Sonic-Colors
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Buy the greatest song ever written (and other Sonic soundtracks) on iTunes [update]
The pinnacle of all human achievement, "Open Your Heart" from the Sonic Adventure soundtrack, is now available on iTunes, as are a plethora of other Sonic-related albums from across the breadth of time and space. The soundtracks to Sonic Adventure, Sonic Adventure 2, Sonic CD and others can be yours for the paltry sum of $9.99 each, which is a small price to pay for 20 to 30 tracks per album of gloriously ridiculous nostalgia-metal.Soundtracks for Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 and Episode 2 will be available before too long, according to Sega. Head on through to the other side for a full list of what's available now and how to get it.Update: As it turns out, these soundtracks have been available since last year or earlier. Sega decided to nest the announcement of forthcoming Episode 1 and Episode 2 soundtracks within a reiteration of the availability of its other musical offerings.
Sega earnings suffer from Yakuza delay, 'sluggish' Western game sales
Sega Sammy's consumer game division -- a.k.a. Sega games -- brought in ¥89.55 billion ($1.1 billion) in sales over the last fiscal year (ending March 31), down 26.5 percent from the previous year. Operating income declined even more sharply to ¥2 billion ($24.8 million), down 68.9 percent. While the previous fiscal year saw major success from Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games, this latest 2010–11 fiscal year was an off-year for the two Olympians, who were in training for their next competition. Sonic's less sporting pastime, Sonic Colors, was the bestseller in Sega's lineup, moving 2.18 million copies worldwide. It was followed by ... Iron Man 2, which sold 1.54 million. Vanquish, which everyone without Stark Industries stock would agree is the better robot-suit game, only managed about half of that achievement at 830,000 units sold. Shogun 2: Total War and Phantasy Star Portable 2 Infinity (which only came out in Japan) rounded out Sega's "major" lineup with 600,000 and 370,000 copies sold, respectively. Sega said that sales were slow in North America and Europe due to "the adverse market condition," noting "sluggish personal consumption" in those regions (which ... didn't seem to be an issue for everybody). Additionally, Sega's big Japanese release, Yakuza: Of the End, was delayed out of the fiscal year as a result of the Tohoku earthquake in March, further reducing the company's bottom line. Overall, however, Sega Sammy about doubled its net profits from the previous year to ¥41.51 billion (roughly $513 million) on the strength of its pachislot and pachinko business.
Sega Sammy posts profitable third quarter, Vanquish moves 820K
Sega Sammy's financial results for the nine months ending December 31, 2010 showed marked upswings in overall sales and profit for the company. While the majority of money came through its pachinko and amusement arm, game publishing saw ¥67.4 billion ($826 million) in revenue and ¥2.8 billion ($34.3 million) in profit -- both notable increases since the company's last check-in. Hidden among the many, many financial numbers was news that Platinum Games' fourth effort, Vanquish, had sold 820,000 copies since its release in late October, while Sonic Colors had moved a whopping 1,850,000 by the end of 2010. That's alotta hedgehog! The majority of the company's overall sales took place in Europe (owing to sales of Football Manager 2011), with the US following closely behind and Japan in a distant third.
Mad Catz releases Sonic-branded inductive Wiimote charger
Do you need to re-energize the power cores of your Wii Remotes in the raddest, most attitude-fueled way imaginable? The latest product from Mad Catz (PDF) is right up your alley: It's a Wiimote induction charger featuring Sonic the Hedgehog. At $49.99, it's probably not the most cost efficient way to refuel your gaming peripherals, but it is the ... um, bluest. What's great about the charger's Sonic-centricity is that it not only possesses form, but also has quite a bit of function. See his hand, there? That's not a peace sign -- that's him telling you how many controllers the charger can hold. He's such a helpful little devil, isn't he?
Sega attempts to save real hedgehogs in Sonic Colors promo
After proving its ability to keep its own spiny mascot alive with the well-received Sonic Colors, Sega has turned its efforts to preserving the non-flatness of real-life hedgehogs in the suburb of Twickenham, London. The publisher recently designated a temporary "hedgehog road crossing" in the town, allowing a handful of the woodland creatures to scamper about without fear of being struck by one of the region's tiny, steering-wheel-on-the-wrong-sided vehicles. Yes, it was very much a publicity stunt, but Sega representative Anna Downing told Eurogamer that she hopes it will "raise awareness" of the 50,000 hedgehogs who die every year while trying to cross British roads. That's a pretty good cause, we guess -- but you know what would raise even more driver awareness of hedgehogs? If you painted them all bright blue. Food for thought.
Two more colors for Sonic Colors DS
Sonic Colors on DS is more than a hat delivery vector. It's also a Sonic Rush-style platformer with new powerups, like the DS-exclusive "Burst" and "Void," which turn Sonic into a bomb and a black hole, respectively. The new footage is worth enduring the erratically moving DS screens in the trailer.
Sonic Colors review: A bolt from the blue
Believe me, I'm as surprised about this as you are. Sega has shoved its mascot character into so many wretched games over the past dozen or so years that the phrase "good Sonic game" may as well be akin to saying "don't touch that fire; it'll freeze your hand." Yet here I am, trying to make the muscles in my hands type the words, "Sonic ... Colors ... is ... is ... good." Not just good for Sonic, but good good. %Gallery-95227%
PSA: Come play Sonic Colors in Bryant Park today
It may be raining here in NYC today, but that doesn't mean Sega's canceling its Bryant Park Sonic Colors ice skating party. Well, okay, the ice skating part is kinda off, but that whole "playing Sonic Colors early and seeing Cash Cash perform the game's theme song" thing is still totally on.
Sonic Colors trailer grants your greatest Wisp
The ever increasing cavalcade of secondary characters in Sonic the Hedgehog is an often reviled issue. So, how do you keep Sonic interesting without adding another Big the Cat? Easy, in Sonic Colors, the blue blur actually transforms into other characters using Wisps. Pretty sneaky, Sega.
Sega 'looking to improve Sonic strategy,' reducing supply of older Sonic games
There are stories emanating from the mysterious coalition known simply as "Europe" that Sega -- responsible for some of your dearest childhood memories and, maybe, your first heartbreak -- is busy "delisting" less-than-stellar Sonic the Hedgehog titles from European retailers. Jurgen Post, Sega SVP of EMEA (that's Europe, the Middle East and Africa), told MCV, "Any Sonic game with an average Metacritic has been de-listed," continuing, "We have to do this and increase the value of the brand. This will be very important when more big Sonic releases arrive in the future." While that certainly sounds ominous, we asked Alan Pritchard – newly instated veep of sales and marketing for Sega US and the man who held Mr. Post's spot until just a couple month's ago – to clarify what it means for Europe, for Sonic and (jingoism be damned!) for North America. "I think perhaps Jurgen's comments have somewhat been taken out of context," Pritchard told Joystiq. "It's not quite as drastic as what Disney do for example. They bring out Lion King and all of a sudden there's a cut-off date, and you can't buy Lion King for another six months. It's not quite as drastic as turning the tap off completely. We want consumers and retailers to defocus from the back catalog, the older titles and focus more on the new-release titles."
Sonic Colours limited edition speeds to Europe, Australia
If listings on Amazon.de and EB Games Australia are to be believed, both Europe and the Land Down Under will be receiving a limited edition of Sonic Colors. The limited edition comes in both Wii and DS flavors and includes a (kind of awkward looking) Sonic figure and three wisp figurines. Each version comes with different wisps, so you'll have to snag both the DS and Wii editions if you just have to have them all. We've contacted Sega to find out if the limited edition will see a release in North America as well.
Sounic 'Colours' trailer actually loouks awfully amousing
In honour of the Euroupean Sounic Colours proumoutiounal videou pousted below, we've decided tou stand aloungside ouur ouverseas couhourts, and their inexplicable manner ouf spelling. Check ouut the trailer, which features soume of Sounic's new pouwers and ould, ould foues, like Douctour Rouboutnik.
Sonic Colors preview: Wisp you were here
We can all agree that Sonic Unleashed had some pretty deep lows -- specifically, the Werehog. But the daytime segments in the game showed promise; almost a return to form. These areas of the game, for the unaware, combined Sonic Adventure-like 3D free-running elements alongside more classical, 2D elements from the series' past. It was easily the highlight of that game. And Sega knows it, which explains why Sonic Colors is pretty much nothing but those portions of gameplay. That alone would make for a pretty serviceable Sonic game, but Sega has also added Wisps: small alien creatures who imbue Sonic with one-time-use powers.%Gallery-95227%
Sonic Colors to (maybe) spin dash our hopes on November 16
Your next opportunity to feel pleasantly surprised or expectedly disappointed by Sega's azure mascot will come November 16, the recently announced release date for Sonic Colors on Wii and DS. We know you've been hurt so many times in the past, but we suggest watching the new trailer posted after the jump before deciding how you really feel about the Hedgehog's upcoming outing. Hey, at the very least, this one comes with a special hat for pre-orderers. That's gotta count for something, doesn't it?
Sonic Colors pre-order GameStop bonus is this Sonic hat
You may get burned for the umpteenth time by pre-ordering Sonic Colors before the reviews are in, but at least you'll get an awesome hat out of it. Reminiscent of the Scribblenauts "Rooster Hat" bonus, this Sonic hat is the worm on GameStop's hook for purchasing either the Wii or DS version of the game. The hat will be handed over for both online and in-store purchases when the game launches. If recent history serves as any indication, it may be easier to justify spending the money if one thinks of the game as being the pre-order bonus for the hat. %Gallery-95227%
Preview: Sonic Colors
Here's the thing: I'm hesitant to say anything good about an upcoming Sonic game, because we all know we've been disappointed so many times by the franchise. Sega's been chasing after a super fast, graphically gorgeous, inventive and fun Sonic platformer for so long that whenever it promises yet another new Sonic title, it's very, very hard to believe that it might end up finally being that game. Just according to the odds, I'm going to guess that Sonic Colors still isn't that game, but Sega has been trying very hard, over and over again, to do it right. Sonic Colors looks good, albeit with reservations. %Gallery-95227%
Sega announces Sonic Colors, coming to Wii and DS in late 2010
Man, Sega's just full of surprises, isn't it? Earlier today, the company announced Sonic Colors (or Colours, if you live in a country that spells that word that ridiculous way). a new platformer featuring the blue hedgehog and his new troupe of polychromatic friends. Sonic will have to navigate a sci-fi themed amusement park to thwart the plans of -- who else -- Dr. Eggman by saving multicolored aliens, each of which bestow a certain special ability upon the series' attitude-filled protagonist. That sounds like it has the propensity be be more colorful and trippy than a Flaming Lips concert. According to Sega Europe's blog, the game is set to drop for Wii and DS in late 2010. You can check out an extremely brief announcement trailer posted after the break. [Thanks, RupeeClock]
