Welcome to the Archive site of The Sonic Stadium (2008-2023)
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If you want to know what’s happening in the world of Sonic the Hedgehog, then you’re in the right place! The Sonic Stadium’s News section is your first stop for all the latest information. Whether it’s news about video games, comics, TV shows or even movies, we have you covered!
When Sonic Superstars was announced, SEGA was quick to reveal that the game would feature a new character designed by Sonic co-creator Naoto Ohshima. We got our first look at the character yesterday, and today we now have a name: Trip. The name seems to be based on the fact that the character trips…a lot. Both in the game’s opening animation, and even in the one cutscene we have from the game:
Iizuka confirmed this in an interview IGN released today, which you can check out here. There’s still much we don’t know about this character, including their name (though their tail looks like a raccoon….or a Zigzagoon). Be sure to stay tuned for further details on Trip and Sonic Superstars!
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When it came to revamping Sonic in 2D, Sonic 4: Episodes 1 and 2 didn’t exactly bring about a new, exciting era. In fact, it failed to thrill most fans. Sega tried again with Sonic Mania, this time bringing the franchise back to its 16-bit roots, and it was a pretty big success. However, SEGA and Sonic Team seem determined to make a more modern, HD polygonal interpretation of 2D Sonic work, one that turns “Classic Sonic” into its own branch of the franchise. I recently got the chance to check out Sonic Superstars at the Summer Game Fest in Los Angeles. Does the game hold up to the classics, or do we have another Sonic 4 on our hands?
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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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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.
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In 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.
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The past few days have been filled with Sonic Superstars news, and we aren’t done yet! The video game journalist group Easy Allies was talking about the game on their Twitch stream while utilizing footage posted earlier today by IGN Japan. Towards the end of their discussion, and where the IGN Japan footage cut out, the footage they were showing instead transitioned to a level select screen.
This level select screen mostly just shows some unnamed zones and acts, but it contains two very interesting details. First, it lists a “time attack” option off to the side, meaning that this game likely has a time attack feature. What’s even more interesting than that, however, is one of the levels it lists: an act of Zone 5 meant specifically for Amy Rose.
What this appears to suggest is that this game will have acts meant for specific characters! Of course, this isn’t a confirmation, and could very well be a cut feature or something meant for DLC, but this has some curious implications nevertheless.
Check out a screenshot of the level select screen below:
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While we’ve uploaded a significant amount of off-screen snippets of Sonic Superstars, IGN Japan has uploaded an HD quality video containing both acts of one of the game’s levels, “Speed Jungle.” You can find the video here, but we’ve decided to take the time to highlight some interesting details from the video below:
The level has a grappling hook gimmick, which can be activated by hitting a yellow switch floating above it. It is then possible to run up it! There are also some badniks that disguise themselves as ring boxes, and fly when you get close.
Later on in the level, we see a few more gameplay elements. There’s a holographic pulley that the player needs to hold onto while a timer counts down to earn rings. There are four pulley, meaning up to four players can use it at once. We also see a spinning blue portal above a checkpoint post, which likely leads to some sort of bonus stage. Finally, there’s a part of the game level where you can see Tails running in the background. In footage our own Jason Berry took of this level, we saw Sonic running in the background at one point while someone played Amy. So maybe these moments are meant to convey other characters participating in the adventure during single player?
Next up, we see the first of those “ginormous creatures” mentioned in the PR materials: a fat flicky! He appears in a cutscene introducing Speed Jungle’s first mini boss, which utilizes a grappling hook similar to what was used in the level earlier. Sonic must spindash up it in order to hit the boss. Afterwards, the flabby flicky celebrates with Sonic at the end of the level.
Act 2 introduces a new gimmick, where Sonic must use a glowing butterfly to illuminate a darkened area of the level. We also get our first look at Sonic’s edge-of-the-platform animation!
Next up, we get to see how physics work on the games grinding vines! Rather than being automated segments with automatic momentum, or something you can fall through if you lose speed, Sonic will instead simply walk when he loses momentum. This is demonstrated when a frog badnik slows Sonic down and he has to regain his speed to grind again.
The final boss attacks Sonic with a extendo arm that goes through the ground, and missiles. Rather than attack the boss directly, Sonic has to avoid the arm until it eventually strikes the boss on its own, and can also damage the boss by knocking blue missiles into it.
Finally, we got a look at an end level cutscene! We got to see this game’s version of an animal capsule, as well as the in-game models of Fang and a mysterious new character (almost certainly the one that was designed by Naoto Ohshima). Fang and the newbie got a humorous little cutscene that also calls back to a trap utilized by Eggman in the first episode of Sonic Mania Adventures!
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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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If you’ve been a fan of the prior 2D animation projects in Sonic Mania, Sonic Origins, and others, get excited, because Sonic Superstars has its own sequences! Our man-with-the-camera over on the show floor this week snagged a clip of the start screen, and the full intro cinematic! You can check it out here:
The video includes a number of known aspects, like Fang, the multiplication power, and some weird robot armor dude? Is this our new antagonist?
Beyond that, the intro features plenty of action from the cast as Tails and the Tornado catch Sonic mid-fall while Knuckles and Amy bash Badniks in a carnival.
We’ll continue to share fresh footage throughout our Summer Game Fest coverage, so stay tuned!
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IDW Sonic comic author and Sonic Frontiers story writer Ian Flynn has teased his involvement around the recently-announced Sonic Superstars. But, he’s not working on the game itself.
Writing on his personal social media channel, Flynn hinted that an associated project related to Sonic Superstars is in the works.
“For those asking: no I’m not involved with the game [Sonic Superstars],” the writer explained. “Nope. Not the game.” He added his trademark “Knowing Smile” phrase that suggests that something is going down.
What do you think it could be? Flynn has been involved in some game tie-in comics and other media in the past, most recently for Sonic Frontiers’ prologue comics. Maybe we will see a similar one-shot arrive ahead of Superstars’ launch?
Time will tell – but for now let’s have fun speculating!
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Well strike us down if the hits just don’t keep on coming with Sonic Superstars! Your eyes don’t deceive you – after a many-year hiatus, everyone’s favourite Wolf/Gerboa is back as an antagonist in the upcoming 2D Classic Sonic game. And this time, it sounds like he has a friend; designed by none other than the original designer of Sonic himself!
Fang the Sniper (or Nack the Weasel, as the character was known in the West during the 1990s) was a sneaky gun-toting foe of Sonic’s that originally appeared in the Game Gear classic, Sonic Triple Trouble. Besides a brief stint in spinoff game Sonic the Fighters, however, the character has not been seen or recognised in the franchise since. So for big Fang fans (like me!), his return as an enemy in Sonic Superstars is super exciting!
But if you’re quick you can also spot him sneaking about at the very start of the trailer too!
What’s more, is that a press release for the game has revealed that original Sonic designer Naoto Ohshima is on board with SEGA and Sonic Team to create a brand new character that Sonic and his friends will have to face. We are taking this to mean that whoever this mysterious new foe is will be teaming up with Fang in some way as well (after all, the Weasel does like to have a contingency plan in place!).
We’ll share more details about Sonic Superstars as we get it!
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SEGA have today announced a brand new 2D Sonic the Hedgehog title, Sonic Superstars, which will hit consoles later in the year.
According to the press release:
Sonic Superstars™, an all-new Sonic the Hedgehog game bringing a new standard of play to classic high-speed 2D Sonic platforming. In Sonic Superstars, Sonic and his friends’ journey starts on the beautiful North Star Islands, a mystical place offering never-before-seen environments, as well as a mysterious story waiting to unfold.
— Sonic the Hedgehog (@sonic_hedgehog) June 8, 2023
Here’s everything you need to know about the game!
1. Ohshima is Back!
That’s right, our favourite Sonic the Hedgehog co-creator is back at the helm on this new Sonic title! Who could be better than Sonic’s dad to be at the helm?
Ohshima-san is overseeing the fresh new 3D look of this platformer.
2. Fang the Sniper is also back!
We were a bit giddy at this news (especially Adam – Fang is his fave!), but the purple peril will be armed with his cork-gun and undoubtedly causing trouble for our heroes!
You’ll have to wait until the end of the trailer to see him (unless you really have eagle-eyes!) but it is well worth it – he even arrives in his own vehicle, the Marvellous Queen!
3. A Whole New World
Sonic and his friends will be travelling to the new environment of North Star Islands, a “mystical place offering never-before-seen environments, as well as a mysterious story waiting to unfold”.
4. The Number of Characters!
That’s right! FOUR CHARACTERS in the initial roster. From the teaser trailer, it looks like players will be able to take control of Amy Rose, alongside our regular trio.
In addition to this, it looks like as a first for a 2D Sonic title, you can play as all characters simultaneously! Awesome (but I still get to be Sonic, you can be Tails).
5. New Abilities Ahoy!
Sonic and pals will be making full use of some pseudo-3D features, such as wall running and waterfall climbing in this new installment. Undoubtedly each character looks to have some unique abilities – such as an ability to clone!
6. Special Stages on Steroids
We get a brief glimpse at the new Special Stages in Sonic Superstars, that look to take notes from some of the original rotating zones from the original title.
In addition to that, it looks as though there will also be 3D environments in some special stages through which the player must navigate dangers.
7. Pac Man Fever
While the new game will make use of 3D models and assets, the game will also give nods back to the classic 16-bit look as well.
Oddly, we also see our heroes transform into jellyfish characters, vaguely reminiscent of the ghosts from Pac Man. Why do they transform? We are yet to find out!
8. Let’s Get Physical
The game will be released both digitally and Physically across all major platforms for the RRP of $59.99, so those of you looking to invest in a hard copy won’t have to wait for, say, Sonic Superstars Plus!
Are you folks excited? We certainly are!
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It seems like the back-breaking hard work Tomoya Ohtani has put into the amazing Sonic Frontiers soundtrack hasn’t put him off from making music for a while, as he appears to be already working on some “cool new thing”! We wonder what it is…
The Sonic series sound director posted the above photo of himself in the workplace earlier today, with the phrase: “Working hard on some cool new thing. We are moving on to the next chapter.” What a tease!
Thinking about what this all could mean, we have a few thoughts. He could be hinting at some new audio work for Sonic Frontiers (we are due some significant story DLC in the second half of this year, after all). Aside from that, the musician has been involved with the Sonic Symphony live show, which is debuting a World Tour in London and LA in September.
Or, and we’re just speculating here, he could of course be talking about a new Sonic project entirely..?
No doubt we’ll find out soon enough! What do you think Ohtani-san is working on?
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If you’re tempted to get a physical copy of Sonic Origins Plus when it releases in a couple weeks’ time, then you may want to check in with European limited editions specialist Pix’n Love Games, which has announced that it is working with SEGA and PLAION to release a ‘Collectors Edition’ of the compilation.
Posted on the company’s social media channels earlier today, Pix’n Love Games called for all “die hard Sonic fans” to simply stay tuned for more details. No details have so far been revealed as to what such a Collector’s Edition might include, but Pix’n Love is no stranger to working with SEGA on special game releases, so chances are there may be some additional things here that would be worth your time.
It appears that the tweet from Pix’n Love announcing the Sonic Origins Plus Collector’s Edition from yesterday (as reported above) has been deleted. The only reference to anything Sonic-related is a tweet from 7 June asking fans to “see you tomorrow”. We’ve reached out to Pix’n Love for an update and we’ll share if we get an answer.
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The release date for Paramount Plus’ Knuckles has been casually revealed by one of its cast members on Twitter. Kid Cudi, who plays an unknown character on the show, has confirmed that filming on the show has wrapped, and that it will be out this fall. Knuckles officially began filming in London less than two months ago.
BREAKING: Seems we have a date for the #Knuckles show on Paramount+!
— Sonic Stadium ✪ Sonic News & Community (@sonicstadium) June 7, 2023
This is the first time anyone connected to the production has given us an updated timeframe beyond “2023.” Paramount itself will, of course, reveal a more exact release date at some point in the future.
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In a press release today, Los Angeles-based toy and game company KessCo has announced a licensing partnership with SEGA of America for new Sonic products hitting in 2024. The line is expected to include “tabletop games, card games and outdoor play items.” Though no products have been announced yet, the release does note that SEGA will be at the Licensing Expo next week in Las Vegas.
KessCo boasts a surprisingly diverse lineup of toys, including hobbyist board games, puzzles, and outdoor novelties. While their website immediately shows off bright and colorful hula hoops, sprinklers, foam balls, and jump ropes, they also publish other branded items aimed at an older crowd, like board games based on Contra and Mega Man, and anime puzzles featuring Jujutsu Kaisen and Haikyu. CEO Alex Kessler notes that Sonic will be part of their first releases of licensed outdoor toys, stating, “our customers have been asking for Sonic-branded products from us for years. We look forward to continuing to grow our games category through this recent license acquisition, while introducing licensing to our popular outdoor range for the first time.”
Since 2019, Sonic’s appearance in the tabletop gaming scene has boomed for both kids and hobbyists, from 2018’s Sonic Crash Course published by IDW, through to the recent “Chaos Control Game” published by Lisciani in Italy. With KessCo serving such a broad audience, it’s hard to say whether they hope to focus on the young, old, or both, but if you’re itching to get Sonic back to the table, next year seems promising.
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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 Knuckles series for Paramount+ officially entered production last month, and now we seem to have a new official logo. The new logo, which utilizes the app’s trademark white and blue color scheme, is just the series name with Knuckles’ iconic spiked fist in the C, and may not be representative of the final logo, which should be revealed closer to the series’ release.
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It’s that time again! Sonic Channel is asking fans who they would like to see paired with Orbot & Cubot in an upcoming Sonic Calendar 2023 art piece. The choice is between Metal Sonic – Sonic the Hedgehog’s longtime robotic rival – or Gemerl, a key antagonist of Sonic Advance 3.
As with past fantasy polls, it pits a well-known character with one that hasn’t had much presence in the Sonic series since their initial debut. Sonic fans have trended towards voting in the lesser-known character in previous polls, to allow for some interesting artworks. So although Metal Sonic is currently leading the poll with around 52% of the vote… we wouldn’t be surprised at all to see Gemerl ultimately win this one too.
Voting ends on June 5th, and you can go ahead and make your choice known to Sonic Team via the official poll right here.
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Though previously LEGO had shown off four of the rumored five sets that make up their upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog line, they only teased a final set in the trailer.
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SEGA is finally bringing their Sonic Mini Waffle Maker to major retailers, after releasing it exclusively to Dave & Busters as a prize earlier this year. The Sonic-themed kitchen appliance is produced by Uncanny Brands, and is available from that company’s website, as well as Walmart, Target, Amazon and other major retailers for $27.99 (as of this writing, these listings don’t seem to be live). This waffle-making apparatus isn’t just covered in Sonic iconography, but will also brand each and every one of its waffle with Sonic’s face. If you’ve ever wanted to put Sonic’s face on your food, now you can.
According to SEGA, the wafflemaker is making its way to retailers because of fan reception to its initial unveiling as a Dave and Buster prize. “When we first partnered with Uncanny Brands to bring the Sonic the Hedgehog™ waffle maker to Dave & Busters, we saw such a positive reception from fans, that we were eager to roll it out a mini option for purchase at major retailers,” said Maida Chan, Licensing Specialist, “We can’t wait to see the Sonic breakfast creations that come about from these waffle makers.”
The isn’t the first time people have had the opportunity to stick Sonic’s face on a breakfast item, as there was a Sonic-branded toaster some years ago. How about a Sonic head-shaped muffin pan, SEGA? Or Sonic-shaped cast iron for cornbread Sonic heads?
Check out images of the Sonic waffle maker below. It does boast some cosmetic differences from the Dave & Busters version:
The Sonic Stadium may link to retailers and earn a small commission on purchases made from users who click those links. These links will only appear in articles related to the product, in an unobtrusive manner, and do not influence our editorial decisions in any way.
The Sonic Stadium may link to retailers and earn a small commission on purchases made from users who click those links. These links will only appear in articles related to the product, in an unobtrusive manner, and do not influence our editorial decisions in any way.
Former Sonic Team leader and Balan Wonderworld director Yuji Naka has been sentenced to two and a half years in prison for insider trading relating to his time at publisher Square Enix, according to a new Japanese report this morning.
The co-creator of Sonic the Hedgehog concluded his third trial on the matter today, according to Denfaminicogamer.jp, with the courts and prosecution demanding that Naka serve the jail time, alongside two additional fines of ¥2.5 million and ¥170 million.
In response, Naka’s defence team is seeking to reduce the fines levied against him, as well as a suspension of the sentence (whether this means a delayed start to the sentence or a full-blown cancellation remains to be seen).
Naka was previously employed by Final Fantasy publisher Square Enix from 2018 to 2021, working with Sonic co-creator Naoto Ohshima and his team at Arzest to produce Balan Wonderworld. Before that game’s launch, he was removed from the project, and since then the creative has been embroiled in a series of court cases and arrests relating to his time at the company.
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The latest Sonic Channel wallpaper has been revealed by Sonic Team designer Tomoko Hayane – and you probably won’t be surprised to learn that the blue blur himself, Sonic the Hedgehog, is the focus this month.
Celebrating his birthday on the 23rd June, SEGA’s heroic mascot features in this new batch of wallpapers and artwork. From Tomoko Hayane’s notes on the official Sonic Channel website:
Sonic this time looks like he’s recovering from a sudden attack, but on the contrary, he looks like he’s challenging himself. And the fearless smile is cool! Is that your nemesis, Dr. Eggman?
……Well, that’s what I imagine .
From the first appearance of “Sonic the Hedgehog” to the latest work, Sonic has saved the world over and over again with an expression like this illustration, even in situations where many people would despair.
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After nearly 10 months of work, Sonic Triple Trouble 16-bit has received its final update, as well as its long-awaited Android and Mac ports, marking the end of a fan project that began more than a half-decade ago. In a video on his Youtube channel, STT16 director and programmer Noah Copeland revealed everything that the final update would add, before revealing the it and the ports were all being shadowdropped today.
The final update makes some notable changes: it adds a new special stage, a new boss for Knuckles’ campaign, additional cutscene material for the Sonic campaign’s true ending, speed gates for speed runners, and various quality of life improvements.
The new special stage was cut from the initial release, and has the player launching their character into the air in order to collect blue rings while bouncing off black spheres and avoiding the canons that will launch you out of the stage. Collecting 100 blue rings will net the player a life.
Eggman and Metal Sonic become a part of Knuckles’ end game boss rush, with a boss battle specifically built around his climbing and gliding abilities.
The “speed gates” are a new togglable feature that opens special hidden shortcuts in each Act 2. They were specifically added for speed runners, and need to be reached within a certain amount of time or else they’ll close.
Quality of life improvements include the ability to shorten or skip the snowboard mini game, skip the credits and vs mode cutscenes, four checkpoints during Atomic Destroyer’s elevator ride, and an option for continuous play in the Free Play mode.
Copeland also confirmed that Android mobile players will have both touchscreen controls and external controls as options. It is not possible to move the placement of the touchscreen controls, but it’s at least possible to move the placement of the life counter.
Finally, the game’s stellar soundtrack has finally been given an official release! You can download it at the game’s website, which has also received a big update, here. You can download the final update and the ports from the game’s Game Jolt page here.
Copeland also alluded to his future plans: a brand new original game! Be sure to stay tuned to his Youtube channel and Twitter for more news on that project.
For a look at the update, check out Copeland’s announcement video embedded below:
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Hold on to your hats, because it’s Sonic Movie Rumour Time once again! The latest gossip to float around the internet this week is that Parks and Recreation and White Lotus star Aubrey Plaza is being heavily considered for a villain role in the upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog 3.
The news comes from Giant Freakin Robot, which claims that – according to “trusted and proven sources” – filmmakers behind the Paramount Pictures sequel have Plaza as their “top choice to play a villain in Sonic 3.”
Of course, no other details were offered on what particular role the actor would be taking on or even if she has been approached to sign on to the movie. So take all of this with the largest pinch of salt that you can find. A handful, if you like. Chuck it over your shoulder, just like that.
Despite the lack of information, there is room for speculation here. If this rumour ends up being true, odds are that Rouge the Bat would be a possibility, given the suggestion that Sonic 3’s storyline (of which we also know nothing about right now) would follow that of the Sonic Adventure 2 video game in some way.
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First4Figures’ latest Sonic PVC statue, based on Sonic’s iconic Adventure 1 box art pose, is finally priced and up for pre-order. The statue comes in three variants including basic, collectible, and definitive, though only the latter two are currently available on F4F’s website. This is notable, since the website won’t charge you the full price immediately, and also allows for installation payments. F4F’s website gives the statues a broad Q4 release date, while Entertainment Earth says they will be released in November, and SEGA Shop Europe gives them an October date.
Details on the statues, including photos, pricing, and pre-order links are below:
Basic
The cheapest statue, it lacks any sort of the bells and whistles of the other editions, including the circular base. It’s dimensions are H: 8.3″ (21cm) x W: 6.3″ (16cm) x D: 5.6″ (14.2cm). Not available on F4F’s website.
Can be bought at Entertainment Earth for $89.99 here. Europeans can obtain a statue from SEGA Europe’s shop for £79.99 here.
Collector’s Edition
This statue includes a circular base illuminated by an LED. The lighting can either be static or animated. It’s dimensions are H: 9.1″ (23cm) x W: 6.5″ (16.5cm) x D: 6.9″ (17.5cm), and it’s priced at $119.99/£99.99.
You can get it from F4F’s website here. You can get it from SEGA Shop Europe here.
Definitive Edition
This edition adds a resin ring around Sonic, illuminated by LEDs. The LEDs can either be static or animated. The speed of the animation can be adjusted with a dial on the back. Only a limited number of these statues will be produced, and each statue will receive its own number and authentication card. It’s dimensions are H: 10.8″ (27.5cm) x W: 10.6″ (27cm) x D: 7″ (18cm). The statue currently has an early bird price of $279.99 on F4F, which will last until June 26. After that, the statue will be priced at $299.99. It’s £259.99 at SEGA Shop Europe.
You can pre-order it from F4F’s shop here, or from SEGA Europe here.
Finally, if you want to see these statues in motion, you can check out the Youtube video below:
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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 are increasingly living in a golden age of Sonic television media. We not only have two TV shows in production, but nearly every Sonic TV show is now back in print with new Complete Series releases! The latest show to get this treatment is DiC’s final Sonic show, Sonic Underground. This releases marks the show’s first appearance on physical media since 2017, and the first time it has ever received a Complete Series release in a single volume.
The show will span 4 DVDs, and has an MSRP of $24.99. It is scheduled to release on July 25, 2023. You can find the original listing we used for this report here. If you want to read up on Sonic Underground, we have a helpful guide on Sonic’s many forays into TV here.
Check out the DVD box art below:
With this release, only a few Sonic TV releases remain out of print: Sonic Christmas Blast, and more frustratingly, Sonic the Hedgehog SatAM and the Sonic the Hedgehog OVA. Here’s hoping this is rectified soon!
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The Sonic Stadium may link to retailers and earn a small commission on purchases made from users who click those links. These links will only appear in articles related to the product, in an unobtrusive manner, and do not influence our editorial decisions in any way.
It’s starting to feel like a little Sonic the Comic reunion! Nigel Kitching, a writer known for his work on Fleetway’s UK-exclusive Sonic the Comic series, has been confirmed as one of the six writers who will be working on the Sonic’s 900th Adventure one-shot. He will be joining fellow Sonic the Comic alumni Richard Elson, who was confirmed as one of the comic’s cover artists last week. Elson has not yet been announced as one of the comic’s interior artists. The other members of the writing team include the comic’s current headwriter, Evan Stanley, longtime Sonic writer Ian Flynn, Scrapnik Island author Daniel Barnes, as well as Caleb Goellner and Aaron Hammerstrom.
The comic has also been confirmed for an August 16 release date, roughly two week ahead of IDW’s “Endless Summer” Sonic one-shot, which’ll be arriving August 30. The comic’s story will center around Sonic and friends playing “hot potato” with the warp topaz, trying to keep it from warping the world into oblivion.
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SEGA has revealed some dates for the Sonic Symphony’s upcoming world tour. The show will be debuting in London on September 16 at the Barbican Hall, followed by a showing in Los Angeles on September 30 at the Dolby Theatre. Further showtimes will be revealed in the future, and the world tour will continue to run into 2024.
As for ticket pre-orders, Sonic Symphony newsletter subscribers will get to pre-order their tickets at 10AM local time for the venue on May 25. The general public will get to pre-order a day later on May 26, at 10 AM local time for the venue. In order to buy tickets (and sign up for the newsletter), you’ll need to head over to the Sonic Symphony website.
The symphony will include a wide range of songs from across Sonic’s 30+ year history, including symphonic renditions of classic 8-bit/16-bit tracks, EDM and rock. The press release only confirms that the rock music will be played “by a rock band,” but certain shows will have special guest stars, to be confirmed at a later date. The exact songs to be featured at these shows have not been confirmed at this time, though it will presumably share many picks from the original streamed show from 2021.
Stay tuned to Sonic Stadium for future details!
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SEGA executives have expressed an interest in adapting other company IPs and brands into big-screen movies, following the success of the Sonic the Hedgehog Paramount films.
VGC reports that, during an investor Q&A that has just been translated into English, SEGA Sammy CEO Haruki Satomi and CFO Koichi Fukazawa were asked about the possibility of making non-Sonic movies to “improve their brand power”.
In response, the company said, “We would like to take on challenges outside of the Sonic IP should the opportunity arise.
“If we can match the timing of game launches to the release of movies, it would be extremely effective from a marketing perspective and there are also significant benefits, such as increasing awareness of our IP and increasing the number of touch points for customers, as we achieved with the Sonic movie.”
It’s no wonder that SEGA is keen to explore this. Sonic the Hedgehog was produced by Paramount Pictures, released in 2020 and grossed around $320 million at the box office – while its sequel premiered last year and generated over $400 million. As a result, a third movie is planned for release in December 2024 and a Knuckles TV show is in production for streaming service Paramount Plus.
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Well that was quick! IDW’s Sonic the Hedgehog Issue #60 has barely been on store shelves for a day or so, and already preview pages are appearing for Issue #61.
The above page was spotted by a keen-eyed social media account, as most likely an advance leak from the usual original comic preview sources such as Previews World (which currently doesn’t have pages for this issue lined up yet).
As a reminder, Sonic #61 is set to be the finale of the current arc, so it’s probably fair that IDW wants to get preview pages out sooner rather than later so they can wrap things up for the next storyline.
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We love good music here at Stadium Towers. It’s not all just Crush 40 and Tomoya Ohtani either – sometimes we listen to good old ‘normie’ bands as well. Like Tenacious D, a rock comedy duo featuring frequently topless middle-aged men that sing acoustic melodies about karate and dodgy sex acts and… hm.
Anyway, the double-act of Jack Black and Kyle Gass have recently released a new song, all about video games! And not only is it a banger, it also features Sonic the Hedgehog references!
Watch it below:
The Sonic cameo appears at the 0:20 mark, and involves Black and Gass assuming the roles of Sonic and Tails respectively. The pair also insert themselves into a number of other video game series, while they sing about not really being interested in the hobby (although they secretly kind of are).
It’s a great short song, with some brilliant animation, and we wanted to post it here and help brighten up your day ahead of the weekend ahead. Happy Friday!
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![Pix’n Love Announces Sonic Origins Plus Collector’s Edition [U]](https://archive.sonicstadium.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/9CAE0F03-F372-4F28-8DAF-BAD355371358.jpeg)
