For us Americans, Sonic Boom 2012 is happening on July 13th at the House of Blues in beautiful San Diego, California. Timed smack-dab in the middle of the San Diego Comic-Con, they’ve also made it very clear that you don’t need to go to the comic convention to attend Sonic Boom. If you’re frightened of comic books, have no fear.

In a reversal of last year, the Brits will be the first to get together and discuss their best times in Sonic Drift 2, as Summer of Sonic will be taking place on July 7th. Where? Some venue in the London area. Where specifically in London? I have no clue. Hopefully Sega will say the exact location before the 7th, or else you’ll be wandering the streets of London, entering pub after pub searching for people dressed in hedgehog attire.

Finally, since it is only a day before their usual concept art extravaganza, we get another round of Episode 2 based images. So what do we get? Some scenery? A random badnik? Oh no, my friends. We get our first glimpse at one of the bosses in the game: Egg Serpentleaf.

That is certainly something. And a bit frightening. Though I’m sure it won’t be long before people compare it to some other boss that has existed in the Sonic franchise.

So yes, that’s your Hedgehog Day update of 2012. Now you should go outside…wait, no. You should stay inside, put on that Sonic 3 & Knuckles cart hiding out in your closet, and play through Hydrocity Zone. Like any respectable human being would on a day like today!

[Source: Sega.com Blog]

Steam has had one of their big sales again since last week. These sales are known for having great deals for a lot of games, and Sonic Generations is no exception. As one of today’s deals the PC version is now 66% off, meaning you can get it for $10.19 during the next 27 hours. After this the game will still be on sale but only for 25% off until January 2nd. Other Sonic games on sale until that date are Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing and Sonic Adventure DX for both 50% off.

The Casino Night pinball stage should also be released as downloadable content later today on the Steam service. An update for the game also just got released, but there are no details on what changes to the game were made. Though according to users on the Steam forum it made the framerate issues in Chemical Plant Zone less noticeable.

Once again, Christmas is upon us. By the time you read this, more than likely you’ve already opened up whatever was hiding under the tree, and are now wasting time until you’re forced to go see even more family to reminisce about Christmases of the past. For while Christmas is about giving gifts in an act of kindness to others, it is also about reflection. To look back on the year to think of the highs and the lows, to smile at the memories you created that you will cherish for a lifetime, to remember the ones we’ve lost when we shouldn’t have. The elements that make us who we are, and will hopefully make us wiser come the new year.

Thinking back, 2011 has certainly been one year to remember. It doesn’t seem that long ago when I was waxing nostalgia on Sonic’s 20th anniversary, wondering what surprises lay in store. What sort of gifts were Sega going to give us? Was it going to be something we loved, or was it going to just be another game that would be forgotten about, just causing another layer of animosity in the Sonic fandom? We could only hope for the former, and brace ourselves for the latter. Even though word of Sonic Generations came months before Christmas, the potential for the greatest gift of all lay just beyond the horizon. Yes, there are far more important things to think about than Sonic the Hedgehog. We know this, with the hope of a better tomorrow extending far beyond the personal desires of how a gaming franchise could potentially be. But Sonic is our passion, one that began in childhood, and which was able to ease the days, to make us cope with our real troubles, if only for ten minutes at a time.

Over the last twelve months, one can not argue that Sega hasn’t been trying to please both the old and the new. If the company was Santa Claus, then their proverbial bag was filled to the brim this year, handing out gifts both big and small. No reflection can go without mention of Sonic Generations, the tentpole release that had the entire fandom in a fervor. Discussion about what levels could be held inside, what sly winks the story would give us, how well the levels would be designed and what it would feel like to play…those topics took up page after page, hour after hour of discussion. It had been years since that sort of excitement took hold upon us here, which in itself was a gift. Of course there would be naysayers, why wouldn’t there be? But to see the Sonic Internet community pull together, eagerly anticipating further screenshots of those redone, high definition moments of childhood? To see things we only dreamed of the first time we had a Mega Drive controller in our hands? That was something to behold. Even if the game wasn’t met with universal praise, it was certainly a fun ride.

Though not released on a physical medium, Sega was able to give us yet another gift, something that we had been asking for years about, and finally received in the best way possible. Sonic the Hedgehog CD, which has always been classified as the cult favorite of the classic five, had never gotten the mainstream treatment it deserved. Released on the Mega CD in 1993, the title had only gotten two prior ports, each with their own faults and weaknesses. For being what many call the greatest Sonic game ever released, it was a downright shame it wasn’t available for more people to experience. Spearheaded by our very own Christian “The Taxman” Whitehead, the game was brought back, not only for one console but for nearly all of them. Polished to the max and sprinkled with added features, it has become the definitive version of the game, enough to make even the most jaded of Sonic fans smile. The fact Sega not only released the game once more, but had an extremely capable fan be in charge of the project? Why, that could nearly classify as a Christmas miracle on its own.

While those releases allow us to dream of what may be in store, we can’t forget all of the smaller presents that have come our way. The first release of the Japanese Sonic CD soundtrack in album form. The above and beyond release of Sonic the Hedgehog 1&2 Soundtrack, containing not only the original audio tracks but every single demo composed by Masato Nakamura. Sonic Boom, Summer of Sonic, and the Joypolis display. All the many figurines and statues that have come out, including the first proper Classic Eggman action figure in the west. All of this tied to what was boasted as one of the main draws to Generations, the return of Classic Sonic. That short, pudgy character that captured the heart of the 90s. A defining icon not only in gaming, but in pop culture. Generations let fans both old and new remember a moment in time not that far back, when we still got up at the crack of dawn to scramble down the stairs hoping to see something related to the blue blur under the tree.

But even as we think about past moments of joy and how things began, it would be remiss of us to not think of those we have lost. Some remembrances can be whimsical, such as the closing of the gaming blog UK:RESISTANCE, the irreverent news site that fought the good fight for over a decade. Led by Commander Zorg (Gary Cutlack in civilian attire), it began during the Saturn era and marched forward through the Dreamcast era into the dark times, attacking Sony at every turn. Retiring into the night as Sony was dealing with their biggest PR disaster in years, we’ll never get to know just what they would have said about Sonic Generations or the Sonic CD port, a game the blog had a strong fondness for.

With every flight of fancy, however, there must come a somber moment. It has been exactly one month since the news of Dan Green‘s wife’s passing. Best known in the Sonic community as the voice of Knuckles from 2005 to 2010, the Green family was met with the unfortunate tragedy of Michal Friedman’s passing during childbirth. With the sorrow still fresh, it can only be multiplied during the holiday season, and so we continue to send our hearts out to you and your children, Dan.

All of this reminds me of a story that has been making the rounds, about Christmas, family and Sonic the Hedgehog. Beatboxtaun of 8bitfix has been celebrating Christmas in the way some only dream of, with decorations created by hand, based on various video game franchises. This year they, along with their son Tito, decide to theme the tree after Sega’s premier gaming franchise. Covered in recreations of Sonic, “Tails,” Eggman and the rest, the images they’ve shared of the tree also have a plethora of Sonic gifts hiding underneath, enough to make any Sonic fan’s Christmas morning a special one. As they go on to tell the story of it being put together, they reveal the tree has far more significance than just being about Sonic. Helping to put the tree together was Beatboxtaun’s father, sharing a moment that would turn out to be the last they had before the father’s passing. Our hearts also go out to you.

It is all of it, both good and bad, that make up who we are. Never is it more clear than Christmas, thinking of the past and looking towards the future. And as we’ve gone on this twelve day journey, it’s been proven that Sonic the Hedgehog and Christmastime go hand in hand. Be it a story with a loved one that stirs the heart, a very British story by a comic scribe (I still can’t believe it was Mark Millar who wrote “Happy Christmas, Dr. Robotnik!”), or just remembering that moment you teared away a piece of wrapping paper and saw the smiling face of Sonic the Hedgehog staring back at you, the character of Ohshima, Naka and Yasuhara that has appeared in so many of our Christmas memories. Only appropriate, seeing Sonic was born on Christmas Island.

As I’ve taken up much of your time already, I’ll let you go so you can get back to the continued family adventures you’re dealing with. So may I simply say to everyone who is reading this, from all of us here at Sonic Retro, Merry Christmas.

…and a hedgehog napping under a tree!

Peace on Earth, Good Will Toward Men. Yes, even Eggmen.

…a bunch of videos of kids on Christmas.

So it’s Christmas Eve. Things are winding down, with last minute shopping and Christmas dinner being concocted. If you’re a kid, you won’t sleep tonight, wondering just what Santa got you for Christmas this year. I try to keep myself hip with the kids, with all their electronic gadgets and whatnot, but I don’t know what the hottest toy of the season is. But as a kid of the 90′s, there was only one item you wanted under the tree. That one box, covered in a Sega logo, that would send you into a crazed frenzy. While it may have been a very long time since anyone has gotten this excited over anything Sega related, let us take a look back to Christmases long, long ago, when the Sega Seal of Quality was still around…

Kid, I know you’re a kid and not a kid anymore, but you can’t cry because you got ten presents (unless they were all socks or something). But you are right about one thing, life was good back when the Sega Genesis was still a thing you could buy at the store…though I can’t help but smirk at the dad recording things. Saying it might just be the box and have a coat inside? You’re almost as much of a dick as Sonic!

Oh man, that kid didn’t get just a Genesis, but a Sega CD! I guess he did see the games. Who wouldn’t faint at seeing $350 dollars worth of hardware?

These kids don’t want to wake up at all, and I think that ties into the complete blank face that happens when he gets the Sega Genesis. I mean, I can understand he might not be happy that he didn’t get any games and so he’s confused…then comes the Sega CD, and the excitement returns. Never before or sense has anyone gotten that excited over the prospect of Sewer Shark.

Here is a link to video that I can’t embed for some reason, showing that, yes, even girls got excited about getting a Sega Genesis for Christmas. Maybe that’s why I can’t embed it…

I don’t know who Uncle Chris is, but he just got all of his nieces and nephews a Sega Genesis. Holy Toledo, that room erupts like no other. It’s a good thing they all got one at once, else that would have turned into utter chaos!

“What is a Sega Genesis?” Just the greatest system known to man, random uncle who certainly isn’t as hip and cool and with it like Uncle Steve.

This video proves that people can get just as excited over Sega products that aren’t the system. Or Sonic.

Remember kids, people got excited about a Sega Christmas even after the Genesis. Who wouldn’t want a Sega Dreamcast under the tree? Even if that kid does spoil it for everyone.

And to wrap things up, let us look at the story of a kid who was meant to get a Sega Dreamcast for Christmas but ended up with something else entirely. Don’t worry, it does have a happy ending.

With that, we only have one more day until Christmas. Merry Christmas Eve, everyone, and hopefully whatever you do tonight doesn’t drive you up a wall. Especially if it involves your family.

…Sega’s Christmas push of 1990.

I know that I’m a bit late with this, but hey. It’s Christmastime give me some slack. It’s not like I’m charge of Sega of America or anything.

It’s easy to forget, but there was an era of Sega before Sonic the Hedgehog. They were still in the business of making video games, they just didn’t have that killer app yet that would put them over the top. That didn’t mean they weren’t trying, though. As the Good Morning America clip above shows, they were giving it their all. Sure, it wasn’t enough that year, but the next? Oh ma’am.

Either way, it is a nice look into the very early days of the 16-bit console wars. I wonder how merry Tom Kalinske‘s Christmas was that year. After all, he was the president of the Sega Genesis…

Now, we’ve seen a number of big releases this year. Sonic Generations. The Sonic the Hedgehog CD remake. But there is one release that has been pretty much ignored here on the front page of Retro, aside from a small blurb about when it was announced. Before the two big releases, iPhone/iTouch/iPad users got an entirely different game to waste the time away. It might not have been the biggest, most in-depth game, and it’s true that it doesn’t have a whole lot to do with Christmas. But you know what? I’m not going to let that stop me. I’m already running late on this, so we here at Retro are going to give you another review for your money’s worth.

Available exclusively in the iTunes store, the app itself is entitled Sonic 20th Anniversary, released to help advertise all of the 20th anniversary shenanigans happening with Sonic the Hedgehog. Most of the app is standard fare, with links to Sega’s blog and Twitter, and wallpaper that updates every once in a great while. Oh, and there’s also a demo to Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1. But that’s not the important part. The main reason anyone downloaded this was to waste time watching “Doodle Sonic” run about.

Sonic the Sketchhog is based on the little doodles that pepper the manuals of the four Mega Drive games as they were released in Japan. More than likely drawn by Yasuhara, they were used to quickly convey gimmicks and other concept ideas for levels without spending an infinite amount of time drawing Sonic the Hedgehog. Because of how awesome Yasuhara Sonic looks, Sega decided to resurrect the art style, so that people who don’t even realize Sonic exists in Japan can still enjoy it.

The game itself is relatively simplistic. You have Sketchhog running forward at a continuous rate, unable to stop him no matter what you do. Tapping the screen makes him jump, tapping it again makes him double jump. You collect rings, you hit enemies, you jump over spikes and holes. To be honest, it’s not that much different than the many other “unable to stop” games that pepper the App store. It’s just a spin on a few I already have on my phone right now, such as Canabalt or Robot Unicorn Attack, only with imagery that tells me it’s a Sonic game. Unlike those two, however, Sonic never increases his speed. For a title that’s all about a speedy main character, I’m kinda surprised Sega showed that sort of restraint. We could have very well gotten an experience where, eventually, the Sketchhog is blowing past and just one jump will make him careen into nothingness, forcing you to start from square one.

The first time you begin the game, if you’re confused as to what you’re supposed to do, have no fear: the game will tell you. Very prominently displaying the word “Easy” on the top of the screen, you’re informed of the basic mechanics. You jump so that you can hit enemies. You collect rings to protect yourself in case you’re unable to jump in time. You can’t recollect the rings you lose when you get hit, but I don’t know how that would work if you’re constantly going forward. Either way, the goal is to survive. In case you forget that goal? Don’t worry, you’ll be reminded of how to play the game. Every single time you start. At least it’s not an unskippable tutorial, though it can get tiresome.

The first time I played it, I assumed that the other modes would be something unlockable, but I was proven wrong pretty quickly. As you go along, the difficulty changes, with the terrain you’re forced to go across becoming more and more difficult. You start with bridges, but then they begin to disappear, leaving gaps that you can slip through. You’re fine at first as long as you have rings, as they are lined with spikes on the bottom. But as it moves from hard to very hard, the spikes disappear, leaving the most terrifying thing of all: bottomless pits.

Sonic the Sketchhog does take a turn on the creepy side when you hit the final difficulty level, though. Marked “Death,” you get to see that foreboding word as the landscape changes. Rings become scarce, everything seems to be small floating platforms, and everything seems empty and barren, except for those rare times when you encounter a large group of Ganiganis or Batabatas. It is it as this stage when your hearts starts pounding while you’re trying to avoid certain death, knowing that if you use your double jump too soon, you won’t have it when you bounce off the head of an enemy and just miss the next ledge ahead…

I should point out that, while the art style is reminiscent of the Yasuhara drawings, it’s not an exact one-to-one of them. The doodles actually have slightly more detail to them in the original manual, and have been even more simplified for this game. It is a small annoyance that isn’t worth arguing about here, but would definitely be a point of contention if they ever wanted to use this style in a proper game, like a remake of the original Sonic 1 using the doodles. You know that would be awesome.

All in all, there really isn’t much to say about it. Yes, they used Sonic 4 music, but in its lullaby format, it’s not terrible. And since it’s free, there really isn’t no reason for you not to download it and randomly try it for yourself. Hey, there’s almost physics in it. You can bounce on an enemy, and then bounce on a higher enemy, and go higher! That’s pretty neat. Also, when the app was first announced, Sega did say it was for a limited time only, so you might want to download it soon if you ever want to experience it and haven’t yet.

…wonder what it would be like on the Retro engine…

…some videos that make me want to go the store.

Let’s be perfectly honest here: while we may love Sonic the Hedgehog and Sega as a whole, at the end of the day they are a business, which means they want to sell the public something. It certainly helps when it’s something we really, really, want, of course. And what better time is more appropriate to dwell on consumerism than Christmas? We all know that people buy the most around the holiday season, so why wouldn’t you want to try and advertise the world of Sega while visions of sugarplums dance in your head?

Unless you lived in Europe, more than likely you never got one of those bad boys under the tree. But there’s something about the look of the Master System I’ve always loved. And that white checkerboard pattern? Oh man, that is the future of gaming! Although, when you get down to it, the only Christmas part of the video is the music in the beginning, which quickly transforms into something really, really creepy. But hey, future of gaming.

Come the 90′s, though, the Master System was a thing of the past. If you were a kid who wanted something for Christmas with the Sega logo, there was only one option. The Sega Genesis. That glorious 16-bit powerhouse that offered the hottest games and made you the most popular kid in the neighborhood:

As an awkward adolescent, who wouldn’t want the one system that would make girls come to your door? Though I must admit, getting a Genesis never got me any…maybe my name had to be Matt. I still love the look of the mother’s face at the end. She better have saved some eggnog, because she’s going to need it.

But what happened once you got the system? You couldn’t just wait to have your parents buy you a new game. New titles were coming out all the time, and dropping sixty bucks on games starring Sylvester and Tweety was a luxury you couldn’t afford. That is why we had Blockbuster.

Your eyes do not deceive you. Santa Claus is playing a Sega Genesis. Though I do wonder what game he’s playing. Could it be Sonic? Could it be Bubsy? And he doesn’t even need a remote control to turn on the television! That’s magic for you.

But what about Japan, you ask?

For those not in the know, the Sega Saturn in Japan was a big deal. I’m sure plenty of Japanese children on Christmas morning couldn’t wait to get their hands on that sleek six button controller. Or even better, the 3D Control Pad, so they could play their copy of Christmas Nights. It’s a good thing the father ran off to the store right away when he realized his folly, or else he would have met…well, you know.

It is Segata Sanshiro. Nothing I can say can ever explain how awesome he is. So this Christmas, buy a Sega Saturn. Or he will come screaming back into this world, come down the chimney, and beat you senseless.

Might help if those kids had a television to go along with their game, though.

…the Korean opening to Sonic Christmas Blast.

Now, I’m sure everyone here has seen the animated special Sonic Christmas Blast at least once in their life. Produced after Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog and the Saturday morning series ended, it is most definitely a continuation of the first, although the pink version of Princess Sally shows up. Sure, she doesn’t talk, but she shows up!

Originally named An X-Tremely Sonic Christmas, it was retitled to match the Sonic game that was actually coming out in 1996. And to be honest, it’s worth watching just because of how insane it is. How often do you get to see Robotnik dressed up as Santa, anyway? The video above is the intro to the special, but as you’ve probably come to notice, it’s in Korean. And while we don’t have a translation just yet, the lyrics definitely are about Sonic the Hedgehog. And Christmas.

[Source: slimer via #retro via naver.com]

Please note that if you have an EU account and live in the US, you are also able to get the theme at this time. No word on when they’ll hit other regions.

Until then, we’ve ripped the backgrounds for your enjoyment and wallpaper pleasure. Remember to buy Sonic CD when it comes out for Android, iOS, XBLA, PSN and Steam, or we’ll come to your house and…highly encourage you to buy it.

For those of you that slept in or really had no desire to put up with show tunes, marching bands and pop stars, you too can check out the small bit of time in which Sonic streaked by briskly through the crisp New York skies over 34th Street.

Nothing much to note other than the usual plug for Sonic Generations and some ham-fisted anchorman dialog. The music Sonic floated in with is the Splash Hill Zone remix featured in Mario and Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games. And no, the balloon did not come crashing down onto innocent bystanders again.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you Americans out there and a hello, we love you all to the rest of the world. Save us some stuffing!

UPDATE: For those who want Sonic for all time on your hard drive, Retro member Spazz, who put the clear version of the footage you see above on YouTube, has also encoded the Sonic moment for convenient download. Sure, the links are already in the comments, but hey. Why not?

1080: http://goo.gl/6bQFU
720: http://goo.gl/SUzmM