In a new video from Unseen 64 and Did You Know Gaming?, former Vision Scape Interactive developer Matt McDonald claims that their Sonic Extreme tech demo, which was pitched to SEGA as a new Sonic skateboarding title, was in fact stolen by SEGA and used for the basis for the Sonic Riders franchise.
The demo predates Sonic Riders and was discovered by a private collector who obtained the Xbox dev kits that contained the original demo used for Vision Scape’s pitch. McDonald recounts a story where he pitched the game to Yuji Naka himself who was allegedly impressed by the demo and even went as far as to green-light the development of the game if Vision Scape could produce a design document for the finished title.
SEGA then refused to maintain communication with Vision Scape, who had only been hired to work on the animated cut-scenes for Sonic Heroes. After Vision Scape completed the cut-scenes, their contract with SEGA ended and the development of Sonic Extreme never progressed. It is during this time that McDonald claims SEGA held onto the idea and developed it further in-house to create Sonic Riders.
Vision Scape had signed a non disclosure agreement with SEGA during their time working on the Sonic Heroes cut-scenes that said that any material they pitched to the company would become an intellectual property of SEGA, so sadly McDonald can’t legally press charges against SEGA. You can check out the rather fascinating video on this discovery by clicking the embed below:
Cult teen-horror FMV title Night Trap (which SEGA fans will remember for its infamous SEGA/Mega-CD port) is to be re-released on PS4 and Xbox One for the game’s 25th anniversary.
Originally developed for the unreleased Hasbro Control-Vision, the FMV adventure game was originally supposed to use VHS tapes and it’s these tapes that have been sourced to provide the in-game video used in this 25th anniversary port.
The port is not being handled by SEGA but an independent studio called Screaming Villains. Screaming Villains have also made the game’s theme song available for free download from their website.
Limited Run Games will also be producing a physical release for the PS4 and the artwork has been made to resemble the American SEGA CD and 32X artwork. While pre-orders are not available yet, it might be worth subscribing to their mailing list so you’re the first to know when the physical version will be made available.
SEGA are bringing another Japan-exclusive to the West in the form of Valkyria Revolution, the latest game in the Valkyria Chronicles series of strategic RPGs. Valkyria Revolution sees you taking control of 5 characters with different skills and abilities and sending them into battles with soldiers and even mechs. There’s now a wide variety of weapons to use that include ranged weapons and melee weapons. The striking “painted” visuals of the original also return thanks to the game’s custom GOUACHE rendering engine.
Check out the announcement trailer below:
Valkyria Revolution will get a physical release on both Xbox One and PS4 while the PS Vita version will be digital only. All versions will launch on June 27th 2017.
The final title for Project Sonic 2017 has finally been revealed at SXSW. The game will be called Sonic Forces and will follow a similar gameplay style to Sonic Unleashed, Sonic Colours and Sonic Generations. The first footage of the game in action is currently only available via off-screen recordings from SXSW but you can view it in the following SEGA News Bits video:
The gameplay shows a ruined city that is interspersed with scenery that appears to have been taken from Green Hill Zone. This has lead many to speculate that the game will follow a plot that sees Modern Sonic and Classic Sonic’s worlds colliding and creating stages that look like they’ve fused together.
Sonic Forces will launch on Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch and PC in Winter 2017.
The extremely rare 1993 Sonic-themed shooting game SEGASonic Cosmo Fighter Galaxy Patrol has finally been dumped and is now available to play within the MAME emulator. The ROM file itself has not been released so it still might be some time before the public can play it, but if the anonymous contributor does release the ROM file then it’ll be instantly available to play in the latest version of MAME.
The game is a hybrid children’s ride/shoot-em-up cabinet that tilts when you activate the “SPEED UP” ability. Take a look at some gameplay on the actual cabinet below:
Various updates have been made to the hardware section, merchandise sections and some select reviews on the website. Look below for all the new additions and changes on the website:
Yakuza 0 is launching in the West early next year (Early 2017 for Europe but a firm January 24th 2017 date for the US) and those lucky Americans get a launch-day “Business Edition” of the game which includes a stainless steel business card holder that includes 3 cards based on characters and places in the actual game. As long as you pre-order the game in North America you will receive a Business Edition which means this edition basically takes the place of what is normally labelled a “day one” edition aka the first print run of the game.
You can also check out a new trailer for the game by clicking below. You can also watch the slightly different European version of the trailer (different release date, no mention of the Business Edition) by clicking here.
Watermelon Games have surprise-announced a new Mega Drive title called Papi Commando. Developed by Studio Vetea, the top-down shooter is reminiscent of games like Mercs and Ikari Warriors and is available to purchase right now by clicking this link.
At the time of writing, the limited edition boxed version has sold out, but the raw version which contains the cartridge, instruction manual and a paper insert for a clamshell case is still available to buy for only $29 before post and packaging. Another run of the game in a box is available for pre-order but it won’t ship until the 1st of January 2017.
SEGA Europe are collaborating with Deep Silver to finally bring 7th Dragon III Code: VFD to Europe. The previously Japan exclusive RPG has featured legendary SEGA talent at its helm with Rieko Kodama (Alex Kidd, Phantasy Star) producing and Yuzo Koshiro (Sonic 8 bit, Streets of Rage) composing the soundtracks. This will be the first time the franchise as made its way to Europe. Check out the E3 trailer for the 3DS game below as well as confirmation of its release date:
Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice is almost upon us and SEGA Europe are offering a pre-order incentive to those who want one of those Sonic hats that they give away at every games event they appear at.
SEGADriven and its original content are copyrighted to their respective authors. Media related directly to SEGA is copyrighted to its respective authors. Any comments on SEGA-related materials do not represent SEGA themselves. All rights reserved 2008-2026.
We use cookies to analyse site usage, provide social media features and personalise content and ads. We may also share information about your use of our website with our partners.
