Sonic Unleashed, Generations and All-Stars Racing Transformed Gets FPS Boost on Xbox Series X and S

A trio of classic Xbox 360 Sonic the Hedgehog titles – Sonic Generations, Sonic Unleashed and Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed – will be enhanced on next-generation Xbox consoles thanks to the consoles’ ‘FPS Boost’ feature. The updates will take effect on all three games today.

Continue reading Sonic Unleashed, Generations and All-Stars Racing Transformed Gets FPS Boost on Xbox Series X and S
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Humble Bundle Offers 11 Sonic games and Ocean Conservation for $10

An expansive library for good price and cause.

Continue reading Humble Bundle Offers 11 Sonic games and Ocean Conservation for $10
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NiGHTS into Sonic (Team): A Brief History of NiGHTS Cameos

Before NiGHTS into Dreams… became widely available with its HD release in 2012, many people (including myself) first encountered the series through its copious amount of cameos, largely in Sonic Team games.

I don’t think any celebration of NiGHTS would be complete without an overview of the character’s many, many cameos in other SEGA properties. This is hardly a complete list, of course, but we’re at least touching on many of the character’s more notable appearances!

Sonic Adventure

Released in 1998, Sonic Adventure’s NiGHTS pinball game in Casinopolis is the franchise’s earliest cameo, and how many of us were first introduced to it. Players knock the pinball around the table, trying to collect cards which feature numerous NiGHTS characters. Collecting more then one of the same card nets a load of rings, and opens up a portal to a second, Nightmare themed pinball table. 

Between the tables, cards, and two neat looking animations that showcase the NiGHTS world, this remains one of the coolest NiGHTS cameos SEGA has done.

It was also possible to create NiGHTS chao by giving them flying animals. 

Shenmue

When Ryo couldn’t find sailors, he could at least find capsule toys

NiGHTS made a brief appearance as two of a multitude of capsule toys that could be collected in SEGA’s 1999 open world game, Shenmue. 

Sonic Shuffle

Image from Sonic the Hedgeblog

NiGHTS popped up again in SEGA’s Sonic party game, Sonic Shuffle, released in 2000. When the Dreamcast’s clock was set to December 24, NiGHTS would replace Lumina as the game’s guide in multiplayer matches. Sonic Shuffle also takes place in a dream world, and Lumina herself bears some visual similarities to NiGHTS, which is probably why Hudson Soft included the easter egg.

Sonic Adventure 2

The NiGHTS cameos are way less noticeable in Sonic Adventure 2, but they are there. NiGHTS decorated a few levels, such as Radical Highway and City Escape. The game also features NiGHTS-inspired Chao like the first game.

Sonic Pinball Party

When Sonic returned to pinball in 2003 with Sonic Pinball Party for the Game Boy Advance, it was only fitting NiGHTS was brought along for the ride. Featured as one of the game’s three pinball tables, this one drew significantly more inspiration from NiGHTS into Dreams… then the table from Sonic Adventure.

This table aims to replicate NiGHTS in pinball form. The pinball needs to be hit into an ideya palace three times to dualize with NiGHTS. From there, it needs to be knocked into the ideya to get it. After all four ideya are collected, the player can then face the boss, which appears in the upper right corner of the table.

With a total of 12 table designs based on the game’s first six levels and bosses, this is one of the most extensive NiGHTS appearances outside of the franchise’s games.

Billy Hatcher & the Giant Egg

NiGHTS was one of several Sonic Team characters to appear as an “egg animal”  in the developer’s 2003 platformer Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg. Like all those characters, NiGHTS is both difficult to obtain and severely overpowered. Unlocking NiGHTS requires collecting 180 “chick coins.” Once that’s done, NiGHTS can be hatched from a Sonic egg found in Giant Palace’s fourth mission.

Billy Hatcher also had an unlockable downloadable mini-game for the GBA, NiGHTS Score Attack. This game could also be downloaded from Phantasy Star Online Episodes I&II.

Sonic Riders

NiGHTS appeared in 2006’s Sonic Riders and its sequel, Zero Gravity, as a flight-type character. Unlocking NiGHTS in the first game required the completion of all missions, while getting them in the sequel only required beating all story missions. In addition to NiGHTS, Sonic Riders also had a track with an area based on NiGHTS.

SEGA Superstars/Sonic & All-Stars

SEGA Superstars, a 2004 PS2 mini game collection made for Sony’s Eyetoy camera, had a NiGHTS mini game. In this, you waved your arms around to control NiGHTS as they flew through rings. This is arguably NiGHTS’s first playable cameo.

Years later, in 2008, NiGHTS and Reala would both appear as playable characters in SEGA Superstars Tennis, along with a court based on Journey of Dreams’ Aqua Garden. In 2010, NiGHTS would appear as a flagman in Sumo Digital’s second SEGA crossover game, Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing. In 2012’s Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, NiGHTS and Reala appeared as playable vehicles, driven by a Nightopian and Nightmaren respectively.

Sonic Lost World

The Wii U version of Sonic Lost World came with free NiGHTS DLC in its early physical copies, labeled “The Deadly Six Edition,” and would later be included in all PC versions of the game. This DLC was essentially a boss rush, featuring all of the bosses from the first NiGHTS game (aside from Reala) teaming up with the Deadly Six to fight Sonic. There were also brief auto-running sections where Sonic could home in on blue chips and go through rings from NiGHTS.

The battles were easy, and mostly just variations of the Deadly Six’s original boss battles, but it did give us Wii U-quality HD models of all of NiGHTS into Dreams’ Nightmaren bosses for the first time, which is neat.

Sonic Forces

NiGHTS became the basis for an unlockable costume set in what is currently Sonic Team’s latest Sonic game, Sonic Forces. This set included headgear, body gear, and footwear.

And so…

A few Nightmaren enemies briefly popping up at the start of IDW’s Sonic 30th Anniversary comic

NiGHTS has a pretty long history of appearing in Sonic Team’s games, as well as the occasional title from SEGA’s other developers. With NiGHTS tied so closely to SEGA’s blue mascot, that could continue to keep the character around even if they never get another game. Here’s hoping they pop up in Sonic 2022!

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Xbox Series X/S Launches Today – These Are The Sonic Games You Can Play Right Now

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! No, we don’t mean Christmas – pfft! – but instead Next-Gen Console Day! This month sees the launch of two new platforms in the Xbox and PlayStation family of gaming systems, and we couldn’t be more excited about both. Today, Microsoft formally releases the Xbox Series X and S, and with backwards compatibility a major factor we decided to dig into the archives and check which Sonic the Hedgehog titles you can play from Day One.

Continue reading Xbox Series X/S Launches Today – These Are The Sonic Games You Can Play Right Now
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PSA: PlayStation Store Web & Mobile Browser to Stop PS3, Vita and PSP Sales – Get Your Sonic Games This Weekend!

Recently, Sony announced that it was making big changes to its PlayStation Store. From Monday 19 October, you will no longer be able to purchase PS3, PSP or PS Vita games from a desktop web browser, and from 28 October on mobile browser. This may have an impact on your ability to buy and download a range of Sonic games, so consider this a Public Service Announcement.

Continue reading PSA: PlayStation Store Web & Mobile Browser to Stop PS3, Vita and PSP Sales – Get Your Sonic Games This Weekend!
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Steam & Humble Bundle Offer Sonic Fans Superb Savings With Week-long Sales

To celebrate the release of the Sonic movie, both Steam and Humble Bundle are offering Sonic games at a steep discount through the next week.

Steam is offering a “Sonic the Hedgehog Ultimate Bundle” an over $250 value, at less than $60, or 76 percent off. The bundle includes the following games:

Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing
Sonic 3D Blast
Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine
Sonic Spinball
Sonic the Hedgehog
Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Sonic 3 & Knuckles
Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I
Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II
Sonic CD
Sonic Adventure 2 (plus Battle DLC)
Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed
Sonic Lost World
Sonic Generations with Casino Night DLC
Sonic Mania with Encore DLC
Sonic Forces
Team Sonic Racing

The games can also be bought individually. For their individual prices, check out the bundle’s page on Steam.

If you just want deals on the newer games, and if you want some of your money to go to charity, you can check out Humble Bundle, which is having a Sonic week right now. Check it out here!

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Humble Bundle offering new 11 game Sonic bundle

Whether you’re feeling charitable this holiday season, or just want a bunch of Sonic games for super cheap, Humble Bundle has an offer for Sonic fans: the Humble Sonic Bundle. The money given to this bundle will go to Extra Life, Save the Children, the Willow Foundation, and Access Sport. Alternatively, your money can also be given to any charity in Humble Bundle’s database.

Anyone who’s able to give at least $1 to charity will receive the following games on Windows through Steam:

  • Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing
  • Sonic Adventure DX
  • Sonic Adventure 2 (with Battle DLC)
  • Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1
  • Sonic CD

For those who have a little more to spend, the following games can be had for the current donation average of $7.20:

  • Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed Collection
  • Sonic Lost World
  • Sonic Generation Collection
  • Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 2

And finally, for anyone who wants to more than double their donation to $15, they can get the latest games, including:

  • Sonic Mania
  • Sonic Forces

The bundle will be available from now until the end of the year. You can check it out here.

 

 

 

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The Spin: How SEGA is Ignoring the Middle Children of Sonic’s Legacy

2010 was the year Sonic the Hedgehog came back. Yes, we all heard the stories about how the franchise had declined not long after the jump to 3D, how gaming news outlets and critics even now would begin their pieces with some variation of “Sonic has had a rocky history,” and how every new Sonic game released around the “dark ages” period couldn’t shake off the dreaded “Sonic Cycle.” Continue reading The Spin: How SEGA is Ignoring the Middle Children of Sonic’s Legacy

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RUMOUR: Sumo Digital’s Next Kart Racer to Only Feature Sonic Characters

Sumo Digital’s mysterious new kart game, with all the independent rumours flying around, is quickly becoming SEGA’s worst-kept secret. Today, we learned of a new piece of information to add to the rumour mill; that whatever the UK developer is working on will focus entirely on Sonic, and won’t feature any associated SEGA universe characters. Continue reading RUMOUR: Sumo Digital’s Next Kart Racer to Only Feature Sonic Characters

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My Nintendo (NA) celebrates Sonic Forces with many 50% off offers on Sonic games

My Nintendo have announced today a tie-in promotion to celebrate the Sonic Forces’ release on Switch. The promotion comes with 50% off offers (that cost gold or platinum coins) on most Sonic titles on Wii U and 3DS, plus a couple of bonuses.

Continue reading My Nintendo (NA) celebrates Sonic Forces with many 50% off offers on Sonic games

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Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed Gets Wii U Nintendo Selects Re-Release

Surprise! Nintendo and SEGA have apparently re-released mascot racer Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed in North America, with the budget ‘Nintendo Selects’ branding slapped all over it. Continue reading Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed Gets Wii U Nintendo Selects Re-Release

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Sonic & Sega All Stars Brawl & Football Concepts Discovered

Remember how Sumo Digital kept dropping hints that they really wanted to do a fighting game? Looks like it was an idea which was seriously being considered if this discovery is anything to go by.

A design company by the name of Funsolve recently uploaded a bunch of concept art images for a number of Sega games, including the House of The Dead Overkill, Sonic & Sega All Stars Racing Transformed and more interestingly, two completely unknown All-Stars concepts, All Stars Brawl & All Stars Football.

The football concept is exactly what you would think, the Sega All Stars playing football with the trademark weapons being used during the game.

The brawl one however is the more interesting concept, with Super Sonic used to show the characters can fly around the stage as well as stand on platforms using power ups and throwing objects at opponents.

One annoying part of the concept art is that the brawl concept art was laid out like a comic book… only the second part of it is cut off and we really want to see how that fight was going to turn out.

Source: Funsolve.com

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Many Sonic games on sale on the NA 3DS and Wii U eShop until Nov 29th

Sega back on Thursday put on sale most Sonic games available on Wii U and 3DS in NA, which runs until November 29th. The major exclusions include Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice and the Olympic games.

The list of games and their prices are below (regular price is in the brackets):

Continue reading Many Sonic games on sale on the NA 3DS and Wii U eShop until Nov 29th

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S&ASRT Item & Vehicle Concepts Found

The Sonic Stadium has discovered some concept art pieces from 2012 racer Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed. The highlight is the above collection of items and weapons featuring many that went unused. See more after the jump! Continue reading S&ASRT Item & Vehicle Concepts Found

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TSS Review: Sonic & All Stars Racing Transformed for the Playstation Vita

2014-06-08-182347

Sonic & All Stars Racing Transformed is an awesome racing game. Even with the release of Wii U’s Mario Kart 8 it remains my favorite mascot racer thanks to its balanced, more skill-focused game play, well-designed transformation mechanic and spectacular track design. Sonic Stadium already has a pretty awesome, in-depth review which you can read here, so I’m not really going to go too in depth about the game itself. Instead, this review will be focusing on how well (or poorly) the Vita port realizes a game meant for considerably more powerful hardware.

In terms of speed and game play, All Stars Racing Transformed is a nearly flawless translation of its console counterparts. The creative, huge courses are all here with their epic set pieces and scripted moments unblemished. If anything has been compromised during porting, it certainly isn’t noticeable. The NiGHTS stage is stilled filled with enemies and rings, the Skies of Arcadia stage still finishes with an epic fleet battle and they are still sights to behold. All of All Stars Racing Transformed’s racing mechanics have always been faithfully brought over, with all the speed and drifting mechanics from the console versions intact. Still, this game isn’t a one-hundred percent accurate conversion, as there are some minor issues and noticeable downgrades from the HD versions.

2014-06-08-181624In terms of controls, things can get a little cramped thanks to the Vita’s small form factor. All Stars Racing Transformed is a game that relies heavily on drifting for building speed and getting around turns, so you may be reaching for those trigger buttons a little more than you’d like to. Still, after logging dozens of hours on this version of the game I found this to be only a minor issue. The game’s physics have always taken a serious hit, especially in the water stages. Waves are no longer as large and bouncy in this version and areas where huge waves once tossed racers are now nothing more than minor nuisances. The loss of wave physics make the races a little less chaotic and exciting than they used to be.

The most noticeable difference lies in the graphics. The textures have been downgraded significantly. They now look much flatter and contain less detail. Lighting and various other effects have either been severely reduced or removed entirely, making it a little more difficult to see in some of the darker stages and making the entire game look considerably less flashy overall. I am happy to say that as of this review the frame rate is no longer a problem: even in the busier stages the game runs smoothly and the hiccups that were prevalent in even the HD versions are nowhere to be seen here.

Though really, the downgraded visuals are not only expected, but they do very little to damper the fun. The game runs well on the Vita and nothing of value has been lost. What you trade in visuals you gain in portability, as this is pretty much the same exact game, shrunk down to a device you can take anywhere. If this is the price for a portable All Stars Racing Transformed, I am more than willing to pay it.

All Stars Racing Transformed for the Vita is far from the definitive version, but it is worth owning if portability is attractive to you. It has to cut some corners, but in the end it provides the best portableY mascot racer money can buy, cutting out some of the flash while leaving in all the meat. So whether you want to fight off the boredom during summer travel or if you just want to be able to play this awesome racer any time you want, this game comes with high recommendations. Just keep in mind that it doesn’t quite live up to its HD brothers.

You’ll Love:

  • Portable All-Stars Racing that plays just as well as on the consoles
  • Solid frame rate
  • Creative courses and a roster that will make many a SEGA fan squeal

You’ll Hate:

  • Graphics have received a significant downgrade
  • Constantly pressing the Vita’s trigger buttons will make your hands hurt
  • Isn’t receiving any DLC from the PC version, including Ryo Hazuki
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Shenmue’s Ryō Hazuki Leaked as ASRT DLC via Yogscast Charity Stream

RYOHAZUKI_ASRT3

Aw yeah, this is happenin’!

Though there is no confirmation as to which platforms outside of PC will be receiving this, if any, it has nonetheless been revealed through the recent Yogscast Humble Bundle charity stream that Ryō Hazuki of the Dreamcast cult classic Shenmue series will be hitting the streets of Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed in the near future!

In November of last year, Steve “S0L” Lycett of SUMO Digital had challenged fans to vote among a slew of SEGA characters to decide a top three for ASRT DLC coming down the line. Since then, a number of exclusive characters, mainly from SEGA’s own PC-centric titles, have found their way into the PC version of the game, but Ryō, who won by a landslide of 3379 votes, marks himself as the first DLC character to have come as a result of the community polls.

RYOHAZUKI_ASRT2

We’ll keep you posted once word has come as to what platforms Ryō is expected to arrive on, and when!

Now let’s see, who were the runners-up again…?

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S&ASRT Joins Xbox 360 Classics Range in Europe

Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed Classics

The Xbox 360 version of Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed has quietly become a best seller in Europe and joined the Xbox 360 Classics range. According to Sainsbury’s Entertainment, the Classics edition was released October 10th of this year.

The official Xbox website features the following description for the Classics range:

Some games are born great, but only the best become classics.

That’s what the Xbox Classics range is all about; legendary titles, the toughest heroes and heroines, the best online experience with Xbox Live – and all for an amazing price.

At the time of publication, Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed is available at Sainsbury’s Entertainment for just £12.99. Bargain!

Source: Sainsbury’s Entertainment

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Simon Joins the Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed Roster

simonasrt2

Alongside a 300MB update, PC owners can now download Simon from Yogscast as a racer in Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed. The DLC pack costs £2.99 and all money raised goes to the chairty Special Effect, who you might remember from this years Summer of Sonic?

simonasrt

Yogscast, the UK’s most watched YouTube channel, run an annual charity drive for the month of December. This year, they are teaming up with SEGA and taking the drive to the next level in a race against the fastest Hedgehog in the world. The Yogscast’s very own Simon Lane, aka Honeydew, is now available as a brand new DLC character in Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed™ with 100% of all SEGA and Yogscast proceeds being donated to the SpecialEffect charity.

For more information about Special Effect and the fantastic work that they do, please visit their main website, www.specialeffect.org.uk.

No video of Simon is out yet, however a few images were posted to the Steam product page showing off his vehicle in full which you can see at the end of this update.

simonasrt3

So if you’ve not donated anything to charity yet and have been considering it, why not buy this character? You’ll be donating to a good cause and get something to play with at the same time.

Source: Steam Store

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Limited Steam Offer: Sonic Hits Collection for £9.99

CBBC Sonic Generations artwork

Steam’s Autumn sale is currently underway and among the savings is an incredible offer for the entire Sonic collection – just £9.99 for 14 games, old and new, along with their respective DLC in the case of Sonic Adventure 2, Sonic Generations, and Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed.

For under a tenner you can get all of the following:

  • Dr Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine
  • Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed
  • Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing
  • Sonic 3 & Knuckles
  • Sonic 3D Blast
  • Sonic Adventure 2: Battle
  • Sonic Adventure DX
  • Sonic CD
  • Sonic Generations
  • Sonic Spinball
  • Sonic the Hedgehog
  • Sonic the Hedgehog 2
  • Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I
  • Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II

Individually, the price of these games would total over £100, so this is an absolutely fantastic deal if you don’t already own the entire collection. You’ll have to act fast though – the sale is only on until tomorrow, so head on over to Steam quickly and splash your cash!

A direct link to the Sonic Hits Collection can be found by clicking here

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ASRT DLC: Simon From Yogscast Joins the Roster & Humble Bundle Detailed.

ASRTcharity
Credit to Sonic Retro for the image

A few days ago, Sumo Digitals Steve Lycett hinted that the next piece of ASRT DLC would be controversial, PC exclusive and ‘a popcorn moment.’ Many have since speculated what this might mean, theories have ranged from ASRT being Free To Play, to certain very popular characters being included in the game (excluding the console versions) and even 1970’s Trousers Mode… what it could happen.

Well… we might have found the answer.

During the livestream of the very popular PC gaming channel “Yogscast,”Sonic & All Stars Racing Transformed will be included in a new Humble Bundle for charity. However the reveal didn’t end there. Simon from the Yogscast then went on to state that he himself would become a racer in ASRT and be part of a piee of charity DLC that would all go live on December 6th.

They didn’t reveal much, only that both the bundle and the DLC would be up on December 6th 2013, and that Simon would be a piece of ‘Charity DLC.’ We’re not sure at this time if Simon is the only playable character being added or if there will be others.

Now before people ‘react’ just keep in mind that this is blatently a charity thing so nobody has had a spot taken away. Furthermore, S0L has hinted additional content is on the way and that this is likely the first of a few pieces of additional content for ASRT.

Also think about it. ASRT on the PC, pay what you want? This is a heck of a deal!

Source: HumbleBundle (Bundle not yet active at time of posting).

HardCoreGamer.com

Yogscast livestream.

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Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed Hits EU PS Plus

Sonic-All-Stars-Racing-Splash-Images

As detailed in the Playstation Blog, the Playstation Vita version of Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed will be free to download for European Playstation Plus members from November 27th. If you’ve yet to play it, the Vita version is an excellent place to start and for the price of completely free, you can’t go wrong!

That’s not the only game you get for free of course, S&ASRT joins a whole host of other games which can be found here!

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Steam Listing Reveals New DLC for Sonic & All Stars Racing Transformed!

When you think about it Sonic & All Stars Racing Transformed has been out for well over a year… yet it still continues to get support and this includes free additional characters… Thats awesome! Hey videogame industry, this is how you get people to buy your future games!

Anyway…

asrtdlc

It looks like more DLC is on the way if this steam listing appears to be correct. It would appear that Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed is to get some new DLC, but whats interesting is that previous character updates have been included in patches and updates, this is the first time that a DLC listing has been made seperately for the title.

Could this be the long rumored petition characters? And will they come to consoles? Erm… I don’t know, I’m not in charge of that stuff.

Stay tuned to TSS for more information as we get it.

Source: Steam

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ASRT’s Fact Sheet Details New Features & Hints New Characters?

asrtios

Just over a week ago, Sega confirmed that Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed would be headding to mobile devices and that the game wouldn’t just be a port of the console or handheld versions.

Few details or specifics were given, however, Sega have released a fact sheet which does go into some details as to what new features will be included as well as one interesting note about characters.

You can find the full fact sheet at the end of this update, however, the most interesting points are as follows.

Social/Facebook connectivity: You can see your friends facebook pictures on the courses as you play.

Daily & Weekly challenges: odds are these will be similar to Sonic Dash/Jumps challenges.

But here is the most interesting point. The game has only 10 characters to start with. Which is in line with the console versions, now, aside from the PC exclusives which were included from the start or via updates, every other character could be unlocked via world tour mode (exceptions are Alex Kidd and Metal Sonic). But the Fact Sheet claims many more All-Stars coming soon! Suggesting that there will be more characters included at a later date?

Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed™

Platforms: iOS, Android

Release Date: December 2013

Publisher: SEGA

Developer: Sumo Digital

Genre: Racer

Players: 1 – 4

It’s Not Just Racing… it’s Racing Transformed!

 Race as Sonic and a host of legendary All-Stars and prepare to transform! Speed across land, sea and air in a high velocity battle to the finish line, as your amazing transformable vehicle changes from car to boat to plane mid-race.  Racing on mobile will never be the same again!

This sequel to the hit 2011 mobile game Sonic & Sega All-Star Racing™ brings all the critically acclaimed land, sea and air racing gameplay from its console counterpart to mobile with a host of new features and improvements:

Legendary Racers

Race as 10 legendary racers at launch each with their own unique transformable vehicle. Plus many more All-Stars coming soon!

Dynamic Tracks

Take to land, sea & air as you race through dynamically changing courses. Discover alternate routes, find new power-ups and avoid emerging hazards as you race to victory – every track feels different.

designed for mobile

A brand new World Tour designed for gaming on the go, plus all-new Daily and Weekly Challenges to test your racing prowess.

ultimate Mobile multiplayer

Take on your friends in ultracompetitive 4-player races, both online and locally. Plus challenge your friends’ best times to show them who’s best.

SOCIALLY CONNECTED

Comprehensive Facebook integration – see your friends’ profile pics on the track.

WHAT THE CRITICS SAID ABOUT THE CONSOLE VERSION

“The Savior of arcade racers” 9/10

Eurogamer

“Fun, challenging and easily enjoyable” 8.7/10

Gametrailers

“The metamorphosis of the kart racer” 8.6/10

IGN

“Fast, fun and easy to get into” 8.5/10

Gamespot

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Has Sonic & All Stars Racing Transformed Been Censored?

Earlier today, the PC version of Sonic & All Stars Racing transformed recieved an update which added a new character… however, eagled eyed players have also discovered another really strange change.

generalwinter

It’s removed certain aspects of General Winters character. Specifically, the Hammer and Sickle and the star which was on his vehicle.

Check out the above image, now compare it with this one.

winters

See the star on his tank, completely different.

So whats going on? Well… theres no official word on this change right now, however the removal of these images would certainly indicate that someone somewhere has looked at this and said ‘thats offensive’ and demanded it’s removal.

The question is who and why?

My theory, and again, this is just my theory since nothing official has come out to explain this change would be this… There are certain marketplaces in the world which have various rating boards and censorship boards which can ban or limit the release of certain pieces of entertainment. Because videogames can be a constantly changing and evolving media, which ASRT has been, it can fall under the rating/censors light again.

My guess… ASRT’s inclusion of communist imagery has made one ratings board complain and ask for it’s removal, threatten to pull the game from sales, or it even threatten to increase the age rating which would greatly limit sales… you lot still wonder why Bayonetta isn’t in the game?

Recently news has come to light to suggest that Sony’s ‘The Last of Us‘ has had it’s mutiplayer mode slightly censored/toned down’ due to the ratings board. And people in America had to do without the jokers full fatality in Mortal Kombat Vs DC Universe.

From a business perspective I can understand it… however, as someone who doesn’t like censorship, I can’t say I’m too happy that he has been changed in this way.

So was anybody here offended by the General?

Source: Steam forums.

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Start Ye Engines! Willemus Joins Sonic & All Stars Racing Transformed

Well this came out of nowhere!

willemus

A new update for Sonic & All Stars Racing Transformed just went live on the PC version of the game which includes a new character!

He’s called Willemus and he appears to be from Segas Rome 2: Total War, which is due for release later this year. It’s doubtful that this character will make it to the consoles since Rome 2 is a PC exclusive game, though it does make you wonder if any other Sega games will see inclusion into this game following so soon after Company Of Heroes’ General Winter.

[youtube]http://youtu.be/yLZE3myOHNE?t=22s[/youtube]

Image Source: Infamous’Cynic

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S&ASR Transformed (Wii U) and SMB Banana Splitz Going Cheap at HMV

April 30th pics 009

High street retailer HMV has heavily discounted two of SEGA’s 2012 releases in store, namely Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed (Wii U) and Super Monkey Ball Banana Splitz (PS Vita). The former can be snatched up for just £7.99 and the latter for the extremely low cost of £4.99. At those prices it would be rude not to buy.

April 30th pics 010

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SEGA Finally Releases S&ASR Transformed 3DS Screenshots & Details

S&ASR Transformed 3DS Screenshots 1

UPDATE: The game will be available via the 3DS eShop in Europe this Friday for £29.99. We’ve also added ten new screenshots to our gallery.

SEGA has finally spoken out about the Nintendo 3DS version of Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed on their blog. The post on said blog has revealed that the game will include 22 characters (including your Mii character), with over 20 tracks and arenas to explore. 3DS specific features include StreetPass challenges and features and multiplayer with up to seven of your friends using multi cart or single cart play.
Continue reading SEGA Finally Releases S&ASR Transformed 3DS Screenshots & Details

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New DLC Characters Coming to ASRT?

Sonic-and-All-Stars-Racing-Transformed-Danica-Patrick

Over at the Sega forums, Sumo Digital’s Steve Lycett dropped a big hint with regards to possible DLC for Sonic & All Stars Racing Transformed. When asked if there was anything related to DLC that could be revealed he replied with this,

Actually… We got approval for a specific character this morning. But that’s all I can say right now… 😛

Continue reading New DLC Characters Coming to ASRT?

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ASRT PC Gameplay: How to Destroy an Expert Ghost

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c70DotqKB7g

Sega of America just released a handy video showing you how to destroy the Expert Ghost on Adders Lair. The interesting thing about this footage? It would appear to be from the PC version of the game.

With the exception of the character trailer released a few days ago, this is the first full gameplay footage shown of the PC build. The PC version is released at the end of this month on Steam and a retail edition is planned for Europe too.

Now… In the video, Sega get a time of 1:21.270. Fellow Blue Believers, beat that time!

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Check Out These New Sonic & All Stars Racing Transformed PC Screens

27636SART_PC_TeamFortress_Boat

Yesterday Sega announced that the PC version of Sonic & All Stars Racing Transformed would include several new characters such as Shogun & Team Fortress 2. To accompany this, Sega have also released several screenshots and new character artwork.

If you fancy taking a look at the screens and media, be sure to check out the images after the break

Continue reading Check Out These New Sonic & All Stars Racing Transformed PC Screens

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ASR Transformed Steam Page Now Live!

Transformed-Sonic-WagGood news, PC gamers! Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed has finally been given its own page on the Steam marketplace, revealing a 31st January release date and a special promotional discount for those who pre-purchase the game. If you’ve not jumped onto the track with Sonic and co. on any other console yet, this may be the time for you to start revving up your engines with excitement!

Continue reading ASR Transformed Steam Page Now Live!

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ASRT PC: Specifications & Release Date Found?

ASRTsteam

Update: Well it seems that information about the PC version is now flooding out. According to Green Man Gaming we not only have the minimum technical requirements but a release date too.

  • CPU: 2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo or equivalent
  • Ram: 1GB Ram (Windows XP), 2GB Ram (Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8)
  • Video Card: 256MB with Shader Model 3.0 support
  • Sound Card: DirectX 9 Compatible
  • HDD: 6.7GB free hard drive space

Release Date: January 31st 2012. That’s a Thursday, which would be accurate if this is the EU/UK release date.

Source: Green Man Gaming

Original Story: So according to the above information, it would seem that the PC/Steam version of ASRT might not be too far away. Dug up by Sonic Scene admin and SSMB user Woun, it would appear that not only is ASRT in the Steam database, but there are several purchase options including a 4-Pack and Gift.

Source: Sonic Scene

 

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Sonic and Danica Patrick Run Over AiAi Some More in New S&ASRT Ad

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEhl8Xrtbc4[/youtube]

Sonic and Danica get into more mischief in this “driver’s ed” ad in which they try to show you the proper way to handle being in an accident mainly by throwing garbage at each other and running over monkeys. Hey AiAi, you have a car too y’know? Heck, you at least have a giant ball you can crawl in for some protection man! I wonder what he did to piss off Sonic so badly? Enjoy.

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TSS Review: Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed (Wii U)

Game-breaking bugs, choppy framerates, and controversial reviews – these are just three of the things that have plagued the Wii U version of Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed prior to its release. Indeed, it’s not unfair to say that people have been somewhat skeptical about the blue hedgehog’s first leap onto Nintendo’s new console, especially when compared to the 360 and PS3 counterparts of the same game. But now that Sonic has launched alongside the Wii U, are this version’s exclusive features enough to help it speed ahead of the pack? Or has it turned out to be the runt of the litter? Continue reading TSS Review: Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed (Wii U)

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Nintendo Confirms S&ASRT 3DS Feb 2013 Delay For Europe

Retailers have been listing another delay for Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed on 3DS for a little while now, but in their new release schedule, Nintendo has confirmed the delay to February 2013 for Europe. US and Australian retailers are also listing a delay to February 2013, so expect a delay in those territories, too.

SEGA hasn’t commented on this fresh delay, with their website still saying it’s out now in Europe and Australia, and will release December 11th 2012 in the US. The PS Vita version has been quietly released in Europe today, still without release date information, game details, screenshots and video from SEGA. If that’s anything to go by, things don’t look promising for the 3DS version.

Source: Nintendo Europe (via Nintendo Everything)

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S&ASR Transformed PS Vita Out This Friday in Europe, Delayed in US Again?

Retailers have been listing the PS Vita version of Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed for release in Europe on December 7th 2012 for a while, but now Sumo Digital’s Steve Lycett aka S0L has confirmed the date at our very own SSMB.

I’m waiting for confirmation over on the US side, but the EU Vita version should be out this Friday on the 7th December

A post by SSMB member BlueTidalGamer reporting on his copy being despatched reaffirms this.

My copy of the Vita version has dispatched from ShopTo.

SEGA Europe still hasn’t announced a date and both their website and press site to this day still say it and the 3DS version have been out since November 16th 2012 with the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions.

As for the US, Lycett says in the above quoted post that he’s waiting for confirmation of a release date from SEGA of America. With retailers listing a new date of December 18th 2012, this indicates that the PS Vita version may well not meet its originally announced release date of December 11th 2012, though SEGA of America’s website is still listing that same date.

Source: SSMB (Link 1, Link 2)

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