Review - Sonic Generations (Video)

I'm posting over myself because I find this to be somewhat important. I finally finished my Sonic Generations review! Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaay! Now everyone can stop pestering me about it and start pestering about something else!

NiGHTs Into Dreams... And Sonic Adventure 2 HD Dropping in October

I posted a story earlier this year about NiGHTS into Dreams... being announced as a HD remake being released later this year so I figured I should follow up on that because the release date has been announced! Yes, you can finally relive your fond memories of NiGHTS in glorious HD on October 2nd for the PSN and October 5th for the X-Box Live Arcade. That's less than a month away! It gives you just enough time to finish playing the recently released Jet Set Radio HD.

But wait, there's more! Sega also announced that the "HD" rerelease of Sonic Adventure 2 will also be released on the same day as NiGHTS into Dreams... So you can relive two classic Sega games on the same day! Both games are set to retail for 9.99 USD, which isn't too bad for a game you likely haven't played and one you likely enjoy enough to drop some cash on again. *But maybe not...*

As an added bonus, NiGHTS into Dreams... comes complete with everything from the rare Christmas NiGHTS expansion pack for free. That disc is pretty hard to come by these days so I'm sure a lot of Sega fans out there are pretty happy to final experience it. Sonic Adventure 2 will also have some optional DLC featuring all the battle mode features from Sonic Adventure 2: Battle for the Gamecube. This DLC is 3.00 USD and includes all the battle mode stages and characters as well as Chao Karate. Why this isn't included for free, I don't know but whatever. It's there if you want it.

Both games drop on October 2nd for PSN and October 5th for X-Box Live Arcade for 9.99 USD. As far as I know, Steam versions for both games are in the works but they weren't included in the announcement. I look forward to experiencing NiGHTS for the first time. I'm still on the fence about Sonic Adventure 2, though. But hey, I figured I'd mention it.

Review - Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 - Revisited

So I already reviewed Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 forever ago. But I decided to review it again for my whole Sonic project thing because my opinion has changed a bit after playing over 30 Sonic games in the course of the year. I still like it but it's not as good as I thought it was at first. Oh well!


Oh. I also never properly made updates about our Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword and Pokémon Puzzle Challenge let's plays. I should probably do that but for now, you can find the playlists in the Let's Try That Again section up top or just by clicking those links there.

Happy 13th Birthday Dreamcast

May you rest in peace. 13 years ago today, Sega released the tragic Dreamcast on 9/9/99. Sure, the disc reader was loud as hell, the VMUs were a novelty, the hard plastic joystick and sharp corners of the crummy D-Pad will shred the skin of your thumb like the N64 controller does, but it still remains one of my favorite consoles ever. The graphics were state of the art. You could go on the internet which lets you do all kinds of cool stuff before they took down the service. Most important of all, the games were fantastic. Here are some of my favorites off the top of my head.

• Shenmue
• Marvel Vs. Capcom 2
• Power Stone 2
• Sonic Adventure
• Sonic Adventure 2
• Jet Set Radio
• Soul Calibur 

And there's plenty more great games that aren't necessarily my favorites or I just haven't played them like Chu Chu Rocket, Space Channel 5, Crazy Taxi, Seaman, Ooga Booga, Shenmue II, Typing of the Dead, Rez, Grandia II, Skies of Arcadia, Samba de Amigo, and Phantasy Star Online. There's a lot to list! The Dreamcast had a lot of good ports of arcade games because it ran on just about the same hardware as the arcade did. I want to say that the Dreamcast had the definitive versions of other games like Toy Story 2 and Rayman 2 as well, being the technical powerhouse it was at the time... before the PS2 came out.

So here's to you, Dreamcast. You've left a spiral shaped mark in hearts of gamers everywhere. The soul still burns.

VGM of the Week #42

My turn again, alright, let's do this!

My VGM of the Week this week is from one of the best Gamecube games you didn't play; Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg.

G.I.A.N.T. E.G.G! Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg is the simple tale of a boy in a chicken suit who must save all the chicken elders from the evil crows and bring peace back to the land. All while hatching magical monsters to help him in his quest. Okay, it's completely stupid but it's a lot of fun and highly overlooked.

The music, much like the game, is up-beat and bubbly and just dripping with charm. This specific track is title "Let's Go Easy" and it's from the pirate themed stage, Pirates Island, which is probably my favorite world in the game. I don't know, you just can't wrong with pirates. The theme may not scream pirate adventures, but it is definitely fun and inviting. If your pirate ship was playing this music, I'd gladly get on board!

NiGHTS Into Dreams… HD Coming This Fall

 

Earlier this week, Sega posted a very strange image on their Facebook page which many fans recognized was from the cult Saturn hit NiGHTS Into Dreams... Nobody had any idea what it meant but there were a few ideas floating through gamers heads.

Well, today those gamers were proven right as Sega has announced NiGHTS Into Dreams... HD will be coming this fall to the X-Box Live Arcade, PSN and PC. The game is set to feature improved HD graphics, online leaderboards, achievements, as well as the ability to play the Saturn version if you so choose. Now if only they'd announce that Christmas NiGHTS will also be included, that would be awesome.

It's great to see Sega continue to rerelease HD enhanced versions of their beloved IPs. First there was Jet Set Radio and now the cult hit NiGHTS. It gives gamers like me a chance to play them for the first time and gamers like our very own NiGHTS fangirl, Jess, the ability to play them for the hundredth time in glorious HD. It also gives hope for a return of the franchises but we'll take it one day at a time.

You can take a look at the announcement trailer below and a few screenshots over at Sega's blog. No official release date has been announced yet.

Review - Sonic Unleashed (Wii)

Yep. Finally got around to finishing this one. I know now that I will not finish these by June 23rd like I wanted. Oh well. Next time.

Review - Sega Superstars Tennis

Originally, I couldn't decide if I wanted to actually review this game or not. But after trying to write a review about Sonic Rush Adventure and failing to really differentiate it from my Sonic Rush review, I decided to go ahead with it. I give my very brief opinions on Rush Adventure at the start of the video as well, so there's that.

Let's Try That Again - Sonic R (Live)

Part of our April Fool's 2012 Live Stream, basically, we played two games that we think are not so good, the first of which being Sonic R. So come back to the city with us to feel the sunshine while we go back in time with this super sonic racing experience. If we can work it out, it's sure to be quite an experience.





On the off chance you missed our April Fool's Day Live Stream Event, don't worry, we've got your back. The first half of the stream involved us playing the ever exciting Sonic R for the Sega Saturn (though I played on the Sonic Gems Collection.) The music's a bit loud because I'm a moron and didn't realize just how loud the recording was picking it up but you can still hear us.

First video is below and the link to the playlist is attached to the thumbnail up there. Total runtime: 1:00:41.

Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 2 Gameplay Trailer

As I mentioned in my previous post about Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 2, the gameplay trailer was scheduled to be released through Gamespot today. Well, here it is.


I do think, visually, it looks better than Episode 1 but not by too much. It's certainly not on par with Generations but I never expected it to. After all, it is a downloadable title. The gameplay looks like a nice return to form and the physics look better, though one can't be sure until the game is released. I'm not sure how I feel about the team-up moves but at least they look to add a little bit of a depth and give Tails a purpose for being there other than to drown a lot. Plus, it'll probably be especially fun to use those moves in Co-Op. The stage design, while completely ripped-off from past games, is looking pretty sweet too.

I'll remain cautiously optimistic for now, mostly because of the physics. Though I do honestly believe Sega was going to listen to the fans and fix them. The engine is supposed to be from the ground up. After Sonic Generations did so much to please the fans, I'll give Sega the benefit of the doubt if only this once.

VGM of the Week #16

You guys already know the drill. I had some tracks in mind for this week last time I did this but it's been so long that I forgot already!

I've been playing a lot of Retro Game Challenge lately as well as listening to a lot of the Chrono Trigger OST on loop but I think I'll have to go with...

I feel like the music in this game really sticks, given the amount of time most people put into it. This one plays when you're around and about on the spaceship which is like the hub for taking missions, shopping, storage, and health care. So, you're always going to come back and hear this after grinding it out on a bunch of monsters with three other friends OVER THE INTERNET (which was a revolutionary thing at the time when considering the fact most people were still on 56k). Anyway, I think this tune is great. Probably my favorite from PSO.

First Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 2 Screenshots Released

Tuesday, a handful of screenshots for the upcoming second part of Sonic the Hedgehog 4 were released on Xbox.com and today, a few more were shown off on Sega's own blog. I figured I'd share them with you all because 1. we've posted about this game before and 2. they look fantastic.

On top of the new screenshots. We also got a little bit more information about the game. It's set to include an all-new graphics and physics engine, which we already knew, but part of that new engine involves teaming up with Tails to do a number of partner moves including flying to reach new places as seen above. It was also confirmed that the game will have four zones, like the first. There's a rumor going around that it's also supposed to feature co-op multiplayer both local and online but X-Box removed that information earlier. Still, the game is looking great and sounding great. The first gameplay trailer is set to release next Thursday on Gamespot.com.

Hit the jump for the rest.

Retro Review - Sonic Battle

Sonic Heroes took a lot out of me. I played it for forever, it was awful, got a lot of flack for thinking it was awful, it really put me off these reviews. But, after playing through Sonic Generations and just feeling like I need to finish this, I finally started back up. So without delay, here is my review of Sonic Battle for the Gameboy Advance.

The Twelve Stages I'd Pick for Sonic Generations 2

After months and months of eager anticipation, I finally got my hands on Sonic Generations this Christmas. Last night I even managed to finish the game and boy was it a treat. Sega certainly knew how to appeal to the fans, the whole game is one big love letter to everything Sonic. Each level is loaded with love for the source material, references to other Sonic stages and characters and the expert level design from Sonic games past.

This is what dreams are made of. Also nightmares.

Although the game is almost perfect in every way, especially stage design, I can’t help but wish there were more stages. I personally wouldn’t have chosen Seaside Hill to represent Heroes nor would I have likely picked Speed Highway from Adventure. Not that either of those are poor choices, they just aren’t what I would have picked. 

So I got to thinking about what stages I’d put if I could develop Sonic Generations 2. Now, this is all completely hypothetical. Obviously, it’s unlikely we’ll get a Generations 2 as this was a celebration of Sonic’s 20^th anniversary not to mention Sega has expressed no interest in it. But, I have so I’m going to list off 12 stages I’d like to see in a sequel. That’s one from each game represented in Generations as well as a stage from Sonic 3, Shadow the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog 4. The only rule is that it has to be a stage that was no included in any version of Generations, console or 3DS, so no Casino Night Zone as much as I’d like it. Also, this list is just in chronological order so when I get to number 1, don’t take it as that’s the one stage I want more than anything ever.

Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 2 Not Coming to WiiWare

Just a quick follow up to Don's article about the teaser trailer for Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 2, Sega representative Ken Balough confirmed in a recent interview that Episode 2 would not be hitting the WiiWare. I figured I'd share this as we here are pretty diehard Nintendo fanboys and chances are you are too if you're reading this. Here's what Balough had to say;

But no - the reason Episode I was on the Wii was because we wanted to bring the Sonic 4 saga to the widest possible audience. Episode II unfortunately will not be coming to the Wii - for reasons most people have probably guessed, but that doesn't mean the SEGA isn't supporting Nintendo platforms, we have a very strong partnership and will continue to do so.

While he never specifically mentions the reasoning behind this, it is quite obvious why. The WiiWare limitations are simply too strict. Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 had to be dumbed down graphically and in terms of the music in order for it to even run on Wii. While most critics said the game still played almost the same, it was likely still pushing the WiiWare's limits. Since Episode 2 will likely feature more content and better graphics, it's unlikely the Wii would be able to handle it with it's given limitations. They could dumb it down but they probably don't want to have to do that and want to make an equal product all around. I don't really blame them but I do have to wonder why they would just shrug the Wii off. According to Sega's very own sales reports, Episode 1 sold the best on Wii. So again, I understand why they went this route but that doesn't mean it's necessarily a good idea business wise.

Regardless, I picked up Episode 1 on the PS3 so I'll do the same here. Also and don't quote me on this but I'm sure once the Sonic the Hedgehog 4 saga is complete, Sega will package them all together for a retail release. Maybe then the Wii will see the missing episode.

Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 2 Teaser Trailer

I'll just leave this here...

New physics engine, new graphics engine, playable Tails, and the return of Metal Sonic. Fuckin' sign me up.

Interview with SEGA by Gamespot here

Retro Review - Sonic Heroes

Yes, after over a month without a new Sonic game review, I finally finished Sonic Heroes. I'm sorry it took so long it's just, this game hurt me. I couldn't bare playing it longer than one stage at a time so it really did take me forever to beat it. On the plus side, it's over and done with and I never have to play it again! Yay!




Unfortunately, the worst is yet to come but at least the next few games on my list are all smaller, BETTER Gameboy Advance games.

Review - Sonic Generations

Sonic The Hedgehog has been one of gaming’s most recognisable faces since his debut twenty years ago. His “way past cool” attitude and insatiable need for speed has earned the love of millions worldwide, and his fanbase has remained loyal through good times and bad – unfortunately, bad times have been dangerously abundant in recent years for the blue blur. A series of mediocre titles may have tarnished Sonic’s legacy somewhat, but Sega is striving to repair the damage by literally taking the series back to its glory days with Sonic Generations.