SEGA Japan President hinting at Sonic reboots and remakes

In a recent interview with SEGA Japan President and COO Yukio Sugino via Famitsu, the boss man had expressed interest in ‘reboots and remakes’ of Sonic the Hedgehog games. The interview talks mostly about the success that the Sonic the Hedgehog brand has been having lately with a strong fiscal year and great reception of Sonic Frontiers. Not only that, the success of the Sonic the Hedgehog 2 movie.

When talking about Samba de Amigo: Party Central, a new revival of a previously dead Sonic Team franchise, Sugino confirmed that the game isn’t a reboot but a new title in the series but was interested in exploring reboots and reboot-like features within new games. He refrenced Sonic Superstars as an example

“a return to 2D action, and although it is a new game, I would like to implement reboot-like measures as well. Of course, we have to do new things, but as with all IPs, we don’t have new works or reboots,. We will develop while selecting which is appropriate at this timing for each IP, such as ‘This is the best way to do this IP’. ‘Sonic’ is also SEGA’s signature IP, and in parallel with the new game, we are considering reboots and remakes.”

This isn’t surprising since Sonic Colors Ultimate was a thing. Considering that a lot of Sonic fans have grown up with older 3D titles that they have been asking remakes for a decade plus, I’d say that I’m all for a Sonic Adventure, Sonic Adventure 2 and even Sonic Unleashed reboots or remakes. What older modern Sonic games do you think deserve a full on remake?

[Via Sonic Stadium, Dualshockers]

Summer of Sonic team launches Kickstarter Campaign for Sonic Adventure Music Experience Live in the UK

If you happen to be a Sonic the Hedgehog fan residing in the UK, the Summer of Sonic team has launched a Kickstarter campaign for an official Sonic Adventure Music Experience live UK performance of music from the Sonic the Hedgehog series Sonic Adventure, 2 and Team Sonic Racing featuring performances by Jun Senoue (guitarist), Takeshi Taneda (long-time bassist for Crush 40) and drummer Act. (Crush 40, TSR Soundtrack drummer), on December 8th 2019 at The Garage, London.

The band will perform music from the Sonic Adventure series and the recently released, Team Sonic Racing, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the release of the SEGA Dreamcast and Sonic Adventure in the west. Their Kickstarter campaign goal is to reach at least £13,500 within it’s 3 week duration.

If you want to attend or support the campaign, be sure to check out their Kickstarter page with more details on the event and tiers you can earn.

SEGA Talk #19: Sonic Adventure (1998)

SEGA Talk returns to the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise with Sonic’s first 3D platformer: Sonic Adventure! George and Barry discuss the Dreamcast classic from development to release, sharing little known factoids and their own memories of the game.

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SEGA News Bits: Sonic Adventure Remake Reaction & Discussion

On this SEGA News Bits, George and Barry cover a topic several viewers wanted us to cover: the possibility of a Sonic Adventure remake. We discuss what Sonic Team said about the idea and share our own thoughts on what a remake could feature.

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Sonic Team’s Takashi Iizuka wants to do a Sonic Adventure Remake

In a new article in Retro Gamer looks back at Sonic Adventure, goes into details about how Sonic the Hedgehog transition from 2D to 3D and the making of Sonic Adventure. After this whole reminisce and looking back at the work Sonic Team did with the first Sonic Adventure, Takashi Iizuka says:

“It was the first high-speed 3D action game that also featured scenario highlighted with six different stories, the A-life Chao, six unique styles of gameplay – it is a unique offering even 20 years after its release… However, it was the very first 3D game that we worked on and looking at it now I can see the rough edges it has, which really makes me want to remake it again.”

While on the other hand Kazuyuki Hoshino said he would like to continue the series with a new game. But what would you rather have? A new Sonic Adventure 3 or a remake of Sonic Adventure? I wouldn’t be shocked if Sonic Team tries going back to the Sonic Adventure brand considering fan demand is high and that Sonic Mania was a highly successful experiment that was pushed to its success by its enthusiastic fans, its not hard to see SEGA wanting to try capturing that lighting in a bottle another time with Sonic Adventure-type remake.

Sonic Twitter launches poll to vote for favorite Sonic game feature, we all vote for Chao Gardens


The Sonic the Hedgehog Twitter account has launched a new poll asking fans ‘Which was your favorite feature from pas Sonic games?’ with the ability to answer:

  • Time Attack Mode
  • Customizable Character
  • Chao Gardens
  • 2P Competition Mode

Guess what is winning at the moment by a overwhelming margin? Chao Gardens, a feature that hasn’t been in a Sonic the Hedgehog game since Sonic Adventure 2 on Dreamcast (OK, it was in Sonic Chronicles, but does that even count?). Who would have thought that Sonic Team might be a bit out of touch with its fanbase. Who knows what will come out of this poll, hopefully a Chao Gardens return in the next game.

What is the best 3D Sonic the Hedgehog video game?

Sonic the Hedgehog launched in glorious 3D back on the Dreamcast (at least officially, there where other attempts prior) and since 1998 it seems that the blue blur has had some trouble really defining what a 3D Sonic the Hedgehog game should be. We have went from the Adventure style games to the boost gameplay that we know now.

But what is the best 3D Sonic the Hedgehog game? 

To me this is hard to answer, like the retro Sonic the Hedgehog games that first came out all had a feel and flow to them, but the 3D ones seem to be all over the place. Even Sonic Adventure 1 and 2 are completely different in tone. For me, it has to be Sonic Adventure and that probably has to do with nostalgia, the fact that I preferred the flow of the game compared to Adventure 2 (letting you pick who you wanted to play instead of forcing you to switch between characters).  Is Sonic Adventure perfect? Nah, but no game is. I will also like to give a special shout out to Sonic Generations, which I enjoyed quite a bit. What about you?

SEGA News Bits: Dreamcast Games Are Coming Back Online – Its Still Thinking?

Our beloved SEGA Dreamcast was known to be the first console to promote online gaming as a feature thanks to having a modem packed into every console. We got a pretty decent array of online playable games, but sadly after SEGA pulled the life support from the Dreamcast, these beloved games went offline. But now they are being resurrected and on this episode of the SEGA News Bits we look at all the Dreamcast games playable online, Dreamcast games that might come back soon and talk about some of the ones that are still offline. Let us know what online Dreamcast games you played back in the day and which ones you wish where back online in the comments below!

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Sega Dreamcast: Collected Works teases never before seen production materials from Jet Set Radio, Shenmue and more

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Sega Dreamcast: Collected Works, an upcoming book from Read-Only Memory, is the followup to SEGA Mega Drive/Genesis: Collected Works. Successfully backed on Kickstarter late last year, Read-Only Memory sent a new years update to backers and boy is it an exciting one! Read-Only Memory received a large amount of production materials from SEGA of Japan, including several never-before-seen pieces from popular Dreamcast games. Included in the haul are:

  • Game mechanic sketches, environment concepts and high end renderings for Sonic Adventure
  • The complete design document for Jet Set Radio/Jet Grind Radio, including some amazing graffiti artwork concepts
  • A very early proof of concept video for Space Channel 5
  • Character studies and production artwork for Phantasy Star Online
  • Storyboards, character designs and environment artworks for Shenmue

Read-Only Memory will spend the coming weeks sorting through all the materials and identifying pieces to include in the book, with the final cut of the book to be laid out in a few months. Also revealed is that photoshoots for the Hardware Showcase chapter of the book will be taking place in the next few weeks, featuring everything from consoles to the fishing controller to the Samba de Amigo maracas. If you’re the proud owner of a Dreamcast hardware rarity you think should make the final cut, please do drop Read-Only Memory a line!

We here at SEGAbits can’t wait to get our hands on the book, and in the meantime we’re working to get Darren Wall of Read-Only Memory back for another Swingin’ Report Show podcast.

SEGA News Bits: Sonic Adventure & Sonic Adventure 2 Vinyl Announced

On this short but sweet SEGA News Bits, Barry takes a look at the newly announced Sonic Adventure and Sonic Adventure 2 vinyl from Brave Wave, which are due out this winter. Released separately and each containing two LPs, fans can expect a hand picked selection of the best tunes from each game. What tracks made the cut? What bonuses can we expect? Click play and find out!

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Brave Wave bringing Sonic Adventure & Sonic Adventure 2 to vinyl this winter

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2017 is fast becoming the year of Sonic vinyls, as it was announced today that the music label Brave Wave will be releasing Sonic Adventure and Sonic Adventure 2 soundtrack vinyls this winter. As revealed on their website, the first pressing will contain special colors that represent the respective game. Sonic Adventure will be pressed in blue and white 180-gram vinyl and Sonic Adventure 2 will be pressed in blue and red 180-gram vinyl. Following the first pressing, the soundtracks will be on standard black 180-gram vinyl. Both releases will include a booklet featuring interviews with Jun Senoue and Takashi Iizuka, liner notes by John Linneman of Digital Foundry, song lyrics and character art.

If you think each game has a soundtrack too big for a single record, don’t fret! Each release will come with two LP records featuring remastered tracks handpicked by series lead composer and sound director Jun Senoue and the team. After the break, check out the full tracklists, and keep your eyes on the Brave Wave site for pre-order information as it becomes available.

Sonic Adventure available on Xbox One via backwards compatibility update

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If you have been waiting to replay Sonic Adventure but have been too lazy to hook up either your Dreamcast, GameCube or Xbox 360; you’re in luck since its now fully playable on the Xbox One thanks to the latest backwards compatibility update. As you can tell by the photograph above, the XBLA version of Sonic Adventure uses assets from the GameCube version and sticks with its original 4:3 image.

While I have plenty of not so great things to say about how Xbox One brand has been handled, one thing I do think is very ambitious is how Microsoft is setting up the console to be the only Xbox console you would need to own thanks to its focus on backwards compatibility. I find it to be a great solution and a lot better than ‘streaming’ your last generation games like on PlayStation 4. How many of you guys are giving Sonic Adventure another go on Xbox One?

Pix’n Love Editions announces The History of the Dreamcast book

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Just a few months after announcing a Shenmue history book, French publisher Pix’n Love Editions continues the SEGA love with the announcement of a “L’Histoire de la Dreamcast” book. The book, which at the time of this article is only in French, will be 350 pages and in full color. The book will cover the story of the console including behind-the-scenes documents, entries for nearly 600 games, special sections for notable games including Shenmue, Jet Set Radio, Sonic Adventure and Skies of Arcadia, interviews with SEGA game designers, accessories and cancelled games.

The book is currently available for pre-order with a standard edition priced at €37,82 (around $40) and two special editions. The special editions come in a Sonic Adventure Edition, which includes the book, a special art book featuring official artwork and unpublished design drawings, a transparent silk-screen plastic sleeve featuring Sonic artwork and a special color scheme, three art prints from Sonic Adventure, and a numbered collector card. The other special edition is the Shenmue Edition, featuring everything the Sonic Adventure Edition includes but swapping out the Sonic art with Shenmue art. Both editions are priced at €79,90 (around $85).

After the break, check out a gallery of product images. Thanks to The Dreamcast Junkyard for the heads up!

PlayStation Now adds 13 SEGA Games to streaming line-up

Sony has announced that they are celebrating ‘SEGA & Sonic Month’ over on PlayStation Now by adding 13 SEGA titles to its streaming line-up. If you don’t know what PlayStation Now is, its basically a pay-per-month service that allows you to stream titles on a number of devices including PC, PlayStation TV, PlayStation 4 and other smart appliances. Since the service uses ‘the cloud’, you’ll be able to play on one device and pick up where you left off on another. PlayStation Now is a great concept but I only recommend it if you have really fast and stable internet.

These are the 13 SEGA titles that are now available to stream on PlayStation Now this month:

  • Alex Kidd in the Miracle World
  • Altered Beast
  • Comix Zone
  • Fighting Vipers
  • Golden Axe
  • Revenge of Shinobi
  • Sega Bass Fishing
  • Sonic Adventure
  • Sonic Adventure 2
  • Sonic the Fighters
  • Sonic Unleashed
  • Super Hang-on
  • Virtua Fighter 2

If you think your ISP is fast and stable enough to stream playable games, you can give the service a try with Sony’s seven-day free trial. A bit weird that they added SEGA Genesis titles to the service, I would have assumed they would have tried getting more full fledged games like Vanquish, Binary Domain and other bigger titles. What are your thoughts on PlayStation Now?

Cook & Becker’s Sonic The Hedgehog 25th Anniversary Art Book reveals exclusive Yuji Uekawa print

Sonic-art-print_UekawaLong time Sonic the Hedgehog artist Yuji Uekawa will be doing an exclusive print that will come with the Cook & Becker’s Sonic The Hedgehog 25th Anniversary Art Book Collectors Edition. If you missed the news, the art book will collect rare and exclusive art from the Blue Blur’s history and will come in two versions: standard hardcover and collectors edition. The Yuji Uekawa print will not be sold separately, as far as we know, meaning there will be about 2,500 copies printed. The Yuji Uekawa print focuses on the history of Sonic by showing him with his three major redesigns: Classic Sonic, Modern Sonic and Sonic Boom.

Cook & Becker was also nice enough to share what the Yuji Uekawa print looks like within the Sonic The Hedgehog 25th Anniversary Art Book Collectors Edition! Remember if you pre-order the collector’s edition before February, you get a 10% discount. The book is expected to ship to costumers sometime within April. What are your thoughts on the Yuji Uekawa print? Sound off in the comments below.

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