Author Archives: Barry

Japanese Sonic Forces “Introduction” trailer gives us our most comprehensive look yet at the upcoming game!

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If you follow our SEGA News Bits videos, George and I have been quite critical of how little SEGA has been showing of Sonic Forces. The latest trailer to release from SEGA of Japan, however, abates this feeling some as in over three minutes we get a good look at the game. From the three playable characters to the Sonic and avatar combo mode to switching avatar characters on the fly to peeks at new stages and cutscenes, there is a lot to take in! Most notably, we get a good look at Modern Sonic’s Green Hill stage, with open spaces (exploration?) as well as an outer space stage.

What are your thoughts on the trailer? Sound off in the comments below!

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Knuckles and Silver team up in second Sonic Forces prequel comic, titled “Stress Test” – Read it now!

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The Sonic Forces free digital prequel comics from Ian Flynn and Adam Bryce Thomas continue with the surprisingly enjoyable “Stress Test”. It seems our guesses were wrong, as each prequel comic is not focusing on a different custom hero. Instead we see Knuckles and Silver battling Chaos. What is so exciting about this one is all the Sonic Adventure plot elements, including a jump back in time to the echidna village and the appearance of Eggman and The Phantom Ruby, last seen in Sonic Mania. It’s exciting to see the various Sonic games tying together and hopefully some of these plot elements are referenced in Sonic Forces.

After the break, read the full issue!

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SEGA Shop is open for business!

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The SEGA Shop is open for business at shop.sega.com! As we reported last week, the SEGA Shop is a new online retail destination for the Americas (and in the future additional territories) serving the various SEGA brands. At launch, the shop features Sonic, Shinobi, Golden Axe and SEGA Genesis brands with plans to expand. Currently, the shop primarily has wearables like shirts and hoodies, but there are plans to add exclusive items like pins and other items.

Currently, the store has a cool exclusive Sonic Forces shirt, SEGA Genesis blankets, and an Eggman and Metal Sonic mug.

Check the SEGA Shop out for yourself, and in the comments below tell us what you think of their selection!

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Sonic Forces “Rental Avatar” hero mode, boss battle and Space Port gameplay footage released

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New Sonic Forces details have been released today by way of gameplay footage, screens and a press release detailing the “Rental Avatar” Hero Swapping feature. The new mode – which may be a sly nod to the classic SEGA Mega Drive game Rent-A-Hero – allows players to swap out their hero avatar character with a hero avatar character created by another player, seemingly pulled at random from players worldwide. This allows you to see their unique designs and utilize their wispon weapon. This allows you to use your own selected wispon weapon and the one set by another player. You can see the “Rental Avatar” mode in the Infinite boss battle footage above.

Also released is B-roll gameplay footage of the hero avatar in the Space Port stage which takes place in the frigid north of Sonic’s world where a chemical plant is supplying a space port. You can see the footage, as well as Infinite boss battle screens, after the break.

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ATLUS online store launches with Persona 5 merchandise available for pre-order

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While the SEGA Shop opens tomorrow, today the ATLUS Online Store launched with merchandise from Persona 5. The store is being dubbed a work in progress and will initially serve North America with plans to expand globally. Currently available are dozens of items including Morgana and Jack Frost plushies, hoodies, “The Phantom Thieves” t-shirts, pins, phone cases and more. Several items are imports, being made available for the first time outside of Anime Expo. Pre-orders are expected to ship late November to early December and are available while supplies last.

Visit the store for yourself, and happy shopping!

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Sonic Forces: Speed Battle behind the scenes video showcases game’s development

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SEGA Europe has released a development video showing a behind the scenes look at the upcoming mobile tie-in to Sonic Forces, titled Sonic Forces: Speed Battle. Developed by Hardlight Studios, creators of the Sonic Dash games, Sonic Forces: Speed Battle is an online multiplayer version of their endless runner and takes place in Sonic Forces settings. Interestingly, the game was initially tested using a multiplayer version of Sonic Dash 2: Sonic Boom. The game is currently soft launched in select territories, but a wide release should be happening soon.

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Sonic Forces prequel comic PDF contains hidden art – Infinite unmasked!

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Opening the Sonic Forces: Moment of Truth digital comic PDF files in Photoshop reveals an interesting behind-the-scenes look at the production process, and reveals some hidden art – including a peek at Infinite without his mask! It seems when saving the files out, the layers weren’t flattened and hidden layers weren’t removed. As such, it is possible to remove word balloons, line art, colors and characters.

Also, the cover art contains what appear to be alternate cover art sketches featuring Eggman, The Phantom Ruby (as seen in Sonic Mania) and an unmasked Infinite with a dagger. Other art includes an alternate cover sketch of the Custom Hero and Chaotix, art of Knuckles and Silver looking surprised and art of Shadow, Omega (confirming his inclusion in the game?) and Infinite.

Check out the hidden art after the break!

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An official online SEGA Shop is coming soon for the Americas

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In the latest Sonic Official stream, it was announced that SEGA will soon be launching a SEGA shop which will feature new official merchandise spanning apparel, accessories, collectibles, costumes and home decor. One example of collectibles included limited edition pins. The shop will initially launch with a limited number of SEGA brands, including Sonic, SEGA Genesis, Golden Axe and Shinobi. After the shop opens, brands will expand. So when does this launch? Expect the store to open next Tuesday at shop.sega.com.

Currently the shop will serve the Americas only, but a UK shop is in the works apparently. What would you like to see at the SEGA Shop? Sound off in the comments below!

 

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Sonic Forces four-part free digital comic debuts today, written by Ian Flynn

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This is a surprise! Coming off of the IDW panel last week which revealed former Archie Sonic writer Ian Flynn was heading up writing duties of the new IDW series, fans were wondering if we would see a Sonic Forces adaptation and… we are! Today! SEGA and Sonic Team have announced a four-part digital comic series scripted by Ian Flynn which serves as a prequel to the upcoming Sonic Forces. The first part is titled “Moment of Truth” and stars the Chaotix and the Custom Hero Character, and can be read after the break. More chapters release later this month.

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Sega Dreamcast: Collected Works Kickstarter nears final hours, adds Yu Suzuki signed edition tier

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The Sega Dreamcast: Collected Works Kickstarter ends today, with the current pledged amount sitting at £122,127 of a £68,000 goal. As the campaign nears its end, an update has been released announcing a new signed edition tier. SEGA legend Yu Suzuki will be signing 15 copies of the book with the new tier priced at £75, and he has been added to the growing list of interview subjects to appear in the book!

The signed tier will release at 6 p.m. GMT, just a few hours before the campaign ends. So if you want Yu Suzuki’s autograph and a great looking book, you can sit at your computer refreshing like crazy. For comparison, the Shenmue 3 Kickstarter had Yu’s autograph at the $300 tier, whereas here it’s around $99. We’ll have more information about the Sega Dreamcast: Collected Works book, including a Swingin’ Report Show interview with Read-Only Memory’s Darren Wall, in the coming months. So stay tuned!

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Beyond Oasis joins the SEGA Forever mobile lineup

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The SEGA Forever lineup expands today as the classic SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive action RPG Beyond Oasis (The Story of Thor: A Successor of the Light in Europe) becomes the latest free-to-play mobile release. Developed by Ancient, with music by Yuzo Koshiro and released in 1994, Beyond Oasis stars Prince Ali in his quest for the Gold Armlet to save Oasis. Beyond Oasis is best played with the six-button pad, and SEGA has not forgotten this as a six-button arrangement is how the mobile port is played. Players can also utilize a rewind feature, which jumps back 15 seconds (at the cost of watching an ad).

Beyond Oasis will release to the App Store and Google Play store later this afternoon.

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Sega Dreamcast: Collected Works smashes Kickstarter funding goals – four days remain

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The Sega Dreamcast: Collected Works Kickstarter has amassed 155% of their funding goal, assuring that the book will be published and then some. Published by Read-Only Memory and officially SEGA licensed, the book is a followup to the excellent SEGA Mega Drive/Genesis: Collected Works. Since we last reported on Sega Dreamcast: Collected Works, some new details have been revealed. Having passed their funding goal and then some, backers can expect more than originally promised in terms of content. A backer update assured that the book will exceed the predicted 300 pages and Dreamcast case and controller production drawings will now appear as fold outs.

More information on special edition versions of the book, which highlight classic Dreamcast games including Jet Set Radio, Phantasy Star Online and Shenmue, was also given. Backers who choose the special edition tier can expect official Dreamcast typography screen printed onto a handmade, cloth bound and color paper lined box. It sounds like Read-Only Memory is putting a lot of work into color matching, as it is stated if they have to manufacture custom cloth colors, they will.

If you like what you see, check out the Kickstarter page and consider backing.

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Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom to feature graphical overhaul, hand-drawn animation

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The latest development blog update for Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom, an upcoming game from FDG Entertainment which carries on the Wonder Boy/Monster World franchise, has revealed that the game will have a graphical overhaul. The team says they plan to “rework the characters and their animations in the game”, shifting from a Flash animation-style look to hand-drawn anime characters. The change was made following online feedback and, in my opinion, is a reaction to the recently released Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap. The new style will feature brighter coloring, and different weapons and equipment will appear right on the sprite thanks to a technology the team has implemented.

The change is a positive one for sure. What do you think of the new style? Sound off in the comments below!

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Retro City Rampage DX physical edition for Switch to feature Master System style reversible cover

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Calm down, we haven’t become a Nintendo new site! (Though I hear that’s where the money is these days…) Vblank Entertainment has announced that the retro gaming-inspired action-adventure game Retro City Rampage DX will be receiving a physical Nintendo Switch release in both collector’s edition and retail edition options. Of interest to SEGA fans is the fact that the reverse of the cover art is inspired by SEGA Master System box art, complete with the grid and simplified drawings of characters and enemies. You can learn more about the release in the trailer above and at the Vblank Entertainment website. The physical edition releases October 9th!

2017 appears to be the year of Master System covers, as Limited Run Games released Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap with a reversible Master System cover as well.

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New Sonic Forces custom hero Chemical Plant stage and Drill Wispon weapon revealed

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New Sonic Forces content has been revealed by way of four screenshots and a press release from SEGA PR. The custom hero, the player’s in-game avatar, will return to Chemical Plant in what appears to be the modern day. The classic zone appears a bit dirtier and the stage takes place during the day. Also revealed is the Drill Wispon, which allows players to drill dash on the ground and climb walls. Players can also attack enemies by charging and launching a drill punch.

Interestingly, all these enhancements sound very much like how Knuckles would play. This makes me wonder if we will see an Episode Knuckles with the character playable in select custom hero stages much like how Shadow will be playable in select modern Sonic stages. Just speculation on my part, but it would be cool. As for Chemical Plant… I love the stage, and always will, but it does sort of smell of recycling assets from Sonic Generations, much like how Green Hill is also making a return. Here’s hoping enough new elements are added to make it feel fresh.

You can pre-order Sonic Forces via Amazon Prime and save 20% off the home console versions, making the game just $31.99. After the break, check out the four new screens!

Sonic Forces Bonus Edition pre-order
Nintendo Switch | PlayStation 4 | Xbox One | PC

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