live in the UK (that’s us!), you’re in luck, as there will be public playtests of the upcoming Open-Zone platformer at the EGX game show in September 2022.
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It’s still San Diego Comic-Con this weekend, and while the guy in the Sonic mascot suit couldn’t make it to the IDW Sonic panel, our own Shigs could, and he brought back a few tidbits from upcoming issues and the series Q&A.
Representing IDW were Daniel Barnes (writer), Adam Bryce Thomas (artist), Michael Cisneros (licensing), Gigi Dutreix (artist/writer), and David Mariotte (editor/writer). The crew thanked fans for helping them make it to the landmark Issue 50, and teased that the next several issues will deal with the fallout from the events of 50, starting with the cast escaping Eggman’s city. Introducing the upcoming Scrapnik Island series, the panel offered concept art for the battered bots Mecha Knuckles and Sigma. The slightly diminutive Mecha Knuckles acts as “Guardian” of the island (like his fuzzy counterpart). He wields a mace, Adventure 1 and 2’s shovel claw, and Knuckles’ three-star hat from the anime OVA. Sigma was introduced as a green E-Series robot in the style of Gamma and his “brothers.” Worse for wear with an Eggbot arm and flat caster for his right foot, he still towers at his full height over both Sonic and Dr. Eggman.
The panelists also gave a reminder that the Tails 30th Anniversary special is in the works, and includes some villains from Tails’ classic game history (previously revealed to include Wendy Witchcart from Tails Sky Patrol). They showed off some of the previously shared cover art for this special, the upcoming 2022 annual, and issues 51 and 52:
The Q&A focused on a handful of topics, and unsurprisingly, the series’ original characters were on everyone’s mind. Whisper will be returning in the next series arc, and they’re continuing to discuss story plans for her and Tangle next year. Surge and Kit, the fakers we found in Imposter Syndrome and Issue 50, were originally planned for early in the series, but SEGA preferred not to introduce that many new characters that quickly, which ultimately gave Dr. Starline more time to develop as a character. Instead, the panel noted that the Metal Virus Arc gave them an opportunity to see exactly how far they could push the core Sonic cast emotionally, something that really endeared Cream with Barnes.
For those curious about the effort needed to put together an IDW issues (and why we get more “we have notes” situations than other previous Sonic comics), the panel explained that all issues have to go through Sonic Team, meaning that they also have to be translated into Japanese as well. It’s roughly a three month process for each issue. Prior to Q&A, Cisneros also noted that the direction of the comic is intended to be welcoming to new fans “at any time without 30 years of canon to go through.”
Finally, outside of the panel, the Comic art team worked on putting together a sweet Sonic mural featuring members of the game and comic cast:
— Sonic Stadium ✪ Sonic News & Community (@sonicstadium) July 24, 2022
While this panel didn’t quite give us a vision of the comic’s future after the big 50 milestone, it’s exciting to see more unique ways for the games’ extended cast to work back into stories. The 2022 annual is expected to launch next month, with Scrapnik Island to follow in October.
Once again, thanks to Shigs for his great coverage of the show!
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Site writer Shigs live tweeted the Jakks Pacific panel at San Diego Comic-Con this year, and while there isn’t a whole lot we haven’t seen through retailer leaks and prior reveals, consider this a round up of what they’ll be offering this year, and where they might be exclusive to.
These Funko Pop masks won’t hit Walmart until November, but I think we can agree that they’re truly frightening at any time of the year. They’re listed as “half mask,” so expect business in the front, and absolutely no party in the back.
This Fall will feature several new “Deluxe” costumes for Sonic 2’s Knuckles, Tails, and Dr. Robotnik, and hey, even Baby Sonic! Your entire face is their muzzle for the true 4-eye effect! Dual-tails have been attached to the full back of the costume to prevent accidental flight.
The Egg Mobile battle set was previously revealed during the most recent Sonic Central presentation. The set includes accessories to transform into a variety of boss vehicles from Sonic 1 and 2, from the classic ball-and-chain from Green Hill, to the double-drill machine from Mystic Cave.
Exclusive to Target will be this Flying Battery Zone playset, featuring spinning propellers, rotating flames, a sprite art Technosqueek, and two, TWO spike traps! Can you push those spikes for secrets? Who’s to say! Expect the set this Fall.
Jakks did highlight a few items that are currently available, such as their 6″ solar-powered Sonic figure with tapping toe and moving eyelids. But at least we get to enjoy a big MS Word explosion star shape with tiny lettering. And that’s worth something, right?
They also showed off their Modern Sonic Collectors Edition figure with a Tropical Resort base (6″ tall, to go alongside their Classic Sonic Collectors Edition figure on a Studiopolis base). Like his classic counterpart, Modern Sonic comes with a number of facial expressions, hands, and a Cyan Wisp buddy to complete the scene. The figure is currently… available, but is also out of stock at most online retailers.
Finally, Jakks wrapped up with their small figure sets. The next wave of 2.5″ figures includes modern Tails and Shadow, and classic Sonic, Knuckles, and Eggman. At 4″ are an additional wave of Sonic 2 movie figures of Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Super Sonic with accessories, and a Walmart exclusive Skateboard Sonic with additional articulation and thick black lines to imitate a hand drawn style.
We’ll continue to cover any major SDCC news through the convention, but be sure to follow us on Twitter for immediate updates! And of course big thanks to Shigs for his live reporting from the convention.
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If you’re looking for some October spookytimes, IDW will be introducing a new Sonic 4-issue mini-series from Daniel Barnes, Jack Lawrence, and Nathalie Fourdraine. As reported by ComicBook.com, Scrapnik Island is set to “tell a really creepy and atmospheric story with a vibe that Sonic fans aren’t normally used to,” describes Barnes.
Among the classic enemies Sonic and Tails will scrap with is Mecha Knuckles, the silver, hex-eyed doppelganger from Sonic Advance, this time sporting Knuckles’ iconic treasure hunting hat.
Meanwhile, classic Tails and a truly classic baddie return (as do Ian Flynn, Aaron Hammerstrom, and Reggie Graham) for Tails’ 30th Anniversary Special this November. The special will pit Tails against the forces of Wendy Witchcart, the main boss of the Japanese Game Gear’s Tails’ Sky Patrol. An obscure character indeed, but not the first time she’s shown up in comics (she had a brief place in late-era Archie). The placeholder cover art seems to suggest the adventure will take Tails and his far less relevant buddy back to Flicky Island (which isn’t an especially Tails-heavy game, but I’m all in favor of revisionist history).
Thanks to Josiahblaze for the tip over on Discord!
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Weeks after Sonic Origins’ release, a patch for the game has finally been confirmed to be underway. In a response to a fan on Twitter, Sonic Social Media Manager Katie Chrzanowski revealed that one is in the works:
“Hey! Thanks for the patience! The team’s been listening and is working on fixing a variety of issues right now. We’ll make sure to get some more official messaging out once we have more info for everyone. 🙂
Glitches in the game have ranged from common ones, such as Tails being unable to respawn near Sonic in Sonic 2, to seemingly random glitches that can do everything from random freezes to broken scripted sequences, to the water in Sonic 3 remaining white after a character jumps in with the electric shield.
We should note that, aside from the Tails spawning glitch (which appears to be a universal issues), we at Sonic Stadium have largely had very glitch-free experiences with the game. I had a scripted sequence break once, our top streamer GX experienced the game briefly forgetting he had the super emeralds during his 9-hour story mode stream, and site boss Dreadknux didn’t encounter anything while he was playing the game for his review.
Nevertheless, prominent people in the Sonic community have encountered and recorded the above glitches, and the issues were prevalent enough to get a response from Headcannon’s Simon Thomley.
Stay tuned to Sonic Stadium for further details on the patch, and Sonic Origins as a whole!
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.
It’s been a rough few years due to the pandemic, but things seem to slowly be going back to normal. Since 2020, the San Diego Comic-Con has been an online event only. Now, it’s finally back to a live event with many of its popular panels returning, including a Sonic presentation from IDW. The panel, “Sonic the Hedgehog: 50 Way Past Cool Issues and Counting!” will be hosted on Sunday, July 24th from 10:30-11:30 am PST. Here are all the panel details straight from the San Diego Comic-Con website.
IDW’s Sonic The Hedgehog comic book reaches its 50th issue this summer, a mind-blowing face-off with Sonic and Tails facing their twisted counterparts, Surge and Kit. IDW editor David Mariotte, artists Gigi Dutreix and Adam Bryce Thomas, and writer Daniel Barnes provide a behind-the-scenes look at the making of a milestone and tease what’s next for the Blue Blur!
I’ll be there to cover the panel along with any other Sonic news coming out of Comic-Con. If permitted, I may even be covering the panel live here on the Sonic Stadium!
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.
Video game soundtrack label Data Discs have announced that their next release will be the score to the 1993 SEGA Megadrive / Genesis title Sonic Spinball.
The soundtrack, composed by the SEGA Technical Institute team lead by Howard Drossin, sees this remastered cut taken from archival files and a Japanese Mega Drive console.
The release will see three versions:
180g Frosted Clear with Translucent Blue Stripes (Limited Edition)
180g Translucent Blue
180g Classic Black
The track list is as follows:
A1. Logo / A2. Title Screen / A3. Introduction / A4. Toxic Caves / A5. Emerald Collected / A6. Boss / A7. Lava Powerhouse / A8. Bonus Stage / B1. The Machine / B2. All Emeralds Collected / B3. Showdown / B4. Credits/Options / B5. Lava Powerhouse (European Ver.) / B6. Game Over
Pre-orders will go live at 7pm BST / 2pm EDT / 11am PDT on Saturday, 9th of July, 2022, and shipping in August.
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.
Word on the grapevine is that Funko will be soon expanding their Sonic the Hedgehog line to include several character yet to receive a vinyl figure incarnation.
Sonic Merch News via twitter reports sources are expecting the release of a large expansion to the Sonic the Hedgehog range, including a modern Super Sonic with Chaos Emeralds, Metal Sonic, Amy Rose, and a special Team Chaotix 3-pack.
NEW Sonic Funko Pops may be coming!!
Several reliable Funko leakers have reported that we maybe getting new Sonic Pops, no word on release dates yet. These new Pops are rumoured to include Amy, Rouge, Metal Sonic, the Chaotix & more!
While no release dates are known yet, be sure to stay tuned to TSS for more on any potential future releases!
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.
In addition to the standard and steelbook variations of the upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog 2 blu ray, Walmart is also getting a third, exclusive version bundled with IDW’s one-shot tie-in comic.
The bundle is currently available for pre-order for $22.96 from Walmart.com. Given that the regular blu ray version is being sold for the same price, people who buy the bundle are essentially getting a $7 comic for free.
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.
E-102 Gamma is now the latest character to arrive in Sonic Forces Mobile, via the event ”Operation: Gamma. The event is set to run until July 19, and like other SFM events, has players completing missions to earn cards towards unlocking the charater.
Gamma can be unlocked with just 30 cards, and has been categorized as a ”super rare” character, meaning it will be possible to unlock him and level him up with character cards after the event concludes. Gamma has a speed rating of 8, an acceleration rating of 8, and a strength speed of 6. His items include two originals, ”missile launch” and ”laser blaster,” and one move derived from other robot characters, ”electro boost.”
Missile Launch fires a steady stream of missiles down the track, and can be interrupted if you are attacked. Laster Blaster can lock onto another character and attack them from above, and can be upgraded to target multiple enemies. Electro Boost is speed boost that also attracts rings and zaps opponents.
SEGA Hardlight also revealed Paladin Amy, though its currently unknown when she will be available. Bluwolf has datamined the game and gotten Paladin Amy’s model. You can download it in the tweet below:
I've also ripped and released Paladin Amy from Sonic Forces: Speed Battle as well.
We’ve also gone ahead and posted the images Paladin Amy’s model as well:
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.
