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Sega's home game division posts losses, Mario & Sonic a bright spot
Sega's "Game Contents" division (i.e. home video games) was down 5.1% for the nine-month period ending December 31, with the company reporting 63.5 billion yen ($833 million) in net game sales from the division ... and 5.5 billion yen in total losses. As for reasoning, Sega said only that "in the overseas markets, sales of the new titles remained slow as affected by adverse market condition." Best we can tell, that "adverse market condition" refers to our economies all being really, really terrible.The publisher shared sales numbers for its major releases. Sonic Generations sold 1.63 million copies across four platforms (Wii, PS3, PC, and the 3DS Generations game). Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games outsold it with 2.39 million copies -- despite not being released in Japan yet, and only being on one platform at the time, the Wii. And, uh, despite being a Mario & Sonic Olympics minigame collection. Hatsune Miku Project Diva Extend for PSP (released in Japan only) was the other named hit, with 290,000 copies.Looking up at Sega's sales by platform, it's worth noting that Sega's single PlayStation Vita release, Virtua Tennis 4 (called Power Smash 4 in Japan) sold just 10,000 copies between the Vita launch date of December 17 and the end of the year. That ... doesn't seem very good.
Sonic CD, Sonic 4, Generations DLC and more hit Steam today
A whole mess of Sonic the Hedgehog content has rolled onto Steam today. First up, Sonic CD, which has already debuted on PSN, Xbox Live and mobile platforms, has now made its way to Valve's ubiquitous service. Joining it is Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 and the Sonic Generations "Casino Nights" DLC that was previously scheduled to arrive on December 26. Though it's not a Sonic game, Sega's free-to-play Spiral Knights is getting some Sonic-themed content as well. Players can pick up a Metal Sonic costume or a Tails accessory (i.e. a pair of fox tails). Spiral Knights is free, but these items are not. The Metal Sonic costume comes free with Steam copies of Sonic CD, while the Tails accessory will require an in-game energy purchase. Both items are available until February 1. Head over to Sega's blog to check out images of the new goodies.
Sonic is in this Progressive commercial
We don't know about you guys, but when we play word-association games during our Tuesday therapy sessions with Dr. Busklokavitch, "Sonic the Hedgehog" and "Progressive Auto Insurance" go together like "peanut butter" and "jelly," or "plastic sheets" and "reciprocating hand saw."
Amazon PC download sale: Cheap Sonic Generations, Tropico 4, Dungeon Defenders, more
Ever vigilant to claim every last cent of your holiday budget, Amazon is running a sale on various PC downloads. Today's sale features several Sega titles, the highlight of which is probably Sonic Generations for a paltry $15. You can also snag the Sega Power Pack, which bundles together Sonic Generations, Renegade Ops, lots of Total War titles and tons of Genesis classics for $50 – over $200 off the normal price. Some notable non-Sega titles include Tropico 4 for only five bucks or the excellent Dungeon Defenders for just $7.50.
Sonic Generations Casino Nights Pinball DLC on Steam Dec. 26
Remember Sonic Spinball? Remember its infuriatingly addictive levels and flat-out fantastic music? Well don't get your hopes up, this is probably not going to be anything like that. Industrious hedgehog lovers who purchased Sonic Generations through Steam will have the opportunity to purchase the pinball-mini-game-packing Casino Night Pinball DLC pack on December 26 for $1.59 USD, just in time for the day after Christmas.
The Joystiq Show - 011: Now Playing Battlefield 3
It's a game explosion this week and you better get used to it, because the season only gets crazier from here. Up first, Richard, Ludwig and Griffin share their experiences with Lord of the Rings: War in the North, Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, and Sonic Generations. Guess which one of these games features the protagonist kissing a human woman. Battlefield 3 takes the hot seat this week with some tough love. Arthur joins in to explain why a game with so many issues deserves the score he gave it. Alexander and Ben also get in on the multiplayer love-fest. And Spoiled Rotten is back. Chris assembled his own team of villains to discuss the ins-and-outs of Batman: Arkham City. But beware, you're about to get punched with spoilers. Part 1 (1:27) - Now Playing: Lord of the Rings: War in the North, Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, and Sonic Generations Part 2 (54:07) - Roundtable: Battlefield 3 Part 3 (1:41:36) - Spoiled Rotten: Batman: Arkham City Get the podcast: [iTunes] Subscribe to the Joystiq Podcast in iTunes [Zune] Subscribe to the Joystiq Podcast directly in the Zune Marketplace [RSS] Add the Joystiq Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator [MP3] Download the MP3 directly Host: Richard Mitchell (@SenseiRAM) Producer: Jonathan Downin (@jonathandownin - Game Thing Daily) Production Coordinator: Richard Mitchell Music: Trash80, Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, Battlefield 3, and Batman: Arkham City Stream the show after the break.
Sonic Generations review: Run-time compiler
Revisiting two decades of games, Sonic Generations is pitched as a celebration of Sega's previously pudgy mascot and the timeless appeal of blue skies, checkerboard loops, and things that go "boing." But much like the one Sonic receives in the opening, Generations is closer to a lame birthday party that you attend out of courtesy. That feeling you get from playing every Sonic game after Genesis brews as disappointment and eventually becomes sympathy, mostly for the branded custodians at Sonic Team. They can't seem to please anybody, can they? Oh, Sonic's jumping feels wrong. The momentum is messed up over here. It's about exploration, not speed! Guys, the physics of my anthropomorphic blue hedgehog is inaccurate within this segmented fantasy landscape! Even when they make a game -- well, let's say half a game -- dedicated to capturing Sonic as he was, before vocal chords and a third dimension, they still can't win. Why?
Sonic Generations pre-orders exceed all previous Sonic titles
Sega has announced that Sonic Generations is breaking pre-order records. Specifically, Generations has officially "exceeded all previous pre-order records from the 20-year Sonic catalog, making it the most anticipated title in Sonic the Hedgehog's iconic history." For what it's worth, we're not really sure if you could pre-order games during the Genesis era, but that doesn't exactly make for an exciting press release. Sega also notes that Sonic's 20th Anniversary – and thus Generations – has been heralded by several special events, including the construction of a Sonic-themed playground in Oakland, California, a promotion at Six Flags and the Sonic Boom party at E3. Here's hoping Sega can truly honor the Blue Blur by delivering a game worthy of his glory days.
Here's how Sonic Generations' 3DS-specific features will work
When Sonic Generations arrives on Nintendo's 3DS this November, it's going to let you show off to the world how totally into Sonic you are. That is, if you walk by spindash past other folks with a 3DS copy of the game somewhere out there in the real world. Sega revealed the game's 3DS-specific Spot Pass features this week, which it detailed as bi-functional -- trade missions with friends and exchange "profile cards." Apparently, Sonic Generations comes with 100 extra missions that can be unlocked via Spot Pass, though the extra missions consist of the game's main levels, albeit modified with specific objectives (kill a specific type of enemy, time trials, etc.) As for the profile cards, 3DS gamers will be able to show off their percentage completion of Generations, as well as sharing various other info (messages like, "Eggman is #1!," for instance). Might we suggest adding your killer Sonic fanfic into that messaging area?
Pre-order Sonic Generations on Steam, receive classic Sonic games free
Today has been a pretty good news day for the dusty old codgers here at Joystiq; not only will the original Sonic the Hedgehog be included in Sonic Generations as an unlockable, but Steam has gone and sweetened the nostalgia pot by giving away Sonic 3D Blast and Sonic 3 and Knuckles with every Generations pre-order. Sonic Generations hits Steam November 4, but the pre-order bonuses become instantly available at check-out. And look at it this way, even if Generations ends up being a flop, you can tell yourself you spent 30 dollars on two Genesis ports, which is a much more palatable sense of disappointment. [Thanks, Prezten!]
Sonic Generations will include the original Sonic The Hedgehog (if you can unlock it)
The original Sonic The Hedgehog will be available as a complete, unlockable game in Sonic Generations, Sonic Team's Takashi Iizuka said during a panel at Paris Games Week. Iizuka didn't specify how exactly to unlock Sonic The Hedgehog, but we assume it has something to do with curling into a tight ball and rolling up some loop-the-loops at breakneck speeds. You, not Sonic. This is a really special unlock, so we expect you'll really have to earn it.
Sonic Generations dashes to 3DS November 22
We knew Sonic Generations was coming out on PS3 and Xbox 360 on November 1, but Sega has been quiet about the release window for the dual-screen, dual-hedgehog 3DS version. Today, Sega dismissed the building rumors that Generations on 3DS had been delayed until next year. The publisher announced that the 3DS game (which has almost entirely exclusive content) is just a bit slower than its speed-obsessed console counterparts, and as a result it'll hit stores on November 22.
New(ish) Sonic Generations demo coming to PS3, 360 starting this week
Sega is sending out a second demo for Sonic Generations, its multi-year mascot mishmash coming to PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on November 1. The new demo, which should be available on Xbox Live Marketplace starting tomorrow (followed by a North American PSN version on October 25), revisits the checkerboard loops of Green Hill Zone, this time with a "modern Sonic" component. The classic version of the level (see: slightly rotund Sonic) will also be available in this demo, just in case you missed it in the first round back in June.
Sonic's rivals make their arrivals in Sonic Generations trailer
The latest Sonic Generations trailer approaches the danger zone for a Sonic game -- it focuses on characters other than Sonic. But since it's all bosses and rivals instead of Sonic's infamous cadre of support characters, we can forgive the use of non-Sonic characters. Besides, this trailer somehow manages to make Shadow the Hedgehog and even Silver the Hedgehog seem cool and a little menacing. Even the chubby, Genesis-era version of Metal Sonic comes off as pretty cool. Good job, Sega trailer editor!
Sonic Generations speeding to PC
After Destructoid spotted PC listings for Sonic Generations on Direct2Drive and Green Man Gaming, Eurogamer has confirmed that the upcoming Sonic title is indeed headed to the platform. The PC version will feature Steamworks (including Steam Cloud saves) and stereoscopic 3D support. It will be available in Europe on November 4 and, presumably, will arrive in North America on November 1 alongside the console releases. Here's hoping that beefy gaming setups can make the Blue Blur's PC outing a little less ... blurry.
Sonic Generations trailer reaches the 'modern' era (of werewolves and girlfriends)
How confident is Sega in Sonic Generations? Well, the company's willing to build in a piece -- and thus, a reminder -- of 2006's Sonic the Hedgehog. We hope the loading times aren't carrying over alongside that game's "Crisis City" level.
Sonic Generations trailer introduces the Dreamcast generation
The latest Sonic Generations trailer is targeted at a specific kind of nostalgia: for the era in which you were running past killer whales in sunny skies -- when you were flying around at the speed of sound, and following your rainbow. And, in keeping with the Dreamcast-era theme of the trailer, our old pal Shadow the Hedgehog makes a dramatic entrance at the end of the thing, with no hint of the cars or guns of his later solo outing. He's in the game as a "rival," so he won't be playable.
Don't worry, 'many' of Sonic's friends will be in Generations (but not playable)
We know that Sonic Generations represents a sort of back-to-basics approach, with a focus on classic and modern Sonic gameplay. But is it so back-to-basics that it's devoid of Sonic's extended cast of characters? We asked director Hiroshi Miyamoto if Sonic's friends would show up in the new game. "We really wanted to encapsulate 20 years of Sonic characters," Miyamoto told Joystiq, "so we've got those really memorable bosses, we've got memorable rivals as well that you can play against; so far we've announced Metal Sonic and Shadow." In addition to those adversarial characters, "There's many friends in there as well." He added something that almost made us really scared: "We've tried to include as many friends as possible." Oh ... "They're not playable, but there are many friends." Oh!
Sonic Generations hitting PS3 and 360 on Nov. 1
While every game ever battles it out for a lucrative spot in yet another financially ruinous November, Sonic Generations grabs the first available date for its Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions. Sega's brisk, blast-processed stroll down memory lane will launch on November 1 in North America, and November 4 in Europe (where you can also obtain an elaborate special edition). Sega has only confirmed the launch dates for Sonic's console outings at this time. The 3DS version, which features platform-exclusive levels and a two-player versus mode, is scheduled for "late 2011."
Europe's Sonic Generations CE prevents your death with inclusion of a gold ring
If you're a long-time Sonic fan, it's likely that Sega has already gotten you with Sonic Generations, which celebrates the character's history. But now, the publisher has smartly guaranteed that all those same fans will upgrade to the new collector's edition -- by including a gold ring, something that every Sonic fan exhibits a Pavlovian response to. Ironically, it appears to be a paperweight, and thus designed to make things stop moving. Along with that trinket, the set includes a statuette of Sonic and his pal Sonic, an artbook with unseen illustrations from the series, a 20th anniversary soundtrack, and a documentary called "History of Sonic: Birth of an Icon." Oh, and there's a PS3 or Xbox 360 copy of the actual game, and a DLC voucher. This is even more stuff than was included in retail listings for the Collector's Edition. But a few important things won't be part of the deal: there won't be a Collector's Edition for the 3DS version, and there won't be an American release either. This is for Europe only.
