Courtesy of forum user RGamer2009, Sega of America has recently launched their digital download store to make it easy for people to locate SEGA titles for purchase through their own website. Currently the store only offers a line up of PC titles, including DLC, with no known plans for other platforms. The games can either be downloaded through Sega’s website, or if it’s noted, will give you a Steam key to activate on Steam instead. In addition, a network connection is usually required to activate your games online. This means that most, if not all titles, will have DRM enforced. This includes a limit as to how many times a game can be activated, and you must contact Sega directly to gain more activation codes.

With most of the legal hoopla out of the way, some of the games you can expect on the service include Steam activated titles such as Sonic Generations, Renegade Ops, and Football Manager 2012. In addition are non-Steam activated titles including Sonic & Sega All Stars Racing, House of the Dead 2, and of course your usual suspects of Sega Genesis Classic Collections.

There are a few problems with some of the store’s game specifications and logistics. For example, at the time of this writing, House of the Dead 2 was given a rating of Early Childhood. Plus the Sonic 20th Anniversary Pack which includes six Mega Drive/Genesis related Sonic games is offered for $29.99 compared to Sonic Mega Collection Plus, which is also readily available with six Game Gear games, comic book covers, illustrations and more for $9.99. Still, an interesting move to combine games sold through Steam as well as bringing back a handful of respectable PC ports through one service.

Yesterday’s boss artwork reveal didn’t stop SEGA from continuing their weekly Concept Art Friday series, as they have revealed another couple of all new badniks to those that bother to check their official blog or Facebook page.

First up is Scarabesque, which like the name suggests is a scarab-badnik. This one pushes a ball around and seemingly rolls it at Sonic as his attack. Second is a new, more menacing looking version of the Sandworm from Sonic & Knuckles, it having prolegs suggests it can crawl around instead of just jump out of the sand. Considering these badniks are both desert themed, it’s easy to conclude that the game will have a level themed after the desert as well. For more concept art goodness, check back next week as SEGA has shown no sign of stopping with these yet.

[Via SEGA Blog]

Chances are the small percentage of you that picked up the PC version of Sonic 4: Episode 1 have gotten a small update to the game. Upon trying the game out, you might have also noticed that your settings were all gone and that your save file was gone as well.

While we could take yet another potshot at Sonic 4, let’s focus on fixing that issue. What this last update did is create a second executable file: one for Windows XP and one for Windows Vista/7. To restore settings, you’ll need to run the settings application included with the game. As for the save file, it’s still there with all your hard work. It just needs a little renaming.

To do so, head into your Steam folder located in Program Files, click on the folder named “steamapps” and then “common”. Click on the Sonic 4 folder and you should see a file named “Sonic_save.dat”. Simply rename this to “Sonic_vis_save.dat” and all your hard work will be restored.

Eighteen years ago, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 was released to the masses. No one bothered to ask Sonic if he saw his shadow (and if he did, if it was just a generic circle or in his actual silhouette), but because of how important that release was all those many years ago, Sega has been using the date to psyche up whatever hedgehog-related items they’ve been working on. Last year, they teased the 20th Anniversary. The year before was right around the time Sonic 4: Episode 1 was announced. This year, we have not one but three Sonic-related prizes on the ol’ Sega blog. Yes, it wasn’t too hard to guess something Sonic 4 related was going to be there, but the other two may come as a bit of a surprise, as some people questioned if they were ever going to happen again. Yes, Sega has confirmed that the fan-favorite-fan-gatherings Sonic Boom and Summer of Sonic are indeed returning for 2012.

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Sega’s been showing a lot of love to PC owners as of late with releases of Sonic Generations, Sonic 4: Episode 1 and Sonic CD to the platform. But what of Sonic Unleashed, the game which kicked off Modern Sonic’s current breakneck speed style (and included the highly divisive Werehog)? If anything, those Unleashed stages may soon be making their way as a patch to the PC version of the game.

Forum members Dario FF, Twilightzoney and Chimera have been hard at work trying to bring Unleashed‘s stages over to Generations’ engine. In one week, they went from bringing in the stages without any sort of collision and usage of Global Illumination Ambiance (GIA), the system used in both Unleashed and Generations to give some dynamic lighting to the levels, to the above video. So far, Windmill Isle Act 2, Dragon Road Act 1 and Cool Edge Act 1 have all made a partial conversion. The group admits that while progress is going well, there is still much work to be done.

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In light of speculation that the popular Rom Hack Sonic Megamix might be cancelled due to recent events, the head of Team Megamix, Stealth, has opened a new thread for discussion on the game, and made a statement in regards to its progress.

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Being Friday, Sega continues what they promised last week, issuing out yet another round of concept art to hype up Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 2. Doing what they did last time, we get the deluxe version of concept art for one with both the black and white and color sketches, while the Facebook exclusive image only comes in the final colored form.

The first featured is the multicolored Fullboar, who will certainly fulfill your pig-badnik needs. The other is the Facebook exclusive “Steelion,” whose name is all sorts of pun. Normally I’d go into super commentary mode, but there isn’t much to say except, hey, they are new enemies. See you next week!

[Source: SEGA Blog]

Nintendo has recently released demos for the eShop on Nintendo 3DS which primarily consist of retail released games, this also means as of Thursday a release for the demo of the hotly anticipated Sonic the Hedgehog title coming out in February. That’s right, the 3DS edition of Mario and Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games. Hold your applause please. Keep in mind that each downloaded demo from the eShop has a limit of thirty uses. Look through the Game Demos section of the store, or search for the game to download the game to the 3DS system. If you rather hold out for the full version, or don’t live in the US, but still carry an interest, be sure to hit the jump for impressions.

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Click play to get a rolling start. Did you hear that Daytona USA came out on Xbox Live Arcade and Playstation Network? You may have heard from us several times that it came out last year, but if you’re still not convinced, perhaps the vocalist for the songs may persuade your interest?

Sega’s US branch uploaded a 10 minute trailer on their YouTube account with Takenobu Mitsuyoshi detailing the Karaoke Mode for the digital download release, which allows you to have instrumental versions of songs play as you drive around the track (Or have the game run the track for you) and display the lyrics on screen (Which he demonstrates as ‘loudly’ as possible.) As an additional bonus, Mitsuyoshi-san also sings “Lets Go Away” for the latter half of the trailer.

Despite Sonic 4 being readily available to iOS and Windows Phone 7 users for quite some time now, it seems Sega has finally decided that those of the Android persuasion should be so fortunate to finally get Sonic 4: Episode 1 for general consumption, launching on the Android Marketplace for only $3.99/£2.56/€3.05.

Actually, this version of Sonic 4 is once again an oddity compared to the others. Like its mobile brethren, it shares the same stages. That’s right, that means everyone’s favorite minecart level and 100,000 point pinball challenge are back. It also includes the console version’s overworld, though in a much more static variety. Curiously enough, the game also uses the graphical assets of the iPad version, which makes Sonic and his environs look more detailed.

A word of caution for those of you with tinfoil hats: Sonic 4, for some reason, requires permissions to have access to your phone number, potentially knowing who you’re calling. Why a game of all things would need this is beyond us, but we are guessing it may have something to do with a potential phone database where Sonic Brand Manager Ken Balough will personally call you to tell you about Sonic 4: Episode 2. Insider sources!