big-red-button-entertainment
Latest
Sonic Boom Wii U has the guile to release a week early
Sega moved the Wii U Rise of Lyric edition of Sonic Boom up to November 11, a week ahead of its previously announced November 18 ETA. The publisher didn't say why it's shifted the date forward, but it does mean both the 3DS Shattered Crystal and Wii U versions are hitting store shelves on the same day. Sonic Boom marks the debut of the newly be-scarfed hog, and on Wii U it mixes some of the series' trademark high-speed platforming with more leisurely puzzling and open combat sequences. In his PAX preview, Joystiq's Sam Prell pondered if those slower segments may prove more fun than the breakneck stuff, despite the blast processing. [Image: Sega]
Sonic Boom reaches Wii U, 3DS in November
Sonic the Hedgehog will grace the Wii U and 3DS with his newly-lanky, traumatic dimensions in mid-November, according to Sega. First up is Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal, a 3DS game crafted by Sly Cooper: Thieves In Time developer Sanzaru Games, which is slated to appear on November 11. Then, a week later, Big Red Button Entertainment will debut the Wii U-exclusive Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric. Collectively dubbed the "Sonic Boom initiative," these two games will tell complementary tales that are linked in the surprisingly extensive Sonic the Hedgehog canon. While you won't need to play both games to receive a full story, those who fall hopelessly in love with this most recent incarnation of 1992's favorite spiny rodent can also look forward to comic books and an animated series to quell their thirst for hedgehog hijinks. [Image: Sega]
Sonic Boom comes to Wii U and 3DS from western studios
Let the Sonic Cycle begin anew! Sega announced a whole new Sonic the Hedgehog franchise at a New York City event on Thursday: Sonic Boom. That's the name of the new CG animated series debuting later this year alongside tie-in Wii U and Nintendo 3DS games, as an entirely new franchise. As Sega of America marketing chief Marcella Churchill stressed during her introduction, the "modern Sonic" character that's starred in the series since Sonic Adventure won't be going anywhere. Aside from subtle cosmetic changes to the principal characters and play style, a teaser shown at the event for Sonic Boom hewed close to the mold of all three-dimensional Sonic games. The most significant change is who is developing them.
Report: Three more leave Infinity Ward
IGN reports that three more staffers have left Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 developer Infinity Ward. Programmer Jon Shiring and senior animator Bruce Ferriz independently confirmed that they were leaving IW, with Ferriz heading to Big Red Button Entertainment and Shiring not providing more information. "I'm not trying to create spectacle, I just wanted to avoid the LinkedIn nonsense," Shiring said of his move, referring to two former IW employees who were discovered via LinkedIn to have left the studio. Lead designer Mackey McCandlish has also confirmed (via Twitter) that he's leaving the studio after "a great 8+ year run." This news comes just one day after the ousted IW co-founders announced the creation of Respawn Entertainment and a partnership with ... ahem ... EA Partners. As of this writing, no ex-Infinity Ward employees have joined the new venture.
