The Sonic Amateur Games Expo has hit again, and the shows so big this year, it’s gonna need two parts to this massive News Special! Unfortunately, due to lack of time, the Sonic Stadium did not manage to get through the immense wave of games on show – perhaps a longer show period for September’s show, guys???

Retro Sonic – Taxman
This excellent looking outing by Taxman is based on another evil scheme by Eggman. The fat one this time has found out how to shape anything he wants by bending the fabric of reality. New levels shown at this years SAGE is Egg Garden, DustHill, and now the new special stage, which has improved since last showing. Ground textures have been used now instead of vector graphics, which make the whole game look very polished indeed. Dread has played the demo – it kicks. Expect a massive Sonic Fan Games Club special on ALL the games showcased at SAGE, alongside this tasty offering too..

The Darkness/Sonic Legends/Sonic: The Fated Hour – BlazeFire Productions
This comes as a pleasing surprise from the founder of the original SAGE Expo. Three games are on the go at BlazeFire and they all sound extremely good. The Darkness 2 is a sequel to The Darkness, obviously. ^_^ Sounds to me like a survival horror outing (I never played The Darkness… but it will soon be reviewed in the Fan Games golden oldies special coming soon) and features loads more baddies and… three levels. Blaze trusts that you’ll be going back to them again and again however, which is a nice thought. Sonic: The Fated Hour is the game we all saw last year at SAGE – nothing more has been released except for the plot – Tails has been killed in the night, whilst being mistaken for Sonic. Sonic, not too happy, goes out for revenge. Sonic: Legends is a mix of 12 of the best Sonic levels you, the fans, voted for and loved. Nothing extra on this except for patches being released that will let you play as Knuckles and Tails. Interesting…

Sonic SV2:TT – Diablohead
Wow! How things have changed since last year! Diablo has now changed the complete engine for Sonic S-V 2 and renamed it Sonic SV 2:TT. Why? Apparently, Diablo says that the extra TT does mean something, although what he’s planning is unknown. The level is the same as last year (check the Sonic Fan Games page for Sonic S-V 2 last years SAGE Demo!) – Dawn Hill, but this time, the graphic look even better than ever! Mouseart is used instad of simple edited Sonic sprites, which make the game look so much better. The camera has been improved, Sonic CD style, and the title cards make the game look less ‘Master System’ esque, according to Diablo. Now Sonic can literally do a ‘Jesus’ and run over water, and can hold his breath for a standard 50 seconds. Best watch this game for all it’s worth, it sounds and plays awesomely…

WT3GB/Sonic Stash/Beyond Sonic – Gameplay
Three titles on the go can never be a good thing – the quality between each drop substantially. But Gameplay seem to have things sorted – When Tails Gets Bored 3 is the sequel to 2, obviously. ^_^ Yes, Tails can’t stand Sonic yet again, and this time they plan on meeting Sonic. Oh dear god. Sounds more like a comedy title than anything else, but the gameplay says otherwise. And, I have just realised that the very same title screen for this Fan Game was shown here – FIRST! It’s true, but you may not have realised it. Check the title screen on the left, and the hoax sent in months ago on the right. It came here first, and very clever ploy it was too, gameplay. Nice one. Sonic Stash is a very competent puzzle game version of Sonic Adventure. Come again? Yep, check the screens to see. The aim is to direct your character to the goal of the course, using arrow panels, like Chu Chu Rocket!. Beyond Sonic is basically a game starring Knuckles. Which makes sense. The game’s aim is to collect the three Master Emerald pieces in the set levels. It’s actually an idea that works quite well. Gameplay have got a lot on their plate, but their wacky new ideas are different enough to get them notice, and they seem to be coping anyway.

ShenSonic – SimSonic/Magitek Software
ShenSonic sounds like a curious Sonic rip-off of Shenmue, and you’d be right. Exactly the same as the original DC outing, ‘Sonic Hazuki’s life is shattered as a mysterious man in green clothes, ‘Robo Di’ murders his father right in front of him, and with the mysteries surrounding why his father was murdered, Sonic Hazuki goes on an inceredible journey for revenge.

Sonic Gamma – Poulto Entertainment
Introducing a new face in SAGE, Poulto the Bat has a unique game titled Sonic Gamma in the works. It sees Sonic facing off with a new, improved Metal Sonic, and Eggman utlising gems called ‘Gamma Emeralds’. As well as being able to play as Sonic, Tails and Knuckles, a new character called Rosie is also promised to be playable, with a MegaMan style of gameplay. Should prove different if it doesn’t make the game a bit awkward to play. It looks fantastic, and although I have my worries about the Mega Man bit, nut I’m hoping when Poulto’s ready that I’ll be eating my words.

Furry Exodus – Team Exodus
A project that will star the furries of Sonic Fan Games HQ! Not a tall order, by any means, but it should make for looooots of levels, and hopefully Team Exodus are trying to add some comic relief in there. Obviously all the members of TE are gonna be playable it seems. Nothing to play at SAGE ‘cept for a teaser movie that’s very interesting indeed… It features an unlikely duo named Ryoku and Snet. While fighting evil, a new face appears called Zangus. No more details have been unveiled. Yet…

Shadow Adventure – Shadow Team
Aptly named game from Shadow Team, this sees Shadow’s own Adventure, with the resurrection of Professor Gerald Robotnik, learning about a counter part to Chaos from Sonic Adventure 1, Destructo. Learning this, Shadow must take Gerald out. A classic twist on a real Sonic/Eggman plot this, and sounds good.

Mobius – The Next Revolution: Shadow Returns – Team Infinity
Wow, Team Infinity is run by none other than Dread’s good pal, Ian Bennett! This game is looking taaaaassstyyyy indeed. The first in hopefully a long running flagship series for Team Infinity, and involves Shadow being revived by Eggman, his memories of all that happened in SA2 erased. Sounds a bit unoriginal, but the game will certainly last you! Dread’s caught a hold of a massive 6 level demo preview, from SAGE, and the results are very nice. Check back soon for a full preview!