Monthly Archives

October 2011

Game News

Watch a French Man Look At Sonic Generations’ Collectors Edition

It is near the stroke of midnight on the east coast of the United States of America. Unless you happened to live in Austin, Texas, the moment is now here. Sonic Generations will be live before you know it. Every reimagined level, each remixed track are waiting for your gaming pleasure. Sure, if you live Europe you have a bit longer to wait…well, unless you happen to live in France. Which is apparently the Best Buy of Europe.

The below video has spoilers only if you don’t want to know track listings and see inside books of art. And yes, it is in French, so if you are morally against such things, be sure to hit the mute button.

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Fan Works, Humor, Music

Halloween… Jams? Helpful Hints for a Frightful Frolick

The hits keep on coming. If you’re to find yourself in the most frightful of situations, you may find yourself hearing YouTube’s MaxieDaMan‘s mix of Carnival Night with the unexplored haunted mansion occupied with creeps, ghoulies and the ever unsettling, yet complimentary harpsichord under the title of The Haunted Carnival.

Sonic and the Retro Crew would like to remind all young ones to stay safe this Halloween. Be sure to read the list after the jump!

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Fan Works, Music

Sunday Jams: Sonic, You Can Do Anything (Within Reason)

We here at Sonic Retro can’t get enough of the jams. I don’t think there is anyone here not excited about the soundtrack to Sonic Generations, for instance. And on Sunday, what else is there to do but to just sit back and listen to some more of that fancy music? That is, if you’re not already waist-deep in the Sonic Retro Game Marathon Extravaganza that is going on right now.

Sonic – You Can Do Anything is one of those songs that can stir quite a few emotions, not just because it was the title theme to the Japanese version of Sonic CD, but because it was a returning theme in Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Sonic & Tails for the Master System/Game Gear. At the tail end of last year, YouTube user HyperShan3 had inspiration strike, and created a little ditty combining all three into one ultimate five minute epic.

It is true: Egg is never alone.

Community, Humor, Site News

Tune In To Our Marathon at 1PM Today!

Vast corners of the Internet, are you ready?

Starting in just an hour at 1 PM EDT/5PM GMT, you can tune in to watch 12 hours of every Sonic game imaginable streamed for your pleasure with your donations to help keep us as the biggest hub for all your Sonic needs, second only to Sega, going strong. Not to mention driving the poor sap streamer into insanity with whatever stipulation you can imagine.

We’re starting a little later than previously announced because of Halloween party shenanigans, but you’ll still get half a day of watching someone’s slow and painful descent into the darkest recesses of the Sonic series. Hint hint.

Then… for the tens in attendance. For the hundreds watching at home… leeeeet’s get ready to SPEED BREAK!

Game News

Sonic Generations Exceeds Previous Sonic Game Pre-Orders

While some people on the Twitter-verse are proclaiming that some stores broke street date on Sonic Generations, most are waiting for Nov. 1 to spin dash in for their chance to experience a game “20 years” in the making.

According to Sega, that amount waiting is one of the largest crowds the series has ever seen, with the developer touting that the game “exceeded all previous pre-order records from the 20-year Sonic catalog, making it the most anticipated title in Sonic the Hedgehog’s iconic history.”

Certainly not a claim to scoff at, even considering the concept of “pre-ordering” a title may not have applied back in the 16-bit Era. Given impressions from the few that have their hands on the game, the wait looks to be worth it.

[Via Joystiq]

Arcade Games

Drive Like a Pro in Daytona USA

Daytona USA is making it’s first lap on Playstation Network and Xbox Live Arcade this week. If you’re a bad enough mother of a driver, chances are you’ve already snagged yourself a copy of the game. If you’re just plain bad at Daytona, then do yourself a favor by checking out these videos of You Tube user Trojan X who was able to beat the AI on the highest difficulty in all three tracks using manual transmission while keeping up top speed. Be sure to watch all three videos to get an idea on how to tackle the three courses.

[Beginner|Advanced|Expert]

The technique that’s prominent in these videos is the Gear Drift. When tacking the tightest corners, turn early, shift into second, while turning along the curve, shift into third then gradually correct your steering as you approach the straight, and resume gaining speed. Don’t hit the brakes, otherwise you’ll find yourself sliding all over the place! Lastly, be sure to memorize each track. Play offline for some practice sessions before taking on other opponents.

 

 

Community, Site News

Join Us For A Sonic Marathon Generations In The Making

[UPDATE: 2006 is purposely missing from here. We have special plans for that one along with other titles… stay tuned!]

We here at Sonic Retro strive to bring you all the best in Sonic series and technical research through our gigantic wiki and humor through some of the strange discussions that go down in the forums (green eyes, physics, etc.) But all of this requires some pretty hefty “spondooli” to keep running.

So, to help along our efforts to have the rocket fuel to keep this big mother hubbard on its way to Mars on a collision course like a satellite out of control, we’re going to be holding a massive 12-hour gaming marathon of all things Sonic we’re lovingly calling “The Sonic Retro Generational Marathon” to ring in the release of Sonic’s big 20th Anniversary game.

Beginning Oct. 30 at 12pm EDT, forum member The Shad will be playing a plethora of Sonic games for your amusement. However, the games he plays are determined based on which “Generation” they’re located in. Here’s a small sample of what I mean:

GENESIS ERA: Sonic 1, Sonic CD, Sonic 2, Sonic 3

“DREAMCAST” ERA: Sonic Adventure, Sonic Adventure 2, and Sonic Heroes

MODERN ERA: Sonic Unleashed, Sonic Colors

With plenty more secret eras afterward. The Shad will be advancing through eras as more donations are raised. Along with that, beginning at donations of $5 USD, donators can also include tasks The Shad has to perform on air, such as singing along to certain songs or no use of the spin dash/homing attack, on a dollar-per-minute basis. Higher donations can request more complex things, in the event of needing to set things up. Donators will also be enrolled in our little program that top donors will receive special prizes in the mail, because we really do love you all that much.

Plenty of other Sonic Retro staffers will be on hand as The Shad trudges on through the best–and worst–the Sonic series has to offer. What sort of devious Eras have we concocted for The Shad to endure once the Modern Era passes? Tune in Sunday to find out!

And of course, if you can’t make it to the marathon, you can always drop off a little cash on the side on our donation page. Every little bit helps!

Game News

New Sonic Generations Footage, Shows Off One Mission

Sonic the Hedgehog must be big in Germany. I mean, it’s the only thing I can think of since they seem to get so much footage before everyone else. That, and they are part of the demographic getting that awesome collector’s edition…this time around, German gaming site GamesWelt delivers yet another sneak peek into Sonic Generations, now just about a week away for us Americans. Be forewarned, there are a bit of spoilers in the video below, along with a heapin’ helpin’ of German Omochao. So keep that in mind as you watch the latest footage.

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Fan Works, Music

Who Doesn’t Love Rap About Sonic the Hedgehog?

For some reason, Sonic the Hedgehog has inspired quite a large amount of rap. Sure, we’ve all heard Duane and BrandO’s seven minute epic more than you’d want to admit. And Sonic Rap has crept on the front page more than once. But this, my friends, might be the one to top them all. Once you listen to “Sonic the Hedgehog rap,” you will never be the same. This I can promise you.

Keep on spinnin’ me. Spammin’ me.

[Source: Bigsmilereviews Channel on YouTube]

Game News

Sonic Wins Golden Joystick Award, Generations Site Shows Off Time Eater

Though it was announced beforehand, the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise was recognized today at the coveted Golden Joystick Awards held in London, England. Though not winning for any specific game, the franchise was given Outstanding Contribution Award, in honor of the 20 years of influence the gaming mascot has had in the industry.

For those keeping track, this is actually the third Golden Joystick the Sonic series has received in recent years, the first two being awarded in 2004. The first for Handheld Game Of The Year (Sonic Advance 3), the second for “The Sun Ultimate Gaming Hero.” Wow, Advance 3 even beat out Superstar Saga!…but digress. Who knows if Sonic Generations will play a part in next year’s ceremonies, but since we have less than two weeks before that game comes rolling out, it only makes sense for Sega to throw up some new shots on the official site for the game.

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