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February 2011

Monday Links: Blast from the Past Edition

Slingerland is away this week, as he’s too busy being awesome or something. In the meanwhile, we still need some Monday Links, so let’s go!

Sonic Retro News

Perfect Chaos Zero responds to a thread of old fan game nostalgia by…dropping hundreds of old, forgotten fan games on us for download. [Sonic Fan Games (The older ones)]
FraGag released a port of the KENS compression/decompression libraries to C# for use on the SVN. S2LVL just got even more awesome. [KENSSharp]
Another week, another art tease from the Sonic 2 HD team. This time around, we get a look at the Tails design. [Sonic 2 HD General Project Feedback]

Sonic/SEGA News

The annoying Asteroid Coaster Act 2 is made…less annoying with this walkthrough [SEGA Blogs]
Phantasy Star Online 2‘s specs have been released; alpha registration is available for select groups. [SEGAbits]
Activision and SEGA team up to make Wappy, a robotic dog that interfaces with the Nintendo DS. [CNET]
Editor E-102 has been working pretty diligently this week to document what Wave Master musician composed what tracks from various Sega games. [SEGA Retro]

February 28, 2011 by Scarred Sun

Game News

Sonic 4: Episode 2 in development, ‘not Sonic CD remake’

Remember Sonic 4: Episode 1? I sure hope you do.

(Looking at the post below this one is cheating. Stop that.)

Sega’s Sonic 4 Brand Manager Ken Balough confirmed today that Episode 2 of the series within a series is already in production. Naturally, we’ll have to wait for the first images and teasers of gameplay.

However, a few key points were stressed about Episode 2. According to Sega, since Episode 1 sold pretty well, Episode 2 may be allowed a bigger budget for development. A lot of elements in Episode 1 that players found problematic are also being addressed, with additional feedback from Sega of America and Sega of Europe being considered. One of these includes focusing on level elements that have never been seen before.

Lastly, the company stressed that, despite a certain teaser at the end of Episode 1 when all the Chaos Emeralds are collected, Episode 2 will not be a remake of Sonic CD. The amount of episodes Sonic 4 will hold has also been long decided by the company.

So get ready for another year of Sonic 4 goodness. Hopefully this time around, things won’t cause such a massive uproar about every minute detail under the sun. Also physics.

[Via Sonic Stadium]

February 25, 2011 by GeneHF

Game News

Titbit: Sonic 4 Episode 1 coming to Windows Phone 7

For those four of you that have Windows Phone 7 equipped phones, Sega was pleased to announce earlier today that the game is on its way Microsoft’s answer to Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android.

By posting it five different times on their Facebook page.

There’s no price point and a vague release date of “within the next six weeks.” It’s unknown if the game is a port of the iOS version, though likely, and if Sega will see it fit to bring the game to Android users.

[Must-Have Games – Xbox.com]

February 24, 2011 by GeneHF

Fan Works

Sonic the Hedgehog: The Flipbook

So it may not have years of drama behind it, but in the aftermath of the “Kuta Saga” I think we all need a nice, simple video of a guy animating Sonic the Hedgehog all on his own, and in a flipbook. Oh man, I love flipbooks!

February 22, 2011 by David The Lurker

Fan Works

“Animated Fan Film” Preview – Thoughts, Among Other Things

After who knows how long, the first “scene” of Richard Kuta’s Sonic animated fan film has finally been released. Now, there has been quite the controversy surrounding the entire thing, which is fine. Sometimes controversy creates interest, and interest leads to views and views lead to more interest. Is that what happened this go round? Well…for the few that have been paying attention…not really. To be honest, I don’t even know if this deserves to be posted on the front page, since it’s only a minute of a movie that will likely never be finished. So before we say another word, watch the teaser. Have fun with it.

February 21, 2011 by David The Lurker

Community, Fan Works

“Songs for Sonic 2” Released for Sonic Relief Charity

Annual fundraiser Sonic Relief, which raises money for the UK charity Comic Relief, has raised nearly £600 in a month’s time–a huge jump over last year’s £375. In order to give the fundraising group an even bigger boost, Sonic remixers Mr. Stream and RadioSEGA‘s GavvieUK (aka Living Sedative) have teamed up to produce Sonic for Sonic 2, an album of Sonic-themed remixes.The first half is handled by Living Sedative and the second by Mr. Stream.

The suggested donation for download is £2 (roughly USD $3.25), though an additional amount can be donated if you want. The proceeds from the sales will be donated towards Sonic Relief. The fundraiser runs through March 19, so be sure to grab a copy of the album before then.

You can follow Sonic Relief’s progress at @sonicreliefuk. Best of luck to Doctor MK and everyone involved!

February 21, 2011 by Scarred Sun

Podcasts

The Voice Acting Sonic Voice Acting Show: Episode 1

HELLO MY NAME IS JONATHAN AKA DRUMMOND4LYFE AND THIS IS MY NEW PODCAST ON SONIC RETRO WHERE WE TALK ABOUT VOICE ACTING IN SONIC GAMES AND HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO THE SERIES.

TODAY ON THE SHOW I TALK TO MY FRIENDS FROM SCHOOL ABOUT WHO IS THE BEST (DRUMMOND…DUH) AND WE SHARE OUR GREAT IMPRESSIONS WITH EACH OTHER. AS ASPIRING VOICE ACTORS, WE HOPE SEGA IS LISTENING AND WILL HIRE US TO BE VOICE ACTORS BECAUSE VOICE ACTING IS CRITICAL IN SONIC GAMES. SO CRITICAL THAT PEOPLE ARGUE ABOUT IT FOR YEARS ON END FOR “GOOD REASON.” NO GAMEPLAY DISCUSSIONS HERE THATS FOR DUMBGUYZ. VOICE ACTING IN SONIC GAMES MAN FOR REAL!!!~

ALSO THERE MIGHT BE SOME BAD WORDS CUZ MY GUIDO FRIEND CHAZ ASSPAT IS ON THE SHOW. OK SO HERE IT IS.

EDIT I FIXED DA PLAYER IT WAS BROKE MY BAD MY BAD DRUMMOND RULZ

February 19, 2011 by DRUMMOND4LYFE

Fan Works, Music

Sonicesque, Vol. I Music Album Released

Brand new forum member KGB525 comes out of nowhere today with a release retro Sonic fans are bound to be interested in–an original, 14-track album full of music inspired by the SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive’s sound chip, the YM2612. Made using the VOPM VST, Reaper and a Yamaha M08 keyboard, Sonicesque, Vol. I takes inspiration from Mystic Cave Zone, Marble Zone among several other classic Sonic zones to create a collection of music that any Sonic fan is bound to like.

From KGB himself:

“Sonicesque, Vol. I” – an album of original songs in the style of the classic Genesis-era Sonic games. This is a tribute to Sonic composers like Masato Nakamura, whose melodic and rhythmically driven music made you want to play those levels again and again. Fans of Sonic music will enjoy nods to classic levels, such as “Mystic Cave Zone”, and “Marble Zone” among others. These are all original songs, written by myself, Karl Brueggemann. I recorded these using the VOPM VST, Reaper, and my Yamaha M08 keyboard. Thanks for listening, and let me know what you think!

You can listen to the album via its YouTube playlist or download the entire thing on Mediafire. Check out the forum thread here. To listen to more of KGB’s music, check out his website – KarlBrueggemann.com.

http://www.youtube.com/redirect?q=http%3A%2F%2Fkarlbrueggemann.com%2F&session_token=FVhGBc16RXCg56tmiwN7pg1usmx8MTI5ODE0MTk1NA%3D%3D

February 18, 2011 by Tweaker

Comics, Humor

How Archie Played the Games, Part One: Of Pinball and Echidnas

Sonic the Hedgehog has always been about the games. Say what you will about the comics, or the TV shows, or novels that feature tractors, but at the end of the day, Sonic the Hedgehog is a gaming franchise. While everything else can keep the icon in the public’s mind, SEGA has always been more concerned about how many units they can move than the plot of Sonic Underground. After all, that’s where they make their money. That’s where the state of the franchise is derived. That is what so many blogs and news sites focus on when they think “Sonic the Hedgehog.”

With Sonic’s 20th anniversary, there is going to be plenty of reflection on the franchise. I predict no less than fifty blog sites will put up “the top ten best Sonic games ever” that will feature the genesis games, Sonic CD, and Sonic Adventure in the top spots, with maybe the random “Sonic Advance” or “Sonic Triple Trouble” to break up the monotony. I know that, at least for me, I’m not going to sully the front page of this fine establishment with such a list. That is why I turn my attention for the moment on something that I am far too familiar with…the Archie Sonic the Hedgehog series.

February 18, 2011 by David The Lurker

Game News

SEGA “Goes Gold” To Let You Play The Best of The Genesis. Again.

In the vein of Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection and the Sega Genesis Classic Packs that have been released on Steam, SEGA has announced yet another Mega Drive-centric compilation. Entitled SEGA Genesis Classic Collection Gold Edition, 46 titles from SEGA’s golden age of gaming will be stitched together on one DVD for the PC. Among the list of games are expected fan favorites Sonic the Hedgehog and Streets of Rage, mixed with “why are they still trying to sell this” titles like the sub-par port of Virtua Fighter 2. Which isn’t even a port. Because a port would imply it shares some code with the original. Or plays like the original. Or is fun.

No word yet on if there are any secret games or creator interviews, but I think it’s a safe bet that the same unlockable content from the Xbox 360/PS3 compilation will show up again. Though I could be wrong. You know what would be nice? Some unlockable Master System games. Yes, the Ultimate Genesis Collection had two, but the system had more than Phantasy Star. How about the Alex Kidd games? Or Snail Maze? Or some Sega Satur-oh look Gunstar Heroes is in this!

So if you’re one of the three people left on the planet that hasn’t played Sonic the Hedgehog (and if so why are you reading this) then you may as well pick this up. We’ll all find out the complete contents when the game is released March 15th.

[Source: SEGA America Blog]

February 17, 2011 by David The Lurker

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