Sonic on the eShop: What Will Be Lost on March 27

Sonic has a pretty long history with Nintendo. The franchise first went third party on Nintendo platforms, and has stuck close to the company’s hardware ever since. This held true even during the Wii U era (easily Nintendo’s most difficult time in recent memory), giving the dual-screen console and the 3DS a variety of Sonic exclusives, ports and retro titles.

Continue reading Sonic on the eShop: What Will Be Lost on March 27
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.

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

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.

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

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.

TSS Review: LEGO Dimensions Sonic the Hedgehog Level Pack

LEGO and Sonic the Hedgehog. Now there’s two things we never thought we’d see officially put together in the same product. Sure, maybe it’s not as earth-shattering a crossover as the Mario & Sonic series (I mean, who’d have ever seen that one coming, and at the Olympic Games no less?!), but it’s just as mind-bogglingly unthinkable. But, then again, almost anything is possible in the crazy world of TT Games’ LEGO Dimensions. You know what’s even crazier though? This bonkers mash-up of blue blurs and bricks is arguably the best thing to come out of Sonic’s 25th anniversary celebrations this year.

Continue reading TSS Review: LEGO Dimensions Sonic the Hedgehog Level Pack

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.

The Completionist Explores the Troubled Gameplay of Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric

Over two years have passed since the hundredth episode of The Completionist, where Jirard Khalil did the inadvisable and went on to complete Sonic the Hedgehog 2006 at a great personal cost. Since then, the game has been dethroned by another, one which has drawn more ire and infamy than its predecessor ever did: Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric. Naturally, Jirard went and did the unfathomable… or he almost did.

The troubled development process behind Big Red Button’s project—stemming from both SEGA’s exclusivity deal with Nintendo, and incompatibility between CryEngine 3 and the Wii U—led to an incomplete and bug-ridden November 2014 launch that even a one-plus gigabyte patch couldn’t fix. Jirard dIves into depths never explored of just how broken Rise of Lyric is, as a game that likely cannot ever be 100% completed. Check out the latest episode of The Completionist below, presented in a brand new format!

Continue reading The Completionist Explores the Troubled Gameplay of Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric

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.

Sonic sale live in NA on both the Wii U and 3DS eShop

Today in this week’s NA Nintendo Downloads PR, it was announced that various Sonic games are on sale on the NA eShop on both Wii U and 3DS, and there’s quite a few games to choose from. You can view the entire list below.

Continue reading Sonic sale live in NA on both the Wii U and 3DS eShop

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.

TSS Review: Mario and Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games (Wii U)

Mario and Sonic was always the topic at the Copa. With the Olympics just weeks around the corner, Mario and Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games for the Wii U is finally out on the shelves. Promising more characters, better graphics, 14 Olympic events and an array of content, will this game have you partying like you’re in Maracanã, or will you be left thinking of it as Barren da Tijuca?

Continue reading TSS Review: Mario and Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games (Wii U)

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.

Sonic Generations (3DS) and more are on sale on the NA Wii U and 3DS eShop

Nintendo today released the PR of their weekly NA eShop update. Among the releases of this week’s games and weekly sales, was the news of four Sonic games being discounted on both the Wii U and 3DS eShop. Games and prices are below. Continue reading Sonic Generations (3DS) and more are on sale on the NA Wii U and 3DS eShop

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.

Sonic Advance 3 heading to Wii U VC in Japan on May 25th

Nintendo have just announced on their Japanese website that like Sonic Advance 1 and Sonic Advance 2 before it, Sonic Advance 3 will also be released on the Wii U VC in Japan on May 25th. Also like the first two games, Sonic Advance 3 will cost ¥702. Continue reading Sonic Advance 3 heading to Wii U VC in Japan on May 25th

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.

Japanese Website of Mario & Sonic Rio Wii U now open, shows new info

Following the release of the overview trailer from yesterday, Nintendo has opened up the Japanese website for the Wii U version of Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. The website reveals a list of sports, duel events (described in a previous report) and characters in the Wii U version (with certain characters only playable in the listed sports). Continue reading Japanese Website of Mario & Sonic Rio Wii U now open, shows new info

The Sonic Stadium may link to retailers and earn a small commission on purchases made from users who click those links. These links will only appear in articles related to the product, in an unobtrusive manner, and do not influence our editorial decisions in any way.

New near 5 min Japanese overview trailer of M&S Rio 2016 Wii U released

Nintendo’s Japanese YouTube channel has just released an overview trailer of Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games on Wii U. It showcases the game’s various events, with looks at the single-player mode, the multiplayer mode, the costumes you can earn, and the amiibo features at the very end. Continue reading New near 5 min Japanese overview trailer of M&S Rio 2016 Wii U released

The Sonic Stadium may link to retailers and earn a small commission on purchases made from users who click those links. These links will only appear in articles related to the product, in an unobtrusive manner, and do not influence our editorial decisions in any way.

New Mario & Sonic Rio 2016 Wii U PR released, along with many new details and screenshots

A new PR of Mario & Sonic at the Rio Olympic Games on Wii U has been released by Nintendo of Europe. The entire PR itself is linked below, but to summarize, the Wii U version features 17 events, features over 30 playable characters, the ability to play as your Mii (same as on 3DS), four-player multiplayer action (common for the series of course), and new Duel Events which “give familiar sports a classic Mario & Sonic twist”. Continue reading New Mario & Sonic Rio 2016 Wii U PR released, along with many new details and screenshots

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.

Nintendo Releasing Series of live-action videos for M&S Rio 2016

Here’s a familiar sight. Nintendo has uploaded to their Play Nintendo YouTube page the first episode of a live-action series of videos about Mario and Sonic training for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. The first episode is titled “Training for Rio!”, and it focuses on the 3DS version which released today in North America. Continue reading Nintendo Releasing Series of live-action videos for M&S Rio 2016

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.

Sonic Boom: RoL (Wii U) and SC (3DS) on sale for $20 in NA until March 21st

Sonic Boom RoL and SC

Following up from the earlier sale of Sonic Lost World on Wii U and Triple Trouble on 3DS, Nintendo just announced via this week’s Nintendo Downloads PR that both Sonic Boom games will be on sale for $20 in NA until March 21st.

Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric and Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal from SEGA are on sale until 8:59 a.m. PT on March 21.

Click on a game’s title to look at the game’s page on Nintendo’s site.

The prices for both are:

  • Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric (Wii U) – $19.99 USD / $25.59 CDN (down from $49.99 USD and $29.99 CDN. Yes, I checked the CDN price)
  • Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal (3DS) – $19.99 USD / $25.59 CDN (down from $39.99 in both USD and CDN)

Does either game interest you at that price? Let us know in the comments.

The Sonic Stadium may link to retailers and earn a small commission on purchases made from users who click those links. These links will only appear in articles related to the product, in an unobtrusive manner, and do not influence our editorial decisions in any way.

(Update) Mario & Sonic Rio 2016 Wii U releases in NA and EU on June 24th, final NA box and new screens shown

MSRio2016_OlympicGames_boxart

Update: We now have a video of the intro of the Wii U version as seen below:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NfanLvgjfE

We now also know that the Wii U version releases in Japan on June 23rd and will cost ¥5,700.

###

Just announced in the newest Nintendo Direct. Nintendo has announced that Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games on Wii U will release in NA and EU on June 24th.

We also have the final NA Wii U box shown above, as well as new screenshots below.

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.

More screens and footage of M&S Rio Arcade Edition

Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games Arcade Edition

Sega and Nintendo have finally opened the official Japanese site of the Arcade Edition of Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, and includes footage from a variety of events in the game.

So far as playable characters go, we just have the usual characters including Mario, Yoshi, Sonic, Knuckles, Bowser, Peach, Eggman, Amy, Luigi, Wario, Tails, Shadow, Bowser Jr., DK, Metal Sonic, and Vector. The site teases at least four more to be unveiled, but naturally they’re surely to be any of the other known characters in the 3DS versions’ 40 total.

Among the events showcased is the classic 100m, which you can see below, with more in the events page.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_QBrbT6_-Y

And just a few of the small screens provided below. There are quite a bit more shown when clicking on a character in the characters page.

Via the Japanese website of the game.

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.

Sonic Lost World (Wii U) and Sonic Triple Trouble (3DS) on sale in NA until March 7th

soniclostworld_wiiuSega-Game-Gear-Sonic-the-Hedgehog-Triple-Trouble-Front-Cover-464x640

This information came from Nintendo’s PR from last Thursday’s eShop PR for North America, but there was no mention of prices so I held back from reporting until we knew all the details which we do now.

The quote from the PR states:

Sonic the Hedgehog: Triple Trouble and Sonic Lost World from SEGA are on sale starting 9 a.m. PT on Feb. 22 until 8:59 a.m. PT on March 7.

You can click on a game’s title to look at the game’s page on Nintendo’s site.

The prices are the following:

  • Sonic Lost World (Wii U) – $19.99 USD / $25.59 CDN (down from $29.95 in both USD and CDN)
  • Sonic Triple Trouble (3DS) – $2.99 USD / $3.99 CDN (down from $4.99 in both USD and CDN)

Does either game catch your eye at that price or perhaps you already own one or both? Let us know in the comments!

The Sonic Stadium may link to retailers and earn a small commission on purchases made from users who click those links. These links will only appear in articles related to the product, in an unobtrusive manner, and do not influence our editorial decisions in any way.

Mario & Sonic Rio Olympics Wii U dated for June 2016

Sonic Boom Fire Ice 2016

Upon closer inspection of the same poster that confirms Fire & Ice’s delay to Fall 2016 (again from Tomy’s booth at the New York Toy Fair), we also get the first indication of not only a time frame, but a month of June 2016 for the Wii U version of Rio Olympics’ release.

This post will be updated if we hear about any additional details.

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.

Sonic Advance 2 Heading to the Wii U VC in Japan on Feb 24th

Yep. After the first Sonic Advance from the Game Boy Advance made its way onto the Wii U Virtual Console in Japan back on Feburary 18th last year in 2015, it’s been announced that Sonic Advance 2 is next in the series to make it to the Wii U VC in Japan next week on February 24th for ¥702, same as Sonic Advance 1. Continue reading Sonic Advance 2 Heading to the Wii U VC in Japan on Feb 24th

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.

More Sonic Boom: RoL Concept Art Discovered

Jason Norton Sonic Boom 18

The Sonic Stadium has discovered even more concept art from Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric and a few pieces from Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal. The images were among the portfolios of artists Oscar Ponce and Jason Norton who used to work at Big Red Button Entertainment. The latter’s artwork is especially intriguing as it reveals scrapped ideas for Eggman’s mech, a ‘battle mode tank’ and what we can assume is a golem boss battle. Check out all fifty seven of the images in our gallery below and give us your thoughts in the comments.

Continue reading More Sonic Boom: RoL Concept Art Discovered

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.

Tons of Tails & Knuckles Mii Fighter Screenshots for Smash Bros Wii U/3DS

Super Smash Bros. & Knuckles... & Knuckles... & Knuckles...
Super Smash Bros. & Knuckles… & Knuckles… & Knuckles…

As revealed yesterday, the eagerly anticipated Tails Mii Gunner costume and Knuckles Mii Brawler costume are arriving in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS later this week (specifically, Wednesday in the US/Japan and Thursday in Europe). To celebrate, Nintendo has released a whole smorgasbord of delightful new screenshots showing off the two new Sonic themed outfits in action!

Check out the gallery of Wii U and 3DS screens below to get a taste of how Sonic’s two best buddies will look when they square off against gaming’s biggest icons in Nintendo’s all-star brawler:

Each costume will individually cost €0.79/£0.69 to download for one version of the game, or €1.19/£1.09 for both the Wii U and 3DS versions.

Will you be downloading either the Tails or Knuckles costumes (or both!) later this week for a true Super Smash Sonic Heroes showdown? Be sure to let us know in the comments!

The Sonic Stadium may link to retailers and earn a small commission on purchases made from users who click those links. These links will only appear in articles related to the product, in an unobtrusive manner, and do not influence our editorial decisions in any way.

More Sonic Boom RoL Concepts Found

Sonic Boom Amped UX 14

The Sonic Stadium has discovered even more concept work for 2014’s Wii U exclusive Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric. The work was found on Amped UX’s website revealing they too had a hand in the game’s development.

The studio provided the following services:
* UI/UX Design, Wireframes, and Project Management
* Heads Up Display (HUD) UI Actionscripting
* Progression/Systems Design
* Localization Production & Integration
* High Level Concept & Documentation
* Secondary Quest & NPC Design
* Level Geometry Whiteboxing & Visual Scripting
* Final Script ​Debugging and Level Layout Revisions

You can learn about these development procedures in huge detail over at Amped UX at the below links. They’re a good read if you’re interested in game development or getting into the industry.

Source: Amped UX [Link 1, Link 2]

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.

2 new Japanese trailers for M&S Rio 2016 for 3DS featuring characters and amiibo

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnrmVV-dIGk

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyXHpYFY7XY

Nintendo have uploaded two new trailers of Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games for 3DS on their Japanese YouTube account.

The first trailer is the main trailer featuring new playable characters and events, among the characters shown include Cream the Rabbit, Zavok of the Deadly Six, Eggman Nega, and more.

The second trailer shows off the amiibo functionality. While no new amiibo were announced, we see that at the very least the Mario amiibo from the Super Mario line, and the Sonic amiibo from the Super Smash Bros. series are confirmed to be usable.

Unfortunately we do not yet have translations of the info discussed in the trailers. We will provide a follow-up report when we have the info translated.

The 3DS version of the game will release in Japan on February 18th, 2016. There’s still no info on a release date of the game in the western regions, nor is there any updates on the Wii U version of the game.

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.

Tails and Knuckles Mii Outfits Coming to Smash Bros

Announced today at the final Super Smash Bros. For Wii U/3DS Direct, Tails and Knuckles will finally be showing their faces alongside Sonic in the popular duo of fighting games… though, perhaps not in the form you would have preferred. Continue reading Tails and Knuckles Mii Outfits Coming to Smash Bros

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.

First footage of Mario & Sonic Rio 2016 Arcade Edition

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AL9byPSKM0

Above we have the first video (recorded by Arcade Heroes) from the IAAPA 2015 arcade event showcasing the arcade version of Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games already translated in full English.

The video shows off the current roster of playable characters which at the moment are your expected norm, being Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Eggman, and Shadow for the Sonic-side. As well as Mario, Luigi, Peach, Bowser, Wario, and Yoshi on the Mario-side.

We also have a look at four activities in the game (100m, Archery, Hammer Throw, and Javelin Throw), the same four already known of before in an earlier report (which talked about the controls of each event). Each starts off with a tutorial screen that can be skipped.

There will be two different cabinet releases; one with 4-player support which is shown in the video with the overhead displays and screens, and a 2-player version without the extra displays.

The arcade version actually indeed runs on Sega’s Nu arcade hardware, which is more or less a revision of Ring Edge 2.

The arcade version is set for January or February 2016 in the US. The 3DS version is only scheduled for a February 18 2016 release in Japan, while the Wii U version has no date as of yet.

The Sonic Stadium may link to retailers and earn a small commission on purchases made from users who click those links. These links will only appear in articles related to the product, in an unobtrusive manner, and do not influence our editorial decisions in any way.

UPDATE: Mario & Sonic Rio 2016 out in Japan on Feb 18 2016, Rosalina, Ludwig von Koopa, and Dry Bones confirmed

Mario & Sonic Rio 2016 3DS Japanese Box

UPDATE: Just found a small Japanese trailer for the 3DS version on Nintendo’s JP Youtube channel.

What IS going on with the Wii U version? Maybe it is just a bit delayed, or being moved to the NX, we’ll find out I guess.

ORIGINAL: Here it is! Japanese box of the 3DS version, which now adds DK and Amy to the mix, and also new screens that confirm Rosalina, Ludwig von Koopa, and Dry Bones are in the game as playable characters.

Amazon Japan only shows the 3DS version at the moment, as we know, the game is also due on Wii U and it’s also coming out on arcades in Spring 2016. We also see a reconfirmation of amiibo support for the game. Nintendo’s Japanese twitter account also confirms the date alongside a fuller piece of artwork, complete with Sticks, and a horse!

M&S Rio 2016 Twitter Artwork

Here are all the screens from Amazon below:

So what are your thoughts on the game thus far? Any character you’re excited to play as if you get the game? Which version in particular? Let us know in the comments!

The Sonic Stadium may link to retailers and earn a small commission on purchases made from users who click those links. These links will only appear in articles related to the product, in an unobtrusive manner, and do not influence our editorial decisions in any way.

SEGA Hosting Sonic Lost World Community Party in London, UK on Hallowe’en

Sonic Lost World Logo

If you live in the UK’s capital city of London and fancy drinking to the surprise PC release of Sonic Lost World, then make sure you clear your schedule this Hallowe’en Saturday. SEGA Europe is hosting a community party in the city’s prominent gaming-themed pub, Loading Bar from 2pm.

The event will give the community a chance to see and play the game running on non-Wii U hardware for the first time before it hits Steam on November 2nd. You’ll be able to play for prizes, win goodie bags on the door (if you’re one of the first to turn up) and meet SEGA Europe’s new community manager, Dan Sheridan.

Tickets are free, but are most likely limited in number, so make sure you grab yourself one at the Eventbrite page. You’ll need to be able to get to Loading Bar (97 Stoke Newington Rd London, London N16 8BX, United Kingdom) on Saturday 31st October 2015 and be 18 years old and over (they serve alcohol there). The party starts at 14:00 and ends at 20:00.

We’re planning to make an appearance there too, so be sure to say hello to Dreadknux & Hogfather on the day too!

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.

Sonic Lost World Coming To PC

Sonic Lost World, a once exclusive Nintendo Wii U title, is set to arrive on PC via Steam on November 2nd, SEGA have announced. Continue reading Sonic Lost World Coming To PC

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.

First footage of Sonic in Super Mario Maker

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9DZCDDo7CY[/youtube]

Following the first-look at his sprite in the game yesterday, we now have a bit of video footage of him in the game (skip to 2:26), here you can see it’s definitely the Sonic 1 sprite, and also when he runs, he spins!

And yes, even Pokemon are in! Why does it feel like Pokemon are now a bigger shock than Sonic?

To clarify, these outfits do not require amiibo, you can unlock them by completing the 100-Mario Challenges in the game.

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.

Sonic costume confirmed for Super Mario Maker on Wii U

As was long awaited since the confirmation of amiibos being supported in the game, allowing you to unlock the costumes of the corresponding amiibo (though they aren’t required, just an easy way to unlock them if you have them on hand), we now have confirmation from the Super Mario Maker Miiverse community that Sonic’s costume does exist, and will finally let you play as Sonic in a Mario game for the first time in history. Continue reading Sonic costume confirmed for Super Mario Maker on Wii U

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.

The Spin: Can a Sonic Boom game be done right? I think so

spin

In today’s edition of The Spin, I want to talk about something I think that, despite being a question no one will ask; if a Sonic Boom game can be good let alone should be made, is that if such a game period can be good or even GREAT. Short answer? Of course it can!

The long answer? I have some ideas.

Continue reading The Spin: Can a Sonic Boom game be done right? I think so

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.

M&S Rio 2016 Arcade Edition Out in Spring 2016 in Japan

Famitsu put up a new post about the game (which Perfectly Nintendo translated), and also Sega opened up the official website for the game. Continue reading M&S Rio 2016 Arcade Edition Out in Spring 2016 in Japan

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.

First Look at M&S Rio 2016 Arcade Edition

591222

As said in the previous report, Sega are holding locatests from the 17th through the 20th at Club SEGA Akihabara and SEGA World Kasai, and so we have a peek at the game from 4Gamer with translations thanks to Perfectly Nintendo! Naturally info isn’t final and only refers to the current build they’re showing.

So we have 8 characters so far; Mario Luigi, Peach, Wario, Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Shadow, and of course each are of one of three types (Power, Speed, and Balanced), with Mario as Balance and Sonic as Speed, no way! We have four sports shown; 100 metres, Hammer Throw, Javelin Throw, and Archery.

Now comes the Arcade bits; one credit costs 200 yen ($2 more or less), which allows you to play 3 sports and you’ll get the results at the end of the 3, and you can play with another person in local multiplayer here, and if you both pick different sports, they will be chosen randomly.

Controls are as follows; Your feet for events where you need to run. Two joysticks with a Start Button on the side. And a handrail to balance yourself while running for example.

We also have info on the sports shown;

  • 100 metres – You use the stick to launch yourself before you start running and at the end you have to time a jump.
  • Hammer Throw – Press a button to hold the hammer, then you use the sticks to rotate the hammer, and then then you stop pressing the button at the right time to throw it.
  • Javelin Throw – You start by running and use the right stick to control the angle of your throw.
  • Archery – You have to throw arrows at nine targets, with more points awarded the closer the arrows are to the center of the targets. You use the left stick to aim, and use the right stick to use the bow to shoot the arrows. The trajectory is determined by how long you take to draw your arrows as well as weather conditions such as wind.

We also have photos of the locatest (sadly none are direct-feed) from both $Gamer as well as Inside Games that show off what the machine looks like and a small glimpse of how the game looks:

As usual the game on Wii U and 3DS is due in 2016, and no date of any sorts was given for the Arcade Edition at the moment.

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.

Mario & Sonic Rio 2016 also heading to… Arcades?

WUP-CTRP_MarioSonicRio_illu01_R

Yeah, didn’t expect that did you?

That’s what gamer.ne.jp is reporting (translated by Perfectly Nintendo), the game in some form will indeed be heading to Arcades, the announcement was from Sega and while we don’t have any info at the moment about the game, next week Sega will hold what are called locatests (which are beta tests for Arcade machines) on July 17th-July 20th at Club SEGA Akihabara and SEGA World Kasai. No release date was given for the Arcade version, which right now is titled Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games Arcade Edition, and no updates on the Wii U and 3DS version’s release date were provided either, which are due in 2016.

What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments below!

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.

Mario & Sonic Rio 2016 3DS box from Nintendo’s Swedish site shows amiibo support

i518864-x1200-y1200-q100-a1-r1-h511017980659810857

Found at Nintendo’s Swedish website, we have the box art for the 3DS version and it seems to confirm that the game at least on 3DS will feature amiibo support (naturally the Wii U version will likely support amiibo as well). I think most expected this anyway. 😛 Major thanks to MoldyClay 64 on twitter for finding out about this in the first place!

Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games will release on Wii U and 3DS sometime in 2016.

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.

TSS @ E3: Hands On Yuji Naka’s Rodea the Sky Soldier

rodea_skysoldier

As someone who covers Sonic news and previews for Sonic Stadium, this has been one of the worst E3’s ever for Sonic news. Despite Sonic Boom : Fire and Ice and Mario and Sonic at the 2016 Rio Olympics coming soon, neither of them were on the show floor. The closest things to Sonic games at E3 are Freedom Planet (a preview is available for a limited time on the Nintendo E-Shop) and Rodea the Sky Soldier. A game designed by Yuji Naka and published by NIS America.

Rodea the Sky Soldier is an action platform game that heavily involves flying. You play as Rodea, a cyborg, cat-like boy who has woken up from being asleep for 1,000 years only to find the enemy he destroyed centuries ago has returned. The game play itself is very reminiscent of NiGHTS and a little bit of Sonic Adventure which I will get into momentarily. In the game, Rodea has an arsenal of different moves at his command. The main one being a targeting lock-on that let’s Rodea fly to enemies and locals. You can also hit the “B” button to fast attack targets such as large, hovering robots.

Rodea-the-Sky-Soldier_

If you remember that in Sonic Adventure, Sonic can get special shoes that allow him to quickly grab a trail of rings that are in the air. That aspect is in Sky Soldier as well. You can target a line of yellow crystals and fly to them. This often acts as a trail to quickly get to the next floating island or set piece. When done properly, it gives the game a sort of speed-run feeling. You also use this targeting system to target enemies and boost to them for an attack or find a piece of island to land on before your flight meter runs out. Flying around these crystals, enemies and such gives the game a bit of a “NiGHTS” feeling while still being pretty original. However…

The Wii U controls are very difficult to get a good handle on. I tried the demo on two different occasions and during both times I found myself target the wrong spot and flying either into a wall or on the underside of an island before falling to my death fairly often. Both moving your character and targeting are on the same stick while the camera control is on the right, but you can’t use the camera controls if locked onto a target. It made it so I was having difficulty getting through even some of the earlier stages. Even after learning what does what and playing the game for over half an hour, I still couldn’t master it. Perhaps it’s the regular button/dual stick combo that is the problem. This game was originally meant as a Wii game only and I can see Wiimote/Nunchuck controls actually being a benefit as it feels like targeting would be much more effective by aiming with the Wiimote thus allowing your character to move while targeting. Sadly, I found out from the gentleman showing off the game that only the Wii version (which comes with the Wii U version of the game) has those kind of controls.

rodea

 

One other minor negative is that the graphics haven’t really gotten much of an HD upgrade from the Wii version. It’s definitely a higher resolution, but the low polygon count and bland textures remain. Even the CGI cutscenes are still fairly low res. The biggest highlight here is the 2-D artwork looks very high-res and sharp on the Wii U version. However, since the graphics aren’t a major upgrade, it may give me a good reason to stick with the Wii version included.

 

Which is a shame since this game shows a ton of potential and originality. It’s the most…”Yuji Naka” of Yuji Naka’s Prope Studio games. It feels fresh while still having feature reminiscent of NiGHTS and Sonic Adventure. However, it also feels like a game from those times as well. It’s controls are archaic and the game itself seems about ten years behind the times. Still, I’m looking forward to seeing more on Rodea the Sky Soldier and hoping the full version proves my fears wrong.

Rodea the Sky Soldier will release on Wii U (with Wii version included) and 3DS in North America on October 13th and in Europe on October 16th.

 

 

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.