Tag: Sonic

The best Steam Autumn sale deals to grab this Black Friday

Steam Autumn Sale deals are live, with discounts on some of the best PC games, indie hits, AAA classics, and a whole lot more

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Steam Autumn Sale deals are in the air, as Valve celebrates Black Friday with an almost overwhelming number of PC game discounts across the site. Anything’s fair game (ha), whether it’s an indie gem, recent hit, or an AAA classic that you’ve hoped might get discounted for months now. Cyberpunk 2077, Hitman, some of the best anime games, classic Yakuza, and more are all up for grabs, and best of all, pretty much everything we’ve listed in our roundup works on the Steam Deck and the newly-announced Steam Deck OLED.

Steam Autumn Sale deals are live now and run through Nov. 28, 2023, at 1 p.m. Eastern.

Ranking — and grading — every sorta-mid Sonic Hard Seltzer flavor

Sonic’s seltzers are mostly average. Even Ocean Water and cherry limeade.

Welcome back to FTW’s Beverage of the Week series. Here, we mostly chronicle and review beers, but happily expand that scope to any beverage that pairs well with sports. Yes, even cookie dough whiskey.

It was too easy. A burgeoning hard seltzer and canned cocktail market expanded the space for fruity, soda-adjacent alcohol. Sonic, the Oklahoma-based drive-in with the 44-ounce cups, had long prided itself on its expansive selection of sweet drinks going above and beyond the simple Coke-Sprite-tea/lemonade triumverate.

Thus, Sonic leapt into a crowded marketplace with familiar flavors and an even more recognizeable logo. The fast food company’s hard seltzers promise more than the standard citrus flavors. There’s signature tastes like their cherry limeade and Ocean Water. And, at 100 calories and five percent ABV per can, it walked an efficient line between boozy and, well not healthy, but slightly better-for-you than most drinks.

Sonic’s attempt to crack a new market — or at the very least streamline the process for anyone dumping a few shots into their enormous styrofoam cups — isn’t limited to its classic lineup. There’s a melon medley and tropical fruits and a few hard seltzer standbys. The question remains, however; is it any good?

Well, let’s see what we’re dealing with.

Amazon Prime Day 2023 early video game deals

Prime Day early sales have begun, with discounts on select Nintendo Switch games, a handful of PS5 games, and some Xbox Series X games

Prime Day early sales have begun, with discounts on select Nintendo Switch games, a handful of Sega’s most popular titles, and another handful of PS5 games, along with a few Xbox games. Some of the current discounts include Persona 5, Like A Dragon Ishin, Dark Souls Remastered, and Fire Emblem: Three Houses As always with Prime Day sales, these won’t last long. Some items are already out of stock, though as Prime Day gets properly underway, Amazon will likely restock and, of course, add even more games to the list.

 

Sega announced a new Sonic game with a retro twist at Summer Game Fest

Sega is going back to 2D for Sonic Superstars, the next new Sonic game that features multiplayer and more

Sega is going back to 2D for Sonic Superstars, the next new Sonic game that features multiplayer and more. Sega announced Sonic Superstars during Summer Game Fest 2023 and said it’s planned for a fall 2023 release date on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

There’s no firm release date yet, but Sonic Superstars will cost $59.99 when it does launch.

“New thrills. Classic feels,” Sega said in a press release. “Adventure through the mystical Northstar Islands in this all-new take on classic 2D Sonic high-speed action platforming. Play as Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy Rose and harness all-new Emerald powers to move and attack in dynamic new ways.”

Superstars follows Sonic, Tails, Amy, and Knuckles to the Northstar Islands, a brand-new setting, on a mission to stop Eggman, Fang, and a mysterious new villain from putting their nefarious plans into action. Sega promises a twist on classic 2D Sonic, including a blend of 3D visuals in 2D environments. 

Chaos Emeralds are back, and while Sega didn’t mention what some of those new Chaos Emeralds are, but they did say Superstars will include new abilities and features, one of which is the option to play the entire game with up to three friends in multiplayer mode.

Written by Josh Broadwell on behalf of GLHF

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The worst video game characters of all time

Grand stories and clever heroes may linger in our minds after the credits roll, but the worst video game characters leave their own mark too

Grand stories and clever, sympathetic heroes may linger in our minds long after the credits roll, but the worst video game characters leave a mark just as indelible. They may be poorly written, with thin personalities, unbelievable motivations, or dialogue that grates on your soul. Some are just terrible people in general, characters who, though not the villain or even a threat, certainly do their best to make life more difficult than it needs to be for the heroes of the piece. These are the worst characters we won’t be forgetting anytime soon.

 

Yuji Naka pleads guilty to insider trading charges over Final Fantasy

A few months after Yuji Naka was arrested for insider trading, the former Sonic lead said he’s guilty of the charges

A few months after Yuji Naka was arrested for insider trading, the former Sonic lead said he’s guilty of the charges. Japanese media giant NHK first reported Naka’s confession during his courtroom appearance (thanks Eurogamer), though whether Naka pleads guilty to the second charge of insider trading remains to be seen.

The first charge alleged that Naka bought shares in mobile developer ATeam after learning the studio was developing Square Enix’s Final Fantasy 7: The First Soldier, a battle royale game that shut down barely a year after Square Enix launched it. At the time Naka made the investment, Square Enix hadn’t announced The First Soldier to the public, but Naka learned of the project while employed there.

“There is no doubt that I knew the facts about the game before it was made public and bought the stock,” Naka said.

The second charge alleges that Naka bought approximately $20,000 of stock in another mobile developer, Aiming, after learning that they would be working on a Dragon Quest mobile game. That game was Dragon Quest Tact, which Square Enix launched in 2020. That game remains available worldwide on mobile devices, though mobile analyst firm Sensor Tower shows that Tact made Square Enix less than $5,000 in February 2023.

Naka has not yet admitted to this second charge, though his trial remains ongoing.

Written by Josh Broadwell on behalf of GLHF

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UPDATE: Fall Guys-Sonic the Hedgehog crossover leak confirmed

Fall Guys datamine discovers images for a Sonic the Hedgehog-themed level called “Bean Hill Zone”.

UPDATE 08/09/22: Courtesy of a tweet sent from the official Fall Guys account, we now have confirmation that Sonic the Hedgehog and his friends are coming to Fall Guys.

The tweet reads “sonics back / with his friends” which we can only assume means that Sonic cosmetic items will be accompanied by cosmetics for his pals too. Tails and Knuckles are obvious choices, but there are plenty of Sonic characters that could be drawn from for inspiration.

The image also appears to hint that the “Bean Hill Zone” outlined below is very real.

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Original story follows…

Fall Guys has been datamined by one of its players, where they discovered images for a Sonic the Hedgehog-themed level called “Bean Hill Zone”.

Mediatonic, developer of the knockout battle royale, has taken part in a number of gaming crossovers in the past. The game offers numerous skins of characters from outside the game as prizes for participation to help differentiate yourself from other players.

In June, it announced a collaboration with the blue blur offering players the chance to collect Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles skins to equip onto their beans. The new skins will be available from August, and so far no other Sonic-themed items have been officially announced.

Twitter user @FGPancake who is known to post Fall Guys leaks, has posted an image allegedly of an upcoming level based on Sonic the Hedgehog’s Green Hill Zone. The level titled Bean Hill Zone appears to be based on the game Hoopsie Daisy where players jump through hoops to earn points.

In this version, the hoops are Sonic’s iconic rings, and the level is littered with bumpers and blocks similar to those from the original game. The image shows beans dressed in costumes not from the Sonic collaboration. Despite this, it is likely that if the image is real, the level will be released at the same time as the Sonic-themed costumes in August.

Mediatonic recently announced the Crown Clash event in conjunction with Fortnite, Rocket League, and the Epic Games Store. Those who have Fall Guys and Fortnite and/or Rocket League can earn rewards from today (July 1.) in all three games. Those participating in Crown Clash will earn rewards once they complete 10, 20, 40, 70, and 100 rounds of Fall Guys. The promotion is available until July 11.

In other Sonic news, Sonic’s creator Yuji Naka recently confirmed the more than 20-year-old rumor that Michael Jackson wrote Sonic 3’s music, and developer from Headcannon, Simon Thomley, is “disappointed” with Sega over Sonic Origins bugs. We’ve also collected together a list of Sonic Origins cheats.

Written by Georgina Young and Dave Aubrey on behalf of GLHF.

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Sonic’s creator confirms Michael Jackson rumor

Sonic’s creator Yuji Naka has confirmed in tweets that Michael Jackson wrote some of the music for Sonic 3.

Sonic’s creator Yuji Naka has confirmed in tweets that Michael Jackson wrote some of the music for Sonic 3.

It has been an open secret in the industry that Michael Jackson wrote some of the best songs from the Sonic 3 soundtrack. Iconic tracks such as Carnival Night Zone, Ice Cap Zone, and the Ending Credits theme have long been attributed to the late artist, though publisher Sega has never officially confirmed it.

While Sega has created many collections of its classic Genesis games over the years, the third game in the Sonic franchise has often been absent due to the song’s licensing issues. Following Jackson’s death in 2009 the rights to his music now belonged to his estate. This has led many to speculate that the long-running rumors are indeed fact.

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Sonic Origins, a collection of the four most popular Sonic games developed for the Genesis and its counterpart the Sega CD, contains the much anticipated Sonic 3 & Knuckles re-release, with certain songs replaced allegedly to address the legal issues. While this change didn’t openly confirm that the Thriller singer was involved with the game’s music, a tweet from the former head of Sonic team certainly did.

Upon playing Sonic Origins and discovering that the songs had been replaced, Naka tweeted to explain his disappointment in the decision. In a succinct tweet the creator said:

“Oh my god, the music for Sonic 3 has changed, even though SEGA Official uses Michael Jackson’s music.”

Sega has often denied Jackson’s involvement in the soundtrack, reportedly due to the allegations of abuse that came out against the singer. Jackson was a long-time Sonic fan, who had worked with Sega previously to develop the Moonwalker games for the Master System, Genesis, and arcade systems. While each version is different, they all feature Jackson, his music, and his iconic dance routines.

However, this isn’t the only reason rumored for Sega’s refusal to credit the artist. Some say that Jackson himself didn’t wish to be credited as he was disappointed with the quality of the audio when played through the console. 

Written by Georgina Young on behalf of GLHF.

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Sonic remasters might include leaks for Sonic Frontiers

Sonic Origins released today and already people have found what they think is new information about the upcoming Sonic Frontiers game. 

Sonic Origins released today and already people have found what they think is new information about the upcoming Sonic Frontiers hidden within the game’s files. 

Freshly released Sonic Origins is a collection of some of the most beloved 2D Sonic games including Sonic 3 & Knuckles and Sonic CD. Fans of classic Sonic games have been highly anticipating the game. Despite several re-releases of the first two Sonic games for the Sega Genesis, the third game hasn’t been distributed since 2009.

Licensing issues have allegedly prevented Sega from creating new versions of its beloved Sonic title. The common rumor is that Michael Jackson had a hand in creating the tracks for Carnival Night Zone, Ice Cap Zone, and the Ending Credits theme, though he has never been officially credited. In Sonic Origins these licensed songs have been replaced with newly written music.

However, this is not the only change in the collection. There is a 3D menu island to explore, made from scratch for the collections. New missions and TV style animations are also included. The new release allows you to play in the original style with a set number of lives and continues, or in ‘anniversary mode’, which enables you to play without fear of a game over.

Since its release modders have been looking into the code of the game and discovered more than they anticipated. It appears that the 3D menu island is created using code for the as yet unreleased 3D Sonic game Sonic Frontiers. This was previously theorized by the community after it discovered both were being created by Sonic Team using Criware tools.

While it is normal for a company to reuse assets and shaders for multiple projects, the amount of information found seemingly related to Sonic Frontiers is surprising. A pastebin of the code, which has been published by Twitter user ahremic, shows a number of details that have not yet been officially released.

The code includes the names of classic characters such as Amy Rose, Knuckles and Big the Cat, of which only Amy has been officially revealed. Big is also connected to the word “fishing” making people suspect there will be a Big the Cat related fishing game in the upcoming open-world project. 

Sonic Frontiers is scheduled for release this year with no confirmed date set. Sega has yet to comment on the leaks.

Written by Georgina Young on behalf of GLHF.

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June 2022 game releases: Upcoming titles being released this month

June 2022 was shaping up to be yet another slow month for video game releases but ended up having a really nice lineup of titles.

June 2022 was shaping up to be yet another slow month for video game releases as developers are preparing their E3 announcements, even though there won’t be E3 this year. But this month ended up having a really nice lineup of titles, with a couple of horror games, several long-standing franchises getting new content or spin-offs, a few nostalgia-infused releases, and that controversial Diablo game finally coming out. Sports fans are getting something too – an offroad racing game is on its way and Super Mario is playing soccer again.

Let’s have a look at the biggest video game releases in June 2022.

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