Welcome to the Archive site of The Sonic Stadium (2008-2023)
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Oh for God’s sake! First it was Shadow and all the shooting action, then we had Silver and his mind-moving stuff, and just recently we had to put up with a Werewolf… and NOW we get Chess in our Sonic games? This is unacceptable! This new game is just going to throw out the classic Sonic gameplay for Bishop-takes-Knight action. What has the world come to? SEGA, what are you thinking?
… Seriously, this is freaking awesome. German game maker Gaya Entertainment are creating these official Chess boards, complete with Sonic themed pieces that just melts the heart. It’s OK, adults who grew up with Sonic (and non-Sonic fans/classic fans), you can show this to all your mates and actually be cool because it uses the whole retro style to Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and Amy. The chess board is 47cm x 47cm and the pieces are about 6cm in height, and made from PVC.
In this ‘MegaDriven’ game of chess, Sonic is the King (ironic being that the piece can only move one space at a time), Amy the Queen, Tails the Knight and Knuckles is (bashing) the bishop. Master Emeralds take the role of rooks, and to avoid using all those other shitty characters the Pawns are all rings. Wonderful. Missing Dr. Robotnik in there, would have been cool to have seen him in his Egg-o-matic and some classic badniks as the opposing side, but this is more than enough for me.
I’m not even kidding when I say this is probably the best thing SEGA have done with the Sonic franchise in a decade. Does Amy actually seem cuter to you in her Sonic CD outfit there or is that just me? Sonic looks so cool. Sigh.
If you’re as eager as I am for this (it might really be because I used to play Chess as a kid rather than the design), Gaya are selling this next February/March for 39.99 Euros.
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Did you hear about the spectacularly awesome Summer of Sonic a little too late, or really wanted to come but couldn’t because you live too far away? Couldn’t bear the thought of missing Richard Jacques talk about his life story? Well guess what? You’re in luck.
The Summer of Sonic team have been testing a method of providing a live video feed to everyone who otherwise can’t attend the convention in person. That test being successful, you can expect a bird’s eye view of the show floor as stuff happens during the day. If we get a few willing volunteers, we may have someone walk around with said camera within the hall to give you a closer look in on the action. The best part is, you won’t miss the main stage shows such as the mega-Q&A I will apparently be hosting, and the live Sonic Hour show. Due to quality issues though, it’s unlikely we will be able to provide a live video of Richard’s awesome performance – you have to see it yourself to believe that.
Interested now? Yeah I bet you are. Gimme that funky chunky donkey.
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In news that will make you wish you either lived in the UK, were able to get to the UK, or in any case signed the Convention’s attendance form in time, Richard Jacques and TJ Davis have just been confirmed as special guests to the Summer of Sonic event in London. Richard in particular has been kind enough to dedicate some of his time to help organise and set up things, as well as agreeing to a very special performance that will take place on the main stage. What a guy.
The performance in question will be on the piano, with vocal songs being performed by TJ Davis and Lee Brotherton. In particular, you can expect Sonic R renditions from TJ, an exclusive live performance of Dreams of an Absolution from Lee, and a duet of some kind involving both TJ and LB. We’ll leave exactly what that is, along with other unconfirmed tracks, as a surprise until the day. Gets you wetter.
Richard and TJ will also be milling around the convention hall throughout the day, and are more than up for people chatting to them about Sonic and things so go nuts. Richard’s a bit of a confessed Sonic fanboy anyway from what we hear. The two will also join Lee Brotherton and Nigel Kitching on stage after the performance for a Q&A session that will likely rock your world. Four of them, one of me? I call that Pimm’s o’clock.
The Summer of Sonic takes place in 12 days time. Awesome hall? Check. Playtest Sonic games before their release? Check. Win stuff? Check. Community? Check. The greatest lineup ever? Check that shit. August 9th’s going to be hot.
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Hey, hands up who’s kinda sick of the way the 3D Sonic games are going? Oh, a lot of you? Yeah, me too. Well, Sonic Unleashed is looking like an interesting direction, and a somewhat return to form in terms of at least not-broken gameplay. We’re looking forward to blasting around dragons, yesiree.
But Sonic Unleashed isn’t out yet. Won’t be out for a bit. So until then, cast your eyes on the video above, which is a fangame engine that first cropped up on Sonic Fan Games HQ some months ago. Creators ‘Mark the Echidna’ and ‘Damizean’ have built a crude, if not absolutely awesome Sonic the Hedgehog 3D game engine (nicknamed ‘Sonic 360’).
It ticks all the right boxes for everything we feel should be present and correct in a Sonic game – open, expansive areas, multiple routes, momentum and physics based gameplay, slow platforming elements to complement the ability to run like a maniac, spin dash, pudgy Sonic (we’ve never seen a cuter, more awesome looking Sonic model), loops, no homing attack, etc. You see? ‘No bottomless pits’ can be done, and this is proof that you can inject some forward thinking in a classic-looking 3D Sonic game – watch that little bugger run up those walls! Awesome.
Best thing? You can actually download this engine. Trufax. You can grab it here, found via the Youtube page.
SEGA, Sonic Team? Take notes. Hire these guys. Whatever. Just get it done. K?
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Everyone and his dog wants to go to the Summer of Sonic convention. That much is obvious. So what exactly will be there for people to salivate over? Sure, Sonic nerds like me and you can hang and play Sonic Rivals for six hours, but will there be any EXCLUSIVES, yo!?
Well guess what. If you can even manage to get inside the hall on the day (I’m not even joking, it’s going to be packed in there) then your prize will be playing Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood first. Before anyone else in the world (it’s being released in September, you see). How does that strike you? You probably won’t be able to hear the lovely Richard Jacques soundtrack with all the background noise most likely, but we should have a remedy for that…… headphones, for example.
It’s probably a good idea to keep an eye on the Summer of Sonic website on a regular basis from now on – there are two (three?) more special guests that have yet to be revealed, all of which will make the Sonic fan cream thyself. The second special guest to complement Lee Brotherton will be announced tomorrow. If you fancy playing a little guessing game, head over to the SSMB where a clue has been dropped of the guest’s identity.
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Sonic Unleashed is kicking all sorts of arse, and it’s just round the corner. Has you thinking a few things. Things like, “OK, this is like the third game in a row that Jun Senoue (a person that for some reason TSS strikes a similarity with Ken Watanabe) hasn’t had an involvement in the soundtrack. What gives? Is he gallivanting with roadies on stage or something?”
That’s a good question, but fear not! Rather than sitting in a palace garden reminiscing about Cherry Blossoms (maybe), we have it on good authority that Jun may be busy preparing for the next Sonic the Hedgehog title, and our sources tell us that Lee Brotherton (Sonic Rivals, Silver’s theme in Sonic 06) and Richard Jacques (Sonic Chronicles, Sonic R) is to meet with the Japanese rocker soon to discuss possibilities (maybe ‘Endless Possibilities’?.. Oh God, that joke really will get old very quickly).
According to our super-secret-squirrel, this new Sonic project is very likely canon and not a spin-off – Jun’s involvement only reinforces that. But still, such a project is eons away; given the usual time frame for Sonic games, we’ll probably see this one in late 2009 or 2010 unless it’s continuing to use the Hedgehog Engine. It’s just nice to know these things though isn’t it?
So for now enjoy Sonic Unleashed, safe in the knowledge that Junny Baby is not out, and that as clockwork SEGA are planning the next game in the franchise. Can you imagine a possible soundtrack involving Senoue, LB and Jacques though? Epic. If there’s a God, He better well make it happen.
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You may remember in February Sonic News reported that the company ‘First4Figures’ were producing three unique Sonic related statues. Today, all three figures are available for pre-order over the well known ‘Play-Asia’ import website along with a brand new 12″ Sonic statue.
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EDIT: Some sizes and colours are already sold out! If you want one, I suggest you get one soon! EDIT 2 (3rd May, 16:30pm): The Sonic designs are now COMPLETELY SOLD OUT. Hope you got yours in time!
Japanese SEGA fans were recently treated to a selection of SEGA shirts produced by the highly fashionable designer clothing chain Uniqlo. Many fans (including myself) have tried to get their hands on these shirts, but to little avail; the Japanese stocks are now almost depleted (the Sonic designs are now sold out on the Tokyo site). Continue reading SEGA UT Uniqlo T-Shirts hit the UK!
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For those of you who live in the UK and have been into GAME recently, you’ll have noticed you can pick up a Sonic and Tails Plush toy for the mere price of £9.99. Well, as advertised on the back of the box, the Knuckles Plushes are now available to buy, as I found out today while roaming Newcastle.
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It looks like the Classic range of Sonic goodies hitting the shelves will not be stopping anytime soon! First 4 figures (the company that has produced the Assassin’s Creed Altair figurine and the incredibly detailed Link figurine from Ocarina of Time) have recently acquired the rights from Jetix to produce a series of vinyl figures based on the classic style of the Sonic the Hedgehog characters.
The first wave of figures will include Sonic the Hedgehog in a running pose, as well as a Tails and a Knuckles figurine. First 4 Figures hopes to preview these figurines at both the Nuremberg and New York toy fairs, with their release date currently being placed in July of this year.
Fans will no doubt be impressed that companies like First 4 Figures are now also catering for the Adult collectors market – I personally cannot wait to get my hands on a set!
Thanks be to M1k3.tayl0r of SCD for this info!
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As if were not shocked enough by Alex Kidd’s presence, Eurogamer have revealed 3 more characters for multi-platform games Sega Superstars Tennis bringing us to a total of 15 out of 16 characters known to date. The 16th character is apparently more secret than Secret Squirrel’s identity.
The 3 revealed characters are –
Pudding (Space Channel 5)
Gum (Jet Set Radio)
Reala(NiGHTS)
The 3 Sega themed mini-games are –
Puyo Pop themed
Space Harrier themed
Samba De Amigo themed
The new court is –
Outrun 2 – Flag man is an umprie
Stay tuned to Sonic News for further updates –
Discuss this and more over at the SSMB!
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Frozen Bell was my favourite stage from the first and it’s looking as good as ever in the remake!
IGN have updated their website with some new videos of the highly anticipated NiGHTS Wii game earlier today, showing off some new in-game footage, music and a better look at the three new transformations in action.
Check out the NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams IGN media page here.
One video also shows the Race Multiplayer in motion, with the voice of Reala sounding much more deeper than it did in the original game. It’s shaping up to look like a lot of fun, with each video SEGA release looking more of an improvement each time. Continue reading NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams and NiGHTS PS2 Media Frenzy!
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Today a Japanese magazine has printed a 2 page article about NiGHTS into Dreams on the PS2. Being as we aren’t fluent in that language we can’t say if anything’s changed from the Sega Saturn version other than visuals. The only noteable thing from the screenshots is the gallery mode that looks similar to the Christmas Nights extras. IGN report there will be illustrations and a movie viewer.
The game will hit Japan 21-2-08
Sonic News will keep you up to date as more is revealed.
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Remember the blue Sonic Team branded SEGA Dreamcast released in Japan back in the day? Svend managed to grab the blue VMU that went with it but has yet to get the console rarity. It’s something he incessantly mutters when he strolls into TSS Towers.
SEGA Germany is launching a contest to co-incide with the launch of Sonic and the Secret Rings over there, and the prizes are enough to trigger a fatal relapse. Open to German fans and extended to visitors of SEGA Europe’s official Sonic City Blognik, one lucky fan could win a Nintendo Wii decorated with the Sonic Team logo! Continue reading SEGA giving away Sonic Team Wii
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.
Oh for God’s sake! First it was Shadow and all the shooting action, then we had Silver and his mind-moving stuff, and just recently we had to put up with a Werewolf… and NOW we get Chess in our Sonic games? This is unacceptable! This new game is just going to throw out the classic Sonic gameplay for Bishop-takes-Knight action. What has the world come to? SEGA, what are you thinking?
Everyone and his dog wants to go to the Summer of Sonic convention. That much is obvious. So what exactly will be there for people to salivate over? Sure, Sonic nerds like me and you can hang and play Sonic Rivals for six hours, but will there be any EXCLUSIVES, yo!?
Sonic Unleashed is kicking all sorts of arse, and it’s just round the corner. Has you thinking a few things. Things like, “OK, this is like the third game in a row that Jun Senoue (a person that for some reason TSS strikes a similarity with Ken Watanabe) hasn’t had an involvement in the soundtrack. What gives? Is he gallivanting with roadies on stage or something?”
