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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."
Steering blobs and dropping dudes with Costco's $10.99 sale
Is Mercury Meltdown Revolution a part of your Wii collection? If not, it absolutely should be, for Ignition's addictive puzzler must be one of the most criminally overlooked gems on the platform. And now Costco has it for $10.99, along with a bunch of other titles that range from pretty damn good to shovelware (oh, hai Pool Party). Angelina Jolie favorite Ghost Squad is also on sale, giving you a chance to knock terrorists from their speeding, swan-shaped jet skis, and save money in the process. If a better offer has come along this century, we've yet to see it.Below are the six titles that most stood out to us (the full list is past the jump); we expect at least two of these to be in your house by June 22nd, when the sale ends: Ghost Squad Sonic and the Secret Rings Sega Bass Fishing Mercury Meltdown: Revolution Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz SSX Blur %Gallery-24906%%Gallery-5667%
We Got It 4 Cheap: 38 Wii sales at Amazon
The thrifty kids at Cheap Ass Gamers have compiled a list of Wii games currently on sale at Amazon, digging up almost 40 different deals. Of course, most of them are junk -- pet sim shovelware and titles based on movie licenses -- but there are a few marked down that you'll likely find interest in: Alien Syndrome - $19.99 ($29.99) Battalion Wars 2 - $23.31 ($49.99), read our review Bust A Move Bash - $29.99 ($39.99) Nights: Journey of Dreams - $29.99 ($49.99) Nitrobike - $19.99 ($29.99) No More Heroes - $33.99 ($49.99), read our review Soul Calibur: Legends - $18.90 ($39.99) Sonic and the Secret Rings - $20.99 ($29.99) We can't guarantee how long these bargains will last, so jump on them now while you can, or you'll end up having to settle for Chicken Shoot. Bring your cart past the post break for the full tally of discounted games.
Wii's third-party million-sellers revealed
Ah, how we all knowingly chuckled when Sega predicted it would sell four million copies of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games across the Wii and DS. Like a drunken, rowdy friend boasting of sexual conquests that never actually occurred, Sega's strutting came across as the stuff of fantasy.And then the news came through. They'd sold five million. D'oh!We were reminded of our misplaced Mario & Sonic cynicism again today, after That Videogame Blog listed the third-party games that have shifted one million units on the Wii. Sure enough, the plumber and the hedgehog taunted us from the top of the pile (with 3.4 million sales), while Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (1.8 million), Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition (1.6 million), Rayman Raving Rabbids, Sonic and the Secret Rings, Carnival Games (all 1.2 million), and Red Steel (1 million) sat beneath it.Helpfully, author Ashutosh Chhibbar has also listed those titles that are nearing the magical seven-digit landmark, with Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles, MySims, or LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga just needing one last push.
Buy the 'last copies' of these cheap games at Best Buy
As one of those irritating "Black Friday" deals that gets desperate people outside at 4am, Best Buy will be offering four Wii games at a discounted price of $19.99 on Friday and Saturday. The selection includes enough of interest to make it worth leaving your family on Thanksgiving night to go camp out in front of an electronics store! If anything is.We won't speak for Rapala Tournament Fishing! or Brunswick Pro Bowling, although if you're going to buy those, you might as well do it at a reduced price. More likely to be cared about is Sonic and the Secret Rings, which might well be $20 worth of game. The best deal is Resident Evil 4 Wii Edition, which, at $20, is about what you'd pay for a new copy of RE4 on the GameCube. If you don't see these on the shelves, just wait until a blueshirt comes by with the "last one" of the game you're looking for. [Via GoNintendo]
Rumor: Another stash of Wiis coming to Toys R Us
... and another Matthew Lesko picture to summarize our feelings. Tipster HexiJosh was spot on about the last TRU Wii hoard, so we have no reason to disbelieve him now when he tells us that Sunday, March 18 is the day to queue up. Still, we're marking this as a rumor just to be safe.He says that Toys R Us stores are getting even larger shipments this time than last time-- his store is getting a minimum of 12 systems-- and that TRU is planning to sell them bundled with Sonic and the Secret Rings. We hope these bundles don't cost full price-- bundling is only fun when there's a discount involved, and even then it's kind of annoying.But complaining about bundles misses the point, which is HEY THERE ARE PROBABLY GOING TO BE SOME WIIS FOR SALE. Plan your next weekend accordingly![Thanks, HexiJosh!]
Sonic and the Spoiled Ending
Well, that didn't take long. Two days after the US release date of Sonic and the Secret Rings, a Sonic fan has made it to the end of the rails and posted a video of the ending on YouTube. We're sure it totally makes sense in context, but we have yet to jump into Sega's latest mascot platformer.Great news for people who only play Sonic games for the stories: we just saved you $50. It's about time Sonic fans had some good news, right? Of course, this is terrible for weaker-willed fans trying to avoid the rushing tide of SPOILARRRS.We dare you to watch the video after the break.[Via Insert Credit]
New Japanese Sonic trailer
This one comes courtesy of Famitsu's monthly Wave DVD, so there's more than just Sonic lurking in the video if you're patient and really like umbrellas. But if all you're interested in is a speedy blue hero and his quest for a few rings, then you're in luck -- he's got the opening number, and he's rocking out and racing hard.Head over there to watch it ... and don't forget that the game's been bumped, and is now only a few weeks away.
New Sonic trailer, chock full of rings
There's a new trailer for Sonic and the Secret Rings tucked away on Sega's American site, and though this may strike you as a surprise, it's filled with Sonic himself speedily racing through levels and -- wait for it -- collecting rings. Bombshell, right? Okay, so not really. But it's a fast-paced little bit of blurry blue action and definitely worth a watch. And maybe it's just because this particular blogger has been grinding it out with the Wii's Downhill Jam and similarly speedy fun, but this really looks like it could be a blast. We know the pantheon of Sonic titles are a bone that gamers like to gnaw in friendly brawls arguments, so we gotta ask: how's this one strike you?And we apologize, but there's no embedded video, so you'll have to head over to Sega's site for the trailer. While we hate to do that to you, we can at least promise that this one is child-free.[Via Go Nintendo]
