Browsing Tag

Sonic CD

Sonic CD is PSN’s Top Dowloaded Game for December 2011

Sony’s official U.S. PlayStation blog revealed that Sonic CD boomed past the competition and was the top purchased digital game on the PlayStation Store for the last month of 2011. Given the cult classic status it has amongst Sonic fans, seeing it bust out the gate strong is always a pleasant sight, though its feeling of familiarity with small enhancements for this HD age to give it a breath of fresh air certainly left us smiling.

The other story is that it no doubt shows success for Christian “The Taxman” Whitehead’s Retro Engine, utilized to power the game and all its modifications, and more importantly sends a strong message to Sega that demand is out there and there is benefit to using the engine in not only new Sonic games, but various new titles in general given the engine’s versatility. Congratulations, Taxman!

If you’ve not gone and purchased Sonic CD or spread the word to friends who enjoy a quirky platformer, what are you waiting for? We’ll even GIVE you a copy of Sonic CD on Steam if you have a nice tale on how you got someone to play Sonic CD!

Sony’s official U.S. PlayStation blog revealed that Sonic CD boomed past the competition and was the top purchased digital game on the PlayStation Store for the last month of 2011. Given the cult classic status it has amongst Sonic fans, seeing it bust out the gate strong is always a pleasant sight, though its feeling of familiarity with small enhancements for this HD age to give it a breath of fresh air certainly left us smiling.

The other story is that it no doubt shows success for Christian “The Taxman” Whitehead’s Retro Engine, utilized to power the game and all its modifications and more importantly sends a strong message to Sega that demand is out there and there is benefit to using the engine in not only new Sonic games, but various new titles in general given the engine’s versatility. Congratulations, Taxman!

If you’ve not gone and purchased Sonic CD or spread the word to friends who enjoy a quirky platformer, what are you waiting for? We’ll even GIVE you a copy of Sonic CD on Steam if you have a nice tale on how you got someone to play Sonic CD!

January 21, 2012 by GeneHF

Game News

Sonic CD, Sonic 4 Episode 1 And More Get Released On Steam, Generations 50% Off Until Monday

More than a month after it was released on consoles, the new version of Sonic CD has finally hit Steam today. And for a limited time only if you buy the game you will get a free Metal Sonic costume for SEGA and Three Rings’ free to play MMO, Spiral Knights. You can also get Tails’ tails by buying energy within said game, though sadly these do not give you the ability to fly. Screenshots and a video of the costumes can be seen after the jump.

Besides that, Sonic 4 Episode 1 and the Casino Night Zone DLC for Sonic Generations have been released on the service as well. The former was already spotted on the Steam registry some time ago and the latter was supposed to be released on December 26th last year, but was delayed for unknown reasons. If you haven’t gotten Generations yet, the game is now 50% off until January 23rd as a weekend deal along with all other Sonic games besides those released today with the exception of Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing, which is 75% off.

January 19, 2012 by TimmiT

Community, Fan Works

Sonic Fan Gaming Update

Over the years, Sonic fan games have certainly evolved from the days of Klik & Play. Back in 1995, Sonic Boom started it all, with collecting apples and avoiding bees… it was an amazing feat, being the first noted Sonic fan game, and today’s major fan games still provide that same sense of amazement only on a much bigger scale! As of recent, Sonic Fan Remix took center stage on the fan gaming scene. It ultimately changed the way fan games were thought of previously by the public; disposable projects on par with fan fiction. It caught the immediate attention of major gaming blogs, companies, and developers, so much in fact that Sega’s representatives requested Megaupload, the site which hosted the download file, to take down the file because they believed it would disrupt the sales of the then upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode 1. Continue Reading

January 3, 2012 by Scarred Sun

Reviews

Sonic CD: The Retro Review

Let’s level here for a second–if you’re a Sonic fan in any capacity whatsoever, you’ve heard of Sonic CD, the tried-and-true cult classic of the original Sonic “trilogy,” as it were. Released in 1993 for the SEGA Mega CD, spearheaded by Sonic’s original character designer Naoto Ohshima and developed by a completely different team than the first Sonic the Hedgehog game, the game has received wildly mixed views as both the best and worst Sonic game–and in some cases, platformer in general–of all time. Sporting surreal and immersive environments, a heavy focus on puzzles and exploration and an absolutely killer soundtrack overseas (courtesy of the collective genius that is Masafumi Ogata and Naofumi Hataya), Sonic CD stands out in a lot of ways from virtually every Sonic title that came after it. This is likely due to the fact that game designer Hirokazu Yasuhara had no involvement in it whatsoever, contrary to the original Sonic and the two sequels that followed it. Still, love it or hate it, Sonic CD has left a longstanding impact on those who played it–both good and bad. Continue Reading

December 19, 2011 by Tweaker

Hardware, Sega Consoles, Sega Retro

You Still Don’t Own a Sega CD?

Y-You don’t? Well I can’t blame you. After all, it was one of those schemes from the higher ups of Sega who were ready to capitalize on the popularity of their new flagship console of the 90’s. Competing with the CD-Rom technology of the PC Engine, and to attempt to stay above the rest of the competition, Sega was ready to stay among the pioneers of the uncharted fathoms of a disc-based medium. While not as successful as the Core system, the Sega Mega CD still acts as a milestone of game development that would bring the game industry it’s future, today. The add-on brought upon innovative gameplay, political controversy, expanded the possibilities of sound, graphics, storytelling, and of course helped with the transition of a cartridge based format to compact disc as a storage medium. Without a doubt there should be a buzz of excitement around the upcoming re-release of Sonic CD despite not actually coming out on a CD based consumer format. What a shame! On the bright side this is a good of time as any to highlight the add-on’s history and to show that it was more than just ‘The Sonic CD add-on.’

December 15, 2011 by Bartman3010

Fan Works, Humor

Kick It ’90s Style With The MIB in Stardust Speedway

A lot of you have no doubt been enjoying the fruits of The Taxman’s labor now that Sonic CD for Everything is out (we know we certainly have) and we can only hope you’re also spreading the love to those around you that, yes, Sonic CD is not too shabby a game.

But one of the most endearing traits from the game is that the music, be it the American or International version, is catchy as hell! So when I get linked to a remix of the music from the game, you bet I take a listen and every now and then am pleasantly surprised to find one awesome remix, such as the one above by youtuber mattj2217.

Of course, matt’s not the only one to have put together Will Smith’s rapping talents with a Sonic CD song. Enter the Fresh Prince.

December 14, 2011 by GeneHF

Retro Contests, Site News

Sonic CD: The Gift That Keeps on Giving (Back to You, That Is)

Over the past few weeks or so, we here at Sonic Retro have been imploring our userbase to buy the new Sonic CD for Everything this holiday season–not so much because it’s a good game (and don’t get me wrong, it’s fantastic!), but because we really want to support the concept behind the release. From having a port done with care to having one of our own doing the work to paying attention to lesser-known titles, Sonic CD, this release is kind of a big deal.

By financially supporting these sorts of releases, it sends a very clear message to Sega that we want to see more things done right and by awesome people. If the game sells a million copies, for instance, it shows that licensing the Retro Engine is more financially advantageous than just slapping a hq3x emulated version up for sale. It shows that people are willing to support adding features to a port to give it new life. It shows that we’re not all dicks who pirate everything and just have a bone to pick.

Beyond that, though, it lets people who may mock the Sonic series see that yes, there were legitimately good games that made us all fans. Odds are if you read a site as shall we say, dedicated, as Sonic Retro, you’re pretty read up on video games. Your real-world friends know you as that gamer gal or guy. So this season, we want you to share the love.

Give your family, friends, and loved ones who are into video games a copy of Sonic CD. Let your girlfriend see what the big deal about platformers is by getting a copy for her iPhone. Give your FPS-loving bros a copy over XBLA or PSN to show them that the franchise isn’t all Shadow the Hedgehog and the 2006 Sonic the Hedgehog. Call up your childhood friends who you played Sonic 2 and S3K two-player mode with and let them relive the nostalgia with a Steam gift of Sonic CD.

“But Scarred Sun,” you say, “I need to buy Sonic CD, too!”

Well, duh, of course you do. But we’re willing to help you out there. Because it is always more fulfilling to give than to get, we want to give you copies of Sonic CD this holiday season–that’s why we’ve bought a dozen copies to give to our users. We want to hear your stories of giving Sonic CD to others; in return, we’ll pick the best entries and gift you a copy over Steam for your own account (sorry XBLA/PSN people–we haven’t found a way to just gift you the correct amount for the game or else we’d go that path as well.) Leave your story in the comments, and if we hear anything particular heart-touching/funny/nostalgia-y, we’ll hook you up so you can get a copy on Day One of the Steam release.

Besides, there’s nothing wrong with being evangelical about one of the best Sonic titles ever produced. Happy holidays!

December 14, 2011 by Scarred Sun

Game News

Sonic CD Comes Out Tomorrow For Five Bucks, Launch Trailer (UPDATE)

SEGA has finally announced when we can expect Sonic CD to hit digital platforms. As it turns out, it will be released for most platforms tomorrow for only five bucks. Considering this is an all new version made by Christian “The Taxman” Whitehead with features like playable Tails, the Sonic 2 spindash, widescreen, 60FPS at all times and the ability to switch between both soundtracks, that’s a pretty good deal. However, if you live in the US and only have a PS3 you’ll have to wait until December 20th to buy the game. The Android and Windows Phone 7 versions have also been delayed until the new year and there’s no word on when the Steam version will be released, though The Taxman has said on the forums that it isn’t cancelled. SEGA also released a launch trailer for the game, which can be viewed here:

It shows a couple of the new features, so it’s worth a watch. Also note that at the end the trailer cuts to the Sonic CD logo right before Sonic goes past a future sign, maybe a teaser for things to come? Either way, it looks like this version of the game will be worth buying. Multiple times.

UPDATE: Ken Balough has said on the official SEGA forums that the PC version will be coming soon and that the release date was adjusted “slightly due to some outside factors”. A date will be announced soon.

December 13, 2011 by TimmiT

Game News

Ken Balough Hints Sonic 4: Episode II Teasers IncomingKen Balough Consejos de Sonic 4: Episode II Enigmas Entrante

Never one from backing away talking up the fanbase, Sega’s own Sonic Digital Brand Manager Ken Balough has been busy chatting with the folks over on Sega’s Sonic forums. Usually, this isn’t enough to draw enough attention–after all, if it was the case, we’d be writing up every time Sega’s own Aaron “Ruby Eclipse” Webber shows up on here in his quest to be the Fastest Sega Employee on Sonic Generations speed runs.

But when Sonic 4: Episode II teases begin to fly, you can bet people will be listening.

Nunca uno de retroceder hablando con los fans, Sega’s Sonic Digital Brand Manager Ken Balough ha estado muy ocupado hablando con la gente más en los foros de Sonic de Sega. Por lo general, esto no es suficiente para llamar la atención suficiente – si fuera el caso, estaríamos escribiendo cada vez que Sega’s Aaron “Ruby Eclipse” Webber se muestra aquí en su búsqueda para ser el más rápido empleado de Sega en los ‘speedruns’ de Sonic Generations.

Sin embargo, cuando palabra de Sonic 4: Episode II comenza a volar, usted puede apostar la gente estará escuchando.

December 9, 2011 by GeneHF

Game News, Miscellaneous

Fresh from EU: Sonic CD PS3 Theme, Wallpaper

The re-release of Sonic CD is just around the corner, and as if you didn’t need any more notification, EU PS3 users can now download a free Sonic CD theme to their system featuring Stardust Speedway’s Good and Bad Futures.

Please note that if you have an EU account and live in the US, you are also able to get the theme at this time. No word on when they’ll hit other regions.

Until then, we’ve ripped the backgrounds for your enjoyment and wallpaper pleasure. Remember to buy Sonic CD when it comes out for Android, iOS, XBLA, PSN and Steam, or we’ll come to your house and…highly encourage you to buy it.

December 7, 2011 by Scarred Sun

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