Just a quick update to those visiting, Sonic the Hedghog has been added to the SSB4 article breaking down each character’s history. All future character reveals will have that character added to that article.
Super Smash Bros 4. (if you haven’t noticed the sly pun) was finally revealed during Nintendo’s E3 Direct presentation this year. Along with some returning favorites, we were acquainted with a few new faces. Since the initial E3 trailers, we’ve had a steady stream of info coming in from both the Miiverse SSB Community and the official SSB4 website, and with them some more veterans. So, who’s been revealed so far? Hit the jump and let’s review.
After about three months of waiting for the SyrianGames website come back, I’ve now returned with even more wacky bootleg boxart, this time from their PS1 catalog. Now, an odd thing occurred after that last article was published. After some gaming outlets posted articles about how crazy their boxarts were, SyrianGames went into a sort of Admin mode where only the site runners could access it. Afterwards, the syriangames.com URL redirected visitors to their Facebook page. This probably meant that 1) they wanted to hide their shame, and 2) they took the site offline.
So how do I have more boxarts to show? Well, for some odd reason several weeks back, their old site was back online. I found this out I checked out my old article (for kicks) and wondered if the site came back. I took the opportunity to look at their PS1 catalog and pick out the funniest ones from the bunch. Good thing I did it too since their URL is once again redirecting to their Facebook page.
Anyway, let’s end this little tangent. Hit the jump and check out the PS1 Edition of the Top 50 Wacky Bootleg Boxarts.
Another Nintendo Direct has gone by this morning. It wasn’t long, but it offered some new info on games we already knew about, namely some release dates on long awaited games. There were a couple of reveals too involving Sonic The Hedgehog. Before we jump, let’s talk about the teaser image up there. It’s from the next game in the Sonic series, titled Sonic: Lost World. So what exactly are we seeing there? Well there’s Sonic on top of the Tornado (most likely piloted by Tails). But then there’s this fractured globe, connected by hexagon-shaped landmasses. There’s some aquatic areas, some plains, a forest, an ice cap, and volcanic areas. There’s also two desert-like areas, probably one resembling a standard desert and the other a more rugged, American-styled desert.
Iwata states that Nintendo is partnering with Sega for this venture. It’s not certain how deep this venture goes, but we do know that Sonic: Lost World will be exclusive to the Wii U and 3DS.
More on Nintendo Direct after the break.
With a game gaining popularity comes the possibility of a sequel. Sonic The Hedgehog gained momentum, helping SEGA gain a huge market share just one month before the Super Nintendo would release in 1991 in North America. So now Nintendo and SEGA were neck and neck, and the Bit Wars would now begin. SEGA continued their winning streak still post-SNES release, and they wanted to continue that. With a little bit of western outsourcing, a little bit of eastern star power, and a couple of fox tails thrown in, SEGA would begin production on what some consider one of the best Sonic games in series history. So get those spinny legs ready as this weekend we take a journey back to Sonic The Hedgehog 2.
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These confirmed news are mine! No mine!
This week we got games of the past getting some face lifts and some out right getting a full body procedure, some indie games and a couple of news for more new titles.
Remember that announcement of an HD port of Jet Set Radio posted some time ago. I’m not saying it’s dead, but after reading this you might be a bit concerned. Citing financial difficulties in the last fiscal year (which ended last Saturday), Sega has layoff many workers from both its U.S. and European branches and downsizing the company to maintain “sustainable profitability.” In light of this, Sega also mentioned that for these markets, they’ll now focus more on games that are sure-fire his for them including Sonic, Total War, Aliens, and Football Manager. This puts other projects in danger of cancellation or being left to fend for themselves, which include Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown, Anarchy Reigns, Yakuza 5, and the aforementioned Jet Set Radio HD port. While Sega did mention that they have cancelled games, all of them so far are unspecified (i.e. never shown to the public). But still, this puts much concern on which projects Sega will give us now as they too are yet another victim of believing Westerners like their guns and football (save for Sonic). And the sad thing about all this: What they believe is right.
The first quarter has ended. And so far it’s a sad year to be a gamer. Maybe those crazy Mayans were right.
Sega confirms layoffs and game cancellations [The Spectrum]
A listing for Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 2 has cropped up on the Xbox Live Marketplace with new info and screens of the game, which can be seen after the jump. The game, according to the listing, will feature four new zones, a new special stage, an updated physics engine, and both offline and online multiplayer with Tails.
This may have been an oversight, as Sega may have had other plans on how to reveal more info on the game, but my attention shifted elsewhere the moment I heard “multiplayer” and “Tails”. I have fond memories of playing the genesis era Sonic games with my cousin. Of course, he’d be stuck as Tails, but that’s another story. I’m pretty sure that many Sonic fans have nostalgic memories of Sonic 2 and 3‘s multiplayer, so what I’m really excited about is the online component. Allowing both players to have their own screens gives Sega the potential to really improve on the original formula. Rather than having Tails go on autopilot whenever he’s left behind or runs too far ahead, the person controlling Tails may be able to split up from Sonic and explore different parts of the level. Or if the two players want to focus on working together, it should be easier now since one wouldn’t have to worry about keeping the exact same pace as the other. All in all, if Sega takes advantage of that, I think it would be an update many Sonic fans could appreciate. That, and I think a lot more people would be volunteering to play as Tails.
Via: Joystiq
Souce: Xbox Live Marketplace
In the 80s, Mario was not only the mascot of Nintendo, he was the mascot of an entire medium. Unlike the Pong Paddles, the triangle in space, and whatever the hell Pac-Man was supposed to be, Mario was just a regular man in some strange adventures. He was a recognizable face, and his games revolutionized the industry. SEGA was looking to cash-in and make a name for themselves with their own mascot. The 8-bit era produced nothing major, but that all changed during the 16-bit era. This weekend, we look back at Sonic’s debut in his self-titled game, Sonic the Hedgehog.
Hello everyone. Feeling sleeping yet? It’s just about 2AM as I’m writing this (don’t ask). So I figured I put something up before I go to bed.
Not too long ago I came across the vid you see up there. It’s a hidden screen in Sonic CD that you can access by stringing together some numbers in the Sound Test menu. When you press play, this screen pops up. The message “Fun is Infinite (represented by the symbol). SEGA Enterprises” is shown (but in Japanese) amidst a creepy Sonic background and the very eerie Sonic CD boss theme. Suddenly, the “Fun is Infinite” thing just got a hell of a lot creepier. There’s also the “Human Sonic” variant with different music. I’m pretty sure many people already know about the hidden messages/pics, but it doesn’t hurt to put them up anyway. Well, goodnight then.
Before trying out the console version of Sonic Generations on Sunday, James tried out the 3DS version last Friday as New York Comic Con. The demo contain Sonic & Knuckles’ Mushroom Hill and Big Hand boss.
Maybe I’m a sucker for falling into the Sonic Cycle (the part where I’m hyped for an upcoming Sonic game), but one can’t help but just be giddy knowing that old Sonic stages are getting remade for Sonic Generations. We already saw Green Hill Zone (and played it on the demo). But just recently, SEGA has unveiled Chemical Plant Zone. First appearing in Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Chemical Plant was the second zone you traversed. It was known for it’s many wavy blue paths, tubes that shot into all over the place, the Mega Mack (that purple water than was responsible for demise during childhood), and of course, that kick-ass theme song that even had the SNES kids bopping their head to the beat. This was a huge departure from the first game’s second stage, Marble Zone, which was more about careful exploration a more mellow, if volatile, atmosphere. Here, it was all about speed and pushing forward to avoid the mega mack. It seems in this remake for Generations, Metal Sonic will be the boss. As Modern sonic, Chemical Plant starts to explode. Pics and footage after the jump.
Ahoy! Oh snap, you’ll actually get to finally hear us talk! *gasp* Well, here’s our first official podcast for The Wired Fish. In this episode, James, Prota, and I talk about E3 and all three press conferences. The fallout following Duke Nukem Forever’s release and reviews, and Out thoughts on the upcoming Sonic Generations.
Audio only. Sorry for the shitty quality of the audio. My cam’s audio recorder isn’t so great. Next time, I’m bringing my mics.
When it comes to gaming, the scope of possible discussions are limitless. Periodically, I discuss music, review some contemporary games and write articles based on more current releases. Of course, I have a periodic classic gaming project to accompany Video Game Music w/ the James in the works, but what about everything else?
Weekly Reflections is meant for those games that I don’t have room to cover entirely, but feel like talking about, because as much as I love writing about my 3DS and my Pokemans, that’s not everything I play in the course of an average week, and some of those other games deserve at least a shout-out.
This week on PSN a game by the name Moon Diver came out. A Strider-like action game by the guy responsible for the original Strider, additions to the old formula include a RPG like leveling up system, spells scattered throughout the levels, multiple characters to play as and coop abilities. I’m in the process of a 4 player run with some friends, and it seems that while it’s a really cool game, and the music is great, the multiplayer in particular was poorly done. Trophies and progress made in multiplayer sessions apply only to the first player, the camera doesn’t expand to accommodate when one or two players move outside the boundaries, and if you happen to fall off screen, you respawn somewhere a little bit in the center of the screen, and if there’s nothing below when you respawn, you just keep falling down bottomless pit. Thankfully you don’t take much if any damage, but it’s annoying. On the other hand, single player is a blast with a camera that actually follows the player making exploration (needed to find some of the spells) a little more possible. Also, the game tries to artificially jack up the difficulty part of the way through by spamming laser turrets that kill a character in one or two shots.
The most frustrating part of any 4 player experience.
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