Welcome to the Archive site of The Sonic Stadium (2008-2023)
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When it came to revamping Sonic in 2D, Sonic 4: Episodes 1 and 2 didn’t exactly bring about a new, exciting era. In fact, it failed to thrill most fans. Sega tried again with Sonic Mania, this time bringing the franchise back to its 16-bit roots, and it was a pretty big success. However, SEGA and Sonic Team seem determined to make a more modern, HD polygonal interpretation of 2D Sonic work, one that turns “Classic Sonic” into its own branch of the franchise. I recently got the chance to check out Sonic Superstars at the Summer Game Fest in Los Angeles. Does the game hold up to the classics, or do we have another Sonic 4 on our hands?
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The Sonic Stadium is on the ground at Summer Game Fest 2023, and we’ve been able to capture loads of off-screen clips of the game in action! For anyone curious, we’ve got some gameplay footage of the windmill/seaside stage presented in the trailer. Let’s take a look at some of the gimmicks and interesting things we’ve seen!
There’s a lot to unpack in just a couple of minutes here, so let’s dive in and see what we can see:
First off, classic Badniks are back – but it looks like some of them may come with a few modernised tweaks to catch veteran 2D players off-guard. This Buzzbomber comes complete with a full-fat laser that doesn’t leave any room for Sonic to dodge from.
We also get to see one of the Chaos Emerald powers at play here – this one allows Sonic and friends to ascend through waterfalls. You’ll notice that there’s a meter in the bottom right corner there, which likely tells you how long you have left to use this special ability.
This stage is full of unique gimmicks that throw Sonic upwards into the air and even back and forth into the scenery! In this screenshot, you can see one of the curved silver loops that litter the stage – when Sonic runs into one…
…he shoots in the direction of the curve. Players can seemingly use these broken-loop pieces in clever ways to navigate to higher platforms.
Finally, there’s this little glimpse of a couple of collectables found within the stage. One is a giant blue ring, which looks similar to a Special Stage ring from Sonic 3 & Knuckles/Sonic Mania. The other is a golden Sonic coin. We wonder what these are for and where they take you…?
We’re capturing lots of media from the Summer Game Fest show floor, and we’ll be sharing our hands-on impressions of the game in a day or so’s time as well! Here are some more videos we captured as well, for your entertainment (be careful, some of them may be spoilery):
Knuckles vs Speed Jungle Boss
Amy Enters a Special Stage
Sonic Fights Eggman Boss on Bridge Island
Tails Gameplay from Speed Jungle
Vine Grinding Action
Amy Fights Speed Jungle Badnik Boss
Bridge Island Zone Act 1 Opening Sequence
Water Emerald Power Tutorial and Game Play
Amy Surfs the Vines in Speed Jungle
So stay tuned to the Sonic Stadium and Sonic News for all the latest, and chat about the videos we’ve captured in the comments section below.
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SEGA have today announced a brand new 2D Sonic the Hedgehog title, Sonic Superstars, which will hit consoles later in the year.
According to the press release:
Sonic Superstars™, an all-new Sonic the Hedgehog game bringing a new standard of play to classic high-speed 2D Sonic platforming. In Sonic Superstars, Sonic and his friends’ journey starts on the beautiful North Star Islands, a mystical place offering never-before-seen environments, as well as a mysterious story waiting to unfold.
— Sonic the Hedgehog (@sonic_hedgehog) June 8, 2023
Here’s everything you need to know about the game!
1. Ohshima is Back!
That’s right, our favourite Sonic the Hedgehog co-creator is back at the helm on this new Sonic title! Who could be better than Sonic’s dad to be at the helm?
Ohshima-san is overseeing the fresh new 3D look of this platformer.
2. Fang the Sniper is also back!
We were a bit giddy at this news (especially Adam – Fang is his fave!), but the purple peril will be armed with his cork-gun and undoubtedly causing trouble for our heroes!
You’ll have to wait until the end of the trailer to see him (unless you really have eagle-eyes!) but it is well worth it – he even arrives in his own vehicle, the Marvellous Queen!
3. A Whole New World
Sonic and his friends will be travelling to the new environment of North Star Islands, a “mystical place offering never-before-seen environments, as well as a mysterious story waiting to unfold”.
4. The Number of Characters!
That’s right! FOUR CHARACTERS in the initial roster. From the teaser trailer, it looks like players will be able to take control of Amy Rose, alongside our regular trio.
In addition to this, it looks like as a first for a 2D Sonic title, you can play as all characters simultaneously! Awesome (but I still get to be Sonic, you can be Tails).
5. New Abilities Ahoy!
Sonic and pals will be making full use of some pseudo-3D features, such as wall running and waterfall climbing in this new installment. Undoubtedly each character looks to have some unique abilities – such as an ability to clone!
6. Special Stages on Steroids
We get a brief glimpse at the new Special Stages in Sonic Superstars, that look to take notes from some of the original rotating zones from the original title.
In addition to that, it looks as though there will also be 3D environments in some special stages through which the player must navigate dangers.
7. Pac Man Fever
While the new game will make use of 3D models and assets, the game will also give nods back to the classic 16-bit look as well.
Oddly, we also see our heroes transform into jellyfish characters, vaguely reminiscent of the ghosts from Pac Man. Why do they transform? We are yet to find out!
8. Let’s Get Physical
The game will be released both digitally and Physically across all major platforms for the RRP of $59.99, so those of you looking to invest in a hard copy won’t have to wait for, say, Sonic Superstars Plus!
Are you folks excited? We certainly are!
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SEGA has surprise-announced a brand new 2D Sonic game at Summer Game Fest 2023, called Sonic Superstars!
Featuring 3D models and environments and focusing entirely on Classic Sonic gameplay, Sonic Superstars will see Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and Amy Rose go on a new adventure as they tackle Dr. Eggman in a scenario reminiscent of the 16-bit days… only this time, Eggman has help in the form of returning classic bad guy, Fang the Sniper!
According to IGN, the game will take place in a new location called the North Star Islands, which look like it’s going to be home to a whole lot of new gimmicks such as vines that shoot Sonic upwards, trees that the blue blur can grind along and chutes that work in a similar way to those found in Stardust Speedway.
Apparently the Chaos Emeralds are also back, and can be seen to unlock specific powers for Sonic and friends. We can see in one instance where the player makes clones of themselves, and another where the player travels up a waterfall using another Chaos Emerald power.
— Sonic the Hedgehog (@sonic_hedgehog) June 8, 2023
Sonic Superstars will be coming to PlayStation 5, PS4, Xbox Series X and S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC later in Fall 2023.
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.
SEGA may be showing something new next month, as the publisher has been announced as a participating partner for the upcoming Summer Game Fest showcase on June 8th.
The live event, which has grown in recent years and has seemingly replaced the cancelled E3 2023 convention originally planned for this year, will feature over 40 game companies “that plan to update fans” on current and new projects.
Last year, SEGA was in full attendance of Summer Game Fest where it used the event to reveal more about Sonic Frontiers. The company also offered demos of the game to press at SGF’s associated ‘Play Days’ hands-on event.
It’s not clear what kind of “updates” SEGA will bring this year – the showcase will run close to the release of Sonic Origins Plus, so there may be some last-minute reveals relating to that (although it is unlikely as we probably know everything there is to know about that DLC pack now). Sonic Frontiers is also due some additional expansion content, so we could get an update on that (Sonic’s Birthday DLC will be coming soon).
Of course, there’s every chance that SEGA may just be revealing non-Sonic projects and updates too – or, if we were to cross our fingers really tightly, maybe a new Sonic project announcement of some kind?
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.
Today, in an announcement that the event will be partnering with IMAX, Summer Game Fest released a brief compilation trailer featuring a number of upcoming and released games. Among them was Sonic Frontiers, but before anybody gets too excited, no, it isn’t new footage:
At this time, we don’t exactly know if this is being shown as a confirmation of some games that will be there or to highlight games previously part of the Game Awards/Summer Game Fest ecosystem, so for the time being, we’re reporting this as rumor until we hear explicitly that it will be present. Other games shown in it include the already-released Elden Ring and Tiny Tina’s Wonderland, as well as the yet-unreleased One Piece Odyssey.
The event is scheduled for Thursday, June 9 at 11 AM PT, 2 PM ET, and 6PM GMT, and will be available streaming and in IMAX theaters in the U.S., the U.K., and Canada.
This is the second time Frontiers has been given a significant spotlight within the broad Keighley-sphere. Late in 2021, The Game Awards premiered a teaser trailer that partially revealed the open world nature of the game alongside a trailer for Paramount’s Sonic the Hedgehog 2. SEGA’s remained tight-lipped on the game (despite a handful of leaks), and we’ve yet to see any actual gameplay footage of the Holiday 2022 title. Sonic’s presence at Summer Game Fest should hopefully clear up a few more lingering questions about the title.
Thanks to Dodger24848 for the news tip!
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.
