[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zm5gOQUWjgQ&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]
Xbox 360 Kinect is now available in European territories and one of its launch titles is SEGA’s Sonic Free Riders, the third game in the Sonic Riders series and one that takes full advantage of Kinect’s abilities. To celebrate the European arrival of their first Kinect title, SEGA Europe has put out a new launch trailer with the return of the beautiful people from the earlier trailers to remind you how the game is played. More gameplay footage from the game’s various tracks is included, too.
Have you bought the game today? If so, share your thoughts on it in the comments. If you’re yet to buy it and plan to, Amazon appear to be the cheapest offer in the UK, with a price of £29.93. If you see a cheaper price, let us know.
Source: Sonic City Blognik
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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnYBlKuP_9c[/youtube]
Microsoft’s new Kinect sensor for Xbox 360 is hitting U.S. stores shortly and what better way to help grab interest than for Microsoft to show all Xbox 360’s Xbox Live users the launch game line-up in an Inside Xbox video, what could possibly go wrong? Well, it appears the Inside Xbox team haven’t paid too much attention to SEGA’s Sonic Free Riders, because they seem to have it confused with the original Sonic Riders title on Xbox, PlayStation 2 and Gamecube. When Microsoft’s Bridget O’Neill gets to the game at the 02:34 mark, a trailer for Sonic Riders is on display, logo and all. Before the end of the video the Sonic Riders logo (seen below) is shown again and O’Neill refers to the title as Sonic Riders, too.
You have to wonder, how does the company behind the Xbox 360 confuse an original Xbox title with an Xbox 360 game, especially one that’s launching the next day, only on their new Kinect peripheral? Now, I wonder what SEGA would have to say about this comical promotional failure…
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Sonic Free Riders is out for Xbox 360 Kinect in the U.S. tomorrow, so SEGA has given a big update to the game’s official website. Shadow, Silver, Eggman, E-10000G, Metal Sonic, Blaze, Amy, Cream, Rouge and Vector have been added to the characters section with new artwork and profiles, while the tracks section has now been unlocked with Dolphin Resort, Rocky Ridge, Frozen Forest, Metropolis Speedway, Magma Rift and Forgotten Tomb on display. The Final Factory and Metal City tracks revealed in the Achievements list are nowhere to be seen at the moment, but we do get a look at the alternate expert map of each of the tracks, along with an image and description of each one. Finally, SEGA have also added a voice command guide to the site for you to download.
The character artwork is available below:
Source: Sonic Free Riders official U.S./EU website
Thanks to HunterTSF at the SSMB for the heads up and obtaining the artwork!
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SEGA has announced that Sonic fans attending their Sonic Colours event in New York will be getting treated to more than free ice-skating (first 300 people) and a free play on Sonic Colours before release, with news that the band Cash Cash will be performing Reach for the Stars (the theme of Sonic Colours) live for all attendees. The free goodies don’t end there, as fans will also be able to grab a free Sonic hat while stocks last. The event is being held at The Pond in Bryant Park tomorrow from 6 PM EST.
The full press release is below:
SAN FRANCISCO –(Business Wire)–
SEGA® of America, Inc. today announced that on Thursday, November 4th they will be inviting Sonic the Hedgehog fans to a Sonic Colors™ ice skating party at Citi Pondsm at Bryant Park in New York City (42nd Street & 6th Avenue) from 6pm ET – 10pm ET. Fans will have the exclusive opportunity to play the game two weeks before launch and to enjoy a live performance of the Sonic Colors theme song “Reach for the Stars” by the band Cash Cash. In addition, the first 300 fans to arrive will be able to ice skate for free and receive one of the highly coveted Sonic the Hedgehog hats** that are currently being offered as a pre-order incentive U.S, GameStop locations or at www.GameStop.com.
“We are extremely excited to allow fans to play Sonic Colors two weeks before launch,” said Judy Gilbertson, Senior Brand Manager of Sonic Colors. “We’re delighted with the quality of Sonic Colors and the passion that both fans and press are showing for the game. This party is our way of thanking everyone for supporting us as we prepare for the releae of the most exciting Sonic game in recent memory.”
In Sonic Colors, Sonic the Hedgehog races through incredible theme park inspired worlds to rescue a colorful alien race from the clutches of Dr. Eggman. An extraordinary amusement park has been seen orbiting around the home planet of Sonic the Hedgehog, and rumors are spreading that an alien race of Wisps, who have a unique colorful energy, are being held captive there by the evil Dr. Eggman. Soon after arriving at the amusement park, Sonic discovers he is able to use these mysterious alien forces to help the Wisps escape! These new “Color Powers” offer players the ability to perform new moves and access hidden areas within the game. Sonic Colors for the Wii™ seamlessly combines both 3D and classic 2D game play perspectives, while the Nintendo DS™ version takes full advantage of the console’s dual screen; each platform includes exclusive “Color Powers”. Sonic Colors will be available on the Wii system and the Nintendo DS system and is rated E for Everyone. Nintendo Power recently awarded Sonic Colors on Wii with a 9/10 rating, calling the game “an unequivocal success.”
Sonic Colors is set to release on November 16, 2010. For more information please visit www.soniccolors.com. For press assets, please visit www.sega-press.com
**While supplies last.
About SEGA® of America, Inc.:
SEGA® of America, Inc. is the American arm of Tokyo, Japan-based SEGA® Corporation, a worldwide leader in interactive entertainment both inside and outside the home. The company develops, publishes and distributes interactive entertainment software products for a variety of hardware platforms including PC, wireless devices, and those manufactured by Nintendo, Microsoft (News – Alert) and Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. SEGA of America’s Web site is located at www.sega.com.
Source: 4GWE
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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkEJUY_VhjE&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]
A new trailer for Sonic Free Riders has appeared on YouTube user SegaCzech’s channel, which showcases the various multiplayer modes of the game, namely VS Mode, 2 Player Co-op/Tag Mode and Relay Race. The trailer is just like the Introduction and Weapons trailers, in that people show how the game is played, actions and all. Plenty more gameplay footage can also be seen from the variety of tracks the game has to offer.
Elsewhere, IGN has released six more screenshots of the game, which you can view below.
Screenshots source: IGN
Thanks to Woun at the SSMB for the heads up on the screenshots!
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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.
New Sonic voice actor Roger Craig Smith attended London’s MCM Expo today to help promote Ubisoft’s new game Assassins Creed Brotherhood, in which he plays the role of Ezio Auditore De Firenze, but that didn’t stop him from gladly speaking to Sonic fans at the event too. SSMB Members Doctor Sonic and Jaymeister got to meet Smith briefly and both had nice things to say about the voice actor.
Jaymeister feels he has a passion for his role as Sonic:
It was also interesting when I talked to him at MCM. He actually noted how there wasn’t the best reaction to the original Alton Towers clips, so I guess that may have also been an influence.
Really nice guy though, I can tell just by our 2 minute conversation, he really cares about his role and is very willing to listen to feedback in order to give what the fans want. He just seemed totally natural when talking to the fans, be they of Assassins Creed or Sonic. I hope to meet him again one day.
Doctor Sonic found out some interesting information from Smith behind the voice direction for Sonic:
I met Roger today at the MCM expo in London. Hes a really nice guy and was very happy to talk about voicing Sonic.
Without me even mentioning the deepness of his Sonic voice he said he had been told by Sega that they wanted Sonic to sound older. From what he said it sounds like Sega consider this to be an important factor in the current relaunch of Sonic.
So there you go, the deeper voice is what Sega wants, so it looks like it will be staying,
If you recall the clear and unedited Alton Towers voice clips, Smith did portray a lighter voice for Sonic back then when compared with the voice we revealed as part of a joint-exclusive with Sonic Retro and Sonic Wrecks yesterday.
Have a listen to both voice clips below for comparison and share your thoughts on the voice direction in the comments.
Clear and unedited Alton Towers voice clips:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fp7M7QrKzr8[/youtube]
Sonic Colours cutscene:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pVHJeIUWOI&feature=player_embedded#at=36[/youtube]
Roger Craig Smith will be back at the MCM Expo tomorrow if you missed out today and would like to meet him. More information about the Expo can be found at the events official website.
Thanks to Doctor Sonic and Jaymeister at the SSMB for the information.
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SEGA Europe has announced that the classic Dreamcast puzzle game ChuChu Rocket is now available to download from the App Store on the iPhone/iPod touch at €3.99 /£2.99 / AU$5.99 and in HD – on the iPad for €5.49 /£3.99/ AU$8.99. In other news, a Halloween Sale has been announced, with discounts across five titles, including Sonic’s latest classic revival Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1.
Here are the full list of titles and prices:
Shining Force
Was: $2.99 £1.79 Now: $0.99 £0.59
Ecco the Dolphin
Was: $2.99 £1.79 Now: $0.99 £0.59
Streets of Rage
Was: $2.99 £1.79 Now: $0.99 £0.59
Sonic 4 Ep 1
Was: $9.99 £5.99 Now: $6.99 £3.99
Football Manager
Was: $4.99 £4.99 Now: $2.99 £2.99
The sale is only for a limited time, so grab those bargains while they’re there.
Source: SEGA Europe Blog
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Issue 62 of Official Nintendo Magazine is available from today in stores across the UK for £3.99 and inside are reviews for both Wii & DS versions of Sonic Colours. The game grasped an impressive 86% score from reviewer Chris Scullion on Wii, closely followed by an 85% score from reviewer Simon Bramble for the DS edition. The Wii version is highly praised for not containing any gimmicks that ruin the game, such as the Werehog, talking swords or the motion controlled gameplay of Sonic and the Secret Rings. Scullion sees the Wisps as a gimmick, but says they don’t ruin things and are completely optional, so you can completely ignore them if you like. Scullion especially likes the Yellow Drill Wisp, saying “You’ll have a blast manoeuvring Sonic through the dirt and underground passages at stupidly fast speeds,”.
Another feature praised about the game is the new voice acting of Roger Craig Smith as Sonic the Hedgehog. Scullion says Roger makes Sonic seem pretty cool and not the equivalent of The Simpsons‘ Poochie The Rapping Dog. Elsewhere in the sound department, the music receives some positive criticism, with Scullion saying the ONM team were humming along to the tracks for each level. Speaking of levels, Scullion doesn’t rank them as high as the best of the daytime stages Sonic Unleashed had to offer, but he is happy with lots of the stages. Scullion wasn’t impressed with multiplayer and says “if you’re buying this for multiplayer, you’ll probably be disappointed, as Sonic Colours is far more enjoyable when played on your tod.”
Scullion finishes the review with a statement that many fans will be happy to hear:
“Colours hits the jackpot for Sonic fans. It’s one of his best 3D outings since the Dreamcast days. Round of applause for Sonic Team – the Sonic cycle has finally been broken.”
As for the DS version, it’s highly praised for being developed by Dimps who did the very well received Sonic Rush titles, because this game sticks closely to the fast-paced gameplay in those games. Bramble says Sonic Colours on DS is at its heart “speed-run gaming at its finest” and has a lot of good things to say about the replay value of going through levels again to improve your performance and earn a higher rank and/or using later unlocked Wisps in earlier stages to find new paths and goodies. Like Scullion on the Wii version, Bramble is happy to see the Wisps are completely optional in this version, so you can speed through in usual Sonic fashion without ever using one if you so wish to.
The only complaint Bramble brings up about the DS version are the boss battles and bonus levels, because they break the flow of the game and says “the story’s a tenuous load of old tosh – but at least Sonic doesn’t talk.” The review is ended like the Wii one, with another positive statement that will put a smile on the face of fans.
“In fact, Colours on DS manages to silence not only its star, but those looking for yet another Sonic game to complain about. By ignoring the mistakes that did for recent titles, Colours manages to glide along, happy and oblivious, just as you will when you play it.”
For the full reviews, pick up a copy of Official Nintendo Magazine issue 62 in stores now, or order online at myfavouritemagazines.co.uk
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SEGA has been doing a lot of promotional work for their games these past few months by attending many gaming related events and they don’t plan on stopping any time soon, with news that their Swedish division will be showcasing some of their games at Sweden’s Gamex expo. SEGA games available to play at the Pan Vision booth include Sonic Colours (Wii and DS), Sonic Free Riders, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games and Vanquish. Fans will also be able to meet Sonic the Hedgehog himself. Gamex will be held from the 4th to the 7th of November at the Kista Expo Center, which is centrally located in the north of Stockholm. Doors will be open from 10:00 to 20:00 CEST Thursday to Saturday and from 10:00 to 17:00 CEST on Sunday. If you’re interested in attending, you can buy your tickets here.
For more information, head over to Gamex’s official website.
Will you be attending? Let us know in the comments.
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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.”
Source: IGN
Thanks to Mr.Isklue at the SSMB for the heads-up!
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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SEGA has today opened the characters section of the U.S. and European official Sonic Free Riders website, revealing new artwork, small profiles and a new music track from the game. The only characters unlocked at the moment are Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Jet, Wave and Storm, but the website states more are “Coming Soon”. Thanks to Gamespot’s exclusive demonstration of the final build, we currently know of 17 characters, which include Metal Sonic, Vector and a blue E-series robot likely called E-10000B that are new entries to the series, so we can expect plenty more profiles to be featured on the site.
Check out the rest of the new artwork below:
Source: Sonic Free Riders U.S. and EU official website
Thanks to Woun at the SSMB for the heads-up!
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SEGA France announced on their blog “The Blue Room” on October 15th (yes, we’re a bit late noticing this) that they will be attending the Paris Games Week event that begins this Wednesday October 26th and ends on Sunday 31st. SEGA will be bringing along some of their recent and upcoming titles, including Sonic the Hedgehog‘s latest bunch.
The full list of titles and pods available include:
Sonic Colours (Wii) = 4 pods
Sonic Colours (DS) = 4 pods
Sonic Free Riders (Xbox 360 Kinect) = 2 pods
Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 = 2 pods
Crazy Taxi = 1 pod
Space Channel 5: Part 2 = 1 pod
Vanquish (PS3, Xbox 360) = 3 Xbox 360 pods and 3 PS3 pods
Virtua Tennis 4 (PS3) = 2 pods with PlayStation Move and 3D support
Yakuza 4 (PS3) = 2 pods
Also, Atsushi Inaba, the co-founder and Producer of Platinum Games developed title Vanquish will be in attendance on Saturday and Sunday to make some presentations and sign your copies of the game or posters that you can only get exclusively at this event.
Finally, Atsushi Inaba, co-founder and Producer of PlatinumGames VANQUISH come specially from Japan on Saturday and Sunday to make several presentations-hourly news soon-but especially to sign copies of VANQUISH you’ve purchased per thousand and / or large posters printed exclusively for this occasion.
(Google Translate)
Source: SEGA France’s “The Blue Room” blog
SEGA France to attend Paris Games Week announcement
Space Channel 5: Part 2 at Paris Games Week announcement
For more information about Paris Games Week, head over to the events official website.
Will you be attending Paris Games Week? Let us know in the comments.
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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACjjO2zaweY&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]
DualShockers has posted up a video interview with SEGA’s Dan Gallardo where they discuss the publishers first Xbox 360 Kinect title Sonic Free Riders. Nothing is revealed that we didn’t already know, but we do get some assurance that SEGA has treated this game as a full Xbox 360 title and not a quickly put together mini game title. Gallard explains, “It will be online, you’ll get the unlockables, you’ll get the characters, you’ll get the variety of environments, you’ll get everything you expect with a 360 title, all in one.” With all of the game modes, tracks, characters and features shown in the final build of the game on Gamespot’s On The Spot show, it’s no surprise that some hard work has been put into this title.
Apart from the interview, you get to see plenty of new gameplay footage of the Western themed Rocky Ridge track from the Tokyo Game Show demo of the game, complete with huge jumps and minecart steering action.
Source: DualShockers
Thanks to Woun at the SSMB for the YouTube conversion!
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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tk2DbZZC4r0[/youtube]
SEGA has just released a new trailer for Sonic Colours, which gives us our first look at the Purple Wisp and its “Frenzy” power in action. This power sees Sonic chomp through enemies and various other obstacles in his way. We also see plenty more gameplay footage showing the Blue “Cube”, Pink “Spike” and Green “Hover” Wisps in use, all exclusive to the Wii version of the game. Some more CGI footage is shown in the trailer too. A piece of hi-res artwork of the Purple Wisp is also available below.
Source: SEGA of America blog
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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.
UPDATE: The UK site is now live. Those having problems accessing the U.S. site should be able to access this one.
Thanks to gato at the SSMB for the heads up! /UPDATE END
SEGA has just unveiled their official English Sonic Colours website. As you can see, it is based on the game’s World Map, much like the Sonic Unleashed website was. The website features character profiles, including Wisps and their powers, a stage section that contains music from each currently revealed stage and a game info section. Asteroid Coaster is currently locked out, as are stage videos and both the Purple and Indigo Wisps. As a bonus, you can obtain wallpapers by gathering Wisps around the website.
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European and Australian Wii owners can now finally purchase the WiiWare version of Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 from the Wii Shop Channel. The game costs 1,500 Nintendo Points and weighs in at 387 blocks of memory. Those hoping for multiple control schemes such as the Classic Controller and Gamecube Controller will be disappointed, because the game only supports the Wii Remote. Special Stages do have some control choices however, with the option of playing with the d-pad or with motion control.
Will you be buying Sonic 4 on WiiWare today? Let us know and share your thoughts on the game in the comments.
Thanks to just4lolzz in the comments for the heads-up on the Australian release.
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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrkeyrU3wSw&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]
GamesRadar’s Justin Towell, who gave Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 a 9/10 in his review has put out the world’s first speedrun of Splash Hill Zone Act 1 and it’s a very impressive run at 40.79 seconds. Towell currently holds the Guinness World Record for the Xbox Live Arcade version of Sonic the Hedgehog 2’s Emerald Hill Act 1.
Source: GamesRadar
UPDATE: The game is now available on the European PlayStation Store for £9.99/€12.99 and weighs in at 197MB. /UPDATE END
In other news, Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 has just been released on the Xbox Live Arcade for 1200 Microsoft Points and weighs in at 191MB. If you want to give the game a try before you buy, a demo is available. The PS3 version will release in Europe on the PlayStation Store later today. We’ll update when that goes live.
Source: Xbox Live Marketplace
(The game is not immediately visible right now. You’ll need to look under the ‘Top Rated’ section to find it.)
Will you be buying the game today? Do you think you can beat Justin Towell’s time? Let us know in the comments.
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UPDATE: SEGA’s Alan Pritchard has confirmed to Joystiq that SEGA has two huge Sonic announcements coming early next year:
“The early part of next calendar year, we have two very exciting, huge announcements to make. I’d love to be able to tell you more about them now but I can’t. That’s further evidence of how we’re looking to improve and enhance our Sonic strategy.”
Thanks to Hero of Legend at the SSMB for the heads-up! /UPDATE END
SEGA Europe boss Jurgen Post has confirmed to MCV that SEGA is working on a new Sonic game they plan to release in 2011.
“We know we have Sonic and Football Manager this year, a new Total War next year, and a new Sonic and Virtua Tennis next year. These are the kind of titles that will allow us to focus on being healthy and profitable.”
No more information was given, so we’re left to speculate. Could this be Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 2? The untitled Nintendo 3DS game revealed in press documents at E3? Maybe it’s the heavily rumoured Sonic Anniversary game? This is the first official word SEGA has shared in regards to new Sonic titles for release next year and with the last of the latest games being released next month, could SEGA be getting ready to talk about their 2011 plans soon? If a report from Platform Nation is to be believed, we could be hearing something October 22nd.
We’ll keep an eye open for any developments. For now, share your thoughts in the comments.
Source: MCV via ONM
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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihZY56kYIis&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]
UPDATE: The game is now available to download from the U.S. PlayStation Store. /UPDATE END
SEGA Japan has today released the above launch trailer for Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1, which showcases all of the game’s four zones in action, including some of the bosses. The PS3 version will be released on the U.S. PlayStation Store later today for $14.99, so fans looking for an HD experience will now have that option. Tomorrow sees the launch of the PS3 version in Europe and the Xbox 360 version worldwide, followed by the Wii version’s European release on Friday.
Will be you be buying the PS3 version today? Let us know in the comments.
Source: Official Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Japanese website
Thanks to Shaddix for the heads-up and Woun for the YouTube conversion.
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SEGA’s Digital Brand Manager Ken Balough has just announced at the SEGA Forums that SEGA will be submitting a free update to Apple on October 15th for Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 on iPhone, which will add Game Center support.
Hi Everyone,
Hopefully you guys had a terrific 1st day enjoying Sonic The Hedgehog 4 Episode I on the iPhone!
That said – I’d like to let everyone know that on October 15th, we are submitting to Apple a free update for Sonic 4 that would give it Game Center.
So stay tuned as we add this new feature.
Cheers,
Ken
No exact details were given as to which Game Center features will be supported, but we expect the game will gain the online leaderboard and achievement features that other versions of the game have. We’ll update you when more details are made available.
Source: SEGA Forums
For more information about Game Center, head over to Apple’s website.
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SEGA’s new Brand Director for the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise David Corless has spoken out to MCV about his visions for the franchise, current marketing strategies and pleasing Sonic fans, new and old. With the 3 titles on the way in the next couple of months, Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1, Sonic Free Riders and Sonic Colours, Corless feels that Sonic Team has performed well.
“Sonic Team has done an amazing job,” says Sonic’s new brand director David Corless, who took the role this summer. “They have gone back to the original games for inspiration and come back with three games that, so far, we’ve only had positive feedback on.”
Corless goes on to speak about SEGA’s strategy of appealing to the core Sonic fans, while also trying to attract the mainstream audience, something we’ve heard Sonic Team’s Takashi Iizuka speak about many times before. Corless feels that pleasing the core Sonic fans isn’t too hard, but pleasing both those fans and new ones is a tough job.
“I don’t think Sonic fans are hard to please. There is just a lot of them and they are all hugely passionate and have their own ideas on what the ideal Sonic game should be,” continues Corless.
“The core fans are very vocal and get a lot of attention but we also have a huge, younger fanbase that we need to consider too. So it presents a challenge. It’s hard to please everyone.
Corless wants to assure fans that he and SEGA respect Sonic’s heritage and want to create games that live up to that heritage, while also taking the series forward.
“We want to create games that respect the heritage of the brand whilst also moving it forward.”
Where does our new Brand Director see Sonic in the future?
“Daft Punk put it well – better, faster, stronger,” concludes Corless.
For the full article, head over to MCV.
What do you think of David Corless’s statements? Let us know in the comments.
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SEGA’s Aaron Webber aka RubyEclipse appeared in CNET’s latest episode of preGame yesterday, where he talks about Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1, as well as giving a demonstration of Casino Street Zone and Mad Gear Zone. Webber confirms what we all assumed, that the new playing card features in Casino Street Zone are from a refurbished Act 2 and that it will be an exclusive stage to the console versions. We can only guess that the iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad version will still contain the pinball score attack stage seen in the leaked version of the game. Both zones look to incorporate plenty of careful platforming and not just speed, which should make a lot of fans happy. The recently seen map screen is shown again here, but this time it has a warp-hole above the island, which we assume is the E.G.G. Station Zone, in which the final battle with Dr.Eggman takes place.
To view the video, head over to CNET.
Thanks to Woun at the SSMB for the heads-up!
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Nintendo specialist website NintendoLife has posted up an interview they held with SEGA’s Digital Brand Manager Ken Balough to chat about Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1. Not much is revealed that we don’t already know, but there are plenty of teases made about Episode 2.
Balough reaffirms that the story for the whole series is already written and says we can probably expect details about Episode 2 in 2011:
I can tell you we’ve written the story for the whole saga, but we have not announced the amount of episodes yet. That said, you can probably expect to hear more about Episode II in 2011. (He smiles)
Those who would like to see the episodes lock-on in a similar fashion to Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic & Knuckles, may be in luck with Balough’s next vague teaser, but he can’t reveal what may be carried over right now:
The Episodes will definitely make up a larger game. After completing them all, you’ll have experienced a larger overall story arc that lives up to the epic nature of earlier Sonics. As for what carries over – you’ll have to wait and see!
Fans purchasing the game for Wii need not worry about the game being less of an experience due to the WiiWare file size limit. Balough explains that the game is near-enough the same:
It was definitely a challenge because there was less room to work with, but the team was super committed to bringing their full vision to the Wii.
Ultimately the content is identical. The Team was really committed to making sure everyone got a great Sonic 4 experience, so the graphics and the motion controls on the Special Stages are the only real differences on the Wii version.
When asked if there is anything he would like to say to gamers who have been waiting for Sonic’s return to classic 2D, Balough expresses the teams passion for this new entry to the series:
I’ll like to let everyone know that we at SEGA definitely understand the desire Sonic fans have had for return of a 2D game. The entire team are Genesis Sonic fans and we’re all proud to be bringing back Sonic with Sonic the Hedgehog 4. This is the game we’ve all wanted to play since we were kids, and we really hope everyone out there shares our passion and enjoys playing this game as much as we did making it!
Check out the full interview at NintendoLife.
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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.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjogzh9NsMs[/youtube]
SEGA has released a trailer for the iPhone/iPod Touch version of Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1. The trailer has been posted exclusively at Yahoo Games’ Appolicious website and shows gameplay footage from Splash Hill Zone, Casino Street Zone and Mad Gear Zone. We get to officially hear music from Casino Street Zone and Mad Gear Zone for the first time in this trailer, too. Appolicious confirms that this version of the game will include online leaderboards, just like the console versions. Still no price confirmd for the U.S. and Europe, unfortunately. We’ll let you know when SEGA reveals details.
Source: Appolicious.
Thanks to Woun at the SSMB for the YouTube conversion.
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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.
UPDATE: SEGA’s Ken Balough has informed via the SEGA Forums that the price of the game will also be announced next week. /UPDATE END
In a post at the SEGA Forums, SEGA of America’s RubyEclipse has announced that the release date for Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 will be announced next week.
Hi everyone,
Just a little heads up that we will be officially revealing the Sonic 4: Episode I release date next week.
Have an awesome weekend!
– The Sonic 4 Team
No more information than that was given, so whether or not the four platforms digital stores will receive it on different dates is currently unknown. We’ll update you when SEGA make their announcement. For now, speculate away in the comments.
Source: SEGA Forums
Thanks to speedduelist at the SSMB for the heads-up!
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A week after the Xbox Live release, Dreamcast classic Sonic Adventure is now available to purchase and download on the PS3’s PlayStation Store, for £6.29/€7.99/$9.99 and weighs in at 1.52 GB. It was made available yesterday in the U.S. and just minutes ago in Europe. If you’re in the U.S. and you’re after more content for the game, a DLC pack that upgrades the game to Sonic Adventure DX: Director’s Cut with extra missions and Metal Sonic character (after obtaining 130 emblems) is available for $4.99 and weighs in at 173 MB. Europe will have to wait until at least possibly next week for the DX DLC pack, according to Sony Europe’s Mike Kebby at the EU PlayStation Blog.
> It looks like the Sonic Adventure DX Upgrade is out next week, though don’t hold me to this just yet.
Will you be downloading the game? Let us know in the comments.
Full PS Store updates for this week:
Europe
U.S.
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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkocJI1Kacw[/youtube]
SEGA attended this years J-Pop Summit Festival yesterday and brought along playable demos of some of their upcoming games for attendees to get some hands-on time with. Sonic fans were also treated to a presentation of Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 on the big screen in the Viz Cinema, where SEGA of America’s Aaron Webber aka RubyEclipse played through Act 1 of Splash Hill Zone in an attempt to beat a time record set at the event. Does he beat it? See for yourself. The demo shown appears to be from a new build, since it has the changes to it RubyEclipse has mentioned up until now at the SEGA Blogs, such as a new running animation, achieving ‘blurry’ feet’ quicker and the ability to run off screen at the end of an Act.
What do you think of this new build? Speak out in the comments.
Thanks to YouTube user JostheLynx for the footage.
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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rm4H09ubiU&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCsHiTIij2U&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]
Two gameplay videos of Sonic Free Riders from the Tokyo Game Show have hit YouTube, courtesy of brucem00n and hamateaonline. In the videos we get to see some multiplayer racing action on the Dolphin Resort track. Not only that, we also get to see a part of the game that we’ve not seen before, an interactive configuration screen. This looks like a brief sequence where players configure the game for their personal use, such as balance and alignment with the Kinect camera. This should come in very handy to introduce players to Kinect. People who watch the sequence closely will spot an appearance from a character previously hinted at on SEGA’s Sonic City Blognik. It’s the one, the only, the robotic Chao, Omochao.
Are you happy to see Omochao return? Let us know in the comments.
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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.
At the SEGA of America Blog, RubyEclipse has revealed a few more minor pieces of information about Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 and the changes made during the games delay. Two of the changes in this latest update were already revealed yesterday by Gamespot and Sonic Stadium founder Svend Joscelyne aka Dreadknux. These changes include a World Map replacing the level select screen and the option at the end of an Act to progress to the next Act, without returning to the World Map (or level select screen as it used to be).
The final and all-new update is the removal of the invisible wall at the end of an Act. You’ll have seen in gameplay videos that when you run past the Act completion sign post and to the end of the screen, you will always hit an invisible wall and can’t run off-screen like you would in the classics. The wall has now been removed, so you can speed away off-screen to the next part of the adventure (or whatever is hiding there) in true nostalgic fashion.
RubyEclipse also gives a heads up on what to expect in the future:
That’s all for today’s mini-update, though we’ll be announcing Sonic 4’s release date, the pricing, and revealing another zone on the website soon. Update Blog Part 2.0 will also be arriving within the next few weeks, and with it, word on the second big level redesign within the final version.
Source: SEGA of America blog
What do you think about these latest changes? Speak out in the comments.
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UPDATE: I’ve been informed by fellow staff member nuckles87, that the DLC pack is already available on Xbox Live Marketplace and I too can confirm it is available. Edward@Sega officially confirms this on the SEGA of America blog, along with some details:
Final piece of news: there is also a DLC pack available for the game — if you wish, you can download it and convert this original Dreamcast version of Sonic Adventure into the “Director’s Cut” version, Sonic Adventure DX! Sonic Adventure DX was the enhanced version released on the Nintendo GameCube, and includes 60 additional missions as well as Metal Sonic as a playable character.
/UPDATE END
SEGA Japan has confirmed today that Sonic Adventure‘s Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network ports will be released there September 29th. Not only that, downloadable content will be simultaneously available, that when purchased will upgrade the game to Sonic Adventure DX: Director’s Cut. This extra content will be priced at ¥500 (about £3.74) on PSN and 400 Microsoft Points on Xbox Live. No word on whether the rest of the world will see this content on the same date or not.
SEGA also revealed the Xbox 360 version will support Avatar Awards and the PS3 version will support Home Rewards, but the company hasn’t revealed what those Awards and Rewards actually are. With the Xbox 360 version out in the U.S. and Europe today, we’ll likely see the Avatar Awards revealed soon.
What Avatar Awards and Home Rewards would you like to see? Let us know in the comments.
Source: Andriasang
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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=In2YfrjRvIw&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]
UPDATE: SEGA Europe has issued a press release and a launch trailer for the game at the Sonic City Blognik. /UPDATE END
Sonic Adventure‘s downloadable re-release is now available to Xbox 360 owners from the Xbox Live Marketplace, but in an update on Twitter, SEGA has stated that the PS3 version won’t be hitting the PlayStation Store until next week on September 22nd. A SEGA staff member had previously stated a 15th September release for both versions, so we assume some wires got crossed.
The game is priced at 800 Microsoft Points and weighs in at 1.49GB. If you would like to give it a try before you hand over your points, a trial is also available to download and 10 new screenshots are available to view in the Marketplace too. The game supports online leaderboards and downloadable content, which leaks of the game revealed will be features from Sonic Adventure: DX.
Will you be downloading the game? Let us know in the comments.
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.
