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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.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpLWHPXaD1E[/youtube]
After two recent appearances at Gamespot, SEGA continues their promoting of Sonic Free Riders with more brief demonstrations of how the game is played at IGN, such as items, jumps, shortcuts, skills and co-op. There’s nothing we haven’t already seen before, apart from some more colour variations of the E-10000 series robots. We do get to hear more Sonic and Tails voice clips from their new voice actors though. Check out the other two videos at the bottom of this article.
Source: IGN
Thanks to Woun at the SSMB for the YouTube conversions!
In other news, JPX Brutality, the Xbox360Achievements.org forum member with an early copy of the game, has shared some more details from the game’s manual.
New details with quotes from the manual include:
– Story Mode/World Grand Prix Mode synopsis.
“If you consider yourself the fastest Extreme Gear rider, why not enter the World Grand Prix and prove it? Riders who enter the Grand Prix will tour around the globe to compete on various courses designed solely for this extreme racing event. The season opener will kick start on a brand new course on Dolphin Resort, so don’t miss your chance to become the undisputed champion of the world. See you all at the starting line with your Board Gear!”
– A shop run by Omochao, where you can buy new parts to customize your Extreme Gear with.
“Access the shop from the Main Menu to purchase additional Extreme Gear and parts with accumulated Rings. Select an item from the list to display details and parameters, then drag the item onto the Cashier panel at the bottom right to purchase”
– Character bios
Sonic the Hedgehog
“Sonic is a hero who loves to live free and does not tolerate any devious deeds. He can be short tempered at times, but is always there for those who are in trouble. He usually travels at supersonic speed on foot, but with his new and advanced Gear, he’ll be cruising even faster in style at the Grand Prix with his teammates Tails and Knuckles.”
Miles “Tails” Prower
“A kid fox with two tails- hence his nickname “Tails.” He loves tinkering with machinery, and has developed various devices to support Sonic’s adventures in the past. All of Team Heroes’ Extreme Gear are built and customized by this brilliant engineer.”
Knuckles the Echidna
“Knuckles is the defender of the giant Master Emerald on the floating island in the sky known as Angel Island. To bring toughness to the track, his Extreme Gear is built to enhance his physical abilities.”
Jet the Hawk
“Jet is the captain of a treasure hunting team known as Babylon Rogues. He is considered the most technically gifted Extreme Gear rider with the ability to accurately read the wind streams. He holds high standards and considers Sonic as an ultimate rival since he is the fastest on land. As a team leader, Jet also dislikes showing any sign of weakness to anyone.”
Wave the Swallow
“Wave is the only gal on the Babylon Rogues, who also happens to be their top mechanic. Being a super achiever, she’s in charge of upgrading all of the Extreme Gear and their airship and even analyzes unknown treasures in her spare time. Although she is older than jet, she faithfully respects and follows him as her leader.”
Storm the Albatross
“Storm is the heavyweight rider of the Babylon Rogues. As his frame indicates, he has enough strength to crush a boulder with little effort. He is scorned by Jet for many of the things he lacks but he is happy to defer to Jet’s leadership and to be his right-hand man.”
Amy Rose
“Amy is always hot on Sonic’s heels as his self-professed girlfriend. With a spark of energy and her trademark item- the Piko Piko hammer, she is ready to track down the blue blur wherever he goes. Hoping Sonic will be racing at the Grand Prix once again, she decides to join the event.”
Dr. Eggman
“An evil scientific genius who is always coming to blows with Sonic and his friends, since he is always scheming for world domination. The question is how this mad scientist will attempt to crash the party this time around.”
Shadow the Hedgehog
“This dark hedgehog boasts running speeds to rival Sonic’s. Though uninterested in the Grand Prix itself, he is eager to test his riding skills and would like to beat Sonic.”
– Specs
Offline: Players 1-2, Co-op 2-4
Online: Multiplayer 2-8, Leaderboards, Voice
No downloadable content feature is listed.
– Kinect specs
KINECT sensor required, Voice enabled, Players 1-2, Co-op 2-4, In-game Avatar, Activity level: Standing/active
JPX Brutality finishes by explaining the various offline and online modes in the manual:
Tag mode is really cool. Its the games version of co-op. You work as a team to win the race and you can combine riders by facing eachother and locking hands. This brings the screen to just one instead of split and you share rings, air, and have increased speed and jump capabilities. Very cool looking. So far this game looks like one of the best actual co-op games for Kinect. You actually interact with eachother instead of just standing in the same screen.
Relay race is also really cool. 2 players race one lap with the other two waiting outside of view and once you get back the the start line your player enters the pit and you trade spots. While in the pit you can pump your arms up and down to collect air to use. This can be done 2 vs 2 or you can can do 4 vs cpu.
For Xbox live you can race online against up to 7 other players. Modes include Quick Match: Quickly search and enter available online races. Custom Match: Use search filters to find online races you wish to enter. Create Match: Create a race and invite other Xbox LIVE players. Xbox LIVE party: Set up an online part to easily connect with up to eight players.
There’s still no picture proof, so we’re still going to have to treat this all as rumour for now.
Source: Xbox360Achievements.org forums
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-nx2-uEP2I[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmBx3hfhygo[/youtube]
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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLleSepBWco[/youtube]
A trailer for Xbox 360 Kinect’s U.S. launch on November 4th has hit the net, which showcases the games that will be available on the device’s release date. Sonic Free Riders makes an appearance with some new clips of gameplay footage from a few of the various tracks on offer.
In other news, a retailer error has caused some Kinect games to be delivered to pre-order customers early, but loading one of these games up before launch will request that you download an update to be able to play them. Unfortunately, this update is not available yet and trying to download it will result in you being temporarily locked out of Xbox Live. More on that at Kotaku.
Xbox360achievements.org forum member JPX Brutatility says Gamestop are the retailer in question, because he has received a copy of Sonic Free Riders early from them. JPX Brutality claims he has also ended up being locked out of Xbox Live temporarily for trying to play it early in an attempt to find out what the game’s yet to be revealed Achievements are, but has now offered to share details from the game’s manual instead. One question from Miles Prower CC about the Extreme Gears in the game has been answered so far, revealing that 20 Extreme Gear will be available to purchase from Omochao’s Shop:
“Extreme gear are available in two basic types (board and bike), offering riders a total of 20 gear to choose from, if you unlock and/or purchase them all at Omochao’s Shop. Each Gear has its own characteristics and enhancements, so finding the perfect match for you and your character adds another dimension to the race”
That is the exact quote so to mean it seems like you will be able to choose your board/bike from an option of 10 bikes and 10 boards. So yes he can ride a bike. The motions for the bike are fairly interesting as well. You have to act like you are holding handle bars and tilt them left or right to steer. The graphics are quite hilarious.
No picture proof of the manual and quote has been made provided, so we’re treating the information as rumour for now.
Source: Xbox360achievements.org forums
Thanks to Woun at the SSMB for the heads-up on the trailer and YouTube conversion!
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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sMXpEN1MnM[/youtube]
Gamespot has released the latest episode of their On The Spot show and featured in the show is the second part of their Sonic Free Riders final build demonstration that they promised last week. This time SEGA’s Fabian Doehla and a fellow colleague show how the co-operative Tag Mode works, while also showing a new track based in a city at night.
Tag Mode sees you and another player join hands and work together as one, but you are able to separate during a race and change to a split-screen view. If you want to rejoin each other, the further ahead of you can wait at certain points in the track for the other to catch up and sync back up with you. When asked about photo features, Doehla says you’ll be able to take photos of yourself and put them on the in-game billboards. The demonstration also features plenty of voice clips from Sonic and Tails’ new voice actors.
Thanks to Hero of Legend at the SSMB for the YouTube conversion!
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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRn689FviJQ[/youtube]
A new trailer for Sonic Free Riders has just been released by SEGA Europe, this time focusing on the game’s various weapons. The trailer shows how to use these items with Kinect, such as the Octo-ink, which allows you to squirt ink at your opponent to obstruct their view, the Soda Rocket, which you shake until it bursts and gives you a speed boost and the Tee Shot, which sees you use a golf club to fire a golf ball at your opponents. Plenty of new footage from the various tracks in the game is also on show and we get to some hear a tiny bit of the new voice acting, too.
Source: Sonic City Blognik
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SEGA has today opened the characters section of the U.S. and European official Sonic Free Riders website, revealing new artwork, small profiles and a new music track from the game. The only characters unlocked at the moment are Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Jet, Wave and Storm, but the website states more are “Coming Soon”. Thanks to Gamespot’s exclusive demonstration of the final build, we currently know of 17 characters, which include Metal Sonic, Vector and a blue E-series robot likely called E-10000B that are new entries to the series, so we can expect plenty more profiles to be featured on the site.
Check out the rest of the new artwork below:
Source: Sonic Free Riders U.S. and EU official website
Thanks to Woun at the SSMB for the heads-up!
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The rumour mill is churning again and this time it’s from a random 4chan forum member who goes by the name Wentos The Travelling Salesman, who some may recall spoke out early last year claiming to be an employee at SEGA. This guy claimed to know that the next “main” game in the Sonic series would be based on Sonic Unleashed‘s daytime stages, but never provided any proof to his identity or claims. The claim may have turned out to be true, with Sonic Colours‘ stages playing out like those levels, but these are predictions anyone could make given such positive feedback on those stages from fans who played the game that SEGA quickly became aware of.
New rumours from Wentos’ sudden return to the 4chan forums begin with SEGA going for something different in the next Mario & Sonic game, straying away from the sports theme of the last two games in the franchise, but wouldn’t say anything more on the subject.
“Without giving anything away…this time, it’s not a sports game. It’s turning out quite well. I think some of you may be a little surprised.”
When asked why Sonic Colours isn’t on PS3 and Xbox360, Wentos cited cheaper development costs and developmental freedom as reasons.
“…Wii/DS is a much more cost-effective pairing, especially for an ‘experimental’ Sonic game like this where they needed the financial and developmental freedom to craft 50+ (!) stages,”
Wentos also claims that development of an HD version of Sonic Colours is all set to go, but first SEGA will need high sales of the Wii & DS versions to justify it ever leaving the cutting room floor.
“The technology and design plan is all set up to do the port on Sonic Team’s end,” he said. “Of course, they need strong sales to justify releasing it on the other two platforms (with enhancements, more money spent, etc) in the first place, so it’s all up to you guys.”
Again, no proof of Wentos’ identity or his claims has been provided and for the most part these rumours have been going about since Gamefest 2010, so we’re strictly filing this under rumour and suggest you take this with the tiniest pinch of salt possible.
For more and an extract of a chat log with Wentos, head over to SEGA Bits.
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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACjjO2zaweY&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]
DualShockers has posted up a video interview with SEGA’s Dan Gallardo where they discuss the publishers first Xbox 360 Kinect title Sonic Free Riders. Nothing is revealed that we didn’t already know, but we do get some assurance that SEGA has treated this game as a full Xbox 360 title and not a quickly put together mini game title. Gallard explains, “It will be online, you’ll get the unlockables, you’ll get the characters, you’ll get the variety of environments, you’ll get everything you expect with a 360 title, all in one.” With all of the game modes, tracks, characters and features shown in the final build of the game on Gamespot’s On The Spot show, it’s no surprise that some hard work has been put into this title.
Apart from the interview, you get to see plenty of new gameplay footage of the Western themed Rocky Ridge track from the Tokyo Game Show demo of the game, complete with huge jumps and minecart steering action.
Source: DualShockers
Thanks to Woun at the SSMB for the YouTube conversion!
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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.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlcArvA644E[/youtube]
As part of their On The Spot show, Gamespot has posted the first of 2 parts of a Daily Demo of Sonic Free Riders, in which SEGA’s Sam Mullen is on board to show off the final build of the game. In this part we get to see various modes available in the menus, including World Grand Prix, Time Attack, Free Race, Tag Race, Relay Race and Tutorials, which Mullen navigates with the recently revealed voice recognition feature.
We’re given a brief tease of the World Grand Prix (story mode), in which we see Eggman ruling the tournament dressed like a king. This mode looks to be played from 4 teams of characters available.
Sonic, Tails and Knuckles
Shadow, Rouge and a new blue E-Series robot, which we assume will be called E-10000B, since he’s blue.
Amy, Cream and Vector
Jet, Wave and Storm
A silhouette of Eggman can also be seen. Maybe this is a final/last story unlockable?
Speaking of characters, we see quite a few new entries to the roster, some you may have seen in yesterdays trailer and others brand new. Shadow, Cream, Rouge, Blaze, Silver and Vector will all be included in the game as playable characters. We get a taste of Wave’s new voice actress at the end of the video, where Sam demos the volcanic themed track shown in screenshots yesterday with her on the returning Hang-On bike.
Gamespots Ricardo Torres says we can expect part 2 of their demo next week, in which they’ll be showing the multiplayer modes of the game, including a new “Date Mode”. We’ll keep an eye out for the demo and bring you all of the new information revealed.
Source: Gamespot.
Thanks to Hero of Legend at the SSMB for the YouTube conversion!
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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.
A SEGA representative has revealed in an interview with Hip Hop Gamer that their first Xbox 360 Kinect title Sonic Free Riders will feature voice recognition. Players who aren’t keen on navigating and making selections in the game’s menus with their hands will be able to use Kinect’s microphone to choose things like their characters, extreme gears and tracks with their voice instead. HipHopGamer himself shares his views from his playtest with Sonic Free Riders throughout the interview in his usual excitable manner and has the most positive opinion seen from the press yet. Accoring to HipHopGamer, the game works really well in terms of controls, so well that he says they’ve nailed it where most Kinect games haven’t.
To see the video interview, head over to Hip Hop Gamer.
In other news, a couple of very short gameplay videos of the Rocky Ridge track have hit YouTube, which give us a look at the minecart section of the stage, where players will need to steer with the lever like you would a real minecart.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZbsDUNbBRc[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30BITG_9tGs[/youtube]
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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrkeyrU3wSw&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]
GamesRadar’s Justin Towell, who gave Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 a 9/10 in his review has put out the world’s first speedrun of Splash Hill Zone Act 1 and it’s a very impressive run at 40.79 seconds. Towell currently holds the Guinness World Record for the Xbox Live Arcade version of Sonic the Hedgehog 2’s Emerald Hill Act 1.
Source: GamesRadar
UPDATE: The game is now available on the European PlayStation Store for £9.99/€12.99 and weighs in at 197MB. /UPDATE END
In other news, Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 has just been released on the Xbox Live Arcade for 1200 Microsoft Points and weighs in at 191MB. If you want to give the game a try before you buy, a demo is available. The PS3 version will release in Europe on the PlayStation Store later today. We’ll update when that goes live.
Source: Xbox Live Marketplace
(The game is not immediately visible right now. You’ll need to look under the ‘Top Rated’ section to find it.)
Will you be buying the game today? Do you think you can beat Justin Towell’s time? Let us know in the comments.
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According to ThemeXbox.com, Sonic Free Riders for Xbox 360’s Kinect will support Avatar Awards. The Awards consist of four different shirts to dress your Avatar with, one Sonic themed, one Jet themed, one themed on the game and one E-10000G themed that confirms the character to be playable, if this information is true of course. We say “if this information is true”, because there are currently no pictures to back these details up right now, but the website has been correct many times before and often gets this information and pictures soon-after before anyone else.
Here’s the full list of Avatar Awards:
Sonic Shirt (Male) – Place 1st on every course with Sonic.
Sonic Shirt (Female) – Place 1st on every course with Sonic.
Jet Shirt (Male) – Place 1st on every course with Jet.
Jet Shirt (Female) – Place 1st on every course with Jet.
Sonic Free Riders Shirt (Male) – Watch the credits in their entirety.
Sonic Free Riders Shirt (Female) – Watch the credits in their entirety.
E-10000 G Shirt (Male) – Place 1st on every course with E-10000 G.
E-10000 G Shirt (Female) – Place 1st on every course with E-10000 G.
If pictures are made available, we’ll be sure to share them.
Source: ThemeXbox.com
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Co-Optimus’ Tally “xelissa” Callahan has posted up details of Sonic Free Riders‘ various game modes she played at SEGA’s recent New York press event. The game will include 5 modes to play, including:
– World Grand Prix (single-player story mode)
– Time Attack (with online leaderboards)
– Free Race (competitive mode which contains Normal Race, Ring Collection, and Damage Survival sub-modes)
– Tag Race (a co-op specific mode)
Players start in splitscreen, but can join hands to fuse boards and power up which increases their speed. The challenge arises in learning how to turn and jump together. Sometimes you are necessarily required to fuse together, other times you must initialize it yourselves.
– Relay Race which can be played in 2-4 player co-op or 2 vs 2 competitive.
It’s a tag-team mechanic, so player 1 does one lap, then jumps out at the end and player 2 jumps in.
Callahan says co-op modes are all local play only and online multiplayer is limited to one player per console at a time.
Source: Co-Optimus
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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.
In an interview with Vandal, Sonic Free Riders Producer Kenjiro Morimoto has confirmed some new details about the game. Since the game was unveiled at E3, there’s been no sight or mention of a story mode, something that has featured in both of the previous Riders titles. Morimoto-san tells Vandal that there will be a story mode in this game and that it is catered to help players improve their skills and take their time with the game.
Morimoto-san also details the amount of players the game will support in its multiplayer modes. Two players can play in versus and 4 players can take part in the games co-op mode. Finally, Morimoto-san reveals the game will contain 16 characters from the Sonic universe, as well as your Xbox 360 Avatars. Whether the character roster will contain guest SEGA characters on top of that total (like with past Riders games) is unknown.
You can check out the interview in full at Vandal, but beware, it’s in Spanish.
Google Translate link
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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rm4H09ubiU&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCsHiTIij2U&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]
Two gameplay videos of Sonic Free Riders from the Tokyo Game Show have hit YouTube, courtesy of brucem00n and hamateaonline. In the videos we get to see some multiplayer racing action on the Dolphin Resort track. Not only that, we also get to see a part of the game that we’ve not seen before, an interactive configuration screen. This looks like a brief sequence where players configure the game for their personal use, such as balance and alignment with the Kinect camera. This should come in very handy to introduce players to Kinect. People who watch the sequence closely will spot an appearance from a character previously hinted at on SEGA’s Sonic City Blognik. It’s the one, the only, the robotic Chao, Omochao.
Are you happy to see Omochao return? Let us know in the comments.
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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 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 2: SEGA has released clean, hi-resolution versions of the Rocky Ridge screens CVG released earlier, as well as some old Dolphin Resort screens on the Sonic City Blognik. /UPDATE END
UPDATE: CVG has released three high quality, but watermarked screenshots of Rocky Ridge. They also claim Rouge, Shadow and Silver are in the game.
Characters announced so far include Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Rouge, Shadow and Silver. Sonic Free Riders will also support the use of Avatars.
/UPDATE END
Original article below:
Some photos of Sonic Free Riders‘ have hit the net courtesy of Andriasang, with two of them giving us a glimpse of ‘Rocky Ridge’, a track that SEGA Europe Community Manager ArchangelUK recenty hinted at in an entry at the Blognik and named at the SSMB. The photos were taken at Microsoft’s Media Briefing, which was held in Tokyo recently to promote Kinect and its software line-up in Japan.
One photo shows Knuckles riding a hoverboard through an environment surrounded by tall rocky hills. It’s no wonder where the track got its name eh? The other photo of ‘Rocky Ridge’ sees Tails in the minecart that ArchangelUK mentioned, a section where he said “you actually have to pull a lever left and right to change the points and avoid rockfalls. It looks quite slick actually.”
Andriasang also posted their brief impressions of the demo:
Next, I tried Sonic Free Riders by Sega, which also launches on the same day as the Kinect hardware. My menu experience didn’t go so well here. I was stuck on the menu screen, which appears to require that you make selections by holding your right arm out and sliding diagonally in a relaxed motion. The Sega representative had to step in and make the selection for me because I just wasn’t getting it right despite my efforts to try to imitate his movements.
Sonic Free Riders is a racing game featuring Sonic and his “wonderful” friends. Movement is automatic, just like Crossboard X, so you have to just wave your arms to each side to collect rings and power ups, and make the occasional jump to the next part of the stage.
Many of the elements one expects of a sonic game are in here. When you’re hit, your rings go flying out. You’ll have to shake your hands to get them back. Sonic also has a speed boost. When a power gauge on the lower right side of the screen fills up, you can make Sonic dash forward by moving your left leg forward then swiftly kicking back.
The demo required three laps around the course to reach the goal. I have to admit to being a bit tired after the three laps.
What do you think of the new track? Let us know in the comments.
Source: Andriasang
Kinect impressions
Photos
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SEGA has revealed on its Tokyo Game Show website that their upcoming Xbox 360 Kinect title, Sonic Free Riders will support 2-8 players in its online multiplayer mode. This is 4 players less than Xbox.com originally stated on their website, before the information was quickly removed, but it’s still a good total that most racers support. This is an exciting new feature for the Sonic Riders series, but with the game being restricted to Kinect, will the lobbies remain very busy for long? That will depend on the success of Kinect.
Has this feature gathered your interest in the game? Let us know in the comments.
Source: SEGA’s Tokyo Game Show website
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Sonic Free Riders is a game SEGA’s been keeping close to its chest until recently. Leave it to Sonic City Blognik’s AAUK to finally drop us some info!
– The next track to be revealed has a Wild West theme, including waggon trains and a minecart section (MOAR MINECARTS!) where you actually have to pull a lever left and right to change the points and avoid rockfalls. It looks quite slick actually.
– Someone’s return in the pre-race configuration screen is still gaining momentum!
– Since you guys apparently love anything Roger says as Sonic (e.g. “…consoles…”) here’s another line for you: “Place your hand on Start!”
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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, Microsoft has revealed at a press event in Tokyo that Kinect will be available for Xbox 360 in Japan November 20th of this year. Titles available at launch will include newly announced brain training game Lead: New Brain Training Where You Answer With Your Body, Kinect Sports, Dance Evolution, Crossboard 7 and SEGA’s first Kinect title, Sonic Free Riders. SEGA Japan has backed-up Sonic Free Riders November 20th release date in an update to the games official website this morning.
Sources: MCV and Bloomberg
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Some new screenshots for Sonic Free Riders appear to have slipped under the radar late last month, from InsideGamer.nl. The screens are taken from the same old track that we’re used to seeing since E3, but we do get a close-up look at Sonic’s in-game model and see how different it is to the past games in the Riders series. InsideGamer.nl also posted up a preview last month, but be warned, it doesn’t translate very well using Google Translate. Check out the rest of the screens below.
Source:
InsideGamer.nl
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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 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.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wabA5AKXpj0[/youtube]
Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 footage from Gamescom has hit the net, courtesy of YouTube user blogociomedia. Those hoping for footage of Lost Labyrinth Zone will be disappointed to see the demo is showcasing Splash Hill Zone Act 3. It is unclear whether this demo is of a build later than the one shown at E3 or not, but it appears to be the same old demo.
Here is a video of Splash Hill Zone Act 3 from an earlier version for comparison:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXU9I9hWVe8[/youtube]
Do you see any changes? Let us know in the comments.
We’ll keep an eye out for any more footage and try to find out whether this demo is from a later build or not.
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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9WBsHXafXY[/youtube]
GamerLive.TV grabbed the above interview with Sonic Free Riders’ Brand Manager, James Gray. In the interview, James confirms that the game will support 2 players offline and will also contain a 2 player co-op mode. This information matches what is on the Xbox.com product page. Online multiplayer is also confirmed, but James couldn’t reveal how many players will be supported at this time. Characters will play exactly the same, with the abilities focused instead on what customization of gear you choose to play with.
James says that all of your favourite Sonic characters will be there, but couldn’t reveal any that aren’t in the demo. Tracks outside of the demo also couldn’t be revealed, but emphasis is put on there being “a very good amount, with different landscapes and different routes.”
Some more gameplay videos have also come out of Gamescom, including one from Spark at Spindash.de. You can check out the videos below.
Spark at Spindash.de
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVa2KA6yOtQ&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]
SegaStuff.de
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhZU6RGJeZI[/youtube]
Videogamer.com via xsuperstargamesx YouTube channel
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZXNzScXPRw[/youtube]
EnglishMumdotcom
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svcWK4J5msw[/youtube]
wwejerk85
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xeYceCFcJsQ[/youtube]
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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CP93zD4SQYs[/youtube]
UPDATE: SSMB Member and Spindash.de staff member Spark has informed us that the booth seen in the above video is the public booth at Gamescom and will inquire with fellow staff still at the event about whether the demo is playable by the public. We’ll update you when we hear more. /UPDATE END
Sonic fans looking to try out Sonic Free Riders for Xbox 360 Kinect at Gamescom over the next few days are out of luck. The above video has been posted at YouTube this morning by theREALshoesy, in which we can see the demo is sealed off in an enclosure, very similar to the one at E3. SEGA staff are on hand again to show how the game is played, while the public can only watch from a distance through glass walls.
Yesterday however, the press got to try out the demo’s single track in full. You can check out a few of their videos below. GameTrailers also has a play test of the demo at their website.
GamesWorldGR
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQypT7QADo0&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]
XboxFRONT
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Duvbb30gwTY&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]
Gamer365On
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLWYvLrYrFk[/youtube]
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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xd6BeriHAcI&playnext=1&videos=YoPn_F3zs3I&feature=feedu[/youtube]
During his rounds last week, SEGA’s Brand Manager David Allen stopped by GamesRadar’s offices where they got to check out Sonic Free Riders for Xbox 360 Kinect. In the video we see Tails in action as David guides Chris through the demos controls, shortcuts and many interactive items and weapons. Speaking of items, in this preview we get our first look at the “Soda Can” item, which you shake until it bursts and gives you a boost as you ride on it in cartoon fashion.
If you look closely, you can see an image of Eggman on the soda can with the words “Power Up”:
(Thanks to Hero of Legend for the image)
With the bowling ball, rocket, golf club and now a soda can item, it appears SEGA are really taking advantage of Kinect to make this the zaniest and most interactive racer out there.
Source: GamesRadar
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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3x3n7OvPPE[/youtube]
1UP.com and IGN.com recently got some hands-on time with SEGA’s first Kinect for Xbox 360 title Sonic Free Riders, 1UP.com’s preview comes in video form and IGN’s in written form but they say a video version is coming. 1UP seem pretty positive and both testers agree it controls very well, while IGN think it will cater more to the younger crowd than the hardcore gamer.
New weapons are shown in 1UP’s footage including a bowling ball, which we assume replaces the bowling bomb in previous games, and a golf club. Did we say a golf club? Yes, a golf club for whacking your opponents with. Another thing you may notice in the footage is Sonic swimming, without his life jacket from Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, we’ll let you debate that and everything else in the previews in the comments section.
Don’t forget to check out five new screenshots from IGN’s preview below –
Sources: IGN(thanks fammicomander at the SSMB) and 1UP via Spindash.de
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One of the big treats of the Summer of Sonic convention in past years has been that Sonic’s newest games have found their way into the hands of fans way before they’re released. That’s all thanks to our good friends at SEGA and we’re very pleased to announce that this year will be no different. In addition to all the other pods on the floor, including the All-Stars Racing tournament, SOS will be graced with the presence of Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I.
Sonic’s eagerly anticipated 2D platformer will be on the convention floor where attendees will be able to get hands-on time with the E3 build, which contains all 3 Acts of Splash Hill Zone and its boss battle with Dr. Eggman. The game will be available in the Games Zone on our Xbox 360 pods, kindly donated by Microsoft who, as we mentioned in our S&SASR Tournament announcement, are part-sponsoring the games section of Summer of Sonic.
We hope you are as excited about this news as we are and look forward to seeing you in the Games Zone!
Source: Summer of Sonic website
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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.
