Sonic Generations is getting a new port to PS4, PS5, PC, Switch, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S with additional stages and Shadow as a playable character. This new version will be called Sonic X Shadow Generations and its launching in Autumn 2024. You can check out the reveal trailer by clicking the embed below:
The new Shadow content appears to draw from several games that Shadow has featured in, including Sonic Adventure 2 and the eponymous Shadow the Hedgehog. We even see a return of Black Doom and the Biolizard. SEGA’s official word is that Shadow will have his own unique story campaign to play through in this new port, which is also boasting new bonus content alongside an enhanced port of the original Sonic Generations.
The SEGA AI Computer is one of the rarest SEGA systems ever created, what with it being largely made for Japanese audiences. This 1986 computer was sold to as an educational device for children and used in schools. In 2014, the team at SMS Power managed to source a unit and some software from a Yahoo Japan auction. Since then, the team have worked effortlessly to source as much software as possible for the system and get it all dumped and working under emulation, which you can now do via MAME.
Click here to be taken to SMS Power’s article on the SEGA AI Computer which includes detailed information on the computer itself, its specs, how to emulate it and see a full list of the software the team has managed to source and archive. SMS Power have managed to dump 26 My Cards and 14 cassette tapes containing SEGA AI Computer software, so there’s a lot to explore here.
SEGADriven would like to congratulate and thank the team at SMS Power for archiving another piece of rare SEGA history and finally allowing a wider audience to experience this previously Japan-only system that was largely sold to schools.
All 3 Sparkster titles are being re-released as a part of a new Rocket Knight Adventures: Re-Sparked collection that comes with a reprint of the entire 6 part Sparkster series from Sonic the Comic. This new compilation is being handled by Limited Run Games using their proprietary Carbon Engine and is being released on PS4, PS5 and Nintendo Switch.
The 3 titles included are Rocket Knight Adventures for the Mega Drive, Sparkster for Mega Drive and Sparkster for SNES which is actually quite different when compared to its Mega Drive counterpart. The mini comic that features the entire ‘Last of the Rocket Knights’ story also marks the first time any material from Sonic the Comic has been republished since the comic ceased publication in 2002.
Pre-orders for Rocket Knight Adventures: Re-Sparked will open on January 19th 2024 and finish on February 18th 2024. All pre-orders placed during this window will be honored. You can browse the various editions of the game on the Limited Run Games store by clicking here, but don’t feel like you’re missing out if you don’t want to place an order for an expensive collector’s edition, as even the standard edition comes with a reversible cover and the comic.
The wonderful people at SEGA Dreamcast Info have managed to source and dump 11 different builds of the unreleased PS2 Vectorman game that was infamously revealed at E3 2003.
This 3D take on Vectorman would see the game transition into a 3rd person shooter. The project was being lead by a new development studio called Pseudo Interactive. You can watch footage of the prototype builds in action via the embed below:
The development of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 continues to be one of the most well documented stories in gaming history. The Video Game History Foundation have now preserved artwork from 2 ex-SEGA Technical Institute artists and discover a whole host of content from the game’s early development that we’ve never seen before. See below for a full list of the discoveries that they’ve made:
– Dark Empire was a cancelled STI Mega Drive game that was shelved due to Sonic 2 getting green-lit
– Maps of the concept stage Genocide/Cyber City by Tom Payne have been scanned that give us a better understanding of what this stage might have looked like
– A working demo of Genocide/Cyber City has been produced with Hez of Sonic the Hedgehog Classic fame, who has also been working on his own preservation of Wood/Secret Jungle Zone
– All of Tom Payne’s artwork has been made available to browse on Archive.org by clicking here
– The Sand Shower mock-up screen is actually animated and viewable on Brenda Cook’s VHS portfolio alongside a Wood/Secret Jungle Zone mock-up
– Brenda Cook’s VHS portfolio also reveals a completely unseen Winter-themed zone which is a palette swap of Sand Shower that now features snow and Christmas trees
– Brenda Cook’s VHS portfolio has been entirely preserved on YouTube and is available to watch by clicking here. It also contains artwork for a deleted Sonic Spinball stage
You can watch the entire video on all of these discoveries from The Video Game History Foundation via the embed below:
SEGA have revived 5 of their classic franchises for new games. In a reveal video at The Game Awards 2023, the publisher has announced that new entries in the Jet Set Radio, Shinobi, Golden Axe, Crazy Taxi and Streets of Rage franchises are currently in development and showcased some brief gameplay of each title.
The new Jet Set Radio carries forward the cel-shaded graphical style of its previous 2 entries and appears to add new traversal capabilities.
Shinobi stays in the 2nd dimension for a fast-paced game that looks like it plays similarly to Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master. However, it is now sporting a hand-drawn art style that isn’t too far removed from Streets of Rage 4.
Golden Axe is once again going for a 3D action game style similar to its last entry Golden Axe: Beast Rider, but appears to have more playable characters and a return to a lot of the franchise’s key iconography.
Crazy Taxi is probably the game that has decided on the most realistic presentation, but it’s still a colourful continuation of its open-world driving hijinks.
And finally we have a new Streets of Rage game that has interestingly ditched its 2D belt-scrolling gameplay for a full 3D interpretation. It’s actually not a million miles off the presentation of the leaked Streets of Rage game that was being pitched by Ruffian Games back in 2012.
You can watch the full reveal video for these games via the embed below:
There are currently no details on when these games will release, for what systems or even what their final titles will be. At the time of writing SEGA have only revealed that the titles are in development alongside a promise that even more games from dormant SEGA franchises are also on the way.
SEGA’s use of the Demon Slayer license for video games seems to have been a successful endeavor because following 2021’s Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba-: The Hinokami Chronicles, we’re now getting a Switch exclusive title called Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba-: Sweep the Board!
This title is a multiplayer party game in the style of a Mario Party entry. Up to 4 players can play on boards based on locations from the anime. Mini games can be activated on certain spaces and the game’s big gimmick is a day-and-night cycle that triggers demons to fight cooperatively when the action transitions to night-time. Check out the first trailer below:
Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba-: Sweep the Board! will be a Switch exclusive launching on April 26th 2024. There is currently no information on who is developing it and if it is a digital-only release or not.
Another new Sonic the Hedgehog board game is on the way in the form of Sonic Roll which is due to release in January 2024.
This 1-4 player game from Kess Entertainment was designed by Anthony Thorp of Tome: The Light Edition fame, and it features a cover illustration from IDW comic artist Tracey Yardley. It’s a great piece of artwork that’s clearly meant to ape the look of a North American SEGA Genesis game.
The Sonic franchise has seen a surprising amount of board game adaptations in recent years. Sonic Crash Course from IDW Games and Sonic Battle Racers from Shinobi 7 both launched in 2019.
Previously PC and Switch exclusive, Xiaomei and the Flame Dragon from developer PiXEL is now coming to the Mega Drive via Columbus Circle. The Mega Drive version will release in December 2023 exclusively via Japanese retailers.
Amazon Japan have previously sold Columbus Circle products, but at the time of writing there is currently no listing for Xiaomei and the Flame Dragon on Amazon Japan.
Xiaomei and the Flame Dragon is a belt-scrolling beat-em-up in the Streets of Rage/Final Fight/Double Dragon mold. You can see the Switch version in action via the video embed below:
The latest Sonic the Hedgehog game has been announced – a 3D platformer from SEGA’s UK-based Hardlight team, who’s previous works include Sonic Forces Speed Battle and Chu Chu Rocket Universe.
A plot summary comes the game’s official website:
In this all-new Sonic adventure, the evil Dr. Eggman has discovered The Reverie – an ancient device with the power to manifest dreams in the real world. Navigate twisted dreamscapes, rescue your friends, and put a stop to Dr. Eggman’s nightmarish dreams of world domination!
As you can see from the trailer, Sonic won’t be alone – with Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Cream and Rouge all tagging along. The game will include 12 levels across 4 worlds.
The game will be launching exclusively for Apple’s Apple Arcade service. This means it’ll be free of microtransactions and the like, and will be playable across basically any Apple device with a screen – including the iPhone, iPad, iMac, and Apple TV. There is no word on whether this exclusitivity is timed, however – and Chu Chu Rocket Universe, which was also an Apple Arcade title, was simply delisted a long while ago and hasn’t resurfaced since. Hopefully, Dream Team won’t suffer a similar fate in the long run.
Screenshots (via SEGA PR) can be found after the jump. Additional screenshots can also be found on the website. (more…)
When Tracker isn’t playing SEGA games, he’s talking about SEGA games. Or drawing about SEGA games. Or all of the above. You can also catch him over on Twitter.
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