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  1. Ten colourful new screenshots of Sonic Heroes have been revealed, and not only do they show off gameplay from Team Dark, Team Rose and Team Chaotix, but they also feature a brand new stage that we haven't seen before! Until now, we've only been treated to Team Sonic gameplay within a seaside stage in press images. Now we see how the other Teams play - and it seems like the way they work in game is similar to Sonic, Tails and Knuckles, in that each character is designated a Speed/Fly/Power type that can be switched around at will. As for the new stage, it appears set within a mountainous region, with a lot of grind rail action. Could this be near Eggman's base? Guess we'll have to wait and find out! Check out all the screenshots below, courtesy of Gamingchart.com... See more screenshots on our Sonic Heroes Gallery page!
  2. Sonic Heroes was first announced late last year/beginning of this year. People have since been pondering over the game's style of play - after all, it's understandable that after a couple of good 'Real-Life' Sonic Adventures, people wanted a 3D game that is more true to the classic form of Sonic design - brown chequered blocks, huge piranha fish, massive gold rings that take you to special stages... that kind of thing. It'd be folly to say that Sonic Adventure 1 and 2 were terribly bad - they were excellent games in their own right, if you consider that it was taking Sonic to a different kind of universe. But the advent of Sonic Heroes makes every Sonic fan's dream come true - and with a twist. As you can see from the screenshots, you'll be able to play as THREE characters at once. Not one, not two, but three of the nippy buggers. Sonic, Tails and Knuckles will partner up as the player will control all the action between them. Confused? Here's how it will work. It's most likely that you won't be able to control ALL of the characters on display - rather, one at a time, with computer AI controlling the others alongside you. This will be an immense action game of sorts from what we're hearing, because you can switch between each character at any given point to use their unique abilities to progress through the game. Excellente! In Sonic, Tails and Knuckles' case (collectively named 'Team Sonic'), there are three 'formations' - each featuring different special abilities. For Sonic, you have the Speed Formation - here, the team will link hands and go shooting off into the distance. Sonic also has the ability to wall-kick, nicking Mighty the Armadillo's move from Chaotix (which, animation-wise, works similarly to the jump-pads in Sonic Adventure 1). Controlling Tails harnesses the Fly Formation, which can utilise Tails' flight ability to get the team across chasms. Knuckles has control of the Power Formation, which when used, makes Knux grab Sonic and Tails like bowling balls and lob them towards nearby enemies. All of these Formations can assumedly be linked together to make massive combos. The Team Sonic won't be the only playable team in the game however. Sonic Team has announced at least three other teams will be available: Team Dark (consisting of Shadow, Rouge and a new robot character named 'Omega'), Team Rose (Amy Rose, Cream the Rabbit and Big the Cat), and - most excitingly - the return of the CHAOTIX! Team Chaotix has Vector, Charmy and Espio - although Mighty is nowhere to be seen at present, he's pretty much a cross between Knuckles and Sonic anyway. Team Chaotix have also been given an overhaul, with Vector in particular sporting funky chains. There will be different levels for each team, so we assume that each team will have different types of formations rather than the ones already announced in Team Sonic. Each of the levels will have different routes as well, so there's plenty of replayability promise in the game. That and the fact that you could only go one route, as demonstrated in the Sonic Adventure games, is becoming a bit tiresome in the Sonic series. Watching the E3 Promo Movie, we can see a section where Sonic, Tails and Knuckles are riding a Kart of some sorts, which requires Tails to push, Sonic to power and Knuckles to steer. To be frank though, this lacked the speed fix from every other part in the game, and first impressions from game sites like IGN have expressed their slight dislike for the seemingly unnecessary addition. But, things like this may well be present in every level in Sonic Heroes - let's just hope that they're all much better executed in play than the kart. As if things couldn't be good enough, a glance at the movie shows the return of the much-loved Special Rings (that lead you to a Special Stage, natch)! Eggman looking as fat as ever! And... if you're still feeling dubious about the return to classic Sonic form, let us re-introduce you to an old friend... take a bow METAL SONIC! That's all we got at the moment. Any new info that leaks will head straight to Sonic News, then here in a substantial new Preview Slot. Stay Tuned to TSS!
  3. Xbox is the first to move on a showcase this year, it's happening in about a week and a half's time. Confirmed that they'll be showing off extended previews of the new Indiana Jones game from MachineGames, Obsidian's RPG Avowed, Senua's Saga: Hellblade II and a new strategy game Ara: History Untold. Is this finally the year where Xbox starts kicking ass? It definitely looks like a decent slate from them this year, looking forward to it! https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2024/01/09/xbox-developer-direct-2024/
  4. Japanese Phantasy Star Online Episode I & II players on Xbox are finally set to receive some fresh online content from Sonic Team, with new Battle and Challenge scenarios being made available as well as a method to exchange Photon Drops. Online servers for the game went into maintenance at 9am Thursday, May 29 Japan Time, and since things have come back up Xbox players have been treated to the following new scenarios: The online quest "Gallon's Shop" has also been updated to facilitate the exchange of the Photon Drops, so players now have something to do with them. This information comes from PSO World, who notes that the changes have only been made for the Japanese version of PSO Episode I & II on Xbox, and since online play is region-locked, this content is currently unavailable for US and European players. If that changes any time soon, we'll let you know.
  5. It seems that not everyone who received one of those Sonic 2 branded Xboxes last year is very appreciative of it, as one of the extremely exclusive consoles has been put up for sale on eBay this week - fuzzy controllers and all! The limited edition Xbox Series S console - produced as part of a partnership between Xbox and Paramount to coincide with the release of Sonic 2 last year - was given away to one lucky winner in a sweepstakes, but this particular listing is for a console owned by a member of the games industry. The description of the eBay page suggests it is a member of the press. The starting bid is an eye-watering $5,000 USD, which is a bit rich for a console received by someone who obviously never wanted it in the first place. But as with most things, this is about supply and demand; clearly the seller sees an opportunity to maximise a return on their freebie. "I am selling a custom Xbox Series S with Sonic the Hedgehog 2 branding on it. These consoles were given away as part of a sweepstakes, but I received mine through my work in the gaming industry," reads the listing. "The console itself hasn't been used, other than powering it on to ensure it works, and signing into Xbox Live once in order to confirm the Wi-Fi works. The controllers have never been used. All the original packaging is included." The seller estimates around 5 - 50 of these consoles were manufactured, although the exact number is unknown. It's also mentioned that this limited edition console has appeared on eBay before, so if you're a Sonic merch collector you may want to hold out to see if any other listings will pop up with less crazy prices. One thing we do know. Is if Xbox thought of sending us one of these consoles at TSS Towers, we'd definitely treat it with a bit more reverence than this. Maybe not the controllers though, they look uncomfortable as heck. Sort us out with a Sonic 3 console next time, Xbox, eh? If you're interested in bidding for this, you can go to the eBay listing here. Via FrackDeals Original Post Content: View full story
  6. It seems that not everyone who received one of those Sonic 2 branded Xboxes last year is very appreciative of it, as one of the extremely exclusive consoles has been put up for sale on eBay this week - fuzzy controllers and all! The limited edition Xbox Series S console - produced as part of a partnership between Xbox and Paramount to coincide with the release of Sonic 2 last year - was given away to one lucky winner in a sweepstakes, but this particular listing is for a console owned by a member of the games industry. The description of the eBay page suggests it is a member of the press. The starting bid is an eye-watering $5,000 USD, which is a bit rich for a console received by someone who obviously never wanted it in the first place. But as with most things, this is about supply and demand; clearly the seller sees an opportunity to maximise a return on their freebie. "I am selling a custom Xbox Series S with Sonic the Hedgehog 2 branding on it. These consoles were given away as part of a sweepstakes, but I received mine through my work in the gaming industry," reads the listing. "The console itself hasn't been used, other than powering it on to ensure it works, and signing into Xbox Live once in order to confirm the Wi-Fi works. The controllers have never been used. All the original packaging is included." The seller estimates around 5 - 50 of these consoles were manufactured, although the exact number is unknown. It's also mentioned that this limited edition console has appeared on eBay before, so if you're a Sonic merch collector you may want to hold out to see if any other listings will pop up with less crazy prices. One thing we do know. Is if Xbox thought of sending us one of these consoles at TSS Towers, we'd definitely treat it with a bit more reverence than this. Maybe not the controllers though, they look uncomfortable as heck. Sort us out with a Sonic 3 console next time, Xbox, eh? If you're interested in bidding for this, you can go to the eBay listing here. Via FrackDeals
  7. This is a strange discovery, but it's interesting to see that this would've been one of the first proper crossovers of both brands. This build is dated to 2004 so it's safe to assume it could've released around 2005 or 2006? I dunno, this prototype seems early. Crash and Spyro themselves don't appear to be playable in the build though a video file was discovered as well with them viewable.
  8. A new version of the Sonic Superstars key art has been discovered that includes Dr. Eggman, Fang and Trip alongside the four Sonic heroes. A digital capture of the key art taken and shared by 'Sonic_Plush1' on social media The above image, posted on social media, was shared by keen-eyed user 'Sonic_Plush1' and shows the three main villains of the game posing in the most dastardly of ways. We particularly like Eggman's look here - he's not messing around! An off-screen photo taken by 'Sonic_Plush1' on social media According to Sonic City, the image appears as a splash screen for players who have already pre-ordered the game on the digital Xbox Store and try to load the application up. You won't get the game this early, but at least you get a cool looking piece of art to gawp at while you wait for October to roll around. Are you pre-ordering Sonic Superstars? Are you going to try and see if you can get this artwork to appear on your Xbox? Let us know in the comments area below! Sonic News Tips Credit: sonicclaasic Original Post Content: This looks amazing to look at what do you think of this? View full story
  9. A new version of the Sonic Superstars key art has been discovered that includes Dr. Eggman, Fang and Trip alongside the four Sonic heroes. A digital capture of the key art taken and shared by 'Sonic_Plush1' on social media The above image, posted on social media, was shared by keen-eyed user 'Sonic_Plush1' and shows the three main villains of the game posing in the most dastardly of ways. We particularly like Eggman's look here - he's not messing around! An off-screen photo taken by 'Sonic_Plush1' on social media According to Sonic City, the image appears as a splash screen for players who have already pre-ordered the game on the digital Xbox Store and try to load the application up. You won't get the game this early, but at least you get a cool looking piece of art to gawp at while you wait for October to roll around. Are you pre-ordering Sonic Superstars? Are you going to try and see if you can get this artwork to appear on your Xbox? Let us know in the comments area below!
  10. Today, Xbox Wire has announced a contest to win a custom Sonic 2 Movie Sonic vs. Knuckles-styled Xbox Series S along with two truly reprehensible controllers covered entirely in thick blue and red fur. UPDATE: Contest tweet has gone live. We've embedded it in the article. There will be two victims winners of the specialty console and controllers, and entry requires you to follow Xbox with a public Twitter account through 7 days after you've entered and retweet an official contest tweet with the hashtag #XboxSonic2Sweepstakes. U.S. entrants will also be allowed to enter through use of Microsoft reward points. I will now spend the following paragraph describing the controllers in unflattering terms: They look like the Hollywood live action-CG version of the Elmo and Cookie Monster Wii remotes. They look like the eggs Gritty would lay in order to propagate his species. They look like fondling a terrier's face. They look like someone dropped the stickiest controller onto a shag carpet and had to cut it loose. They look like if hardware could experience floating point errors. And most importantly: they look like an actual waking nightmare to clean. OK, I think that's got it out of my system. Good luck if you enter!
  11. For as polished as Sonic Unleashed's graphics are, its biggest visual flaw is its framerate. The Xbox 360 version played at a mostly steady 24-30 (capped) FPS, while the PS3 version was worse for wear despite an uncapped framerate that would bring the game up to 48FPS on occasion, but dropping to 24FPS or below ruining the flow of the game. In many ways, the game's graphic-intensive "Hedgehog Engine" was a bit too ahead of its time. It couldn’t keep a steady 30 FPS on the most powerful system of that era. It would take 2011's Sonic Generations to iron the kinks out. While the Werehog levels weren’t affected too much by the framerate, several daytime Sonic levels dropped frames horribly. Jungle Joyride became a slideshow at times. Now, in 2022, Sonic Unleashed's full potential has been unlocked thanks to the Boost Mode on the Xbox Series S/X, bringing the game to a steady 60 FPS. To me, this brought the game from a guilty pleasure to a legitimately good Sonic title. Sonic’s daytime levels run as smooth as silk, giving you better handling and control. Even the Werehog levels feel less cumbersome as Sonic now feels faster and more responsive. There seems to be less blur as well. The high framerate allows for a faster response time. I can honestly say I was actually enjoying the Werehog levels for a change. That doesn’t mean the game’s old flaws aren’t still present. Medal collecting near the end game is still soul-crushing, the Werehog levels are still a bit too long, and having the camera suddenly change position when you’re balancing across a steel beam is still as irritating as ever. That said, if you love this style of Sonic gameplay, it’s never looked or played better than it does on Series S/X. The Series S/X boost mode also improves other Sonic titles as well. Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing Transformed gets a 60 FPS boost, and Sonic Generations runs at both 4K resolution and 60FPS. To see Sonic Unleashed in action on the Series S/X, check out our gameplay video below.
  12. We’re less than a month out from Sonic Origins’ release, so the final details are now being added to some of the game’s storefronts. Specifically, we now have file size listed on both the Nintendo eShop and Xbox storefronts. Unfortunately, different sizes are listed in different places, which has made reporting on this messier than it really ought to be. Over at Xbox, both versions of the game are listed at 6 gigs on the Xbox website. If that seems a bit big, that’s because it is: Sonic Mania’s size was less than 400MB, so this is a massive increase in size over that. If you check out the game’s listing on an actual Xbox One X, however, the game’s size is listed as a mere 324.89 MB. Meanwhile, over at Nintendo’s website, we also have different sizes…between the different versions of the game. The standard version is listed at 3.6 gigs, while the Digital Deluxe version apparently has a size of 7.8 gigs. Finally, we have the game’s Switch eShop listings, which have the standard version at 3.5 gigs and the Digital Deluxe version at 3.8 gigs. Given the version differences, that difference in download sizes seems a bit…extreme. Obviously, they can’t all be right. In all likelihood, this will be corrected by the time the game comes out next month.
  13. Over a year after its announcement, Sonic Origins is finally available to play as of June 23, 12AM EST. It can be purchased on Xbox, Playstation, and Switch platforms for $40, or $45 for the deluxe version that comes with $8 of DLC (including music from other Sonic games and additional animations in the menu). We’ve been covering this game for the last few days. You can check out our review here, and find a bunch of footage from the game here.
  14. Sonic Team's Yuji Naka and Takashi Iizuka sat down for an interview with the official Xbox website at E3 2003, and revealed some more details about how the different teams in Sonic Heroes will play - including how each set of characters will have their own storylines in the game as well. The game's director, Iizuka, said that Sonic Team intentionally only showed gameplay of the Team Sonic (Sonic, Tails and Knuckles) at E3 to focus attention on the action side of the game. But when you play as the other Teams, each will have their own play style. Iizuka-san also talked about the game's overall story, and how each Team's adventure crosses over with one another: Iizuka was very keen to stress the importance of gamer choice in Sonic Heroes as well - not just in terms of choosing your Team but in choosing your path during levels and deciding which character skill you want to rely on the most. Finally, Iizuka was asked about the Xbox itself and he said, "through 12 years of Sonic history, our themes have been speed and cool gameplay. The Xbox is a very high-performance console. I would like Xbox users who have never experienced Sonic to experience two things: the speed, and the cool comfortable feeling you get when you really catch [how to play] the game." Naka-san, for his part, talked mostly about the Sonic franchise as a whole, saying, "we want to make this year the year of Sonic... For Sonic's twelfth anniversary, we've decided to release an animated series and a new game. We really want to extend our audience for Sonic to the Xbox and multiple platforms." You can read the rest of the interview on Xbox.com right here.
  15. It's the bedtime story that you tell to your kids in bed, or the scary ghost story you tell your brother or sister in a tent. That fabled story of when SEGA was a respectable console manufacturer. And the most interesting chapter - the Dreamcast saga - where the company bailed out from their fans and went third party. There was outrage. There was disappointment. There were even death threats to the arcade company being mumbled under most irrational people's breaths. But for SEGA to survive, they needed to make this move. Ultimately, the fans should understand that, otherwise how can they be fans of the company? The alternative was to soak in the epitaph of one of the greatest games developers in the industry. Two or three years down the line, and we see that SEGA could well be double-backing on itself and what they said, although some well-built relationships have been formed within the company. Smilebit have been shaking hands with Mr. Bill Gates™ of Windowsland™, with AM2 not far behind (despite the Xbox's constant failure to make a stand in Japan, which is most ironic), making games destined to be exclusive to Microsoft's big money box for the foreseeable future. You can also see the majority of SEGA studios teaming up with the casual gamer's no-brainer option: making exclusive games for the PlayStation 2. Finally, we have the Nintendo Gamecube's support network. Plenty of SEGA games (although paltry compared to the exclusive luxuries that the other two consoles get pampered with - Beach Spikers anyone? *Yak*), sure, but at least Nintendo have become good exclusive pals with Amusement Vision and Soni- ... Erm. Was I going to say Sonic Team? Backtrack to the very morning, I decide to write this: hanging at my reliable Gamecube news site, checking out the latest screenshots of Sonic Adventure DX. "Tasty," I thought - although it was really nothing I hadn't seen (or completed) before. I would most probably get SA:DX just for the sake of being one of the most avid collectors of the blue blur out there. Exactly the same reason I bought Sonic Adventure 2 Battle, in fact (another port from an old Dreamcast title). Then something caught my eye. SEGA's E3 list for May 2003. Perfect, I thought, as I read with glee, the latest Sonic game information caught my eye. Heart thumping with immense excitement for the official word on "Sonic Heroes" (that's what it's gonna be called, natch), I read something that might shake up the fury meters of some Nintendo/Sonic fanboys: "SEGA's legendary mascot Sonic The Hedgehog makes his historic PlayStation 2 and Xbox debut!" Port-o-bingo? Let's take a short history lesson. When SEGA split from the console market and onto third party production, it was made quite clear that Nintendo would be Sonic Team's mainstay. Because of that, Sonic fans have been happy that they can get all their Sonic games on one console. Meanwhile, Nintendo fans have a chance to not only see what Mario's former arch rival is capable of, but they also get some exclusive 'ammo' in the rather over-exaggerated and over-publicised console war. Because, besides Nintendo's own games, there aren't not a lot of exclusives on Gamecube to attract casual gamers. Sonic was seen as one standout reason to get a Gamecube over a PS2 or Xbox. And Sonic Team, quite frankly, seem to exclusively be on something of a porting job. The first Gamecube "exclusive" was in the form of Sonic Adventure 2: Battle, which was nowhere near as exciting to play as the original Dreamcast counterpart (and is actually a worse version). But it was an enjoyable game nonetheless. I certainly didn't mind Sonic Team working on one port just to make themselves known on Nintendo's new console. I was certain that the big Sonic gaming guns would come after SA2:B. What came next? Sonic Mega Collection. Good value for those who have never experienced Sonic before, but I could have played any of those games without shelling out £40 - and would have definitely been better off without the cack Archie scans and boring-as-hell movies, cheers Japan VRI. Then we had Phantasy Star Online. Ah yes, Sonic Team's chief cash cow. A very very good game in it's right, but why did it have to be ported to every single console in existence? Rather than just making a proper sequel that wasn't repetitive to play on your own? A few months ago I was beginning to worry about the state of Sonic Team - never before had they been so dependent on bringing out rehashes of old Dreamcast games. After PSO, here comes the inevitable - what everyone had been predicting since day one - Sonic Adventure 1 ported and tweaked in some obscure way to make it a "Director's Cut". While in my opinion SA1 was better than SA2... I don't think there was really any need to bring this one out on Gamecube? When they could have been concentrating on original games? Not to Worry... My point thus far is that most people (including Sonic fans that have become Nintendo fans) could feel like they have been mistreated by Sonic Team. Who can blame them really - the studio could have made one or two exclusive new Sonic games on Gamecube before dipping their toe in the water for other consoles. It wouldn't have been at a loss either - seeings as pretty much every Sonic fan had taken heed of Naka-san's apparaisal of Nintendo's machine and bought a Gamecube. In this respect, the main question those people will be asking is "Will Sonic Team just leave Gamecube now that they're looking at Xbox and PS2? Leaving all of the real Sonic fans behind while the studio tries to appeal to non-Sonic-fans?" And my answer to that would be: Not a chance. Yes, it does seem that Sonic fans have been given a bit of a raw deal - Sonic Team has only up to this point [in this generation of consoles] provided ports of games we pretty much already own. I am slightly dubious about Sonic Team's outreach to non-Sonic fans, as that would mean even more ports and perhaps - worst comes to worst - a complete departure of "true Sonic gameplay" in later games. Looking at SEGA's E3 list, it seems that only Sonic Heroes is destined for a multi-platform release. The other games are sticking with Gamecube and Game Boy Advance, which is an echo of what Naka-san was talking about a few years back when he said "If you're a fan of Sonic Team, it's best to get a Gamecube". Which is a huge relief. And to be honest, Sonic is the mascot of SEGA after all - and perhaps the best way of getting the entire company known is to let the hedgehog stretch his feet on more than one platform. As has been said many times before, Sonic Team has some kind of crush on the Gamecube, so if there are any Sonic games being released soon, you can bet your bottom dollar they will at least head to Nintendo's console first. You know, the console you bought because you were led to believe that the newest Sonic games would release there. You see? He wasn't lying, was our Naka-san. Quite why Sonic is heading to different platforms now probably has to do with a SEGA-controlled decision to gain a bit more respect for its company name. Or, it was Naka's idea of 'dipping a toe in the water' in order to spread the name and popularity of the blue blur. Besides, take a look at what's to come to reward loyal Sonic Team fans - exclusive to Gamecube. Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg looks set be a true-to-form comeback of the innovative Sonic Team that we knew back in the NiGHTS into dreams... days. Phantasy Star Online Episode III, being a possible Ninty exclusive, leaves loads of room for Game Boy Advance and e-Reader connectivity (what with the game being based on cards and all). And let's not forget what's a given anyway - Sonic Heroes. Even if that one isn't exclusive, Gamecube owners are still getting it. The only fear anyone should have with this multi-platform Sonic business is the fact that Sonic Team may not be used to making multiple versions of the same game. The studio's only experience so far has been working on Phantasy Star Online Episodes I & II. But we sense, like PSO, that Sonic Heroes will be made for each console with their unique strengths in mind. Which could mean that the Gamecube and Xbox versions shouldn't have terrible PS2 graphics, etc. So no, Sonic Team is not turning its backs on us loyal fans, but rather reaching out to potential new fans. This is the 'Year of Sonic' in full swing. Funnily enough, all this fuss about GC ports, and Naka-san hasn't even made a Saturn remake of NiGHTS yet!
  16. SEGA has surprise-announced a brand new 2D Sonic game at Summer Game Fest 2023, called Sonic Superstars! Featuring 3D models and environments and focusing entirely on Classic Sonic gameplay, Sonic Superstars will see Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and Amy Rose go on a new adventure as they tackle Dr. Eggman in a scenario reminiscent of the 16-bit days… only this time, Eggman has help in the form of returning classic bad guy, Fang the Sniper! According to IGN, the game will take place in a new location called the North Star Islands, which look like it’s going to be home to a whole lot of new gimmicks such as vines that shoot Sonic upwards, trees that the blue blur can grind along and chutes that work in a similar way to those found in Stardust Speedway. Apparently the Chaos Emeralds are also back, and can be seen to unlock specific powers for Sonic and friends. We can see in one instance where the player makes clones of themselves, and another where the player travels up a waterfall using another Chaos Emerald power. Sonic Superstars will be coming to PlayStation 5, PS4, Xbox Series X and S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC later in Fall 2023. View full story
  17. SEGA has surprise-announced a brand new 2D Sonic game at Summer Game Fest 2023, called Sonic Superstars! Featuring 3D models and environments and focusing entirely on Classic Sonic gameplay, Sonic Superstars will see Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and Amy Rose go on a new adventure as they tackle Dr. Eggman in a scenario reminiscent of the 16-bit days… only this time, Eggman has help in the form of returning classic bad guy, Fang the Sniper! According to IGN, the game will take place in a new location called the North Star Islands, which look like it’s going to be home to a whole lot of new gimmicks such as vines that shoot Sonic upwards, trees that the blue blur can grind along and chutes that work in a similar way to those found in Stardust Speedway. Apparently the Chaos Emeralds are also back, and can be seen to unlock specific powers for Sonic and friends. We can see in one instance where the player makes clones of themselves, and another where the player travels up a waterfall using another Chaos Emerald power. Sonic Superstars will be coming to PlayStation 5, PS4, Xbox Series X and S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC later in Fall 2023.
  18. "Will Microsoft buy SEGA" is a question that has survived within the community since the death of the Dreamcast, but after years of speculation, we now have a concrete example of them trying to do just that... but very, very recently. As reported by The Verge, an e-mail from Xbox's Phil Spencer shared during Microsoft's FTC hearing shows that Spencer was seeking approval to approach SEGA Sammy in November of 2020. Spencer touts SEGA's portfolio and global appeal as big benefits for their Game Pass service; however, SEGA was among several companies being considered, including Supergiant Games, IO Interactive, and even Bungie. As history as borne out, none of these possible acquisitions were seen to completion, and Microsoft began pursuing Activision Blizzard following ABK's repeated scandals. Despite the will-they-won't-they dogging Microsoft and SEGA over the years, buying SEGA comes with some complications, which Spencer acknowledges in the e-mail. Beyond the cultural barrier, SEGA is a major component of the larger SEGA Sammy group of animation studios, music labels, toy makers, travel resorts, pachinko machine makers, Japanese sports teams, and online-enabled arcade dart machine services. Even if Microsoft wasn't able to buy SEGA outright, Like a Dragon and Persona fans can still find a hearty chunk of SEGA's modern library on Game Pass. View full story
  19. "Will Microsoft buy SEGA" is a question that has survived within the community since the death of the Dreamcast, but after years of speculation, we now have a concrete example of them trying to do just that... but very, very recently. As reported by The Verge, an e-mail from Xbox's Phil Spencer shared during Microsoft's FTC hearing shows that Spencer was seeking approval to approach SEGA Sammy in November of 2020. Spencer touts SEGA's portfolio and global appeal as big benefits for their Game Pass service; however, SEGA was among several companies being considered, including Supergiant Games, IO Interactive, and even Bungie. As history as borne out, none of these possible acquisitions were seen to completion, and Microsoft began pursuing Activision Blizzard following ABK's repeated scandals. Despite the will-they-won't-they dogging Microsoft and SEGA over the years, buying SEGA comes with some complications, which Spencer acknowledges in the e-mail. Beyond the cultural barrier, SEGA is a major component of the larger SEGA Sammy group of animation studios, music labels, toy makers, travel resorts, pachinko machine makers, Japanese sports teams, and online-enabled arcade dart machine services. Even if Microsoft wasn't able to buy SEGA outright, Like a Dragon and Persona fans can still find a hearty chunk of SEGA's modern library on Game Pass.
  20. The Sonic Origins Plus DLC has officially rolled out on all platforms as of midnight EST. Playstation, Xbox, and Switch players can all play it, and Steam users can…well, buy it, at least, for a slight mark-up. Unfortunately, as of this writing, the Sonic Origins 2.0 patch with all the fixes and DLC content has yet to become available on Steam, meaning Steam players are locked out of the DLC even if they buy it. This will hopefully resolve soon, but anyone on Steam hoping to play the game at midnight will need to hold off. Steam users are also currently being charged a dollar more for for the DLC, for some reason. We have reached out to SEGA for comment. Original Post Content: View full story
  21. The Sonic Origins Plus DLC has officially rolled out on all platforms as of midnight EST. Playstation, Xbox, and Switch players can all play it, and Steam users can…well, buy it, at least, for a slight mark-up. Unfortunately, as of this writing, the Sonic Origins 2.0 patch with all the fixes and DLC content has yet to become available on Steam, meaning Steam players are locked out of the DLC even if they buy it. This will hopefully resolve soon, but anyone on Steam hoping to play the game at midnight will need to hold off. Steam users are also currently being charged a dollar more for for the DLC, for some reason. We have reached out to SEGA for comment.
  22. We already know how big of a deal it is that Sonic Origins exists. We raved about it in our review, after all. Finally getting a Sonic 3 & Knuckles re-release after a decade in legal limbo (and a full-on Headcannon remaster at that)? Experiencing the Taxman and Stealth remasters of Sonic 1, 2 and CD on home console and PC? Some minor bugs aside, the overall quality and sheer importance of this release made it instantly worth buying by default. But now, a year later, SEGA is offering an expansion in the form of Sonic Origins Plus. Will it similarly be worth your money? All signs point to ‘yes’ - with some caveats. First of all, the headline feature to this add-on pack - Amy Rose is now, for the first time in a classic 2D Sonic adventure, available as a playable character. And in terms of importance at least, that is a very big deal (the Sonic gang has been a sausage fest for way too long) - it’s great to see the Rosy Rascal front and centre of the Plus imagery, right down to the revised Island Tour mode where you can see her posing for the camera. In terms of how she plays, it’s exactly as you’d expect. Amy runs, jumps and spins just like Sonic, only with a couple of extra unique skills. By pressing the jump button whilst in the air (double-jumping), you can deploy the famous Piko Piko Hammer which can expand your hitbox reach when trying to tag some mid-air badniks (and sometimes even give you some protection). It was exceptionally useful when tackling the Metropolis Zone boss (and the second-phase Sky Sanctuary boss). If you keep the jump button held after this, you can make Amy perform a Drop Dash-style move called the Hammer Rush. This makes Amy move forward with a burst of speed, mashing her hammer on the ground as she goes. Any badniks or destructible objects that get in her way are toast. Unfortunately it doesn’t quite get you around really steep curves or loop-de-loops, but it’s still satisfying to perform. You’ll no doubt be wondering if Amy can turn Super in Sonic 2 and 3K. Well, as you probably would have guessed, yes she can! After collecting seven Chaos Emeralds, you can transform into a glowy, faster, more athletic Super Amy as long as you have 50 Rings. In Sonic 2 and Sonic 3, her super powers are pretty straightforward - but if you collect the Super Emeralds in the Sonic & Knuckles half of the game, you get to unlock… …Super Amy again. Yep, no Hyper Amy. Which is a bit of a disappointment. But, you do get a sort of ‘Hyper’ power - pressing the Super button while transformed (after getting the Chaos and Super Emeralds) allows you to chuck hammers at your enemies. To be honest, you’ll be going so fast (and be so invincible) that the effect of this new hammer throw ability is close to zero, but the visual chaos you bring to the screen is fun either way. And that’s Amy Rose. A “Pink Sonic” - and that’s totally okay! Those of you who are weirdly hoping for some crazy new control gimmick should keep things in check; we’re talking about adding new characters to a 16-bit series whose gameplay design focuses around a single action button. You were obviously not getting a Sonic Advance-style manual control of the Piko Piko Hammer, and nor should you have wanted it anyway - Amy’s momentum-destroying control scheme in Sonic’s debut GBA game absolutely ruins an otherwise excellent platforming experience. The other additions that come with Sonic Origins Plus include the addition of Knuckles as a playable character in Sonic CD (probably because SEGA forgot to add him or something), and an archive of 8-bit Sonic the Hedgehog Game Gear games that can be played at any time via the Mission menu. Everything from the main platform games to the more esoteric spinoff games like Sonic Labyrinth and Sonic Drift 2. All of the Game Gear games are emulated - they are not remastered in the same way that the 16-bit Mega Drive titles have been. Because of this, all of the titles will run exactly as you’d remember a physical Game Gear would - warts and all. We won’t go into every GG game in this review (you can read our individual reviews for each game to see what we think about those). Generally speaking the GG games all feel fine to play, despite some new sound issues (there appears to be a weird echoing from time to time) as well as the usual framerate and screen size awkwardness that comes from authentically emulating SEGA’s 8-bit handheld. It’s hard to complain about the value of 12 extra games being added to your collection, but it’s also a bit heart-breaking to see constant stuttering in the otherwise masterful Sonic 1 GG immediately after completing a buttery-smooth run-through of Sonic CD. It seems like some level of bug-fixing has been accomplished here as well, although I can’t exactly tell you what those tweaks are for sure with the exception of one example. In the base Origins game, attempting to Drop Dash in one direction, then quickly trying to Drop Dash in the opposite direction was not possible while playing Sonic 1. This so-called “roll-locking” has been fixed in my experience with Origins Plus, which is a welcome change. But besides other possible bug fixes, in terms of new content, “that’s it” (for some of you). Personally, for a $10 upgrade, having playable Amy in all four games, Knuckles in Sonic CD, the Game Gear games, a bunch of bug fixes and a nice unlockable birthday image is pretty good value for money. Of course, your own mileage may vary, depending on whether you feel like much of this should have been included in the base game already. For me, it’s not so much the quantity of additional content that slightly irks - it’s the quality. Generally speaking, the Plus content is quite serviceable. But there are just a few little niggles here and there that, while not a huge deal in and of themselves, kind of take the shine off of the whole package when taken altogether. The most obvious drawback is the curious omission of the Master System versions of the 8-bit Sonic the Hedgehog titles in the new collection. Not having the benefit of the larger-screen versions of Sonic 1, 2, Chaos, Spinball and Mean Bean Machine to play (not to mention experiencing the difference in gameplay and presentation in some of these titles compared to their Game Gear counterparts) is a real drag, especially on large screens. Even just putting in a little work to “hack” in a Master System-style ‘widescreen’ view for each game (as Tectoy did in Brazil for Sonic Blast, in fact - there is a Master System port of that game only made available in that country) would have been a welcome option. As it is though, playing on PS5 on a big monitor with such a small gameplay window can be an intensely claustrophobic experience. I can see the GG games being more fun to play on the Nintendo Switch in handheld mode where this may be less of an issue. There are some presentation quirks when playing as Amy too. The odd graphical issue, her Hammer Rush not going up steep curves/loops, the lack of an official ‘Hyper’ Amy in Sonic 3 & Knuckles (which I suspect is an attempt to avoid putting too much work into her sprite set), that the sprite looks too similar across all four games (if there are any differences in sprite art style between Sonic 1, 2, CD and 3K, it’s really not that noticeable)... Individually, these things are insignificant. Put together, it feels like a feature that hasn’t quite been polished to perfection yet. It also feels like there isn’t enough documentation or guidance around the new Amy and Knuckles playables modes and abilities. This might sound like an odd gripe, when the Plus package comes complete with a new digital manual (accessible from the title screen) which is a whopping 66 pages long - but I found out about Not-Hyper Amy’s Hammer Throw move by complete accident, and I have struggled to identify any of the marketed significant new routes in Sonic CD made specifically for Knuckles (I might have stumbled upon some by accident, but I wouldn’t have known it). Which, you know, if there actually aren’t any new routes in CD, that’s a slight disappointment in and of itself. But back to the point… There’s a dialog box for almost every other action you perform in the main menu - even the act of opening a game (I’m surprised there isn’t one for blowing your own nose) - so it would have been nice to have had some kind of intro or something when first selecting Knuckles in CD, or Amy in Sonic 3 & Knuckles that offers this information. Or perhaps in the Options section there could have been a Tutorial box outlining some hints on where to go in CD as Knuckles. The reward for accomplishing all of the (admittedly incredibly easy) new challenges in the ‘Surprise’ mode is (besides the gorgeous artwork you reveal) pretty underwhelming as well (not to spoil it for anyone, but… well, I feel like if you’re reading this, then your reaction to it will likely be “I already know this”). It would have been pretty neat - and not a huge additional lift at all - to have added new content to the Museum collection or have the Surprise unlock an exclusive set of Plus-locked Gallery images. We could have had some of the Sonic Jam media in high-res! Man of the Year in HD! But alas. Mind you, these are all minor gripes in the context of an expansion pack that costs a mere $9.99. Sonic Origins Plus is worth getting for the new Amy Rose playable character as-is, and the Game Gear games are the icing on the cake for die-hard fans who have been itching to have a modern way to play the handheld classics since Sonic Adventure DX. And for those who haven’t bought into Origins yet, the price of the physical Plus pack is about the same as the base game digitally - and when you factor in our five-star review of the original release, this makes buying Plus a no-brainer. Second Opinion Sonic Origins is undoubtedly the most comprehensive and polished classic compilation to date. From remastered classics to mirror modes, the game is absolutely jam-packed with extras, artwork, videos, and extras, this is a phenomenal title to discover or re-live the heritage of Sonic the Hedgehog. Following in the footsteps of Sonic Mania, Origins is now receiving the “Plus” treatment, which sees a further embellished version alongside a physical release. Classic fans will undoubtedly be delighted to see Amy join the roster, not in just sprite form, but armed with a host of unique attacks and abilities that breathe a new way to play into old classics. Equally, Game Gear and Master System fans can be content at finally having a definitive location for those rare and unusual titles, even if only to play five minutes of Tails Sky Patrol before going back to playing something good. Disappointingly, it seems that the additional content is also a download for the physical edition, which will inevitably put a future expiration date on much of the bonus features. Moreso, audiophiles will be equally baffled and frustrated by the altered soundtracks and odd stereo effects, that will often detract from the otherwise great job that has been accomplished here. Flaws aside, Sonic Origins Plus once supplies fans with a sympathetic and lovingly crafted product, with just about every permutation of experience you could want from the archetypal Mega Drive titles. With a release in which SEGA could have easily created a bad future, they once again emerge smelling of roses. Second Opinion written by @T-Bird
  23. We already know how big of a deal it is that Sonic Origins exists. We raved about it in our review, after all. Finally getting a Sonic 3 & Knuckles re-release after a decade in legal limbo (and a full-on Headcannon remaster at that)? Experiencing the Taxman and Stealth remasters of Sonic 1, 2 and CD on home console and PC? Some minor bugs aside, the overall quality and sheer importance of this release made it instantly worth buying by default. But now, a year later, SEGA is offering an expansion in the form of Sonic Origins Plus. Will it similarly be worth your money? All signs point to ‘yes’ - with some caveats. First of all, the headline feature to this add-on pack - Amy Rose is now, for the first time in a classic 2D Sonic adventure, available as a playable character. And in terms of importance at least, that is a very big deal (the Sonic gang has been a sausage fest for way too long) - it’s great to see the Rosy Rascal front and centre of the Plus imagery, right down to the revised Island Tour mode where you can see her posing for the camera. In terms of how she plays, it’s exactly as you’d expect. Amy runs, jumps and spins just like Sonic, only with a couple of extra unique skills. By pressing the jump button whilst in the air (double-jumping), you can deploy the famous Piko Piko Hammer which can expand your hitbox reach when trying to tag some mid-air badniks (and sometimes even give you some protection). It was exceptionally useful when tackling the Metropolis Zone boss (and the second-phase Sky Sanctuary boss). If you keep the jump button held after this, you can make Amy perform a Drop Dash-style move called the Hammer Rush. This makes Amy move forward with a burst of speed, mashing her hammer on the ground as she goes. Any badniks or destructible objects that get in her way are toast. Unfortunately it doesn’t quite get you around really steep curves or loop-de-loops, but it’s still satisfying to perform. You’ll no doubt be wondering if Amy can turn Super in Sonic 2 and 3K. Well, as you probably would have guessed, yes she can! After collecting seven Chaos Emeralds, you can transform into a glowy, faster, more athletic Super Amy as long as you have 50 Rings. In Sonic 2 and Sonic 3, her super powers are pretty straightforward - but if you collect the Super Emeralds in the Sonic & Knuckles half of the game, you get to unlock… …Super Amy again. Yep, no Hyper Amy. Which is a bit of a disappointment. But, you do get a sort of ‘Hyper’ power - pressing the Super button while transformed (after getting the Chaos and Super Emeralds) allows you to chuck hammers at your enemies. To be honest, you’ll be going so fast (and be so invincible) that the effect of this new hammer throw ability is close to zero, but the visual chaos you bring to the screen is fun either way. And that’s Amy Rose. A “Pink Sonic” - and that’s totally okay! Those of you who are weirdly hoping for some crazy new control gimmick should keep things in check; we’re talking about adding new characters to a 16-bit series whose gameplay design focuses around a single action button. You were obviously not getting a Sonic Advance-style manual control of the Piko Piko Hammer, and nor should you have wanted it anyway - Amy’s momentum-destroying control scheme in Sonic’s debut GBA game absolutely ruins an otherwise excellent platforming experience. The other additions that come with Sonic Origins Plus include the addition of Knuckles as a playable character in Sonic CD (probably because SEGA forgot to add him or something), and an archive of 8-bit Sonic the Hedgehog Game Gear games that can be played at any time via the Mission menu. Everything from the main platform games to the more esoteric spinoff games like Sonic Labyrinth and Sonic Drift 2. All of the Game Gear games are emulated - they are not remastered in the same way that the 16-bit Mega Drive titles have been. Because of this, all of the titles will run exactly as you’d remember a physical Game Gear would - warts and all. We won’t go into every GG game in this review (you can read our individual reviews for each game to see what we think about those). Generally speaking the GG games all feel fine to play, despite some new sound issues (there appears to be a weird echoing from time to time) as well as the usual framerate and screen size awkwardness that comes from authentically emulating SEGA’s 8-bit handheld. It’s hard to complain about the value of 12 extra games being added to your collection, but it’s also a bit heart-breaking to see constant stuttering in the otherwise masterful Sonic 1 GG immediately after completing a buttery-smooth run-through of Sonic CD. It seems like some level of bug-fixing has been accomplished here as well, although I can’t exactly tell you what those tweaks are for sure with the exception of one example. In the base Origins game, attempting to Drop Dash in one direction, then quickly trying to Drop Dash in the opposite direction was not possible while playing Sonic 1. This so-called “roll-locking” has been fixed in my experience with Origins Plus, which is a welcome change. But besides other possible bug fixes, in terms of new content, “that’s it” (for some of you). Personally, for a $10 upgrade, having playable Amy in all four games, Knuckles in Sonic CD, the Game Gear games, a bunch of bug fixes and a nice unlockable birthday image is pretty good value for money. Of course, your own mileage may vary, depending on whether you feel like much of this should have been included in the base game already. For me, it’s not so much the quantity of additional content that slightly irks - it’s the quality. Generally speaking, the Plus content is quite serviceable. But there are just a few little niggles here and there that, while not a huge deal in and of themselves, kind of take the shine off of the whole package when taken altogether. The most obvious drawback is the curious omission of the Master System versions of the 8-bit Sonic the Hedgehog titles in the new collection. Not having the benefit of the larger-screen versions of Sonic 1, 2, Chaos, Spinball and Mean Bean Machine to play (not to mention experiencing the difference in gameplay and presentation in some of these titles compared to their Game Gear counterparts) is a real drag, especially on large screens. Even just putting in a little work to “hack” in a Master System-style ‘widescreen’ view for each game (as Tectoy did in Brazil for Sonic Blast, in fact - there is a Master System port of that game only made available in that country) would have been a welcome option. As it is though, playing on PS5 on a big monitor with such a small gameplay window can be an intensely claustrophobic experience. I can see the GG games being more fun to play on the Nintendo Switch in handheld mode where this may be less of an issue. There are some presentation quirks when playing as Amy too. The odd graphical issue, her Hammer Rush not going up steep curves/loops, the lack of an official ‘Hyper’ Amy in Sonic 3 & Knuckles (which I suspect is an attempt to avoid putting too much work into her sprite set), that the sprite looks too similar across all four games (if there are any differences in sprite art style between Sonic 1, 2, CD and 3K, it’s really not that noticeable)... Individually, these things are insignificant. Put together, it feels like a feature that hasn’t quite been polished to perfection yet. It also feels like there isn’t enough documentation or guidance around the new Amy and Knuckles playables modes and abilities. This might sound like an odd gripe, when the Plus package comes complete with a new digital manual (accessible from the title screen) which is a whopping 66 pages long - but I found out about Not-Hyper Amy’s Hammer Throw move by complete accident, and I have struggled to identify any of the marketed significant new routes in Sonic CD made specifically for Knuckles (I might have stumbled upon some by accident, but I wouldn’t have known it). Which, you know, if there actually aren’t any new routes in CD, that’s a slight disappointment in and of itself. But back to the point… There’s a dialog box for almost every other action you perform in the main menu - even the act of opening a game (I’m surprised there isn’t one for blowing your own nose) - so it would have been nice to have had some kind of intro or something when first selecting Knuckles in CD, or Amy in Sonic 3 & Knuckles that offers this information. Or perhaps in the Options section there could have been a Tutorial box outlining some hints on where to go in CD as Knuckles. The reward for accomplishing all of the (admittedly incredibly easy) new challenges in the ‘Surprise’ mode is (besides the gorgeous artwork you reveal) pretty underwhelming as well (not to spoil it for anyone, but… well, I feel like if you’re reading this, then your reaction to it will likely be “I already know this”). It would have been pretty neat - and not a huge additional lift at all - to have added new content to the Museum collection or have the Surprise unlock an exclusive set of Plus-locked Gallery images. We could have had some of the Sonic Jam media in high-res! Man of the Year in HD! But alas. Mind you, these are all minor gripes in the context of an expansion pack that costs a mere $9.99. Sonic Origins Plus is worth getting for the new Amy Rose playable character as-is, and the Game Gear games are the icing on the cake for die-hard fans who have been itching to have a modern way to play the handheld classics since Sonic Adventure DX. And for those who haven’t bought into Origins yet, the price of the physical Plus pack is about the same as the base game digitally - and when you factor in our five-star review of the original release, this makes buying Plus a no-brainer. Second Opinion Sonic Origins is undoubtedly the most comprehensive and polished classic compilation to date. From remastered classics to mirror modes, the game is absolutely jam-packed with extras, artwork, videos, and extras, this is a phenomenal title to discover or re-live the heritage of Sonic the Hedgehog. Following in the footsteps of Sonic Mania, Origins is now receiving the “Plus” treatment, which sees a further embellished version alongside a physical release. Classic fans will undoubtedly be delighted to see Amy join the roster, not in just sprite form, but armed with a host of unique attacks and abilities that breathe a new way to play into old classics. Equally, Game Gear and Master System fans can be content at finally having a definitive location for those rare and unusual titles, even if only to play five minutes of Tails Sky Patrol before going back to playing something good. Disappointingly, it seems that the additional content is also a download for the physical edition, which will inevitably put a future expiration date on much of the bonus features. Moreso, audiophiles will be equally baffled and frustrated by the altered soundtracks and odd stereo effects, that will often detract from the otherwise great job that has been accomplished here. Flaws aside, Sonic Origins Plus once supplies fans with a sympathetic and lovingly crafted product, with just about every permutation of experience you could want from the archetypal Mega Drive titles. With a release in which SEGA could have easily created a bad future, they once again emerge smelling of roses. Second Opinion written by @T-Bird View full story
  24. SEGA announced today a brand new 2D Sonic the Hedgehog title, Sonic Superstars, which will hit consoles later in the year. According to the press release: Check out the trailer below... ...and then read on for everything you need to know about the game! Ohshima is Back! That's right, our favourite Sonic the Hedgehog co-creator is back at the helm on this new Sonic title! Who could be better than Sonic's dad to be at the helm? Ohshima-san is overseeing the fresh new 3D look of this platformer. Fang the Sniper is Also Back! We were a bit giddy at this news (especially Adam - Fang is his fave!), but the purple peril will be armed with his cork-gun and undoubtedly causing trouble for our heroes! You'll have to wait until the end of the trailer to see him (unless you really have eagle-eyes!) but it is well worth it - he even arrives in his own vehicle, the Marvellous Queen! A Whole New World Sonic and his friends will be travelling to the new environment of North Star Islands, a "mystical place offering never-before-seen environments, as well as a mysterious story waiting to unfold". The Number of Characters That's right! FOUR CHARACTERS in the initial roster. From the teaser trailer, it looks like players will be able to take control of Amy Rose, alongside our regular trio. In addition to this, it looks like as a first for a 2D Sonic title, you can play as all characters simultaneously! Awesome (but I still get to be Sonic, you can be Tails). New Abilities Ahoy! Sonic and pals will be making full use of some pseudo-3D features, such as wall running and waterfall climbing in this new instalment. Undoubtedly each character looks to have some unique abilities - such as an ability to clone! Special Stages on Steroids We get a brief glimpse at the new Special Stages in Sonic Superstars, that look to take notes from some of the original rotating zones from the original title. In addition to that, it looks as though there will also be 3D environments in some special stages through which the player must navigate dangers. Pac-Man Fever! While the new game will make use of 3D models and assets, the game will also give nods back to the classic 16-bit look as well. Oddly, we also see our heroes transform into jellyfish characters, vaguely reminiscent of the ghosts from Pac Man. Why do they transform? We are yet to find out! Let's Get Physical The game will be released both digitally and Physically across all major platforms for the RRP of $59.99, so those of you looking to invest in a hard copy won't have to wait for, say, Sonic Superstars Plus! Are you folks excited? We certainly are!
  25. Dreadknux

    Sonic Superstars

    Sonic Superstars is a 2D platform action game for PlayStation and Xbox consoles, as well as Nintendo Switch and PC, developed by Sonic Team. It is a continuation of the 'Classic Sonic' series of games, featuring 1990s-designed renditions of Sonic the Hedgehog, Tails, Knuckles and Amy Rose. More to follow...
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