So, the wait is finally over. Well, the wait for the wait. Exclusively on Gamespot, Sega PR man Ken Balough has decided to sit down and finally talk about the game we all knew was coming at some point: Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 2. Yes, there is a teaser trailer. No, there’s no gameplay footage. But you should watch it anyway, if only to see Ken Balough’s face.
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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.
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.
It’s the middle of December, and the rerelease of Sonic the Hedgehog CD is supposed to happen at any moment. No, we don’t have a release date still. But Sega of America seems to realize that, yes, we really want this game. And so instead of telling us when it’ll come out, they’ve given us something amazing. Something that, by all rights, should have been in the documentary Sonic: The Birth of an Icon. Though the interior has been redone by our very own Taxman, the visual style of the game is still definitely that of Kazuyuki Hoshino, who was also the lead character designer of the game. And since he’s still at Sega, someone decided to ask him to talk about the game. And talk he did.
As reported earlier and officially revealed on the Sega Blogs, Sonic CD is making it’s way to a host of tablets as part of Gamestop’s move toward the tablet market. Consumers who purchase Samsung Galaxy, Acer 100 and ASUS Transformer at participating Gamestop retailers receive Sonic CD for free early. Offer begins this Friday. The remaining versions will be releasing in December.
In addition, Sega revealed an exclusive feature to the new revision of the game: Tails as a playable character for the entirety of the game! Complete with his ability to fly. Tails becomes playable after completing the game once as Sonic. Check out the gallery below of more screens from the Android version and Tails in action.
Daytona USA is making it’s first lap on Playstation Network and Xbox Live Arcade this week. If you’re a bad enough mother of a driver, chances are you’ve already snagged yourself a copy of the game. If you’re just plain bad at Daytona, then do yourself a favor by checking out these videos of You Tube user Trojan X who was able to beat the AI on the highest difficulty in all three tracks using manual transmission while keeping up top speed. Be sure to watch all three videos to get an idea on how to tackle the three courses.
The technique that’s prominent in these videos is the Gear Drift. When tacking the tightest corners, turn early, shift into second, while turning along the curve, shift into third then gradually correct your steering as you approach the straight, and resume gaining speed. Don’t hit the brakes, otherwise you’ll find yourself sliding all over the place! Lastly, be sure to memorize each track. Play offline for some practice sessions before taking on other opponents.
Despite other sites reporting a lockdown on Sonic 4 discussion here, well, this certainly warrants coverage, no?
According to IGN, Sonic 4 is homing in to consoles as early as the early half of next month.
- Apple’s iDevices will be the first to get the game on Oct. 7, though no price was confirmed at this time.
- Next up, the Wii will receive the game on Oct. 11 for 1500 Nintendo fake money, translating to $15/£10 / €13/ AU$20.
- PSN receives the game on Oct. 12 for $14.99 / £9.99 / €12.99 / AU$19.95
- Xbox Live Arcade will see minecart goodness for 1200 monopoly dollar points on Oct. 13
Pricey? Surprised at how soon the game’s hitting? Sound off; don’t worry, your comments won’t actually be censored.
[Via Sonic Stadium]
Major Nelson has posted an update for September’s Xbox Live schedule, and the long-awaited port of Sonic Adventure to Microsoft’s service is scheduled for release on September 15 for 800 Microsoft Points, which is roughly $10 or so. The port is upscaled–that is, not in widescreen–and is based on the PC version of the game rather than the Dreamcast release. Still, it’s a pretty good deal if you don’t have a copy of the game on another system.
Also, the other Sonic Xbox 360 game coming up, which requires you to flail around like a goon, was priced today at $49.99, so it’s also a bargain in terms of dignity.
Today Sega announced that the Episode 1 release of Sonic the Hedgehog 4 has been moved to late 2010, with the extra dev time being spent on “tuning and balancing” the game. Nothing more concrete than this window has been announced.
The press release that was released today officially confirms the iPhone & iPod Touch release of the platform that was discovered from the offcial website’s assets earlier in the year. A video is due to be released after tonight’s episode of GameSpot’s On The Spot feature, which will go up at 10pm UTC/GMT (i.e. just over half an hour from this post).
“SEGA is incredibly happy at the overwhelmingly positive response to Sonic The Hedgehog 4 Episode I from both press and fans around the world, and wants to ensure that we’re delivering the best Sonic experience possible,” says the official press release on the Sonic Blognik blog. “With this dedication to quality and the Sonic experience in mind, SEGA has decided to extend the development of the game, and will now release Sonic The Hedgehog 4 Episode I in the latter half of 2010. The additional time will allow the Development Team to focus on ensuring overall high-quality throughout the game by continuing to tune, balance, and maintain the kind of polish that an important title like this demands, and ultimately providing fans with an unrivalled classic Sonic feel.”
In addition, a new Sonic 4 trailer has been released featuring footage from the first level in the game, Splash Hill Zone:
As you may recall, Retro & Stadium exclusively broke the news of this upcoming announcement 3 days ago. Stick with Sonic Retro for future developments on the Q4 2010 release of Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1.
UPDATE: According to Gamespot’s On the Spot, the iPhone release of Sonic 4 will sport two exclusive levels not present in any of the console releases! No specific details on that yet, but we’ll let you know.
Information on Sega’s upcoming new Sonic title dubbed, “Project Needlemouse” has been rather scarce since a video released online teased the game, sending fans into a murmur.
SEGA’s Constantine Hantzopoulos confirmed to the folks over at the 4Guys1Up podcast at 1up.com that Project Needlemouse will be a downloadable title. However, he didn’t mention which platforms the title will be hitting. Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network were name-dropped later in the cast, though in a slightly unrelated context.
1up: I think that’s why a lot of people are excited about needlemouse too, because it seems like SEGA aren’t trying to make it as mass market
Hantzopoulos: that’s right, thats right. I’ve been playing a lot of XBLA and PSN games lately. Shadow Complex is great.
Hantzopoulos also mentioned this will be a smaller title, but didn’t clarify as to what that exactly meant.
Sonic Retro will keep you up to date as information trickles in.
Source: 4Guys1Up: 01/01/2010