Sonic the Hedgehog and Phantasy Star music play during Tokyo Olympics opening ceremonies

First we had Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, then we had Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 – The Official Video Game and now we have the real thing with Sonic the Hedgehog and Phantasy Star! As the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games kicked off with the opening ceremonies, viewers were treated to a medley of video game tunes including a few from beloved SEGA franchises. The playlist lists several franchises from various companies (though Nintendo is absent) and the SEGA tunes include Sonic the Hedgehog‘s Star Light Zone and Phantasy Star Universe‘s Guardians.

It’s awesome seeing SEGA elevated to big cultural moments like this, and it is a huge win for the company, the fans and the brands. After the break, check out the moment Sonic played and we will be sure to update this article once the full opening ceremony is posted.

SEGA Talk Podcast #75: Panzer Dragoon Saga (1998)

This time on SEGA Talk, we dive deep into the development history, characters and explore the world if the SEGA Saturn classic Panzer Dragoon Saga. Or as its known today, one of the most expensive games on the SEGA Saturn!

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If you want to give us feedback, suggest a topic for the next podcast or want to ask a question for us to answer on the next episode you can add  them as a comment below or send theme directly to our email. Make sure you use subject line ‘SEGA Talk’ and as always, thanks for listening!

SEGA Talk Podcast #74: Star Wars Arcade Games (1993-2000)

Blast into hyperspace with us as we cover the trilogy of SEGA Star Wars arcade games! We delve into Star Wars Arcade and the 32X port rush job, Star Wars Trilogy Arcade and the connection to Space Channel 5 creator Tetsuya Mizuguchi and lastly Star Wars Racer Arcade and the evolution of the development studio that brought us all three games. Plus, Barry discusses his own Star Wars fandom.

Support us on Patreon! Get early access, tell us what games to cover, and have your SEGA memories read at the end and more!

[iTunes – Stitcher – YouTube – RSS – Download]

If you want to give us feedback, suggest a topic for the next podcast or want to ask a question for us to answer on the next episode you can add  them as a comment below or send theme directly to our email. Make sure you use subject line ‘SEGA Talk’ and as always, thanks for listening!

Sonic Boom Season 2 Blu-ray Announced, Releasing September 2021

Amazon listings for a Sonic Boom Season 2 blu-ray and Sonic Boom Season 2 Volume 2 DVD have appeared, making the full series finally available to own on physical media. Both releases will be available September 21, 2021. Sonic Boom, the TV series, was part of a multimedia branch of the Sonic franchise which consisted of video games, toys and comics. Boom was a total reboot with a new canon and unique characters in addition to drastically redesigned and reimagined characters from the Sonic franchise. The attempt to create a new branch fully controlled by SEGA of America fell apart largely due to the mismanagement and poor quality of the video games (namely the Wii U game, as I still stand by the 3DS games being good) and an overall inconsistent level of quality and tone.

Many fans of Boom argue that the TV series was the best aspect of the whole project and now the second half of the TV series, which ran from 2014 to 2017 and saw 104 episodes, will finally see release. Will you be picking up Sonic Boom Season 2 on blu-ray or DVD?

SEGA Talk #73: Sonic Adventure 2 (2001)

On this SEGA Talk, we celebrate 30 years of Sonic the Hedgehog by discussing the game that changed 3D Sonic games forever: Sonic Adventure 2. We discuss the development history, the creation of Shadow, and even discuss “enhanced” ports like Sonic Adventure 2: Battle. Hero or Dark, Dreamcast or GameCube, this one is for all Sonic fans.

Support us on Patreon! Get early access, tell us what games to cover, and have your SEGA memories read at the end and more!

[iTunes – Stitcher – YouTube – RSS – Download]

If you want to give us feedback, suggest a topic for the next podcast or want to ask a question for us to answer on the next episode you can add  them as a comment below or send theme directly to our email. Make sure you use subject line ‘SEGA Talk’ and as always, thanks for listening!

Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania officially announced, coming October 5, 2021

SEGA has officially revealed Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania! The game is releasing in time for the franchise’s 20th anniversary. The game promises 300 recreated stages from the original three Super Monkey Ball games, as well as fan favorite mini games. Expect the game to hit October 5, 2021 to PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.

SEGA Talk #72: Archie Sonic the Hedgehog Comics Retrospective (Issues 0-38)

Sonic the Hedgehog turns 30 this month, and we jump all the way back to November 1992 when Archie kicked off their long running Sonic comic series on this SEGA Talk! Those early years were very different from the days of the notorious Ken Penders and the reboot artist Ian Flynn. Learn about the inception of the comics, the original mini-series and highlights from the first 38 issues.

Support us on Patreon! Get early access, tell us what games to cover, and have your SEGA memories read at the end and more!

[iTunes – Stitcher – YouTube – RSS – Download]

If you want to give us feedback, suggest a topic for the next podcast or want to ask a question for us to answer on the next episode you can add  them as a comment below or send theme directly to our email. Make sure you use subject line ‘SEGA Talk’ and as always, thanks for listening!

SEGA Talk #71: MadWorld (2009)

Pimps, playas, and pain purveyors! Its time for a mad episode of SEGA Talk as we dive deep into the black & white world of MadWorld on the Nintendo Wii. Get your nunchucks out and start waggling those arms, its gonna be a blood bath!

Support us on Patreon! Get early access, tell us what games to cover, and have your SEGA memories read at the end and more!

[iTunes – Stitcher – YouTube – RSS – Download]

If you want to give us feedback, suggest a topic for the next podcast or want to ask a question for us to answer on the next episode you can add  them as a comment below or send theme directly to our email. Make sure you use subject line ‘SEGA Talk’ and as always, thanks for listening!

Import Guide: Want the Sonic Colors Ultimate 30th Anniversary Pack or DX Pack? Here’s how to import!

Back in 2001, SEGA announced that copies of Sonic Adventure 2 would be bundled with a Birthday Pack celebrating the 10th anniversary of Sonic the Hedgehog. Available worldwide, the pack was only available in limited supplies in stores for two days. I myself recall pre-ordering Sonic Adventure 2 from FuncoLand, my first ever pre-order, with the idea that it would secure me a Birthday Pack. Turns out, the store never set packs aside for pre-orders and they were all given out on a first come, first served basis. Arriving after school, I was crushed to learn there wasn’t one set aside for me which led to me ordering a pack online from, I believe, NCSX or SEGA-Parts.com. The pack contained a coin sporting the 10th anniversary logo, a gold music CD featuring select tracks from the franchise and a small booklet containing a real world timeline of notable Sonic events as well as some really bizarre revelations concerning Sonic’s origins.

UPDATE: According to Famitsu, Sonic Colors Ultimate has a Tails assist mode

UPDATE: The latest Famitsu, seen above, has revealed that Tails has been added to Sonic Colors Ultimate as an assist mode. Via some shoddy Google translations, it appears that a special in-game Tails medal gives you the ability to save yourself from a death by having Tails swoop in and carry Sonic to safety. You do not lose your rings, and players can carry up to 99 of these special assist medals.

Our original article is after the break.

SEGA News Bits: Sonic 2022 Game Revealed & Sonic Central Breakdown

It is a HUGE day for Sonic news, and so it makes sense for us to drop a HUGE SEGA News Bits where we discuss all the games, promotions and upcoming events that have been revealed!

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SEGA Forever releases Virtua Fighter retrospective video – narrated by Sarah Bryant herself!

SEGA Forever has released another in their retrospective videos, this time focusing on Virtua Fighter. This is, of course, because the remake of Virtua Fighter 5 dubbed Ultimate Showdown is hitting next week. A special bonus sees Sarah Bryant herself, voiced by friend of the site Lisle Wilkerson, narrating the video. Follow SEGA Forever on Twitter for more retro history like this!

Check it out for yourself and don’t forget to download Virtua Fighter 5: Ultimate Showdown next week!

Sonic Central: Sonic Prime releasing in 2022 with 24 episodes to Netflix

Sonic Central dropped a few new details on Sonic Prime, the upcoming Netflix animated series. The series will consist of 24 episodes and will see Sonic thrust into the shatterverse. The series releases in 2022, and more details are coming soon. However, Man of Action’s Joe Kelly did reveal what looks to be Eggman’s insignia on the show.