SEGA has officially announced the release date of Sonic Forces, which is November 7, 2017. What more, there has also been announced Bonus Editions for the PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and Xbox One featuring a controller skin and in-game add-ons of avatar outfits from SEGA and Atlus games. The costumes include: Jet Set Radio glasses and outfit, Persona 5 mask and outfit, Puyo Puyo hat, Super Monkey Ball ears and outfit and NiGHTS hat and outfit.
[UPDATE] The official Sonic the Hedgehog channel has released a new video of the tag gameplay, seen above. After the break, check out the Japanese stream video.
[UPDATE 2] New screens after the break!
With Sonic Mania released to the masses (well, aside from the PC version) Sonic Forces details have begun to release via Famitsu and Gamescon, and while I expect something from SEGA of America soon, I didn’t want to pass up newsing the new mode revealed for the game. In addition to Classic Sonic, Modern Sonic and the Custom Hero the game will include a Tag mode where players control both Modern Sonic and the Custom Hero, giving players the opportunity to see their creation running alongside Sonic.
At the moment, only a Modern Sonic team-up is confirmed, no word on Classic teaming with the Custom Hero. The Tag mode allows players to use both Sonic and Custom Hero’s abilities, meaning you can speed and boost like Sonic, and use the Wispons. Also, as seen in the video after the break, the duo will have the opportunity to fist bump into a special boost mode in which the vocal theme Fist Bump plays. If you’d like a peek at the controls, take a look at this Twitter post. Nothing too revealing, but it’s worth checking out.
Other details revealed include confirmation that Sonic Forces will be at Tokyo Game Show with special guests and new content and, as confirmed by SEGA, Sonic Forces is set to release November 9th, 2017 in Japan.
I have no doubt that many reviews released today for Sonic Mania, releasing August 15 to the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch and releasing August 29 to PC, will chart the ups and downs of the Sonic franchise, make mention of the recent Sonic Boom games, and make the assertion that Sonic has not been good for a long time. I also have no doubt that reviews like my own will smugly mention such reviews in an attempt to show how I’m coming at Sonic Mania from a more educated and informed place. Really, I just wanted an intro paragraph and now that that’s done we can get to what we’re all here for: my review of Sonic Mania!
SEGA has announced a new Sonic Mania feature that many classic fans are sure to love: Competition Mode! Players will be able to take on their friends as Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles with the winner determined by different factors: clear time, score, number of items acquired, number of rings acquired when clearing the level, and total number of rings acquired throughout the level. Rules can be adjusted via changing the available items in item boxes and the number of rounds.
SEGA has released new information about the upcoming Sonic Mania by way of a new trailer showing off the special stages, bonus stage and time attack mode. Special stages see the players chasing down enemy UFOs to obtain those precious Chaos Emeralds. As revealed at Comic Con, the spheres give the players an added speed boost.
The E3 trailer for Sonic Forces has landed, and for the most part there is nothing new to be seen. Clips of the recently revealed demo stages appear and then… what’s this!? It turns out not only is Eggman the villain, but so too are Shadow, Metal Sonic, Chaos, Zavok and a brand new villain and an infinity symbol! Who is this red square tossing bad guy? I guess we have a whole lot more to chew on before the game releases holiday 2017.
From the team that brought you Sonic Colors and Generations, comes the next exciting title in the Sonic franchise: Sonic Forces. Experience fast-paced action as Modern Sonic, thrilling platforming as Classic Sonic, and utilize powerful new gadgets as your own custom Hero Character. Help Sonic fight back to reclaim the world from Dr. Eggman and a powerful, mysterious new villain.
After the break, read the full press release from SEGA and view new art!
E3 is upon us, and with it comes new Sonic Mania details! In this SEGA News Bits, Barry and George discuss the recently revealed Chemical Plant Zone and the reveal of the Green Hill Zone boss. Also discussed is the game’s length, SEGA’s marketing efforts and more!
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SEGA has revealed another returning classic Sonic stage to appear in Sonic Mania, Sonic the Hedgehog 2‘s Chemical Plant Zone. Often cited by fans as the favorite stage in their favorite game of the series, Chemical Plant is not new to modern gaming as 2011’s Sonic Generations featured the zone in the console version of the game. The Sonic Mania remix features new music from Tee Lopes and several new gimmicks including bouncy goopy rivers, sticky walls and teleporting bubbles. SEGA has provided us with screenshots and additional footage which you can see after the break.
Sonic Mania is now available for digital preorder and is set to release on August 15th for Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One, and PC.
Covering SEGA news for coming up on 9 years now, I have to say that after some really dark times when the notion of no physical releases from SEGA was a possibility, it feels really good to post up simple articles like this one. Puyo Puyo Tetris is now available on Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 in the Americas, and is set to release on April 28th in Europe. Featuring gameplay from two iconic puzzle games, Puyo Puyo Tetris offers up several single and multi-player as well as online play. Those who buy the Nintendo Switch version at and around launch will receive a special Launch Edition featuring Puyo Puyo and Tetris themed keychains, while the PS4 version comes in a Standard Edition.
Yesterday, at a SEGA hosted SXSW panel, Project Sonic 2017 was revealed to be titled Sonic Forces. The panel featured a video showcasing the Modern Sonic gameplay, however no direct feed version was released so we had to rely on fans streaming from the audience. Thankfully, SEGA has now officially released that video to YouTube and, well, see for yourself!
Also released are two screens via a Game Informer article, seen after the break. The article itself reveals a few cool new things, thanks to an extended cut of the gameplay which was shown privately. Game Informer mentions that as you play, side-characters like Knuckles, Amy and the Chaotix communicate via radio to report on what they’re seeing during Eggman’s assault. It is also mentioned that these characters are not playable, as the game will only feature Modern Sonic, Classic Sonic and a third style that has yet to be revealed.
Update: A high res version of the video is floating about, so I ripped some high quality screens which can be seen after the break.
SEGA’s Aaron Webber took the stage with Takashi Iizuka, Roger Craig Smith and Mike Pollock to talk all things Sonic the Hedgehog at a panel at SXSW. At the panel they finally revealed the actual name for Project Sonic 2017, which is called Sonic Forces. The panel was filled with jokes, memes and a wealth of information. Including the first look at the Sonic Forces’s trailer, which was the old trailer with the new logo which you can see.
According to the SEGA stream, the name ‘Sonic Forces’ is based on the fact that the game will have ‘forces’ going against each other like Sonic the Hedgehog‘s group of friends and Eggman’s group of baddies. Aaron Webber also showed off another piece of concept art for Sonic Force’s, but have kept mute on further details. We do know that they have recorded most of the voices for Sonic Forces. What are your thoughts on the name? Let us know in the comments below.
Sonic Mania release date has been moved to Summer 2017, it has been revealed in the SXSW panel. While its not an exact Sonic Mania release date, it is postponed and the reason was to get more time to develop the game. While it sucks that we won’t be getting the game during the spring time, at least SEGA is delaying games to make them a more complete package.
Another thing that SEGA did was tease a Sonic Mania vinyl. He said he wanted to gauge the community and see if its something they want. Seeing the response on the SXSW stream and the fact that they already had mockups (below), i’d say its pretty much confirmed that there will be a Sonic Mania vinyl. As for the game’s digital price point, SEGA isn’t ready to reveal that. Will it be more than $15? Time will tell.
In the latest reveal for the upcoming Sonic Mania, Sonic the Hedgehog brand social media manager, Aaron Webber, gave a special first look at Green Hill Zone Act 2 and how transitions work between acts similar to Sonic 3 & Knuckles. The second act of Green Hill Zone demonstrates a new mechanic such as the zip line, interactivity with the elemental shields to enter secret routes, and reveals a much closer look of the mountains and waterfalls in the background.
Aaron also noted that the background layout of Act 2 is a reference to the early prototype of the original Sonic the Hedgehog. While the boss for Act 2 cannot be revealed at the time, Aaron has mentioned that are brand new badniks introduced in Sonic Mania known as the Hard Boiled Heavies and Heavy Gunner which have been revealed on the Sonic Twitter account and are detailed in a new article from Game Informer. What are your thoughts on Green Hill Zone Act 2? Feel free to leave a comment below.
For the video without the commentary and artwork of the new badniks, be sure to hit the jump below.
We here at SEGAbits are beyond excited that SEGA is taking a chance on Puyo Puyo Tetris, releasing April 25 to the Playstation 4 and Nintendo Switch in the Americas and on April 28 in Europe. While some of us on the team are seasoned Puyo ploppers (check out our retrospective on Puyo Puyo and Tetris), it is understandable that a majority of gamers don’t know what Puyo Puyo is. Thankfully, SEGA has just released a trailer for the upcoming game dubbed “Back to Basics”. The short trailer gives a basic introduction to how the game is played, and shows off the various game modes.
Check out the trailer above and don’t forget to lock in that pre-order. The more support the game gets, the more likely we are to see other Puyo Puyo games in the west!
Today on the SEGA News Bits we discuss brand new revealed information about Project Sonic 2017, including the fact that the game is being labeled an ‘Action Adventure’ game. Other bits of Project Sonic 2017 news we touch upon includes Eggman being the main villain and the fact that Project Sonic 2017 won’t be featuring multiplayer modes. Let us know what you think in the comments below.
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