It’s true that for the last two decades, we’ve been on top of the latest and greatest Sonic the Hedgehog news. But I wanted The Sonic Stadium to be more than just an information resource. My goal has been to create meaningful contributions to expand and enrich the online Sonic community. Which is why you might remember Sonic Stadium just as much for its list of wacky projects as you might for news and opinion.
Continue reading 20 Years of TSS: Twelve Ways We Were More Than Just a WebsiteIn Memoriam: Nigel Dobbyn
We at The Sonic Stadium are deeply saddened to hear that Sonic the Comic artist Nigel Dobbyn has died.
Read More...
Kickstarter Launched For UK Sonic Adventure Music Experience Performance
The Summer of Sonic team has launched a Kickstarter campaign for an official live UK performance of music from Sonic the Hedgehog series Sonic Adventure and Team Sonic Racing! Continue reading Kickstarter Launched For UK Sonic Adventure Music Experience Performance
Read More...
The Summer of Sonic Convention is 10 Years Old – Happy Anniversary!
On Saturday August 9 2008, three young British figureheads in the Sonic the Hedgehog community opened the doors to the very first Summer of Sonic convention, welcoming over 300 people into a tiny hall with nothing but a SEGA Mega Drive in the corner and some cupcakes to entice them in. Continue reading The Summer of Sonic Convention is 10 Years Old – Happy Anniversary!
Read More...
Sonic Mania – Hands on Impressions
At Summer of Sonic I managed to get some time to play Sonic Mania. Here is my initial response… Sonic Mania is probably one of the best platforming games for years, it’s probably better than the original classic series, it’s probably that and more… probably.
Now let’s talk about why that is.
Read More...
What Summer Of Sonic Means To Me : A Staff and Fan Tribute
At this years Summer Of Sonic, we gave you, the fans, a chance to express what this event means to you. We played a video showing the fans and staff’s memories and reflections live in the venue on August 6th. We are now happy to bring to you a super cut of this tribute!
Created and edited by: Pete Nethercote.
Featuring: Phil Sims, Lewis Clark, Kevin Eva, Pete Nethorcote, John Finlay, Dave Luty, Gavin Storey, Shadowkelsey, Peter Robinson, Dr Spudhead, Shadowmariogaming, Faz D, Tanner (Ewww), Mark Hugues, Kieran Gates, Monty Peter Sally, Svend
Read More...
Summer of Sonic Announces Tons of Events & Tickets Still Available!
Summer of Sonic 2016 is almost upon us, the biggest party for Sonic fans is back again for one more run and it feels that almost daily that a new announcement is made, so let’s go through all of the recent ones.
Cosplay Contest!
There has truly been some amazing costumes over the years, so of course this is making a return. For those interested in going to Summer of Sonic in costume this year, here are some important bits of information for you to know.
There will be a signup booth close to the entrance of the venue, you’ll need to register here if you want in the contest.
There will likely be a preliminary judging panel for finalists, this is due to the shere volume of people who come to the vent in costume. However if only a few people turn up (unlikely) this might change.
There will be a changing room and cloakrooms! So if you don’t want to wear your costume on the tube or walk through the streets as Eggman (as awesome as that sounds) you can get changed at the venue.
More details on how to enter the contest as well as details about the event can be found on the Summer of Sonic website.
Richard Burton & Deborah Tate Confirmed!
Sonic the Comic editors Richard Burton and Deborah Tate are coming to the event, Richard Burton has the honour of being essentially the creator of the comic and Deborah is responsible for making Amy a much more proactive and positive role model for female readers of the comic.
Both will be present to meet and greet fans of the comic and new fans alike.
More details here.
T-Shirts Revealed!
Those who backed for a Summer of Sonic T-Shirt might be interested to see the finished design.
The merch collector in me is drooling, sporting the Summer of Sonic logo on the front, the reverse has the official 25th Anniversary Logo, yes that’s right, it has been approved by Sega, it’s an official piece of 25th Anniversary merchandise exclusively for SOS Kickstarter backers.
LiveStream Link!
As with previous Summer of Sonic events, this years fun and games will be live streamed for those of you who can’t make it.
Or if you’d rather have just audio, Radio Sega has also got you covered: https://www.radiosega.net/listen/
Tyson Hesse Confirmed!
Archie comic artists Tyson Hesse is coming over for some fun too! Tyson has recently worked on the Mega Drive Sonic comic as well as the main Archie Sonic comic series, Boom and Universe. But one of his most notorious works is the infamous Boxer Hockey Sonic!
More details here.
Art Contest!
Another contest is returning, for all you budding artists out there there will be pens and paper on hand for your best scribbles and doodles, but feel free to bring your own stationary if you like!
There will be two competition brackets 15 & Under and 16 & over.
To enter your artwork must be drawn from scratch at the event and not prepared in advance, more information will be available on the day as well as the deadline to submit your artwork.
More details here.
History of Summer of Sonic Panel
Think you know the history of Summer of Sonic? Think again, a special one off panel will be held at the event in which Kevin “AAUK” Eva, Svend “Dreadknux” Joscelyne & Adam “T-Bird” Tuff will be talking about how Summer of Sonic went from an idea in a tearoom to a major convention.
“A Sonic convention!? The only people who will turn up to that will be the drunks over the road!”
There will be limited space to this panel and it will operate on a strictly first come first serve basis.
Full details can be found at the SOS Website.
Crush 40 Performance!
You knew it was coming didn’t you? Crush 40 will be back at Summer of Sonic and will be performing to close the days events, what better way to end than to rock out with Jun and Johnny?
More details here.
Community Spotlight Live!
Join Pete “TitansCreed” Nethercote as he speaks to Svend “Dreadknux” Joscelyne and Adam “T-Bird” Tuff, Jamie Egge Mann & Tanner Bachnick of The Sonic Show, Matt Mannheimer of Tails Channel and Tyson Hesse about how the Sonic community has changed over the years, as well as taking questions from the crowd.
Someone ask Svend what Tails’ Superstar move from Sega Superstars Tennis is.
Full details can be found here.
Nevermind the Buzzbombers is back!
Another staple event of Summer of Sonic, Nevermind the Buzzbombers returns for it’s 6th instalment, two teams will play some games and answer some questions to prove who knows the most about Sonic.
As before, there will be surprise guests on each team and audience members will be invited to take part in order to win some prizes!
If you want to be in with a chance to get picked, be sure you’re at the main stage for the start of the event, and make sure the Captains know you are the one to pick! Feel free to hold up signs, hire a sky writer, or invade the venue with a badnik army – the most stand out guests in the audience are the most likely to get picked!
And as before the event will be hosted by… *looks around* me!
Full details can be found here.
Tickets Still Available!
Yes you read that right! If you missed out, tickets are still available if you want them.
There’s a small number still up for grabs, if you want them they cost £20 each and you can get them via the Summer of Sonic website, this is the link you need if you want to join us for one awesome day!
Read More...
Summer of Sonic Guest Announcement: Duncan Gutteridge & James Wallis
The Summer of Sonic guest roster continues to expand!
The most recent announcement includes Sonic calendar and box art illustrator Duncan Gutteridge, synonymous with some of the most recognisable artwork in circulation during the early 90s.
Additionally, the special guest list will also include James Wallis, known for his writing work on the Sonic the Hedgehog adventure game books Metal City Mayhem and The Zone Rangers.
Read More...
Summer of Sonic Guest Announcement: Ferran Rodriguez
The wheels on the Summer of Sonic machine are still turning! Another guest was announced last night, this time it’s returning Sonic the Comic artist Ferran Rodriguez! Continue reading Summer of Sonic Guest Announcement: Ferran Rodriguez
Read More...
Sonic the Comic Artists Nigel Dobbyn and Richard Elson to Attend Summer of Sonic 2016
The Summer of Sonic 2016 roster of guests continues to grow, with the announcement today of Sonic the Comic artists Nigel Dobbyn and Richard Elson to be in attendance at the event. Dobbyn has been a frequent guest at previous Summer of Sonic events, contributing to the special edition of Sonic the Comic given away in 2013. This year sees the first appearance of Richard Elson at the event, having also attended Sonic the Comic Con in 2014.
Read More...
SOS: Mike Pollock Confirmed & Last Chance to Get a 25th Anniversary Coin
Doctor! Doctor! Give me the news! We got a bad case of Evil Blues! Voice of Eggman Mike Pollock is coming to Summer of Sonic! At around 10am this morning, Summer of Sonic past the £27,500 mark and confirmed that Mike Pollock would be attending the convention. Continue reading SOS: Mike Pollock Confirmed & Last Chance to Get a 25th Anniversary Coin
Read More...
Johnny Gioeli Coming to Summer of Sonic: Stretch Goal 2 Announced!
Following a successful funding, Summer of Sonic announced a stretch goal and it was smashed after just a few hours by generous fans. Confirming what many had suspected, fan favourite Johnny Gioeli will be returning to this years convention! Continue reading Johnny Gioeli Coming to Summer of Sonic: Stretch Goal 2 Announced!
Read More...
Opinion Zone 34: Summer Of Sonic Is Back Baby (Guest Adam Tuff)
Oh boy, the hype is real guys. It has been a long, cold and lonely three years. Sonic fans around the country have been waiting and finally our wishes have been answered! On the eve that the recently launched Kickstarter reached its £20,000 goal in just 11 days, Jay and The Opinion Zone crew are joined today by Summer Of Sonic Co-Organiser Adam Tuff, to discuss the wonders of this awesome convention. Continue reading Opinion Zone 34: Summer Of Sonic Is Back Baby (Guest Adam Tuff)
Read More...
Summer of Sonic 2016 Announced, Dated & Kickstarter Launched!
Following on from this mornings tease. Summer of Sonic 2016 has been announced, dated and a kickstarter has launched! Let’s get some of the big details out of the way. Continue reading Summer of Sonic 2016 Announced, Dated & Kickstarter Launched!
Read More...
Summer of Sonic 2016 Hinted?
With both America and Japan having 25th anniversary themed parties, many people in the UK were asking ‘what about us?’ Well… Something might be happening. Continue reading Summer of Sonic 2016 Hinted?
Read More...
No Summer of Sonic for 2015
In a move which confirms what many suspected, the Summer of Sonic Team have released a statement on their official Facebook page confirming that there will not be an event for this year. However, they do not rule out a return in the future.
Statement is as follows.
We’ve had a lot of questions and lovely messages from fans about this, and so we don’t want to give the wrong impression by not saying anything. So just to clear up what you might have heard, there are no plans for a Summer of Sonic event this year.
The whole team would love to host a show for you again soon, and if the stars align in the future we will shout it from the rooftops.
Thanks again for all of your wonderful support.
So, sad news, but they don’t rule out that it won’t ever be back, so who knows, the future may still hold an event. Anyone got a time stone so we can go right now?
Source: Summer of Sonic Facebook page.
Read More...
A Statement from the Summer of Sonic Team
It’s no secret that many people have been anticipating news of the next Summer of Sonic event. Well, a short while ago, The Summer of Sonic Organisers/Team have issued a statement regarding this years event.
Their statement is as follows.
Every year, The Summer of Sonic team dreams of new ways to excite and inspire like-minded Sonic the Hedgehog fans, with large-scale conventions that aim to bring people together under a common theme.
Due to the nature of how the annual event is organised, each Summer of Sonic event hinges on the availability of key team players, as they help build the show in their spare time – alongside SEGA personnel who also must work around their daily duties.
With this in mind, it is after a lot of consideration that we have decided to put Summer of Sonic on hiatus for 2014. During this hiatus, we will take stock of the things we have accomplished with SEGA and then decide when we will be able to return for another round of Sonic excitement.
The team would like to express our sincere thanks for the continued support of our fellow Sonic fans, as well as our apologies for any disappointment this news may cause.
Since its début in 2008, the Summer of Sonic has been a truly pioneering event, entertaining thousands of fellow Sonic the Hedgehog fans from all corners of the world with the mantra of providing a convention by the fans, for the fans.
Its creation also marks a significant milestone in the video games industry – these past six years this small team of adoring fans have enjoyed an extremely close working partnership with the company responsible for the products and characters they grew up with and love. This close interaction between brand and community is unprecedented to this day, and shows SEGA as a company ahead of the curve when it comes to fan engagement.
As such, the team would like to thank SEGA and the Sonic Team for its support for the convention – both past, present and future.
Source: Summer of Sonic Website.
Read More...
California’s Sonic Revolution Convention Announces 2014 Date and Venue
Following the first California-based Sonic the Hedgehog fan convention last year, Sonic Revolution returns in 2014 for a second time, promising to be an event even bigger and better than before.
If you’re a resident of California, or can travel to Orange County mid-June, you can look forward to a day of Sonic-themed events, including a showing of an exclusive clip of Sonic Prologue film along with a Q&A with the director, an appearance and performance from the Sonic the Hedgehog cover band Serenity Seven, as well as opportunities for gaming and fan art showcasing.
The event venue and date are as follows:
Date: Sunday, June 15, 2014
Time: 10 AM to 6 PM
Location: The Marquis Room at the Holiday Inn Buena Park
Address: 7000 Beach Blvd, Buena Park, California 90620
Tickets will be up for grabs on the 1st of March, 2014, and will be available through EventBrite for free. There will also be discount codes available for those wanting to stay the night at the hotel venue.
The event is also holding a fundraiser in order to generate the capital for hosting the event – head on down to the fundraising page and make a donation; donations of $30 or more will receive a Sonic Revolution shirt and pin.
Further details will become available over the coming weeks through the Sonic Revolution website.
Read More...
Summer of Sonic Sets a Guinness World Record!
“A Sonic Convention? The only people who will turn up to that will be the drunks over the road!”
A few years ago, shortly after the idea of a Sonic convention was first brought up in a small cafe in London, the idea was pitched to a few members of the Sonic community and one of the more joky responses was the above.
But despite a few ‘are we sure this is good idea’ reactions, Summer of Sonic 2008 went ahead, and people actually turned up. Since then it’s gotten bigger and bigger and it would appear that it’s getting noticed in circles outside of the Sonic fan base.
In the recently published Guinness World Records 2014 Gamers Edition. Summer of Sonic has set a Guinness World Record! It turns out that not only was Summer of Sonic the first officially recognised Sonic fan Convention, but it’s also the first official fan convention for a video game character!
Congratulations to everyone involved with Summer of Sonic, both past and present, and congratulations and thank you to everyone who has attended and supported the event. Since without you lot, we probably would have had to invite the drunks from over the road!
Source: Guinness World Records 2014 Gamers Edition Via SSMB Member Lucky.
Photo: Beth Johnson
Read More...
Summer Of Sonic Documentary now released!
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDDsOf1H2Hk
Every year since 2008, the Sonic community have come together to bring it’s fellow Sonic fans a place where they can play new games, meet their idols and finally meet people face to face.
This is an event that means so much to the staff here and we are always looking at ways to share that with a wider and wider audience. This leads us to this years Summer Of Sonic Retrospective. Our annual documentary celebrating the years festivities.
Featuring interviews with Jun Senoue, Kerry Rizzo (of Sega Europe), The Megadrive Band, Sonic himself plus many others (including you guys who came!)
We hope it sheds some light to those around the world, why we love Summer Of Sonic so much, and acts as a memorable souvenir for this years attendees.
Edit: Some people have said the video isn’t showing. Please click here if thats the case.
Read More...
Brotherhoods, Werehogs, and Paradoxes – The Animations of Summer of Sonic 2013
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gpkal5PplVU
“Aha!” is right!
We’ve managed to provide a steady stream of content coming from Summer of Sonic 2013. Be it the interviews we’ve held with Takashi Iizuka and Metal Sonic creator Kazuyuki Hoshino, the exclusive Lost World trailer or the Special Effects auction, there’s still one crucial piece we have yet to cover – the fan-made animations!
Presented throughout the day, these four works were showcased on the main stage, starting off with the Sonic the Comic-themed intro Boozerman and The Sonic Show provided above.
In order of appearance!
First up is one of two projects the folks at Sonic Paradox put together for the occasion, this one being a follow-up to last year’s Sonic Heroes music video-slash-parody-slash-tribute, Seaside Denied! With Eggman’s forces scattered throughout Grand Metropolis, join Teams Sonic (792Ashman), Dark (Whitesonic), Rose (RGX), and Chaotix (TheWax) once more as they tear through the HEXAeco city in their latest musical romp, Metropolis Mayhem!
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSj7yRyPWaQ
Lyrics by Recorderdude, Dr. Mack Foxx, and Aaraboga. Credits scene animated by KaDoYuu!
As Eggman pulls a fast one on the Blue Blur and unleashes yet another monster of the week, it’s up to a lycanthropic Sonic and his amnesiac best friend to save the world! Featuring the voice works of GameBuddy, Psyguy, CrikeyDave, Kirbopher, Euan Kennedy and Mana the Dark Magician Girl, second in line is the newest entry to Frobman‘s In Brief series – Sonic Unleashed in Brief!
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsAKCsWawl0
And now, the motherload, and this one was a long time coming. Now online in its entirety, featuring a slew of shorts not shown at Summer of Sonic (as well as the final short in all of its uncensored glory), is a project many thought would never see the light of day. Wait no longer, for the animation community at Sonic Paradox has finally unveiled the fruits of their labour after almost three years in the making! Without further ado, here’s the latest entry to their trademark short compilations – Sonic Shorts Volume 8!
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=co4IsJG12AU
After 5 years of gut-busting hilarity, it’s been a damn good run for the Sonic Shorts series, to which I can now say “Good night, sweet prince” – for the time being. All the best to Sonic Paradox with their future projects.
Bring on the SEGA Shorts!
Read More...
Summer of Sonic 2013: Kazuyuki Hoshino Interview
In the second part of our Summer of Sonic interviews, I sat down to talk robots and character design with Metal Sonic and Amy Rose’s creator – Kazuyuki Hoshino!
TSS: First of all, what does it mean to you to be here at Summer of Sonic?
Kazuyuki Hoshino: It’s great to be here and meet the fans who have continued to love the characters that I have created!
TSS: How do you go about the process of creating the Badniks and other enemies for Sonic games?
Kazuyuki Hoshino: Other than creating some of the key central characters I’ve also created lots of sub-characters. Whenever I create a main character, someone that’s central to the story or series, I always fully immerse myself in that character to really put myself in their shoes. When I was younger I always dreamed of my creations being sold as figurines in shops so people could buy some of the things that I had created. I’ve always kept this in mind when creating characters so I can design them to look great not only for their purpose, but so they would look good as figurines too.
TSS: Out of all the enemy characters you have created, which would you say is your favourite (Metal Sonic excluded!).
Kazuyuki Hoshino: Although he’s not as much of an enemy anymore, I’d definitely have to say Shadow the Hedgehog.
TSS: How did designing for NiGHTS differ to designing for Sonic games?
Kazuyuki Hoshino: When I’m creating characters for Sonic, I always have in mind that it needs to be appealing to millions of people. Sonic has such a big mass audience so I try and design to meet that taste. With NiGHTS, it has a very particular theme with quite a specific and niche market so I can push the boat out a little further to make designs that are more dream-like and psychological.
TSS: What were your biggest challenges in terms of design when making the transition from 2D to 3D games?
Kazuyuki Hoshino: When designing in 3D, you have to make sure that you create everything so that even the parts that weren’t visible before in 2D are now visible in 3D and they look good. You have to figure out how every part of the design would look from different angles and make it work. In the classic Sonic games he only had to be shown from the perspective that made him look best, now that everything is in 3D, you see Sonic from behind a lot more than you ever would have in 2D so now you have to make sure he and all of the other characters look good from all angles. Shadow has a red stripe going down his back and this is because we wanted to make him look both cool from behind and distinctively different from Sonic.
TSS: If you were to re-design Metal Sonic today, what new features would you give him, if any?
Kazuyuki Hoshino: When we originally created Metal Sonic, the thing I really had a focus on was making him look metallic because he is, of course, called Metal Sonic. If I were to re-design him, I would potentially challenge this and try to give him a different feel and texture that you would pick up just from looking at him. For example, a new feature I would perhaps give him is the ability to become invisible. You know in Sci-Fi films where they have the light-reflection technology that camouflages the user? I’d love to experiment with things like that and incorporate that technology into not only his skillset, but his visual design too.
TSS: You’ve created many iconic and memorable characters over the years. Do you think that we might see an art book dedicated to your works one day?
Kazuyuki Hoshino: I’m honoured that this question has been asked several times already today! I don’t have any plans at the moment to create a compilation of all the art that I’ve created so far. It would be great to have though and my Mother actually looks at art books quite often so she would be incredibly proud!
TSS: Thank you very much for your time, Hoshino-san!
Thanks again to Bobby Wertheim for translations!
Read More...
Special Effect Holding An Auction for An Epic Piece of Sonic Merchandise
As some of you know, between posting updates here on TSS and feeding my cat, I also do stuff for this little event called Summer of Sonic. You might have heard of it, we hire out a place and invite a bunch of people, sit back, talk about whats the best Eggman robot and have a jolly good time.
Well at this years event, we had a space for the charity Special Effect to show off the amazing work they do in order to make gaming accessible to everyone. As well as informing everyone as to who they are and what they do, they held a few fund raising events on the day such as an auction, and a raffle.
I was fortnate enough to help out Nick (Special Effect staff member) on the day. At around 3PM we retreated to the VIP’s room and started the task of counting up the donations. We were both blown away by how much Sonic fans had donated, would you like to know how much money was raised?
£1397.62
You guys are incredible!
But, the donations didn’t just come in the form of money, Special Effect also recieved a rather nice donation from Sonic the Hedgehog Merchandise, in the form of a very special book. It was a copy of the Collectors Edition of The History of Sonic the Hedgehog book. The english version.
Nick asked me what I thought of it and being under the paw of Merch Kitty, I told him what it was and gave him some insight into it. So Nick had an idea, and I thought it was brilliant. You see, the room we were in, also contained three other people…
- Takashi Iizuka: The Head of Sonic Team.
- Kazuyuki Hoshino: The Creator of Metal Sonic & Amy Rose.
- Jun Senoue: Composer & Crush 40 guitarist.
So we asked them all if they would sign the book, and they did. The book, is now up for auction. All the money raised will go to Special Effect and help make gaming more accessible to people with life changing disabilities.
Please dig deep for this one, it’s an absolute must have, but more importantly, it’s going to a very good cause.
A few details on the book.
- Language: English.
- Edition: Collectors Edition.
- Number: 589 out of 1,000
You can find the auction here. It ends in just over 9 days.
Nick/Special Effect would like to give thanks to: Sega, Sonic the Hedgehog Merchandise, everyone involved with Summer of Sonic and the attendees of Summer of Sonic for their amazing donations so far.
For more information on Special Effect and the work they do, please visit their website.
Read More...
Summer of Sonic 2013: Takashi Iizuka Interview
I once again had the amazing opportunity to sit down with the head honcho over at Sonic Team – Takashi Iizuka! In the interview we talk Summer of Sonic, Lost World, Colour Powers and Sonic’s future. It’s quite a read so you definitely don’t want to miss it!
Continue reading Summer of Sonic 2013: Takashi Iizuka Interview
Read More...
Summer Of Sonic 2012 Retrospective Now Online
The annual Summer Of Sonic Retrospective is here! Continue reading Summer Of Sonic 2012 Retrospective Now Online
Read More...
Summer Of Sonic ’12 : Travel Lulz!
So our 2012 Retrospective will be hitting your browsers this Friday just time to get hyped for this years event! But before that let’s take a look at the hijinks in getting there!
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMdtfxGJLYo[/youtube]
Read More...
SpecialEffect at Summer of Sonic 2013
This might possibly be one of the most important announcements with regards to SOS this year. To quote the Summer of Sonic Website…
“SpecialEffect is a charity that targets something that often gets overlooked – that people with disabilities have lives beyond simply ‘being disabled’ and want to enjoy themselves. The charity, the only one of its kind in the UK, provides the specialist technology, advice and support for everyone to benefit from the fun, friendship and inclusion of video games.
Praised by Prime Minister David Cameron as “providing magic moments all the time“, SpecialEffect been making a profoundly positive impact on the quality of life for children and adults of all ages since 2007. At any one time the charity is working with and helping up to 500 people on an intensive basis in hospitals, hospices and at home. They also influence the lives of thousands of people each year with support, advice and hands-on demonstrations at their award-winning games roadshows.
Their doors are open to everyone, including accident victims, service personnel with combat injuries, people with congenital and progressive conditions and stroke patients. You can see several examples at http://www.specialeffect.org.uk/who-we-helped
Their help includes the loan and support of mainstream and adapted access equipment for online and offline games. Some of the specialist equipment, like eye-control technology, is expensive, so the loans enable people to make sure it’s suitable before they commit to a purchase. The charity doesn’t sell any equipment, so their advice is always impartial.
We will be raising money for Special Effect throughout the day, and we hope you will all help us fund this very good cause.”
So there you have it. As well as having some fun and some laughs, we’ve got a really good chance to do something awesome at this years convention.
For more information about Special Effect and the work they do, please visit their website: http://www.specialeffect.org.uk/
Source: SOS Website.
Read More...
[UPDATE: WINNERS!] Summer of Sonic Ticket Competition!
UPDATE:We have winners! Congratulations go to:
Adam F
Cole L
Andrew K
Emma K
Holly W
Rhys M
Lucie S
Ricard T
George B
Karanpal C
Seth J
Daniel G
David P
Jonathan P
Luke C
Theo C
Ben T
Jake P
Lee G
Kiera D
Your tickets will be issued shortly!
————————————————————-
If you weren’t successful in snagging a Summer of Sonic ticket last week, then all is not lost! We have 10 pairs of Summer of Sonic tickets to give away to some very lucky people!
All you have to do is answer this very simple question: The first Summer of Sonic convention took place in 2008, but which year did Summer of Sonic start as an online celebration of all things Sonic?
If you think you know the answer, send an email entitled “Summer of Sonic Ticket competition” to competition@sonicstadium.org. You will need to include in your email:
– Your Answer
– Your name and the name of your friend you will be bringing with you
– Your full postal address
– Your phone number
– Your email address
You will have to be quick however! Our competition will end TOMMOROW at 7pm (Wednesday, 10th of July, 2013) so get your answers in quick! Winners will be notified by email.
As you know, Summer of Sonic is a free event, but a lot of the little extras are paid for by the Summer of Sonic staff. Because of this, many of you have generously expressed interest in donating to the cause in the past. If you wish to donate, you can do so easily by visiting our paypal donation page. Any donations will be gratefully accepted.
Good luck, and see you on August the 3rd!
Read More...
Play Sonic Lost World at Summer of Sonic
Demand for tickets to this years Summer of Sonic has exceeded everyones expectations. In total, it took only 13 seconds for the event to be completely sold out, 69 tickets per second. So… if you were one of those lucky people thats coming to SOS… How would you like to Play Sonic Lost world?
Summer of Sonic will be one of the first public places that you can play Sonic Lost World ahead of it’s release later this year. Obviously, this will be one of the biggest attractions on the day so be prepared to wait a while before you get your chance to play Sonic’s next adventure.
Source: Summer of Sonic
Read More...
Summer of Sonic 2013 Cosplay Contest & Ticket Wave 2 Starts Tonight
The Summer of Sonic website has announced the return of the Cosplay Competition, details are as follows.
“We take great pleasure in announcing the return of a fan favourite event to Summer of Sonic 2013: the cosplay contest! Do you possess the speed of Sonic? Do you have the tech skills of Tails? Or perhaps even the ego of Eggman? No matter who your favourite character is, we’d love to see all you cosplayers out there showing off your creations at the event!
Each year we are blown away by the caliber and variety of cosplayers at Summer of Sonic, and we hope that this year will be even bigger! Once again we want you, the audience to help us judge the competition! Just like in previous years, we want you to cheer (preferably as loud as you can!) for your favourite costume on stage; remember, those cheers equal all-important points for the participants!
If you want to enter the contest, you will be able to sign-up from opening time; don’t worry, we’ll make it’s easy to find! You will be given a group number upon sign up. At 2:30pm signups will close, and the group elimination stages will take place with the best costumes from each group going through to the final. The final ten cosplayers will be called to the stage later in the day, where the overall winner will be announced! We will announce when and where each group is due to gather, so keep hold of your number and come along when we call you!
We will have some fantastic prizes for the overall winner on the day, so we hope to see you guys pull off some amazing get-ups!
Planning on entering this year? Have any favourites from previous years? Let us know in the comments section below!”
Also, we’d like to take this time to remind you, the second wave of tickets for Summer of Sonic go live in just over 1 hours time. Remember, you cannot enter Summer of Sonic without a ticket, so if you still want to go, this is your last chance to get tickets. Good luck everyone, hope to see you there.
Tickets are only available via this link. (or, go to the Summer of Sonic website and click on the ‘Tickets’ link which you can see just under the picture of Metal Sonic). At 18:00 British Summer Time, (which is one hours time. from the posting of this article,) 450 tickets will be released. On friday, 450 went in 6 seconds. So be quick. Tickets are free.
Finally, I’m posting this because some people have been asking, this is Summer of Sonic’s only facebook page.
Source: Summer of Sonic.
Read More...
Wave 1 of SOS tickets sells out in 6 seconds!
Blink, and you probably did miss it! Following the amazing demand of last year, everybody knew this years first wave would go quickly, but nobody expected it to go this quickly. 450 tickets were up for grabs and they all sold out in 6 seconds!
Blimy!
If you got your tickets odds are you’re wiping the sweat of your brow right now and thinking something along the lines of ‘Oh man! I got lucky!’ However if you were unsucessful, do not despare, the second wave of tickets will go live this Sunday 7th July at 6:00PM (BST). There will be another 450 tickets up for grabs.
If you didn’t get a ticket this time, think of it this way… 450 less people attempting to go for tickets. See you on Sunday, good luck!
For more announcements and news on ticket updates, keep checking the SOS website and TSS.
Read More...
Jun Senoue Confirmed to Attend Summer of Sonic 2013
The Summer of Sonic website has announced this evening that Sonic Team sound director Jun Senoue will be making his return to Summer of Sonic this year. Sonic fans will know him for his work on the soundtracks for Sonic 3 & Knuckles, the Sonic Adventure games and most recently Sonic Generations.
Senoue-san will be performing a selection of tunes from across his career and will even be meeting with fans at the Summer of Sonic signing booth. Times and details are yet to be announced, but we’ll pass that information along when it becomes available.
Source: Summer of Sonic Official Website
Read More...
Summer of Sonic 2013 Ticket Details
In 2008, when SOS was held in a place called ‘The Dragon Hall’ it was situated directly opposite a pub. A lot of the staff and many of the guests at the time joked that ‘nobody but the drunks over the road would turn up!’ It seems amazing to think that with more than 3 times the capacity of the Dragon Hall, last year, it took less than 3 minutes for all the tickets to be sold out.
With that in mind, this is probably one of the most important announcements if you want to attend this years event. The Summer of Sonic website has published the details of how tickets will be distributed this year. Here is what you need to know.
There will be two waves of tickets.
The first wave will be on Friday 5th July at 7:00PM (BST)
The second wave will be on Sunday 7th July at 6:00PM (BST)
There will be 450 tickets in both waves.
Furthermore, the ticketing system this year has altered too, you now get to select how many tickets you want, (maximum of 4). Before you fill out your details. So you won’t have to race to fill out a form and then click submit and be disapointed if all the tickets for that wave have gone.
Booking tickets is done via the SOS website, at this specific link.
Authors Note: I shall update this with more specific details as and when I get them.
If it’s anything like last year, tickets are expected to sell out very quickly. Please be online and ready before they go live in order to avoid disapointment.
Oh and, if you were wondering how much it will cost you to get a ticket for this years event…
Tickets are Free!
See the SOS website for more details.
SOS 2013 is held on August 3rd at the Methodist Central Hall Westminster in London.
Read More...
SOS 2013: Nigel Dobbyn & Nigel Kitching Confirmed
The Summer of Sonic website has made it’s first guest announcement, Nigel Dobbyn & Nigel Kitching will be returning for this years event.
2013 will mark the 20th anniversary of Fleetway’s Sonic the Comic, first published back 1993, so if you are old enough to remember walking into a newsagent and picking up issue 1 with those stickers on the cover, why not come meet two of the main reasons as to why the comic became so popular and ran for as long as it did?
Both Nigels will be at a meet and greet session at the signing booth and art classes will be happening this year too, details will be announced at a later date.
Furthermore, the art corner will be returning to SOS this year, so if you fancy putting pen to paper and wowing your fellow fans with your art skills, they’ve got you covered. As with previous SOS’ there will be prizes given out, thats right, the art competition is also returning.
For the full story, check out the SOS website if you havn’t already done so.
Read More...
Summer Of Sonic 2012 Recap!
With a year gone by and a new day of events and memories right around the corner, why not look back at last year and remind ourselves what makes this event so awesome! In a brand new video using footage we shot last year, we hope this lets some of you reminiscence about the greatness that is our community!
[youtube]http://youtu.be/ruJlutB8ErE[/youtube]
It’s like a day full of awesomeness squeezed into two minutes and jet blasted back into our conscious. Are you pumped for this year’s big event?
Read More...
Summer of Sonic & Sonic Boom Announced & Dated!
Why announce one convention… when you can announce two! Summer of Sonic 2013 was teased a few months ago, however, today it’s been officially announced and dated by both the Summer of Sonic website & The Sega Blog.
The date is Satruday August 3rd 2013. The Location is The Westminister Central Hall in London.
With Sega officially announcing the date, expect more details such as event activities & guests to be announced very soon, as well as ticket & travel info to be posted on the official SOS website very soon.
For more infromation check out the SOS website.
Now onto news for fans in America.
Sonic Boom 2013 has also been announced and things are all change again. The location is The Pageant, St. Louis, MO. The date is August 10, 2013. A trivia contest and cosplay contest was also confirmed.
More details on both events are to be announced at a later date. But now that Sega themselves have announced both events, expect there to be a lot more details on both events announced very soon.
As for where you can get upto date info on the events.
For Summer of Sonic.
- Summer of Sonic Official Website
- Summer of Sonic Facebook page (This is the only Facebook page that they use).
- Summer of Sonic Twitter account.
For Sonic Boom
And here at TSS we will provide information and coverage for both events.
Soruce: Sega Blog & Summer of Sonic’s website.