Welcome to the Archive site of The Sonic Stadium (2008-2023)
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Founder of The Sonic Stadium and creator/co-organiser of the Summer of Sonic convention. Loves talking about Sonic the Hedgehog in his spare time. Likes Sonic Colours a little too much for his own good, apparently.
SEGA Japan’s President and COO Yukio Sugino has hinted that a number of “reboots and remakes” of classic game IP could be on the way, specifically mentioning the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise.
In a new interview with Famitsu (interpreted by DualShockers in this article), the SEGA exec shared his delight at the worldwide success of the Sonic IP over the last fiscal year, pointing to the warm fan reception and sales success of Sonic Frontiers along with the monstrous box office smash that was Paramount’s Sonic the Hedgehog 2 movie.
“That… makes me happy, and I was also happy to receive a lot of messages, mainly from users in North America, such as ‘I’m very happy that Sonic is heading in the right direction,” Sugino reportedly said.
Elsewhere, while discussing Samba de Amigo: Party Central – a new game in a Sonic Team series recently brought back from the dead – Sugino noted that, while Party Central is not a reboot in and of itself (rather, “a new game in the series”), he is interested in exploring reboots and even reboot-like features within new games.
He referenced the upcoming Sonic Superstars as an example to his point – “a return to 2D action, and although it is a new game, I would like to implement reboot-like measures as well” – and added that full-on “reboots and remakes” will be considered when plotting out future plans for each IP. Especially Sonic.
“Of course, we have to do new things, but as with all IPs, we don’t have new works or reboots,” DualShockers quotes him as saying. “We will develop while selecting which is appropriate at this timing for each IP, such as ‘This is the best way to do this IP’. ‘Sonic’ is also SEGA’s signature IP, and in parallel with the new game, we are considering reboots and remakes.”
Seeings as a large chunk of the Twitter Sonic fanbase is fantasising over a Sonic Heroes remaster, it’s fair to say that Sugino’s proposal wouldn’t be an unwelcome one in the broader Sonic community. Many of the blue blur’s past works can no longer be purchased or accessed on modern hardware – the Sonic Adventure series and Sonic Unleashed are some key examples (although if you have an Xbox you can of course play these via backwards compatibility).
It would be great to see even the less-adored spinoffs like Shadow the Hedgehog and Sonic Rivals resurface, for preservation’s sake. What would be the kind of remakes, remasters or reboots you would like to see and why? Let us know in the comments section below.
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Well, this merch announcement snuck right past us! It appears that Sonic the Hedgehog will be immortalised this Fall as a collectible BE@RBRICK figurine, forming part of the Japanese brand of toys’ Series 46 lineup.
This will actually be the second time Sonic has appeared as a BE@RBRICK – the last time being around 2011 for Series 23 to coincide with the blue blur’s 20th anniversary. That previous figure had a slightly different design (and honestly looked pretty goofy with his massive nose), so this new design actually feels a lot closer to the real deal.
Sonic will be one of 21 special BE@RBRICK designs (six of them are secret) in the Series 46 set that you can collect, but as is tradition with these kinds of Japanese toys, actually getting him will require a significant amount of luck as you have to buy these figures in “blind box” packaging. Meaning you won’t know which figure you will get until you actually open the box.
But if that’s a risk you’re willing to take, for a figure that looks like this, then you will be able to order individual Series 46 BE@RBRICK figures from this website when they officially go on sale around August 2023 (it seems the website is sold out for pre-orders at this time). Each figure will cost around $8 USD.
If you’re a masochist with bags of money – in this economy! – you can also get a full blind box set of 24 figures for $184 from the above website (or for a little more sane $115 USD from this store instead). We would hope that would guarantee you get the Sonic figure, for that price, but nothing is truly certain in this world.
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 annual Japan Game Awards has officially launched its public voting period to decide which video game should be crowned Game of the Year 2023 – and SEGA’s own Sonic Frontiers and Sonic Origins (Plus) have both been admitted into the final shortlist.
For both Sonic the Hedgehog titles released in the last year to be nominated for the yearly game award is a pretty big deal, and proves just how far Sonic Team has come over the last five years to bring the Sonic series back into the public eye in such a positive way.
Interestingly, Sonic Frontiers and Sonic Origins also cover two distinct eras of the 32-year-long franchise – so whether you prefer Sonic’s modern adventures, or think the blue blur was best back in the 1990s, there’s no reason not to choose Sonic!
It’s a public voting event, so if you want to do your part and help Sonic Team win an award, you can visit the Japan Game Awards 2023 website (Japanese), click the button that reads, “投票する”, and then in the blue search area use the text field to search for either Sonic Frontiers or Sonic Origins Plus by using the following:
ソニックオリジンズ – Sonic Origins
ソニックオリジンズ – デジタルデラックス – Sonic Origins Digital Deluxe
ソニックフロンティア – Sonic Frontiers
ソニックフロンティア （ダウンロード版）- Sonic Frontiers (Download Version)
ソニックフロンティア デジタルデラックス – Sonic Frontiers Digital Deluxe
Each of the above games have multiple entries relating to their specific console platform, so feel free to pick the version of the game/s you want to win specifically.
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SEGA’s confirmed appearance at Gamescom 2023 has sent pockets of the Sonic fanbase into a frenzy, with many assuming that the publisher will announce a remaster of Sonic Heroes at the event.
This particular rumour is based off of zero hard facts and information, of course. There have been no clues that SEGA will be bringing anything other than what it has already publicly announced to the Cologne game show. Which means, we assume, Sonic Superstars (although SEGA has not yet shared a list of games it will be bringing to the expo).
But Sonic Twitter has taken it upon itself return to a recent TailsTube sketch on last month’s Sonic Central showcase, in an attempt to find some clues to support the latest rumour.
The screenshot above, taken during the 23 June Sonic Central, shows a distorted screenshot of a cutscene from the PS2, Gamecube and Xbox classic. It was shared by Twitter user ‘DTBROS’, who highlighted the fact that SEGA’s Sonic social channels have a habit of hiding teasers of upcoming games in plain sight.
To be honest, the TailsTube ’glitch’ is a pretty sound theory to support the idea that something is cooking at SEGA. But it’s not proof that anything will be announced at Gamescom – a show that has not traditionally been a venue for significant reveals by AAA publishers (with one or two exceptions).
All of this is to say that nobody truly knows what Sonic Team and SEGA have planned down the road. They may well surprise us all and announce a Sonic Heroes remaster – if that happens, you’ll be sure to find out about it first here.
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The Sonic the Hedgehog Speed Cafe is now open for business, and as you’d expect it is full of fast, filling Sonic food and fun! New images and details about the menu, merchandise and pricing have been revealed for anyone curious to find out before they visit (or stuck in the UK, like me – no, I’m not bitter).
These images come from the YouTube channel Parks and Cons (via the SDCC Unofficial Blog), who took the time to pop in to the pop-up on its early opening day yesterday. You can see the special branded packaging above that comes with your sides and chili dog – definitely worth unfolding and keeping if you’re a dedicated merch hunter!
Speaking of sides and mains, it appears that we weren’t told the full menu in our previous report by the restaurant organisers, as the above photos outline some helpful vegan options as well as alternative sides with some great names (we would totally go for a Chao Down Combo just for the title alone).
And here’s the part that we’re particularly interested in – the exclusive merchandise! You can order yourself a hoodie, hat or t-shirt, with an exclusive black t-shirt available in limited quantities for those ordering a “Gotta Go Fast” SDCC Bundle. We will have @Jason Berryvisit the pop-up to fully cover this as well as other Sonic elements of SDCC 2023, but I have to say personally I’m quite jealous that I won’t be able to waste my credit card on the above items myself.
You can check out the full video from Parks and Cons below.
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You might be a bit too distracted watching Sonic Prime on Netflix to notice right now but, SEGA HARDlight has also released a launch trailer for the companion game from Netflix Games, called Sonic Prime Dash.
The game was announced during the Sonic Central 2023 showcase last month, which actually feels like a year or so ago now. As you might expect, it’s Sonic Dash, featuring Sonic Prime characters. If you have a Netflix subscription, it’s a free download, so we imagine a lot of the grinding required of the original free-to-play Sonic Dash will be reduced or removed entirely. We’ll see!
Check out the cool trailer above, which SEGA HARDlight posted on their social media channel linked below, and why not download it and play while you sit on your couch watching the rest of Sonic Prime Season 2, eh?
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Today’s the big day! The “Second Season” (that’s what everyone is calling it now) of Sonic Prime has officially launched on Netflix worldwide – so go off now and start watching it!
If you cast your mind back about six months ago, towards the end of the last set of episodes, we saw Sonic trying to desperately fix a fragmented ‘Shatterverse’ after his (mis)use of the Prism Shard. Along the way he visited several different realities, each with their own versions of Tails, Knuckles, Amy and more.
The eight-episode run ended with Sonic taking on a giant Eggman, facing off against Shadow and having to deal with an irritated Tails Nine – who has skipped through a warp hole with most of the Prism Shard crystals. So, the blue blur has got a bit of a fight on his hands yet.
In case you missed it, check out the trailer for the new season below. And hit up Netflix to watch the whole season!
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Love playing Sonic Dash but absolutely hated having to collect (and lose) all of those tokens in order to feel like you were progressing through the character roster? Well hate no more, because SEGA HARDlight has announced it will be revamping its character reward system by introducing new ‘character cards’.
The idea is this: players grab Character Cards that appear on the track (in much the same way as Character Tokens before), but these items will then go into a special collection where you will get to keep them forever. Meaning that it will only be a matter of time before you earn enough cards to unlock and upgrade your characters.
According to the announcement from HARDlight, there will be four rarities of card available – Common, Rare, Epic and Legendary, with Legendary cards only being available during special events.
It sounds an awful lot like the system in place for the mobile developer’s other game, Sonic Forces Speed Battle – which is a system that makes sense, so it’s good that HARDlight is integrating it into its older Dash title to keep things up to date.
The Character Card update will be released on Thursday July 13th.
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To the surprise of probably nobody, SEGA has been announced as attending the upcoming Gamescom convention taking place in Germany next month. Which is potentially great news for Europeans hoping to get some hands-on time with Sonic Superstars!
Of course, SEGA’s lineup at the Cologne-based games expo has yet to be confirmed, but with the new 2D Classic Sonic adventure hitting store shelves in the Fall, it would make sense for this game to make the cut.
No doubt some of SEGA’s other new and upcoming titles will be on show as well, including Creative Assembly’s loot shooter Hyenas (which also happens to feature Sonic… sort of).
SEGA has been a longtime partner of Gamescom, and last year we got to see some gameplay demos of Sonic Frontiers (and we had an exclusive chat with Takashi Iizuka about the game then too). The Sonic Stadium is also going to be at Gamescom this year, so we’ll hope to bring you all the latest info and details from the show floor!
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Four old-school legends of the Sonic the Hedgehog online community are “getting the band back together” to reminisce about the origins of classic Sonic game research and modding at an upcoming retro gaming convention.
Andy Wolan, Rlan, SSNTails and Saxman – each of them original alumni of the Sonic Stuff Research Group (SSRG) website that has been in operation since 1996 – will be guest speakers at two panels during the Retro World Expo in Hartford, CT.
One panel will focus on the history of the SSRG website (which is generally considered the birthplace of classic Sonic game modding and research) and the journey it has gone through over the last few decades, while another will be a general overview of modding and the origins of community efforts to research classic Sonic titles.
While the panels should be interesting for anyone who wants to know more about the Sonic modding scene of the late 1990s and 2000s, the guests themselves are also noteworthy for their contributions to the Sonic online Community.
Andy Wolan was the co-founder of SSRG, as well as the creator of early-2000s popular retro game website Emulation Zone, while Rlan is best known as the creator of Sonic Fan Games HQ and current operator of the ‘Sonic the Hedgeblog’ social media accounts. SSNTails is the co-creator of Sonic Robo Blast 2, arguably the most iconic Sonic fan game ever made, while Saxman is the creator of many famous modding guides for Sonic 1, Sonic 2 and Sonic 3 & Knuckles.
If you’re interested in turning up, the Retro World Expo takes place on August 26-27 in the Connecticut Convention Center. Tickets start at $40 for Saturday and $30 for Sunday attendance, with various packages available.
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.
We have firm details and hi-res photos of the upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog pop-up restaurant in San Diego, offering a little taste of what fans can expect to see when the venue opens. And it opens on July 13th! That’s tomorrow!
Called the Sonic the Hedgehog Speed Cafe, the restaurant is the result of a collaboration between SEGA and Secret Sauce Society restauranteur Andy Nguyen, with blue blur iconography throughout the venue as well as themed food to order.
And yes, chili dogs ARE on the menu.
Photo Credit: Noah Red
There will be much more on offer than just ‘dogs, though. The full menu features a crispy fried chicken “Knuckles Sandwich”, as well as an egg salad “Evil Genius” sandwich alongside “Sonic’s Classic Chili Dog”, with “Golden Ring” onion rings and “Fast Fries” on offer as tasty sides. For drinks, you can order a “Blue Blur” blueberry slushie (representing Sonic), a “Smashing Echidna” cherry slush (Knuckles), a “Flying Fox” mango orange slush (Tails) or a “Team Dark” mocha milkshake (Shadow).
Best of all, for all you merch hunters out there, there will be exclusive Sonic the Hedgehog Speed Cafe merchandise available to buy on site including t-shirts, hoodies and hats. And if you’re that way inclined, the food itself will come with Sonic-themed packaging too, so you can take that home if you don’t mind your bedroom smelling of chili.
Photo Credit: Noah Red
The Sonic the Hedgehog Speed Cafe will be situated at 910 J St Space 2, San Diego, CA 92101, and will formally open on Thursday July 13, 2023. The pop-up will be open until August 20, 2023 – so you will have a month to visit if you wish. After that, the venue switches back to its old Chick’NCone location.
For those attending San Diego Comic Con, there will be a special pre-con launch party for the restaurant on July 19.
Photo Credit: Noah Red
Here are the opening times:
Jul 13th – Jul 18th: Open 11am until 9pm PT
Jul 19th – Jul 23rd: Open 11am until midnight PT
Jul 24th – Aug 20th: Open 11am until 9pm PT
If you’re going to be at San Diego Comic Con 2023 in a week’s time and you’re hungry for some chill dogs (we assume the restaurant will be serving child dogs… there’s kind of no point to doing this otherwise), why not take some time out of the convention hall and have a little search for Sonic?
EDITOR’S NOTE: A previous version of this story (Wed 12 Jul, 08:50am UK) focused on two off-street photos taken from a user called ‘royabagheri‘ and posted on the SDCC Unofficial Blog. We include these photos below and have edited the rest of the story to reflect updated information.
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.
SEGA’s Sonic Community Manager got a little more than they bargained for this past weekend after a seemingly harmless question about new Sonic game genres generated thousands of responses from Sonic fans desperately seeking their favourite hero in a new RPG or fighting game.
It all started simply enough. Sonic social lead Katie Chrzanowski casually posted, “What’s your dream genre to see a Sonic game (or more Sonic games) created as?” But before too long, an army of Twitter users with starry eyes and big dreams bombarded the reply box with requests for a follow-up to cult spinoff games such as Sonic Battle and Sonic Chronicles.
Of over 2,200 replies in just over a day, it was clear that the fanbase has long been yearning to see the blue blur in a role-playing scenario once again. Former Sonic social manager Sergio Montealegre elaborated on this by suggesting IDW’s work could form part of the universe:
Honestly? After Sonic the Fighters and Sonic Battle, I think we’re due for another official Sonic fighter. Runner up is an earnest attempt at a Sonic RPG. Chronicles left much to be desired, but there’s a viable path if you put IDW characterization with a good battle system
IDW writer and author Evan Stanley added, “my greatest wish is for a little point and click adventure game or an RPG,” but generally wanted to see more done with the open zone mechanic introduced in Sonic Frontiers. ‘MrPasquale’ referenced BioWare’s Nintendo DS RPG, Sonic Chronicles, while explaining how SEGA could pull it off with a seasoned internal team…
I would go crazy to see another full on Sonic RPG. Chronicles had the right idea, it just needed way more budget. If Atlus got involved with a project like this, that would legit be a dream come true.
Twitter user ‘Arcade Awesome’ took the role-playing concept to the extreme however and suggested a dating sim that… well, you can read the full thing on his social post here but here’s the elevator pitch.
I need a Sonic the Hedgehog RPG dating sim…. However, it would star Big the Cat and Sonic is his wingman (the player). The mission is helping Big go from being a zero to a hero with the ladies. Level up Big the Cat and turn him into the ultimate bachelor.
Elsewhere, there was just as equal a response for a new Sonic fighting game. Many users referenced GBA brawler Sonic Battle and arcade classic Sonic the Fighters, but a few fans had ideas of their own – like Sonic Stadium member Linkabel suggested the following:
A 2.5D fighting game, especially something with a similar visual style to the Uekawa artwork. It could even be a three-on-three fighting game to keep the teams that other games have used. (Team Sonic, Team Dark etc etc)
Even the NiGHTS fanbase got involved! ‘Digi Valentine’ went big with the vision, imagining a full-on SEGA roster that matches up with that of Sumo Digital’s kart-racing series, SEGA All-Stars Racing.
SEGA All-Stars fighting game (that features a selection of Sonic characters). You can put Sonic front and centre because that’s to be expected, but it would be incredibly cool if such a game could utilise SEGA’s catalogue of other IP’s too.
And then you had fans who went right down the middle of both action-RPG and fighting. “A Beat ’em up in the style of Shredder’s Revenge. I’ve always wanted to see something like that,” wrote Balena Productions, while everyone’s favourite Meme Bean Machine threw in a concept image to illustrate what that may look like.
So! Everyone has lots of ideas! If anything can be learned from this madness, it’s that Sonic really is quite a versatile enough character to fit into most genres of games. And everyone wants to see him in everything! So really, if this was some secret exercise by SEGA’s social media team to poll what their next Sonic spinoff project could be… well, let’s hope the response has helped them get a little bit closer to a decision!
What’s your dream genre / type of game for Sonic that hasn’t been realised yet? Let us know in the comments section below!
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.
San Diego Comic Con is right around the corner, and IDW Publishing is hyping up its annual Sonic the Hedgehog panel this year with teases of sneak peeks for upcoming works and brand new announcements – promising it will be “one for the history books”.
Titled “Sonic the Hedgehog: Speeding to the 900th Adventure!”, the event will no doubt be heavily discussing the latest one-shot comic (called, funnily enough, “Sonic the Hedgehog: 900th Adventure”) – but as this special book represents something of a landmark for IDW’s licensed series, it’s understandable that the publisher would also want to celebrate a little by announcing something cool there too.
For those attending (and for those curious to follow the news live with us online), IDW’s Sonic the Hedgehog panel will take place on Sunday 22 July between 10am – 11am Pacific Time (that’s 6pm – 7pm in the UK), in Room 25ABC. Comic editor David Mariotte and writer/artist Evan Stanley will be present to discuss and answer questions, and there will also be a signing event taking place just after (11:30am – 12:30pm PT) featuring Stanley, Adam Bryce Thomas, Min Ho Kim and SEGA’s Mike Cisneros.
Full details from IDW’s press release below (courtesy AIPT, where you can find schedules and information on all the other IDW Publishing panels as well, such as TMNT and Star Trek):
Panels:
SUNDAY, JULY 22
Sonic The Hedgehog: Speeding to the 900th Adventure! 10:00am-11:00am, Room 25ABC
Gotta go fast to the IDW Sonic the Hedgehog panel at San Diego Comic-Con! Join the creative team – including Sonic editor David Mariotte and writer Evan Stanley – as they celebrate the upcoming 900th adventure of the Blue Blur with super fun stories that will leave fans spinning. Get ready to race into action with exciting sneak peeks and announcements that will make this panel one for the history books.
Signing Schedule:
SUNDAY, JULY 23
SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 11:30am-12:30pm Evan Stanley, Adam Bryce Thomas, Mike Cisneros, Min Ho Kim
You can bet your bottom dollar we at the Sonic Stadium are preparing our trip there so we can give you top coverage. As always, keep an eye on the Sonic Stadium for the latest news (and post in our forums to discuss the latest before we even get to it!).
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IDW Sonic’s 900th Adventure is getting a lot more action-packed with the reveal of two new cover variants for the upcoming one-shot comic. Evan Stanley brings us a whale-biting encounter with the book’s Cover C, while the Retail Incentive artwork offers a Fleetway throwback courtesy of legendary UK artist Richard Elson.
As we’ve come to expect from Stanley, her Cover C artwork is a phenomenal piece, featuring a fantastic art style that really captures the dynamism of both Sonic and Amy as they try to escape a whale (what is it with whales?). The IDW writer also shared a clean version of this artwork as well as some thumbnail sketches on her social media channel, as a treat.
As for the Retail Incentive cover? Well, UK-based Sonic fans who grew up in the 1990s are in for a real treat with this one, as this cover is by none other than Sonic the Comic artist Richard Elson. And those with the ‘STC Style’ burned into their memories will truly appreciate Elson’s familiar take on Sonic and Dr. Eggman here.
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If you’ve been looking for some Photo Mode enhancements for the PC version of Sonic Frontiers, then this new community project might just do the trick. YouTuber Blue Vivacity has released a download for the open-zone adventure called the ‘Emotes Mod’, which adds over 130 poses and expressions to the game.
Once installed, you will be able to launch Photo Mode and take advantage of a whole bunch of ’emotes’ that can really add extra comedy, tension or drama to a particular scene – and it works with official DLC content too such as Sonic’s Christmas outfit or the Monster Hunter costume. There are even poses for Super Sonic.
On top of this, the mod comes complete with a Sticker and Frames pack, so you can further decorate your photos with cool Sonic themed borders and funny little images. We particularly like the Sonic the Hedgehog Master System box art-inspired framing, that very specifically caters to Dreadknux’s interests.
All of these poses have been created by a team of community modders alongside Blue Vivacity, including The Duck Dealer, SonicPox and others, and are “inspired by artwork from the Sonic community”.
If you’re interested in getting this on your system, check out the description in the YouTube video embedded above for the download link – the video also includes a tutorial on how to install the package. We want to see some of your best Photos taken using this mod, now. Feel free to share with us in the comments section below!
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Sonic Channel has launched the latest poll for its Sonic Calendar 2023 art series, and this time fans are being asked whether they would like to see Blaze the Cat partnered with Silver the Hedgehog or… Omochao.
The poll is open until Friday 7th July, so if you want your voice heard hit the Google poll and make a choice. Whoever wins will feature in a special Calendar artwork for August 2023, matching the special theme of “Isekai Ohgiri” (which is a ‘fantasy scenario’ series that puts Sonic characters in new and interesting situations).
Blaze and Silver, of course, have already featured in official fantasy art pieces in previous months, but we suspect that the legion of “Blaze x Silver” (Silaze? Blilver? What do you call it?) subfans out there will make it their lifelong mission to game the results so their favourite ship can get together. We voted for Omochao, pretty much to just piss Twitter off.
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Californian baseball fans were given a super Sonic treat over the weekend, as the regional team Oakand Athletics paid a tribute to SEGA’s mascot while celebrating their players on the Jumbotron during a recent game.
The video above, shared on social media by ‘Dizzydennis‘, features a number of present and past A’s players as they raced around a Green Hill Zone style level collecting baseballs and knocking out evil robot villains. At the very end, former player Eric Chavez appears to ‘win’ the game, while the team’s elephant mascot dances in victory.
It’s a really cool thing for sports fans to see, and just goes to show how mainstream Sonic the Hedgehog still is across all forms of media. Let us know what you think of this tribute in the comments below.
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Knock knock, it’s Knuckles! The powerful Master Emerald protector takes the spotlight in the next month’s Sonic Wallpaper art series, as shared online by the official Sonic Channel social media account.
As described by Sonic Team designer Tomoko Hayane, you can really feel the “dynamism and power of Knuckles” in this latest artwork. In the Sonic Channel blog post, Hayane wonders if the enemy Knuckles is fighting here is either a bigger and stronger opponent, or just a foe that happens to be flying in the sky. What do you think?
We have JPG versions of both the Desktop and Mobile wallpapers below, but if you want the super hi-res real deal, head on over to Sonic Channel’s website and download the PNG versions straight from there.
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So, that was Sonic Central 2023. This year’s annual blue blur showcase certainly would have had some amazing reveals, if much of it was not already announced at Summer Game Fest and the Nintendo Direct earlier this week. But however you felt about the event, there’s no denying there was a lot of information shared in such a short space of time. Let’s go through it piece by piece and take it all in, shall we?
Happy Release Day!
If you hadn’t noticed, SEGA actually released a game today (well, an expansion to a collection of games). So it made total sense for the company to focus on Sonic Origins Plus at the top of this thing, otherwise their marketing department would be pretty bad at their job. A release day trailer was shown at the start of Sonic Central 2023.
Open (Zone) Your Birthday Presents
Happy Birthday Sonic! We were starting to think that SEGA had forgotten all about this, but we actually got a look at Sonic Frontiers’ second free DLC pack, titled “Sonic’s Birthday Bash”. Obviously meant to celebrate the blue blur’s 32nd, the expansion contains a number of new open zone challenges, collectible Koco, costumes, moves and a New Game + mode. This was practically the headliner of Sonic Central simply because it contained brand new footage and information. Check out more details in our news story here.
Tuxedo Time
Sonic Speed Simulator may be a game that has become more well-known for its controversies these days, but the Roblox project’s partnership with SEGA continues at pace with today’s announcement of a new Classic Sonic skin. And to be fair, he does look exceptionally cute. Look at him in his little birthday tuxedo and top hat. If you’re someone who plays Sonic Speed Simulator, you’ll be certain to find this celebratory character waiting for you right now.
Binge-Watching & Binge-Running
Sonic Central was pretty good for some Sonic Prime news, as we were treated to a brand new teaser trailer for the next episode in the Netflix animated series. You can catch up on all of that in our separate news story here. The show picks up again from July 13, and that’s the day a special version of Sonic Dash will also be released. If you’re curious as to why Sonic Prime characters can’t just be released on the already-existing Sonic Dash app as limited edition characters, consider that Netflix has bags of money – that’s probably why Sonic Prime Dash exists. Good for them.
App-tastic Characters
Sonic Prime Dash wasn’t the only mobile Sonic news that came from the Sonic Central showcase. If you play Sonic Dash and Sonic Forces Speed Battle religiously enough, you’ll get to unlock some crazy cool new characters. From Super Silver to Dragon Hunter Lancelot to Super Classic Sonic. Sounds like a fantastic time. Check out the full story right here.
Speedo-de-Janeiro
There appeared to be time to talk about a lot of collaborations in this year’s Sonic Central, including this admittedly super-cool one involving the return of long-forgotten Dreamcast classic Samba de Amigo*. While the return of Amigo and his rhythmic ways has already got us super excited, the addition of Sonic the Hedgehog as a guest – along with a number of Sonic songs in the tracklist such as ‘Fist Bump’ – is the icing on the cake. More details here. SAMBA!
(*Yes, we know there was that version on the Wii, but… did it… really exist? Do you want to remember it existing? Ask yourself that.)
Sonic (Music) World Adventure
You can finally call the Sonic Symphony a World Tour now, as SEGA revealed a number of new locations for the upcoming orchestral extravaganza. Paris, Tokyo, Dusseldorf, Montreal, Sao Paulo and more were announced for the rest of 2023 and beyond. Check out the full details right here.
And Now For Something Completely Different…
SEGA also wanted you all to remember that they put a lot of time and effort into its ‘Tails Tube’ social video series, which sees Tails become a ‘VTuber’ (or would that just be Tails being a YouTuber, because if we’re pretending he’s real he wouldn’t be virtual would he? Argh, our brains hurt) and spout some fun stuff to other Sonic characters. It wasn’t a terribly interesting segment, but it’s always nice to hear Colleen O’Shaughnessey do her thing.
What Are Ya Buyin’?
As is customary with these Sonic Central showcases, there was an update on the extensive licensing and merchandising that has been planned for the Sonic franchise. And boy, there was so much of it that it took us forever to collate them all in our roundup article here. Much of it we had already known about – a bit like the entire Sonic Central to be honest – but there were some cool reveals, like the ESP Sonic guitars and the Jakks Pacific Death Egg diorama. All we know is, our wallets are going to be very angry at us over the next year.
SDCC: Sonic Dog-Chili Concierge
We’re not sure who really needed to hear this, but there’s going to be a Sonic the Hedgehog themed restaurant setting up shop at San Diego Comic Con next month. It was such a throwaway announcement in the Sonic Central that we wondered if it was worth just waiting for the right moment on social media to talk about this instead. Still, we’re hoping to be at the show next month so we’ll make sure to road test those chili dogs for you and let you know if they taste any good!
A LEGO Eggman Takeover
Now this was cute. A total time-filler, but we adore Mike Pollock and his sultry Eggman voice, so we’ll take any excuse to hear him go at it in a sketch like this. While discussing the new LEGO Sonic sets, the Sonic Central is ‘disrupted’ by a fantastic rap by Dr. Eggman, who wants to take the time to highlight the fact that the LEGO company actually fixed his presence within the LEGO world and made him into an official Minifig. The tiny brick dictator also suggested a new look for Sonic, as you can see above. #MakeLEGOSonicMoreEggman.
A Meeting of Minds
With Sonic Superstars heralding the return of the blue blur’s prodigal son – original character designer Naoto Ohshima – SEGA took some time in its Sonic Central showcase to interview both him and Takashi Iizuka on developing the upcoming 2D Classic Sonic adventure. Don’t expect much in the way of interesting answers – in the short clip that was shown the questions and responses were pretty much fluff, and the extended interview on the Sonic YouTube channel isn’t much better. But we love the fact that Iizuka-san and Ohshima-san are sitting in the same room together working on Sonic again, we think that’s really nice.
Built Like A Brick Speedhouse
The most random thing of the show was the surprise reveal that LEGO and SEGA were collaborating on some kind of content for Sonic Superstars. Like… why? But you know what? Maybe that’s the wrong question to ask. This Sonic Central was quite heavy on the LEGO love this year, so it makes sense that some of that would seep through to the latest game in the series. We later learned that this is in fact themed DLC for the game, which sees you fight LEGO Dr. Eggman as LEGO Sonic. You can check out more in our story here.
And that was that! What a lot of information, hmm? Let us know what you thought of the Sonic Central 2023 in the comments section below!
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Looks like someone let the cat out of the bag. Although the Sonic Central showcase from earlier today announced a Fall 2023 release for Sonic Superstars, a listing on US retailer Target has the game down for a much more specific date: October 17.
The website prices the game at $59.99, and details the pre-order bonuses announced earlier in the Sonic Central showcase today; a LEGO Eggman Minifig character skin – alongside an acrylic display stand and reversible game cover.
If you wanted a closer look at that nice and shiny PS5 game cover as well, you can see that for yourself below.
While October 17 isn’t officially confirmed, obviously, it’s worth noting that retailers often get these kinds of details ahead of time and every so often they let those legitimate details slip. It would certainly fall into SEGA’s previous release window of ‘Fall 2023’, but that date also puts Superstars in direct competition with Super Mario Bros Wonder, a 2D Mario game that is releasing on Nintendo Switch on October 20.
No matter how much time has passed, we always somehow come back to that classic 1990s battle, between Sonic and Mario. When will this war ever end?
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SEGA has revealed that it is working on special LEGO-themed DLC for Sonic Superstars, as part of a collaboration with the Danish toy company.
Announced during the Sonic Central showcase, with a short trailer that saw Sonic transform into LEGO and face off against a similarly brick-built Dr Eggman, the new partnership also includes a special pre-order bonus for the game where players can unlock a special Dr Eggman LEGO Minifig costume.
While the trailer and the showcase itself told us little about the collab, a follow-up press release we received from SEGA reveals that, “Sonic and LEGO have teamed up for a brick-tacular DLC where fans can soon experience the Blue Blur in brick form with a free LEGO Sonic skin! Fans who pre-order Sonic Superstars will also get access a special skin that transforms Eggman into LEGO Eggman!”
So there you go. Look forward to that!
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The popular mobile endless running game, Sonic Dash, will be getting a ‘Sonic Prime’ themed lick of paint and re-released for Netflix customers under the name “Sonic Prime Dash”.
Announced during the Sonic Central showcase earlier today, Sonic Prime Dash will feature everything that you already know and love about the existing SEGA HARDlight game – which first launched in 2013 – but will take character designs from the Netflix animated series.
Not a lot of extra information was revealed at the time of announcement, but hey. If it’s more Sonic Dash, that’s good enough for us. This new version of the game will launch alongside the upcoming ‘new season’ of Sonic Prime, on July 13. If you’re subscribed to Netflix, then you’ll automatically have access to this game via the Netflix Games service.
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“Happy Birthday, Sonic. Now feel our mighty laser blast!” That’s something we’d imagine the combined forces of Gemerl, Orbot and Cubot would say to the blue blur as they stomp around Station Square in this Mighty Morphin’ mech of mass destruction.
Yes, it’s time for Sonic Channel’s Calendar artwork for July 2023, and as you know already the theme this year is “Isekai Ohgiri”, which puts Sonic characters in unique and unfamiliar scenarios. And I don’t know about you, but I definitely wouldn’t see the otherwise meek and gentle servants Orbot and Cubot join forces to create something mega-deadly. Gemerl… eh, he’s had previous.
As with all Sonic Calendar 2023 art pieces, the scene is awesomely dramatic, and we just love the craziness of this setup. On the Sonic Channel website (where you can download a PDF of this month’s calendar art to print off for yourself, here), there is talk of “pests” and “insecticide”, which makes the whole thing sound even more off-the-rails. Which is great. More of that, please.
Sonic Channel usually throws in a full story to complement each month’s Calendar art, but this time around it appears to be coming a bit later (probably because it’s Sonic’s birthday today – lots of other things going on!). So keep checking the link above if you’re curious about what Sonic Team ‘canonically’ has to say about this intense robot partnership!
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It’s time to party! Because it’s Sonic the Hedgehog’s birthday today! SEGA Japan has marked the occasion by sharing the latest artwork in its Sonic Pict series. And as you’d expect, the focus is on the birthday boy himself.
Staging a massive concert in the middle of Studiopolis Zone, Sonic is truly king for the day. And you can see many Sonic characters in the audience celebrating with him – Tails, Amy, Mighty and Ray are all rocking glowsticks and raving out with the blue blur.
SEGA Japan released this artwork with the following message (machine translated):
The highlight of this year’s birthday party is Sonic’s birthday live!
To thank you for always celebrating with us, we will perform a lively performance
Before I knew it, the studio police camera team had arrived, and the stage was getting more and more gorgeous…! The best night is coming!
Happy Birthday Sonic
Happy Birthday Sonic, indeed!
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Solicitations for the next issue of IDW’s Sonic the Hedgehog have come flying out the gate, and those who miss the racing action of Sonic Riders will be pleased to know that the Babylon Rogues are back in a new story.
You can check out the synopsis below from from Penguin Random House. The issue is written by Ian Flynn and Evan Stanley, and will be illustrated by Mauro Fonseca and Adam Bryce Thomas.
The misadventures continue! It’s Knuckles vs. the Babylon Rogues! They have stolen a relic from Angel Island, so Knuckles enlists the Chaotix to track them down. But the Chaotix have a super important date to keep: dinner with Vanilla and Cream! The pair are busy preparing when they get two very unexpected and stinky visitors…
But somehow there is alternative preview text that exists, which outline some new details (revealing Rough and Tumble, for example), which has been provided to us by Sonictrainer:
The Babylon Rouges have stolen a relic from Angel Island and Knuckles has hired Team Chaotix to help. However, the Chaotix might miss their get together at Cream’s house. To make matters worse, Rough and Tumble plan on inviting themselves over for dinner.
Check out the covers below!
Cover A: Natalie Haines
Cover B: Eric Lide
Cover RI: Nathalie Fourdraine
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It’s hard to believe that THIRTY-TWO YEARS AGO today, the original Sonic the Hedgehog video game arrived on store shelves. And since then, the heroic blue blur has catapulted himself to super-stardom, appearing on everything from comics to TV shows and movies, to coffee cups and t-shirts and a whole lot more!
SEGA’s mascot has had the kind of celebrity life that many can only dream of: the dizzying highs of ‘Sonic Mania’ in the early 1990s; the crushing lows of ‘Sonic 2006’ in… well, 2006; a series of make-overs and interesting fashion choices; the always-classic “five year lull”; and a comeback story that celebrates both his retro early successes (Sonic Origins, Sonic Superstars) alongside his more Adventure-ous contemporary works (Sonic Colours Ultimate, Sonic Frontiers).
If any character proved that they can truly stand the test of time, Sonic the Hedgehog is that guy. Several times.
To celebrate, SEGA shared an incredible fan art piece today by Serxx – you can see it below and catch the original SEGA post here.
We’ll be updating Sonic News throughout the day with cool things that the official Sonic channels have done to pay homage to the blue blur on this day. How will you be celebrating? A little bit of Sonic Adventure 2? Reading the latest IDW Sonic issues? Watching the Sonic 2 movie? Let us know in the comments below!
Oh, and don’t forget – today is also the day SEGA hosts its annual ‘Sonic Central’ showcase, which is bound to include a number of interesting surprises.
Happy birthday, Sonic!
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We already know how big of a deal it is that Sonic Origins exists. We raved about it in our review, after all. Finally getting a Sonic 3 & Knuckles re-release after a decade in legal limbo (and a full-on Headcannon remaster at that)? Experiencing the Taxman and Stealth remasters of Sonic 1, 2 and CD on home console and PC? Some minor bugs aside, the overall quality and sheer importance of this release made it instantly worth buying by default.
But now, a year later, SEGA is offering an expansion in the form of Sonic Origins Plus. Will it similarly be worth your money? All signs point to ‘yes’ – with some caveats.
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The next instalment of the Sonic the Hedgehog movie series will begin filming on location in late Summer, according to details listed in an industry film and TV production tracker. For British fans, that shooting location will be exciting indeed as it is currently set for London, UK.
In the production notes, found on website Production List (via Collider), cameras and crew will start their work in England’s capital from August 31. So if you see some makeshift movie set barriers and big blue hedgehog-shaped puppets being carried around Leicester Square, it’s likely that director Jeff Fowler is on the loose doing his thing.
Further details are scant, and a lot of the information on Production List is (quite rightly) redacted, but it does re-affirm the involvement of Paramount movie series names such as Pat Casey and Josh Miller on writing and Tim Miller and Toby Ascher on producer roles. Neal H Moritz, Nan Morales, Toru Nakahara and SEGA Sammy chairman Hajime Satomi are also credited there.
We’re looking forward to seeing more (literally, if we can catch a glimpse of the movie being made!) later this year. This news has also clearly given us an opportunity to re-use our header image from our 2022 April Fools Day gag. Hey, why waste quality work on a single day of the year?
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The first full look of Amy Rose gameplay in Sonic Origins Plus has been revealed by SEGA’s Sonic social media team, during the latest ‘Sonic Official’ livestream. In it, you can check out some of Amy’s unique moves and how she controls in Sonic CD, one of the four titles in the collection where you will be able to play as the rosy rascal.
As you can see, Amy has a “Drop Dash” move equivalent when playing the 2D classics – when you hold the jump button in mid-air and land, she will speed ahead while mashing her Piko Piko Hammer. That move smashes anything that happens to be in her way, including Badniks and item boxes. Amy also has a cool double-jump spin involving her Hammer, which we imagine can be used as a sort of buffer when attacking enemies in the air.
The action starts at 36:40 in the video above, so scroll over to that time and check out the gameplay for yourself.
What do you think? Game changer, or more of the same? Let us know in the comments below!
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If you’re looking for ways to stay cool during the summer, then SEGA’s latest licensing partnership with Igloo will no doubt be right up your alley. A “special edition” Sonic the Hedgehog branded personal cooler is now available to purchase, with more chilled container products on the way later this year.
Priced at $39.99 and available just ahead of Sonic’s birthday (June 23rd, as if you didn’t know that already), this 7-quart personal-sized cooler – known as a ‘Playmate’ in Igloo terms – can fit up to nine standard 12-ounce cans. The first 623 customers who buy one of these will also get a limited-edition Sonic sticker to celebrate the blue blur’s birthday, according to the press release we have here. You can order one on Igloo’s website here, right now.
Quote time!
“With our exciting Sonic the Hedgehog gaming cooler collaboration, we’re speeding video game fans right down memory lane at Sonic speed! Going super retro, the Sonic Playmate perfectly captures the nostalgia of the universally loved Sonic the Hedgehog game, plus it’s coming out right ahead of Sonic’s birthday (June 23) — the perfect way to celebrate the 16-bit icon with cold refreshments at-the-ready,” said Adrienne Berkes, Vice President of Marketing at Igloo.
“This collaboration with Igloo solidifies how Sonic the Hedgehog goes beyond the limits of solely video games,” said Alex Gomez, Sr. Director, Licensing at SEGA of America. “Fans want to be able to experience their favorite blue hedgehog on and off the screen, and the nostalgic 16-bit Sonic Playmate cooler offers a great option to bring the Sonic lifestyle with you.”
Love that marketing spiel.
Apparently Igloo doesn’t yet ship to the UK, according to some investigation by sonicclaasic, only to the US. So any international fans are going to have to sweat it out until the company can send some Sonic coolers over to them. Igloo has stated that they will be “expanding this special-edition Sonic the Hedgehog Cooler Collection” with the launch of another Playmate-sized cooler, a softside cooler and some stainless-steel drinkware. So, look forward to those. If you’re in the US.
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GoodSmile Company has finally revealed the design of its upcoming Knuckles the Echidna Nendoroid figure, first announced back in February. Not only does it look super adorable, but it’s also now available for pre-order on the figure company’s website.
The hot-headed echidna figure assumes the Modern, Sonic Adventure style look, and comes complete with a Chaos Emerald accessory and Master Emerald / Angel Island background for you to display your new collector’s item most authentically.
As with most Nendoroid figures, the beauty of this particular product is that Knuckles is incredibly posable. He has loads of articulation points to allow you to set any scene you like, and the modular nature of the figure also means you can swap his expressions out as well. The Knuckles set comes with three kinds of glances and three mouth parts (including grinning and gritted teeth) so you can make him happy one minute and sad the next.
GoodSmile has listed a release date of January 2024 on its official website, at a price of ¥6,700 (which is currently about $47.86 USD / £37.84 GBP, but that conversion could change by the time this product releases). Pre-orders are open from today until July 13th at 12:00pm JST. So get going on it!
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Sonic Origins Plus is right around the corner, and to keep the hype going the Sonic social media account has released some new official artwork that highlights one of Sonic 2’s biggest remastered secrets.
The artwork is excellently produced by Tyler McGrath, a favourite of ours who has worked on many amazing Classic Sonic art pieces over the years. It’s great that his work is being tapped by SEGA and hopefully this leads to more official recognition!
As you can see, the piece features the Classic Sonic team posturing in Mystic Cave Zone. Knuckles is beckoning the others down a chasm that he has found, but what could be Hidden (Palace) down there..?
Of course, the whole thing is a reference to the introduction of a Sonic 2 lost level that was re-imagined and restored in the Christian Whitehead-led iPhone remaster of the 16-bit classic. Because Sonic Origins (and Plus) includes this new version of the game, Hidden Palace Zone can be accessed the same way on consoles and PC now too.
All you’ve gotta do is keep to the low route on Mystic Cave Act 2 until you hit a chasm with a drawbridge lever. Ignore the lever and just fall right into the hole. Just… make sure you’re only doing that on the iPhone or Sonic Origins versions of Sonic 2. You don’t want to give it a go on the Mega Drive/Genesis originals…
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Sonic Superstars looks absolutely gorgeous. We should know, we said it. But that’s on the most powerful hardware – if you’re wondering whether the game also looks great on the Nintendo Switch, we now know the answer is ‘yes’, kinda.
The first still images of Classic Sonic’s latest outing running on Nintendo’s hybrid gaming console have arrived, and you can take a gander for yourself below.
Now, it clearly doesn’t look as sharp as its PS5 or Xbox cousins, but that is often the case with Nintendo Switch versions of cross-platform games. But at least the colour, character and charm doesn’t seem to have been impacted.
As with most things of this nature, it’s best to wait until we can see the Switch version moving and in action. Sometimes these lower-IQ situations aren’t as noticeable while actually playing. In the meantime, what do you think?
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It seems that Summer Game Fest wasn’t the only place fans would get to see some Sonic. In Japan, kids were able to meet the blue blue himself at the Tokyo Toy Show 2023 this past weekend.
The annual showcase, which took place this year at the Tokyo Big Sight from June 8-11, featured a booth from SEGA Toys which had a huge Sonic parading around for meet and greets.
SEGA Toys, as the name suggests, manufactures a number of fun products for the Japanese market, many of which are licensed from anime and other kids’ IP.
This year they (and Sonic) were showcasing its flagship ‘Homestar’ in-room constellation projector along with a new kitty toy that has various sicknesses that need treating and looking after. Attendees could also use the special “Buzz Cam” on display to take short videos of themselves with Sonic.
So no Sonic toys on show, then, but that’s okay because just seeing the blue blur mill around is enough for us. Thanks for being such a hard-working corporate sponsor, Sonic!
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A former Sonic comic artist is seeking clarification from SEGA about the origins of the 3D character models used in Sonic Superstars and Sonic Origins Plus. Today, a SEGA rep offered some insight, promising to send a full response next week.
Rafa Knight, who had worked on a number of issues of Archie’s Sonic the Hedgehog comics (and also contributed to the debut issue of IDW’s current series), has been comparing her past CG artwork with the 3D models of Amy Rose in Sonic Origins Plus, as well as all the main character models in Sonic Superstars.
“I will need to make a comparison by overlapping the models with the Sonic Superstars video,” Knight wrote. “But I think that they used these old models for it.”
After taking the claims public due to being “ghosted” by SEGA reps about Sonic Origins Plus, Sonic Community Manager Katie Chrzanowski replied stating that, “these models were custom-made by the team for this game.” A full response to Knight is to follow.
“I don’t mind them using the models by the way,” Knight clarified. “I actually am happy that they used them after just being used for toys for half a decade.
“But deep down I do get a bit bothered for always being looked as my work was not good enough to work for them.”
Hopefully Katie’s comments clears things up for all concerned.
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The Sonic Stadium is on the ground at Summer Game Fest 2023, and we’ve been able to capture loads of off-screen clips of the game in action! For anyone curious, we’ve got some gameplay footage of the windmill/seaside stage presented in the trailer. Let’s take a look at some of the gimmicks and interesting things we’ve seen!
There’s a lot to unpack in just a couple of minutes here, so let’s dive in and see what we can see:
First off, classic Badniks are back – but it looks like some of them may come with a few modernised tweaks to catch veteran 2D players off-guard. This Buzzbomber comes complete with a full-fat laser that doesn’t leave any room for Sonic to dodge from.
We also get to see one of the Chaos Emerald powers at play here – this one allows Sonic and friends to ascend through waterfalls. You’ll notice that there’s a meter in the bottom right corner there, which likely tells you how long you have left to use this special ability.
This stage is full of unique gimmicks that throw Sonic upwards into the air and even back and forth into the scenery! In this screenshot, you can see one of the curved silver loops that litter the stage – when Sonic runs into one…
…he shoots in the direction of the curve. Players can seemingly use these broken-loop pieces in clever ways to navigate to higher platforms.
Finally, there’s this little glimpse of a couple of collectables found within the stage. One is a giant blue ring, which looks similar to a Special Stage ring from Sonic 3 & Knuckles/Sonic Mania. The other is a golden Sonic coin. We wonder what these are for and where they take you…?
We’re capturing lots of media from the Summer Game Fest show floor, and we’ll be sharing our hands-on impressions of the game in a day or so’s time as well! Here are some more videos we captured as well, for your entertainment (be careful, some of them may be spoilery):
Knuckles vs Speed Jungle Boss
Amy Enters a Special Stage
Sonic Fights Eggman Boss on Bridge Island
Tails Gameplay from Speed Jungle
Vine Grinding Action
Amy Fights Speed Jungle Badnik Boss
Bridge Island Zone Act 1 Opening Sequence
Water Emerald Power Tutorial and Game Play
Amy Surfs the Vines in Speed Jungle
So stay tuned to the Sonic Stadium and Sonic News for all the latest, and chat about the videos we’ve captured in the comments section below.
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