2010 was the year Sonic the Hedgehog came back. Yes, we all heard the stories about how the franchise had declined not long after the jump to 3D, how gaming news outlets and critics even now would begin their pieces with some variation of “Sonic has had a rocky history,” and how every new Sonic game released around the “dark ages” period couldn’t shake off the dreaded “Sonic Cycle.” Continue reading The Spin: How SEGA is Ignoring the Middle Children of Sonic’s Legacy
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From the moment of its official unveiling, Sonic Lost World was poised to drift away from certain standards of games past, making this new title one of the most anticipated games of the year. Gone was the Boost, making way for a fusion of Genesis-era gameplay and parkour-inspired controls! Although, while eyes were certainly glued to any and all information of the Wii U release, many questions arose concerning the Nintendo 3DS version that would surely follow, especially with it being the first ever 3D handheld Sonic game. With Dimps once again behind the wheel, has the Osaka-based developer crafted a solid Sonic handheld experience with its first venture into 3D territory, or has this game only met with 3 dimpmensions of sorry expectations? Does Sonic Lost World 3DS stand on its own apart from Sonic Lost World Wii U, or does it fall short of grabbing that ledge and fall straight down? Let’s dive right into the mellow and find out!
Continue reading TSS Review: Sonic Lost World (3DS)
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As revealed yesterday, copies of the new issue of Nintendo Power have been delivered to subscribers, which unveil a Nintendo 3DS version of Sonic’s big 20th Anniversary game Sonic Generations. Details from the issue have been shared by Sonic Retro forum member Effexor, and it appears this version of the game will be very unique and not just a port.
Here’s all of the main details:
* The Nintendo 3DS version is being co-developed by Sonic Team and Dimps.
* The director of the 3DS version is Tetsu Katano, who directed Sonic and the Black Knight.
* 2D side-scrolling gameplay for both Classic Sonic and Modern Sonic.
* Momentum based gameplay and platforming are fully featured in the Classic Sonic gameplay.
* Modern Sonic plays a lot like the Sonic Rush games and Nintendo DS version of Sonic Colours.
* Nintendo 3DS version will have exclusive stages and boss stages.
* Green Hill Zone will be the only shared stage in both the HD console version and Nintendo 3DS version.
* Casino Night Zone from Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is confirmed for the Nintendo 3DS version.
* Story has some differences between the console and Nintendo 3DS versions, but will be fundamentally the same.
* Console version will have many characters, but the Nintendo 3DS version will only feature the ones who are integral to the story.
* There is no Wii version. Sonic Team head Takashi Iizuka says this is because “The primary goal for the console versions of Generations was reimagining the series’s classic zones in vivid, high-definition graphics.”
* Sonic the Hedgehog 3‘s Launch Base Zone ‘Big Arm’ boss fight is in the game, which suggests that stage is also in the game.
* Classic Eggman appears in the above mentioned boss.
* Exclusive to the Nintendo 3DS version are challenges that you can unlock via StreetPass or Play Coins.
* The game also features an exclusive two-player race mode via local wireless connection.
* Modern Sonic stages take advantage of the 3D feature more than the Classic Sonic stages. An example shown and detailed is a part in the Green Hill Zone where Modern Sonic smashes through the bottom of a giant totem pole. The camera then moves to the front of Sonic and lets you see the rest of the pole collapse behind Sonic as he escapes.
* The 3D depth is also highlighted when Modern Sonic occasionally moves between the foreground and the background.
* Jun Senoue and his music team are working on the music for the game.
* Nintendo Power thinks the handful of tracks they’ve heard so far are “fantastic”.
* Special Stages are confirmed and are designed in Sonic Heroes style. As expected, you earn Chaos Emeralds from these stages. Whether or not Super Sonic will be your reward for earning all Chaos Emeralds is unclear right now.
For more information, screenshots and interviews with Takashi Iizuka and Jun Senoue, pick up a copy of Nintendo Power when it hits retailers later this week.
Thanks to Blue Blood for the heads up!
Note: Links to scans are not permitted, so please keep them out of the comments section. Any comments with links to scans will be edited/deleted.
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We all know Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 is a joint venture between Sonic Team and Dimps but what about Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 2? We’ve barely seen much of Episode 1 but the staff over at Xbox360Achievements.org are already looking into Episode 2 according to a new listing at their site in which they have the below info.
Episode 2 listing –
Developed By:
Dimps
Published By:
SEGA
Genre:
Platformer
Release Date:
US:
Europe:
Japan:
ESRB: E for Everyone
Episode 1 listing –
Developed By:
Sonic Team/Dimps
Published By:
SEGA
Genre:
Platformer
Release Date:
US:
Europe:
Japan:
So as you can see there is a difference in developers, if the site has got this right then Episode 2 will be a Dimps solo project and the game looks to have already been given its ESRB rating too which to no surprise is an E but oddly they havent listed Episode 1’s E rating we’ve known about for ages.
Take all of this with a very teency pinch of salt for now, we’ll let you know if we hear anything more.
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Following the news of Dimps working on retro revival game Sonic the Hedgehog 4 it has now come to light that the level designer who worked on Sonic 3 & Knuckles is also working on Sonic 4.
The revelation was made by SEGA of America community staff member Ruby Eclipse at the SEGA forums after fans cried out to them for the information.
Ruby Eclipse made the following statement :
Hi everyone,
After a listing on the official Xbox marketplace went up earlier this week, a lot of you have been asking us about who’s developing Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode I. Some of you even called me out specifically asking for an answer – and today, I’m happy to say that we can provide you with the details you want.
So, is it just Dimps? Just Sonic Team? The answer is a bit of both:
Yes, Dimps is working on the game. But there’s actually more to it than just that: at the same time, we also have members of Sonic Team, including the original senior level designer from Sonic 3 & Knuckles on the SEGA Genesis working alongside them. It is most definitely a partnership, and the result of this teamwork is something many of us are excited for.
So, as requested – there you have it!
This combination of developers could bring a bright future for the game, Sonic Team gave us the classic Sonic games while Dimps have brought us the well received Sonic Advance and Sonic Rush titles.
How do you feel about this news? Let us know in the comments.
Source: SEGA forums via Destructoid
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