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SEGA has uploaded a clean version of that Sonic Superstars opening animation that we recorded during our Summer Game Fest coverage last month. With this, we also get our first taste of the game’s soundtrack! It seems Tee Lopes has confirmed that this particular track was produced by both him and Jun Senoue.
You can check it out at the Sonic the Hedgehog Youtube channel, or in the embed below:
Sonic Superstars is expected to launch sometime this fall.
The ESRB has given Sonic Superstars its US content rating, and yes, it’s what you’d expect: E for Everyone. Obviously, this isn’t especially surprising, since every Sonic game has been rated E or E10, even the one where Shadow goes out of his way to curse and murder Dr. Eggman.
Sonic Superstars’ received its E rating for “mild fantasy violence.” The rating also mentions in-game purchases, and lists the following as the game’s rating summary:
This is an action platformer in which players assume the roles of Sonic and his friends as they zoom around colorful zones and attempt to defeat Dr. Robotnik. As players speed through whimsical environments, they can jump on enemies’ heads, causing them to transform into small creatures; Sonic and friends react to damage by losing coin-like rings and falling off-screen when defeated. Boss battles can depict more protracted combat, with cartoony explosions.
Sonic Superstars is expected to release sometime this Fall, with a leaked release date of October 17.
via ESRB
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.
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:
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.
When you’ve done that, let Sonic Team know you’ve supported them via their social media channel here.
Good luck, Sonic Team!
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?
Via Twitter
Back in the early 90s, Sonic was so big that SEGA was ready to put him on everything. That includes a remake of Nihon Falcom’s popular PC88 sidescrolling action-RPG “Popful Mail.” For decades, it was thought that the game was once going to be localized in the West as “Sister Sonic,” before being mysteriously canceled in favor of a straight-up localization of Popful Mail. As it turns out, that isn’t the full story. The people at Did You Know Gaming have discovered that Sister Sonic wasn’t just a western localization of the game, but it was going to be the SEGA CD version of said game, with an altered story to suit the new character.
This revelation comes from DYKG’s latest Sonic video. In it, they reveal that they dug through various Japanese language primary sources, discovering in an interview that Sister Sonic was to be one of five initial games developed under SEGA Falcom, a joint venture between SEGA and Falcom meant to remake Falcom games for SEGA hardware.
In an interview from the November 1992 issue of BEEP! Megadrive, which DYKG used as a source, SEGA Falcom’s director said that they chose this direction because “it makes more sense for us to use Sonic, who’s already popular all around the world.” He also confirmed that, despite the name, the game wasn’t about “Sonic’s sister” but instead a female relative. She was to be the first female Sonic character, She would still be a bounty hunter, like Popful Mail, but she would be a “more mature girl” with a “flirtatious and sexy charm.”
At the time of the interview, Sister Sonic was one of five SEGA Falcom games in development, and also the furthest along. It was expected to release in Japan and overseas with Japanese subtitles at nearly the same time. Ultimately, a letter writing campaign from Popful Mail fans would cause SEGA to rethink its plans, leading to Sister Sonic’s cancellation.
Popful Mail would eventually launch for the MEGA CD in April 1994, followed by an American release in February of ‘95. These days, Popful Mail is considered a SEGA CD classic and one of the best games on the platform, though the US localization is generally considered a downgrade due to its difficulty being increased during localization. Thankfully, there is a fan patch out there. These days, the game is quite rare, and typically goes for a pretty penny.
You can find the full Did You Know Gaming video here.
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.
Via Twitter
Sonic Frontiers may be a 2022 release, but it’s still managing to chart, as a top selling game in 2023! As of May, Sonic Frontiers amongst the year’s 20 best selling games, hanging on at the 18th spot, the same place it held back in April. This comes despite the release of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, which instantly took the number two spot on the chart.
This info comes courtesy of Circana Group, formerly NPD Group, which has long tracked US video game sales. The chart below was released by NPD analyst Matt Piscatella on his Twitter.
While Sonic Frontiers has managed to stay in the top 20 for 2023, it did not manage to chart in May-only sales.
via Twitter
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!
Via Twitter
SEGA has filed a trademark for what appears to be another Sonic game, “Sonic & Friends.” The trademark was published today in the Japanese trademark website “Chizai Watch,” where it was filed on June 23rd. Some cursory research suggests this is almost definitely a game, as it shares many many of the same categories including Machines and Appliances, Toys, Clothing, Paper, and perhaps most importantly, Education and Entertainment. Toys, paper and clothing likely apply to merchandise, as Frontiers’ trademark possessed both of these categories in addition to “leather.”
The trademark also makes mention of “commodity service programs for home-use television game machines.” As is typical of game trademarks, a variety of potential media and other things are also mentioned, including magnetic tape and magnetic disks. But most importantly, ROM cartridges and optical disks are also mentioned. The trademark does mention games for mobile phones, but Frontiers did as well, so that is not necessarily relevant to the platform.
For a look at the full trademark, translated on the website by Google, take a look at the screenshot below:
So, this being a game seems to be extremely likely, but what could this be, exactly? We’ve known for some time that a new mobile game from SEGA Hardlight is in development. I attempted to compare this to a mobile game trademark from SEGA, but the only one I was able to find was 404 Game RE:SET, which more or less utilizes the same game related categories as this and Frontiers. So it could certainly be a mobile title.
Alternatively, it could be some sort of spin-off. Perhaps a party game? Well, whatever it is, we’ll probably find out about it in the coming months. You can find a link to the trademark here, though as of this article’s publication the page appears to be having issues loading.
Please note that the Sonic & Friends logo used for the feature image is not the logo the game itself will use. Special thanks to Twitter user Dejimon11 for the news tip!
Sonic’s Birthday was the primary focus on this week’s Sonic Station Live Japanese livestream, but in covering all the major Sonic Central announcements, they included a full playthrough of Bridge Island Acts 1 and 2, including several special stages. The full footage is here (and timestamped), but underneath we’ll break down just a few of the details noticed within:
Online discussion has assuredly picked apart dozens of Summer Games Fest playthroughs, so some of these details may already be known. Even so, there’s a bunch of bits worth highlighting in the footage:
The stream also covered new trailers and merch announced in the latest Sonic Central, and featured birthday well-wishes from vtuber Korone and troublemaking mascot Chiitan. It also seems that Eggman has gotten the vtuber model treatment.
Spoilers ahead to those sensitive to them.
There are only three constants in life: death, taxes, and game patch data containing hints at upcoming content. It wasn’t long before the community (specifically Bluwolfblitz on Twitter in this case) began dissecting the game’s new files and discovered new animations, textures, and weapon models for Sonic’s soon-to-be-playable buddies.
The full thread is available here with screenshots, videos, and textures, but there are a few worth highlighting:
Each of the three have some form of weapon associated with them, Amy fighting with both Tarot cards and her iconic hammer, Tails getting a “Cyblaster” gun or turret, and Knuckles either punching or taking the form of a drill.
The series, thoroughly doubling-down on Amy as a fortune teller, has incorporated her deck into an attack. The cards have the same texture as those in the IDW comics, Sonic Origins, and the upcoming reproduction set releasing this November.
Far from the days of Sonic Adventure 2’s wall crawling, Knuckles’ climb animation here is much more aggressive. He’ll also squat down in idle like a stereotypical anime delinquent. (And really, is Knuckles anything but?)
And finally, Tails does what Tails does best, fly in ways that defy physics and poke at invisible machines. Without context, we don’t know the constraints to his flight yet, but one must imagine it would be quite useful on the more vertical islands.
Finally, it appears that each character may get their own skill tree. Sonic’s tree in the game totals to 15 moves (many of which are combat finishers), and Tails, Knuckles, and Amy appear to have the same quantity as Sonic himself if the 1-15 labels are any indication. It’s probably safe to assume the numbers are placeholders.
As a caution, Bluwolfblitz notes that the update also contains much of the third update’s script text. They’ve opted not to share them, but for those wary of story spoilers, the info will likely be out there elsewhere.
If you’ve been anxiously waiting for the latest Sonic Frontiers update… well, chances are you’ve already downloaded and started playing “Sonic’s Birthday Bash,” but for everyone else, hey, it’s out now across all platforms. A few features were highlighted in this morning’s Sonic Central presentation, but a full update list has been detailed in a news post on Steam. Here’s what you can expect when you jump in:
Though we were expecting a few of these, like the birthday events and new Koco, the inclusion of a New Game+, deceleration, and the Spin Dash are welcome additions. For those who are looking for an excuse to dip back into the game, this update’s new configurations compliment the previous update’s challenges and sets a pretty high bar for this year’s Third Update featuring new character and story content.
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?
Following today’s latest Sonic Superstars trailer, the official Sonic Superstars website updated with the new LEGO reveal, the pre-order deal, and character profiles. Most notably, this includes the new and returning antagonists Fang (or “Fangs” according to his profile image file name) and Trip:
Not much is known yet about Trip, the mysterious girl first encountered by Fang on the Northstar Islands. While a bit clumsy, Trip is heavily armored and has been enlisted by Fang and Dr. Eggman to protect and guide them around the wonders of this uncharted region.
Fang is a springy jerboa that is light on his feet and is always looking for the next big score. A bounty hunter by trade, Fang the Hunter has been known by many different names over the years, likely due to his “WANTED” status with the authorities. Always trying to stay one step ahead, he’s constantly modifying and upgrading his primary mode of transportation, the Marvelous Queen.
To those looking to justify their need for canonical consistency, it seems Fang may have previously taken on a pseudonym and… pseusospecies in Triple Trouble. Meanwhile, this is our first clear look at Trip, a clumsy girl in heavy armor guiding Eggman and Fang around the island.
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!
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.
This morning’s Sonic Central brought a few mobile game update announcements for new characters and what could technically be called a new game by the loosest possible definition.
Netflix is getting an exclusive version of Sonic Dash, titled “Sonic Prime Dash.” The game will launch in July with the new season of the show, and features characters from the show. However, all stages appear to be the same as the ones from regular Sonic Dash, so don’t expect it to be significantly different. More information in our separate news story for it, here.
Super Silver already hit both Sonic Dash and Sonic Forces: Speed Battle. In Dash, he has about 5 days remaining, and will be available until the 29th in Speed Battle.
Shadow’s medieval getup was previously available in Speed Battle, but will hit Sonic Dash/Dash+ in July.
No specifics given, but Classic Super Sonic was teased for upcoming events in Sonic mobile games. The last time we’ve seen polygonal Classic Sonic go Super was in 2011’s Sonic Generations.
Sonic Speed Simulator on Roblox (the one that, you know, is dealing with some things) will be adding a new skin featuring Classic Sonic in an open tux, jaunty top hat, and classy shoes.
Last year, HARDlight was looking to fill a position for a “narrative driven” Sonic mobile game project. There’s been no update, announcement, or reveal on this since.
It was only a matter of time before we’d hear about this, so it’s not surprising that we got to hear about the next batch of major content that is coming to Sonic Frontiers. Sure enough, today’s Sonic Central broadcast confirmed new details on the update, including the news that you’ll be able to play it later today!
Read more: Sonic Frontiers Update DLC #2 Is Out Today!There was 3 noteworthy parts of the update. The first one was probably the most obvious one: Sonic and the Starfall Islands got festive for the Blue Blur’s birthday. There’s also some new moves, including the return of Sonic’s signature Spin Dash. It seems to use the stamina meter, the same meter that Sonic uses for boosting.
There’s also new Challenges and Koco. However, the biggest addition that this update has is that there is a New Game +! They didn’t elaborate more on what New Game + is like, but fans won’t have to wait long to find out. The update will be available to download for free later today!
Via Twitter
It was only a matter of time before we’d hear about this, so it’s not surprising that we got to hear about the next batch of major content that is coming to Sonic Frontiers. Sure enough, today’s Sonic Central broadcast confirmed new details on the update, including the news that you’ll be able to play it later today!
There were 3 noteworthy parts of the update. The first one was probably the most obvious one: Sonic and the Starfall Islands have become festive for the Blue Blur’s birthday. There are also some new moves, including the return of Sonic’s signature Spin Dash. It seems to use the stamina meter, the same meter that Sonic uses for boosting.
There’s also new Challenges and Koco. However, the biggest addition that this update has is that there is a New Game +! They didn’t elaborate more on what New Game + is like, but fans won’t have to wait long to find out. The update will be available to download for free later today!
Via Twitter
The Sonic Origins Plus DLC has officially rolled out on all platforms as of midnight EST. Playstation, Xbox, and Switch players can all play it, and Steam users can…well, buy it, at least, for a slight mark-up.
Unfortunately, as of this writing, the Sonic Origins 2.0 patch with all the fixes and DLC content has yet to become available on Steam, meaning Steam players are locked out of the DLC even if they buy it. This will hopefully resolve soon, but anyone on Steam hoping to play the game at midnight will need to hold off.
Steam users are also currently being charged a dollar more for for the DLC, for some reason. We have reached out to SEGA for comment.
Patches now, DLC later.
Continue reading Sonic Origins 2.0 Patch Has Begun RolloutBuilding bonuses.
Continue reading Pre-Order Sonic Superstars to Get an Acrylic Standee and to Fight… LEGO Eggman?Nintendo held a Direct today, but you probably already knew that. However, you may be surprised to learn that a new trailer for Sonic Superstars appeared in the presentation. You may be even happier to learn that this trailer contained some new information about the game, and showcased some new gameplay!
Read more: A Wild Sonic Superstars Trailer Has Appeared In Today’s Nintendo DirectSo, where to start? Well, the first thing you probably noticed is the music playing. It is more than likely music from the game, which means that we finally got an idea of what the game’s soundtrack may be aiming for. And the music is actually really good. If this is what the music is for the rest of the game’s soundtrack, then I don’t think fans will have to worry about them taking a musical route similar to Sonic 4’s. There’s a new render too, potentially the game’s box art, which you can see right here.
Other than that, there were a lot of small tidbits throughout the trailer, including some things that you’d miss if you blinked. We got to see a pinball area for some carnival zone that hadn’t been shown before. Fang appears in the background of some cutscene, and we get to see that we will be fighting him as a boss.
SEGA showed a new emerald power, which seems to function similar to the Sunglasses and Treasure Scope that Knuckles and Rouge get in Sonic Adventure 2, respectively. It causes hidden things to become visible, including platforms and rings. And speaking of the emeralds, we actually got our first look at how the Chaos Emeralds look in this game. Well, one of them, anyway.
We even learned that Tails can carry Sonic and friends, just like he could in Sonic 3 & Knuckles and Sonic Mania. Perhaps the biggest piece of info we learned from the trailer, however, is the news that there will be a total of 12 new zones in the game. It’s more than some fans were speculating, and it was a big factor in how justified some people felt the $60 price would be.
We’re still hearing a fall release date, but there was a Sonic Central announced for Friday. It’s doubtful that there will be any further information about the game, but clearly SEGA has more Sonic news to share. Whether we’ll get more Sonic Superstars info there is another matter entirely. In the meantime, check out the trailer down below!
Developers Evening Star, made up of the team behind Sonic Mania, have revealed their first novel IP title, Penny’s Big Breakaway!
Showcased during today’s Nintendo Direct, the title see’s the player take control of the title’s namesake Penny, navigating their way through obsticles and tackling hordes of penguins.
While we only have 90 seconds of footage to go off, fans will no doubt see a lot of the Mania team’s DNA in the art direction throughout, alongside some unique gameplay gimmicks and stages.
We can’t wait to find out more!
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.
Continue reading TSS Review: Sonic Origins PlusThe 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!
The Sonic Superstars website has been updated with an image of classic Amy’s modern Amy skin, which will be given away to anyone who subscribes to the website’s newsletter by January 31, 2024.
It doesn’t completely change Amy’s look, only altering her clothes while leaving her classic spikes intact. Check it out below. You can subscribe to the newsletter here. You can only sign up for one platform per email, and Steam does not appear to be selectable right now.
A lot of people got to play Sonic Superstars at Summer Game Fest Play Days. Unfortunately, if you weren’t able to go, obviously you weren’t able to do that. However, if you’re not able to attend any gaming events in the future, there may be some hope. Some hands-on impressions from Portuguese site Game Blast are suggesting that a public demo of the game may be coming in the future.
It’s not something that SEGA directly told Game Blast, but they reached this conclusion based on something they saw in the Summer Game Fest Play Days demo that was available. According to Game Blast, “the words ‘trial version’ were discreetly hidden in the bottom right corner of the game’s opening screen during my playthrough”. They feel that this suggest that “the developers may be planning to release a public demo for the game”.
In case you’re feeling like that’s not enough info to verify this as true, someone else that was at Summer Game Fest and had an appointment next to the game’s booth confirmed that there was, indeed, a “Demo Version” text on the game’s title screen. So, that is now 2 people that have confirmed that this was on the Summer Game Fest Play Days demo.
Now, it is worth noting that it is absolutely up in the air when a public demo, if it does happen, would be released. A similar thing happened with the demo for Sonic Frontiers last year, and a public demo for it wasn’t released until after the game had come out in November of 2022. So, it’s possible that a public demo may not even release before the actual game launches. Nevertheless, it’s another aspect to this game’s pre-launch period that is going to make a lot of fans curious.
Via Game Blast
Whenever a Classic Sonic game makes an appearance, one of the biggest questions that Sonic fans always asks is the accuracy of the physics. It hasn’t helped that games like Sonic 4 and Sonic Forces have amplified the discourse on this topic. The good news is that, based on remarks by Christian Whitehead, Sonic Superstars is not looking like it will be joining that club. Sonic Mania’s physics are fully translated into modern 3D!
Read more: Sonic Mania’s Physics Have Been “Fully Translated To Modern 3D”Christian Whitehead’s response came as a reaction to the Sonic fandom on Twitter comparing Sonic Superstars gameplay with the gameplay of the original classic trilogy. It is something that fans have been doing ever since the game was revealed. This comparisons have been very identical, and the hands-on impressions from media outlets have only made the optimism grow.
Of course, there’s nothing more that can reassure Sonic fans that Sonic Mania physics are still around than one of the devs of Sonic Mania confirming that themselves. And, well, that’s exactly what happened. No official word from SEGA or gameplay footage could really compete with that. It probably goes without saying either, but there are a lot of hardcore Sonic fans that are likely very happy to hear this news.
Whitehead does say that he’ll “have more to say on this when its appropriate”, so there may be some more information about the matter in the future. Said information will likely be shared on his Twitter, so if there’s anything of note to share with you, we’ll let you know. In the meantime, hardcore Sonic fans may be getting just as impatient as Sonic himself is in regards to this game! We’ll just have to wait a little while longer when Sonic Superstars releases this fall.
Via Twitter
Sonic Superstars was at Summer Game Fest Play Days, where attendees were able to try out the game before its release later this fall. You’ve seen the gameplay footage, which we’ve already covered here on Sonic Stadium. However, we haven’t talked about what people’s impressions were about the game after being able to play it. So, let’s take a look at some previews!
Read more: Gotta Preview Fast! It’s Time For A Sonic Superstars Hands-On Round-Up!Before I begin, I should probably mention one particular preview. it just so happens that our own Jason Berry was able to play the game himself, and he recently shared his own hands-on impressions of the game here on Sonic Stadium. His thoughts are the most passionate out of all the previews I’ll be mentioning in this article. Oh, and he did enjoy the game too!
With that all said, let’s get the general consensus out of the way, because this was probably the thing that stood out the most. Let me take a moment to say that there weren’t as many hands-on impressions for Sonic Superstars as Sonic Frontiers had, but the reason for that is likely because Sonic Frontiers had the advantage of being a completely new Sonic experience that was never seen before, so people were understandably much more curious. Other than the Emerald Powers and 2.5D graphics, Sonic Superstars is much more familiar to people. Of course, it also helped that Sonic Frontiers was the first main Sonic game in 4-5 years, so people were extremely hungry for news. Nevertheless, the previews were overwhelmingly positive for Sonic Frontiers last June. There were only a few folks that didn’t really care for it.
So, that minor detour aside, how did Sonic Superstars do? Well, despite the diminished quantity, Sonic Superstars can happily say that it, too, was flooded with positive reviews. In fact, remember when I said that a few folks didn’t really care for Sonic Frontiers in their hands-on impressions last June? Sonic Superstars didn’t even have that! The game had absolutely unanimous praise from various outlets, with not a single person expressing any distaste in what they played. This, needless to say, is absolutely incredible for a Sonic game.
Okay, so that’s the general consensus of the game. But let’s take a little more of a deep dive into the previews. Because, of course, there are some questions and worries that fans have about this game. It is worth noting that, for the vast majority of these previews, they only played a couple of levels. Some of them had a 15-minute playing session with this game, with others had a 30-minute playing session.
Anyway, let’s begin with Fadel, also known as GamesCage. Believe it or not, he was one of the first, if not the very first, to provide insight on what the game was like when Summer Game Fest Play Days 2023 began late last week. And he doesn’t really have any complaints whatsoever, even calling it “perfect”! I can be argued that this may have set the tone for the previews to come.
Oh, and when the previews began to come in, they came in at a consistent pace. Andy Robinson of Video Games Chronicle offered his insight, followed by Game Informer. Easy Allies was next. And the previews just kept coming. However, all of them agreed that this was a very promising game, and the criticisms were very few and far between.
Of course, the physics have been a hot topic in regards to the discussions about this game. So much so that Iizuka was asked about it in every single interview he did. And even when he wasn’t, he mentioned it anyway because he knew it was a big deal. A lot of the previews went into talking about the physics though, and they all loved it!
For example, Game Informer compared the physics of the game to being more Mania-like, saying that the game is “giving off a feel of picking up momentum that is loyal to the classic 2D entries in the series”. Robinson said the game’s movement “feels just like original Sonic”. Steve Bowling of Good Vibes Gaming said it “feels like Mania’s back”. WorthPlaying said “this IS classic Sonic gameplay”. Push Square says that “the 4 characters feel good to control, both on the ground and in the air”. There are reports that the physics are so accurate for Classic Sonic that you can jump loops, a speedrunning technique, and the characters will go so fast that they’ll make it off the screen, just like in the old games! And that’s just the physics and controls!
So, what about the level design? There was lots of praise for that too, but here’s some examples. Game Informer praised the branching paths of the level as something that “encourage you to explore each part of every Act”. Robinson said the levels have “tons of verticality”. Game Reactor mentions “the occasional switch to the background and the differently rewarding paths”. Prima Games noted that “there are multiple routes through levels and you’ll often miss most of what you’re looking at on your first go through. replaying the stages as each of the different characters changes how you interact with the level, and the path you’ll take to the end”. And Push Square called the platforming “satisfying, with ramps and boosts making you question where you might end up”.
Tech Raptor got really descriptive with the level design. They “had a blast exploring the absolutely gargantuan levels”, called the environmental interactions in the levels “pretty fresh”, said that the level design took the Sonic Mania route in “a focus on verticality and exploration” and admitted that “I’m sure if I replayed a level, I wouldn’t get to the end the same exact way”. They even noted that there is precision platforming in this game on occasion, but the game “knows when to let you off the leash and just enjoy the ride”.
Kinda Funny was probably the most positive out of all the previews I came across. They compared Sonic Superstars as being similar to Mania multiple times. The level design? They felt it was more like Mania than Generations. The gameplay? They called it “Sonic Mania gameplay”. Oh, and they outright said “this is not Sonic 4” and “this is closer to Mania”. Their only wish was that it was Sonic Mania 2, and even then, that was just out of personal preference and not even meant to be a complaint!
I think you get the picture. But the general consensus was pretty unanimous in just about every way possible. Probably the only preview of Sonic Superstars that was really critical in any way was Prima Games‘ preview, and that wasn’t even a negative review! They loved what they played, and they’re not even a Sonic fan! They were the only ones that mentioned that “As with most preview builds, the game had some small frame drops and slowdown”, though they also admitted that it was nothing severe or impactful. And they criticized the controls, saying that “it can feel a bit floaty at times, and I had trouble making some easy jumps. This was mitigate by using Knuckles glide, but the platforming doesn’t always feel crisp and can sometimes kill your momentum”.
This is just a small chunk of the previews that we got from media outlets this weekend. I didn’t even dive into Tech Radar‘s preview. Or Digital Trends‘ hands-on impressions. I didn’t even mention GameSpot‘s! But, at this point, I’d just be repeating myself because, as I said, the general consensus has been the same. Tech Raptor’s perspective is probably the only one that didn’t completely follow the vast majority’s opinion, and even then, they praised the game! To say that media outlets are excited for Sonic Superstars may be an understatement at this point.
Of course, these are just previews. All the hands-on impressions only got to experience a few levels at most. We haven’t seen all that the game has to offer yet. Obviously, the game isn’t out yet either. But there will likely be some more previews to come. And if there’s one thing that really helps a Sonic game gain some traction, its hands-on impressions. Physics and controls are very important in a Sonic game, and its these previews that give us our first insight into how they are.
Later this fall, we’ll be able to find out for ourselves. In the meantime, we’ll just have to deal with interviews, previews and the occasional trailer and press release from SEGA to make the wait a little easier. Meanwhile, Sonic Frontiers is supposed to get its second major update very soon, so it’s not like we’ll have nothing to do to pass the time. Of course, we’ll have much more coverage of Sonic Superstars here on Sonic Stadium as we get closer to the game’s release.
Sonic Superstars has been getting a lot of praise since it was announced last week, but one criticism that fans have had is that, well, the game’s co-op mode seems to be local only. Nevertheless, that doesn’t mean that the developers have ignored online completely. An official email sent out to Sonic Frontiers newsletter recipients confirmed a Battle Mode, which will be available locally and online!
Now, it is worth noting that they didn’t really give much in the way of details about this mode. All they said is that the mode will enable you to “challenge players from around the world”. What, exactly, this will be is unknown. SEGA hasn’t really talked about this at all in any interviews. In fact, were it not for this random email they sent, we probably wouldn’t have known that this was even a thing!
Unfortunately, for some, this may not be enough. The Co-op mode still seems to be local only. Of course, the fact that this game will have an online Battle Mode may just raise more questions about why the developers didn’t want people to play co-op mode online. It’s also very weird how such a huge mode in this game was only confirmed via an email.
Nevertheless, it’s very possible that we will learn more about this mode in the future. There’s still a while to go until the game releases, and SEGA hasn’t really talked much about the game’s side modes as a whole. They’ve been focusing on the main part of the game, for obvious reasons. Still, if you were wanting something to do online in this game, at least you’ll be able to battle other players when Sonic Superstars releases this fall!
Via Twitter
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?
Source: Nintendo Everything
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.
Though Takashi Iizuka focused on who IS making Sonic Superstars in a recent interview with VGC, he also discussed two notable groups who aren’t involved: Christian Whitehead and Headcannon, the developers behind 2017’s Sonic Mania… though not for a lack of trying.
Continue reading Whitehead and Headcannon Not Involved with Sonic Superstars, But Were Once in Talks for Next 2D SonicIn an interview with VGC, Takashi Iizuka noted that Naoto Ohshima and his company Arzest are the primary developers of Sonic Superstars, with long time series composer Jun Senoue working on the game’s audio.
Continue reading Ohshima, Arzest, and Senoue: We Know Who’s Making Sonic Superstars
