Posted by Barry the Nomad on Feb 26th, 2013

Via the Sonic Stadium comes news that SEGA’s Hardlight studio, the team behind Sonic Jump, is now at work on another Sonic title named Sonic Dash. The news came by way of job advertisements posted by the studio on LinkedIn. Sonic Dash is listed as a recent title, with Sonic Jump also being listed. The title has since been removed, but Sonic Stadium screen capped it to prove that they’re not talking nonsense. The job posting, pre-edit, read as follows:
Hardlight is SEGA’s third UK based studio and is focused exclusively on creating high quality, innovative game experiences for mobile and handheld platforms.
The Studio comprises small, agile teams working on new IP & well-known SEGA IP. Project durations are 5-10 months, building on the success of their first projects on iOS – Sonic Jump & Sonic Dash – Hardlight is now working on some new & exciting projects.
The team follows an ethos of staying compact, agile and focused – combining talent from a variety of game genres and backgrounds, and welcomes applications from candidates of all levels of experience.
More than likely, Sonic Dash will be a sidescrolling endless runner, not unlike the free app released around Sonic’s 20th anniversary entitled Sonic the Sketchhog or the more recent Sonic and Nike game Sonic X Vapor. The job listing appears to be for projects following Sonic Dash, which implies that the game is already finished and is awaiting release. Given that the game’s name came right from Hardlight and SEGA, we’re treating it as news but will slap a “rumor” tag on it just in case.
Posted by Shigs on Jan 23rd, 2013

While we don’t normally post rumors very often, today seems to be the exception. Earlier today, The Sonic Stadium reported that an inside source has revealed some details on the next Sonic game. The game is due this fall on pretty much all current gen systems including portables (not smartphones/tablets as of yet), PC and “Next Gen” systems. The reveal may be as early as “Hedgehog Day” Febuary 2nd. Normally I’d say take this with a grain of salt, but Sonic Stadium rarely reports any rumors unless they have a really good source behind them. Read on for more details.
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Posted by Ben on Nov 27th, 2012

We’ve heard rumblings about it for a little while now; from a not-so-crpytic comment out of SEGA Europe to a trademark renewal last Summer, so it’s nice to see another piece of evidence heading our way courtesy of the German version of Gamereactor Magazine.
Given the popularity of the magazine throughout Europe, it seems like a fairly legitimate source, but of course, pending an official announcement, this one’s being filed under rumor for now.
What would you like to see in a Skies of Arcadia HD?
Posted by Barry the Nomad on Nov 21st, 2012

According to Spong, via Japanese site Gamer via NeoGAF, a 3D rerelease of the original Space Harrier will soon be hitting the Japanese Nintendo 3DS eShop. Nintendo has done a fair share of 3D rereleases for their own games, but this would be SEGA’s first 3D rerelease on the 3DS. Images show that this will indeed be the arcade version, and not the 3D Master System version of the game. No mention of a Western release, but it would probably happen eventually. After the break, two screens of the supposed rerelease.
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Posted by George on Sep 28th, 2012

Seems that the boys at Play-Asia made an error, the site has a page for the US version of Valkyria Chronicles 3 on the PSP. The issue? The game has not been announced for Western release. So in the end, we have to determine that most likely, Play-Asia’s web team made a mistake… Or maybe SEGA has a few surprises for Valkyria Chronicles fans?
Posted by Barry the Nomad on Jul 15th, 2012

Courtesy of Kori from The Website of the Dead comes a photo from the title screen of Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, taken at SEGA’s Arcade during Comic Con. Kori claims that this is a yet to be announced Shinobi track, and we can definitely see the resemblance to Joe’s 16-bit adventures. Sumo Digital has said that tracks will be selected, at least in the story mode, via an world map of floating islands. Each island represents a track, and this island looks very Shinobi themed. What do you all think? Is Joe getting a track to call home?
Posted by Barry the Nomad on Jul 3rd, 2012

Update: It appears this particular image has long existed, as it shows up on a few NiGHTS fan sites. I assume it is a CG render from when the game released, or when it received a PS2 rerelease. So this is not an in-game screenshot. However, that does not discount the possibility that a NiGHTS track or racer will soon be revealed.
SEGA has updated their Facebook page with an untitled image of a desert that is half sand, half metal with cacti and nuts and bolts. Given that Sonic and All-Stars Racing Transformed is SEGA’s big game this year, and that Comic Con is approaching, could SEGA be teasing a reveal of a NiGHTS into Dreams track along with NiGHTS as a racer? It could very well be. In the meantime, I’ll slap the ol’ “rumor” tag on this one just to play it safe, but I’m pretty confident that it is Stick Canyon from the Saturn’s NiGHTS into Dreams. After the break, a comparison video of the original stage.
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Posted by Barry the Nomad on Jun 26th, 2012

Achievements for the upcoming release of Jet Set Radio HD have been revealed, and with them comes a hint towards a bonus that SEGA has yet to speak of. At the top of the list of thirty achievements is one titled “Back to the Future” with the description “Unlock all songs in the bonus menu”. To my knowledge, there was never a bonus menu that unlocked songs in the original game. There was a sound test, but that was complete from the start. No unlocking necessary. The achievement’s title mentions “future”, which of course was in the title of the franchise’s second game Jet Set Radio Future. Could SEGA be adding an option to play select tunes from Jet Set Radio Future? Or is it simply a nod to the sequel and nothing more? After the break, the full list of achievements.
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Posted by Barry the Nomad on Jun 5th, 2012

Update 2: Sumo Digital producer S0L has said the following over at The Sonic Stadium forums:
You know, when they (SEGA) pitched us the idea we went ‘The fans will go wild…’ I think they didn’t get what we meant from that though
End of the day she hasn’t replaced any SEGA characters, she’s an extra and we’re very happy with the vehicle design we’ve done for her, which incidentally isn’t the one you might think it is
UPDATE: Game Trailers just revealed that Nascar driver Danica Patrick will be in All-Stars Racing Transformed. Remember her from that one SEGA game? Wait, she’s not a SEGA character. But she is racing in a SEGA branded racer which will be revealed at SEGA’s E3 booth. Danica and her SEGA branded Nascar will, in turn, be in the game. I’ll admit, it’s really freakin’ weird, but it does feel very much like when Pepsiman appeared in AM2′s Fighting Vipers. Which is a good, if not odd, thing.
SEGA Blog has posted up some booth pics, including a massive car shaped thing right in the center of the Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed booth. Doesn’t appear to be Sonic’s car, I can only imagine a custom made Speed Star would cost a load. But it could very well be the Hornet. Daytona USA’s star racer joining the All-Star roster? What do you think is under there? We’ll know in one hour. There is a small chance that Segata Sanshiro can take the form of a car, and he’s silently waiting to burst out from beneath the sheet to put the Wii U in a headlock.
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Posted by Barry the Nomad on Jun 4th, 2012

According to gonintendo, an email from SEGA arrived stating the following:
This Tuesday at the SEGA E3 Booth, SEGA will be making a major announcement for their upcoming title Sonic & All-stars Racing Transformed. There will be a large reveal, celebrity appearance and photo/video opportunities. We hope you or someone from your team can make it to cover the big news and please let us know if you have any questions.
Some speculate that the celebrity will be a fictional character, such as a man in a Mario suit announcing the Wii U version and Mario as a guest character. But I think otherwise. Mario isn’t a celebrity, he’s a fictional character. But you know who is a celebrity, has a connection to SEGA and has been mentioned in the past as being a possible racer in the first All-Stars Racing title? That’s right, Hiroshi Fujioka also known as Segata Sanshiro. If SEGA pulls a Segata reveal tomorrow, they will have won E3 without even holding a press briefing. Another possibility is Toshihiro Nagoshi, who is heading to E3. Could Nagoshi be revealing Kazuma Kiryu as a racer?