Welcome to the Archive site of The Sonic Stadium (2008-2023)
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A unique version of Sonic Adventure, “Sonic Adventure Tournament Disk,” has been uncovered by video game preservationist Comby Laurent. This version of the game was specially made for a Sonic Adventure tournament that ran during “The SEGA Dreamcast Mobile Assault Tour,” a 22 week long American promotion that started on August 23 1999. The Assault Tour was a joint event between SEGA of America and IGN that had two Dreamcast-themed trucks traveling across the US, giving some American gamers their first chance to check out SEGA’s new console.
This version of the game drops players right into Emerald Coast with a fully upgraded Sonic, giving them two minutes to get as many points as possible. Participants could win everything from t-shirts, to Japanese VMUs and Millennium 2000-branded Dreamcast controllers. The top 4 finalists were brought to Las Vegas at the end of the tour, where they could complete for a $15,000 grand prize. The second and third place winners received $5000 and $2500 respectively, while the fourth place winner got some SEGA swag.
While this is mostly notable for being a special version of Sonic Adventure from an obscure part of SEGA’s history, it’s also a very-late prototype build of the game. It’s dated August 10, 1999, just two days before the final build on August 12. As a result, the differences between this build and the final are minor, only lacking music for the DLC and a fully completed European localization.
If you want to read more about this game and the event, or play what those contestants did decades ago, you can find the dump of this unique, once lost piece of history on Laurent’s website, here. You can check out a recording of the game in action in Laurent’s original tweet below:
Tomorrow is the 4th of April. What's on the 4th of every month?
In the meantime, enjoy the Sonic Adventure Tournament Disk prototype and don't hesitate to read the interview of one of the organizers of "The Sega Dreamcast Mobile Assault Tour" event👇https://t.co/klrHQdGsuupic.twitter.com/yNjRvT0kZo
— Sega Dreamcast Info (@CombyLaurent1) April 3, 2023
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Closing out their pre-release coverage of Frontiers, IGN returns this morning with one additional preview of the game’s PC version, including details on general game progression, the “Memory Tokens” to collect, Cyber Space level motifs, and some fresh footage of the game’s third island.
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While long-prior tradition once dictated that thou shalt fight the biggest boss at the end of the game as Super Sonic, Sonic Frontiers is once again shaking things up. As we reported last week, the latest TGS trailer teased Titan battles, pitting Sonic against towering bosses. In an interview with IGN Japan, director Morio Kishimoto confirms that these fights do require transforming into Super Sonic.
“Up until now, in Sonic games, Super Sonic would only appear against the last boss. Imagine if the first boss in Sonic Frontiers is as strong as those bosses,”
The TGS trailer shows Sonic scaling the massive enemy in order to take the Chaos Emerald housed on its head, using all seven to transform, and then flying towards the enemy. While no combat is shown, IGN notes that the Super Sonic fights have their own moveset separate from the standard traversal and combat mechanics.
The franchise has taken different approaches to Super Sonic from Sonic Colors onward, some games requiring the seven emeralds to fight a final boss as Super Saiyan Sonic, others using that form as a reward for completing extra challenges, and even Sonic Forces offering him as free DLC. It’s interesting to see Frontiers’ take as adding further variety to the game’s combat encounters, bucking yet further modern Sonic trends.
Thanks to SSF1991 for the tip!
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Continuing in IGN First’s coverage of Sonic Frontiers, prolific Sonic writer Ian Flynn spoke to IGN regarding his experience writing an entirely new Sonic game for the first time.
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We finally got a bunch of new Sonic Frontiers details today, but…not from the place we were expecting. While today’s Sonic Central gave us a brief look at a single boss, IGN’s hands-on of Sonic Frontiers has finally given us an idea of what the game will actually be.
First of all, the impressions themselves: the previewer, Mitchell Saltzman, said he played the game for about four hours. He was mostly pretty positive about his experience, saying “This early build answered the one question I had on my mind: will Sonic’s one-of-a-kind game play translate to an open world? The answer is a resounding absolutely.” He did encounter a lot of pop-in, however, and also noted that there were still bugs that needed to be quashed, though he also pointed out that this was all from an early build of the game. The large bosses were the roughest part of his experience: he was thrown off the boss’s arms far too often, and sometimes didn’t have enough momentum to actually attack the boss’s head despite reaching the top.
In addition to his hands-on impressions, we also got a lot of details on the game itself. The game’s story starts with Sonic, Tails and Amy being sucked through a wormhole. Sonic then finds himself alone on a mysterious island. Sonic’s only companion appears to be an AI voice, which tells Sonic to gather the chaos emeralds. According to Saltzman, Sonic Team is intentionally going for a “mysterious mood.”
Smaller, linear, more traditional bite-sized levels were also confirmed. These levels are accessed by obtaining “portal gears,” which are dropped by the game’s giant bosses. The levels have optional goals, including collecting red rings and beating them within a certain time limit. Completing these goals will earn players “vault keys,” which are needed to unlock the chaos emeralds. Yes, this does appear to be details on Frontiers’ game play loop! Saltzman elaborated on this via Twitter, stating “The flow of the game is basically: Explore open world > solve puzzles to open up map > find collectibles to improve stats > fight world bosses to earn portal gears > use portal gears to unlock linear Sonic levels > complete linear Sonic levels to unlock chaos emeralds.”
Finally, Saltzman also went into detail on the game’s combat. We got a name for that move where Sonic runs around enemies (the cyloop), and we now know that Sonic can also perform dodges and parries. Many of the enemies can be defeated in a variety of ways. In the example he gave, he stated one enemy could either be attacked when it left itself open to attack, or Sonic could create an opening by either using the parry or his cyloop move. He also confirmed that the game will have a exp and a skill tree. When talking about the skill tree specifically, he said the game had a nice sense of power progression, even during the four hours he had with it.
You can watch IGN’s hands-on impressions below:
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After Wednesday’s world navigation trailer, today’s new gameplay footage from IGN First shows off Sonic Frontiers’ combat mechanics:
Much like the previous gameplay reveal, the video is entirely show-don’t-tell. Sonic performs homing attack combos on a robot made of several balls, uses his new updraft ability to remove the armor of another baddy before attacking, and shows off a ranged air-kick move that looks right out of anime. Even the sidestep, a move previous Sonic games used to setup quick lane changes in long corridors, has some combat dodging potential here.
The enemy designs have bizarre and varying designs, from bipedal robots that turn into spears, to weird legged stalks with a heavy armor ring around them, to the massive three-armed pillar teased last year. Different enemies are susceptible to specific attacks, and to ascend a titan, Sonic used an updraft around one of its legs to throw it off balance, and needed to wall-run using only blue boost gates and avoiding red ones. Upon reaching the top, Sonic attacks giant spikes on its head to destroy its arms.
While we still have very little context around the game’s upgrade system, rewards for combat, and even its basic premise, today shows off a few new moves added to Sonic’s modern moveset and more variety in combat than previous combat-heavy Sonic games had. Here’s hoping the rest of June brings further revelations on Frontiers mechanics and mysteries.
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This morning, IGN premiered their new Sonic Frontiers footage, noting that the month will see further updates, but for now, we’ve got 6 minutes of edited gameplay footage:
The video shows off Sonic running through the rocky grasslands area we’ve seen, but there’s much more interaction with the environment. In fact, unlike yesterday’s 30 second clip, this one has no combat whatsoever, just world traversal.
Sonic doesn’t have many new moves, but the one that is shown off is the ability to draw circles by running, causing an updraft. Meanwhile, Sonic maintains his standard 3D moveset of running, boosting, grinding, air dashing, air dropping, sidestepping, and wall running for good measure. While Sonic seems to only be able to run (and climb, apparently) on vertical surfaces with a specific glowing texture, he can take rock slopes and ridges with ease by maintaining speed.
If you were worried (as I was) that moving to an open world might mean less actual level design, the video is full of small instances of speed and platforming challenges, be it scaling a tall tower dotted with springs and homing points, or just finding paths made of boost rings and grind rails. There’s even a few simple puzzles thrown into the mix.
Rest assured, we’ll be picking this apart over the next few days, but for now, go enjoy some tranquil vistas at intense speed.
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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.
IGN have posted another video about Lego Dimensions which contains a big focus on the Sonic stages. In this video we learn a bunch of new details about the Sonic level pack.
7 Stages.
“It practically is a Sonic game”
Battle Arena based on “Carnival Zone.” – “Brightly coloured, neon mashup.”
Lots of boss fights.
Confirmation that Sonic’s ring is based off the Lego Toilet Seat.
Check out the video to see the details and some better quality gameplay.
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Not since the Sonic and the Secret Rings Target exclusive has Archie comics content been included in a Sonic video game but this November, you won’t need to go to any one store to enjoy an exclusive Archie Sonic Boom Story written by Ian Flynn and art by Evan Stanley. IGN has a full article and coverage of several panels from the included comic. As you can see, they are all in a letterbox format to fit the 3DS screen. What I wonder is, will the Comic Art be in 3D as well? Also, will it be available from the start or as an unlockable?
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IGN has just posted the second trailer to Sonic Lost World. The trailer is subtitled ‘colors trailer’ and you don’t need to wait long to find out why that is. Had you no information about Lost World, you would be easilly forgiven for thinking that this was Sonic Colours 2.
The trailer shows a number of new stages and we even hear one of The Deadly Six speak. The trailer has a number of hidden details, if you pay attention you can even spot a cameo in the form of King Boom Boo’s minions. Oh and, if you’re a fan of the Wisps, you’re going to be very happy.
In addition to gameplay details, the trailer also confirms the release date for the North American version. Sonic Lost World will be released on October 22nd. I would imagine that other regions will be around that date as well.
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Hot off of IGN, an extensive amount of gameplay footage of Sonic Lost World has surfaced along with some additional information about the game. That’s right, footage as in both Wii U and 3DS versions got previewed!
For the Wii U edition, “Support Mode” will see to that a second player will assist in destroying badniks and obstacles via a “Radio Controlled Gadget” invented by Tails, utilized through the Wii Remote.
For the 3DS version, SLW has Dimps once again returning in the handheld version development and will feature level design different to that of its home console counterpart. In addition, up to four players can race against one another in Versus Mode both locally and online. Connectability to the Wii U game has also been hinted with players to be able to share items.
Catch the commentary video of the Wii U version between Aaron Webber of SEGA of America and Rich George of IGN first, then the three 3DS videos, for gameplay footage of Windy Hill and Desert Ruin!
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7nweiUGh-g
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYuTYACySCg
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koMru0MVkYw
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLOvnAFC4OA
If you’re over at E3, be sure to try the demoes yourself!
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Following on from todays debut trailer for Sonic Lost World, it seems that IGN have also quietly posted a screenshot of what appears to be the 3DS version of the game.
From the looks of things, it’s a side scroller much like how the 3DS version of Sonic Generations was. Of course, with todays trailer completely shattering expectations, your guess is as good as mine at this point.
Furthermore, Executive Editor for IGN Rich George has said on twitter that more Lost World news will be posted later today.
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There’s more Sonic All-Stars new racing your way today as IGN reveals a hands-on preview with the Wii-U version. The Wii-U version will include the ability to play the game on the game pad only sans TV or can be used to include a hub to keep the main screen clear.
When you’re in a race, jockeying for position, the screen displays a range of pertinent information – the current order of racers, a mini-map of the course. It’s all unintrusive and useful, but I expect most people to keep their eyes firmly on the race. Similarly, when you unleash one of the game’s eccentric power-ups, you’ll be able to see its destiny on the GamePad’s screen. Launch a remote-controlled car loaded with a stick of dynamite and you can watch it travel towards its unfortunate target.
Also mentioned is one of the games arena modes that use the Wii-U game pad to it’s advantage.
Depending on the circumstances, a GamePad can prove to be an advantage or disadvantage, and All-Stars Racing Transformed smartly uses this discrepancy as the basis for its mini-games.
I only saw one during my time with the Wii U version, called ‘Super Monkey Ball Arena’, and whomever had the GamePad took control of AiAi, who was as usual encased in his perspex sphere. Meanwhile, opponents using Classic Controllers played as Sonic and Tails in racing cars. The aim of the mini-game was simple: before the time ran out, squash the tiny versions of Sonic and Tails, who were driving around attempting to collect as many bananas as possible.
The Wii-U version of the game is shaping up to be very unique from the other consoles. We should be hearing more as the game nears it’s launch in November. In the meantime, make sure to check the full preview on IGN.
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IGN has shared some of its playtime with the PS3 version of Sonic Generations via a live stream this evening. Team members Jack and Brian show off some of the game’s missions, Speed Highway, Crisis City, the Perfect Chaos battle and even the game’s intro.
You can watch the archived video over at Justin.tv.
Thanks to Hogfather, Jordonguy247, Thomas, fluttersoard and interface for the heads up!
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IGN has released SEGA’s Modern era trailer for Sonic Generations. Within it, we get some gameplay clips of Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)‘s Crisis City stage, Sonic Unleashed‘s Rooftop Run and Sonic Colours‘ Planet Wisp in both Classic and Modern flavours. An old boss you may recognise also pops up at the end.
Got a news tip? Send it in to thesonicstadium@googlemail.com, shadzter@sonicstadium.org or via Twitter at @Shadzter and we’ll credit you for the find.
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IGN has been hands-on with Sonic Generations today and the game has got the website’s staff pretty excited. The staff are so excited, they’ve shared the above video showcasing their excitement. Unfortunately, the contents of their preview are currently embargo’d, so they can’t share any details until their preview goes live on Monday when the embargo lifts. With an embargo in place, this suggests that they may have played a level that is yet to be officially revealed, so we just might get to see or read about a new stage on Monday.
We’ll share any new details from IGN’s preview once it’s released on Monday.
Got a news tip? Send it in to thesonicstadium@googlemail.com, shadzter@sonicstadium.org or via Twitter at @Shadzter and we’ll credit you for the find.
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Sonic Generations has already impressed audiences with preliminary gameplay and stunning footage, and has now been nominated for the Gamescom 2011 IGN Player’s Choice Award. Generations stands alongside a whole host of other titles such as Gears of War 3 and Street Fighter X Tekken in the running for the award.
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IGN has put out the worlds first review of Sonic Free Riders, SEGA’s first Xbox 360 Kinect title. Associate Editor Jack Devries has given the game a 7.5/10, just .5 less than the website gave Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing. Devries is very positive about the multiplayer aspects of the game, even the new relay and tag modes. The only real complaints expressed are that the game is shallow, isn’t so easy to jump into for casual players. You can check out the video review for yourself in the video above or read the written review at IGN’s website.
Outside of the review, we get a look at more gameplay footage from the various tracks and characters, as well as some of the static cutscenes and voice acting.
Thanks to Doctor Eggman at the SSMB for the heads up!
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After two recentappearances at Gamespot, SEGA continues their promoting of Sonic Free Riders with more brief demonstrations of how the game is played at IGN, such as items, jumps, shortcuts, skills and co-op. There’s nothing we haven’t already seen before, apart from some more colour variations of the E-10000 series robots. We do get to hear more Sonic and Tails voice clips from their new voice actors though. Check out the other two videos at the bottom of this article.
New details with quotes from the manual include:
– Story Mode/World Grand Prix Mode synopsis.
“If you consider yourself the fastest Extreme Gear rider, why not enter the World Grand Prix and prove it? Riders who enter the Grand Prix will tour around the globe to compete on various courses designed solely for this extreme racing event. The season opener will kick start on a brand new course on Dolphin Resort, so don’t miss your chance to become the undisputed champion of the world. See you all at the starting line with your Board Gear!”
– A shop run by Omochao, where you can buy new parts to customize your Extreme Gear with.
“Access the shop from the Main Menu to purchase additional Extreme Gear and parts with accumulated Rings. Select an item from the list to display details and parameters, then drag the item onto the Cashier panel at the bottom right to purchase”
– Character bios Sonic the Hedgehog
“Sonic is a hero who loves to live free and does not tolerate any devious deeds. He can be short tempered at times, but is always there for those who are in trouble. He usually travels at supersonic speed on foot, but with his new and advanced Gear, he’ll be cruising even faster in style at the Grand Prix with his teammates Tails and Knuckles.”
Miles “Tails” Prower
“A kid fox with two tails- hence his nickname “Tails.” He loves tinkering with machinery, and has developed various devices to support Sonic’s adventures in the past. All of Team Heroes’ Extreme Gear are built and customized by this brilliant engineer.”
Knuckles the Echidna
“Knuckles is the defender of the giant Master Emerald on the floating island in the sky known as Angel Island. To bring toughness to the track, his Extreme Gear is built to enhance his physical abilities.”
Jet the Hawk
“Jet is the captain of a treasure hunting team known as Babylon Rogues. He is considered the most technically gifted Extreme Gear rider with the ability to accurately read the wind streams. He holds high standards and considers Sonic as an ultimate rival since he is the fastest on land. As a team leader, Jet also dislikes showing any sign of weakness to anyone.”
Wave the Swallow
“Wave is the only gal on the Babylon Rogues, who also happens to be their top mechanic. Being a super achiever, she’s in charge of upgrading all of the Extreme Gear and their airship and even analyzes unknown treasures in her spare time. Although she is older than jet, she faithfully respects and follows him as her leader.”
Storm the Albatross
“Storm is the heavyweight rider of the Babylon Rogues. As his frame indicates, he has enough strength to crush a boulder with little effort. He is scorned by Jet for many of the things he lacks but he is happy to defer to Jet’s leadership and to be his right-hand man.”
Amy Rose
“Amy is always hot on Sonic’s heels as his self-professed girlfriend. With a spark of energy and her trademark item- the Piko Piko hammer, she is ready to track down the blue blur wherever he goes. Hoping Sonic will be racing at the Grand Prix once again, she decides to join the event.”
Dr. Eggman
“An evil scientific genius who is always coming to blows with Sonic and his friends, since he is always scheming for world domination. The question is how this mad scientist will attempt to crash the party this time around.”
Shadow the Hedgehog
“This dark hedgehog boasts running speeds to rival Sonic’s. Though uninterested in the Grand Prix itself, he is eager to test his riding skills and would like to beat Sonic.”
JPX Brutality finishes by explaining the various offline and online modes in the manual:
Tag mode is really cool. Its the games version of co-op. You work as a team to win the race and you can combine riders by facing eachother and locking hands. This brings the screen to just one instead of split and you share rings, air, and have increased speed and jump capabilities. Very cool looking. So far this game looks like one of the best actual co-op games for Kinect. You actually interact with eachother instead of just standing in the same screen.
Relay race is also really cool. 2 players race one lap with the other two waiting outside of view and once you get back the the start line your player enters the pit and you trade spots. While in the pit you can pump your arms up and down to collect air to use. This can be done 2 vs 2 or you can can do 4 vs cpu.
For Xbox live you can race online against up to 7 other players. Modes include Quick Match: Quickly search and enter available online races. Custom Match: Use search filters to find online races you wish to enter. Create Match: Create a race and invite other Xbox LIVE players. Xbox LIVE party: Set up an online part to easily connect with up to eight players.
There’s still no picture proof, so we’re still going to have to treat this all as rumour for now.
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SEGA West CEO Mike Hayes has made it clear in an interview with IGN that the company doesn’t want to make any more bad Sonic games. From here on out Hayes says that SEGA will be listening to what the fans want in future titles and feels this strategy will bring the Sonic series back up to the quality standard it once had.
“It’s all part of a general strategy with Sonic where we are passionate about getting Sonic back up to the quality levels we’ve had historically,” Hayes explained. “We’ve gone through a major segmentation analysis of Sonic and where it would appeal to the different fans.”
Hayes explains that SEGA are targeting different audiences for different platforms. The company is going after the younger audience with titles on Wii & DS, while catering for the more devoted Sonic & SEGA fans with other brands.
“On the Wii and Nintendo DS, we’re driving those brands to the younger audience,” he said. “We have our Mario and Sonic brands that are very mass-market. Then we have our brands where we will focus on our SEGA and Sonic loyalists and we made the decision there to listen to what their feedback is.”
“We delayed the launch of Sonic 4 to make sure we got that as right as we could and we’re still listening because as we progress the series we want to make sure we get that right.”
Hayes then reveals that development on Sonic titles will take a different approach depending on the age group a game is targeted at.
“Where I think we provide Sonic for a younger audience, there we have to take innovation ourselves and try and understand and work out what will be the best game for a more 8 to 12 year old audience,” he said. “For the core fans, we definitely want to hear what they have to say about Sonic.”
“It’s just such a vital brand for us, and the most important thing is to get relevant quality, and that’s what we’re going to spend a lot of time and money doing over the next three or more years to get right.”
What do you think of SEGA’s new development and marketing strategies for the Sonic the Hedgehog brand? Speak out in the comments.
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Well, here’s something that will give you a shock. In a preview of the latest build of the iPhone version of Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1, IGN’s Levi Buchanan has stated that the controversial minecart Act in Lost Labyrinth Zone (that has been removed from console editions), “was actually more fun than the universal stages I tried.”
The reasoning behind Buchanan’s statement is that he feels Sonic runs too fast and he can’t progress through a stage without fear of falling or hitting spikes and losing all of his hard-earned rings.
Here’s why: Sonic has a tendency to get away from himself. Granted, that’s by design. Sonic is all about speed and you’re supposed to get going as fast as you can, blasting through stages with the constant fear that one false move will send your 112 rings into the gutter. But that doesn’t necessarily appeal to me anymore. In fact, I’m sure I groaned aloud many times at SEGA’s office when I was cruising toward the finish line only to fail a small jump and drop onto some spikes. My rings scattered and any hopes of enjoying a bonus stage (more on those in a moment) were dashed against the rocks.
Buchanan goes on to say that the minecart stage has less chance of death, so you can relax and enjoy the ride(pun intended).
But the mine cart stages are more measured than that. There is a sense of exploration as you tilt Sonic through the maze in his cart, looking for bumpers to blast you across chasms or finding the switch to open a sealed door. Death is not as ever-present here, which lets you relax and appreciate a few things. One, the tilt controls in the mine cart stages are well done. I felt like I had complete control over Sonic’s plight. Two, the art work in here is really nice.
As for the Sonic 1 inspired Special Stages, Buchanan finds the new control method of tilting the maze to move Sonic much better than manoeuvring Sonic himself in the Mega Drive/Genesis iteration.
So, bonus stages – they’re back in Sonic 4. Remember the spinning labyrinths you had to guide Sonic through to capture the chaos emeralds? The bonus rounds in Sonic 4 are very similar, but now you tilt the device to rotate the maze rather than control Sonic. This is a big improvement and cuts down on frustration. Easing Sonic through the maze toward the chaos emerald is still tricky (there’s a time limit and plenty of opportunities to drop out of the stage), but at least you feel in control rather than swimming upstream through an auto-rotating screen.
What do you think of these statements? Discuss in the comments.
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UPDATE: SSMB member Hero of Legend has re-uploaded his video with all 3 clips in, thanks dude! Also, thanks to SSMB member Woun, we have all 3 clips in HD at the below links: Game Land 1: Act 2 Dig Underground Teamwork /UPDATE END
Footage of Sonic Colours‘ co-op mode has been revealed, courtesy of IGN, who recently got some hands-on time with this feature. Do you remember that robotic head on the games map screen that looked a little like Metal Sonic? Well, it isn’t Sonic’s robotic rival. It’s a planet called Game Land where all of the co-op levels are staged.
As described in IGN’s preview, two players take control of a robot Sonic each and advance through the level by working together, while also trying to compete for the most rings. In the footage we can see some of the various Wisp combos that IGN mentioned, such as the Spike Wisp combo that has both players tethered together in a similar fashion to the old Mega Drive 32X title, Knuckles’ Chaotix. A Lazer Wisp combo is also shown, where both players combine together to form a stronger and larger double lazer attack on a string of enemies.
The levels look as odd as in the original screenshot, but the stage design seems to fit the speed and co-op play to a button. No split-screen is shown, so it appears both players have to keep up with each other on the one screen, but since co-op actions are required to advance through stages then this shouldn’t be a problem.
Thanks to speedduelist and Diogenes at the SSMB for the heads-up!
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In a new preview, IGN has revealed details behind Sonic Colours’ multiplayer mode, which was recently leaked via a screenshot at Amazon JP. As suspected, multiplayer will be a co-op experience with various coloured Sonic robots. Players will need to use techniques and the Wisp powers to progress through stages.
Wisp powers can be combined in a number of ways, which IGN are told “throughout a total of 6 tiers of three levels each.” The red special rings seen in the single player stages now have a purpose revealed. These rings are collected to unlock all of the multiplayer stages, so you won’t be able to play multiplayer co-op right away.
Thanks to speedduelist at the SSMB and Woun at the SEGA Forums for the heads-up!
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A new trailer for Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 has just been released by IGN. The trailer shows us gameplay footage of the recently revealed Lost Labyrinth Zone and the updates made to the game in action, such as the torch mechanic, faster acceleration and running animation. No solid release date yet (just a change from Late 2010 to Fall 2010), but downloadable games don’t usually get a release date until about two weeks before release. SEGA, in their last Sonic 4 update said we could expect more updates “early September,” and with this new trailer released, we expect they will be speaking more about the game sooner than expected. To accompany the trailer, IGN also posted a preview of the latest build.
Thanks to Woun at the SSMB for the heads-up and the YouTube HD upload of the video!
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UPDATE: Updated with HD video. Thanks to Woun for sharing this at the SSMB! /UPDATE END
IGN got their hands on the Wii version of Sonic Colours at Gamescom and recorded a short video of their time with the game. What makes this different to other videos we’ve seen is that this time, we get to hear the stage’s music. The track sounds like it’s straight out of a game in SEGA’s NiGHTS series and is a good fit for the alien planet theme of the level. We also get to hear grunts of Roger Craig Smith’s Sonic voice.
What do you think of Planet Wisp’s music? Discuss in the comments.
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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.
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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Busy day for Sonic 4 news today, first GamesRadar post up a Q&A after getting a look at the game and now we have a preview from IGN who also got to check out the early stages of the game. IGN say some kind words about the game and even think it’s better than the original classics. The homing attack’s presence that alot of fans are worried about is also given alot of praise saying that it’s been worked well into a 2D space and is an invaluable tool to chain enemies together in order to maintain speed.
Those who claim IGN are IGNorant to Sonic may want to think again after reading this Sonic 4 preview.
Thanks to Doctor Eggman at the SSMB for the heads-up!
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Subtitled “reasons to get your hopes up and reasons to get them down again,” IGN takes a crack at what most of us have been doing for the past week and a half. The catch here is that it is a well-written, down-the-middle article with no bias (be surprised).
IGN breaks down the game in the style, gameplay, music, and design department. Also, they talk about the benefits and detractors of listening to us, the fans. Here’s an except regarding “Speed:”
ONE UP: When I was 10 years old, I would boot up the Master System version of the very first Sonic game and play as far as the third stage of Green Hill Zone. This was where you would fight Eggman after climbing a couple of hills. At the top, however, I would avoid the fight. Instead, I would tip Sonic back down the incline, roll him into a ball, and look on in awe as the screen blew by with increasing speed.
As such, it’s pretty obvious that speed is something of a hallmark for Sonic, and the initial Needlemouse trailer’s claim that ‘speed returns’ seems to confirm that Sega’s marketing department is aware of this. There’s promise here: for some, there are few gaming pleasures that rank with the thrill of keeping a perfectly streamlined run alive as Sonic spins, flips, and bounces towards the end of a stage.
ONE DOWN: But there is cause for concern. There is something very important from my childhood play that keeps on getting overlooked: momentum. Even on the Master System version of the game – a version that was, at best, a mere shadow of its Mega Drive sibling – there was a palpable sense of gravity. Sonic would gain speed when tumbling down slopes, and he would likewise lose it when climbing them. Overlooking the importance of the physics engine in the classic Sonic games is arguably the greatest misstep that this franchise has made.
The reason for this is actually pretty simple: the pleasure of the speed in these games came from the flow of maintaining the blue critter’s momentum; not in simply pressing a button to blast through the stages before you can even take in the scenery you’ve just left ten screens behind you. Most of the newer Sonic games are actually faster than the… well… the good ones. The pleasure in the speed came from earning it, and for this to work the game needs to slow down just enough to allow for twitch reflexes to actually be rewarded.
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IGN have just put up a new Sonic & SEGA All Stars Racing trailer that confirms Ulala and BD Joe’s presence in the game. We now have the the trailer in YouTube vision for you to enjoy thanks to user megajames12. A couple of tracks look to be revealed too, one that looks Samba De Amigo themed and another Super Monkey Ball track with a pirate ship racers launch themselves from for a quick game of Monkey Target. The trailer also confirms the retailer product descriptions of the game having 24 tracks.
Ulala has been heavily hinted at to appear in this game before by Nintendo Power and the ESRB rating of the game, now she’s officially 100% confirmed we can see she has a hi-tech space hovercraft making her the second flying/hovering character. Her All-Star move isn’t very clear in the trailer where she stands, lifts her arm in the air and… we don’t get to see the effect.
BD Joe from Crazy Taxi has also been hinted at since Steve Lycett’s recent Developer Diary where Steve met with AM3 at SEGA Japan’s offices to discuss a character’s inclusion. BD Joe is shown briefly at parts of the trailer in one of the game’s classic taxi’s but again we’re left to wonder what this character’s All-Star move will be.
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In a recent poll, IGN asked readers to vote for their most overrated video game characters and the top 10 results are now in.
Here’s a list –
1. Master Chief
2. Lara Croft
3. Sonic The Hedgehog
4. Marcus Fenix
5. Chris Redfield
6. Kratos
7. Pac-Man
8. Big Daddy
9. Altair
10. Donkey Kong
As you can see IGN reader votes placed Sonic as the 3rd most overrated video game character, the only two they consider more overrated than Sonic are Lara Croft and Master Chief which is already causing a stir in the Xbox community but should the Sonic community take this in an equally immature manner? Well no, this is a gaming press sites poll like any other to be taken with a grain of salt.
Everyone has opinions and their own different tastes in gaming, what one person likes doesn’t mean another person will like it whether it is a good or bad game. This poll has allowed people to vote on a wide range of characters from various different genre’s too so the vote was always going to be messy and end up with some of the most popular characters ever included in this list.
Some people will no doubt give this list some credibility but that’s their opinion and viewpoint. Yes Sonic has had a rough time for a few years now games wise but I really believe that the gameplay of the Sonic stages in Sonic Unleashed was a big step in the right direction.
Now what are your views on this? Do you think Sonic deserves his spot in 3rd place? Do you think people should listen to it or just shake it off and ignore it?
Thanks to Flamerstreak over at his SSMB topic for the info.
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Another comic from SSMB Admin, Roarey Raccoon. He didn’t even send me this one, as I just swiped it from a thread full of whining and/or bitching, complaining, pissing, moaning, groaning, ranting jabronies.
Now, Roareyes not saying that you should ignore the review for the bad score (remember, folks, everybody has opinions), but rather, “who gives a damn?”
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Why do people in the Sonic community take such offense to low review scores? Anything 69% and lower is like a kick to the nuts to some. I’ve seen people react like the reviewer had just murdered their parents. While video games are an expensive endeavor, cashing in at $50 or $60, that doesn’t seem to be the point of contention with the “true Sonic fan,” which, by the way, is a derogatory term to the lot of us here. The “TSFs” are more concerned with the reputation of their furry, blue idol than whether or not it’s worth a purchase, rental, or pass. They probably have already bought the game and have beaten it three times over before the review is out, so they could care less for a recommendation.
It begs the question: Why do the TSFs care so dearly about other people’s opinions, especially the dissenting ones?
The TSFs have played the game and absolutely love it, so what does it matter to them that everybody else hates it? If I could capture one of these creatures, put on a lab coat and study its ticks, then I would know the answer. Sadly, it remains a mystery why these embarassments of Sonic fandom do what they do. We can only assess from the asinine things that they post in forums and comment boxes.
A recent trend in the community is this obsession with whether or not a reviewer finished the game or not. While I agree that a reviewer should play the game thoroughly, the need to 100% complete a game is asking too much. How many review sites finished Grand Theft Auto IV before reviewing it? I doubt that any of them did. Most times, if you’ve seen first half of a game, the second half is bound to be similar. Does IGN’s Matt Casamassina have to play the final moments of Black Knight? Would the game’s true ending redeem all of the game’s shortcomings? I highly doubt it.
A much more prominent argument of the TSF is the necessity to call people out on their preference to the classic titles, going as far as stating that the Genesis Sonic titles “suck.” It’s always amusing to read that comment, as it lacks any context whatsoever. Without Sonic’s successful Genesis days, which were popular for their innovations to platform gaming and contrasting attitude to Mario, the new-generation Sonic wouldn’t exist. By referring to those games as “absolute crap,” one basically erases Sonic’s current lineage of games. Sonic would be lost in the 16-bit generation, like Bubsy, Sparkster, and other attitudinal, platforming mascots.
What’s funny about the TSF’s cries for respect to the new-generation is that us editorial folk have to love every Sonic game. When the TSFs preach that to us and follow up with “the Genesis games suck,” they’re contradicting themselves.
The “classic backlash” from the TSFs could also be attributed to the perspective of the authors of the Sonic-related articles and reviews. The people who are articulate enough to write for these “important” websites are in their late teens and beyond. Most of us are in our twenties. As a result, we grew up with this character. It’s something that has to be understood by the chronic complainers. When they’ve reached a point in their life when they’re old enough to have a firm grasp on their respective languages, they can write articles about how Sonic Unleashed was a triumph of this generation for TSS, IGN, or some other video game website. Secondly, the “too old for Sonic” argument doesn’t really work. The charm of the character is supposed to appeal to everyone, regardless if you’re 12 or 40 or whether or not the game is “designed for kids.”
Everybody’s entitled to their own opinion. If IGN does not like the game, that’s their prerogative. If you like the game, then that’s your prerogative. Telling a site how to do its business is an exercise in futility.
Not everybody is going to be happy with Sonic all the time. One cannot coarse a fanbase so large to think uniformily. So, if you like Black Knight, then good for you. Don’t go looking to pick fights with the opposite viewpoint, because nobody wants to see that.
Better yet, nobody cares.
Brad wrote this review not in defense for IGN or review sites, but for the sake of peace and sanity. Picture credit goes to “Sonic-Fan-Rater” at DeviantArt.
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SSMB user ‘Venom‘ alerted the forums earlier today with a new trailer from massive online gaming website, IGN. The trailer focuses on Knuckles’ character in the game, Sir Gawain, featuring footage of his boss fight and other misc videos of several stages. Meanwhile, Youtube user ‘Supasoni1016′ is kind enough to capture and upload the latest trailer of the game from the Japanese ‘Nintendo Channel’, an online media portal designed specifically for the Nintendo Wii. The Nintendo Channel trailer shows us lots of already seen footage- but with a one minute fifty second version of the games main theme, ‘Knight of the Wind’ performed by familiar-to-the-series band, ‘Crush 40.‘
You can watch the Sir Gawain IGN trailer here and the Nintendo Channel video showcase here. Sonic and the Black Knight will be available for the Nintendo Wii on the 13th of March in Europe.
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You’ve read TSS’ Comic Con impressions and you’ve read some semblance of an article on IGN AU yesterday. Now, check out some previews that I have picked out for one reason or another.
From the title and opening paragraph of this incredibly brief preview, it didn’t look like Jim Reilly was too excited about another Sonic game, especially one with a sword. Despite first impressions, he turns around in the end by saying that he would have “obviously loved to play [the game] more.” He said that the game is done and probably won’t undergo any more changes. He is concerned about stage variety (which was a problem in games like Super Mario Sunshine – what with all the tropical shit) and the game’s difficulty, as it was too easy. He did play the first level, though, so take that comment however you want to. Reilly notes that the sense of speed and controls are the game’s high points.
If you’re still on the fence about Black Knight, especially if your age happens to be 20 and over, Reilly’s closing remark might be of help: “It’s clear from not only playing this, but talking to the Sega people as well that this game, and series, is for a different, younger generation of Sonic fans.” Now, if you’ve come to the realization that this game is not designed for you, then you can stop complaining about it and ignore it.
ONM loves how we are finally given full control of Sonic on the Wii. They relish in the lack of “race car” controls and welcome the simple concept of walking backwards. ONM comments on how agile and stylish Sonic is while he swings his sword around. Overall, they are pleased with this demo copy.
Still, even with the solid play-through that they received, they have the right to be pessimistic. Sonic has had many proclaimed “returns to form” that have failed to deliver on more than one occasion. I think that their advice is wise. I’m not ensuing to that you be entirely downtrodden on this new game, but I wouldn’t run around saying that this game is going to kick the biggest of asses either.
Matt Casamassina feels better about Black Knight than most people would suspect (you know, since it’s IGN and “biased” or something). He spent hours playing through the final build and gave the most detailed previews of them all, so I’d read it, despite some people’s outrageous and unnecessarily aggressive opinion of the site.
Matt comments that SatBK has more in common with Unleashed than it does its prequel, Sonic and the Secret Rings, thanks to the control scheme. You can move Sonic freely with control stick movement, but when going backwards, the camera will not turn around. The camera, when walking backwards, in SatSR was a huge problem, in my opinion, so it’s sad to not see that corrected. Matt closes his section on the controls and gameplay by describing Black Knight as an “action racer.” He says that you’ll be using your sword a lot and he describes the control scheme in detail. The impressive part is the B trigger, which iniates a bullet-time lock-on system.
Just like with my buddy, Keith, the sheer amount of remote waggle starts to wear on the player and Matt wishes that there was an alternative control scheme. There are tons of enemies and they pop up incredibly frequently. At least they look really pretty!
Oh, and a potential “sad face moment:” “we have yet to encounter any trademark loop-de-loops or corkscrews.” 🙁
Critic Consensus
Things are looking up for the upcoming adventure, but they are reserving their full judgment and excitement for when the game ships next month.
As somebody who thought Sonic and the Secret Rings was a decent outing, I like hearing about improvements made in Black Knight. My only concern is whether or not the sword creates a whole new set of problems. While ironing out the old, SEGA and Sonic Team might overlook a problem with the new.
Remember, kids, we’re talking about the previews here.
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IGN has a preview of the upcoming (and umpteenth) compilation from SEGA, Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection, up on its website. Despite the game having the infamous “butt Sonic art,” the previewer, Ryan Clements, is all smiles about this upcoming batch of 40 Genesis tiles on one disc.
Ryan notes that the game features a filtering system in the game selection menu. You can arrange the titles by genre or your personal rating, thus putting all of your favorite 16-bit adventures at the top of the list. It looks to be yet another winner for SEGA, as it continues to rehash its back catalog until the end of time (and by back catalog, I mean Genesis games. My homebrew-enabled Wii can’t emulate a Saturn, SEGA. A little help here!)
Ryan does not touch upon the “hated” (I guess?) upscaling filter that makes all the games “HD.” Don’t worry, because WorthPlaying.com has some “HD” screens of Sonic 2and they are awful. Let’s sneak a peak at the legendary special stage:
Aw, man, who wiped their nose with the Sonic screenshots again? Wait, nobody did? Well, shit.
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