Archive for the 'Video Game Industry' Category

UPDATE: Apparently, the deal went over rather well since both the PS2 and 360 versions sold out at around 9 p.m. EST. The offer was called off as orders from the game after Amazon’s stock was sold out were being handled by Target, who were not honoring the deal. A good sign to see the game is selling, anyway.

So, you’ve held off buying Sonic Unleashed because of money. Yes, after the chaos this year has wracked on consumers, both in the items being released or because the global economy is in the toilet, saving money is a very big deal.

Amazon understands this and, for today, Nov. 29, only as part of their on-going Black “Friday” sales, Sonic Unleashed on PS2 and 360 (the PS3 version is not included, due to not being released, nor is the Wii version.) are being offered at a $24 discount on the 360 and $14 on the PS2. Of course, this is limited strictly to the U.S. Amazon site.

It doesn’t quite end there. If you use the bonus code, “UNLEASH5″ (no quotation marks), the price will be discounted a further $5. In total, the game can now be gotten for $21 on the 360 and $10 on PS2.

If financial troubles were keeping you away from this game or you’re just cheap and love to save money, today is the day to jump. Again, the deal is only for today.

Amazon.com: Sonic Unleashed

Let’s face it–since the 16-bit era, video game publishers haven’t had prominent mascots for their systems. Nintendo has Mario. Sega has Sonic. NEC had… Bonk, I guess. All of these characters’ games were solid platformers which represented the advantages of each system. Lately, though, this trend has more or less been discontinued. I mean, what could be considered Microsoft’s mascot? Master Chief? It’s just not quite the same.

Sony is looking to reverse this, however, with its first formal endorsement of a mascot in Sackboy from the upcoming PS3 game LittleBigPlanet. The anticipated game and new mascot is receiving a big push from Sony, and more importantly, with its simple run and jump play, may signal a return to platformer-style games as a major genre on home consoles.

Can Sonic take on Sackboy? Will the unique additions LittleBigPlanet brings, such as custom levels, influence future Sonic games?

It just so happens that even though a number of people disliked these episodes, the poor people in Japan who never got to see them in the first place would like to be able to do so. For Sonic X episodes 53-78 were released in the States and to an extent in Europe, but never made it to Japan, despite the fact the original work was done in Japanese.

Interest in these episodes indicates an untapped market for Sega, especially with regards to Sonic X. But it seems that all work on Sonic X whatsoever has ended, leaving us wondering: will SEGA respond, or will they ignore this, like (unfortunately) most fan attempts to get Sonic media from one region into another?

You can read a translation of their campaign here.
Discuss it in the forums.

In the latest interview from Gamasutra, it is revealed that Simon doesn’t believe the old version of Sonic is ‘cool’; of course, here’s a better approximation, in his own words.

“…I think the Japanese side, at Sonic Team, have realized that old Sonic doesn’t really gel with today’s consumer and today’s kids especially. We needed to do something to make something more appealing.”

This stands to be a sort of blow to his reputation amongst those who like the old-school Sonic, especially since Sonic Unleashed looked to be a sort of acknowledgment of the old Sonic with its 2D sections. He further went on to say…

“…I would love for Sega to not be thought of as the Sonic company. I think we probably will be for a little while, but the more content that we bring out that’s successful in other areas, the better. ”

Of course, this brings up the question: What else does Sega have to replace Sonic? Some fans have remarked that, of recent, SEGA has not had a good track record with regards to creating proper sequels of their other franchises. The review mentions how Nintendo has many such successful franchises; but without such on SEGA’s side, how are they to move beyond their current affiliation with Sonic alone?

Of course, it’s not all bad. Old sonic may be out of the playbook for him, but he apparently has no problem with the gameplay style of that same character–quite puzzling.

“…But then a large part of the gameplay [in Sonic Unleashed] is absolutely traditional Sonic — 2D speed, and nothing else. We think that’s really why it works quite nicely.”

Who knows what else Simon will say? We’ll be watching…

Poor Simon Jeffrey just can’t seem to get cool.

The current president of Sega of America has had a mixed reception with the press and fans alike. After stating in a BusinessWeek article that Sonic loses his cool factor with anyone above 12, Jeffrey’s been busy worrying about other, more important things.

However, in Forbes’ “Sega’s Quest for Cool,” Jeffrey lays out his plan to get Sega back on track as a major video game publisher:

“Sega used to be synonymous with cool,” Sega of America President Simon Jeffrey told Forbes.com. “It’s something Rockstar [maker of "Grand Theft Auto IV"] has. There’s no reason Sega can’t be cool.”

[...] Jeffrey also wants Sega to become a must-have content provider for Microsoft  and Sony consoles, appeal to everyone from hardcore gamers to families, and still remain distinctive. “Sega has always done stuff a little differently from everyone else,” he says. “We want to maintain that difference. We don’t want someone to look at Sega and say, ‘What’s the difference between Sega and THQ?’ We want people to go, ‘It’s Sega!’”

You heard it here first: Sega is trying to be cooler than THQ. Way to aim high.