Is it possible!? It looks like Sonic the Hedgehog is rolling his way into the Super Monkey Ball universe as an unlockable character in Banana Blitz HD!
Continue reading Leak: Sonic to Appear in Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz HD?!
Sonic Generations Finally Hits Xbox One Backward Compatibility
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.
Sonic the Fighters Rumoured for XBox Live Arcade
Amidst the flurry of classic SEGA titles hitting XBox Live Arcade and the Playstation Network last week, it may come as no surprise to many that whispers of potential releases of other classic games are circulating.
A recent tweet from XBL enthusiast @lifeflower lists the “unannounced/rumoured” release of three classic SEGA titles including Fighting Vipers, Virtua Fighter and Sonic the Fighters, displaying a screen grab of a USK rating for each of the games on their release schedule page.
While still officially unconfirmed with no information on extra features these games may have, many fans will be happy at the potential prospect to revisit one of the lesser-known titles from the Sonic franchise, along with other seminal beat’em ups from the SEGA Saturn era.
Props to eagle-eyed SSMB members NiGHTS and goku202006 for spotting this!
More Sonic Extreme Gameplay Videos & Information Revealed
Following Saturday’s discovery of the unreleased game Sonic Extreme, ProtonX has released more gameplay footage, including a full race mode video. Information about who this lost game was developed by has also come to light, along with footage of another cancelled and similar looking game on ProtonX’s Xbox dev kit that the same game developers created. Continue reading More Sonic Extreme Gameplay Videos & Information Revealed
Unreleased Xbox Game “Sonic Extreme” Discovered
ASSEMbler Games forum member ProtonX has discovered an unreleased game called Sonic Extreme via an Xbox development kit. The game sees Sonic try his hand at skateboarding, with gameplay much like the Tony Hawk skating games, tricks and all. A few videos of the title in action have been released, which show Sonic skating around a stage that looks a lot like Seaside Hill in Sonic Heroes. Many fans are already speculating as to whether this could have been an early concept demo of what would eventually become Sonic Riders, which like Sonic Heroes before it, was also released on Xbox. The third gameplay video gives us a look at the game’s split-screen multiplayer mode, which features Shadow as a playable character.
Take a look at the videos and share your thoughts on the game in the comments.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKgSOqS2g1I&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAy0JE0-YFM&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjWwYMb_AgM[/youtube]
If any more information and media are released, we’ll be sure to pass it along.
Source: ASSEMbler Games (via TSSZ News)
BREAKING NEWS: ASR Online Features Revealed. DLC Confirmed
The Official Xbox site has revealed all of the games features online and offline including downloadable content.
The features revealed are –
Offline –
1 Player
Players Co-op: 1-4
In-game Dolby Digital
Online –
Players: 2-8
Content Downloads
Leaderboards
Online Tournaments
Player Stats
Voice Support
So could we be seeing downloadable characters, tracks, vehicles? Let us know what you’d like to see in the comments.
Sonic Mega Collection + Rated for XBLM
European ratings board PEGI have rated the Xbox Original title Sonic Mega Collection Plus for Xbox Live Arcade. We can only assume they mean the ‘Originals’ section of the Marketplace, and not the Live Arcade itself. For those who don’t know, SMC+ is an Xbox re-release of a Gamecube Sonic compilation, with added Game Gear titles as well as a few hidden non-Sonic titles.
PEGI have rated the game 7+, which is odd because they rated the original Xbox version 12+, so could we see some cuts in this port? Another thing that’s odd about this is that the original Xbox version is backwards compatible with the Xbox 360 anyway, the Mega Drive games will soon be released in SEGA’s newest compilation (SEGA Mega Drive Ultimate Collection) and two of those Mega Drive titles are already on the Xbox Live Arcade.
Oh well, if it’s going cheap and people can’t find the original Xbox game and want some added Game Gear action, this will be a good buy for them.
Source: PEGI
More playable characters in Shadow the Hedgehog?
Sketchy details have surfaced once again for Shadow the Hedgehog, the latest are hinting at Shadow not being the only playable character in the upcoming title.
Nintendo Insider tell us . .
More details have surfaced regarding SEGA’s GameCube title, Shadow the Hedgehog. According to Jeux France, Shadow won’t be the only playable character in the game, but Shadow will also be aided by Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and the infamous Dr. Eggman. Furthermore, the game features a unique time travel mechanism that allows players to alter their path in the game.
Whilst these details cannot be confirmed at the moment, if they are a sign of things to come could this turn around many of the negative responces and outcry of Sonic fans?
New Sonic Heroes Budget Price
Sonic Heroes has finally been released at a budget price, also becoming a “Player’s Choice” title for the Nintendo GameCube. The game has been re-released for $19.99 for GameCube, PS2 and Xbox.
“The tremendous retail success of Sonic Heroes across all platforms makes it clear that everyone’s favorite hedgehog is still at the top of his game,” said Scott A. Steinberg, Vice President of Entertainment Marketing, SEGA of America, Inc. “And this value-priced re-issue is just the beginning; Sonic has a handful of other big surprises in store for gamers throughout 2005.”
Shadow The Hedgehog Release Info Announced
Sega has announced that Shadow The Hedgehog will be making its way to all 3 major video game consoles, the Microsoft Xbox, Sony Playstation 2, and Nintendo GameCube. The game will be released this winter and will be developed by Sega Studios USA.
“Since we first introduced him in [2001’s] Sonic Adventure 2, we have wanted to feature Shadow in his own game,” said Takashi Iizuka, game director, SEGA Studio USA. “We maintained Shadow as a mysterious character and now fans can control his destiny…”
Dreamcast Manages to Outsell Xbox in Japan
Microsoft might be getting a wave of interest from Western gamers with its first ever video game console, but in Japan it’s a totally different story with SEGA’s discontinued Dreamcast managing to outsell the Xbox! Crikey. Continue reading Dreamcast Manages to Outsell Xbox in Japan
Rumour: PSO To Offer Xbox and Gamecube Cross-Play
Seems like the upcoming release of Phantasy Star Online Episode I & II is going to be much more significant than we thought, if recent rumours are to be believed. Apparently, the game will allow for cross-play between Nintendo Gamecube and Microsoft Xbox players. Continue reading Rumour: PSO To Offer Xbox and Gamecube Cross-Play
Classic Mega Drive, Saturn and Dreamcast Titles To Come to Xbox
Sonic could see himself running on another new console alongside the Nintendo Gamecube, as a fresh new deal between Tokyo-based Coolnet Entertainment and SEGA will allow for catalogue titles in SEGA’s history to be published on Microsoft’s Xbox. Continue reading Classic Mega Drive, Saturn and Dreamcast Titles To Come to Xbox
Report: SEGA and Microsoft Were in Talks to Merge Companies
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
PSO Getting ASCII Controller, Xbox Broadband Support
Sonic Team head Yuji Naka revealed at SEGA’s Consumer Conference that the Gamecube release of Phantasy Star Online will be accompanied by a third-party controller by ASCII that features a small keyboard. On the Xbox, PSO will be unique in that it will support the broadband features of Microsoft’s console, as opposed to Dreamcast and Gamecube’s modem connectivity.
Read more on these, as well as the news coming from other SEGA developers and executives from the Consumer Conference, in Gamespot’s report.
Tokyo Game Show: PSO Version 2 Coming to Xbox
Good news for potential Xbox owners – Sonic Team has revealed at this year’s Tokyo Game Show that a version of Phantasy Star Online version 2 will be coming to Microsoft’s big black box. As Microsoft is intending to move into the online gaming space, it makes sense for SEGA to think about the Xbox as a viable platform for PSO. No more details were revealed, so we’ll have to wait and see what form it takes.
SEGA’s E3 Details Revealed
Sega is preparing to show off a lot of titles at this year’s Electronics Entertainment Expo. Among the confirmed games on the show floor will be the upcoming GBA titles Sonic Advance as well as ChuChu Rocket from Sonic Team, but Sega titles on Xbox will also be revealed. Continue reading SEGA’s E3 Details Revealed
SEGA Reveals Third Party Plan: Sonic Team to Make Home on Nintendo Gamecube
Sega officially announced its commitment to third party development in a huge news conference this morning. The company outlined which of its development studios would align to which console, noting that Sonic Team, AM2 and Amusement Vision will largely focus their efforts on Nintendo’s Gamecube. Continue reading SEGA Reveals Third Party Plan: Sonic Team to Make Home on Nintendo Gamecube
Sega Officially Confirms Microsoft Xbox Release Slate
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
Rumour: Sega to Announce Xbox Partnership at Tokyo Game Show 2001
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
