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httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yQh5myrGaw
Well hello there! TSS & SegaBits are over at E3 this week bringing you all the Sega & Sonic news that we can. Just as we finished our welcome video, Jason and I bumped into two familiar faces.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v495DsnAb3Y
Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel as we hope to upload more E3 videos as the week goes on.
Since Sonic Talk was created last year, we’ve interviewed Sonic writer Ian Flynn twice, yet we never did manage to talk to Tracy Yardley…until now, that is. Today Sonic Talk finally gets to have a sit down with Tracy, talking with him about the latest Sonic news and asking him questions written by both fans and us. We hope you enjoy listening to this as much as we did recording it!
You can see a high-res version of the above image, which was drawn for us by Mr. Yardley for use in the show, over at SEGAbits. If you are interested in having your own piece of Yardley art, as well as an assortment of other SEGA related goodies, check out the SEGAbits Summer of Art Contest.
Despite what Nintendo of Germany’s press release said last week, SEGA has confirmed to IGN’s Rich George that the third Sonic game will not be arriving this year. This means that the third game in Nintendo’s three game deal may be more than a digital title or a spin off. It also means that this exclusive deal won’t be ending for a little while. Will Nintendo fans be getting another main Sonic title next year? Guess we’ll just have to wait and see!
Yes, SEGA confirmed that Sonic Lost World and Mario & Sonic Olympics are coming to 3DS and Wii U.
— Rich (@RichIGN) June 3, 2013
To the surprise of no one, it sounds like Mario & Sonic at the Sochi Winter Olympics 2014 is heading to 3DS, according to Rich over at IGN in the above tweet. We hadn’t confirmed that yet, so for those of you who were unsure of the game’s status on 3DS…well here you are!
What is there to say, really? It definitely looks different from past Sonic games, yet still sort of familiar. Anyone care to guess what I’m referring to?
First4Figures, the company that has become famous for making collectible figures based off of video game characters that are fantastic in both quality and cost, have today revealed their next Sonic based figure: Shadow the Hedgehog.
It’s a pretty awesome looking figure. Going by the teaser, it looks like something that will go nicely next to their modern Sonic figure. Of course, quality always comes at a cost, so you can expect the Shadow figure to go for a few hundred dollars when it finally goes on sale.
[youtube]http://youtu.be/GrGJiIb3av4[/youtube]
I’m sure most of you have already seen it, but now seemed like a good time to finally post the Mario & Sonic game play footage from this morning’s Nintendo Direct on the front page. In doing so, I am also introducing you to our new Youtube page! It’s not much to look at yet, but in the future you will be able to find all of Sonic Stadium’s exclusive video content. We’ll be re-uploading a variety of old interviews to the channel, re-cut into larger, single videos. Keep an eye out!
Today, SEGA and Nintendo have announced a partnership that will make the Sonic franchise games exclusive to Nintendo platforms for the next three titles.
“Sonic the Hedgehog has proven incredibly successful on Nintendo platforms and we are pleased to continue our long-standing relationship with Nintendo,” said John Cheng, President & COO, SEGA of America. “As we initiate this new exclusive partnership with the next three titles we believe that Wii U(TM) and Nintendo 3DS(TM) are ideal platforms to showcase the evolution of the Sonic brand.”
According to GameIndustryBiz, the partnership includes an as yet unknown game, and involves Nintendo publishing Sonic games in Europe. Lost World will still be published by SEGA in America.
We’ll bring you more info as it comes. Expect hands-on previews of these games at E3!
Source: Wall Street Journal
Last week Jason and I had the pleasure to sit down with Ian Flynn, writer of Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic Universe, Megaman, New Crusaders and Dawn Best’s upcoming web comic Sylvanna. Join us we have not one, but two interviews with the architect of the Sonic and Megaman crossover Worlds Collide: a text interview written up by Jason Berry and a two and a half hour long interview hosted by me on Sonic Talk featuring dozens of questions from fans like you.
Also, special thanks to Ian Flynn, who not only devoted a considerable amount of time to this, but also answered far more questions for the text interview than he had initially promised, due to me sending him the wrong text file that included a dozen questions that I had intended to omit.
Enjoy! You can also find the Sonic Talk interview here.
Continue reading Sonic Stadium Interview: Archie Comic’s Ian Flynn
For those of you chomping at the bit for the next chapter of the Sonic & Megaman Worlds Collide crossover, it’s time to head over to your local comic shop! Chapter Three, “No Holds Barred”, finally pits Sonic and Megaman against one another. Place your bets, people: blue bomber or blue blur?
Check below for a synopsis and a preview.
Continue reading Sonic the Hedgehog #248 Now Available in Comic Shops
A few months ago, the Australian Ratings Board posted listings for both Tails Adventure and Sonic Drift 2. Now the ESRB has followed suit, listing not only these games but also Sonic the Hedgehog G.G., the Game Gear/Master System version of Sonic 1.
Of course, nothing is confirmed until SEGA confirms it, but with two ratings boards listing both TA and SD2, it’s probably safe to assume that we will at least be getting those games. If you’d like to read about some of Sonic’s history on the Game Gear, go check out my article about Sonic Triple Trouble.
Source: GoNintendo
Handheld Sonic games always seem to get the short end of the stick. From the days of the Game Gear all the way up until today, it seems like Sonic’s quality portable outings are usually ignored in favor of worshiping or hating the console games. Now don’t get me wrong, many of Sonic’s best games have been on consoles, including the legendary flagship trilogy that launched the entire franchise. However, there have been plenty of great entries on a multitude of portables as well, even during the franchise’s so called “darkest days” in the mid-2000s when the best Sonic had to show for himself on the consoles were games like Sonic Heroes, Shadow, and Sonic06. With summer almost upon us, I thought I would take a look at some of Sonic’s portable games, and maybe convince some of you to try them out if you haven’t already! Among these great, under appreciated gems was Sonic Triple Trouble, a culmination of years of work on perfecting the formula on the 8-bit Game Gear.
Ever wanted to see Sonic decked out in body armor from the Warhammer 40,000 series? Well here you go! For those of you who’ve been following long on other websites, you may have heard that SEGA recently acquired Relic Entertainment in the THQ auction. Relic is a developer known for developing games in the Warhammer 40,000 franchise, as well as the RTS series Company of Heroes.
The above picture was drawn by Relic senior animator Michael Moore. “By popular demand of the happy & relieved Relic employees, they got me to draw a 40k Sonic on the Kitchen blackboard. Chalk, freehand, with a glance at Internet ref for Sonic’s head”. Not a bad way for Relic to celebrate its continued survival under SEGA and to introduce itself to SEGA fans!
I don’t think anyone saw this coming.
Sonic Underground, an obscure DiC produced Sonic cartoon from 1999, is getting an epilogue in Sonic Universe’s landmark 50th issue next March. The issue, which will be a single issue story, will chronicle what happened after the end of the television series, finally giving a proper ending to the show nearly 14 years after it ended. The story will be written by Ian Flynn and the cover, which you can see above, is drawn by Patrick Spaziente. For the full cover, head over to this story’s source, Destructoid.
What makes this even cooler is that Sonic Underground has always been a part of the Sonic comic’s wider multiverse. The comic had a crossover with the series in a super special back when the show first came out in order to promote the series. In a sense, this issue is not only resolving an entire Sonic continuity, but a lingering plot thread in the comic to boot.
I am personally rather excited by the prospect of Sonic Universe being used to actually continue and resolve one of Sonic’s ill-fated cartoons. We’ve never gotten a true resolution to any Sonic continuity, with most continuities typically being left open ended, if not on an outright cliffhanger as was the case with Sonic SatAm. Heck, maybe this will open the door for other Sonic universes to be featured in the comic!
Terrible musical numbers and some spotty voice acting aside, I felt Sonic Underground was a decent Sonic series with some strong episodes, though this may have something to do with the fact that it was the first American cartoon to feature Knuckles. It’s typically considered one of the worst of the Sonic cartoons. If you have any interest in catching up on Sonic Underground before its epilogue in Sonic Universe #50, the series currently airs every weekday morning on Disney XD. British fans can catch the series on Kix. The series is also available on DVD and on Netflix.
NiGHTS into Dreams and Sonic Adventure 2 have finally debuted on the American PSN store. Both games are available for $10 apiece. I don’t believe Sonic Adventure 2 needs any endorsement around here, but I would strongly recommend NiGHTS into Dreams. Download, play, love!
These two games should be arriving on the European PSN store tomorrow. XBLA users can expect them on Friday. For the launch trailer and screenshots for SA2HD, go here.
Ever since it was revealed behind closed doors at GC, the Wii U version of Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed has received criticism from numerous sources for its poor frame rate and graphical issues. If Steve Lycett’s comments on Sonic Talk a week ago weren’t enough to allay your concerns, and going by some of the comments I’ve been reading around the internet it clearly hasn’t, here he is again addressing the graphical concerns on the SEGA forums.
For those of you who haven’t listened to Sonic Talk, Lycett’s explanation for the poor performance of the Wii U version was the simple fact that the demo the critics were playing at GC was based on old code. Since then, more previews have come out from other events complaining about the frame rate issues, but that’s because according to Lycett on SSMB, it’s the same build. Due to the rush to make the Wii U launch, Sumo Digital hasn’t had time to make new demos to show off to the public, meaning that the build people have been playing this month was the same build they were playing at GC back in August. This demo, according to what Lycett said on Sonic Talk, was already three weeks old at that show.
In other words the demo that the press has been playing for the last two months was a demo based on code from July. So these previews are by no means based on a build anywhere near completion. Will this put the frame rate concerns to bed? Probably not, but I do hope this at least did so for everyone on this site. For the full Sonic Talk interview, click here.
[youtube]http://youtu.be/87E6N7ToCxs[/youtube]
We’ve known for some time that Sonic was getting a cameo in the upcoming film Wreck-It Ralph, and at Sonic Boom we thought we may have seen that cameo. As it turns out, probably not! In a recent interview with TOTAL FILM, Wreck-It Ralph producer Clark Spencer discussed and another scene featuring Sonic, while discussing the input video game companies had over the course of the movie’s production.
“We had a scene where we wanted the rings to come out of Sonic, and SEGA said the only way that happens is if he falls over, and we didn’t have him fall over in the scene, so we actually went back and re-animated it.”
If you want to read the interview in full, click here.
For anyone who’s picking up a Wii U on November 18th, you’ve now got Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed to look forward to come launch day! SEGA has apparently decided to launch the Wii U version of the game two days ahead of the other releases in order to make the Wii U’s launch.
The Wii U version of the game will feature exclusive features including a rear view mirror on the Wii U pad, the ability to stream the game to the controller, and exclusive mini games and multiplayer modes such as a Monkey Ball mini game and a British Bulldog style multiplayer mode. For more information on the game, please check out our interview in the Sonic Talk podcast.
Hey guys! I’m in the (sizable) line for the Sonic/Megaman panel! I’ll be here to stream you all the latest, and if we’re lucky, including some very crappy pictures. Jason is on camera duty, so you can expect media later today. Panel starts in 20 minutes!
It’s starting! Continue reading Archie Sonic/Megaman Panel Live Blog
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoWHc0Is78c[/youtube]
Here’s that video we promised you! It includes both footage from the movie as well as Ralph in action in Sonic & All-Stars.
Hi guys! Nuckles here, talking to you straight from Sonic Boom! I’ll be reporting to you guys about any news to come out of the show tonight. It’s running right now and will continue to run until 10PM PST, so keep an eye on this post for all the latest! Due to the speed of the internet, I’m afraid media won’t be going up until later tonight.
Today, Comic Con is truly underway and as a result, so is the SEGA Arcade. The most notable addition to the area is a display case full of Sonic merch, advertising the recently opened website for the US branch of Sonic Merchandise. I made sure to get pictures of the display case and the people manning it, as well as some things I missed yesterday, so check them out below the fold!
Today was preview night at the San Diego Comic Con, and thanks to Comic Con’s liberal interpretation of what qualifies as press, we are on hand to cover it! We don’t have much news or features for you guys today, but we do have pictures from the event! Click the jump to take a look at the SEGA Arcade booth, which can be found just across the street from Comic Con at 200 Harbor Drive, Suite 120.
Be sure to also follow SEGAbits for more SEGA related content throughout the event!
[youtube]http://youtu.be/bm1ZPgxStE4[/youtube]
We can be kind of iffy when it comes to covering Sonic Team news. In my time at Sonic Stadium, I’ve covered everything from Phantasy Star to NiGHTS to Samba de Amigo. With all sorts of news regarding non-Sonic Sonic Team games lately, I hope you won’t mind if I begin making some posts to tell you about them.
Phantasy Star Online 2, the direct sequel to the legendary Sonic Team online RPG, is officially coming to western markets in 2013. So far, only the PC version of the game has been confirmed for a western release, though the game is expected to also eventually become available on Playstation Vita, iOS device and Android devices.
Phanasy Star Online 2 is a free to play action RPG in the vein of it’s predecessor. Check out the website for more. The full press release is below the fold.
I hope everyone excuses the somewhat presumptive headline for this news post, but I’m not sure what else it could be. The above image was sent in to USA Today by Archie Comics. It looks Archie has a Sonic and Megaman crossover in the works!
Not much else to say, but with San Diego Comic Con just around the corner and a Sonic and Megaman panel planned for next Sunday, we’ll no doubt be hearing more about it soon. Jason and I will be on hand to report all the latest as it happens at SDCC!
This has been a surprisingly awesome sweet sixteen birthday week for NiGHTS into Dreams and its fans. Mere days after a digital HD release of the classic Saturn title was revealed, we now have confirmation right out of Summer of Sonic that NiGHTS will be appearing in the upcoming SEGA crossover racer Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed.
NiGHTS and his rival Reala will both feature as vehicles in the game. In the original games, NiGHTS could transform into different vehicles and creatures to better suit certain environments. All-Stars cleverly references this mechanic by allowing NiGHTS and Reala to change into all new vehicle forms. NiGHTS is driven by the childlike Nightopian creatures, while Reala will be driven by the Goodle riding nightmaren from Journey of Dreams. The character designs are based off of Journey of Dreams.
Despite the character designs being based off of Journey of Dreams, the stage is derived from three areas from the first game: Spring Valley, Gillwing’s Lair and Wizeman’s boss arena. Going by the footage, these areas are going to look gorgeous and I can’t wait to play them. If the level is present in the Comic Con demo, we’ll be sure to get you some details and footage of it next week. Until then, you can catch the footage shown at Summer of Sonic here. The Sumo Digital Q&A starts at 27:30 while the footage can be found at 1:17:40. Keep in mind the footage is work in progress.
httpv://youtu.be/qb_CJLofgPY
I hope all of you are ready to fly through the skies of Nightopia in HD, because an HD remake of NiGHTS into Dreams is coming to Xbox Live, Playstation Network and Windows PC Download this fall! The remake will include leaderboards, achievements/trophies, and a 16:9 aspect ratio. It will also include a “Saturn” mode featuring the graphics of the SEGA Saturn original for all of you retro gamers who want to experience the game in all of it’s original, low poly glory.
“The SEGA Saturn offered many unique gaming experiences, and NiGHTS into dreams… stands out as one of the most recognizable titles that found a home on the system,” said Chris Olson, Vice President of Digital Business at SEGA. “We’ve gotten a lot of requests about this game over the years, and are very happy to be able to give both former Saturn owners and new players a chance to play it in its most beautiful form to date this fall.”
No word on whether the game will include the special features of the NiGHTS into Dreams PS2 remake, which this port bears some resemblance to. Here’s hoping it includes that version’s extra features like Christmas NiGHTS.
Hi guys! Apologies for the lack of updates yesterday. We were so busy playing games and setting up interviews, charging cameras and running to and from the media lounge…we didn’t actually have much time to write. Hope you enjoyed Jason’s take on Sonic & All-Stars Racing!
I am currently in the midst of writing previews for Aliens: Colonial Marines and Hell Yeah!, the latter I ended up spending about thirty minutes playing…to which you’ll know why when you read the preview. Sonic Stadium visitors will, unfortunately, not be getting much content this year, due to the sheer lack of actual material to write about. We have gotten an interview with All-Stars Racing producer Joe Neate, though, as well as a full rotational look at the new ASR branded car, which will hopefully be going up later today. My Hell Yeah! preview will also be going up on Sonic Stadium, so you guys can read about another SEGA platformer that doesn’t star Sonic.
SEGAbits will, of course, be receiving previews for every game on the show floor. We also managed to score a last minute interview with Gearbox and their new Aliens game, which you can expect to see on the site Friday. There will likely be other interviews as well, but nothing that I can confirm.
If you’ve ever wanted a Sonic themed sled or water gun, Tech4Kids has answered your prayers! Later this year, the toy company will be debuting four unique Sonic themed toys, including a sled, a “Project-A-Sketch” projector, a flash light that projects Sonic sketch images, and finally a water gun.
Images and descriptions are posted below for all products except the flash light, which is apparently just the Project-A-Sketch without the stand. All of these products will be available for US and Canadian residents at Toys ‘R Us, Costco, Wal-Mart, Dick’s, Zellers, Canadian Tire, Home Hardware, and Mastermind Toys.
So, now that it seems like Sonic is going through another merchandising boom, might we see the return of Sonic Shampoo? Please, SEGA?
Continue reading Tech4Kids Making New Sonic Toys for North America!
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INl2bGR89hg[/youtube]
Listen to my disembodied annoying voice as I sit down to have a talk with Joe Neate about SEGA and Sumo Digital’s upcoming racing title!
Fellow Sonic Stadium writer Jason Berry also interviewed Mr. Neate with different, more SEGA centric questions, which you can find here.
I don’t often post about the SEGAbits Sonic podcast here, but I do believe this one will hold a special interest for a lot of you. In this episode, Jason and I sit down with Sonic Stadium boss Dreadknux and discuss our experiences with Sonic & All-Stars Racing.
You can find the podcast here.
Eurogamer has a very well written preview of Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed that I highly recommend you read. It’s very well written and pretty effectively illustrates the struggles many arcade racer developers are having today, and how much of a unique case the success of the original Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing is.
The article also had loads of new info, which I’ve reported below:
The game has 27 characters. This is 7 more than the last game, not counting console specific characters.
A WiiU release cannot be confirmed or denied. I personally quite confident we’ll see it at E3, but I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.
The development team has been expanded, taking in people from two recently closed British game development studios that specialize in arcade racing titles: Bizarre Creations, the people responsible for Project Gotham Racing, The Club, and Blur, as well as people from Black Rock, creators of Split/Second. Gareth Wilson, whom we met at the press event in San Francisco, is one of those people. He came from Bizarre Creations and has games like Project Gotham 2-4 as well as Blur under his belt.
Continue reading EuroGamer Provides Loads of Additional SASRT Details
Special thanks to Barry the Nomad for this image mock-up
Wow.
That is an actual quote this SEGA fanboy uttered as SEGA turned on the television to give a group of people from the gaming media their first look at the newest All-Stars game. As the TV switched on, I was expecting to see Green Hill, Chemical Plant, or maybe Emerald Coast grace the screen in glorious HD. This was a Sonic title after all, right? Then, as the screen turned on, I noticed a small Panzer Dragoon logo in the left hand corner. For a moment, I didn’t believe it. Then I saw Lagi stretching her wings, the Shelcoof soaring through the sky and heard “Flight” playing in the background, and the little SEGA fanboy in me screamed.
Wow.
Continue reading Preview: Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed Hands-On
Finally, months after we were the first to post several rumors regarding a new All-Stars game, we finally have an announcement. Ladies and gentleman, Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed is on the way to the PS3, Xbox 360, 3DS, Vita and PC this fall! Continue reading Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed Announced
When Sonic 4 was revealed in 2010, it quickly became a very controversial game. Fans reacted with emotions ranging from joyful glee to seething, undiluted hatred. Criticisms ranged from the physics, to the level design, to Sonic’s…eye color. By the time of the game’s release, the more serious complaints were proven to have validity, though in despite of this criticism Sonic 4 Episode 1 received the highest scores of any console Sonic game in years, even managing eights from many of the larger websites.
One of the great things about releasing a game episodically is that it allows for developers to take fan and press criticism into account mid development. Sonic 4 is easily one of the best examples of this: Episode 2 features a large variety of improvements over Episode 1.
Talking to the website DigitalSpy, Takashi Iizuka has confirmed that there are currently no plans for another episode of Sonic 4.
“We are looking forward to hearing the feedback from the users for Episode 2, but we are currently not planning to release another episode. We just want to see how the users accept this episode.” – Takashi Iizuka, Producer.
Naturally, plans can change. For time being being though, Sonic 4 will be ending with Episode 2.
For an interview with Iizuka and a hands on preview of Sonic 4, head on over to DigitalSpy.
