Sonic the Hedgehog first appeared in 1990’s Rad Mobile for arcade a few months before the first Sonic the Hedgehog game. He appears as an ornament dangling from the ceiling of the car.

I wanted to get that bit of trivia out of the way because it’s often all anybody knows about Rad Mobile. That is, if they even remember the name. I say that because I could never really remember it. Not until I became interested in pre-3D racing games.

This is mostly because Rad Mobile was only once ported to console and never in North America. That is, until it was chosen as one of the games for the Sega Astro City Mini. That’s still a pretty niche platform in this part of the world, so I’m still waiting for it to finally get the spotlight over here.

[caption id="attachment_399105" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

That pesky hedgehog

Rad Mobile is interesting to me because it uses the “Super Scaler” pseudo-3D technique that Sega built their hardware around. It’s best remembered for Space Harrier, but it was used in OutRun and Hang-On. However, both OutRun and Hang-On used raster effects for their pseudo-3D road, whereas Rad Mobile just makes heavy use of scaling sprites. This is the same technique used by 1988’s better-remembered Power Drift.

So, rather than your car driving on a background layer or single sprite, you’re actually riding across a steady stream of overlapping sprites that gradually get bigger to simulate parts of the road getting closer to the screen. It’s as obvious as it is effective. Because it was easy to create bridges and hills using Super Scaler, racing games that used the effect typically had a lot of variation in elevation, to the point where they can sometimes feel like roller coasters.

Despite being designed by Yu Suzuki, Rad Mobile is hardly the best racing game of its era. The floatiness of the car and the difficulty in gauging depth with 2D sprites combined with the first-person perspective makes it feel quite janky. However, it still has a lot going for it and I love it all the same.

[caption id="attachment_399103" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Are we there yet?

Rad Mobile is your typical story about a race across the United States, from West to East coast. This would also be seen in Turbo OutRun and Cruis’n USA, among others. The journey is separated into 20 short tracks, each depicting a different location. Like many racing games at the time, you have to make each checkpoint within a short time limit to replenish your clock. However, on top of this, you compete against other racers on the same trip. If you’re careful, you can drive across the U.S.A. in less than half an hour, so I’m not sure why planes exist.

I’m not sure that Rad Mobile was ever intended to be played with a digital controller. The Astro City Mini version allows this, but most cabinets I’ve seen have a steering wheel. It’s a Sega System 32 board, so it most likely could have been installed in a real Astro City arcade cabinet, but the car controls are so sluggish and pressing an arcade button to accelerate is so uncomfortable it feels like a racing wheel is necessary. Still, it plays okay with a normal arcade stick.

[caption id="attachment_399102" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

A long drive for someone with nothing to think about

A lot of Rad Mobile’s appeal comes from the variety it has stretched across the continent. Some tracks play at night, and you have to activate headlights to get a better view of the road. Meanwhile, it rains on others, and a pair of wipers keep your windshield clear. My favorite, however, is one that forces you to drive on train tracks and puts an impending locomotive in your rear-view mirror, threatening to clobber you if you clip a wall.

Speaking of clobber, there are police in some legs of the race. I’m not totally clear on why, but sometimes, if they get ahead of you, they’ll pull you over. Then, a police officer walks up to you and absolutely crushes your (formerly) radical automobile with one punch. It was a weird era in video games where people beat up a lot of cars, I guess.

One of the strangest parts, however, is the Rocky Mountains. If you slip off the edge of the track, you fall through nothingness for a few seconds before the road reappears beneath you and catches your car. It wrecks your car, but it was at least nice of the level to loop back around to give you something to land on.

[caption id="attachment_399100" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Scaling for consoles

The Sega Saturn version of Rad Mobile, Gale Racer, is something of a strange conversion. Largely, it’s a pretty reasonable port of the arcade game, but it’s also not as good. Mainly, this is because every track is separated by a loading screen, whereas the arcade version feels like one continuous journey. This not only kills the feeling of long-distance travel, it also eliminates the competitive feel of the game. You still pass cars on your journey, but it seems more like you’re doing it for score rather than to win a race.

Also, your speed tops out at around 300km/h for some reason, compared to the arcade's 170km/h. You still move at the same clip, the speedometer just reads differently.

The other vehicle are rendered in polygonal 3D, for some reason. The car also handles a lot crappier. There are police vehicles, but I don’t think they can pull you over anymore. The worst part about it, however, is the draw distance. It’s a lot smaller than the arcade version, which I’m guessing is because the Sega Saturn doesn’t have the same dedicated sprite scaling hardware. However, it could also be because it released in 1994, and most games of that time were rushed for the new hardware.

On the other hand, there’s a two-player mode. The soundtrack is a lot better. It’s also interesting that it didn’t come to North America, because it’s entirely in English. There’s even a text crawl at the beginning that is completely in English, but has Japanese subtitles.

Still, Rad Mobile is better than no Rad Mobile.

[caption id="attachment_399106" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Sega Arcade Arena

Sega seems to be having trouble figuring out what to do with all its arcade classics. They’ve provided a slow trickle of their best games through series like Sega Ages, but a lot of them are still inaccessible. The Sega Astro City Mini is nice, but it’s expensive and works better as a showpiece than as a mini console.

They need something like Capcom Arcade Stadium. Some sort of bigger compilation of their arcade titles that don’t absolutely need online connectivity. That, or they need to let Hamster dig through their back catalog for the Arcade Archives series. Or something. I just hate having to scour through old ports to try and find specific titles.

Rad Mobile is worth scouring for. It pokes me directly in my love for road trips and appeals to me through its weirdness. Too often, racing games are just monotone and serious. It’s no wonder I just cling to any driving game that offers more than just four wheel and an engine.

For other retro titles you may have missed, click right here!

The post Sega’s Rad Mobile deserves to be remembered for more than just its dangling keychain appeared first on Destructoid.

Officially revealed back in June, Persona 3 Reload now has a release date. Those looking to dive into the full remake of the PlayStation 2 RPG can mark their calendars for February 2, 2024. If this one has been living rent-free in your head since 2006, you can celebrate its return with the deluxe Aigis Edition.

While we spent some hands-on time with the remake, Atlus shared a new trailer to showcase more of the fresh updates. You can check it out below to see how the overhauled visuals give new life to a fan favorite.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ax-u7i2_6nQ

If you're curious about the updated music, there's also a trailer highlighting the new battle theme.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTdrcvnqDjE

Persona 3 Reload goes beyond tweaks to the visuals and music. Changes have been made to mechanics like Shuffle Time, for instance. The voice cast is also new, including the likes of Zeno Robinson as Junpei Iori, Aleks Le as the protagonist, and more. It looks like a solid mix of modernization and the type of overall faithfulness hardcore Persona fans expect. 

[caption id="attachment_398444" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Atlus[/caption]

Aigis ain't nothin' but a number

In addition to the standard $69.99 digital and physical release and two extra tiers of digital editions — Standard, Digital Deluxe, and Digital Premium — Persona 3 Reload's centerpiece is the Aigis Edition. There's no price at the moment, but this one packs in a bunch of physical and digital bonuses. The game comes in a collector's box along with an art book, two-disc soundtrack CD, and an Aigis figure. All the DLC available at launch will also be included in a DLC pack voucher. You'll be able to grab this one on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. 

Persona 3 Reload is coming to PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series, and PC (Steam and Microsoft Store). It also has its sights set on Game Pass, so get ready to evoke in February! 

The post Persona 3 Reload release date set, Aigis Edition revealed appeared first on Destructoid.

Persona 3 Reload proved to me just how much Persona 3 has needed a remake.

Originally released in 2006 (2007 in North America), Persona 3 marks the start of the “modern” Persona series. Sure, the first games featured students summoning demons like they’re Pokémon. But your social links, life sim elements, and more – that all started with Persona 3. I know many who still consider it a series high, but honestly, Persona 3 has always been a bit hard to come back to. On PS2, the game is missing essential quality of life, such as being able to even control your own party members. And while the PSP version fixes some of this, it comes with the caveat of feeling very much like a condensed PSP game.

As someone who has tried and failed to get deep into Persona 3 myself, I’ve been deeply curious about Persona 3 Reload. On the surface, just slapping Persona 3 on top of the foundation of Persona 5 would have been enough. But after getting to test Persona 3 Reload for myself at a recent event held by Sega, I’m hopeful that Persona 3 Reload will be even more than that.

[caption id="attachment_398165" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Screenshot via Sega[/caption]

Prepare to dungeon crawl

At the event, I was able to demo two small slices of the game. The first section gave me roughly 15 minutes inside of Tartarus, the game’s dungeon crawling hub.

Right off the bat, I can’t stress enough that Persona 3 Reload is a very, very pretty game. While it might not look too special compared to Persona 5, the new character models alone are a huge jump from Persona 3. Similarly, just as Persona 5 oozed with style via its UI, Persona 3 has much the same flourish. Everything from your main menu to your victory screens are just what you’d expect from a Persona 5 successor, even if this is a remake.

The inside of Tartarus felt familiar at the outset. Just like the original, you’ll make your way through corridors while you aim to get preemptive attacks on roaming enemies. The dungeon layout was kind of generic, but floors were brief with roughly three battles on each if you fight everything you see. The inclusion of a dash button helped minimize backtracking, and overall, the exploration felt well-paced.

Of course, this is based on the very early game. Tartarus could feel repetitive after a while, so we’ll only know how well this portion of the game holds up in the full release. I will say that, after comparing footage of the original game, the version in Tartarus in Reload does look quite a bit different with its sharp blue and green aesthetic. It felt familiar despite being new, which was a recurring theme with much of this demo.

[caption id="attachment_398166" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Screenshot via Sega[/caption]

Returning battle mechanics

Combat in Persona 3 Reload felt immediately familiar to me, which I’d consider a good thing. You’ll strike enemy weaknesses via physical or elemental attacks, which will knock them down. Knock downs give you extra turns, and knocking the entire enemy party lets you trigger bonus all-out attacks. Reload retains the three physical elements from Persona 3, meaning that you’ll delineate between Slashing, Piercing, and Striking damage. My demo tools mostly focused on the magical end of things, though.

I was happy to see the return of Shuffle Time, which I really enjoyed in Persona 4 Golden specifically. Cards will stay face up here, making it really easy to pick which boon you’ll take following combat. I love the dynamic of wondering what cards you’ll find after a battle, especially if you, say, want to conserve healing items and hope you’ll find a card to heal you instead. It’s a small thing, but it really makes the happiness chemicals fire off in my brain.

Near the end of my time in Tartarus, I got a glimpse at a mechanic that Persona 3 Reload calls Shifting. Basically, when you knock an enemy down and earn a One More, you can donate your extra turn to a party member. In other words, it’s similar to Baton Pass in Persona 5. This side of the demo ended shortly after I uncovered this, so I couldn’t get into the specifics of how Reload handles this mechanic. However, in a game that originally stripped party member control away from the player, getting Shifting so early almost felt like an apology from the developers.

[caption id="attachment_398170" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Screenshot via Sega[/caption]

Some old, some new

The second section I got to test in Persona 3 Reload involved the sequence leading to the Arcana Priestess boss. I initially thought this sequence stayed perfectly faithful to Persona 3. However, I didn’t realize that a few changes were made when I compared it to footage of the original game.

For starters, the path to the boss in which the party rushes through train cars featured a bit of added dialogue. The text that I could identify as new wasn’t exactly riveting, but I did find the inclusion exciting. It showed me that Persona 3 Reload isn’t afraid to expand on the original game, even if it was in a smaller capacity.

The boss battle itself was where I noticed the starkest change. In both the original Persona 3 and Persona 3 Portable, the party is given a little more than six minutes to finish this battle. As long as you keep up a solid pace, you can take the boss down with time to spare. Reload, on the other hand, gives you a much more generous window of about 30 minutes. However, as the battle progresses, the boss will spend turns accelerating the train, cutting minutes off your time.

This kept me on edge the entire battle, since I could never tell how much time I really had to work with. Once I put an end to the boss, I had about 40 seconds to spare. This certainly wasn’t a major change to the battle. Mechanically, I could see Atlus handling this encounter this way so your timer doesn’t matter until the final stretch. Still, it marked a deliberate change, which left me excited for what the full game could bring.

[caption id="attachment_398172" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Screenshot via Sega[/caption]

I’m so ready for more Persona 3 Reload

Persona 3 Reload certainly has a bit of baggage weighing its own hype down. Specifically, the news that the game wouldn’t include The Answer or the female protagonist route from Persona 3 Portable doesn’t make Persona 3 Reload as definitive as many would like. I think these are valid criticisms, and my time with the game certainly didn’t change that.

That said, after my session with Persona 3 Reload ended, I knew that this was the version of Persona 3 I was going to finish. What I played was polished to an absolute shine, without a single boring second in sight. Everything from combat to exploration was engaging, to the point that I forgot I was at an event and just wanted to keep playing it for another three hours.

And the music. Oh man does this game sound good. Getting an initiative in normal battles triggers a new battle theme that riffs on Mass Destruction, which was so catchy that would have spent time in battles just listening to it if not for the time limit. I hope Atlus uploads this track early to sate my ears.

All in all, for anyone who likes Persona, Persona 3 Reload looks like an essential playthrough. Whether the final product will stay faithful to the original or take risks here and there, I’ll be excited to play this one when it comes out on February 2, 2024.

The post Hands on Persona 3 Reload: Baby baby baby yeah! appeared first on Destructoid.

Everyone loves the Dreamcast. Okay, when the console needed people to buy it, it seemed like nobody loved the Dreamcast, but everyone loves the Dreamcast now. It was Sega at their best. The Genesis had some identity issues, and the Saturn compounded on them, but the Dreamcast presented a confident and focused Sega as they plunged toward the spot on the ground where they were about to leave a crater.

Like many people, I skipped out on the Dreamcast during its initial run, but I’ve been making up for it ever since. However, I never got around to Space Channel 5, one of the more unique experiments that came out for the system in 1999.

So, why now? I’ve been watching GameCenter CX again, and there’s an episode where Arino makes an attempt at it, and he’s just so bad. Completely awful. I wanted to see if I’d be similarly as bad, and of course, I’m not.

[caption id="attachment_397527" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Whaaaao!

1999 was still very early in the evolution of the rhythm genre, and Space Channel 5 shows its age. You play as a reporter for the titular future TV station, Ulala. She travels from one crisis to another perpetrated by the Morolians, an alien race of adorable Gumby people. They’ve been going around forcing people to dance, so it’s up to Ulala to go and save the day.

Which is a strange thing for a reporter to do. The whole news program thing doesn’t really make a whole lot of sense, but it ties into the twist at the end, so whatever.

Gameplay involves being in various situations where dance moves play out in front of Ulala, and she must repeat them. It’s a lot like the old Simon games where you have to repeat a sequence of colored lights. It’s also a bit like Parappa the Rapper, but without the visual cues, and that kind of drives me crazy.

[caption id="attachment_397528" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Space Cats

You repeat dance moves by pressing a direction on the stick or either the A or B button. You use the A button to zap aliens and the B button to save people. The scenes change between shootouts, dance-offs, and hostage situations, which is an absolutely bizarre mix. The dance-offs give you a healthbar that gets whittled down whenever you make an error in a section, but for everywhere else, you just need to keep your ratings up. You need to push ratings up past a certain threshold by the end of each level or you fail and have to repeat it.

It can be a bit harsh. You only need to make one mistake during a section of dance-off for you to lose a heart. Likewise, you might not know until the final tally if your rating will meet the threshold to pass a mission. Whenever you fail at one of these criteria, you’re pushed back to the start of the level. They aren’t very long, but I could only stand to hear Ulala say “Fab-u-lous” so many times before I needed to take a break.

Likewise, there are only four levels. While you’re unlikely to beat all of them on your first try, getting through Space Channel 5 doesn’t really take long. Unless you're a Japanese comedian with no rhythm. After that, there isn’t a whole lot of replay value. You get a harder mode, but I found this absolutely maddening.

[caption id="attachment_397530" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Blood on the dance floor

Don’t get me wrong, I found Space Channel 5 to be a pretty enjoyable game. It’s interesting in its absurd flamboyancy. It’s like a late ‘90s Brittany Spears music video on some mind-opening hallucinogens.

The strangest part is when you rescue “Space Michael,” which is a cameo appearance by Michael Jackson. By the late ‘90s, you were either holding onto the notion that Michael Jackson was still cool, or you found him deeply creepy. It’s really unclear which side Space Channel 5 is on because, for one thing, it’s a celebrity cameo, but I don’t know how anyone could see his appearance as cool. To put it charitably, a skin-tight chrome bodysuit doesn’t suit him.

On the other hand, I really had trouble with the lack of visual cues present on screen for a lot of the segments. There are some places where you can see how many button presses you need for each direction. But a lot of the time, it falls on you to memorize. I can do that. Mostly. However, I can’t predict when the game is going to throw it back to me. Sometimes, it will be going through a steady pace of a few prompts before sending it back to you. Then it'll suddenly switch to throwing out one or two prompts before switching rapidly, and it’s impossible to prepare for.

From Parappa the Rapper to Rock Band, most rhythm games have a visual way of telling you when you need to press buttons. That mechanic hadn’t been proven necessary by 1999, and it hurts the fun of Space Channel 5.

[caption id="attachment_397531" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

The show's been cancelled

It also has a weirdly immemorable soundtrack for a rhythm game. It’s not bad, but it really gets lost behind the “Left, shoot, right, shoot, up, shoot, shoot.” I’m not saying it’s a huge issue, it just puzzles me that a rhythm game wouldn’t have more focus on providing a killer soundtrack.

It might sound like I didn’t enjoy Space Channel 5, and that’s not true. I have reservations, but I think it’s an interesting landmark in the gaming landscape. I mostly respect it because it’s such an extravagant presentation of something bizarre. Parappa the Rapper feels like an easygoing experiment, whereas Space Channel 5 busts through the door and starts pelvic thrusting while chanting its own name.

So few games have been so confident of their weirdness and so secure in their flamboyancy. Space Channel 5 is the unemployed couch surfer you defend by saying they have a “great personality.” I’m honestly curious about the VR-only Space Channel 5 VR: Kinda Funky News Flash simply because I honestly don’t believe that the sheer naked style of the first two Space Channel 5 games can convincingly be replicated today.

For other retro titles you may have missed, click right here!

The post Space Channel 5 for Dreamcast is a brief flash of sheer naked flamboyance appeared first on Destructoid.

Sympathy for the Underdog

We're still a few months away from seeing the eighth mainline entry in the Like a Dragon series. Fortunately, it won't be long before players meet Kazuma Kiryu again in the spinoff, Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name. That's right, Kiryu did such a thorough job erasing his name that he goes by the unsuspecting name of "Joryu". All the while, he'll find himself once again embroiled in threats, violence, and underworld intrigue. But those who manage to endure these trials will get treated to a Special Trial Version of Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth.

SEGA and Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio director Masayoshi Yokoyama revealed this and much more in an overview trailer and developer update video, which doled out a deeper look at the spinoff's story and gameplay before moving onto the bonus goods. Of note to hardcore fans, the unlockable Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth demo will include scenes that aren't present in the main game. This won't be a problem for Like a Dragon completionists, but it's an interesting approach to demo presentation. Of course, we don't know how much content we'll see in the sample. 

Like a Dragon Gaiden catches up with the former series star after he faked his death and made himself scarce. Yokoyama says this entry will offer "the best insight into the personality of Kazuma Kiryu". Even though, of course, we all know his personality really only comes out on the dance floor. The other side of his personality awaits at the end of his fists and feet. The trailer reinforces this by highlighting the gadget-focused Agent Style combat alongside some old fashioned Yakuza street fighting. 

[caption id="attachment_397465" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot via Sega[/caption]

Tokyo Drifter

It wouldn't be a Like a Dragon game without minigames to distract you from those battles without honor and humanity. Gaiden looks to get carried away with everything from arcade games to arena brawls, cabaret clubs with somewhat creepy live-action footage and, of course, karaoke. What's that? You made a time-sensitive threat against the orphans I devoted my life to back in Okinawa? Sorry, the night is young and I just got to the chorus of "Today is a Diamond." 

Mainstays like Goro Majima, Daigo Dojima and Taiga Saejima are on tap for the Coliseum battle arena and can join your team if you pre-order to get the Legendary Fighter Pack. They'll join Kiryu (sorry, I mean Joryu!) when Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name launches on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC on November 9, 2023. Meanwhile Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth will launch sometime in early 2024. 

The post You’ll need to beat Like a Dragon Gaiden to play the next game’s demo appeared first on Destructoid.

Sonic the Hedgehog, known as Ogilvie Maurice Hedgehog among true fans, is one of the most famous mascots in video game history. Still, unlike Mario, who's yet to appear in a mainline game that's not an absolute blast, the blue blur is reminiscent of those once-promising actors who had to start taking roles in C-list movies to maintain their exuberantly decadent lifestyle. It's a tough pill to swallow, but we have to accept that Sonic has starred in about as many crappy games as he has in good ones.

Which one is the worst of the worst?

[caption id="attachment_395790" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image by Sega[/caption]

10. Sonic Labyrinth

This little-known Game Gear title tells the marvelous story of that time when Dr. Eggman replaced Sonic's fast shoes with slow ones.

You can tell someone believed Sonic could do no wrong when they made a game that did away with the thing we liked most about the series. The bold move could've worked, yeah, provided that the developers had put solid mechanics and puzzles in place to make up for the absence of speed. They didn't. The only possibly interesting thing here is witnessing Sonic's first foray into the isometric perspective that we'd later see in Sonic 3d Blast. More on that other mess later.

Sonic Labyrinth just isn't fun as it is. It wouldn't have been fun even if it played fast either, though that would have at least made it confusing, uncontrollable, and thus at least pretty funny.

[caption id="attachment_395791" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image by Sega[/caption]

09. Sonic and the Black Knight

One of many gimmicky Sonic games. In this once-anticipated Wii exclusive, Sonic has a sword! Isn't that badass? Maybe, if the goddamn thing worked properly.

Though it looked nice and featured some neat Sonic tunes, most critics and fans couldn't help but point out the fact that the game just didn't make good use of the Wiimote. The haphazard integration of the Wii's controller made the combat go from unfun to straight-up broken.

Do you know who also didn't find the game all that badass? Well, Sega itself, considering how the company pulled it from store shelves just one year after its release along with all other poorly-reviewed Sonic games in an attempt to increase the value of the Sonic brand.

In any case, Sonic as a brave sir knight reeks of the exact same desperation that Transformers: The Last Knight did — the one where we find out the Transformers' unexpected connection to Camelot—and I just can't help but find that hilarious. Forget the upcoming GI Joe x Transformers crossover. We want an awful Transformers x Sonic collab now.

[caption id="attachment_395793" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image by Sega[/caption]

08. Shadow the Hedgehog

I must apologize for the attempted bamboozling. I know damn well that Shadow isn't just a re-skinned Sonic, but please allow me to explain.

Even a hypothetically decent version of this game would only ever appeal to Sonic fans, so they’re its only victims. They're only most of the people who'll look for an article such as this in search of vindication. Also, I will never have the opportunity to rank the worst Shadow The Hedgehog games because no company in its right mind will ever make another one.

The devs seemingly believed that arming the edgiest-possible character with guns would make up for all sorts of technical shortcomings, and I find that beautiful. Like many games on this list, Shadow The Hedgehog is rough in terms of playability, but it features three different endings where Shadow murders Dr. Eggman with a Karate chop, so I just can't put it in a worse place than this.

[caption id="attachment_395797" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image by Sega[/caption]

07. Sonic Free Riders

Sonic on the Kinect. Do I really need to explain myself on this one? Ugh, OK.

What's wild is that Sonic Free Riders looked good, had some sweet Sonic tunes, featured a decent enough story, and had a lot of stuff to do. But guess what, it played like crap. As with nearly all things Kinect, Sonic Riders was highly unresponsive. I'd like to believe it just refused to force its owners to perform all the embarrassing moves required to get it to work. If that's the case, then I salute you, Sonic Free Riders.

[caption id="attachment_395794" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image by Sega[/caption]

06. Sonic The Fighters

You know things are about to get wacky when not even the title makes sense. What the hell is that "the" doing in the middle of the title? That reads almost as awkward as this thing plays.

I’d argue that most Sonic games aren’t even very good at doing what they’re supposed to, which is making Sonic's speed enjoyable, so it comes as no surprise that I don’t like Sonic when he’s trying to be Tekken. It's just so sad to see all these once-successful characters having to resort to fighting it out to pay their bills.

Actually, to be entirely fair, this doesn't feel like it was trying to outright copy Tekken. This feels like they were trying to make a Sonic fighting game in a garage where the only game they had for reference was Star Wars: Masters Of Teras Kasi, one of the worst fighting games of all time. If that really was their plan then, well, they've succeeded.

[caption id="attachment_395795" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image by Sega[/caption]

05. Sonic and the Secret Rings

I think it's absolutely wild that Sonic’s take on the Arabian Nights doesn't fall on its face for accidentally featuring some tone-deaf message regarding the Middle East. Surprisingly, the game doesn’t accidentally say anything offensive, though that might be because it doesn't really have anything to say at all. The gameplay is half-baked, but what steals the show is an ending so dumb it immediately earns this game a high place on this list.

Spoilers: Sonic gets to make a wish to make his love interest happy — naturally a human-looking girl, because Sonic is like Mass Effect’s Shepard before he was even a thing — and instead of wishing for basically anything that could actually improve her life, he asks for a mountain of handkerchiefs so that she can cry as much as she wants. Yes, I'm not making this up.

[caption id="attachment_395796" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image By Sega[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_395798" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image by Sega[/caption]

03. Sonic 3D Blast

This one isn’t a glitchy mess or anything, but Sonic 3D Blast shows an interesting case of a Sonic game where the team seemingly managed to see their vision come to fruition. The problem here is that their vision sucked. The game does away with the traditional 2D sidescrolling gameplay and replaces it with an unfun isometric perspective that, guess what, is still 2D. Sonic moves awkwardly, and the game's levels just aren't fun enough to suffer through.

We learn to see the signs as we grow. If it had been a good game, simply calling it Sonic 3D would have sufficed in getting everyone hyped. That desperate "blast" at the end of the title, probably a reference to the Genesis' much-touted and greatly exaggerated "blast processing", should have raised eyebrows. Sadly, most of us were too young and naive to see it back then.

This game hurts me on a personal level. Eight-year-old me didn’t have a Saturn or a PS1 yet, so I was thrilled to know that my Sega Mega Drive (Genesis) had a Sonic game that was supposedly in 3D. I got my parents to buy it, and that was the first time I felt seriously disappointed by a game I had high hopes for. It's highly unlikely that I was the only kid who had Sonic 3D Blast as nothing but an eye-opener when it came to dealing with unreasonable expectations.

[caption id="attachment_395799" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image by Sega[/caption]

02. Sonic The Hedgehog (aka Sonic ‘06)

Sonic '06 is bad to the point of being ashamed of its own existence. I mean, otherwise, how come one of the best speedrun strategies involves having Shadow kill himself? The game doesn't want any of its characters to live in that doomed world anymore, so it rewards them with the ending credits upon death.

Ok, now, even though that's a real speedrunning strategy, I'm well aware that this is yet another glitch. No way such a game would ever achieve this level of poetry without it being by accident.

There's nothing really new to say about Sonic '06. Even though expectations weren't exactly through the roof anymore, it still managed to disappoint greatly due to being unplayable upon release. Also, it looked creepy as all hell. Why is the main hub an asset-flip-looking city populated entirely by humans? Will Sonic ever grow tired of trying to seduce human girls?

You'll have a better time watching video compilations of Sonic '06 glitches on Youtube than playing it.

[caption id="attachment_213077" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image by Sega[/caption]

01. Sonic Boom: Rise Of Lyric

You knew damn well that the first place was only ever going to be either Boom or ‘06. Why Boom at #1? Well, I don’t even think it’s necessarily worse than ‘06. They’re both so bad that they verge on total unplayability.

After some time playing, we all lose the ability to count all the flaws, but I think this one is more deserving of the top spot because, at the time of its release, fans must've been like "eh, at least there's no way it'll be as bad as '06!". And it was. You gotta award some points to that kind of knife twist.

And there's more.

Whereas there's no alternate reality in which I could see Sonic '06's creepy human-Hedgehog crossover city working, I could totally see Boom working out. It's based on a popular animated series, and it actually looks cool. Sadly, the game went through a very rough development cycle that forced the team to release it in a terribly unpolished state.

Boom just has a much sadder story — the story of its development, mind you — and that's why it gets the top spot of the worst Sonic games. Also, Sonic '06 at least had some fine classic Sonic tunes.

The post The 10 worst Sonic games, ranked appeared first on Destructoid.

Everybody's favorite blue hedgehog has been having a good few years thanks to the success of the Sonic the Hedgehog films and the excitement surrounding the upcoming Sonic Superstars game. Sega recently launched a campaign, called Fast Friends Forever, to celebrate the millions of fans the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise has amassed over the decades.

The campaign has kicked off with a promotional video, as well as the launch of a website where fans can expect updates. Fast Friends Forever will last "all year long with a variety of events and activations."

[caption id="attachment_396029" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Sega.[/caption]

Sonic and his pals

The Fast Friends Forever site currently promotes a few Sonic-related events. It announces the opening of an official Sonic-themed restaurant in San Diego on August 20. Here, you can enjoy "Sonic's classic chili dogs, Knuckle sandwiches, Blue Blur slushies, Golden Rings, and more."

Music has always been an integral part of the Sonic franchise, and Sega has previously celebrated the series with beautiful orchestral recreations of Sonic soundtracks. As the Fast Friends Forever site reveals, The Sonic Symphony Tour will kick off on September 16 in London before heading to several cities including Los Angeles, Boston, Paris, and more.

https://youtu.be/RMHLBPGouwc

As part of the campaign, a series of Fast Friends Forever digital comics is planned. These comics have been created by fans from around the world, and the first one, titled "Live Without Regrets!", is already available. Created by Ian Jones-Quartey, the comic features Tails and Sonic, and it tells a story about never giving up.

https://twitter.com/sonic_hedgehog/status/1689310641897750528?s=46&t=S0QbrEQa7rSHobLwyn8t0Q

Though plenty of franchises have loyal and dedicated fan bases, Sonic is a little different, as the community has been particularly motivated to create tons of fan-made projects. The focus on friendship is relevant because, as the site highlights, Sonic "knows the importance of friendship, teamwork, inspiration, and loyalty." This has been demonstrated throughout the franchise, with Sonic becoming great friends with Tails, Amy Rose, and even Knuckles who initially appears as a rival.

Sonic fans also have Sonic Superstars to look forward to. The upcoming game seeks to capture the fun of the classic Sonic games, but it ditches the pixel art style of Sonic Mania. It is set to launch on October 17 on PC, Switch, PlayStation, and Xbox.

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Via Twitter (which I refuse to ever call “X”), Sega has revealed screens of the canceled Sega Saturn title, Sonic X-treme.

Sega had a really rough time in the late ‘90s. The launch of the Sega Saturn was an absolute cluster of confusion, as they had one foot in 2D while sticking another right up in 3D. Not to mention, Sega of America misunderstood its own market and thought that adding life support to the Sega Genesis was the best idea, delaying the arrival of the Saturn in Western markets. Some people blame its failure on the fact that there was never a mainline Sonic the Hedgehog successor on the platform. Sure, yeah, that might be part of it.

[caption id="attachment_395103" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Sega[/caption]

Development on Sonic X-treme began shortly after the completion of Sonic 3 & Knuckles. It started on the Genesis/Mega Drive before bouncing to the 32X and finally the Saturn. Initially, it was just going to be a better-looking side-scroller, but by the time it reached the Saturn, it became a hybrid of 2D and 3D, the style of which is very much obvious in these screenshots.

It’s hard to say exactly when these screenshots are from. The development of Sonic X-treme was marred by unclear hardware specs, developer fallout and turnover, the dysfunction between Sega’s Japan and American branches, and life-threatening illness. It’s an absolutely bizarre development story. There were a lot of different revisions to the game, all of them very different.

[caption id="attachment_395104" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Sega[/caption]

Hopefully, with these images unearthed, we’ll get to hear more of the tale. For now, we can only look and wonder how Sonic X-treme would have turned out.

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Sonic Superstars is attempting to recapture that classic Sonic feeling, though it will be bringing a few new elements to the franchise. A villain named Trip is preparing to make her debut, and though she's decked out in spiky armor, she won't be your typical Sonic enemy. In an interview with Game Informer, Sonic Team creative officer Takashi Iizuka discussed a bit more about Trip’s origins and role in Sonic Superstars.

[caption id="attachment_394939" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Sega.[/caption]

Trip and her trouble

Not much is known about Trip yet, though the official site for Sonic Superstars reveals that she has been enlisted by Fang and Dr. Eggman to protect them as they venture through the Northstar Islands. She has a striped, furry tail, and she is completely covered in metal armor that has prevented us from seeing her face.

In the interview with GI, Iizuka revealed that Trip was created by him and Naoto Ohshima, the creator of Sonic the Hedgehog and Dr. Eggman. In order to have a truly new story, they felt that a new character would be necessary. When designing her, they bounced around a few ideas, including an armored lizard and the ouroboros. Some of the ideas made it into the final design, as the “base of her character is a sungazer lizard” - literally an “armored lizard” in Japanese.

Trip's personality and backstory will also be an important part of her character. Instead of a one-dimensional character, they were aiming to create something that would “stand out and be a character that people can kind of relate to and empathize with and enjoy as a character in the world.” Unlike your average Sonic villain that is presented as a formidable foe, Trip—at least initially—is quite clumsy and she even “falls on her face in the very first scene that you see her in."

Of course, Trip won’t be there alone. Dr. Eggman and Fang will also be present, presenting a nice blend of both old and new. Though he is also an iconic villain, Iizuka confirmed that Shadow won’t be making an appearance.

The platformer is expected to launch on PC, Switch, PlayStation, and Xbox in late 2023.

The post Sega reveals more about Trip, Sonic Superstars’ new villain appeared first on Destructoid.

Sega and Two Point Studios have finally announced the next add-on for 2022’s Two Point Campus. I believed they’d do this eventually, but it’s Two Point Campus: Medical School. It’s coming August 17th to all platforms.

I was just wondering when we’d get the next piece of DLC. We last got School Spirits back in March, and we just passed the anniversary for the base game, so I figured we were due. I was actually digging through a few press sites to see if I could get a hint on whether something was coming, but Sega knows how to keep a surprise.

https://youtu.be/qKCnO3RNYws

As the name implies, Medical School will have you training up your hapless puppet students in the ways of healing. Like the Space Academy DLC, this one comes with three new levels to tackle. There are six new types of rooms, and many of the courses seem to offer some furniture ripped straight from Two Point Hospital. Alongside the new content, there’s also an array of fresh challenges to tackle in this DLC.

Two Point Campus was one of my favorite releases from 2022, and I’ve been hungrily eating up all the DLC as it gets released. This one will definitely be no different. The release schedule so far has given me just enough time to recharge and be ready to dive back in. Personally, though, I’m hoping there’s new radio DJ segments dropping with this pack.

Two Point Campus is available for PC, Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S. The Medical School DLC will be dropping on August 17th for $9.99 USD.

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Sega has reminded us that Two Point Campus is a whole-year-old with a celebration. From now until July 31st, you can play the weird post-secondary institution simulator for free on Steam. There’s also a sale if you decide you want to be BFFs with it.

Two Point Campus is the follow-up to Two Point Studios’ 2018 Two Point Hospital. Rather than endanger lives by performing surgery with undertrained staff, Two Point Campus has you setting youthful education seekers up for life by saddling them with insurmountable debt. You do so by putting them through wacky courses to polish up their culinary and archeology skills.

The sale on Two Point Campus isn’t just for the PC version. The PlayStation (August 2-16) and Xbox (now until August 7) ports are also getting discounted 50%. No word on the Switch. The two DLC expansions are also on sale and can be bought in a bundle.

It’s well worth it. Not only did I give it high marks in my review of it last year, but I also selected it for a place on my prestigious Top 10 Picks of 2022 list. Every time a new DLC pack drops, I eagerly pick it up again. Something about the weird Two Point universe of daft, hapless puppet-people keeps me coming back. Speaking of which, I feel like we’re due for another expansion. I’m surprised one wasn’t announced alongside the celebration.

Two Point Campus is available on PC, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, and PS5.

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Teach a man to fish

Sega Bass Fishing is a classic arcade game from 1997 that, as the title suggests, has players pulling out their rods, bait, and fishing lines. For a limited time, Sega is giving the game away for free on Steam, and there aren't too many hoops to jump through to acquire it.

[caption id="attachment_393059" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Sega.[/caption]

How to get Sega Bass Fishing for free

Since its release, Sega Bass Fishing has been ported to several systems, including the Dreamcast, Xbox 360, PS3, and Wii. It's a dated game, so the minimum spec requirements won't be taxing any modern PCs.

The only thing you need to do to grab your free copy of Sega Bass Fishing on Steam is to sign up for Sega's newsletter. There isn't too much personal information needed except your name, birth date, country of residence, and email address.

Before submitting the sign-up form, remember to tick the box at the bottom to indicate that you want a copy of the game. You have until July 31 to sign-up for the game. The codes for it will be mailed out starting August 1.

Interested in more classic arcade games? Grab the Dreamcast Collection bundle on Steam. It comes with a host of nostalgia-inducing titles including Crazy Taxi and Sonic Adventure 2.

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Borderlands 3 is getting the boot too

PlayStation Plus giveth, and taketh away. Like any other running "subscription" service, every game cannot stay up indefinitely. While Sega won't be taking tax-writeoffs and erasing Yakuza 0, Yakuza Kiwami, and Yakuza Kiwami 2 from existence; that trio is leaving PlayStation Plus on August 15.

The news comes straight out of the PS5's UI, which notes that a selection of games (listed below, in the order they appear on the storefront) are in their "last chance to play" phase. That gives you less than a month to either play through them or eventually pony up and buy them outright.

The full list of games leaving PlayStation Plus on August 15

• Borderlands 3
• Nidhogg 
• DCL (Drone Champions League): The Game
• Yakuza 0
• Yakuza Kiwami
• Yakuza Kiwami 2 
• Grip
• Crew 2
• 8-Bit Armies
• Carmageddon: Max Damage

Beyond the Yakuza games and Borderlands 3, this looks like a pretty standard list of games to remove from the service.  Losing three Yakuza games feels like a punch in the face, but something like DCL - Drone Champions League is fated to cycle around different services at will.

As for recommendations, Borderlands 3 is a great game to run through for free, especially if you're the type of person who likes to just see things through until the end of the story and stop there. Nidhogg is still a great party game/weekend bit of fun, and of course, nearly every Yakuza release is worth playing in some capacity.

Plan accordingly!

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Enough Retro games to play three or four every day for a year

Retro cloud streaming platform Antstream Arcade has announced their vast collection of officially licensed retro games is coming to Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S later this month. As part of this, Antstream says games that had previously only been playable on Sony or Nintendo platforms will also become playable on Xbox through its service.

The extensive collection includes retro titles all the way back to the Commodore era. Through the service, games will be playable without any sort of installation or download required. Each week more officially licensed Retro titles will be added to the service.

[caption id="attachment_391655" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Antstream Arcade[/caption]

Xbox can finally join in on the Retro fun

Antstream Arcade is already available on PC, Mac, Linux, Android, Android TV, Firestick, Samsung TV, and via a web browser. This will be the first time the Retro collection will be available on consoles natively. Antstream CEO Steve Cottam created the service as an easy way to access games he loved growing up.

"Despite living in an age of incredible technology, I found it wasn’t easy enough to access the games I loved growing up and I wanted to be able to easily share scores and compete against friends,” said Cottam in a press release. “We believe in the preservation and accessibility of all games, the great, the impossible and the forgotten or lesser known too, I’m very proud to bring the Antstream Arcade platform to the Xbox community”.

Alongside the Retro catalog, Antstream Arcade also allows players to enter tournaments and challenge others to duels and community battles. You'll be able to acquire achievements and connect with others and show off your accolades via your profile.

Antstream Arcade releases later this month for $29.99 per year or via lifetime access at $79.99. The price includes all future games and features added to the service. Furthermore, Anstream Arcade is hosting a live stream on July 14 to highlight new games coming to the service and show off what more is to come. The service will be available in Europe, the UK, the USA, Canada, and the Vatican City.

The post Antstream Arcade is coming to Xbox with over 1300 retro games appeared first on Destructoid.

Gotta unionize fast

The Allied Employees Guild Improving Sega (AEGIS) has announced the results of their unionization vote. The result is a resounding ‘yes’ with 91 voting to form a union and 26 voting against it. The vote now just needs to be certified by the National Labor Relations Board.

This vote creates the largest union in the video game industry. It will cover Sega of America’s Irvine, California branch and more than 200 roles. This comes as part of a continued and long-overdue push by workers in the industry to unionize for better treatment. Just this past January, Zenimax QA workers voted to unite.

https://twitter.com/takesAEGIS/status/1678481056520101889?s=20

Sega is largely a Japanese corporation, but like many publishers, they have offices all over the world. This past February, Sega of Japan actually gave its employees a 30% salary increase, but Sega of America didn’t follow suit. AEGIS has stated that its goals are for pay to meet inflation and for better staffing to prevent overworking.

I’m somewhat surprised that the idea of unionizing has taken this long to catch on in the industry. We’re nearly two decades on from the “EA Spouse” blog that exposed some of the horrible practices of the industry. This mostly involved unpaid overtime, but even after successful lawsuits, crunch remains a commonly used practice across the industry. However, because this is an industry that often attracts individuals and takes advantage of their passion, many workers are afraid to put their job on the line in an attempt to unionize.

Here’s hoping that this trend continues and we see more stories like this over the next few years.

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Sega shouldn't have done what Nintendidn't

Bloomberg has reported that Sega is pulling back its plans to compete in the Web3 Thunderdome. The company was previously shoveling coal into the crypto furnace; licensing blockchain games, and creating NFTs based on its properties.

Sega hasn’t canceled all of its crypto plans, but we’re watching in real time as the corporation realizes its mistake. Bloomberg reports that Sega “will withhold its biggest franchises from third-party blockchain gaming projects to avoid devaluing its content.” “We’re looking into whether this technology is really going to take off in this industry, after all,” co-Chief Operating Officer Shuji Utsumi told Bloomberg News. Sega will apparently be pulling back from play-to-earn games and is reassessing its Web3 approach to the company's big-budget online multiplayer-focused so-called “super games” that are planned to start releasing in 2026.

This, of course, is all in response to the ongoing decline in the crypto market that some have dubbed the "Crypto Winter." The unfortunate part of this is that it’s largely a case of big executives and billionaires buying into an obvious scam, and many of them won’t really see any consequences for the poor decision-making. Instead, it's the people below them that will get the brunt of it. Meta laid off 10,000 employees when it became apparent that the Metaverse was a Web3 black hole that it was dropping money into. What a world.

Thankfully, no layoffs have been announced for Sega, but considering the blockchain plans were announced in 2021 following a low sales forecast… I don’t want to think about it.

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For he's a jolly good hedgehog

Sega has announced that Sonic Frontiers is getting a buffet of new features in celebration of Sonic’s 32nd Birthday. Not a big buffet, but it does feature New Game Plus, which I’m surprised it took this long to be added.

On top of New Game Plus, Sonic Frontiers is getting some goofy cosmetics, a special collectible Koco, new moves, and some new challenges. That’s all pretty groovy, but I don’t know what else to really say about them.

https://youtu.be/vAB_BG60APA

New Game Plus, I can certainly understand the value of. Sonic builds up his skills throughout the game. This will allow you to start over with all of those intact and just completely wreck house with a combination of too much power and experience. Both your skill tree and power-ups will carry over.

I should probably go back and finish Sonic Frontiers. I played it pre-release and fell off at maybe the 10-hour mark. I was covering it for guides, and everything in that game has its own dedicated tutorial. I also feel like, while I like Sonic the Hedgehog games (some of them), I have to be in a very specific mood to play them, and I’m kind of feeling that right now.

The Birthday Bash update is completely free to anyone who owns Sonic Frontiers, and is dropping today at 5:00 pm PST. If you don’t, it’s available on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Switch, and PC.

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Running left to right

There's a certain feeling a good 2D Sonic game can elicit. The sense of zipping through levels at a pace that seems way too fast, as even the scrolling screen struggles to keep up with how fast the blue blur is moving, is a core memory for those who grew up around a Sega Genesis. And it's a feeling I got when I was playing the newest Sonic entry, Sonic Superstars.

Sonic Superstars is, to put it frankly, a classic Sonic game. It's 3D in models but 2D in design, though there are plenty of twists to change that up. The base foundation is familiar: you run, left to right, across the screen to hit the goal. Every so often, Dr. Robotnik / Eggman will roll in with an increasingly complicated machine you'll need to bonk your head against a few times.

The basics of a classic Sonic game are here. It's the ways in which Sonic Superstars twists them just a hair that I enjoy, and think this might find a home on co-op players' systems.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvdUzSrP8Nw&ab_channel=Destructoid

It's a party now

In the demo I played, as part of Summer Game Fest 2023, there were two level options and four characters. The first one I rolled up was a classic set-up, with lots of ramps and ledges to spin-ball over as my chosen hero, Sonic. If you're going to demo a Sonic game, you really have to start with the basics, right?

But for other options, there are also Tails, Knuckles, and Amy. It's a set-up that instantly reminded me of a personal favorite, Sonic Advance. Immediately, I started to notice how certain levels might feel different playing as another character. Sonic might speed through the area, while Tails takes a higher route and floats along. Cliffside jumping puzzles were easily circumvented by Knuckles. Amy? She's got a hammer.

[caption id="attachment_386967" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Sega[/caption]

This becomes more noticeable as the levels' mechanics get more complex. Multiple avenues of progression felt available at any time, letting me carve a path through all the obstacles laid out in front of me. Some areas let me jump in and out of the foreground and background courses, creating a neat 3D effect to the side-scrolling action. In another, I was hopping from vine to vine across a chasm, and navigating the fog of a dense jungle biome.

Sonic Superstars doesn't feel wildly different in the way, say, Sonic Frontiers did. I don't really think that's the goal. Superstars feels like it's trying to create a pick-up-and-play Sonic with some co-op appeal.

Because, yes, you can play this co-op. I didn't get a chance to try that part of the game out myself, but it seems like a great way to get a group together, like a New Super Mario Bros. for Sonic.

[caption id="attachment_386969" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Sega[/caption]

Embrace the power

Sonic and pals can also wield a wealth of powers, through the Chaos Emeralds. By finding special locations in each level, I could enter a 3D space where my character had to swing between grab points in order to catch a Chaos Emerald.

Once I nabbed it, I could use a special power. Two of them were available to me during my demo; the first let me turn into water and scale waterfalls, while the second summoned a swarm of clones to attack everything on screen. These powers had limited uses, but it was an interesting little wrinkle to toy around with in this setting. These new tricks are neat, and I'm curious to see how much replayability or player expression they bring to running these levels. Even just finding a slightly different way to tackle an area, through use of my powers, was intriguing enough.

[caption id="attachment_386971" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Sega[/caption]

The Robotnik battles were fairly straightforward too, offering the right amount of puzzle-challenge and platforming skill. The second one, in a jungle area, really had me working to figure out how to bonk it most efficiently.

It's hard to write too much more because, well, this is some classic Sonic. Sonic Superstars isn't really trying to radically reinvent Sonic. While playing it, I was just reminded of how good a 2D Sonic can feel. And I had a pretty enjoyable time working my way through it, even passing the controller off to friends who interrupt my appointments wanting to play. That last part really sold me on Superstars being a fun co-op game, and having that same couch vibe that a good Sonic can have.

Sonic Superstars is set for fall 2023.

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Coming in 2024

The biggest Atlus announcements for the Xbox Games Showcase may have leaked early, but that doesn't mean there wasn't more in store we weren't expecting. Case in point, Metaphor: ReFantazio. From the creators of Persona 3, Persona 4, and Persona 5—duh!—ReFantazio looks like an outstanding new RPG that features the "mirror of reality."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btHGCpUPjPk

I don't know if it was intended, but I got a lot of #FE vibes watching that trailer. Hopefully, Metaphor: ReFantazio manages to make a bigger impact than Soul Hackers 2 did. We'll find out next year when Metaphor: ReFantazio launches for Xbox Series X|S and PC.

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The Blue Blur returns

Once again, Sega is going back to the start to try and remember what made everything work, with the reveal of the all-new adventure Sonic Superstars, which will launch on PC and console platforms this fall.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOPZjphNcq4

A new trailer sees classic, 2D Sonic platforming action, brought bang up to date with gorgeous, cartoony visuals and intricately designed stages. Play as Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy Rose in single-player and co-op action, as the four friends race through brand new, but charmingly familiar new scenarios, no doubt en route to another ass-kicking showdown with Dr. Robotnik.

Sonic Superstars launches this fall on PlayStation, PC, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch.

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Does that matter?

I’ve put hundreds of hours into Creative Assembly’s Total War series, starting way back with Rome: Total War. I haven’t played all the titles, but more than a few. Getting to try out the next game in the series, Total War: Pharaoh, was a tantalizing proposition. The new features they’re showing off sound pretty appreciable.

I was given the chance to preview three different battle setups within Total War: Pharaoh. Mainly, they highlight the new weather systems, but the third battle option had me defending against a siege on a city; the perfect playground to watch burn.

Having conquered the battlefield, I can tell you that this is the same Total War experience, at least when it comes to battles. Neat little rows of dudes with different strengths and weaknesses and a lot of micromanaging on the field. That’s not exactly a condemnation. The added features are noticeable and integrate so well with the established mechanics that it’s hard to believe they weren’t there in the same form before.

https://youtu.be/lLlD650ZBFQ

Dust in the wind

Total War: Pharaoh takes the series to the earliest period it has seen, the end of the bronze age. The thing about that period is that they still had swords, shields, and bows, so from a combat perspective, it’s not much different.

In the first battle, where I used the leader Ramesses against Seti, I used the same tactics that had always worked for me. I put bows in front of my line and advanced slowly until they were within range. Once I provoked the AI, I drew them back behind my lines and intercepted their charge. After a short time, Seti joined the fray. I prioritized taking down the general while maintaining my lines. Once the general goes down, it isn’t difficult to break the morale of the various groups and send them fleeing, which is exactly what happened.

Midway through the battle, however, a sandstorm rolled in. This reduces visibility but had little effect on the difficulty of the Total War: Pharaoh demo. There’s an active pause, so reduced visibility just meant using that more frequently to check on the overall battle progression.

[caption id="attachment_383333" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Creative Assembly[/caption]

It's a fun name to say

Next was Ramesses versus Suppiluliuma. While the last battle played out between open sand dunes, this time around, there was a little more vegetation. No time to test out the fire mechanic, however, as the battle starts in the rain. It only gets worse from there, progressing to a thunderstorm.

The briefing let us know that the mud would affect troop movement. However, if this was the case, it was kind of difficult to tell. I’m not sure how intimate you are with individual troop movement, but I can tell you that I don’t pay that much attention. When you have hordes of troops, you can't find much time to become really acquainted with a particular type of them. I did notice that the mud spatters on the troops, which is pretty cool.

The other feature of this battle that wasn’t in the previous entries was chariots. I was always kind of terrible with mounted units. They require too much attention to use effectively. Whenever I’d play co-op campaigns, one of us would take control of mounted units, while the other would take everything else, just so that more focus could be given to their movements. As such, even in Total War: Pharaoh, I think I sucked with the chariots.

[caption id="attachment_383335" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Creative Assembly[/caption]

Standing in fire

Finally, we come to the siege. The Siege battles have always been both the coolest and most time-consuming features in the Total War games. This one took place in the city of Mennefer, and it featured stacked armies.

The battle opens with the enemy approaching on four gates. They’ve got siege towers and battering rams on each of these, so I had to keep the defense on all of them. Unfortunately, they quickly penetrated my southern gate, and despite my efforts, managed to get some siege towers on the wall.

Unfortunately for them, all the wall crawlers got repelled, which means only the south wall was truly breached. Weirdly, he chose to separate his troops to go to capture points. This would have led to a quick victory if I had been distracted, but I merely needed to redirect some of my units (my chariots, in particular) to kick them off the capture points, and eventually, they all broke. As the battle with the highest difficulty rating, I felt a little perplexed about why I had such an easy time.

On the other hand, I finally got to see fire at play. It, once again, wasn’t terribly impactful. It was cool to see stray fire arrows ignite the houses in the city and see them burn throughout, but I kind of feel this was a feature going back to, at least, Total War: Shogun 2. Mostly, it was a problem because one of my units was left standing in some vegetation that was lit on fire, but the AI also left a unit on there as well, so…

[caption id="attachment_383336" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Creative Assembly[/caption]

A little more muddy

As I said, the battles in Total War: Pharaoh aren't anything majorly different. In the briefing, we were told that battles were slowed down a bit, but I honestly couldn’t tell. It felt the same to me, and it’s not like this is after a long period of not interacting with the series.

With that in mind, however, being the same from a battle standpoint isn’t a huge problem. It at least means they didn’t make a big change and screw everything up, and after over two decades of consistency, seeing that continue isn’t a surprise at all.

I’m always more interested in the campaign anyway. Creative Assembly hasn't shown off much of that yet, but it promises to be more dynamic than the ones in the past. I’m hopeful. The Total War series has never severely let us down, and Total War: Pharaoh is definitely on the right foot. I’m looking forward to jumping into another co-op campaign sometime later in the year.

The post Total War: Pharaoh is maybe not a huge evolution in the series appeared first on Destructoid.

The developer is undergoing a restructuring

Sega Europe and Relic Entertainment have announced the layoff of 121 employees from Relic.

The press release cites “external factors” and goes on to say that this is part of a restructuring of a wider restructuring of the studio.

https://twitter.com/relicgames/status/1661060864651452416?s=20

Relic Entertainment is based in Canada and has been behind such hits as Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War and Homeworld. Their area of expertise is strategy games, with their most recent title being Company of Heroes 3. While Company of Heroes 3 did well critically, user reception is much worse, with the addition of microtransactions often cited for the negative response. Nonetheless, if missing targets was the reason for the job cuts, Sega hasn’t disclosed anything.

“Relic and SEGA remain fully committed to supporting and investing in our titles, including the recently released Company of Heroes 3. We’re confident that following this necessary restructuring, Relic will be in a position of strength to continue delivering outstanding experiences to players all over the world,” the press release says.

It goes onto say that “Right now our focus is on supporting departing employees in every way we can.” Again, nothing more specific is mentioned.

Layoffs always suck, especially ones of this magnitude. It’s something we, unfortunately, see a lot of in this industry. Hopefully, those affected can quickly find a new home and continue doing what they love. I also hope Relic’s “restructuring” goes well, and we can continue to see more from the studio.

The post Sega and Relic lay off 121 employees at Company of Heroes studio appeared first on Destructoid.

A before the O

Sega has announced the next game in Creative Assembly’s expansive Total War series, Total War: Pharaoh. The announcement comes alongside a teaser trailer and some details about the upcoming title.

Total War: Pharaoh brings the strategy back to history and presents the earliest time period yet depicted by the property. Set during the “cataclysmic” collapse of the bronze age, it places your faction in a race for the throne of Egypt. There are eight faction leaders scattered across Egypt, Canaan, and the Hittite empire.

https://youtu.be/lLlD650ZBFQ

One of the new features of the series is weather effects that shift during the battle, including sandstorms and rain. Fire will also spread, allowing you to flush enemies out of forests or set villages ablaze. The campaign will also be fully customizable, allowing you to randomize faction starting points or toy with the weather systems.

I’m not sure it’s even possible to pry me from Total War: Warhammer 3, but those who love the more historical Total War games should appreciate Total War: Pharaoh. I’ll be honest when I say that I don’t know much about ancient Egypt, and Total War: Shogun 2 was an excellent jumping-off point to learn more about Japanese history. The weather systems sound fantastic, and I look forward to seeing how it affects battles.

Thankfully, it looks like the cooperative campaign mode will return. I put well over 200 hours into Total War: Shogun 2, and a lot of that is due to playing with a friend. Those were swell times.

Total War: Pharaoh is targeting a release of October 2023 on PC. Deluxe and Dynasty editions have been announced, which include some of the upcoming DLC. If you pre-order now you’ll get to take part in an early access weekend.

The post Total War: Pharaoh announced with teaser appeared first on Destructoid.

No Brakes

Crazy Taxi is like a wonderful time capsule. It captures the best part of the ‘00s in perfect stasis: the part that was basically still the late ‘90s. It was a time when we celebrated the identity of being an asshole. Consumerism was both rampant and celebrated. Wait, that all makes it sound awful. Maybe it was, but in kind of a funny way. And although the developers probably didn’t intend it to be, Crazy Taxi encapsulates all of it.

My first experience with the series was Crazy Taxi on the GameCube. Acclaim ported the Sega arcade title right when Nintendo’s first disc-based console was fresh on the shelves. There wasn’t a lot to play at the time, so I wound up playing everything. I have some great memories of playing Crazy Taxi with my mother. One of my favorite arcade experiences was playing the game on an actual sit-down cabinet. I think I got an A Rank. I was rusty.

It’s weird that modern ports of Crazy Taxi are so hard to come by. You can get it on PC, but it doesn’t have the licensed music or the rampant product placement, which actually takes from the experience. The most definitive way to play the games still seems to be back on Xbox with Crazy Taxi 3: High Roller.

[caption id="attachment_380680" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Take me to the Original Levis Store!

While the concept of Crazy Taxi is arcade as heck, only the first Crazy Taxi was truly designed for the format. Crazy Taxi 2 remains exclusive to Dreamcast, and while Crazy Taxi 3 would make it to the arcade, it was first developed for Xbox.

Rather than just be a straight sequel, Crazy Taxi 3: High Roller is more like a definitive edition of the trilogy. New to it is the Glitter Oasis city based off Las Vegas, but it also includes the West Coast area from Crazy Taxi and Small Apple from Crazy Taxi 2. Missing are the console exclusive level from the first Crazy Tax and Around Apple from Crazy Taxi 2. So, not everything is accounted for, but you get the best of the first two games, with a third level added. The “Crazy Hop” from Crazy Taxi 2 is included, and the older two levels are reworked to take into account the new features.

Crazy Taxi 3 also looks a lot slicker than the other console ports. I’m not one to normally comment on a game’s UI, but damn, that’s a nice UI. For some reason, they added reflections to the edges of UI panels, and it just looks neat.

[caption id="attachment_380682" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Yo, I need to get to Flavor Town!

The downside is Glimmer Oasis runs like an eel. At least it does on the strip. It’s kind of weird that it has problems with the one area that is completely new to the game. You get into the city proper, and it begins to chug into slow motion. That would be kind of cool if this was an actual feature, but it’s definitely just the hardware struggling. I guess they just couldn’t stand to turn down the glitz.

Joining the eight drivers from the first two games are a new set of four. They are: Some guy, Bixbite, Mrs. Venus, and Guy Fieri. They actually fit right in with the other obnoxious mix of personalities from the other game.

Initially, the drivers are locked to the maps from the game they appeared in, but if you play through Crazy Box, you can unlock the ability to play them anywhere. Crazy Box is a series of mini-games that teach you advanced skills from the game. They can get pretty intense, pitting you against a tornado or on moving platforms. While they don’t change the fact that the core game is what you’re there for, they can be a fun palate cleanser.

[caption id="attachment_380684" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Are ya ready!?

If you’re unfamiliar with how Crazy Taxi works, your parents and I are both very disappointed in you. Essentially, you play as a cab driver with social anxiety. Rather than take the scenic route to run up the fare, your job is to barrel through traffic and pedestrians to deliver your passenger in seconds, rather than minutes.

It’s a rather bizarre world where someone doesn’t just need to get to Pizza Hut, they need to get there right now, and they care little for the lives of anyone using adjacent sidewalks at that time. It’s constantly chaotic. Your car drives like it runs on Pixie Sticks, and gravity has called in sick. The world’s physics are bouncy, your car is indestructible, and, don’t worry, everyone has really great insurance.

You race against the time to pick up fares and drop them off as expediently as possible. Longer distance passengers (marked by green circles) pay better, but people who just need a lift up the road (red circles) are quicker to pop off and have a greater chance at awarding more time on the clock. Using the standard rules, you need to keep delivering people under schedule to increase the extra seconds you have. It’s like urban Out Run in a smellier car.

[caption id="attachment_380685" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Pizza and fried chicken

Underlying Crazy Taxi 3 is an awesomely repetitive soundtrack by The Offspring, Bad Religion, Brian Setzer, Methods of Mayhem, and Citizen Bird. They’re all generally locked to specific tracks, so Glimmer Oasis has more of a rockabilly soundtrack, whereas West Coast is pop-punk. There are way too few tracks, but the tempo and sound of each one are spot on. Ask anyone who has put in significant time on Crazy Taxi and they’ll tell you that “All I Want” isn’t a song by The Offspring. It’s a song from Crazy Taxi.

Newer ports of any of the Crazy Taxi games tend to omit the licensed soundtrack, as well as the product placement. Product placement is a generally insidious intrusion into a video game, but retrospectively, it’s part of the series’ charm. People in West Coast aren’t going to just “City Restaurant,” they want to go to Pizza Hut. They want to go to KFC. Seeing someone demand quick transit to Tower Records is just something that doesn’t exist anymore, since the chain went bankrupt in 2006. At this point, it’s earnest kitsch, but even at the time, it was really amusing how blatant the product placement was. It's kind of become an inextricable part of the Crazy Taxi series' personality.

[caption id="attachment_380686" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Crazy money

The series didn’t necessarily die after Crazy Taxi 3, but it’s definitely a lot more sporadic. The 2007 PSP release of Crazy Taxi: Fare Wars was technically the last “new” game we got, but even then it was just a compilation of Crazy Taxi 1 and 2. Since then, Sega has been more interested in tapping into the disgusting mobile market with Crazy Taxi: City Rush and Crazy Taxi: Gazillionaire. Just writing that leaves a bad taste on my fingers.

Sega really needs to get their cabs in gear and give us a proper remaster. I’d take a new game, as well, but an updated port of Crazy Taxi 3 would do just fine. Bonus points if they included the missing console cities. 2022’s post-secondary simulator Two Point Campus gives you a Crazy Taxi 3: High Roller arcade machine that you can give to your students. Sega obviously knows that the game exists (or, at least, Two Point Studios does). So, that’s step one down.

For now, I guess Crazy Taxi 3: High Roller is just another reason to keep my Xbox plugged in. It’s perhaps the best way to make some cuh-raaaazy money these days. Yeah… yeah, yeah, yeah… yeah…

For other retro titles you may have missed, click right here!

The post Crazy Taxi 3: High Roller on Xbox proves the series had more gas in the tank appeared first on Destructoid.

Return to the Shatterverse

Some good news for fans of the fun and suitably silly animated series, Sonic Prime — Netflix has confirmed that a new season of episodes will be premiering on the streaming service this July.

Premiering back in December of last year, Sonic Prime sees Sonic the Hedgehog thrust into a multiverse known as the "Shatterverse" whereupon he embarks on a series of adventures with various alt-reality versions of his dopey friends, including Tails, Knuckles, Amy Rose, and Rogue.

The first season of dimension-hopping escapades saw The Blue Blur visiting a futureworld, the prehistoric era, a pirate world, and more. Also featured in the series was an entire cavalcade of Dr. Robotnik variants, which had all formed a council with to take over the entire Shatterverse.

https://twitter.com/sonic_hedgehog/status/1658852487854473217?s=20

Running for eight episodes, the show was considered a hit by the Sonic the Hedgehog community, with critics and fans praising the style, animation, scripting. and voice acting on offer, even if the writing was criticized for being a little trite and repetitive. A co-production of Netflix Animation, WildBrain Studios, and Man of Action Entertainment, a total of 24 episodes were commissioned in all, which suggests the new season will feature a further eight adventures, with the remain eight to be screened later this year.

Sonic Prime Season 2 premieres exclusively on Netflix on July 13. Season One is available to watch now.

The post New season of Sonic Prime comes speeding onto Netflix in July appeared first on Destructoid.

Moar lyke Sonic the Expensivehog, right?

Sega has announced that it might be next in line to move the price-point of its major releases up to $70, following in the footsteps of all other games publishers who have decided making money isn't worth it if you aren't making all the money.

The considerations were noted during a Q&A conference held following the publishing of Sega's latest financial report. Sega Sammy CEO Haruki Satomi and CFO Koichi Fukazawa were asked if the studio planned to follow the lead of publishers such as Electronic Arts, Nintendo, Ubisoft, and Warner Bros. Interactive.

"In the global marketplace, AAA game titles for consoles have been sold at $59.99 for many years, but titles sold at $69.99 have appeared in the last year," noted the duo, in a translation of the meeting provided by VGC. "We would like to review the prices of titles that we believe are commensurate with price increases, while also keeping an eye on market conditions."

Frankly, this foreplay is tiring. $70 price tags are coming, from pretty much all AAA publishers, and to dally around the idea that you're "watching the market" is the same tiptoeing corpo-speak that surround other ideas, such as DLC, NFTs, and other contentious trends that publishers are secretly desperate to utilize. Given the current economical climate, the pricing is rough, but this "Hmm... maybe, we'll have to see" song-and-dance is the real eye-roll-inducing element.

What the shift to $70 gaming — a trend that essentially began in the fall of last year — will mean for the market in the long term is still a little up in the air. But, given the incredible financial success of $70 titles such as Warner Bros.' Hogwarts Legacy, Activision's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, and, most recently, Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, it seems very likely that all major publishers will eventually adopt the model, for its guaranteed sellers at the very least.

Sega suggests it could become the latest publisher to raise game prices to $70 [VGC]

The post Sega is the latest publisher to consider pushing price tag to $70 appeared first on Destructoid.

Running around at the speed of sound!

The quality of The Blue Blur's games might be hit or miss, but one thing that's consistent with the Sonic the Hedgehog series is its outstanding music. Some of the best Sonic songs excite us as blast through each stage at supersonic speed, battle bosses, and gaze at the wonderful visuals surrounding the hedgehog.

From fully vocal tracks like "Escape from the City" to the nostalgic 16-bit themes of "Green Hill Zone," there are practically hundreds of compositions to choose from for this list. And so, chili dog in hand, let's listen to the 10 best Sonic songs in the series' history.

NOTE: These Spotify embeds can be loud! You may want to turn down the volume before hittig play.

10. "Fly in the Freedom" - Sonic Adventure 2

https://open.spotify.com/track/5axenkAeQSXtrKnCvzQOHG?si=3f05367bd6284c2f

I love jazz, and "Fly In The Freedom" is a fantastic theme. Acting as Rouge's character theme, this catchy composition has stunning vocals, a riveting bassline, and an exciting brass section during its middle section. The vibes provided by this piece remind me of Jamiroquai's wonderfully chill '00s tracks like "Virtual Insanity" and "Seven Days In Sunny June." Regardless, the lyrics and overall tone of the track fit the character of Rouge well in Sonic Adventure 2. 

9. "Reach for the Stars" - Sonic Colors

https://open.spotify.com/track/7apcnerZJaEWx3zJNLhWGt?si=066bb35db526477f

"Reach for the Stars" is pure excitement jarred into a song. Whenever you hear this track, you're hyped to play the game. The drum roll encapsulates Sonic's speed, while the playful guitar keeps the song moving forward. The lyrics are uplifting, as Sonic is "not looking back, not giving up, not letting go, and [keeps] on running." If you ever go to a Sonic the Hedgehog concert, every fan would know the lyrics to this track; that's how beloved it is.

8. "Seaside Hill" - Sonic Heroes

https://open.spotify.com/track/05NzLMpI9QMGjSqaE5vUHj?si=709cb185a3aa42c9

Some of the best Sonic songs are purely instrumental pieces, and that is the case with Sonic Heroes' "Seaside Hill." It sounds like a peppy rock anthem with electrifying guitar solos and tasty bass in the background. The drums are also a notable highlight, with the track welcoming you to the game's first stage with its bright energy and upbeat tone.

7. "Endless Possibility" - Sonic Unleashed

https://open.spotify.com/track/6zDCeXPbNqgK5oTpQ6OZfy?si=defff3d89b8b426c

Sonic Unleashed was a new exciting step for the series because of the "Boost" formula. This song helped push this game into the stratosphere with the Sonic fanbase. Its charming lyrics, rocky melody, and overall melody are such a delight to listen to.

This live version, taken from the 30th-anniversary celebration, also includes full orchestral backing, which makes the song even more epic. I love the guitar solo peaking as the track reaches its final minute. I blast this song whenever I feel down in the dumps because it reminds me there are all sorts of possibilities out there in the world.

"I feel so free," is the vibe captured after listening to "Endless Possibility."

6. "Chemical Plant Zone (Act 1)" - Sonic The Hedgehog 2

https://open.spotify.com/track/4tfr03fY5utaTp4FJUcMui?si=5f1b7b27c1554806

I'm sorry in advance, as this Sonic the Hedgehog 2 song will now be stuck in your head for hours, if not days. This jazzy 16-bit piece has so much personality with its horn tones, satisfying deep rhythms, and '90s AF synth drumming. Like so many of Sonic's 16-bit soundtracks, Chemical Plant Zone is a blast from the past and will have you bopping your head to and fro whenever you hear it.

5. "Live & Learn" - Sonic Adventure 2

https://open.spotify.com/track/12xJWY5Dx0OIIZjKTa1UMK?si=2f89791246c94ea1

OH YEAH! Here we go. That guitar riff at the beginning instantly gets you hyped. Just like "Seaside Hill" from Sonic Heroes, the guitar and bass in "Live & Learn" are a phenomenal marriage, and the awesome drums are the Best Man/Woman/Person. They play off each other so well. The vocals have an awesome growl to them as well, giving "Live & Learn" an almost metal edge.

4. "Lights, Camera, Action! - Studiopolis Zone (Act 1)" - Sonic Mania

https://open.spotify.com/track/4aKkhZmKHRqW1mYKI0VTtC?si=7696e7b640724425

It's hard to replicate the classics, but somehow Tee Lopes more than nailed the sound font and atmosphere that the original Sonic the Hedgehog games established, when they composed Sonic Mania. This piece, from Studiopolis boasts an exciting and entertaining melody, with 16-bit style background bass, and some stirring piano. You really get that vibe of glitz and glamour of the zone within the music, as well as some tasty jazz segments.

3. "Spring Yard Zone (Act 1)" - Sonic the Hedgehog

https://open.spotify.com/track/2fOo4HqrkJ2bkZ8iSahXlW?si=a0e6eab4c43f43c0

Jazz music and Sonic the Hedgehog are like curry and fries. You wouldn't think they'd work together, but man, they're simply amazing as a duo. This piece is an absolute jam with a memorable orchestration of the 16-bit sound font.

The "deeper" sound that's often criticized from the Sega Genesis is actually a plus here, providing much character to the song. The major part of the melody is intriguing, featuring a triangle-like chimes that sounds similar to collecting one of the in-game rings. The sparkling nature of the track reflects Spring Yard's "amusement park" vibe, and has ensured it a place in the playlist of many of Sonic fan.

2. "Escape from the City" - Sonic Adventure 2

https://open.spotify.com/track/5nTgzOZGI5zfhUvhXPIrtg?si=c6fa2335e15849eb

Composers Ted Poley and Tony Harnell completely nailed this track, and it's one of the best Sonic songs, period. As Sonic rides a skateboard down the San Francisco-like city with "places to go," this track exudes that '00s punk vibe perfectly. The lyrics are catchy, the instrumentals from the drums and guitar are glorious, and there's even a neat reference to another track ("Live & Learn") in the song.

The singer's vocals are dynamic and excitable, just like Sonic himself, whenever action and danger beckons. This iconic track is not only a great theme for Sonic Adventure 2, but also a trademark identity piece for The Blue Blue himself.

1. "Green Hill Zone (Act 1)" - Sonic The Hedgehog

https://open.spotify.com/track/2ZbJuTlSK9TYokeza42cmR?si=f400b58ca0394a64

This is the song that introduced me to video games. I remember vividly listening to this music, seeing the bright green grass and shimmering blue visuals from the waterfalls of Green Hill Zone. I was enamored by the world on screen. You have my uncle to blame for my interest in gaming ever since. 31 years after the game's release, however, it still strikes a chord with practically every single video game fan around the world.

The composition is gorgeous with wonderful higher-pitched instruments matched with the deep, deep notes of the percussion. The transitions between each major part of the song are also striking as it constantly changes your expectations of what a 16-bit song can be like. This track is like a warm hug from my childhood. It's one of the best Sonic songs ever, instantly recognizable from generation to generation

The post 10 best songs from the Sonic the Hedgehog series, ranked appeared first on Destructoid.

Another studio sees organization efforts pick up

[Update: A spokesperson for Sega of America reached out today, April 26, with a letter sent out to employees this morning from Sega of America president and COO Ian Curran:

We received word yesterday that a petition has been filed with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) by various SOA employees seeking union representation. Union matters are new to me and SOA and we are investigating and considering the options available to the company. As I understand it, the petition filing means that the NLRB will conduct a secret ballot election several weeks down the road for employees who are in specific job classifications to be determined by the NLRB. These employees will be voting for or against union representation.

Some of you may support unionization and some not. That is your legal right. No SOA employee will be treated any differently whether they support or do not support unionization. We have a wonderful culture at SOA with a strong commitment to working together as a team. In my mind, it is the SOA employee culture that makes us such a successful company.

We will be updating you regularly so that you’re fully informed, understand what you can expect and what the NLRB process is about. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Human Resources. We want all of your questions answered.

Our original story follows.]

Workers at the Irvine, California offices for Sega of America are organizing. A new union, dubbed Allied Employees Guild Improving Sega (AEGIS), has filed for a union election with the National Labor Relations Board.

AEGIS is partnering with the Communications Workers of America (CWA), the same organization that's worked with efforts at studios like Blizzard Albany and ZeniMax.

The union consists of 144 employees across Sega of America's QA, localization, live service, marketing, and product development departments. This is notable, as union efforts have often been led by QA departments.

AEGIS workers point out shared issues across departments. The union's statement says that "nearly a third" of Sega's long-time workers still lack full-time status, paid time off, proper training, or bereavement leave.

The union is calling for higher base pay following industry standards, with raises tied to the cost of living and inflation; improved, stable benefits; increased and clear opportunities for advancement; balanced workloads, schedules, and defined responsibilities for all positions; and adequate staffing, to end "patterns" of overwork.

Two workers speaking to The Verge say they have not experienced any anti-union sentiments from management. They're hopeful that Sega of America and its parent company in Japan will voluntarily recognize the union.

We've reached out to Sega of America for comment.

https://twitter.com/takesAEGIS/status/1650546324109152257

Ongoing organization efforts

This marks another push for unionization within the industry, as several studios over the past few years have worked to organize. Several under Activision Blizzard have done so already, though it wasn't always an easy road. The CWA and Activision Blizzard have clashed over unionization a few times already.

Microsoft has even signed a neutrality agreement with the CWA, saying it will take a neutral approach to any employee unionization efforts at Activision Blizzard studios, should the deal go through.

As mentioned before, what makes AEGIS and the Sega situation so interesting is that it's made up of multiple departments, similar to Proletariat, which withdrew its union bid earlier this year.

The post Sega of America workers in Irvine file for a union election [Update] appeared first on Destructoid.

Shut Up and (Mega) Drive

Nintendo has added a handful of Sega Mega Drive/Genesis releases to its ever-expanding retro library, which is available to all Nintendo Switch Online subscribers. The new 16-bit hits are available to download onto your Switch hardware from today.

First up is the Sega Mega Drive port of Capcom's Street Fighter II: Special Champion Edition. Released over a year after the SNES port had dominated the market, Sega's take on the biggest game of the day was a fair port of the coin-op classic, and necessitated the development of the Sega Mega Drive six-button controller for anybody who wanted to play the fighter with any degree of compatibility. While still not a patch on the SNES edition of Street Fighter II Turbo, Mega Drive fans were incredibly grateful to finally receive the Capcom hit on their platform of choice.

The second release in the line-up is another arcade port, albeit one of a much older release. Flicky is the home edition of Sega's own 1984 arcade release, in which a mother bird must gather up all of her chicks and lead them to safety, while staying one step ahead of a sinister kitty cat, as well as dodging various environmental hazards. Flicky was Sega's effort to enter the "dot eating" market, and was loosely designed after Namco's similar hit, Mappy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_oWkNienwo&ab_channel=NintendoofAmerica

The third title is the totally-tubular-dood platformer Kid Chameleon, which was released as a Sega Mega Drive exclusive in the day-glo days of 1992. Players guide rad kid Casey, sucked into a video game world, who must battle through an array of different zones and titles in order to rescue his friends and return to the real world. Upon release, Kid Chameleon was praised for its varied environments and characters, and was considered one of the better-conceived releases of the post-Mario platforming boom.

The final title in the new update is GameFreak's latter-day adventure Pulseman, which launched on Sega Mega Drive in 1994 and only found its way west via the short-lived but pioneering Sega Channel. In Pulseman, players guide a Mega Man-esque "future boy", conceived of a love between a human and an A.I. (no, really). Pulseman is understandably rare, given its limited release, so this Nintendo Online edition will give many players their first chance to check out this anomaly.

All four titles are available to download now for all Nintendo Switch Online subscribers.

The post Nintendo Switch Online adds Sega classics Street Fighter II, Flicky, Pulseman, and Kid Chameleon appeared first on Destructoid.

Sega looking to bolster mobile output

Legendary Japanese publisher Sega has announced that it is looking to acquire Angry Birds developer Rovio in a new deal worth in the region of $776 million USD. The deal has been greenlit by both parties, and is expected to close in the second quarter of the financial year ending March 2024.

Sega hopes that Rovio will work with Sega to bolster the latter's mobile market, designing and developing new software around the publisher's range of iconic IPs, and growing its community outside of its native Japan. Rovio's popular Angry Birds brand is expected to continue under the Sega banner, while its live service platform Beacon will be used to help expand the Sega fan community.

"Among the rapidly growing global gaming market, the mobile gaming market has especially high potential, and it has been SEGA’s long-term goal to accelerate its expansion in this field," said Sega Sammy Group CEO, Haruki Satomi. "I feel blessed to be able to announce such a transaction with Rovio, a company that owns Angry Birds, which is loved across the world, and home to many skilled employees that support the company’s industry-leading mobile game development and operating capabilities."

Rovio CEO Alexandre Pelletier-Normand also spoke of their excitement about the merger.

"Joining Rovio has been an honour and I am proud to have seen Angry Birds continue to grow, as we released new games, series and films," said Pelletier-Normand. "Less known but equally impressive is our industry-leading proprietary technology platform, Beacon, holding 20 years of expertise, allowing tight-knit teams to develop world-class [games-as-a-service] products."

"We are thrilled at the idea of using our expertise and tools to bring even more joy to our players, enhancing and expanding Rovio’s and Sega's vibrant IPs. Combining the strengths of Rovio and Sega presents an incredibly exciting future."

The deal having been greenlit by both parties, Sega is expected to purchase all outstanding shares in Rovio in the foreseeable future, with the purchase expected to close in the second quarter of the financial year ending March 2024.

Sega to acquire Rovio in €706 million deal [GamesIndustry.biz]

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