Want to see Knuckles on Little Planet? Sonic Official Shows Off Origin Plus Gameplay

Amy can wait, it’s Red’s time to shine.

Continue reading Want to see Knuckles on Little Planet? Sonic Official Shows Off Origin Plus Gameplay
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Headcannon Working on Sonic Origins Plus DLC Sprites, Enhancements

In a tweet that went up a few hours ago, Headcannon confirmed that they have contributed to the upcoming new content for Sonic Origins Plus, including Amy Rose’s new sprites and Knuckles’ campaign in Sonic CD.

Headcannon specifically calls out the work of team members Andy A-Start and DashPadSPD for design and data management in the expansion. In addition to the character updates, Headcannon also supplied additional enhancements which were not specified. Closing out the thread, the team thanks SEGA for their openness to the developer’s feedback and suggestions, and they appreciate the level of trust SEGA put in them.

Headcannon was responsible for bringing Sonic 3 & Knuckles to the Retro Engine in Sonic Origins’ initial digital release. While our staff has had very positive experiences with collection, some members of the community and members of Headcannon itself have expressed dissatisfaction with its technical shortcomings.

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Sonic Origins Plus Revealed: Playable Amy, Emulated Game Gear Games, New Box Art Shown

Well that didn’t take long.

Sonic Origins Plus, which has been the subject of two increasingly revealing leaks, has finally been officially announced. This new, expanded version of Sonic Origins will include playable Amy, add Knuckles to Sonic CD, add emulated versions of Sonic’s 12 Game Gear titles to the museum, and will also include all previously released Digital Deluxe content. It’ll release on June 23, in time for Sonic’s 32nd anniversary, and Sonic Origin’s own 1 year anniversary.

Sonic Origins Plus will release both physically and digitally for $39.99, with the physical edition including reversible box art and a 20 page art book. Current Sonic Origins owners can have all the new DLC for $9.99.

This announcement came via a trailer, which you can watch below:

Here’s a quick look at the physical packing, reversible box art and artbook from the trailer:

Check out screenshots of Amy, Knuckles in Sonic CD, and some of the Game Gear titles below:

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RUMOR: Sonic Origins Plus Coming in June, Will Include Game Gear Games & Playable Amy

So, Sonic Origins Plus’s announcement is probably coming pretty soon. A rating for the game released last month, and now ComicBook.com appears to have accidentally posted an article announcing the game early. Said article has now been deleted, but remnants of it can still be found via the site’s search engine and through Google caching. The article confirmed the following:

  • Sonic Origins Plus will release digitally and physically for $39.99 on June 23, owners of the original game can get the DLC for $9.99
  • All 12 Sonic Game Gear games will be include and playable via the museum.
  • Amy Rose will be playable across all the 16-bit games.
  • Knuckles will be playable in Sonic CD
  • All Digital Deluxe content will be included
  • Physical Editions will include 20-page artbook & new reversible cover art.

CB isn’t always the most reliable site, especially when it comes to rumors, but what makes this notable is the nature of the article. That it was posted as matter-of-fact news, that it was deleted, all make this notable…as a rumor. Since this isn’t coming directly from SEGA, and we have no way of confirming this ourselves, we’ve labeled it as a rumor, will be reporting it as such, and we encourage our readers to treat it that way.

An announcement is probably imminent…or maybe this was written up to fo up in a week, or a month. We’ll know soon enough!

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SEGA Mega Drive Mini II Finally Gets A Europe Edition, Pre-Orders Open

Ever since SEGA Japan announced the Mega Drive Mini II, we have been eagerly awaiting news of a Western version of the new microconsole. The US got theirs – the Genesis Mini II – and now finally fans in Europe can get their nostalgia fix with a region-specific branded version of the console that just… reminds us of simpler days, you know?

Continue reading SEGA Mega Drive Mini II Finally Gets A Europe Edition, Pre-Orders Open
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SEGA Genesis Mini 2 Announced for North America (Sort Of?)

What do you call a product that you can ONLY import, and can’t actually buy domestically?

Continue reading SEGA Genesis Mini 2 Announced for North America (Sort Of?)
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Japan Getting Mega Drive Mini 2, Will Include Sonic CD

If you’ve never seen the FMV on original hardware, you’re in for a surprise.

Continue reading Japan Getting Mega Drive Mini 2, Will Include Sonic CD
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Replay The Classics That Started It All In “Sonic Origins” [UPDATED]

The Sonic Central broadcast confirmed the rumored collection of the Sonic collection of games. It is called Sonic Origins, and it is going to be releasing next year.

Continue reading Replay The Classics That Started It All In “Sonic Origins” [UPDATED]
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Sonic Game Speedruns Are Back For Summer Games Done Quick 2021 Online

For the second year in a row, Summer Games Done Quick is going to be an online-only event. But, that doesn’t mean that there isn’t going to be any speed-runs. And for Sonic fans, you’ll be able to see some speed-runs of 5 different Sonic games this year.

Continue reading Sonic Game Speedruns Are Back For Summer Games Done Quick 2021 Online
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Watch this INCREDIBLE Upscaled Sonic CD Opening!

An incredible cleaned and upscaled version of the Sonic CD opening has been released by Sonic Retro members Tanks and Quazza – you can watch the full remaster below on Youtube!

This consciencious upscaling utilises AI, which while the authors acknowledge is controversial to those communities working on archiving genuine articles, is a wonderful way to get around issues with compression that are intrinsic to versions that have appeared on the likes of Mega Collection.

Quazza has also made an interesting discovery in that a few frames in the OP appear out of order – and here’s his comparison:

We think this is a wonderful piece of work bringing new life to a much-loved piece of Sonic the Hedgehog history.

Source: Sonic Retro

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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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TSS Review: Sonic the Hedgehog DJ Style Party Album

Guest reviewer and Ex-TSS Staffer Blitzchris reviews this non-stop mix by Sonic Sound Director Tomoya Otani!

Continue reading TSS Review: Sonic the Hedgehog DJ Style Party Album

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Xbox Super Saver Sale Spotlights Significant Sonic Savings

Good things come in pairs, and following the Sonic sale on the U.S. Nintendo eShop, Microsoft joins in with intense 50% discounts on ten more Sonic games for multiple Xbox Marketplace regions, most of which aren’t part of the Nintendo sale. As a reminder, all these games are playable on the Xbox One, and will likely be playable on the Series X in the near future.

Prices in USD/GBP respectively.
Sonic the Hedgehog (Genesis) – $2.49/£1.69
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Genesis) – $2.49/£1.69
Sonic CD – $2.49/£1.69
Sonic the Fighters – $2.49/£1.69
Sonic Adventure – $2.49/£1.69
Sonic Adventure 2 – $4.99/£3.37
Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode I – $4.99/£3.37
Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode II – $7.49/£4.99
Sonic Unleashed – $7.49/£5.99
Sonic Generations – $9.99/£7.49

Via @videogamedeals and xbox.com

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Earliest Prototype of Sonic CD, Ver 0.02, Found and Dumped

The earliest known prototype of Sonic CD has been discovered and shared with the public, nearly 27 years after it was first displayed in early 90s game magazines. Continue reading Earliest Prototype of Sonic CD, Ver 0.02, Found and Dumped

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Data Discs’ Sonic CD Vinyl Release Looks Incredible [Photos]

Way back in June, we reported that retro game album producers Data Discs had announced a special vinyl of the Sonic CD soundtrack. As a game that still resonates with many Sonic fans, 26 years after its original Mega CD release, this news caught a lot of people’s attention – with a limited edition ‘splatter’ edition selling out almost immediately. Continue reading Data Discs’ Sonic CD Vinyl Release Looks Incredible [Photos]

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Pre-Order Sonic CD’s OST on… Vinyl!?

Is it strange that the soundtrack for a game specifically meant for CD is on a vinyl record now? Can we call this Sonic Vinyl instead? Sonic Record? Who cares, because Sonic CD’s Japanese (and European) OST is available on record via Data Discs, and we’re ready to lay the wax and spin the sounds!

Continue reading Pre-Order Sonic CD’s OST on… Vinyl!?

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Happy Birthday Naoto Ohshima!


Video game legend and former Sonic Team character designer Naoto Ohshima turned 54 today. Ohshima is best known for designing Sonic the Hedgehog and Dr. Eggman, as well as directing Sonic Team classics like Sonic CD, NiGHTS into Dreams and Burning Rangers. After leaving Sonic Team following the completion of Sonic Adventure, Ohshima formed Artoon, where he would go on to create Blinx the Timesweeper (an attempt at creating a platforming mascot for the original Xbox) and act as a producer for a few Yoshi games.

These days, Ohshima serves as the Vice President of Arzest, a Japanese video game studio he helped form after leaving Artoon in 2010.

From all of us here at the Sonic Stadium, happy birthday Naoto Ohshima!

Check out some art from Ohshima below:

Naoto Ohshima Concept Art. Source: Sonic Retro

 

Sonic’s original design. He could throw items from his ears. Source: Sonic Retro

Dr. Eggman’s original concept art, when he was originally proposed as a game protagonist. Source: Sonic Retro

Dr. Eggman concept art from Naoto Ohshima. Source: Sonic Retro

Ohshima designed NiGHTS. Back in 2017, Ohshima posted this new piece of art of NiGHTS on his Twitter.

Blinx the Timesweeper concept art from Ohshima’s Twitter account

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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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Various Sonic games for Xbox 360 are on sale worldwide for up to 50% off

Microsoft just held their weekly sale and among the games on sale are a bunch of Sonic’s titles for Xbox 360 for up to 50% off. While the games below have their US prices listed, the sale should be available worldwide and presumably the same discounts should apply. The sales for these games below shouldn’t require XBL Gold as well. Continue reading Various Sonic games for Xbox 360 are on sale worldwide for up to 50% off

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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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7 Amazing Things That Went Unused In Sonic Mania

The PC version of Sonic Mania hit Steam last week, and it didn’t take long for the Sonic hacking community to construct tools to unpack, data mine and mod the game. We’ve assembled a list of the seven most interesting things the community have found lurking inside the game’s source code! Continue reading 7 Amazing Things That Went Unused In Sonic Mania

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Sega Forever Announced for Mobile, Sonic the Hedgehog Updated

In a very 90’s inspired advert, Sega have announced a new way to play classic titles from their back catalogue. Continue reading Sega Forever Announced for Mobile, Sonic the Hedgehog Updated

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Rumour: Sonic Mania to Include Animated Cut Scenes?

Sonic Mania continues to build levels of excitement in our senior staffers not seen since the nineties; we’ve adored every little element and reveal of what is set to be a fitting homage to Saturn/Genesis/Megadrive-era Sonic, lovingly crafted by the Mania team. Continue reading Rumour: Sonic Mania to Include Animated Cut Scenes?

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UPDATE: Sonic CD Becomes Free-to-Play on iOS, Forces Users to Pay to Remove Ads

UPDATE: SEGA has reached out to us with their statement on the error, telling us that the issue has been resolved!

As part of a special promotion, Sonic CD is now free with ads (regularly priced at $2.99) from the App Store. For players who previously purchased Sonic CD, ads were mistakenly added to their game. This was not intended and the issue has now been resolved. Players will need to update to the latest version of Sonic CD (2.0.1) on the App Store. We apologize for the error.

Original story continues below.

Continue reading UPDATE: Sonic CD Becomes Free-to-Play on iOS, Forces Users to Pay to Remove Ads

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The SEGA Mega Drive Classics Bundle on Steam is on Sale for 66% off this Week Only

In April, SEGA released the SEGA Mega Drive/Genesis Classics Hub for Steam, which created a wide-spanning virtual hub that encompasses all retro releases from the company, complete with Steam Workshop support for modders to play around with. The hub became available for free to any Steam user with a Mega Drive game in their library, from Alex Kidd all the way to Wonder Boy, including all of Sonic’s 16-bit outings.

In fact, those who wish to complete their collection can do so for a cheap price this week only, as the all-encompassing SEGA Mega Drive Classics Bundle is now on sale for 66% off the usual price. Internationally, we’re speaking $21.07 USD ($61.99 USD), £16.31 (£47.99), and €20.05 (€58.99). The full list of games is as follows:

Continue reading The SEGA Mega Drive Classics Bundle on Steam is on Sale for 66% off this Week Only

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Mash-Up Monday: Reala’s Stardust Speedway

While Sonic celebrates his 25th anniversary, there is another SEGA superstar whose milestone we should honour: Naoto Oshima’s own NiGHTS, who debuted in NiGHTS into Dreams… on the SEGA Saturn over twenty years ago. The androgynous Nightmaren keeps watch over the dream world of Nightopia and protects it from the evil Wizeman.

Since their premiere on the Saturn, only one other game exists to their name on Wii with Journey into Dreams, and barring their appearances on several spinoffs, it is unknown if we’ll ever see NiGHTS again in the future, but hope yet remains. We pay tribute to NiGHTS for today’s Mash-Up Monday with a pair of mash-ups by Chiruliru and James Fisher, featuring the Japanese themes of Stardust Speedway from Sonic CD and “NiGHTS and Reala” from NiGHTS into Dreams… Check them out below!

Continue reading Mash-Up Monday: Reala’s Stardust Speedway

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Sonic CD Coming March 31st for Apple TV

So Sonic 1 & Sonic 2 got released on the Apple TV recently, why not add the other remastered title? Sonic CD (the good/updated version) is to be released on the Apple TV platform in the next few days, March 31st to be exact.

Now can we please get Sonic 1 & 2 Taxman editions on console? That would be nice.

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Super Bunnyhop looks at the first level of every main Sonic game

The YouTube channel Super Bunnyhop has uploaded a 39-minute look at the first level of every main Sonic game. Hit the jump to see it, and also to get a full list of the games covered. Continue reading Super Bunnyhop looks at the first level of every main Sonic game

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Sonic List: The Most Overrated Sonic Games

Ahhh nostalgia! You make things so much better than they actually were.
Ahhh nostalgia! You’re so good at lying to my brain.

Remember when I did those lists like “My guilty pleasures” or “Defending the lesser loved characters”? Lists that made you feel good about your Hedgehog hobby? Yeah, this is not one of those lists. Sorry. This time, I’m gonna tear apart some of the most beloved and critically acclaimed Sonic titles for the brilliant but flawed games that they really are. Games that got far more praise than they deserved. Even games I happen to love myself that have some bad design choices. Get ready! It’s time to take off the rose-tinted nostalgia goggles and find the lumps of coal inside these diamonds!

Sonic The Hedgehog 1991 (Sega Genesis)

"Riding blocks in lava. Some much more fun than oh, running super fast and rolling through loop-de-loops."
“Riding blocks in lava. Some much more fun than oh, running super fast and rolling through loop-de-loops.”

Now this is a hell of a way to start a list! The one that started it all. The classic game that first introduced us to the speedy hedgehog. Notice what almost every new remake of the game added? The spindash. Why? Because outside of the Green Hill Zone (and one or two other zones), this game is SLOOOOW!

It was a fantastic game for its time, but when you play other classic Sonic games with great pacing and flow like Sonic 2 or 3, you’re BEGGING for more speed. Especially when you go from a speedy fun-filled world like Green Hill and then get dropped into the dull, drab world of the Marble Zone. I go from loop-de-loops rolling super fast down hills to the point where you can’t even see me toooo…..pushing a block into lava and riding it very, very slowly. Oh look, the lava pushed the block up. Whee.

Let’s be honest here, if you were forced to lose a classic Sonic game out of the original trilogy, this would be the first one to go. It’s still a great game, but it’s not quite as fun or fast-paced as the other two.

Sonic Rush

"Whooo that was tricky! But now I got a nice, safe parachute anLAZER!!"
“Whooo that was tricky! But now I got a nice, safe parachute anLAZER!!”

Ohhhh this is painful as it’s one of my favorites. Sonic Rush has Blaze the Cat, incredible speed and a wonderful soundtrack by Hideki Naguma (Jet Set Radio). I absolutely love this game and have played through it several times. However…..

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. DIMPS is really good on a TECHNICAL level. They can do the graphics, physics and the engine of a game just fine but when it comes to actual level design, they tend to suck. Sadly Sonic Rush is no different. This is the first Sonic game to use the boost mechanic and it does so to the point where there’s barely any actual platforming to be had. “Boost to win” became a meme due to this game, but that’’s still not so bad as it gives the game a great sense of speed. What is bad is that when you finally get to a point where jumping from platform to platform is important, it does so when you’re highest in the air and any wrong step can kill you. I’m sure I’m not the only one who had Altitude Limit push them to their limits of patience.

All in all Sonic Rush is still a wonderful game IMO, But still, it’s far from flawless.

Sonic CD

 

"Oh Wacky Workbench! You're so wacky and...horrifically awful!"
“Oh Wacky Workbench! You’re so wacky and…horrifically awful!”

Now, if you wanna see an over-praised game with REALLY bad level design, here you go. Sonic CD has AWESOME music, great graphics, Metal Sonic, Amy and….some anime stuff at the beginning and end. That said the level design makes it one of the poorer 2-D Sonic games out there. Sorry, but it’s true. First off, the time traveling is a HUGE pain in the ass. “Oh, you wanna go to the past? Here, hit this sign and get enough speed and a good place to run at full speed for ten seconds. Whoops! You hit a ramp at a wrong angle. Too bad! Try again. Whoops you hit a future sign just as you got to full speed! Have fun in your ugly, bad future!”

Seriously, who though have to run for so long in these levels that are far more vertically inclined was a good idea? If you’re trying to make a good future it’s a horrible, hair-pulling chore that ends up being no fun at all. Even if you don’t care about that stuff and want to just play straight through can be either good, or awful thanks to really poor level design that either bounces you high into the air and gets you lost and stuck in parts. Wacky Workbench itself may go down as one of the worst 2-D Sonic levels ever not to mention those “Super FX” 3-D bonus levels where you can’t quite judge if you’re about to land on road or time sucking water.

If you go into Sonic CD for great music, cool boss fights and just play straight through, you’ll have a pretty good time. If you’re a completionist who wants to have the best ending, be prepared to scream in frustration.

Sonic Adventure 2

"I'll save you if you just stop staring at my ass!"
“I’ll save you if you just stop staring at my ass!”

Please note that I’m not including “Battle” because the multiplayer does make the game a fair amount better.

Oooohoho! This is by far number one on my overrated list. “Why don’t they make good 3-D Sonic game like Sonic Adventure 2?!” “Remember how good Sonic games USED to be like Adventure 2?” Time to take off your nostalgia glasses boys and girls because in my humble and always correct opinion SONIC ADVENTURE 2 SUCKS!! It is SO undeserving of it’s praise. It is so far from perfect and really shows where Sonic Team was starting to go downhill.

I know you’re gonna go into the comment section about how wrong I am and what a great game this is but let me ask you a question. If they re-tooled this game and took all the admittedly great Sonic and Shadow levels out, would there be ANYTHING good to say about what’s left? Not much, if any.

All those fond memories of the game are pretty much anchored to the Sonic and Shadow levels. They are fast, cool and very well done. The rest of the game however, goes from boring to frustrating garbage. The Tails/Eggman shooter levels are just bland and far too slow paced for a Sonic game while the Knuckles/Rouge levels take the “meh” Emerald Hunting from the first Sonic Adventure and somehow screwed it all up by forcing the radar to only react to one emerald shard at a time leading to a frustrating, controller-throwing mess. I’ve literally stood next to an emerald shard and the radar did NOTHING!

And it’s not like the first Sonic Adventure where you can choose any character at any time so you can skip the stuff you don’t like. No, no, no. You gotta wade through all this crap just to get to the good stuff. Let me play as only Sonic or Shadow and I’d be a lot happier. Then there’s the story. It’s admittedly fairly well written I don’t mind a Sonic story getting a little more mature, but gunning down a little girl? A Big-Breasted bat? A moody, violent anti-hero? This is like, Penders/Bollers late 90’s Archie Sonic stuff here and I don’t care for it personally.

People crap all over Sonic Unleashed for the Werehog and they’re right in doing so because those levels are far too long. However, I’ll take a Werehog level any day of the week over any Rouge/Knuckles levels in Sonic Adventure 2. To me, it’s very undeserving of its praise.

Feel free to tell me how wrong I am in the comments section below. Just please, keep it civil.

Jason says to please give all your hate mail to Hogfather @ sonicstadium.com 😉

(Don’t, please. I’m just kidding.)

 

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Taxman Remakes and Sonic 4 Being Ported To Amazon Fire TV

Whitehead confirms that his games will be available on launch date.

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Image copyrighted to Amazon

Yesterday, the electronics market was set alight from news that Amazon were entering the hardware fray with a media streaming device they call Fire TV.  Amongst its streaming abilities, Amazon also aims to compete with existing consoles by providing its own gaming content at cheaper price points.

Christian Whitehead, one of the developers responsible for the critically acclaimed remakes of Sonic 1, Sonic 2 and Sonic CD, has already confirmed that these games will be included amongst the content when Gaming for Fire TV launches. Speaking on the performance capabilities of the system, he appears to think favourably of it, at least in comparison to the Ouya, which currently isn’t doing so well in the market.

As well as this, Engadget reports that Amazon has confirmed that both episodes of Sonic 4 will also be available amongst the launching software. This combined with the above brings the platform up to speed with other devices in terms of Sonic content available.

So, if you’re thinking of purchasing the Amazon Fire TV for yourself after yesterday’s news, you can be assured that it can provide you with your Sonic fix outside of watching countless reruns of the DiC cartoons.

Sources: Twitter, Engadget

 

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Greg Martin, Box Art Illustrator for Sonic the Hedgehog, has passed away

sonicgregmartin

Yesterday evening we learned that Greg Martin had passed away in May of last year through a friend of his on the Nintendo Age forums. Greg Martin’s art had a prolific presence in early 90’s video game box art, spanning dozens of franchises. Though most Sonic fans may never have heard of him they will surely recognize his work: he was the man behind every piece of Sonic box art in the early 90s. His work came to define Sonic’s appearance in America and Europe, appearing not just in video game box art but also in a variety of adverts.

If you wish to learn more about Greg Martin, you can check out the Nintendo Age post that reported his passing. If you wish to see more of his work, please check out his website. Our thoughts are with his family

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Sonic CD: Temporal Duality Now Available

temporal_duality_coverAfter much anticipation, OverClocked Remix has released their latest collaborative work in the form of their 45th album, if only in hopes of finally putting the argument over “which soundtrack is the better one” to rest. And how did they plan on doing that?

By going all out and paying tribute to both American and Japanese scores of Sonic CD in the only way they know how.

Lo and behold, Temporal Duality: A Sonic CD ReMix Album is at long last available for public downloading! The three disc album covers the hedgehog’s epic journey across the time crossed zones of the Little Planet in both musical flavours, so whether you’re a fan of the Ogata/Hataya flare or in the mood for some Nilsen, Young, and Sterling, there is a little something for everybody in this fully rearranged soundtrack.

You can nab the album yourself via the Temporal Duality webpage! Check out the history behind the project, read up on each artist’s thoughts behind their own track, and while you’re at it, nab the entirety of OCRemix’s Sonic themed albums (available on the site)!

That being said, this release kind of puts me in the mood for a music marathon of sorts. With Sound of Speed – Sonic the Hedgehog, Hedgehog Heaven – Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Project Chaos – Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles, and now Temporal Duality – Sonic CD, OverClocked Remix has just about chronicled the complete 16bit saga of the Sonic the Hedgehog series… I can’t help but wonder what entry they will cover next in down the line.

On the side, I would also recommend nabbing tunes from the OCR forum’s Blue Bomber Blue Blur Collision Competition, if you’re in the mood for some Sonic and Mega Man music crossover goodness!

If you have already download Temporal Duality, share your thoughts on the album in the comments! Favourite songs? Favourite artist? Good points? Bad points? Sound off down below!

OverClocked Remix: Temporal Duality: A Sonic CD ReMix Album

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OCRemix Reveals Sonic CD: TEMPORAL DUALITY Trailer, Release Incoming

20 years ago today, Sonic CD hit the shelves of North America, following its Japanese release two months prior. The hit title that premiered recurring rival and robotic doppelganger Metal Sonic, alongside hammer-wielding valkyrie and blue believer Princess Sally Amy Rose, has been celebrated all around the community this year, predominantly through the Metal Sonic-themed Summer of Sonic convention featuring character designer Kazuyuki Hoshino. However, another Sonic CD tribute was in the works by way of the musical community at OverClocked Remix.

Seven months ago, the folks at OCRemix formally unveiled their 45th tribute album project, following the likes of Hedgehog Heaven, Project Chaos, and Sound of Speed, penned under the name TEMPORAL DUALITY: A Sonic CD ReMix Album.

Founded by Rexy and led by SuperiorX, the album pays tribute to both American and Japanese soundtracks of the game, with the talented team behind the album rearranging the works of Naofumi Hataya, Masafumi Ogata, David J. Young, Mark “Sterling” Crew, and Spencer Nilsen!

Now with the album’s official trailer out, it’s only a matter of time before its release hits! Stay tuned!

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxONMoyPeN4

If you’re interested in other OCRemix projects, the community recently released the Capcom-supported For Everlasting Peace: 25 Years of Mega Man, which you can purchase on iTunes and Amazon, as well as pre-order a physical copy. Highly recommended if you’re a fan of the other little boy blue!

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Mash-Up Monday: Toot Toot Green Hills Warrior

Hey, TSSers! Long time no see!

To those who’ve been asking what happened to the mash-ups, well, my health plummeted, I got bedridden, this, that, a little bit o’this. Didn’t have a ton of energy to even write, but hey, kicked pneumonia square in the rear since then! It’s good to be back!

So, it’s Labour Day today! Cozy? Good. Relaxed? Great! Well rested? Awesome! Bored? Outstan–wait, wait, not outstanding! We can’t have that, not at a time like this! With that diagnosis, there is only one known cure… The return of Mash-Up Mondays, of course! And what better way to celebrate than to highlight a game with some of the cheesiest theme songs ever, like Sonic CD?

Now, it’s no mystery that You Can Do Anything, the Japanese main theme to the time-travelling SEGA CD escapades of the Blue Blur, and Green Hills of Sonic 2 8-bit fame share the same melody. This shouldn’t come across as much of a surprise, seeing that both tracks share the one and only Masafumi Ogata as the composer. Many have wondered of a possible combination of the two songs, and many others have attempted at mixing the two together, but there is one arrangement that I feel stands above the others!

Put together by Hyper-Shan of the SSMB, this particular mash-up not only combines the two aforementioned tracks, as it incorporates the similar sounding Mecha Green Hill from Sonic Chaos as well into a 5 minute masterpiece! So plug in those headphones and enjoy what many consider to be the definitive version of You Can Do Anything! Sing along, now!

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hESP_C6n0Eg

Don’t forget to keep sending your Mash-Up tips and creations at vizardjeffhog@sonicstadium.org!

You will also be pleased to know that Mash-Up Monday is also part of the now active #SSRisBack revival campaign – assembling a new crew of DJs was only Phase One; social media presence is Phase Two! For all sorts of music updates, including latest discoveries and occasional previews of The Sonic Stadium Music Album 2013 & Knuckles, and for a roaring good time altogether, don’t delay! Follow us today at SEGASonic:Radio!

And if everything goes according to plan…

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Mash-Up Monday: You Rock My World’s Stardust Speedway

It’s been proven time and time again that Michael Jackson songs mash-up with Sonic tunes, and it’s not limited to Sonic 3. At this rate, it’s basically scientific fact!

So, for this week’s Mash-Up Monday, Ao Erizo, just like others before, has successfully applied this theory in the following mash-up combination. The vocals to the King of Pop’s You Rock My World gets thrown together with Sonic CD US’s Stardust Speedway – the Cash Cash vs. Jun Senoue edition, to be precise!

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b52xRu7QpNs

Got a mash-up of your own you’d like to see on the site? Or found one you think deserves the spotlight? Either way, send ‘er over at vizardjeffhog@sonicstadium.org!

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