sonicthehedgehog
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'Sonic the Hedgehog' tribute games reflect a mascot's fall from grace
It'd be an understatement to say that the Sonic the Hedgehog game franchise hasn't held up well over time. Sonic was once nearly as big as Mario, but a long string of bad titles (with exceptions) ruined his rep -- you're more likely to spot him in dodgy fan fiction and internet memes than a popular game. And the homebrew developers from Arcane Kids know it. They've built the Sonic Dreams Collection, a batch of tiny tribute games for Macs and Windows PCs that acknowledge the Sega mascot's fall from grace. It masquerades as a leaked set of Dreamcast protoypes, but it's really a nod to the weird places Sonic fandom has gone in the 21st century. There's a "Sonic Movie Maker" where the hedgehog calls you his dad, and "My Roommate Sonic..." well, let's just say it turns romance stories on their head.
Sega announces Sonic Dash, an endless runner starring the blue hedgehog
Having tried some traditional Sonic the Hedgehog gameplay with Sonic Episode 4 (which didn't seem to do that well for them), Sega has now moved to the strategy of using Sonic in much simpler, arcade-style iOS games. Sonic Jump came out a little while ago, featuring an endless jumping/Doodle Jump-esque premise, and now Sega has announced Sonic Dash, an endless running game featuring all of the series' mainstays. It's a 3D game, however, so it'll likely have a lot of similarities to Temple Run, which is certainly a franchise that a lot of game developers have been emulating lately. Sonic Dash is due out "soon" on the App Store, which probably means later on this week. We'll keep an eye out for it then.
Elaborate Nike YouTube video has hidden Sonic Game (video)
When you've got a marketing budget the size of Nike's, a few international footballers and a glossy video aren't really enough. That's why its latest "My time is now" campaign is an all out interactive spend-fest, complete with a hidden Sega Sonic the Hedgehog mini-game. The standard YouTube version (as seen over the break) isn't interactive, but head over to Nike's official channel, and it's a whole different ball game. Clicking on players slow-mos the action, bringing up player details etc., and there are nine hidden "tunnels' to find -- one of which being the Sonic game. Can you find it? Hint: look for the pitch-side adverts with go faster boot on. Your time is now...
BlackBerry gets its game on at BBW, scores Jetpack Joyride and Sonic
One of the things BlackBerry has never really had going for it, is a deep games catalog. Now, that isn't about to change in one fell swoop, but things are about to get a lot better at BlackBerry World 2012. RIM's head of gaming, Anders Jeppsson, took to twitter to let the world know about the impressive pile of titles heading to the PlayBook and BlackBerry 10. The biggest names are certainly Jetpack Joyride, from Halfbrick (the studio behind Fruit Ninja), and Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1. Other games in the pipeline include Galaxy on Fire 2 and Star Marine, while Tomb Raider fans can get down with Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light starting today. Keep an ear out for more to hit during this week's BBW.
Sega streamlines US, European operations after posting $86 million loss
Sega Sammy Holdings Inc. has announced that it will begin streamlining its American and European operations after posting an 7.1 billion Yen ($86 million dollar) extraordinary loss for the 2011 year. The move is expected to create a "smaller company positioned for sustained profitability" with the company planning a shift to a new "digital content" strategy. It'll cancel work on new, forthcoming titles and just concentrate on key earners like the Sonic, Football Manager and Total War franchises. There's no official word on if it'll involve job losses, but the company is setting aside 4.9 billion yen ($59.7 million) of that loss figure in order to cover the costs of the corporate reorganization. In the meantime, we're off to pour one out for one of our childhood staples.
Sonic the Hedgehog will charge your Wiimote inductively, but he won't like it
He may be flashing a peace sign, but you can tell from the look in his eyes that Sonic isn't exactly thrilled to be doing anything to support Nintendo. This is the cat that made blast processing a reality, whose addiction for gold rings is legendary, and who hasn't starred in a truly great game since, well, since Sega stopped making hardware, now reduced to this. Look at him, perched atop a mock floating platform, brown and tan checkerboard base with a green top where you can set your Wiimotes for charging without stripping them of their prophylactics. Though the press release makes no mention of this, we were led to believe that this is not actually powered by your AC outlet, instead by the spirits of fuzzy little squirrels and rabbits trapped within, making this $49.99 figurine from Mad Catz all the more nefarious.
Sonic and Golden Axe speed to Xbox Live Arcade
This week's Xbox Live Arcade titles are Golden Axe and, finally, Sonic the Hedgehog. Both cost a mere 400 Microsoft Points, with Golden Axe allowing for co-operative play on Live and locally. The Achievements for both titles were made available yesterday, and led us to believe that at the very least, GA was coming today. Fortunately, we were only half right, as Sonic finally made its debut under the Sega Vintage Collection line of titles. With any luck, we'll see Ecco and Sonic 2 follow suit.
Sonic 2 speeding to XBLA says ESRB
We sort of missed this yesterday, and it's time to make it right. In addition to the ESRB revelation that Lara Croft's latest adventure, Tomb Raider: Anniversary, is heading to the Xbox 360 (possibly as DLC), Joystiq also uncovered an ESRB entry for Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Add this title to the ever growing list of Genesis classics rated by the ESRB -- Sonic the Hedgehog, Streets of Rage 2, Ecco the Dolphin, and now Sonic 2 -- and the existence of the SEGA Vintage Collection is becoming harder and harder to deny. Our only question: how many more titles does the ESRB need to reveal before SEGA makes an official announcement?
Ecco and Sonic receive ESRB ratings for XBLA
Further validating the screenshots of SEGA's Vintage Collection discovered earlier this month, ESRB ratings have been discovered for two of SEGA's classic titles. One of them, Sonic the Hedgehog, we've known about for some time. The other, however, is something of a surprise. Ecco the Dolphin is also listed for the Xbox 360. While we love the original Sonic as much as any self-respecting gamer, we have a special soft spot for Ecco. Given an HD makeover and the spiffy new age soundtrack from the SEGA CD version and we'd really have a special title on Xbox Live Arcade.What other titles would you like to see in the SEGA Vintage Collection? Kid Chameleon, Altered Beast, Phantasy Star?[Via Joystiq]Read
Finally, some Sonic & SEGA XBLA details
For the first time since its announcement back at The Last E3 Evar we finally have some new info regarding SEGA's involvement with Xbox Live Arcade, and the original Genesis/Mega Drive launch title, Sonic the Hedgehog. We were a little worried that Nintendo's Virtual Console scooped Microsoft, as the title's been available since the Wii's launch. SEGA's apparently going to be releasing their XBLA titles under the "SEGA Vintage Collection", with Sonic leading the pack. More screens available by clicking the "Read" link. So, is it about time, or does it really take AGES to be this good?
SEGA reigns in Thor, Captain America, Hulk
As more and more comic books are being turned into movies (X-Men, Hellboy, Sin City, etc.), comic book characters are becoming a hot commodity. SEGA is now jumping into the fray, picking up the videogame rights to Captain America, the Hulk, and Thor. All three characters are set to have feature films in the near future and it makes sense that SEGA would do their best to acquire them (blockbuster movie = free marketing). These characters will join SEGA's roster alongside Iron Man, whom the company acquired last year. Iron Man, incidentally, is also being made into a feature film.Given the quality of recent SEGA titles (cough, Sonic the Hedgehog, cough), we remain suspect of the new Marvel games. Still, comic book heroes generally make decent fodder for videogames (Superman notwithstanding), so we're cautiously optimistic. Here's hoping.Since we're on the topic, how about we get Captain America and the Avengers on XBLA? Let's get somebody working on that, mkay?[Via Joystiq. Thanks, Annie]]
Sonic getting a much needed break
Speaking to N'Gai Croal about the upcoming Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, SEGA of America president, Simon Jeffrey intimated that Sonic will soon be disappearing from the public eye for a while. Jeffrey notes that "we're not going to be bringing another [Sonic] game out on the other platforms for quite some time, because we feel that it is time to reinvent Sonic, to make Sonic contemporary again." While the recent Nintendo iterations of Sonic (Sonic Rush on DS and Sonic and the Secret Rings on Wii) have received decent reviews, his most recent outing on PS3 and 360 suffered from serious problems. Before that, the Sonic universe was subjected to the God-awful combination of hedgehogs and guns in Shadow the Hedgehog. To put it bluntly, the Sonic series has been faltering. Of course, that doesn't mean it hasn't been selling well, as Jeffrey points out.Frankly, this can't be viewed as anything but a good thing. The quality of Sonic games has been slipping over the last few years and a "reset" sounds like exactly what Sonic needs. What would you like to see SEGA do with the next Sonic. We have only two words. No. Sidekicks.[Via Joystiq]
Sonic Boss Attack mode on Marketplace
Sonic the Hedgehog has a a few pieces of new content available on Xbox Live Marketplace. If you enjoyed the boss battles found in the game with, you might be interested in this. You can download, for 150 MS points each, "Boss Attack"s for each of the game's lead hedgehogs. Apparently, if you've completed Sonic, Shadow, or Silver's respective episode, you can use this content for what seems to be a game mode akin to Heavy Weapon's Boss Blitz, but for individual characters. Do you play the game, and would you pick this up if you do?
BIH content, 9/27: Sonic the Hedgehog edition
Another day, another demo in the latest batch of X06 content. Today we get a brand spanking new demo of Sonic the Hedgehog. Is it possible we could see a new demo every day? The possibility is titillating. As for the rest, well, there isn't much. Just this:Kane & Lynch: Dead Men trailerIt should also be noted that the Alan Wake theme and picture pack are also available now, though they weren't mentioned in yesterday's official list. The picture pack is 80 MS Points and the theme will cost you 150. Curious by their absence are the promised HD trailers of Lost Odyssey and Blue Dragon. We can only hope they'll hit sometime today as scheduled. We'll keep you posted. In the meantime, we're downloading the Sonic demo and working on the sh*t-ton of X06 info that is starting to hit. Stay tuned.
BIH content, 9/26: Lego Star Wars edition
Another day, another batch of BIH content. See what we did there? BIH. See, it's an acronym for Bringing It Home. Pretty sweet, huh? Anywho, here's the almighty list for today: Forza 2 Physics & Damage trailer NBA 2K7 trailer Sonic The Hedgehog trailer Shrek 3 trailer Just Cause trailer NHL 2K7 trailer The Darkness trailer LEGO Star Wars II demo(!) A potent list indeed, capable of discombobulating even those of the strongest constitutions. The real winner here is of course the demo of the UK's recent chart topper, LEGO Star Wars II. On a more peculiar note, wasn't there a trailer for The Darkness up yesterday? Is this one different? We'll be back shortly with our thoughts on the LSWII demo. We're sure you're waiting with bated breath.
ESRB rates seven Genesis games for Wii
A recent search of the ESRB website turned up some scintillating results. Though not confirmed for launch or any specific timeframe, the names of seven Sega greats are listed on ESRB as coming to the Wii virtual console...and holy hell, can they pick 'em. Check it out: Altered Beast Columns Ecco the Dolphin Golden Axe Ristar Sonic the Hedgehog Toe Jam & Earl You might recognize these games as being utter classics, some of the very best the Genesis had to offer. Most have at least a cult following, and they're sure to add a huge boost to the VC's popularity. Oh, how we long to echo-locate once more... [via Joystiq]
Sonic racing to Revolution?
Gameshout is carrying word that our old friend Sonic may very well be headed to Nintendo's next-gen machine. What makes this bit of info and rumor all the more interesting is that this new Sonic may be different than the other new Sonics (you know, the ones that have already been announced as in development for the Xbox 360 and PS3).Could this be the start of developers taking true advantage of the Revolution's unique control capabilites? We'll keep our fingers crossed that Sonic Revolution will be more than just a port.[Via Gameshout]
