The U.S. Official Xbox site Xbox.com has put up a product page for SEGA’s first Kinect for Xbox 360 title Sonic Free Riders where there are some juicy new details about it’s online and offline modes revealed which you can take a look at below –
Offline features:
– Players: 1-4
– Players Co-op: 1-4
– Multiplayer Versus
– In-game Dolby Digital
– HDTV 720p
– Storage Device
Xbox Live features:
– Players: 2-12
– Content Downloads
– Leaderboards
– Voice Messaging
– Voice Support
The page also reveals the game is being made by Japanese developer O-Two and will be an Xbox Live Arcade title, which is odd as since the games announcement there has been a temporary retail type boxart going around plus SEGA’s product page has the platform listed as Xbox 360 instead of Xbox Live Arcade like they usually list downloadable titles such as Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1. The official Xbox forum staff have also placed the games sub forum under the Xbox Live Arcade section.
That’s the new info for Sonic Free Riders, we’ll keep you up to date as more info is revealed.
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Want a Chaos Emerald fuelled super powered hedgehog in your merchandise collection? Well want no more as First 4 Figures have lifted the lid on the latest figure, Super Sonic! When can you get it and for how much? That information hasn’t been revealed yet but as seen in the above ad originally posted on their Facebook page, you can pre-order from June 22nd to make sure you get your figure.
Source: First 4 Figures Facebook via Emerald Coast
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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tbOX-qnKpY[/youtube]
NintendoDifference have managed to get a recording of the Sonic Colours title screen and more importantly the World Map where we can see 9 areas and Eggman’s rocket ship of which 8 have locks on including Eggman’s Rocket suggesting that will be a final 10th level with the inevitable last battle with Eggman. The planet’s all look like they have quite a variety of things going on and the top right one even looks a little like Metal Sonic, speculate away as to what you think each planet might hold in the comments.
Thanks to Woun at the SSMB for sending me the find and upscaled title screen and World Map pics!
In other news Gametrailers have uploaded 4 videos of Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1, 2 each covering a full Act from Splash Hill Zone and the final one showcasing the boss battle with Eggman where we also see Sonic’s looking up screen scrolling animation. A tidbit yes but cool nonetheless. You can view them all at the links below –
Act 1
Act 2
Act 3
Boss
We’ve also come across another Sonic 4 video interview from The Review Crew with SEGA of America’s Ken Balough where he reveals there won’t be big lengths of time between releasing episodes. Check it out below –
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yok32EoJ5Q&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]
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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akVEubIdtM4[/youtube]
Gametrailers have uploaded some new videos showcasing even more gameplay footage Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 and Sonic Colours Wii but with the added bonus of the games staff members giving out some more details as they play. The staff on hand are David Allen, SEGA of America Brand Manager (Sonic Colours) and Ken Balough, SEGA of America Associate Brand Manager (Sonic 4). David doesn’t reveal much apart from the fact that both versions of Sonic Colours will have online leaderboards where you can post up your best Act clear times. Ken Balough doesn’t really reveal anything we don’t already know either but the footage is nice. Check out the Sonic 4 videos at the below aswell as a Sonic Colours on screen camera recording of Sweet Mountain Act 1.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHPmA1Je1yw[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-tC9s3i4vM[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SoN04tUv4o[/youtube]
Sonic 4 walkthrough video 1 and video 2.
Sonic Colours developer walkthrough
Sweet Mountain Act 1 gameplay video
Many thanks to Woun at the SSMB for the Sonic Colours heads up and YouTube video conversions, appreciate it!
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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZbCPzlfZIM[/youtube]
IGN got to actually get inside Sonic Free Riders E3 greenhouse glass sealed area and get an extensive look at the games’ menu’s and first level aswell as hear details about the game, it’s development and it’s music and sound effects. Menu wise we see some of the Extreme Gears(the hover boards) in the game aswell as the characters seen in previous videos, the menu is very interactive with Microsoft’s Kinect for Xbox 360 device like the whole dashboard seen at Microsoft’s press conference.
Though they could film the SEGA rep and his actions, filming of the game still required IGN’s camera to be outside of the glass box but they still managed to a good view of the screen. SEGA’s rep reveals that character type specific short cuts are back as standard such as Knuckles’ punching ability to get through walls, the level-up system is in the E3 demo but the developers are still discussing wether that will stay in the game or not. The rep makes a point that nothing in the game at this stage of development is set in stone so we could still see alot of things change as we build up to release which SEGA has set as Late 2010.
IGN eyes-on impressions link
IGN video demonstration direct link
Thanks to Yong at the SSMB for the find and thanks to Woun also at the SSMB for the YouTube video conversion!
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODE45Y3hpiM[/youtube]
We’ve also come aross another gameplay video of Wave the Swallow in action by SBARTSTV which you can view above.
Thanks to Sweet Mountain Zone at the SSMB for the heads up on the second video!
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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WiV3MRD9djA&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]
GameStop (that’s not a typo, I do mean GameStop not GameSpot) are at E3 and have managed to grab the above interview with SEGA of America Community Manager Aaron Webber or RubyEclipse as alot of you will know him. Aaron is asked about Valkyria Chronicles 2 on PSP and Vanquish on Xbox 360/PS3 but if you skip to the 3:13 mark he speaks about Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1. Aaron reiterates the announcement a short while back regarding the games extra development time that’s been added to implement fan feedback to the game while also reaffirming the fact that the E3 demo contains just a few changes with more to come. As soon as we hear about the further edits we’ll let you know.
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Well, like I promised you guys, I hunted down the person in charge of the Sonic Adventure booth, and asked him a few questions. Here are the details.
Sonic Adventure will not have widescreen OR the Game Gear games. He was not able to tell me what the DLC will be.
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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYUMbe2ThIg&playnext_from=TL&videos=irHS5t5-gNc&feature=recentf[/youtube]
We posted some Sweet Mountain Wii gameplay footage yesterday that claimed to be Act 1 footage but now we have a video of the full Act 2 E3 demo from WiiNintendo’s YouTube channel including Act 2 title cards that prove yesterdays video from HedgehogZone was in fact Act 2 footage. Despite being the same stage, the footage shown yesterday was barely over a minute long while this video displays the full E3 demo of the stage so it’s still worth a look. In the extra footage we get to see more side-scrolling action including a pool of popcorn(yes popcorn) and some more platforming which should put a smile on some faces before finishing with a grind rail ring collectathon.
We’ll keep an eye out for some Act 1 gameplay footage and report back here but it appears that this level is cut short for the E3 demo which is evident by the Act ending with a Goal Ring instead of a Wisp capsule, plus there is an Egg Pawn aswell as some obstactles on a path seen behind the goal ring so Act 1 might not be on the showfloor which would explain why the first video poster HedgehogZone mistook the stage for Act 1 despite the Act 2 notice at the start.
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UPDATE:
Screwattack’s Ben has added a short video preview of the DS version revealing Sonic’s Slide technique seen in the Wii version is in the DS version which is activated by sliding your finger on the touch screen.
Check it out here.
Thanks to chaoscontrol14 at the SSMB for the heads up!
/UPDATE END
Screwattack’s resident Sonic fan Ben has posted up a video preview of the Wii version of Sonic Colours including his very positive impressions of the game, the only problem that he seemed to have was with drifting which is controlled with the Nunchuk. Another of Sonic’s techniques from Sonic Unleashed have been brought over to this game, the Quick Step which allows you to quickly move left or right to avoid obstacles.
Check it out here.
Thanks to Hedgehog Unleashed at the SSMB for the Screwattack find!
Gametrailers have posted up an HD quality on screen recording of the Wii version in play which gives us an extensive look at the alternate paths you can take in the Tropical Resort Zone aswell as some of the treasures you can find digging around with the Yellow Wisp’s drill powers. We also get a better look at how the Cyan Wisp’s powers at work which involve you charging up a spin dash, aiming and then blasting off temporarily in a flash, ricocheting off of walls and taking out any enemies in your path. You can also hear the music of the stage, sound effects, Eggman’s commentary and some announcer guys voice that pops up when Sonic does an action such as when activating the Yellow Drill Wisp it shouts “Spin it!”.
Check the footage out here.
Thanks to Woun at the SSMB for the Gametrailers find!
The game looks to be shaping up quite well, what do you guys think? Speak out in the comments.
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SEGA of America community staff member Kellie has confirmed via Twitter that Kinect for Xbox 360 is the only control method for Sonic Free Riders.
Sonicfan1989 put this question to SEGA –
@SEGA does sonic free riders for kinect is it possible to use just the control? like for those who cant afford a new 360 and kinect?
to which Kellie responded with the below answer –
@sonicfan1989 No, you will need Kinect to play Sonic Free Riders. ^kellie
Since the games official announcement some fans who are unsure about the new Kinect for Xbox 360 technology and those who don’t like motion controls in general have been wondering if ordinary controller compatibility will be in the game but now it looks like Kinect is your only option. From what gameplay footage we’ve seen of both single player and split-screen it appears the game plays fine thus far with the Kinect device not having any problems detecting movement from both SEGA representatives demonstrating the game and controls can only improve during development in the run up to the games release of Late 2010.
What are your thoughts on this news? Let us know in the comments.
Thanks to tjthefox for the heads up!
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SEGA have updated the official Sonic the Hegdehog 4: Episode 1 website but not with the usual content you’d expect, instead they’ve unveiled a surprise Sonic 4 Fansite Kit #1 which contains artwork, Xbox 360 version screenshots, music and a wallpaper. The content isn’t anything we haven’t already seen on the website but you have to admit it’s still pretty cool of SEGA to bundle it altogether for you to view, listen to and use however you wish on your computer outside of the internet.
Thanks to Crash at the SSMB for the heads up!
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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEGpGDAwzK0&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-b0CJByiSLI&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]
Courtesy of shigamodo and VGPTGS we have some new gameplay footage of both Wii and DS versions of Sonic Colours. The DS video gives us a much clearer look than previous videos since the gameplay is being fed through a specially designed monitor (or monitors should we say?) and in the footage we can exactly how the Red Wisp’s fire abilities benefit Sonic by giving an air dash type of attack similar to that of Sonic 3’s, only now he can boost in any direction.
The Wii footage shows more of Sweet Mountain Zone where we see there are some simple puzzles in place to open sections of the act before you can continue and we also see the double jump we saw in previous footage, but now it’s use is more clearly revealed. Double jump hasn’t been seen in a 3D Sonic game since Sonic R, are you glad to see it’s return? Let us know in the comments.
Thanks to Dabnikz at the SSMB for the heads up on both videos!
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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9SCBDcDK74[/youtube]
Thanks to PunchJump we now have the above video of two player split-screen action in Sonic Free Riders. We see more of Jet the Hawk and get our first look at Tails being played in the game by the second player. Microsoft’s Kinect for Xbox 360 device doesn’t appear to have any problems detecting both players movement even with all of the waving going on so controls aren’t a big issue thus far and no doubt improvements will be made in the run up to release Late 2010.
Thanks to Woun at the SSMB for the heads up!
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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HTT4ji3HJo[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAbo1dfjRjA&playnext_from=TL&videos=gZVAsVTNcNc&feature=sub[/youtube]
After bringing us some video helpings of Sonic Colours and Sonic Free Riders, Destructoid give us some footage of the Xbox Live Arcade version Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1. Shown in the footage is the Splash Hill Zone which SEGA informed before the event kicked off is the only level available in the E3 demo and in it we can see some of the few tweaks that have been added already such as momentum, speed and jump fixes. SEGA stated before the event kicked off that many more changes are to be made during development before release Late 2010.
On top of that, another media outlet Touch Arcade give us a look at the iPhone version which judging by the footage is looking as good and playing as well as the console version so portable gamers can’t go wrong with this version.
We’ll keep a look out for Sonic 4 media and post back here, for now debate away in the comments. Thanks to mickbyte for the heads up!
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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHMHMupoSDE&feature=channel[/youtube]
Destructoid have uploaded a new video of their experience with Sonic Colours on Wii and it’s much longer than the extremely short gameplay video that hit the net earlier. In the video we see an whole act in action which contains plenty of things for Sonic to interact with including balloons, rails, trick rings and tight spaces for Sonic to slide under. Sonic’s techniques are taken straight from Sonic Unleashed such as homing attack, stomp and slide, movement control looks to also be similar to Unleashed.
Cyan and Yellow Wisp’s special abilities are also shown in this video though as cool as they look their powers are over within the blink of an eye so it appears they aren’t very interactive apart from aiming which may disappoint some fans. White Wisps appear to not aid Sonic with any powers and are instead collected then freed at the end of a stage.
We’ll keep an eye out for more media regarding Sonic Colours and post anything we find right here, meanwhile you can discuss this video in our comments section.
Thanks to EXshad at the SSMB for the heads up!
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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1kFJdxjm2c&feature=channel[/youtube]
Destructoid have posted up the first gameplay video of Sonic Free Riders on their YouTube channel. As we informed earlier, the demo is limited to demonstrations by SEGA staff only within a clear glass box for press to view the game through. The demo contains a selectable character roster of Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Jet, Wave and Storm (though Amy can also be seen as an AI character) and a few laps of just one track.
The game looks to be going back to its air system seen in the first game where you gain air depending on a ranking you obtain from pulling off tricks on jumps then spending your air on boosting, only now players don’t leave air streams behind to drag others off course. As explained in the games press release you can use Kinect’s motion controls to launch items at your opponents but it seems you can also use Kinect controls when attacked such as clearing sludge off your screen when it is thrown at you. Kinect is also used in the track demoed to swim in a short water area, the faster you swim the quicker you move which fits in well with a racing game such as this.
Check out the video yourself and let us know your oppinions in the comments!
Thanks to riaz976 at the SEGA Forums for the find!
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1up.com have posted up 2 gameplay videos of the DS version of Sonic Colours, one showcases an act which as guessed from screenshots plays very much like Sonic Rush while the other video contains a boss battle where we see the red Wisp’s fire powers used in combat. Nothing much else is shown but we expect this is only the start of more media to come flooding in regarding Sonic Colours.
1up video 1
1up video 2
Thanks to PC the Hedgehog at the SSMB for the heads up!
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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEqfP2RVA5c&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]
A user called tmacvskb8 has posted up the first Sonic Colours Wii gameplay footage from E3, the clip is very short but gives us a look at Sonic’s movement and the lock-on homing attack aswell as Sonic’s ring loss animation. Not much else to see in this short teaser but if anything more significant hits the net from the show floor we’ll post it up.
Thanks to Azure Lakeara Zone at the SSMB for the heads up!
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SEGA of America have posted up some photo’s on their blog of the innards of their E3 booth aswell as a few details about the games being showcased, the blog confirms Sonic Free Riders is at the booth but not in playable form so anyone interested in the game will have to watch a member of SEGA’s team play the game through a clear glass box.
The game is being demoed in a semi see-through room, so you can watch the player twist, jump, throw, and lean to interact with the game.
Looking at the screen in the photo you can see the player is controlling Storm and all of the usual Riders series HUD is back including a gauge but there is nothing to show if this will control air or a gravity mechanism yet. Sonic’s other upcoming 2010 titles Sonic Colours(both Wii and DS versions) and Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 are also present at the booth in playable form.
For pictures of SEGA’s booth outside of the Sonic departments visit SEGA of America’s blog.
Thanks to Stasis Colours at the SSMB for the heads-up!
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Nintendo’s E3 press conference is over and among the 3rd party publishers confirmed to be creating titles for Nintendo’s new 3DS device SEGA’s name was shown. After the conference a document hit the net(displayed above) showing a list of titles confirmed to to be in the works by various publishers reveals both Sonic and the Super Monkey Ball franchises will be hitting 3DS. Nothing apart from the tentative titles is shown but we’ll keep an eye out for anything substantial.
Thanks to remy at the SSMB for the document and Gnasher for the heads up!
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After yesterdays official reveal of Kinect for Xbox 360 title Sonic Free Riders SEGA of Japan have now launched their official website for the game which gives us our first look at the game via 3 screenshots and a background image on the site showing one of the tracks. The screens show how the game is played via a silhouette displaying body actions for steering, balancing and collecting rings. Nothing else is shown on the site apart from already seen artwork of Sonic and Jet but no doubt the site will expand as time goes by.
Thanks to Sweet Mountain Zone at the SSMB for the heads up and thanks to Woun also at the SSMB for grabbing the screens and background!
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After CVG revealed 5 new Wii screenshots SEGA have released more screens of both versions of Sonic Colours via their Flickr account aswell as some hi-res pieces of artwork. From the new Wii screens we learn that Wisps will be contained in capsules much like the ones we’ve seen items be held within in pretty much every game since Sonic Adventure. In the DS screenshots we can see how Sonic Rush inspired the game is with the boost returning and the bright 2D stages but with both Rush games so well received that can’t be a bad thing can it? Check out all of the screens and artwork at the bottom of this article.
Joystiq have posted up their impressions of the E3 demo of the Wii version which sounds pretty positive, here are some of their main points –
•Sonic doesn’t talk. There are no conversations or text screens — just Sonic running around a lot, very quickly. The game was described to me by a developer as, “Sonic Unleashed minus everything but the running,” and that seemed an apt description, as Sonic races over huge walkways, bounces off of springs, and homes in on enemies, combo-ing them them in groups if timed exactly right.
•The cast is kept to a minimum. Well, the “colors” could be counted as friends, I guess, but they’re really just power-ups, activated by waggling the Wiimote. In the part I played, Sonic hit a yellow color creature, and waving the remote turned him into a drill that had him digging in any direction across a 2D plane, seeking out secret stashes of rings in the giant environment. A green color creature creates a laser that will aim Sonic and then launch him back out into the level.
•It’s fast. Sonic Adventure fast. The levels I played were bright and colorful, one long sprint of dodging and jumping and Sonic doing what he does best.
•I was told that there wasn’t a hub world, but there was definitely a map screen, showing off a series of planets in space from which Sonic could visit and access levels. In fact, my first reaction to seeing the game was: “Sonic Galaxy.” That’s not a bad thing, right?
Full Joystiq preview
Thanks to Mr.S at the SSMB for the heads up on the preview!
SEGA’s Sonic Colours Flickr set
Wii screens:
DS screens:
Artwork:
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There’s no gameplay footage, just more CG. But you get a sample of the theme song.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7bt49zGN8g&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]
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CVG have just revealed the above batch of new screenshots of the Wii version of Sonic Colours that SEGA have released to the press for E3 which showcase the two areas Tropical Resort and Sweet Mountain that Nintendo Power readers will have exclusively seen previously but now you can see the levels in beautiful high resolution. If SEGA’s previous multi-format title media releases are anything to go by we will no doubt see a DS batch of screenshots soon enough which if come to light we’ll post here.
CVG have also posted up their preview of the E3 demo where they reveal the game will have Acts and Wii Remote controlled drifting will be used for sections of stages to maintain speed like in Unleashed. In their final summary CVG reiterate the difficulty level being aimed at younger gamers but they think older gamers will find plenty to do.
The general difficulty of Sonic Colours will suit younger fans; zones still fly by and you’ll wonder at times just how much control you actually have. But each level is crammed, throwing you from one experience to the next. Couple that with the vibrant, colourful new world though and hopefully older Sonic fans will have enough to go at too.
Source:
Full CVG Preview
CVG Screenshots
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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oobVTAz_0U[/youtube]
E3 2010 is getting closer and some of the media are already kicking off their coverage including Gamespot who yesterday posted up the above Sonic 4 interview with Ken Balough who’s role is Associate Digital Brand Manager at SEGA. Ken reveals all 3 Act’s of Splash Hill Zone will be playable at E3 including the boss battle, he says they’ve taken the Special Stages(where motion control’s will now be optional) out of the demo to keep the queue moving so everyone can get to play the game.
Alot of the info gained from the interview we already know from past interviews but the footage shown is new in the sense that we can just barely see some of the changes already implemented such as a fix to Sonic’s speed momentum and accelleration meaning Spin Dash is more useful, tweaks to the jump appear to have also been made so it’s less floaty. Ken says you won’t see all of the changes made in the E3 demo so we’ll have to wait until a later date to see those. Judge for yourself from the footage and see if you notice any changes then let us know your thoughts in the comments.
Source: Gamespot
Thanks to Sykotech at the SSMB for the heads up and thanks to Phos there for the YouTube coversion of the video.
TSS Staffer nuckles87 and new member of the team Jason the Jackass will be attending E3 to bring readers of The Sonic Stadium exclusive coverage of all things Sonic aswell as bringing SEGA Bits exclusive coverage of SEGA’s other titles on the show floor so stick with us for all of your E3 Sonic needs.
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Well, we’ve seen Sonic Adventure rated by South Korea, and Australia’s OFLC…but now we’ve finally got a confirmation from America’s ESRB.
Interesting thing to note here: both Sonic Adventure AND Sonic Adventure DX have been rated, individually. Perhaps both versions will be available in some way? Hopefully, we’ll find out at E3.
Source: SegaBITS
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Heads up! The Summer of Sonic website has revealed the intended location for this year’s convention. Following the announcement some months ago that the venue would be situated in London, attendees now know to head to Shepherd’s Bush for The Pavilion, a 1000-people strong space that offers a huge opportunity for some Sonic-based fun!
The website also provides a notice explaining the reason behind the venue’s delayed announcement. From the post:
“Various factors come into play when it comes to hiring a professional venue for an event – there’s signing of contracts, adding of accounts, and various clauses that need to be discussed at length before a deal between parties can be made final. Last year… we went through a similar process to this year to lock down the Truman Brewery. The fact that we have changed our venue for 2010 means all of that background work had to be done again.”
So there you have it. But, you already booked your hotels and flights and travel months ago anyway, right? So the delayed announcement is something of a moot point. As it happens, Shepherd’s Bush Tube station – one of the closest to the venue – is simple to get to on the Central (red) line on the London Underground map. A Google map location can be found here.
Click here to head to the Summer of Sonic 2010 post regarding this announcement.
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UPDATE: We’ve just been given the following info via the comments section from long time ONM subscriber and Sonic Relief founder MK –
MK says:
2 June, 2010 at 11:29 pm (Edit)@Shadzter: Hate to break it to you, but this is a preview from an old issue that they’ve only just now put online. So everything you read is at least a month or two out of date.
So the removal of motion controlled act’s may still be rumour for now.
/UPDATE END
Official Nintendo Magazine UK have posted a new preview for Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 on their website together with a bunch of screenshots of Splash Hill Zone in the WiiWare version. Most interesting is the part about the Special Stages and motion control aspects where ONM confirm rumours going around the Sonic community that the two motion controlled Act’s have been removed from the console versions of the game.
A Special Surprise
The Special Stage is a fantastic update of the spinny, psychedelic one from the first Sonic game. In the original, you had to guide Sonic through a maze of coloured stones to reach a Chaos Emerald. It’s exactly the same here, with the same lovely sound effect going off every time Sonic bumps into one of the colour-changing gems, and the same familiar chime when he picks up the Emerald at the end of the stage.
There are a couple of additions this time though. There are also ring gates that you can’t get past unless you’ve collected enough rings, so if you haven’t managed it you need to go back and get more. What’s more, the Special Stages also have motion control, so you’ll be tilting Sonic left and right with the Remote.
I Second That Motion
This is the only time you’ll be tilting the Remote in the game, and it works. The Special Stages look superb and the addition of tilting controls doesn’t seem to detract from the experience whatsoever. And yes, the rest of the main game is very much the traditional D-pad and buttons setup from previous Sonic games.
Overall the preview is very positive, ONM continually throughout express their love for the games classic Mega Drive controls, feel and design especially the momentum required to build up your speed from the classic Sonic games. You can check out the preview for yourself in full with screenshots over at ONM’s website.
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According to a report from Joystiq a new Project Natal compatible entry in the Sonic Riders series will be announced for Xbox 360’s Xbox Live Arcade at this years E3 giving you the ability to play as your Avatar on one of the games Extreme Gears using the Natal’s motion controls. Microsoft will be holding a seperate show to their Press Conference specifically for Project Natal and it’s software so we’ll keep an eye out there for this title(if it’s real). Would you like a new entry in the Sonic Riders series? Let us know in the comments.
Thanks to Tirann0 at the SSMB for the heads up!
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The Official Japanese Sonic Channel Blog has today confirmed in a new entry Sonic Colours will be present and playable at this years E3, an earlier entry posted 21st May confirms Sonic 4 will also be present and playable too. No other info is given as to what builds to expect or any new trailers or other assets so we’ll have to just wait and see. Be sure to check back with us during the show as we’ll be relaying all info and media that hits the net back to you here.
Thanks to HunterTSF at the SSMB for the heads up!
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UPDATE: Photo’s of the issue of Nintendo Power from shadowthehedgehog are doing the rounds and they confirm the reports he gave earlier that we quoted. Looking at the screenshots the DS version appears to be very much like Rush 3 with the tension gauge(with added Wisp holder), Sonic’s model, the level designs and familiar enemies. The Wii version looks very much like Sonic Unleashed Wii/PS2 with it’s own gauge(that contains a Wisp holder) that and similar HUD but graphically looks better with prettier level designs. Two screens show Wisp powers in action on the Wii version and reveal their powers use the energy in your gauge.
Due to copyright we can’t post the scans here but the magazine will be out 8th June to buy though it can currently be picked up from some stores now according to reports. Thanks to shadowthehedgehog at Find The Computer Room Forums for providing the pics!
/UPDATE END
Long time member of Find The Computer Room Forum shadowthehedgehog claims to have an early subscription copy of Nintendo Power’s next issue due out 8th June which we reported to contain a huge 6 page Sonic Colours preview. shadowthehedgehog has posted up some details from the preview which you can read in the below quotes –
Thanks to my awesomeness I have read the issue of Nintendo Power featuring the game:
The game looks pretty nice, think of it as a prettier looking version of the Wii version of Unleashed, the two zones that were featured were Sweet Mountain zone, and Tropical Reservoir zone, and the former is a mountain of pastries, the said they wanted to include the crazy level designs from the old games, which is fine by me. It also said that in the 3D sections it will focus more on running from A-B akin to the Daytime stages of Unleashed, while the 2D sections will be more for platforming.
The DS version, can easily be called Sonic Rush 3, it looks exactly like those games, even the tension gauge is there, they said it would be similar to the Wii version.
Tails appears in the story but Sonic will be the only playable, they said the story is simple, light, and goofy, which is fine by me. Knuckles, and Shadow may also make an appearance in the game.
If someone has scans, please show them, because seeing it, is better than me explaining it.
Oh and Eggmanland makes a return, Yaaayyyy.
Last time I checked the storybook games didn’t have platforming, and there will be platforming.
Also there’s a level with giant Cheeseburgers.
I’m being serious, its really there, you also bounce off jello.
No scans or photo’s are provided so take this as rumour for now but if true it sure sounds like we’re getting a return of some of the wacky and fun levels we’ve come to expect from the 2D Sonic games, only this time they will be in part 3D for the Wii version at least. We’ll let you know when we see some confirmation of these details and more.
Thanks to spiny blue at the SSMB for the heads up!
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According to a report from IGN an iPad version of Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 has been confirmed by SEGA and will be appearing in playable form at E3 alongside the other versions. With the iPhone and iPod Touch versions recently confirmed it would make sense to add support for Apple’s new device during the extra time acquired by the delay of the game to Late 2010, the more the merrier as they say. Since iPad can load iPod Touch and iPhone games could this be a specific version for iPad, perhaps in HD?
In other news SEGA of America Community staff member RubyEclipse has been doing a little Q&A at SEGA’s official forums with forum member Yeow95, here are quotes from the conversation –
Yeow95:
3 Questions, Ruby….
1. We know that Sonic 4 will be available on the App Store, for the iPod Touch and iPhone….but does that include THE iPAD?!
I don’t even HAVE an iPad, but I know that Sonic 4 with it’s high-def, colorful graphics and gameplay would look GORGEOUS on that thing.
2. Will you guys start updating the website weekly again? We want to see new timers, and see them reveal new badniks, new concept art, new zones, and new sections of the website again! BTW the Splash Hill page still says new video coming soon, may want to fix that! And I know we DO NOT want to wait ALMOST 3 MONTHS for “big” info again!
3. So what have we covered here?
a. 4th platform revealed – App Store for iPod Touch and iPhone
b. Sonic 4 delayed for extra development time to “enchance” the game.
c. JUST ADDED: Project needlemouse T-Shirt.
That’s not really big news. Is there anything else than that? I mean any footage of the other zones, announcements of DLC, playable characters, future episodes, a new Sonic game, etc.? Because I bet I can speak for the whole fanbase that at least some or one of these most of us were expecting.
Ruby Eclipse:
I’m a bit late to the party here, sorry, but I’ll go ahead and answer the questions I can speak to.
2 – Yes, the website will be updated again soon, though it may not be weekly. Instead, since the wait will probably be just a little longer, the updates themselves may be slightly larger than before. We’ll be able to confirm the time between updates soon.
3 – I think point B is huge news, personally. Part of that might be because I’ve seen some of the specific things that are being changed, as opposed to the somewhat vague statements that have gone out, but regardless I really do think the action itself speaks volumes.
There won’t be any announcements of “new characters”, as we confirmed Sonic being the exclusive playable character there long ago. The other Zones, however – those we will be talking about more in the near future.
Yeow 95:
But what about the iPad thing? I don’t get Clumsyorhard’s “iPad nano” joke.
Sorry about putting the new characters, my mistake, but this:
We confirmed Sonic being the exclusive playable character there long ago.
So does that mean Tails and Knuckles WON’T BE IN SONIC 4?!
RubyEclipse:
I can’t speak in detail on your iPad question, so I’ll have to wait on that one until I have a definitive answer for you.
No worries on the new characters part! You’re partly correct though, Sonic will be the only playable character in Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I.
Note how RubyEclipse bolds the title, perhaps a hint at playable characters in future episodes?
RubyEclipse again:
Sometimes, even the smallest of changes can make really big (and positive) impacts.
I’m not able to tell you guys specifically what is being changed just yet, but from the small stuff to the fairly big stuff, I think it will all play a part in making the final experience for the fans worthwhile.
So we could possibly be seeing playable characters in future episodes and Sonic 4’s official website could be seeing more larger updates but in smaller doses than the weekly entries we were once used to. RubyEclipse also gives the impression that changes to the game during the extra development time will be quite significant and a vast improvement on what the leaks have shown us. Hopefully we’ll see some of these changes at E3, we’ll keep an eye out for new info and media during the show then keep you posted on everything that surfaces.
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With Sonic Colours announced comes the inevitable online retailer listings providing varied release date speculation. The official word from SEGA is Late 2010 which normally indicates a November-December launch but the below retailers disagree, here’s the list of dates and prices –
26th November 2010
HMV
Wii: £39.99
DS: £29.99
24th September 2010
Amazon
Wii: £30.99
DS: £25.99
29th October 2010
Play
Wii: £29.99
DS: £24.99
Zavvi
Wii: £39.99
DS: £29.99
TheHut
Wii: £39.99
DS: £29.99
ASDA
Wii: £39.99
DS: £29.99
WH Smith
Wii: £39.99
DS: £29.99
Woolworths
Wii: £39.99
DS: £29.99
Quite the difference between dates huh? All three retailers are now taking pre-orders if you’re interested but with more listings to come a cheaper deal might pop up and not to mention we’ve barely seen anything of the game yet. We’ll keep an eye out for more UK retailer listings and the eventual U.S. listings but for now take these dates with a pinch of salt until official word is divulged.
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The new website for the Summer of Sonic convention has opened to the public, and already fans have started posting comments detailing their excited interest in the event. The launch of the website means that over the next few weeks, some exciting reveals and detailed information on the day’s activities will be trickled out ahead of the event, scheduled for the 7th August 2010.
Hotly tipped to be revealed first is the venue of the convention, which has been kept a secret up until now because of continuing negotiations. As it was confirmed to be hosted in London several months ago however, some attendees’ travelling arrangements have already been booked.
Past Summer of Sonic conventions have seen big celebrity guests appear – including composer Richard Jacques, singers TJ Davis and Bentley Jones, comic artists Nigel Kitching and Nigel Dobbyn and Sumo Digital. All eyes are on who will attend this year’s event – have any conspiracy theories? Post them in the comments box below.
2010’s Summer of Sonic website is inviting discussion on conventions past and present – opening the floor to suggestions at the same time. If you have something to say, why not write your thoughts on the SoS 2010 blog entry?
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Steve Lycett Executive Producer of Sumo Digital who are known for developing SEGA Superstars Tennis, F1 2009 and most recently Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing among other titles popped by the SSMB yesterday where he informed they are working on new things that can’t be talked about right now, a new game perhaps? Steve also in another post stated that they have some SEGA ideas brewing.
You can check out both posts quoted below –
Hello,
I’m not dead, honest
I’d have a job playing the PS3 version, I don’t own a PS3! So sadly I’ll have to decline this for the moment. I’m also mad busy getting new stuff off the ground here at Sumo, nothing we can talk about just yet, just free time’s not been something I’ve had in abundance these last few weeks…
—
S0L
—
Link
We’ll call it a draw I think
I’m not working on the Dr. Who game, I’m actually pretty jealous of the guys who are! I can’t go into any details sadly on the new stuff, right now we’ve got a few ideas brewing SEGA wise though
—
S0L
—
Link
Time will tell what these new yet to be announced things are and E3 is coming up next month so we’ll keep an eye open to see if anything is announced there then report back. For now let the speculation commence in the comments section below.
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SEGA have today announced yet another collection of their 16 Bit library, this time in the form of SEGA Mega Drive Classics. This collection is a part of their recently announced focus on digital distribution and will be released for the PC Download market via online store Steam among others. Eleven games are currently known to be on the way with all of them releasing June 1st 2010 priced at £1.99/€2.49/ AUS$3.49, check out the list and their product pages below:
Sonic 3D Blast
Ecco the Dolphin
Golden Axe
Comix Zone
VectorMan
Gain Ground
Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master
Crack Down
Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi
Altered Beast
Space Harrier II
Press release
LONDON & SAN FRANCISCO (May 21st, 2010) –SEGA® Europe Ltd. and SEGA® of America, Inc. are proud to announce that a wide selection of evergreen games from the legendary SEGA Mega Drive™ platform are making their way on to PC via digital distribution.
The initial group of titles being made available consists of fan favourites such as Golden Axe™, Ecco the Dolphin™, Comix Zone™ and VectorMan™. All these classic SEGA titles will be available from £1.99/€2.49/ AUS$3.49, but for a full list of all available titles and features, please visit www.sega.com.
“It’s exciting to be able to offer these classic games to a new audience” said Nick Pili, Network Business Director at SEGA Europe. “Delivered via our digital partners, every PC owner can now enjoy these timeless masterpieces whenever they want!”
The first set of SEGA Mega Drive games for PC are set to release 1st June on STEAM and other digital distribution networks.
Source: SEGA Europe
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