Sonic the Hedgehog

Sonic the Hedgehog’s 25th anniversary comes to an end as the blue blur turns 26

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Happy Birthday, Sonic – now give us our presents! Today marks Sonic the Hedgehog’s 26th anniversary, which officially signals the end of Sonic’s 25th. While the past year has been light on games, the biggest moments for the franchise has been a change in focus in several areas. Sonic Boom has seen a massive downgrade. Originally a multimedia alternate branch from the main Sonic franchise, featuring games, toys, comics, an animated show and a big fan event in New York in 2014; now only the animated series remains. As of this moment, no season 3 is confirmed and less than twenty season 2 episodes have yet to be aired. Could Sonic Boom be on the way out? Funnily enough, Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice was the only Sonic game to release during the 25th anniversary timeframe, making it technically the 25th anniversary game. A Japan only special edition with 25th anniversary swag supports this.

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First 4 Figures shows off their amazing Sonic the Hedgehog 25th Anniversary figure

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The people over at First 4 Figures making some amazing, quality figures that can be rather expensive (quality costs money) and it seems they have out did themselves with their latest Sonic the Hedgehog 25th Anniversary figure. You can see the scale of the Sonic the Hedgehog 25th Anniversary figure above and the figure is HUGE! So huge, I capitalized huge. How huge is that? The Sonic the Hedgehog 25th Anniversary figure goes for pre-order on June 6th and will cost you a cool $384.99! A figure for the serious collectors.

If you want to see more of the statue, the guys over at First 4 Figures will have a live stream on June 6th:

  • 7:00am (California)
  • 10:00am (New York),
  • 3:00pm (London)
  • 4:00pm (Germany)
  • 10:00pm (Hong Kong)

First 4 Figures will also be giving away reward points, if you follow these instructions on their facebook page. First 4 Figures also has a wide array of other SEGA IP premium figures on their website; including Shenmue, Virtua Fighter, Jet Set Radio and even Skies of Arcadia. So if the blue blur isn’t for you, you should check out what other SEGA IPs they have done figures for.  What do you guys think of this Sonic the Hedgehog 25th Anniversary figure? Are you picking up one? Let us know in the comments below.

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SEGA News Bits: Sonic Forces Custom Character Reaction

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Sonic Forces custom character creator was revealed this morning, making this the 3rd game play style in the game. If you guys didn’t know, we discussed a Sonic Forces custom character (mostly as a rumor) in a couple of our past videos and now it seems that its actually true.  On this SEGA News Bits we discuss our thoughts on the Sonic Forces custom character game play, talk about the Sonic fan creation community, check out some hidden Easter eggs found in the trailer, and much more. So tune in to our special SEGA News Bits talking about Sonic Forces custom character reveal. What are your thoughts on Sonic Forces‘ using a custom character as its third gameplay? Let us know in the comments below.

If you enjoy our SEGA News Bits segments and want to support us: Give us a sub and give this video a like so it shows up on more like minded fans YouTube recommendations. You know, how that new YouTube algorithm is.

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Fan creates Sonic Mania Studiopolis Zone Winamp skin

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Sonic Mania is a game that embraces old school aesthetics, so it is fitting that fellow SEGA and Sonic fan Ineedmorcowbell created a Sonic Mania skin for the old school program Winamp. Initially released in 1997, Winamp is a freemium media player for Windows, Android, and macOS. If you had a computer between 1997 and now, chances are you downloaded this program and still have it on your machine. What Ineedmorcowbell’s skin does is turn the entire player into Studiopolis Zone.

Ineedmorcowbell has this to say about the project:

After watching game play of Sonic Mania’s Studiopolis Zone, and seeing the Hornet Van. I felt like it needed to dance! This whole project was built around getting that Van to dance! From there, I designed how all the windows and standard features would be reskinned. There is all kinds of animations like the clouds moving, or lights glowing, to the projector playing different animations that react to the music.

All the sprites for this skin have been redrawn by myself! I used the debut, and various game play videos to collect the sprites to use, then redrew them in a much lower resolution. Similar to the original Genesis games. To produce a much crisper look then just using them straight from the videos. The only things that I didn’t redraw were some of the animations for the projector that use the developer logos and intro for the game. Christian Whitehead was redrawn because the original design was very seizure inducing. The Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles Head was done in illustrator.

I spent a lot of time and work really hard on this, so let me know what you think!

You can learn more about the skin and download it here. If you have any questions or comments for the creator, you can chat with him in our forums!

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Swingin’ Report Show #87: Sonic the Hedgehog 25th Anniversary Art Book – Cook & Becker CEO Maarten Brands

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The SEGAbits Swingin’ Report Show is back, bringing you an interview with Maarten Brands, CEO of Cook & Becker who is behind the upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog 25th Anniversary Art Book! In this, his first public interview talking about the book, Maarten goes into the history of the international art dealership Cook & Becker, how the SEGA partnership began and what fans can expect from the Sonic art book.

The book releases soon and comes in two editions, which you can pre-order now:
SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 25TH ANNIVERSARY ART BOOK – COLLECTOR’S EDITION
SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 25TH ANNIVERSARY ART BOOK – STANDARD HARDCOVER

[Download] [RSS] [iTunes] [Archive]

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SEGA in the Media: The Circle asks “Mario or Sonic?”

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Welcome to another SEGA in the Media! Its always fun spotting references to SEGA and its games in movies and television, but for me it is doubly fun when they screw it up somehow. Like when Suburban Commando tried to act like After Burner was some outer space alien game or when Jackie Chan gave a kid in a wheelchair a Game Gear with no games. Today we’re featuring the upcoming movie The Circle. I’ll admit, I’m late on this one. The trailer released back in December, and by the time I thought to make an article I had figured the movie was already out. But nope, they’re still advertising this and it is still not out! Do we really need five months of advertising for this stupid movie?

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New Sonic mobile game Sonic Runners Adventure leaked

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Sonic-Runners-Adventure-banner-1A new Sonic mobile game has been leaked called Sonic Runners Adventure, an apparent successor/sequel to the controversial Sonic Runners that was released globally in 2015 but shut down in 2016. The most notable difference between the original and this new game is the change of developers, Sonic Runners Adventure being handled by Gameloft, a studio that produces miscellaneous mobile games. Sonic Runners Adventure was originally leaked in a dedomil.net forum post, further supported by the Gameloft website having a customer support section for the game.

The support page in particular goes into detail over different aspects of the game. A notable change is that online is not mandatory, only being needed at launch and to access external links, unlike it’s predecessor Sonic Runners where online is needed at all times. Another change is that characters can be directly purchased with Rings, while Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles are unlocked automatically by playing through the storyline. Characters are also divided up by three categories, Hero, Dark, and Chaotix, each category having a unique skill that triggers after collecting 300 rings. There are also three different ways the game is played. Finite where the goal is to simply reach the end, Looped where you race around a short level with the goal of reaching the end of the last lap, and Infinite where a level continuously plays until you clear a certain objective.

No word has been officially stated by SEGA, but stay tune for more information to likely drop of Sonic Runners Adventure in the future.

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SEGA and Archie still in talks over Sonic the Hedgehog license

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If you didn’t know, the Archie Sonic the Hedgehog comic book series has been delayed, this is the second month in a row that the series hasn’t appeared in solicitations, and of course this has long time fans worried. Archie Sonic the Hedgehog artist, Tracey Yardley gave us an update stating that Archie and SEGA are still ‘in talks’ regarding the comics, stating that if any updates happen he would let everyone know.

You can see ComicVine’s Archie solicitations and notice that Archie Sonic the Hedgehog comic series is absent. If you didn’t already know, Archie Comics recently also cancelled the Mega Man comic book series, so its looking weary for Archie Sonic the Hedgehog comic books which happen to be the longest video game running comic book series of all time. It is also confirmed that Sonic the Hedgehog Volume 5 graphic novel and Sonic Mega Drive: Overdrive #1 have been cancelled by Archie Comics. Sonic Mega Drive: Overdrive #1 was suppose to be the final part of the highly praised Mega Drive arc, a one-shot comic book series that debuted last year. As for our opinions on the whole thing, we did a pretty interesting SEGA News Bits video discussing our opinions, hopes and thoughts on the possibility of Archie cancelling the series.

But tell us what your thoughts on all this news is? Are you worried about the Archie Sonic the Hedgehog comic book series?

[Via: Sonic Stadium]

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SEGA airs Sonic the Hedgehog TV commercial for their YouTube channel

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While watching a Cartoon Network show recently on DVR I happen to noticed this particularity odd Sonic the Hedgehog TV commercial which was aiming to promote the Sonic The Hedgehog YouTube channel. That’s right, it wasn’t for Sonic Boom TV Show or something that you can buy. Just a Sonic the Hedgehog TV commercial aiming at getting TV viewers to view their online content. Got to say, I’m amazed at the work Aaron at his team are putting together on promoting Sonic the Hedgehog on social media. If only the SEGA brand had someone as passionate as Aaron Webber manning the ship. You can watch it here, I tried to get the footage off my DVR but thanks to Direct TV’s crappy HDCP protection, it didn’t work out.

What are your thoughts on the Sonic the Hedgehog TV commercial? Do you think its weird that they are advertising a YouTube channel and not a product? Let us know in the comments below.

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First 4 Figures reveals Silver the Hedgehog statue, now available for pre-order

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“It’s no use!” Now that we got that out of the way… First 4 Figures has revealed their latest statue in their modern Sonic the Hedgehog line: Silver the Hedgehog! Due out in the third quarter of 2017, Silver is set to come in two editions: a light up Exclusive Edition for $284.99 and a standard edition priced at $249.99. Those who pre-order the Exclusive Edition on day one, within 24 hours of the pre-order launch, will receive an additional signature card signed by First 4 Figures Creative Director Alex Davis, a DAY ONE Edition hologram sticker and additional First 4 Figures rewards points. Pre-orders are open now, and are only available until March 7th, 2017.

Interestingly, and maybe this is not new to First 4 Figures but it is new to me, they have 3 month and 8 month payment plan options for those who can’t afford plunking down $250+ all at once. Unfortunately it looks like previous statues do not have the payment plan option.

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Fastest Food Alive: Unwrapping the Sonic the Hedgehog Ice Cream Bar with Gumball Eyes

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Fastest Food Alive returns with one of the most popular Sonic the Hedgehog food products of all time. That’s right, it’s Blue Bunny’s Sonic bar with GUMBALL EYES! Quit reading and watch as we unwrap this famous Sonic foodstuff, looking back on the history of the bar and seeing just how badly they messed up the eyes.

If you enjoyed the video make sure to like, share and subscribe to us on YouTube if you haven’t already. Thanks for the support!

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Rare SegaSonic Cosmo Galaxy Fighter game dumped

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MAMEWorld has recently celebrated the 20th anniversary of the well known arcade emulator MAME with a dump of several arcade games. One of the games is the rare SegaSonic Cosmo Galaxy Fighter from an anonymous donator. The original game was a vertical shooter that as the name suggests stars Sonic the Hedgehog as he has to shoot down Dr. Robotnik and his robots in space. The arcade cabinet was originally a Japanese exclusive, with the monitor having an interesting “swaying” effect as you play the game. SegaSonic Cosmo Galaxy Fighter is comparable to Waku Waku Sonic Patrol Car in terms of presentation.

This dumping means that as of this point, all known Sonic arcade games have been dumped in some way or another. However, the ROM of the game is not available publicly as of this writing, meaning currently it’s not possible to play the game yourself using MAME. Still, the fact a game like SegaSonic Cosmo Galaxy Fighter and the many other games recently donated being dumped means they won’t be lost to the trials of time.

[Source: MAMEWorld]

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SEGA Japanese developers talk Nintendo Switch

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SEGADevelopersSwitchSeeing as we are big SEGA fanboys, it is safe to say we care about what their developers think about a upcoming console. This month on Famitsu, SEGA Japanese developers talk Nintendo Switch and their thoughts on the big reveal presentation. The original news piece, posted by Nintendo Everything, also had other top Japanese developers. So check that out if you want to learn what other top Japanese talent from other publishing companies thought about the Nintendo Switch. So what SEGA Japanese developers talk Nintendo Switch? We have Takashi Iizuka (Sonic the Hedgehog series), Toshihiro Nagoshi (Yakuza series) and Mizuki Hosoyamada (Puyo Puyo series).

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

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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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