Author Archives: Barry

You know me, Sonic Generations 3DS. And we’re at Mushroom Hill, you ready?

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From SEGA Press and Sonic Stadium comes eleven new screens from the Nintendo 3DS version of Sonic Generations. But wait! These aren’t the same ol’ stages that we’ve known about, this is a brand new reveal! Straight out of Sonic & Knuckles comes Mushroom Hill featuring both classic and modern gameplay, set in both the green act 1 and the autumn colored act 2. It looks like classic Sonic will be taking the green sections of the zone, while modern Sonic will be taking the orange sections. Many of the gimmicks return including bouncy shrooms (I can hear the “boing” sound now), mechanical pulleys and helicopter plants. Check out the screens after the break!

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Mike Hayes: Sonic 4 Episode 1 Sold Over 1 Million, Episode 2 Info Coming Soon

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From vg247.com comes information from SEGA CEO Mike Hayes concerning Sonic the Hedgehog 4. Remember that game? Regarding information on Episode 2:

Information on Sonic The Hedgehog 4: Episode 2 will arrive “very soon,” Sega West CEO Mike Hayes has told VG247. Hayes couldn’t comment further when asked how far out “soon” was, adding that we should “look out for that one.”

My guess is once Sonic Generations arrives, after November 1st, or perhaps on September 9th? Remember, that was when the first Sonic 4 episode was announced as “Project Needlemouse”. Speaking of the first episode, Hayes shares a great bit of news for SEGA fans who like it when the company makes big money:

“It did very well and it continues to do well,” Hayes told us in a phone interview this afternoon.

“Particularly when it gets a little shot in the arm with some promotion or some price activity, sales are quite phenomenal. Its downloaded clearly over a million units, so its sold particularly well and continues to sell.”

Over a million is pretty impressive, though I have to wonder how many “copies” the game sold when it initially launched before the first sales began. Regardless, Sonic 4 Episode 1 looks like quite a financial success. Here’s hoping Episode 2 fixes the problems found in the first episode and sells another million and more!

[Source: vg247]

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Hey Kid, You Want to See Some Chemical Plant Zone Gameplay Footage?

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You got it! From Gameswelt.de, and uploaded to Youtube by a Sonic fan (I can only assume) comes the first gameplay footage of Chemical Plant Zone, in both classic and modern flavors. Oh yeah, that means Chemical Plant music remix! These are only snippets of the stage acts, so those weary of full act spoilers don’t need to worry too much.

Thanks to forum user ezodagrom for the heads up!

[Source: Gameswelt.de]

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The Weekly Five: The Best VMU Games

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Despite being over ten years old, VMU games can still be fun! Sure they pale in comparison to modern day handheld devices, but even back when VMUs were new they couldn’t compete with the handhelds of the early 00’s. The main purpose of a VMU was to save your game data, the fact that they could play mini-games was the cherry on top. While the VMU didn’t change the world, at least SEGA didn’t advertise it as the standout feature of the console (subtle dig at the Wii U). While I don’t carry a VMU about with me like I did back in ’99, I still make it a point to occasionally pick up some CR2032 batteries to bring my VMU back to life. What follows are my personal favorite VMU games.

Want to play these yourself, but don’t have all the Dreamcast titles that offer these extra features? Check out Blue Swirl’s VMU Tool. An awesome application for the Dreamcast which allows you to make a number of (safe) modifications to existing VMUs as well as download game saves and VMU games from the entire Dreamcast library. It even has a VMU emulator, for those too lazy to play an actual VMU.

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SEGA in the Media: Sonic and the Simpsons

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As a child of the late 80’s and early 90’s, two of my biggest obsessions were Sonic the Hedgehog and The Simpsons. Despite having very little to do with each other, both franchises were at their heights in the early 90’s. Sonic’s first game saw release in the summer of 1991, just as The Simpsons were nearing the end of their second season, debuting a number of episodes that came to define the series and showed that they had greatly improved upon the so-so first season. The Simpsons had also invaded the world of video games in 1991, with the release of Konami’s The Simpsons Arcade and, of note to SEGA fans, a number of Master System, Game Gear and Genesis titles. 1993 saw the release of The Simpsons Comics series and Archie’s Sonic the Hedgehog, both still in print to this day, a rare feat for licensed comics.

It was only a matter of time before The Simpsons and Sonic crossed paths by way of The Simpsons propensity to reference popular culture. In this week’s SEGA in the Media we take a look at all the moments Sonic appeared on The Simpsons!

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More Chemical Plant Zone Screens Emerge from the Purple Water

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Thanks to gaming site andriasang we have some more Chemical Plant zone screens, showing off exciting new portions of both classic and modern acts. The screens show off both classic and modern Sonic running about underwater, modern Sonic grabbing onto a hook and taking a ride through a large water pipe, classic Sonic avoiding the badnik Grabber and riding through the iconic Chemical Plant transport tubes. Looks like the fan-favorite zone will be filled with a number of gimmicks, looks like fun! Check out more screens after the break.

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The Weekly Five: Lesser Known Dreamcast Exclusives

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I make it no secret that I am a big time Dreamcast fan. It is the SEGA console I own the most games for (around 120 last time I counted) and every September 9th I take the day off from work to host a nine hour Dreamcast marathon. There are many reasons why I love the console, but the number one would have to be the exclusives. Jet Set Radio, Shenmue and Crazy Taxi 2 are fantastic games and have yet to appear on any other console, and I’m totally cool with that. It’s a perfect reason for my Dreamcast to remain hooked up next to my current generation consoles.

But as time goes on, SEGA has been porting more and more Dreamcast classics to other consoles. Great for the gaming community, bad for the Dreamcast. Less exclusives mean less of a reason for gamers to pick up a used console. I know it sounds like I’m being overly dramatic, however this past May I did witness a kid turning down the purchase of a Dreamcast due to SEGA’s recently released Dreamcast Collection. As such, I thought I’d share five lesser known Dreamcast games that remain exclusive to the console and show no sign of receiving a rerelease. If you want these, you need a Dreamcast.

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Awesome Vanquish Action Figure from Square Enix

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I had always thought that Square Enix only churned out Final Fantasy action figures. But apparently they do more than just Cloud and Yuffie, they also have produced stunning figures of characters from Metal Gear Solid, Batman: Arkham Asylum and even SEGA’s own Vanquish. Revealed at Comic Con is this amazingly detailed Sam Gideon. I mean, just LOOK at that thing! Makes my Ninja Turtles and Ghostbusters figures of the 90’s look like crap by comparison. Of course, with great details and articulation comes a great price: figures in the Play Arts Kai line retail for around $40-$50. Thats more than I spent on my copy of Vanquish! Of course, the figure looks great, so I could easily see the price being justified. Just think of it as a statue and the $50 doesn’t seem so bad.

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SEGA Reveals Classic Tails, Chemical Plant and Stardust Speedway Screens

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No longer are blurry scans the only way to see Sonic Generations Metal Sonic and Chemical Plant zone. SEGA of America has just updated their Flickr account and added a load of screens including new CG renders of Modern and Classic Tails as well as new shots of Chemical Plant and the Metal Sonic race taking place in Stardust Speedway. Oh, and they’ve also added the 3DS package art, though it isn’t very exciting. To see all the images, head on over to SEGA’s Sonic Generations Flickr page.

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The Weekly Five: The Best Unseen SEGA Characters

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SEGA has a massive stable of iconic characters. From the normal (Ryo Hazuki) to the bizarre (ToeJam and Earl) and everything in-between. But what about the characters you never see? They’re just as iconic, yet they have never had a face to put to the voice. In this week’s five, we will be shining the spotlight on the best unseen SEGA characters. The characters who can define a game without the need for a visit to SEGA’s character design department.

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Famitsu Scans Reveal Chemical Plant and Stardust Speedway for Generations

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The recently released issue of Japanese magazine Famitsu spills the beans on two hotly anticipated classic Sonic zones making their return: Sonic 2’s Chemical Plant and Sonic CD’s Stardust Speedway. The first is a full blown classic and modern stage, featuring the iconic yellow and blue paths and copper colored factories of Chemical Plant. Stardust Speedway will be the location for Sonic’s race, and possible battle, with the recently revealed rival Metal Sonic. The magazine also shows what appear to be the 3DS special stages, taken from Sonic Heroes.

After the break, drool over the scans!

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Sonic’s Facebook Page Reveals Classic Metal Sonic!

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The little metal manace returns! Sonic the Hedgehog’s Facebook page has just revealed the CG render for Metal Sonic as he will appear in Sonic Generations. What’s special about this iteration of Sonic’s doppelganger is that unlike recent video game appearances of Metal, this version is based on the classic Sonic CD design. Shorter limbs, bigger head, round eyes and pure evil. I love it! Now my fingers are crossed for a Sonic CD stage in which you battle Metal. Based on the design, I’d say we’re getting one.

Check out the full sized image at SEGA’s Flickr page.

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Jeopardy! answers “Who is Sonic?”

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Last week on Jeopardy it was Kids Week, so appropriately clues catered to the younger crowd. Despite being twice their age, many of the questions went over my head and were successfully answered by the competing grade schoolers. Thankfully, I was sure to get one question right and that one involved a popular blue hedgehog. On the Friday, July 8th episode, in the category Cute & Cuddly the $800 clue was: “Tails is a big-eyed friend of this ever-popular hedgehog”. The eventual champion Tony correctly answered “Sonic” in the form of a question. Thank goodness he didn’t screw up and say Shadow or Silver. Way to go, Tony! Now use that prize money to pre-order Sonic Generations, and pick up Jeopardy! for the SEGA Genesis while you’re at it.

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Rumor: Rise of Nightmares is “STAMACSTA” in Australia

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Rise of Nightmares: It’s a pretty creepy title. It makes sense in the context of the game, the nightmares are rising and it is up to you to keep them down and defeat them.

STAMACSTA: What?!

According to the Australian Classification Board, a game developed by SEGA’s CS3 team containing “strong horror violence, blood and gore” will be released in Australia. This describes Rise of Nightmares to a T, however the title does not match up. In the classification, this game is titled “STAMACSTA”. Either SEGA’s CS3 team are developing two gory games and we have yet to hear of this other one, or much more likely STAMACSTA is Australia’s title for Rise of Nightmares. Fingers crossed that a classification board employee accidentally let his cat walk on the keyboard rather than this being true. It’s quote an awful title. “Stam-acts-ta”?

After the break, check out the classification information.

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Famitsu Reveals Sonic Generations City Escape Modern Remix and More Screens

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While City Escape has been known of since E3, and there has been a number of preview videos and screens since then, we have yet to hear a clean version of the music for the modern version of the stage. This is the tune that singer Tony Harnell hinted at re-recording long before Sonic Generations was ever announced. Thanks to SEGA of Japan and Famitsu, a new trailer puts the E3 trailer to shame by incorporating the actual stage music. What more, Famitsu shares a few new screens from both modern and classic City Escape including the stage hub.

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