The holiday season is fast approaching, and like SEGA’s speedy blue mascot it’ll be here before you know it! In fact, it’s already here! Don’t fret, as we’re here to help you out with some gift giving ideas for the SEGA and Sonic fans in your life, or if you have some gift cards burning a hole in your pocket you might like some of our suggestions for yourself.
So read on as we take a look at the best SEGA and Sonic gifts on offer this holiday season!
Sonic Origins Plus is due out just in time for Sonic’s 32nd anniversary and developer Headcannon, a software development and publishing business founded and run by Simon Thomley, is confirmed to be working on the updated release. Headcannon famously worked with Christian Whitehead on Sonic Mania, and Headcannon worked alongside SEGA on Sonic Origins last year. However, upon the game’s release Headcannon was not shy in criticizing some of the game’s bugs and performance issues.
SEGA has officially announced Sonic Origins Plus, which is an expanded physical release as well as digital upgrade for existing owners of the game. The compilation adds 12 Game Gear games, adds Amy Rose as a playable character in all four Genesis/Mega Drive and SEGA CD titles and adds Knuckles to Sonic CD. Also included will be all previously released DLC as well as a 20-page art book and reversible cover which features a SEGA Genesis design. The collection will be up for pre-order soon on PlayStation 5 and 4, Nintendo Switch and Xbox consoles. After the break, check out the press release and some screenshots!
On this SEGA News Bits Live, Barry takes a look at leaked Sonic Origins Plus news and reviews the latest update to Sonic Frontiers. On the unboxing segment, Burger King’s new Sonic kid’s meal toys are detailed and Shadow finally is a juice bottle.
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A rating for Sonic Origins Plus has appeared on The Game Rating and Administration Committee of Korea website, potentially leaking the existence of an enhanced and expanded (and possibly physical) rerelease of last year’s Sonic Origins. Fans knew something has been in the works for the game, as various updates have been in the approval stages behind-the-scenes with nothing publicly released as of yet. Following the release of the digital-only retro compilation, SEGA sent out various surveys asking players to share their thoughts on the game and what sort of additions they’d like to see in a future update.
As the year winds to a close, join us as we chat about all the Sonic the Hedgehog happenings in 2022! From the second movie to Sonic Origins, and Sonic Frontiers to Sonic Prime. What were the highlights and the lowlights, and what could SEGA learn going into 2023? We’ll discuss all this in a round table discussion featuring SEGAbits writer Dakota and Sonic Retro writer David the Lurker!
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Join Barry live at 12:15PM Central time for a Sonic birthday party! Grab a chili dog, watch some Sonic Origins gameplay footage and enjoy a classic episode of Fastest Food Alive.
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SEGA recently published two episode of Sonic Origins Speed Strats by Strategy Guide PR, bringing players up to speed on all things Sonic Origins, the remastered multi-game collection of the original Sonic titles. The series covers the original Sonic collection with information on each game on lore, objectives and game play mechanics featured exclusively in Sonic Origins.
This series also will help newcomers understand the original roots of the Sonic the Hedgehog series which I think is perfect timing after the release of Paramount Pictures’ Sonic the Hedgehog 2 movie. If you missed the first episode, you could check out the video here.
Sonic Origins will launch digitally, starting at $39.99 USD on PlayStation®5, PlayStation®4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, the Nintendo Switch™ family of systems and PC on June 23.
This morning, Famitsu showed off nearly an hour of Sonic Origins in-game footage, including the overworld map, anniversary and classic mode footage, 2 player races and the museum. There is so much to see that I will leave it to you, the reader, to click play and skim through yourself. Some highlights for me was the opening animated cutscene for Sonic 1, the confirmation of Sonic Mania Adventures animations all being included, the surprisingly expanded 2 player mode with new maps, the mission and boss battle modes and the aforementioned overworld map of all the classic era islands.
Update:SEGA Forever has clarified that the mobile ports of Sonic 1, 2 and CD will remain! SEGA of Japan’s Sonic Channel further clarifies that the following titles will be delisted: Xbox 360: Sonic 1, 2, 3, & Knuckles; PS Now: Sonic 1; PS3: Sonic 1, 2; Steam: Sonic 1, 2, 3 & Knuckles. The Sonic CD port appears to be spared, though given this is the Japanese site, it is unknown if the US and Europe releases will match this list.
SEGA has announced that in the lead up to Sonic Origins, Sonic games found in the collection will be pulled from digital storefronts. In SEGA’s words:
This will include Sonic the Hedgehog 1, 2, Sonic 3 & Knuckles and Sonic CD. There are a couple of exceptions – Sonic the Hedgehog 1 and 2 will remain available via SEGA AGES on the Nintendo Switch and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 will still be playable via Sega Genesis on Nintendo Switch Online +.
Fool your friends, be the envy of your enemies (or vice versa) with the Sonic Origins SEGA Genesis paper craft! I did it for Sonic 4 Episode 1, Sonic 4 Episode 2, Sonic Generations and Sonic Mania. So it only makes sense for me to do it again for Sonic Origins!
The process is pretty easy. Print out the images below, slip the cover in a Genesis case, tape or glue the label on a Genesis cartridge and fold and place the manual inside the case. I like to use old sports games, but you can use any old Genesis game case that you wish. Have fun!
WAKE UP! There’s a lot to talk about this morning as Sonic Origins has been officially revealed and detailed. Let’s run through all the features, digital bonuses and prices. Also, we run through the past week of SEGA news including reboots of Crazy Taxi and Jet Set Radio and a Streets of Rage movie from the John Wick guy.
If you enjoy our SEGA News Bits segments and want to support us: Give us a sub and give this video a thumbs up so it shows up on more like-minded fans YouTube recommendations. You know, how that YouTube algorithm is.
SEGA has officially announced Sonic Origins! The game is set to release on June 23rd, 2022, just in time for Sonic’s 31st anniversary. The game will feature a new 16:9 endless life anniversary mode in which players collect coins to unlock bonus content as well as a 4:3 classic mode featuring the games as they originally played. Players can select Sonic, Tails and Knuckles to play across all four games. Based on what we see in the trailer, there are new animations and the game WILL feature the original Taxman ports of Sonic 1, 2 and CD. The game will release digitally to Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and PC. A digital deluxe edition will feature bonus hard missions, additional music tracks, letterbox backgrounds, character animations and an island camera (hmm).
Update: Stealth of Headcannon – of Taxman and Stealth fame from the Sonic 1, 2 and CD ports as well as Sonic Mania –has revealed that he and a team were behind remaking Sonic 3 & Knuckles!
After the break, check out the official press release and screens of the games and menus!
A Sonic Origins announcement could be imminent! On Monday, the PC version of the game appeared on a South Korean ratings website and shortly thereafter artwork for the game appeared on PSN. Twitter user Tanooki Joe pointed out to us that the same art seen for Sonic Origins showed up a few weeks back in an official Sonic licensing advertisement. Between this fact, and the art being hosted on PlayStation’s servers, this is 100% real. The question now is, when will SEGA formally announce the game?
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!
