Welcome to the Archive site of The Sonic Stadium (2008-2023)
Please note that this site is no longer being updated or maintained; as a result, there may be design issues, and links to images and other media may be broken. Links to posts may redirect you to the same article on the current Sonic Stadium website.
In this new SatBK trailer, we get to feast our eyes on some gorgeous CG cutscenes and some intense gameplay footage. I mean, if you’re going to do something dumb and give Sonic a sword, this is how you do it. The cutscene clips give a glimpse as to why Sonic is in King Arthur’s court: purple-haired Zelda Merlina, some wizard in peril, shoots a beam into the sky and calls upon…Sonic, of all people. Then, Sonic gets a talking sword kills and anything that moves, while Crush 40 rocks out.
Now that you’ve watched the trailer, it’s time to play “Place Your Bets.” Bet on what will happen in this game (odds are in parenthesis).
Final boss battle with a super hulked-up Black Knight as a new super form of Sonic (1:1)
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The SSMB Forums have brought to light a discussion that has recently taken place on popular imageboard 4chan. In it, an anonymous tipster called “Wentos the Travelling Salesman” has hinted at details that could be included in the next major Sonic title. Click the image on the left there to give it a good read.
Claiming that he knows a few people in the Localisation department of SEGA, it appears he has been privvy to Hashimoto’s desire to create the perfect Sonic game, as he tells captivated posters on the imageboard that the current Sonic Team is built of old school fans fresh out of college. It is suggested that the new team will handle the series for some time yet. “Wentos” also let slip on the conclusion to the reaction of Unleashed;
“The next Sonic will be just Sonic with optional characters in the sense that they were optional back in Sonic 2 and 3; the levels will be in the style of Unleashed daytime levels, though there will be an increased focus on careful platforming to replace what the Werehog strived for.”
Having said that, it was then suggested that an announcement on this project is unlikely to happen for some time. Dubious 4chan readers were challenged to archive the thread and see if the crystal ball-gazing was in fact on the money. “Wentos” then wrote some development information regarding Sonic Unleashed, and how the Wii version was specifically made to recoup the losses of the intentionally superior Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 releases. Continue reading Rumour: 4Chan’s ‘Wentos’ Hints At Future Sonic Team Plans
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SEGA of Japan have put up a mysterious website for a new game produced by Takao Miyoshi, the person from Sonic Team behind Phatasy Star Universe. The site says Coming Soon and has a mushroom on it similar to the mushroom from Super Mario Bros 1 except for the different colours. When you run your mouse over the mushroom it shakes. The web adress has the word ‘pole’ and at the bottom of the page there is a timer which is counting down to the games official unveiling I’m guessing. It currently states 10 days, 6 hours and 17 minutes. No platforms for the game are mentioned.
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SEGA of America have put out a new blog entry confirming four of their upcoming games that will be playable in their booth at Comic Con which is going to be held at New York City between Feb 6-8. Sonic and the Black Knight for Nintendo Wii will be one of those games and the event will be one of the first times the public will have seen the game.
Other games confirmed to be playable at the event are –
MadWorld(Wii)
The House of the Dead: Overkill(Wii)
The Conduit(Wii)
That’s alot of love for Wii fans.
Is anyone here going who lives in the U.S. or can afford travel to the U.S.? If so we’d love to hear your thoughts on the game.
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Since 2007, Sonic the Hedgehog has become a regular participant in the annual “Free Comic Book Day” event. Once every year, comic book publishers across America send special free issues to participating comic book stores, to be given away for free to anyone who wants them. This year, FCBD will be on May 2nd, so be sure to mark your calenders. This Sonic FCBD issue is meant to recap the entire series as a whole, in “Sonic: Evolution of a Hero”. Like past FCBD Sonic issues, this year’s Sonic comic is a silver level sponsor, meaning not all participating comic book stores will have it, so you may want to call your comic book store before hand. You can use this website to find a comic book store near you, as well as their phone number or e-mail. The cover is posted in a thumbnail below:
According to Sonic the Hedgehog’s headwriter, Ian Flynn, this issue is meant to introduce the book to newcomers and to clarify plot points to veterans. The comic book itself has no storyline, but is instead more akin to Archie’s data files, a biography of the characters and a description of the world’s backstory. The book will also be offering some insight and spoilers for what happens in and after issue #200. Those of you wondering what this Sonic comic is all about might want to consider going to a comic book store to pick it up.
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Will we ever run out of Monty Python references before Sonic and the Black Knight is released? Probably not, because it’s so much fun! A Chinese Sonic fansite, SONIC HUB, has managed to discover these latest screenshots, which happen to be the first images of former doppelganger Shadow the Hedgehog. Seems weird that every other character is wearing armour yet Sonic’s quite fine to run about in his birthday suit. I guess he’s too hardcore.
Either way, Sonic Team are clearly having a Black Knight gag here, as the surroundings and Shadow’s mask are clear homages to the classic Holy Grail comedy. But who will win between Sonic and Shadow? My guess is, Shadow will call it a draw.
Update (11th January): SEGA America’s product page, that SONIC HUB links to, appear to have more screenshots on offer, including a few that haven’t been seen before and some special artwork too. We’ve included these after the jump, because we’re too good to you. I’m amazed nobody picked up on these – even myself until now, as they’ve been on SEGA’s page for quite a while. Expect them to circulate the interwebs pretty soon after this. Continue reading SBK: Shadow Screenshots Show No Chopped Off Limbs [Update]
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Hot Topic, the totally cool mall hangout for angsty, faux-punk, American teenagers that smells like parental hate, sells video game t-shirts in one corner of the store. It’s always in one of the window corners, so you can gawk at them without going inside and sacrificing your dignity and musk. The shirts are always so cool looking, but most in the store are absolutely ruined by silly phrases like, “I’m so money” or “Home Schooled”/”Classically Trained.” It’s a good thing that the Sonic shirts that they sell are not like that.
Hot Topic is offering up four styles of Sonic shirts for us to eat up. A blue hooded sweatshirt with the iconic, finger-waving pose, two off-yellow tees with Sonic posing or laughing, and a red shirt with Sonic running. They are all quality, retro, and awesome. They can also be shipped worldwide!
Buy some damn shirts and wear ’em to Summer of Sonic ’09 already! (Thanks, Rio!)
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If you’re desperate to see the box artwork of Sonic and the Black Knight for European audiences, then you’re in luck. In what must be about the only activity in the Sonic games world this month, Amazon.co.uk appear to have a final render of what will adorn Wii boxes come Spring. SEGA have not officially released this via their press channels, but retailers are usually pretty accurate when it comes to box artwork. It’d have to be, when they keep changing release dates all the time.
It’s pretty close to the North American box artwork, recently posted by Sonic Retro, with the exception of the ‘Sonic Storybook’ corner and the ‘Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection’ logo. Wonder what the deal is with the Wi-Fi anyway? Mind you, a few Sonic games have advertised Wi-Fi before release and then dropped it (Sonic Chronicles, for example), so I wouldn’t get too excited about that just yet.
Click the image to the left to see it in full size.
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All too often, the extreme side of the Sonic fandom is perpetuated as childish and annoying. But every now and again, a story crops up that shows that not all Sonic fanatics are as bad as they are often made out to be. As is the case with Judson King, an eleven year old resident of Lawerance, Kansas.
Judson King is a pretty big Sonic fan. So big, in fact, that he wanted to OWN a hedgehog. Unfortunately, it turned out that hedgehogs where, for whatever reason, prohibited by Lawerance’s animal code. This set Judson off on a three year crusade to get the little spiky guys legalized. He collected all sorts of hedgehog facts, learned about city law and how to change it, and after over two years of research, he sent a letter to the city commission in support of the hedgehogs. Eleven months later, he found himself dressed up in a suit in front of the city commission, with a hedgehog primer prepared for each individual commissioner, complete with hedgehog facts and pictures.
Apparently, the city commisioners had no idea why hedgehogs where banned in the first place, although if you ask me, I suspected an angry Mario fan. They removed the law, and Judson King got his hedgehog. In case your wondering, no, he didn’t name it Sonic. The little guy’s name is “Little Luke”.
This just goes to show you what a little activism and research can do. Judson King is a Sonic fan who has quite a future ahead of him. Maybe in politics or law?
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Next month, the Sonic the Hedgehog Archie comic will do something it has not done since the last terrible Sonic Super Special released November 2000: it will launch a spin off comic based off of the main book. That spin off title is called Sonic Universe. Here is the cover:
Sonic Universe will be replacing Archie’s successful Sonic X series, and released monthly alongside the Sonic the Hedgehog book. Instead of focusing on Sonic the Hedgehog, SU will focus on the various characters that populate his multiverse, most notably Knuckles and Shadow.
In addition to taking place in the same universe as the main Sonic book, Sonic Universe will occasionally dive into other universes as well. Headwriter Ian Flynn has not ruled out returning to the Sonic X universe sometime in the future.
The first issue of Sonic Universe continues where Sonic X #40 left off. After Shadow and Metal Sonic where transported through time and space into the Sonic X universe in Sonic the Hedgehog #196, Shadow now finds himself in a new world and a new comic book series. The official solicitation is after the jump.
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Naoto Oshima deserves far more credit for the Sonic the Hedgehog series than he ever got during his employment at SEGA Enterprises. The creator of the Sonic character, he has also directed many games and headed projects at Sonic Team, including NiGHTS Into Dreams with Yuji Naka and Sonic CD. He left SEGA shortly after Sonic Adventure, and his lack of presence showed even in Sonic Adventure 2. Forming Artoon though has been a rocky ride for the guy who wants to be the “Walt Disney” of video games, with the amicable Blinx his first non-SEGA creation following the lacklustre Pinobee and questionable sequels to Yoshi’s Island. It’s been an undeserved fall from grace for the poor guy.
Nintendo Power have an interview with the game designer/creator, and about his history in the video game industry. It’s a real interesting read, and Oshima comes across as a really humble guy, taking on all sorts of roles to get a feel for every aspect of game design. One of the ‘original three’ that most fans really count in the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise – the other two being programmer Yuji Naka and level designer Hirokazu Yasuhara – he says that he feels best when he’s designing stuff for games. This is in parallel to Naka’s admission to fancying more of a ‘hands on’ approach to making games, shortly before he left Sonic Team to form his own studio.
Other interesting nuggets include his role in Sonic Spinball – he designed the pinball maps for the game, which regardless of your opinion of the spinoff Mega Drive game are pretty decent maps – his entrusting of Sonic’s modern design to Yuji Uekawa from Sonic Adventure onwards (“I think he did a great job”) and lends more credibility to the theory that Sonic CD and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 are practically two odds to the same project (“Naka [was sent] to America [to work on] the Genesis version, which… left me to develop the CD version in Japan”).
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Nintendo fan site Nintendo Everything have managed to nab some new screens and artwork of upcoming Nintendo Wii game Sonic and the Black Knight. The images look a little grainy as if they’ve been scanned from a magazine but no magazine is mentioned in the sites post. Most of the screens we’ve already seen but a couple are new and there’s also some artwork of the big bad wolf Black Knight riding horse-back, we’re yet to find out the horse’s name though but for now I’ll call him Dreadagus since he’s dark and he looks as bad ass as Dreadknux Pegasus came to mind.
Another screenshot of Sonic outside of a dark town with a fiery sky looks like possible artwork but Sonic’s model looks like the in-game model so I’ll let you be the judge on wether that is art or in-game screenshot.
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Yuji Naka’s proving he nicked the best part of Sonic Team when he formed Prope by showing off more of his first project, Let’s Tap. I’ll be honest, I’ve had enough of pointless Wii party games, but this one intrigues me. Mostly because, having Yuji Naka on board and doing some grass-roots programming and stuff, it won’t suck.
Watch this five minute trailer of all the minigames you can tap your way along. The music is spot on too, and the whole style is just classic Sonic Team. Only, they’re not anymore. But, you know what I mean. If you’re wondering where the heart of Iizuka’s studio’s gone, Prope’s probably where it is now.
Future Tapping Game.
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It’s clear to see that the best release of the SatAM DVD box set is the American one. Brits have also been lucky enough to see a SatAM boxset, but we don’t have any of that awesome artwork on the cover, nor the fan art that adorns the inside packaging. So what better than to get a copy of the American DVD boxset that’s also signed by Series 2 writers Ben Hurst and Pat Allee? Just your luck then, as such a item has hit eBay recently.
Former Fans United for SatAM website owner, Quexinos, is putting up this copy of the DVD boxset, said to be one of only three in the world to exist. The eBay auction includes a certificate of authenticity too, so you know you’re getting the real deal. According to current owner of FUS, RockyRaccoon, the auction’s proceeds are going to “Chief-Aid”; a campaign to help FUS Forum ‘Chief’ out of a financial hotspot. He’s a single father who’s just been laid off, and at this time of the year that’s just cold and brutal.
If you want to help the “Chief-Aid” cause and grab yourself a limited edition SatAM boxset in the process, then head on over to the eBay auction here to place your bid. The current bid is $41 at time of writing, as is the case with these ‘charity’ style things, if you feel like affording a bit more for what you feel the boxset is worth then it could truly change someone’s Christmas for the better. Our wishes go to ‘Chief’!
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SEGA Europe’s Sonic Unleashed product page has been updated with the release date of the PS3 version of the game. The game will hit stores before Christmas on Friday the 19th December 2008. Mr. AAUK has also confirmed this in his latest Sonic City Blognik entry.
In other news, Zavvi.co.uk are now displaying the back cover of the PS3 version and reveals the following:
‘Network Features’: Will most likely be the downloadable content listed on the Xbox 360 back cover
Dual Shock 3 compatibility: For all your rumbling needs
720p, 1080i and 1080p compatibility: The text is tiny but most PS3 games just list 720p on its own with no other text in that box, theres only 2 more words of text in there if a game is 1080i and 1080p compatible. Sonic ’06 was compatible with all 3 so it makes sense that Unleashed is too.
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For those hardcore Sonic merchandise collectors out there who want a copy of Sonic Unleashed under the name Sonic World Adventure, SEGA have announced a release date for the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions that were delayed from their 18th December date a while back. The new date is 19th February 2009. The Wii version however is still going to be released to the original plan of 18th December 2008. 19th Feb is a long way away to say their still getting the game we’ve got in quality standards as SEGA said in a press release given when these versions first got pushed back.
The Japanese text announcement translates(in Google translator at least) to – PLAYSTATION3 version / Xbox360 version, Release Date Announcement
2008 Release Date November 7 to tell us postponed, and was released in the spring of 2009, PLAYSTATION3 version of Sonic Adventure World and is the Xbox360 version of the “February 19, 2009” make the decision to release MASHITA.
We apologize for the inconvenience, but we will notify here.
Before the Release Date: Spring 2009
After the change of the Release Date: February 19, 2009
※ Wii version of the 2008 will be released on December 18
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“So hey, about Sonic Unleashed…” – What you say? Sonic Unleashed? That game is sooo last week. Let’s say we focus on something a bit more next year, girlfriend? Luckily SEGA Europe’s been sending out some screenshots of Sonic and the Black Knight for the Wii so we can be next year… in 2008. Yeah, we’re rocking that DeLorean.
Sonic and the Black Knight is the continuation of the ‘Storybook’ series of the franchise that was kicked off with Sonic and the Secret Rings on the Wii. So we’ll treat it as the spinoff that it is and not facepalm ourselves into the ground. That would be impolite. There’s not an awful lot going on in these screenshots, and they’ve appeared on other sites before, but it’s nice to see that the game still exists, especially since a lot of you are going to have your artwork stashed onto it.
Enjoy these screens, a few of which are in ‘Extreeeeeeme’ blurrovision, and some which feature a familiar red knight. Hm, his face is covered. Now I can’t tell who it is…
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Ever wonder why your Sonic games have shooting, emerald hunting, brawling, more shooting, telekinesis, lengthy cutscenes, hub worlds with annoying inhabitants, and various other things that are not running? Well, during IGN’s “Red Light Podcast,” David Clayman talks about a discussion he had with one of the members of the Sonic Unleashed team at the Tokyo Game Show. 19 minutes and 40 seconds into the show, David said:
I asked one of the developers at TGS, you know I was like, come on everybody just wants Sonic running, like whats up with the werehog? And he was like, well, heres the deal… he [Sonic] runs at this miles per hour, kilometers per hour, and he laid out all of the statistics on how fast this hedgehog goes, and he was like In order to make a game where Sonic is running and everybody enjoys the whole thing we’d have to design this many miles of level, and it was some ungodly number. And he’s like and that would be like maybe a three hour game and I was like wow, well that kinda stinks and he’s like yeah, so we gotta do this other stuff.
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MTV caught up with The Sonic Stadium’s favorite rapper, Charles Hamilton, for an interview, where he professed his love of Sonic. Although what he is saying may perplex you at times, he assures you that he is definitely not “crazy.” He discusses why he chose Sonic the Hedgehog as his inspiration and goes into detail on the time he “woke up” as Sonic one day. What I find interesting about the interview is when he breaks down his meaning of Sonic.
“Sonic” means “sound” and a hedgehog buries himself underground. Thus, Charles buries himself into sound. A novel concept that I certainly would have never thought of.
Anyway, Charles has been recently signed to Interscope records and I hope we can hear some more of his Sonic-inspired tracks in his next album. Hint hint, Charles, you should rap over Lava Reef.
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Today is Monday. Unlucky for those of you who’ve just woken up thinking it was Sunday; you’ve just missed work. But 16 years ago, it was Tuesday. The most awesome Tuesday ever for a kid in Britain, or the United States. On November 24th 1992, the sequel to the hottest video game of the time was released – Sonic the Hedgehog 2 on Sega Mega Drive. Such a huge media circus this event was, that a special chartered ‘Sonic 2’ plane carrying nothing but crates of the game landed in London a few days ahead of the launch to masses of TV cameras and news reporters. Those were the days.
So here’s to Sonic the Hedgehog 2. A wonderful collaboration between East (Sonic Team, with Yuji Naka returning after leaving Sega briefly) and West (an enthusiastic American team called Sega Technical Institute that were heavily involved in the coding and designing). For a few moments, Sega wasn’t at each other’s throats internally and teamed up to produce what many fans consider the very best in the entire Sonic the Hedgehog franchise. Can’t exactly disagree. Celebrate by playing the game and seeing if you can nobble that final boss without dying (always keep falling through his nose onto his spiky hands, the f&%$%*). Or even by trying out Sonic Retro’s work in progress, Sonic 2 HD.
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We saw, for the first time in Europe, the awesome little animated short that ties in with Sonic Unleashed, called Night of the Werehog. It involved, as our Community Day roundup said, two ghosts vying for the attention of a female ghost by scaring the crap out of Chip and Sonic.
The official website for the cartoon has now been updated with the entire film, so you all can see it too. Aren’t Sega nice to you all? It would be nice to see this on other mediums other than just online though – clearly a lot of production work went into this, and it would have been a no-brainer to have had it included as a short in cinemas before Madagascar 2 or something. Would be cool to see it on TV as well maybe. We’ll see how it goes. Watch the full animation at the official website, click here.
Sonic Unleashed is set for an Xbox 360 release this coming Friday. (Thanks to everyone who tipped us in!)
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It appears that certain retailers in America are flatly ignoring Sega’s release date for the Xbox 360 version of Sonic Unleashed, with images from NeoGAF and other community websites of retail copies in their homes. The Wii and PlayStation 2 versions of the game were released on Tuesday, but the Xbox 360’s was to be held back until the 24th or 25th November (depending on who you believe; North American retailers usually put new stock on shelves every Tuesday).
So, what happened? If it’s true, it’s possible that various GameStop stores are confused in thinking that the 360 version of Unleashed is to be on sale with the Wii and PS2 ones. Regardless, if Sega were able to get the 360 stock to stores early in the first place, it would make the original staggered release date somewhat pointless.
In any case, it reminds us of the good old Dreamcast days in Europe, where retailers completely disregarded Sega Europe’s release dates and put games on shelves a whole week before official sale. Ah, Shenmue, how perfect the extra week I had with you was.
Good luck in getting a copy early though, all you American readers – if Sega start slapping retailer’s wrists for this release date break, you may soon find yourself at a store reluctant to sell you one.
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The Sega Europe Community Blog has been doing a fair bit of Sonic Unleashed coverage over the last few days, with a daily dose of what’s actually in the game for those just waiting with anticipation to find out. Today, the company’s European and American divisions worked together to kidnap interview the Lead Producer for Sega America, Patrick Riley, to ask him more about the upcoming Sonic title.
It’s a fifteen minute long conversation featuring SOA’s ClumsyOrchid and RubyEclipse, SOE’s ArchAngelUK and Martin. The questions range from Werehog gameplay, the new moves that Sonic has at his disposal and the release of the game in the West before Japan. The guys really seem to want to hit home that this isn’t a return to the classic Mega Drive games but rather a brand new direction for the series. We wouldn’t have it any other way, long as it’s actually good. Look at Sonic Rush Adventure, after all.
One thing that we found interesting was the influence SOA appear to have had during the game’s development, and the mention at the very end of ‘something nobody’s ever seen before’ which will very briefly take control away from Sonic. They pulled a fat rabbit out of the ridiculous hat with DarkSpines in Secret Rings, so we’ll be interested to see what happens here.
Listen to the audio programme by clicking here (nice cockney there at the end, Martin).
The Sonic City Blognik has daily updates in the only way an official blog can, so keep checking here.
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So the US version of Sonic Unleashed is already out, apparently (for the Wii and PS2 it seems). Those lucky gits who decided to take it slow and start with the manual noticed an advertisement for the Werehog figure we spoke about a while ago. But wait, what’s this other circle about? Yes, looks like Super Sonic is also available as a collectible figure, thus increasing my British envy.
The toys will supposedly be available this month, it’s worth checking out Sega America’s official website for more details on where you can grab ’em.
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Gaming chairs are a pain in the arse. I mean, seriously, what good are they for? You get a leather chair that tears easily, has to be on the floor so you feel like a Hobbit watching the screen, and you get ‘surround sound’ blaring into your ears that most times sound all distorted. Worst of all are those gormless fools on the box, sitting in them making idiots of themselves. Who in the hell would want one of these things?
… oh, there’s a Sonic one being released? Get down, that changes everything.
Well, maybe not, but it’s still some interesting news that’s travelled across the Interwebs. According to PRWeb, Sega have teamed up with Ultimate Game Chair to release the new Reactor Mini, a gaming relaxer for kids ages 3 – 9 years, that features a picture of Sonic on it. It’ll coincide with the launch of Sonic Unleashed in North America.
These gaming chairs supposedly rumble at every little thing happening in the game, to totally immerse the player, but we wonder if it’ll do anything out of the ordinary whilst playing Sonic Unleashed. Shaver adaptor whilst playing as the Werehog? Oh wait, they’ll be too young for that. Apparently the chair is also labeled as a massager. That may come in handy if they get addicted to Sonic hen- oh wait, they’ll be too young for that.
You can buy the Reactor Mini Game Chair from Ultimate Game Chair’s website from the 21st November; it’ll set you back about $70.
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Sega Europe has revealed the box-art cover to Sonic and the Black Knight (sorry its so small, there are no larger sizes available at present). It look’s like their going with the Nintendo Power cover which was published for their exclusive first look at the game a few months back. No Wi-Fi logo can be seen, so that confirms there will be no Wi-Fi features. The game’s PEGI rating can also be seen on the cover, the game’s been given a 12+. Guess the European ratings board are getting pretty touchy again, no doubt the swordplay has them thinking “OMG SONIC HAS A SWORD, KIDS WILL COPY!!!”.
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Just like clockwork, the latest Sonic the Hedgehog title is to get an original soundtrack release in Japan. Called ‘Sonic World Adventure Original Soundtrack: Planetary Pieces’, no doubt it will be a pretty comprehensive collection of tunes from all the stages, bosses and events found in Sonic Unleashed. If you’ve yet to hear the sublime music so far, you can catch a preview at the official Sega website. That Chun-Nan track sure is tight. Those wanting to sit patiently until the release date can file behind T-Bird for the 29th January 2009. Bring some crisps. And 4000 Yen.
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Yes, you read the title right. Sonic Unleashed is selling out of stock before the game has even hit launch day. After taking pre-orders for just a couple of months, UK retailer Woolworths ran out of pre-order stock for all versions of the upcoming game that sees our beloved Hedgehog travel the globe. It has been ages since a Sonic title has sold out after launch, never mind before release (not counting Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games), and with Christmas coming up sales can only increase. With good impressions from previewers, fans happy with what they’ve seen so far and now this, Sega might just have a winner on their hands.
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While everyone seems to be jumping up and down about Sonic Unleashed, one thing that seems slightly off is regarding the game’s release date. According to the official Japanese website (the game is called Sonic World Adventure over there), the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions are being held back until Spring 2009. The website states that this is to “improve the game’s quality”, something we’re not exactly against given the known rushings of past Sonic games.
Oddly though, this delay does not affect the Wii version, which is still scheduled for an 18th December launch. This release date confusion follows our report the other day, where we revealed that the European PS3 version won’t be released until December. Reasons were not given for the pushback, but other consoles are as yet unaffected.
AAUK, the Sega Community Manager for Europe, has stressed that the delays in Japan doesn’t mean that the Japanese version will be superior to the others.
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CVG are reporting that user generated levels based around other videogames are being deleted off the servers due to copyright claims from Sony. These themed levels include Sonic the Hedgehog stages. So anyone wishing to publish their favorite stages like Green Hill Zone or Emerald Hill Zone will have to keep them to themselves. CVG have contacted Sony but have received no reply yet but LittleBigPlanet developers Media Molecule have issued this statement –
“We’re reviewing the moderating system currently to provide better feedback on why levels are moderated,” he said, going on to explain: “Primarily, any level that is reported using the grief tool will be checked over by a moderator, at which point they’ll examine it in line with the EULA. If a level is found to be in violation of the EULA it will be moderated and you’ll receive a message to that effect.
“We’re moving towards a system where additional information is given, however for the time being if you don’t want your level moderating avoid anything unsuitable for users of all ages and copyright content,”
What are your oppinions on this? Has anyone with the game had their Sonic stages deleted off the server?
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Sega Europe have updated the European official Sonic Unleashed website with a release date for all formats. The game will hit stores Friday the 28th November. Except for the PlayStation 3, which will see a European release in December for some bizarre reason.
Fans have been going crazy over the past few weeks digging at every source possible for a release date, ask Mr.ArchangelUK he’s been torn to shreds by rabid fans begging for a release date. Now European fans can get their pre-orders in and rest at ease until release day.
For the release date and more info/media on the game check out the official site.
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Because you simply cannot own enough copies of Sonic the Hedgehog on the Mega Drive, SEGA have announced today they are developing the SEGA Mega Drive Ultimate Collectionfor the XBox 360 and PS3 consoles. Looks like our original rumour story wasn’t that far off the mark.
As well as being the first opportunity for players to have a go on Sonic 3, Sonic & Knuckles and Sonic 3D Blast on current generation consoles, this compilation will also include other kick-arse titles from SEGA’s extensive 16-bit catalogue, including Streets of Rage 1, 2 & 3, Alien Storm, Golden Axe 1, 2 & 3, Ristar and Ecco the Dolphin. Not only that, there will be a whole host of unlockable 8-bit Master System titles as bonus material too!
Some fans will be a bit miffed that they have already shelled-out a few hundred Microsoft points for these games already, but I think that will probably be drowned out by the fact there are well over 40 titles to play; that’s a lot of gaming for your pennies! Plus, there will also be a set of achievements for XBox owners to collect – always another incentive to play through those classics once more!
The collection is due out early 2009, check out the Official Website for more info.
Me? I’m thrilled they’re putting Dynamite Headdy on there! YEEEEAAS!!!
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After unveiling the Wii and PS2 back covers of upcoming game Sonic Unleashed, Woolworths have updated their website with the Xbox 360 version back cover. In the Xbox Live features ‘game content download’ can be seen, what downloadable content we’ll get is unknown right now so we’ll just have to wait and see what SEGA has in store for us after release.
The PS3 back cover is yet to be seen on Woolworths website but that version will most likely see downloadable content too, as soon as it’s unveiled we’ll post it up for you guys.
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Now for a trailer that hasn’t been leaked! This video comes courtesy of Sega America and was posted on Hallowe’en of all times – it’s a brief showcase of the jungle-esque stage titled Mazuri. It’s really quite difficult for someone like me to keep a track of all these Zone names when they’re so bizarrely named. Whatever happened to Jungle Leaf Zone, or Tarzanhog Zone, or King of the Swingers Zone? Much easier to remember. What’s also easier to see is that this stage has had vast improvements over the original trailer some months ago, and even retains the classic re-interpretation of the Sonic 1 8-Bit credits theme. Groovy.
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This is quite something – Sega haven’t put this much pump into a Sonic game in a long time. There’s even proper merchandise to be had, with this eBay auction popping up for a Sonic the Werehog action figure. Sold at Toys R’ Us in America for a period of time, these are very hard to find according to the seller. They’re apparently different from the Australian pre-order figures, but we won’t know for sure unless someone does a comparison or two (that’s your challenge, Aussie readers! Get in touch!).
We don’t know if these will ever come to Britain (AAUK has responded with a stinging ‘no’), or anywhere outside of America in fact. At this time there are two separate auctions for about $40. So if you’ve got bottomless pockets and can’t wait for a bit of early Unleashed action, then what better to do then invest in a pristine Werehog?
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UPDATE: The spoilsports at Sega seem to have caught wind of the Youtube escapade, as the videos that were featured in this story were taken off shortly after. If you’re looking for a way to view the videos but can handle waiting a million years, Ruliweb have downloadable versions on their website. The last two links in either the HD or SD segment of the page lead to the Sonic Unleashed videos, the other links are other games, we imagine.
It appears someone’s got their hands on review code of Sonic Unleashed early, because there’s a few gameplay videos popping up over Youtube courtesy of “Ruliweb”. The first video, above, shows a cutscene between Sonic and Chip in the Apotos stage, whilst showcasing what the ‘hub’ worlds will look like and even a little bit of main stage action. Chip does sound rather irritating with his sundae fetish, but maybe that’s the point. It’s altogether a pretty charming cutscene, and overall a pretty cool display of Sonic’s character. In the hub world you can talk to various non-playable characters about this and that. You get the option for multiple-choice responses, but as the video quality is pretty poor we can’t tell whether you’ll get any sidequests or anything for doing this.
The Sonic levels still look awesomely impressive. Calls of ‘on-rails’ gameplay may be justified, but if it’s fun and entertaining (and above all, satisfying to play) then does it really matter? It’s no throwback to what made the classics great, but it at least taps the relative success and win that the Sonic Rush series is made of. Basically, it looks like a bowl full of funchips. Also, no loading! We just hope that the ‘EXP’ system doesn’t make the game a chore to play until you level up like in Sonic and the Secret Rings.
There’s more though – Ruliweb kindly captured the introduction cutscene for the game too, which you can download using the link provided above. Trust us though – this opening cutscene is made of a trophy built from the rarest awesome, dug from the farmost mines of win.
Thanks to PeTePoPsS on the SSMB for finding the videos and sharing them!
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SEGA Europe’s Sonic Unleashed product page has been updated with the release date of the PS3 version of the game. The game will hit stores before Christmas on Friday the 19th December 2008. Mr. AAUK has also confirmed this in his latest Sonic City Blognik 
MTV caught up with The Sonic Stadium’s favorite rapper, Charles Hamilton, for an interview, where he professed his love of Sonic. Although what he is saying may perplex you at times, he assures you that he is definitely not “crazy.” He discusses why he chose Sonic the Hedgehog as his inspiration and goes into detail on the time he “woke up” as Sonic one day. What I find interesting about the interview is when he breaks down his meaning of Sonic.
Gaming chairs are a pain in the arse. I mean, seriously, what good are they for? You get a leather chair that tears easily, has to be on the floor so you feel like a Hobbit watching the screen, and you get ‘surround sound’ blaring into your ears that most times sound all distorted. Worst of all are those gormless fools on the box, sitting in them making idiots of themselves. Who in the hell would want one of these things?
While everyone seems to be jumping up and down about Sonic Unleashed, one thing that seems slightly off is regarding the game’s release date. According to the official Japanese website (the game is called Sonic World Adventure over there), the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions are being held back until Spring 2009. The website states that this is to “improve the game’s quality”, something we’re not exactly against given the known rushings of past Sonic games.
