It’s not often that we get a look at how Sonic games are made, so it’s surprising that SEGA suddenly released a behind the scenes video for Sonic Boom. While there’s not much new info, it does show a lot of new concept art for the game and a couple of voice recording sessions for the TV show. There’s also one very small bit of new gameplay that you will probably miss if you blink.
The cast for the game and TV show was also revealed, which confirms that Orbot and Cubot will be present in this spin-off. It also shows that Tails now has a new voice actress, with Colleen Villard replacing Kate Higgins. This isn’t the first time Villard voiced a Sonic character, as she is also the current voice of the beloved Charmy the Bee.
[Source: SEGA Blog]
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Sonic Boom
Game News, Interviews
SEGAbits Swingin’ Report Show Interview with Sonic Boom Producer Stephen Frost
Hot on the heels of the reveal of the new Western television series and video game Sonic Boom, SEGA of America producer Stephen Frost sat down with SEGAbits Swingin’ Report Show hosts Barry and George, as well as David of Sonic Retro, to discuss all things speedy and blue. In this hour long discussion we delve into the genesis of the project, learn more of the team at Big Red Button Entertainment, and get a few hints at what we can expect to see in both the game and show. If Stephen’s enthusiasm is any gauge for what we can expect, we’re in for a real treat later this year!
Learn more about the new branch in the Sonic franchise at the official Sonic Boom website.
[Download] [RSS] [iTunes] [Archive]
Truly one of the best moments ever captured in a screenshot for a video game.
Anyway, this week includes: an announcement on something coming soon from Sonic Retro/SEGAbits, lots of Sakura Taisen stuff, Bayonetta 2 and even more Sonic Boom details.
Retro/Bits News
- Sonic Boom producer Stephen Frost will be on SEGAbits’ Swingin’ Report Show later this month! [No link for this one, I just know]
- Remember that time SEGAbits did a Sakura Taisen themed week? Well, that was last week, so here’s all the stuff that they did:
– Tuesday Tunes features a live performance of Kimi Yo Hana Yo [With subtitles]
– SEGA Channel Retro did a streaming marathon of the first four Sakura Taisen games [Wait I thought streaming was our thing]
– A list of five ways to experience Sakura Taisen [The Not-Really-Weekly Five]
– Kori-Maru goes back in time to review Sakura Taisen 2 [For the Saturn]
– Segata Sanshiro shows how manly love can be in this Sakura Taisen 2 commercial [So manly]
– Segalization decides to join in on the Sakura Taisen fun [Segalization]
– And finally, the SEGAbits staff members share their thoughts on how they’d like to see the franchise localized [Featuring our very own Bartman]
Sonic/SEGA News
- Last week’s Nintendo Direct revealed a new trailer for Bayonetta 2 [Oh my]
- A couple of more interviews about Sonic Boom were found, revealing even more details [about the game] [and about the TV show]
- Sonic Dash got a new update, which added an Eggman boss fight [Sonic 1 and 2 were updated as well]
- Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed will be released in Japan on May 15th [On PS3 and Wii U]
- Binary Domain and Alpha Protocol are 75% off until next week on Steam [Binary Domain] [Alpha Protocol]
- Another indie shmup for Dreamcast called NEO XYX is being released today [Can’t have enough of those]
- The Shining franchise is getting another game, this one being a arcade fighter [Blade Arcus from Shining]
- Guilty Gear Xrd will be released in arcades in Japan next week [So pretty]
- Typing of the Dead: Overkill got a valentine’s day-themed DLC pack [Love at First Bite]
So those Sonic Boom announcements sure happened. It was probably the biggest Sonic-related announcement since they revealed Sonic Adventure. If you somehow missed it or want a brief summary of what was revealed, here’s the gist of it: SEGA of America has started a new branch to the Sonic franchise with the non-confusing name: Sonic Boom, which is basically a westernized version of Sonic with it’s own world and redesigned characters. Of this they’re making a TV show and two new games for Wii U and 3DS, all of which will be released later this year. In this universe Knuckles gets buffed up for real, Tails gets a toolbelt, Amy realizes that she’s been wearing the same clothes for years and Sonic wears a scarf for some reason. Also they all roll around in sports tape. Also it won’t replace the main series of games that Sonic Team is making.
Anyway, considering how many previews and interviews there are, Sonic Boom will get it’s own section this week. :
Retro/Bits News
- Just in time for the Olympics, GerbilSoft wrote a review for Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games [Retro Review]
- SEGAbits is doing a Sakura Taisen-themed week [Click on this if you’re like me and don’t know what Sakurai Taisen is]
- This Swinging’ Report Show episode is dedicated to Segalization [Get it they combined SEGA and localization]
- SEGAbits is celebrating it’s fourth year anniversary [To four more years]
- A contest in which you can win SEGA iPhone 5/5S cases is being held [Check out the consoles!]
Sonic Boom Stuff
- Here’s all the trailers and screenshots along with some info that was released [The basic stuff]
- Polygon did an interview which includes more details, like how the games and TV show won’t be released in Japan [Also why Sonic has a scarf]
- This interview from CVG answers some of the questions about the development of the game [More answers to questions]
- If you’re not really into reading (and if so, why have you even read to this point?), Nintendo World Report did a video interview [Moving pictures with words]
- Another video interview from GamerHub, cause why not [Also a small tour of the press event]
- Something that’s not an interview: Chris Senn asked people about what the next Sonic game should be like long ago on his own forum in the same month as when he joined Big Red Button Entertainment [Neat]
Sonic/SEGA News
- The sales numbers are in and Sonic Lost World actually did pretty alright [Also SEGA earned money]
- Oh crap it’s a Mega Drive that transforms into Megatron [Coolest toy ever]
- A song from Total War: Shogun II was featured at the Olympic Games [No appearance by Mario or Sonic though]
- GamersGate is having a SEGA Sale with lots of games being 75% off [Renegade Ops Renegade Ops Renegade Ops]
- A demo for Yakuza Restoration is being released on PSN for Playstation 3 and Playstation 4 [Only in Japan]
Now that the fires caused by Sonic Boom‘s unveiling have begun to simmer, SEGA’s financial report reveals Sonic Lost World did okay. The combination of both the Wii U and 3DS versions shipped a total of 640,000 units by Dec. 31, 2013, marking it as the company’s second most successful boxed title behind Football Manager 14.
The company noted however that, in the nine-month span of packaged software shipments, the consumer business side still did not return expected total sales numbers due to “a harsh market environment,” yielding only 6.31 million total games moved. Favorable performance was indicated for Phantasy Star Online 2 and mobile games such as PUYOPUYO Quest and CHAIN CHRONICLE.
The bulk of SEGA’s gain came not only from its Pachinko machines, but from selling investment securities and non-current assets. This garnered them a whopping 44.3 billion yen, or about $434 million. As a reminder, this is after factoring their 14 billion yen expense to purchase Index back in November.
While this may not seem like the most exciting news, it is at least good to see SEGA floating on some decent cash. Given the Wii U’s humdrum state the last year, Lost World‘s low return isn’t surprising. Perhaps Boom will prove more successful? Let’s just hope it includes a cameo from our new favorite purple mascot, Zazz.
Animation, Game News
New Spin-off Franchise Sonic Boom Revealed, Will Have TV Shows and Video Games [Updated]
[Updated: Game details and Western exclusivity]
So today was a bit of a big deal in the Sonic franchise. After all the rumors, leaked photos and a leaked trailer, we finally have solid info on this Sonic Boom thing. First off: it’s not a reboot, but a spin-off franchise that will co-exist with the modern Sonic games, Boom providing a different take on familiar faces. A TV show, two new video games and toys are being developed and will be released later this year. So let’s dig into this thing! First up: the TV show. Originally announced last year, we now actually have details of how it will play out. The series is being produced by OuiDO! Productions and will air on Cartoon Network during the 2014/2015 season. The 52 episodes ordered will each be 11 minute self contained stories, with no over-arching plots. Among the situations the cast will get wrapped up in are “Knuckles becoming mayor” and “Dr. Eggman faking an injury so he can take Sonic to court.” The primary characters all play their own roles, such as Tails being the go-to Mr. Fix-It and Amy being an archaeologist, using her knowledge to help out the group as they explore new lands.
Then there is what a lot of you might care more about: the new video games. The first game is for the Wii U, and is the final of the three exclusive Sonic titles for Nintendo systems. Unlike every major title over the past decade and a half, Sonic Boom is not being developed by Sonic Team, but by Big Red Button Entertainment. The studio consists of ex-Naughty Dog staff, including Christian Senn. Known around these parts as lead designer on the cancelled Sonic X-treme for the Saturn, Chris’s official title at the studio is Lead Level Implementer. Sure, it’s almost 20 years later, but Chris finally gets his crack at the Sonic franchise.
Led by Bob Rafei of Jak & Daxter and Uncharted fame, Sonic Boom is being described as a “wide linear” game, with interconnected levels branching out from central hub worlds. Focusing on more than just speed, Naughty Dog’s heritage will have some influence on how the title will play. Also, for the first time in a long while, the core four will be playable, with at least two on screen at all times, and all four being involved in boss battles, each character having their own unique attributes. Other known details: Funky Rustic is contributing sound to the game, it uses CryEngine 3, will feature four player co-op and the most important detail of all: the trailer uses Skrillex music.
The other announced game will land on the Nintendo 3DS and is being made by Dimps Sanzaru Games, known for the latest Sly Cooper title. There aren’t really any details for this game yet, but apparently Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time is a pretty solid game, so it seems to be in good hands.
In the wake of these announcements, gameing site Polygon interviewed Sonic Team head Takashi Iizuka, who revealed that the entire Sonic Boom line was designed with a Western audience in mind. While Sonic Team still has a supervisory role, Big Red Button has creative control, and as such there are currently no plans to bring either the show or the games to Japan. Could this change in the future? Maybe, but for now Japanese Sonic fans are going to have to deal with the import shops if they want to check out this new take on the hedgehog.
There’s also a toyline in the works, which is being made by Tomy. While no imagery of the toys were released in the media frenzy, you can see plenty of screenshots and concept art for the game and TV show after the jump.
[Source: SEGA Blog]
Update: Because some don’t seem to notice that the “first CG animated film” is listed under “New Show”, I’ll just point this out here: that CG animated film is probably Sonic Boom and not a movie. So with that out of the way, here’s the actual news story:
Those who want a Sonic game with incredibly pretty native 1080p super duper graphics will have to wait pretty long until they get it. Jazwares (the guys who make the Sonic toys) put up a sign at last week’s Nuremburg toy fair with one piece of interesting information: that an unnamed Sonic game will be coming to Playstation 4, Xbox One and Wii U in 2015.
Not listed is the third Nintendo exclusive game. We can’t have a year without any new Sonic games though, so it wouldn’t be surprising if it’d still be coming later this year. There’s also some information about Sonic Boom, the new CG animated tv show coming this fall. However, all of this information was already mentioned in the original announcement.
[Source: Spindash.de, via The Sonic Stadium]
SEGA just suddenly announced that there will be a new comedic CG animated series called Sonic Boom. This show will be Sonic’s fifth cartoon on TV, but if this teaser image is anything to go by this will be the first to heavily change the character designs. I can’t be the only one getting flashbacks to Loonatics Unleashed…
Sonic Boom will air during the fall of 2014, with the first season consisting of 52 eleven-minute episodes. The cartoon is being produced by SEGA of America and Genao Productions. You can read the full press release after the jump for more info.
With Sonic Boom happening in a matter of hours, Sega surprisingly put up a live stream. Which is a first for this event. So now if you’re not going to the event because it’s too far away for you, think the tickets are overpriced or you looked up scary statistics about St. Louis online, you’ll still be able to watch the events on your monitor. The stream will start at 6pm CET, 7pm EST, 4pm PST or midnight if you’re in the UK.
Just click here to get to the live stream page.
And here for the schedule of things that will happen at this thing.
For the past few years, Sega has struggled to keep important information on upcoming titles from leaking to the public before an official announcement – and by “struggled”, I mean “failed spectacularly”. Sonic Unleashed saw promotional images as well as an early video of Savannah Citadel find their way to the public before the game was even announced; Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I leaked in its entirety prior to release, and the negative reaction to the game at the time led to a six month delay; Sonic Generations had its entire roster of levels, bosses, and characters revealed months in advance; even Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II was accidentally released several weeks early on Steam.
And so the cycle has continued with the upcoming high-definition remaster of the Dreamcast’s swan song, Sonic Adventure 2. Waaay back in April, we reported that the title had been spotted in a massive leaked list of upcoming Xbox Live Arcade titles. A month later, Major Nelson of Xbox Live pseudo-fame accidentally posted that Avatar items based on the game were due for release. And finally, just last month, Microsoft themselves posted an official listing for the game on Xbox.com, complete with screenshots, box art, and a release date of October 3, 2012. At this point, presumably Sega realized that keeping the game a secret any longer would be utterly futile, so Ken Balough and the Sega of America superteam took to the stage at Sonic Boom on Friday to show the first official trailer for the upcoming Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network rerelease, poking a bit of self-deprecating fun at the company’s inability to keep a secret. Oh, and apologies in advance for the overly-enthusiastic crowd.
[Video courtesy of YouTube user joshua593210.]