Longtime readers of SEGAbits should know by now my love for Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog. I’vewrittenaboutitalot, so much so that each one of those words is a different article. So it pleases me to write about it AGAIN to share that Discotek Media will be releasing an SD on Blu-Ray release of the series, meaning the full series in standard definition on two blu-ray discs. But that’s not all!
SEGA has announced that the company will be partnering up with Tesla to bring the original Sonic the Hedgehog (1991) to Tesla’s in-car gaming console for older and newer models. Passengers will be able to play the classic title that started it all on the SEGA Genesis in all Tesla models around the world via the built-in display screen in conjunction with a handheld controller connected through the car’s USB ports. Here is the press email description on the Sonic the Hedgehog x Tesla partnership:
“Get ready, Sonic fans! SEGA has just announced a partnership with Tesla to bring Sonic the Hedgehog 1, the game that started it all, to Tesla’s in-car gaming console for both existing and new models. Passengers turn into players as they race at lightning speed across classic zones to defeat enemies on a mission to save the world from the evil Dr. Eggman, all in the comfort of their own car!
SEGA is excited to partner with Tesla to bring this iconic Sonic title to their extensive gaming library. Sonic the Hedgehog 1 will be available in all Tesla models around the world via the built-in display screen in conjunction with a handheld controller connected through the car’s USB ports. Now no matter where you travel, Sonic can come along with you!”
Let us know what you think about the Sonic the Hedgehog and Tesla partnership on the comments below!
Its not hard to see that SEGA’s Phantasy Star Online 2 has been a massive success for the company, so much so that it recently that it got a graphical update with Phantasy Star Online: New Genesis. But the company is already ’embracing the future’ with them planning the successor, if this new rumor is to be believed. The rumor comes from Japanese user Makino180 that says:
Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis will be supported for only 5 more years.
Phantasy Star Crew’s 3rd Division is in planning stages of the next “Super Game” and is aimed to be finished in under 5 years.
Phantasy Star Online veteran Satoshi Sakai will spearhead the project
Plans are to make the next “Super Game” running on Microsoft Azure Cloud Servers.
SEGA is thinking of using NFT Blockchain technology for its monetization to prolong the value and wants to spearhead the future of Gacha Games which will implement a possible SNS Distribution of virtual items.
Initial Budget for this “Super Game” is 5 times the budget of normal SEGA AAA Games!
The main audience of the new “Super Game” is the Western audience.
While gamers dislike NFTs, Blockchain technology, it seems that companies and developers see a avenue for them to be used in games. What is your thoughts on the rumored, next, “Super Game” by the developers that made Phantasy Star Online 2?
Now some of the people that brought you that are back to release their most ambitious localization to date: Bulk Slash, a title praised for its presentation, soundtrack, gameplay, replayability, and its graphics. The localization team not only translated all the text, but also had voice actors come in and dub the game. For a fan localization project, this is pretty major.
Wow! What a night at the Game Awards! That one game won, and that lady got an award too! Okay, we don’t care about the awards. It was a trailer show, and Sonic fans had a plate full of footage to sift through! On this SEGA News Bits Live, Barry analyzes the trailers for Sonic Frontiers and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 the movie.
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The expected and anticipated Sonic the Hedgehog 2 movie trailer debuted at the Video Game Awards, and it largely delivers! Sonic, Tails and Robotnik are all on display sporting refined designs thanks in large part to the movie not starting production with that wonky early design and Jim Carrey finally truly looking the part. What more, we get a look at Knuckles and hear more Emerald Hill Zone music. All-in-all, an impressive trailer. Though, the big question I have is will we return to Sonic’s world and explain that whole owl versus echidna thing? I guess we will find out on April 8, 2022.
We finally received news at the Game Awards with not only the announcement of the Sonic the Hedgehog 2 movie trailer, we also got a quick look at Sonic Frontiers which is set to be released this Holiday 2022 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X. Here are the details on Sonic Frontiers:
“Worlds will collide in Sonic the Hedgehog’s newest adventure. An experience like never before, accelerate to new heights and experience the thrill of high velocity open-zone freedom. Battle powerful enemies as you speed through the Starfall Islands – landscapes brimming with dense forests, overflowing waterfalls, sizzling deserts and more! Planned for Holiday 2022.“
According to Game Informer, Frontiers is an open-world game developed by Sonic Team Japan and led by Sonic Forces/Sonic Lost World director, Morio Kishimoto. Sonic embarks on an adventure to the Starfall Islands, a collection of forests, deserts, waterfalls, among other biomes. It’s unsure what to expect, but based on the trailer, Sonic has some titanic opposition standing in his way. Ian Flynn has also been announced that he will pen the story for the title.
The Sonic movie twitter account dropped a poster for the upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and revealed that the first trailer debuts at the Game Awards, tomorrow December 9th at 8pm ET. The poster actually reveals quite a bit! Tails will be taking a co-starring role and the iconic red biplane will be making the jump to the live action movie series, though whether it is christened the Tornado remains the be seen.
On top of a Sonic Frontiers reveal, the Sonic movie twitter account has been teasing that something, likely a trailer, is releasing soon. Shortly thereafter, Colleen O’Shaughnessey revealed that she will be returning to voice Tails in the movie. Colleen has voiced Tails in a variety of media, including Sonic Generations, Mario & Sonic 2016 and the Sonic Boom franchise.
When the Sonic movie was announced, it appeared to be a solo endeavor for the blue blur. That is, until WE REVEALED that Tails was returning in a mid-credits scene. Colleen returned to voice the more realistic CG Tails, and with the reveal of the movie sequel Tails took a larger role working his way into the logo. Some fans speculated that a larger role meant Tails would be recast, but thankfully Colleen is back. We can’t wait to see and hear more of Tails, and we are likely to be seeing something real soon!
Less overt clues include the expansion of the Sonic Steam page from 34 to 35 games, despite only 34 being publicly available and SEGA registering the domain name frontiers.sonicthehedgehog.com. While it is unknown just how much will be revealed, at the very least I’d imagine a trailer and website and some placeholders for online stores. Only two more days, fellow Blues (that’s what we Sonic fans call each other).
On the recent Virtua Fighter esports Official Broadcast, Seiji Aoki provided new information on the next upcoming downloadable content for Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown.
The upcoming downloadable content will be collaborating with the Yakuza series celebrating the series 16th anniversary featuring 650 items, 19 costume types, 19 costumes of the iconic characters from the Yakuza franchise such as Akira Yuki with Kazuma Kiryu clothes. The DLC will also feature 20 BGM from the Yakuza series, 20 Virtua Fighter 3 BGM (Arranged), and new 40 stamps.
The Yakuza Collaboration DLC pack for Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown will be released on December 8th for $10.
Let’s look back on the past few weeks of SEGA news! Does the Judgment franchise have a future? Is GunValkyrie better on the Xbox One/Series consoles? How about that Toe Jam and Earl arcade cabinet? All this and more on this week’s show!
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Toe Jam and Earl creator Greg Johnson’s HumaNature Studios has teamed with iiRcade to produce a Toe Jam and Earl – Back in the Groove arcade cabinet featuring 128GB of storage and two-player Sanwa controls. The machine runs on an Android based OS, optimized for gaming, so while Toe Jam and Earl – Back in the Groove comes pre-loaded the machine will also play a variety of other games. The machine is up for pre-order now at $599.99, and looks to be the perfect premium holiday gift for the Toe Jam and Earl fan in your life.
Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio director Masayoshi Yokoyama revealed in a recent Famitsu interview that the studio is planning a new franchise outside of their Yakuza and Judgement series. Little else was revealed, but it appears the future of Judgement was touched upon, because the likeness of the lead character is up in the air thanks to the talent agency managing the actor having strict rules about PC games, which has apparently halted plans for a Steam release. “We will continue to cherish the Judgement series,” Yokoyama said.
What direction would you like to see RGG Studio take a new franchise? Something more outside the box like Binary Domain? A Yakuza/Judgment spin-off?
2014’s Alien: Isolation was without a doubt the best game from SEGA for that year. Since then, the game won several awards and saw release to many platforms. Now, SEGA is bringing the game to mobile phones “without compromise” (their words), promising the complete experience. The game will support game pads and sport a “bespoke, fully customizable interface”.
It’s pretty amazing that when the App Store launched, we saw a basic Monkey Ball game and now we are seeing what was once an AAA title ported to smartphones. We will share our thoughts on the port when it hits December 16th!
