Categories #Games

Sonic Generations Finally Hits Xbox One Backward Compatibility

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Author VizardJeffhog
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About friggin’ time!

Microsoft held their second episode of Inside Xbox yesterday, in which they share a behind-the-scenes look at the company’s inner workings, and today’s livestream held a special announcement regarding backward compatibility on Xbox One.

The gaming giant revealed that a handful of backward compatible Xbox 360 games will become Xbox One X-enhanced, a beefy update through which last-gen titles receive a substantial performance boost on the most powerful home console on the market, after the presentation. Among them is none other than Sonic Generations, which also means that the 20th anniversary title celebrating Sonic’s history has also been finally retrofitted for the Xbox One family of systems as of today!

Episode 2 of Inside Xbox also revealed a ton of new original Xbox games being added to the backward compatible library, including SEGA’s own Panzer Dragoon Orta.

Now that leaves only Sonic Unleashed and Sonic ’06 as the remaining mainline Sonic games to become Xbox One backward compatible… I’ll certainly be keeping my fingers crossed.

Categories Features

The Spin: How SEGA is Ignoring the Middle Children of Sonic’s Legacy

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Author VizardJeffhog
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Disclaimer: The views in this piece may not reflect the views of TSS or other writers on the staff team. The intention of The Spin is to promote debate and discussion of an issue or something that’s happening in the fandom or the world of Sonic.

2010 was the year Sonic the Hedgehog came back.

Yes, we all heard the stories about how the franchise had declined not long after the jump to 3D, how gaming news outlets and critics even now would begin their pieces with some variation of “Sonic has had a rocky history,” and how every new Sonic game released around the “dark ages” period couldn’t shake off the dreaded “Sonic Cycle.”

Continue reading The Spin: How SEGA is Ignoring the Middle Children of Sonic’s Legacy

Categories #Games

Sonic Adventure 2 is Now Xbox One Backward Compatible

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Author VizardJeffhog
11 Comments

Can you feel life moving through your mind?

With word from Xbox’s very own Larry Hryb, “Major Nelson” himself has revealed today that the Xbox Live Arcade version of Sonic Adventure 2 is at last Xbox One Backward Compatible. Those who previously owned the remastered HD edition of this classic on Xbox 360 can recover the digital download at no extra cost; those interested in picking it up can do so for $9.99/£6.75/9,49€.

Continue reading Sonic Adventure 2 is Now Xbox One Backward Compatible

Categories #Games

Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed is Now Backwards Compatible with Xbox One

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Author VizardJeffhog
5 Comments

The Xbox One has a growing list of backwards compatible games from the previous generation, be it from a retail release on the Xbox 360 or a digital title via the old Live Arcade. From it also comes a steady stream of Sonic games, with the classic games, Sonic the Fighters, and both episodes of Sonic 4 having been rereleased onto Microsoft’s modern console.

Earlier today, Larry “Major Nelson” Hryb announced that three more games are relaunching on Xbox One Backwards Compatibility today, including Sumo Digital’s Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed. The second All-Stars racing game originally launched in November 2012 across several platforms to a positive critical reception.

Continue reading Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed is Now Backwards Compatible with Xbox One

Categories xxOLDOfficial News

Sonic Generations Joins Xbox 360 Classics Range in PAL Territories

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Author Shadzter
18 Comments

Sonic Generations Xbox 360 Classics

Sonic Generations has quietly joined the Xbox 360 Classics range this month (March 1st to be precise), a status awarded by Microsoft to games that reach an unknown high sales number. Along with this status comes a budget price; in fact the below UK retailers are selling the game for as little as £12.99, so if you’re still on the fence, there’s no better time to snatch it up.

GAME: £12.99
Sainsbury’s Entertainment: £14.99
Amazon Marketplace: From £16.30

Thanks to Blue Blood at the SSMB for the heads up!

Categories xxOLDOfficial News

Sonic 4: Episode 1 Priced and Dated For Windows Phone

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Author Shadzter
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Microsoft has priced and dated its line-up of what they’re calling ‘Must Have Games’ for Windows Phone. Six titles are planned for release on Xbox Live individually each week from Wednesday May 25th and they will all feature achievements, leaderboards and more. Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 will launch on June 15th and will cost you £5.49/$6.99 to download. Check out an official screenshot and gameplay footage of the Windows Phone version at the 0:34 mark in the trailer below.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkdornqZQis[/youtube]

Here’s the full line-up of Windows Phone games:
Hydro Thunder Go

Microsoft Game Studios
Release date: 5/25/2011
Price: £3.99/$4.99

Doodle Jump

GameHouse
Release Date: 6/1/2011
Price: £2.49/$2.99

geoDefense

Microsoft Game Studios
Release Date: 6/8/2011
Price: £2.49/$2.99

Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode I

Sega
Release Date: 6/15/2011
Price: £5.49/$6.99

Plants vs. Zombies

PopCap Games
Release Date: 6/22/2011
Price: £3.99/$4.99

Angry Birds

Rovio
Release Date: 6/29/2011
Price: £2.49/$2.99

Sources: SocialTimes.com, Windows Phone UK Facebook page and Xbox.com

Categories xxOLDOfficial News

SEGA Slashing XBLA Prices This Week

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Author Shadzter
5 Comments

To help celebrate the Xbox Nations Event SEGA’s discounting their Xbox Live Arcade library this week. From April 19th (tomorrow) until April 25th you can get up to 50% off classic Mega Drive and Dreamcast titles or even some more modern titles like Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1.

You can check out the full list of games and prices below:

Source: SEGA Europe Blog (via Videogamer.com)

Categories xxOLDCommunity News

Microsoft Gets Their Riders Crossed

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Author Shadzter
23 Comments

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnYBlKuP_9c[/youtube]

Microsoft’s new Kinect sensor for Xbox 360 is hitting U.S. stores shortly and what better way to help grab interest than for Microsoft to show all Xbox 360’s Xbox Live users the launch game line-up in an Inside Xbox video, what could possibly go wrong? Well, it appears the Inside Xbox team haven’t paid too much attention to SEGA’s Sonic Free Riders, because they seem to have it confused with the original Sonic Riders title on Xbox, PlayStation 2 and Gamecube. When Microsoft’s Bridget O’Neill gets to the game at the 02:34 mark, a trailer for Sonic Riders is on display, logo and all. Before the end of the video the Sonic Riders logo (seen below) is shown again and O’Neill refers to the title as Sonic Riders, too.

You have to wonder, how does the company behind the Xbox 360 confuse an original Xbox title with an Xbox 360 game, especially one that’s launching the next day, only on their new Kinect peripheral? Now, I wonder what SEGA would have to say about this comical promotional failure…

Categories xxOLDOfficial News

Microsoft Gives ASR ‘Feb 2010 Family Game of the Month’ Title

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Author Shadzter
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It would seem Microsoft have got alot of faith in SEGA and Sumo Digital’s Sonic & SEGA All Stars Racing. Not only do they give the game Avatar support and Banjo-Kazooie a playable appearance, they’ve now given it February 2010 Family Game of the Month title. The Xbox 360 edition maybe be getting some exclusive downloadable content according to a leak on the game’s website where that piece of info was quickly removed.

Will Microsoft and their studio Rare’s contribution’s pay off? We’ll have to wait and see when the game is release Feb 23 in the U.S. and Feb 26th in Europe.

Source: Xbox.com (U.S. version of the site)

Categories #SEGA & Sonic Team

Report: SEGA and Microsoft Were in Talks to Merge Companies

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Author Dreadknux

SEGA’s commitment to Microsoft’s Xbox console might be down to more than just a ‘platform-agnostic’ view of developing titles for the right machine. According to a new report, Bill Gates and his team in Redmond were in talks to merge the Microsoft gaming division with SEGA – or buying them outright – to gain a foothold in the growing console space. Continue reading Report: SEGA and Microsoft Were in Talks to Merge Companies

Categories #SEGA & Sonic Team

Sega Officially Confirms Microsoft Xbox Release Slate

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Author Dreadknux

Looks like the rumours were true – SEGA has formally announced this week that they will be bringing eleven titles to Microsoft’s Xbox. They revealed four such titles during this announcement, which involve sequels to some classic SEGA properties. Looks like anyone who’s after a new Jet Set Radio might have to look at getting a new console! Continue reading Sega Officially Confirms Microsoft Xbox Release Slate

Categories #SEGA & Sonic Team

Rumour: Sega to Announce Xbox Partnership at Tokyo Game Show 2001

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Author Dreadknux

The upcoming Spring 2001 Tokyo Game Show event will be the venue for a big SEGA announcement that will see a list of games planned for Microsoft’s Xbox, according to IGN. The site says that it expects the publisher to outline specific titles alongside Microsoft when it introduces the Xbox console to the Japanese market. Continue reading Rumour: Sega to Announce Xbox Partnership at Tokyo Game Show 2001