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.
Announced on Sonic Central are some new content for smartphones and Apple devices. First up we have Classic Sonic and three new tracks set in Green Hill Zone coming to Sonic Racing for Apple Arcade. Next up, in October, we have Sonic the Werehog coming to Sonic Dash and the mobile Sonic Forces game. Also announced are pirate costumes for Sonic Dash and Super Sonic in Sonic Forces for mobile.
Revealed today on the Sonic Central live stream is an upcoming virtual Sonic the Hedgehog concert featuring a full orchestra and appearances by Tomoya Ohtani, Crush 40 and others. This concert will be free and will debut on June 23.
Sonic Central announced that in celebration of Sonic’s 30th anniversary, there will be free in game items coming to Two Point Hospital. The items include Sonic costumes, SEGA arcade machines and more! Also revealed, the upcoming Tokyo 2020 video game will feature Sonic as a playable costume. But not just any Sonic, the body costume seen at live events! Check out a screenshot after the break.
Revealed at Sonic Central is the news that the arcade AM2 classic Sonic the Fighters will be playable in the upcoming Lost Judgment as an arcade game. This means not only will you be able to play Sonic the Fighters on new consoles, but you will also get to see a 3D representation of the arcade cabinet. Lost Judgment releases September 24, 2021.
The Sonic Central stream ended with a short teaser for Sonic’s next major 3D game. Not much is revealed, aside from modern Sonic running through a forest then slowing down and creating an electric loop. A shape resembling the word “ZAP” then appears and the date of 2022 with all major platforms listed.
A remastered collection is coming next year, combining what appears to be the Taxman and Stealth remasters of Sonic 1, 2, CD and FINALLY Sonic 3 & Knuckles. No doubt some revisions will be made for the legally problematic music. But hey, it’s happening!
It looks like the rumors running around that Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown was going to be given away to PlayStation Plus members in June are true. It has now been confirmed via the PlayStation Blog:
Sega’s iconic one-on-one battler gets remade for a new generation by Yakuza and Judgment developer Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio. This console exclusive debuts on PlayStation Plus, allowing both VF veterans and newcomers to experience the intense martial arts combat, deep strategy, and intricately balanced gameplay of the groundbreaking 3D fighter in stunning HD. New online features – like custom tournaments supporting up to 16 players and live spectating – join classic modes like Rank Match, Arcade, and VF5’s famously robust Training to deliver the definitive Virtua Fighter experience.
The game will not only be available on PlayStation Plus for about two months – June and July – but it’ll also be releasing on PlayStation Now in June! PlayStation Plus members can enter Virtua Fighter 5’s arenas starting Tuesday, June 1.
According to the internet, PlayStation Plus has over 47 million subscribers, meaning that Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown might be the most online active Virtua Fighter game ever. Maybe. What do you guys think of SEGA’s move in giving the game away for free to Plus members?
Back in January, we shared the sad news that Roger Craig Smith was leaving the role of Sonic the Hedgehog. Today, on May 26th, Roger Craig Smith announced that he will be returning to the role. Something seemed up when yesterday’s Unstoppable trailer featured the familiar voice of Roger, without the Sonic inflection, as the narrator. Said Roger in a Tweet: “I can’t fully express my gratitude for the @sonic_hedgehog
crew and community. I hope to honor your support and passion as I’m officially back voicing #SonicTheHedgehog in games. Can’t wait for ya to see what we have planned! THANK YOU…from the bottom of my blue heart.”
While the fanbase will no doubt debate why Roger left and returned, this is great news for fans of his portrayal and a great decision by SEGA and Sonic Team as we enter the 30th anniversary. Welcome back, Roger!
SEGA has kicked off Sonic the Hedgehog’s 30th anniversary with a new trailer, titled Unstoppable, as well as the announcement of an online event. The trailer showcases Sonic’s impact on kids over the past 30 years, and how those kids grew up to be influenced by the franchise. Nothing real meaty is revealed, but it’s very well produced and a nice way to start the celebrations.
If you want spicy news, look no further than Sonic Central, a digital event planned for May 27th, 2021 at 9am PT, 12pm ET. The event takes place on the Sonic the Hedgehog YouTube and Twitch channels featuring SEGA’s Sonic Team joined by special guests to reveal upcoming projects, partnerships and events spanning the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise and beyond.
IGN has an exclusive announcement trailer for Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown aka Virtua Fighter Esports in Japan. The trailer features the entire VF cast and stages remade with the Dragon Engine and is developed by the collaboration between SEGA AM2 and Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio as part of SEGA’s 60th anniversary project.
The game will include include new background music for every stage, a new user interface, a new opening cinematic, and new lighting and shaders. In addition to updated graphics and background music, it will allow players to spectate online matches in real-time, and will also include the ability to build robin-robin style online tournaments. The private and public lobby system will support up to 16 players, and will include new communications tools like stamps.
Check out screenshots of Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown and let us know what you think? Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown will be available digitally on PS4 on June 1st.
While the 2020 Tokyo Olympics have yet to actually happen, and Mario & Sonic have already done their part, SEGA’s Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 – The Official Video Game has been stuck in limbo. While the game had released in Japan way back in July of 2019, a western release has been unknown until a recent listing from the Microsoft Store has let it slip that the game will release on June 22, 2021. The game will be available for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Switch.
[Source: comingsoon.net, thanks to Berto for the tip]
The official Twitter account for the Virtua Fighter series teased that there will be an official announcement broadcast for the “Virtua Fighter x Esports” project held on their official YouTube channel on Thursday, May 27th at 20:00 JST (7 AM EST, 6AM CST, 4 AM PST). You can head on over to their countdown site and the official Youtube channel for the game to keep yourself updated.
We are finally about to receive some news on the project. What are your expectations for Virtua Fighter x Esports? Let us know in the comments below.
With the Sonic the Hedgehog movie sequel, appropriately titled Sonic the Hedgehog 2, having wrapped in Toronto we now have an official plot synopsis from Paramount:
After settling in Green Hills, Sonic is ready for more freedom, and Tom and Maddie agree to leave him home while they go on vacation. But, no sooner are they gone, when Dr. Robotnik comes back, this time with a new partner, Knuckles, in search for an emerald that has the power to both build and destroy civilizations. Sonic teams up with his own sidekick, Tails, and together they embark on a journey to find the emerald before it falls into the wrong hands. Being directed by Jeff Fowler, and starring Jim Carrey, James Marsden, and Ben Schwartz.
Following the announcement trailer for Lost Judgment. SEGA hosted a global reveal stream, “Judgment Day”, for the upcoming title with Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio executive producer Toshihiro Nagoshi and producer Kazuki Hosokawa sharing details on story and gameplay. During the stream, RGG Studio revealed that in addition to the setting of Kamurocho, fans will be able to adventure to the scenic port city of Yokohama which was last seen in Yakuza: Like A Dragon. Along with Yokohama, there will be a high school setting that will play a key role in both the story and optional side content such as School Stories and unique mini games.
With fans showing much support from the original game with it’s fast-paced action, the team made improvements to the combat system with Crane and Tiger styles making their return, along with a brand new strategic Snake style which will allow you to counter and disarm enemies with weapons. Players will also experience the investigation gameplay in a new way with the ability to scramble up buildings, acrobatics, and perform stealthy objectives.
At last with an recent interview with IGN, the producers stated that the Yakuza series will remain turn-based RPG while Judgment will continue the classic action based gameplay. Lost Judgment will release simultaneous worldwide on September 24 for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox One with dual audio (JP/EN), dual English subs, and FIGS language subtitles.