Sony and Sega are teaming up to skin one beloved icon with the blue spikey exterior of another. According to the pages of PlayStation’s Hong Kong site, costumes for Sonic the Hedgehog, Tails, Knuckles, Werehog and Dr. Eggman will be available in that region on December 17th. We will most likely see them release here in the States as well, but nothing official points to it just yet.

Alright, I guess I should probably share this with you in the event you haven’t seen it plastered all over Digg or Reddit just yet. Thanks to the cool cat providing the narrative, you can now chill, relax, kick back, and watch Sonic The Hedgehog 1 be played on easy.

Consider this you moment of Sonic Zen. Hit the jump.

I published the cinematic intro for Sonic Unleashed a few hours ago, and I’m back with yet more Sonic video to feed your speed addiction — and by speed I mean running really fast. Anyway, here’s a look at some opening dialog between Sonic and Chip, the Hub World area, and the Windmill Isle level which was playable at TGS 08.

I know there are some hardcore Chip haters out there, and while I admit he isn’t needed in terms of gameplay, a game does benefit from character interaction on multiple levels. Does Sonic absolutely need a sidekick? No. Do I think it breaks the game? No.

Overall, I think Sonic Unleashed is shaping up nicely. I was impressed by the title at E3, and I continue to remain impressed. What are your thoughts?

Source: Ruliweb

Sonic Unleashed Image Gallery – Click Here To View

Sega is pulling out all the stops in their upcoming Sonic The Hedgehog next gen title. The Sonic Unleashed cinematic intro looks like it was directed by Michael Bay, packing more high speed chases, explosions, and special effects than Bad Boys, Transformers, and Armageddon combined. Alright, I might be exaggerating a little, but it looks really really good.

Don’t take my word for it — watch the video after the jump.

A day mode featuring classic speed centric Sonic gameplay, a change of pace night mode that transforms Sonic into a Werehog platforming explorer, and now a big budget game intro! Throw it a certificate for a bucket of popcorn and a free car wash and I’m sold!

Afterthought: What do you guys think of the new intro and Sega’s overall attempt to revitalize the speedy blue bastard?

Sega has just sent us over two new trailers for their upcoming Sonic Unleashed title. The next-gen trailer showcases Sonic making his way through both day and night versions of Shamar, a sand filled backdrop, complete with ancient buildings and an Arabian beat.

Those concerned that the music may cause Sonic to suffer the same fate as Sackboy can rest easy. This Middle Eastern number is purely instrumental. No lyrics FTW!

In addition to the next-gen stage, the second trailer highlights two levels for the Wii titled Spagonia (openly influenced by European architecture) and Apatos (one feta cheese crumb away from being Greece).

Grab your tabbouleh and hit the jump for a look at all three stages.

Next-Gen Sonic Unleashed Shamar Stage

Wii Sonic Unleashed Spagonia and Apatos Stages

Bookmark junkies can also add sonic-unleashed.com to their list, as Sega launched the official website today. The site comes with instructions on how to navigate it, and like most guys, I didn’t bother to read them. After a few seconds of fiddling with the giant globe in the center of the screen, I gave up and clicked on the Quick Nav link in the upper left hand corner.

First-quarter results from the industry mainstay posted SEGA at a loss of $963 million.

Despite the brutal blow, consumer growth has gone up 90.6%. However, the company’s current woes can be laid directly at the feet of Sega’s pachinko arcade interests which cost them more than $39 million.

However, Videogame sales have continued to climb for the publisher as Iron Man and Valkyria Chronicles continue to exceed sales expectations in Japan and worldwide.

No word yet from the titular blue hedgehog on the considerable loses of his sugar-momma Sega. Those close Sonic say that he now wishes he hadn’t spent all his money sniffing lines of blow of the ass of Princess Elise.

Source: gamesindustry.biz

Okay, a lame week of game releases. No major titles and what makes it worse is that we were lied to about getting Mega Man 2 on the Virtual Console today, we were also told that Samurai Shodown II and Ys Book I & II were supposed to be released on the Virtual Console as well, but nope.

Oh, but a great week to be a Disney Channel fan, with both The Cheetah Girls: Passport to Stardom and Hannah Montana: Spotlight World Tour. My kid sister would love these games. A lame week indeed.

Pick of the week: Absolutely Nothing

Xbox 360

• Crash Time

PS3

• Monster Madness: Grave Danger

Wii

• King of Clubs
• Little League World Series 2008
• Sonic The Hedgehog- Sega Master System Version(VC)
• Splatterhouse 2- Sega Genesis Version (VC)
• Summer Athletics
• Wild West Guns (WiiWare)

PS2

• B-Boy
• Hannah Montana: Spotlight World Tour

PC

• Baseball Mogul 2009
• Beijing Olympics 2008
• Fate: Undiscovered Realms
• Ford Racing: Off Road
• Wildlife Zoo Deluxe

Mac

• Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties

Nintendo DS

• Grid
• Little League World Series 2008
• Puzzler Collection
• Professor Brainium
• Quick Yoga Training
• Rock Blast

PSP

• International Athletics

I will be packing up for my flight to LA shortly — the place where gamers stick out like Pam Anderson’s boobs on, well, Pam Anderson. I once thought to myself, “I wonder what all the beautiful people here think of us?”, but then I realized I didn’t give a shit.

Anyway, as you can see in the image above, I am leaving the site in very capable hands. He runs fast, but what few people know, is that he types even faster.

Not much to say at this point, but we recently received word that while Sonic Unleashed will not be playable, it will be present at this years E3 as a part of SEGA’s behind closed doors “invite only” access. Fortunately for you, we have been granted access to this event, and plan to report back to you as soon as it concludes.

On a personal note, I am very excited about the potential of Sonic Unleashed, and have been very impressed by what I have seen thus far. If you haven’t taken a look at any of the available footage for this game yet, check out the trailer below. I must issue a warning though, if you are anything like me, you will be whistling the tune from this video for hours — it’s that catchy. You have been warned.

Playing Sonic while listening to your favorite songs (which is actually possible) is the perfect past time when you’re traveling. It is in general an accurate port of the original, with only slight loading between levels.

Sonic was the first game I played, and I played it on the Sega Master System 2. So experiencing this on an iPod would bring back memories. Sadly, I only have a Creative Zen.

US users can download the game at this link.

SEGA is a Japanese company, right? Of course they are…aren’t they? Well, you would be surprised to learn that when SEGA was started in 1940, they were actually from the other side of the pacific.

Born as “Standard Games” in Hawaii, the company would get its start the way a lot of companies did back in wartime America, by entertaining American servicemen. There was a lot of money to be made in that industry, and Standard Games wanted a piece of the pie. So much so in fact, that they changed their name to Service Games in effort to connect better with their new client base.

The coin operated electro mechanical games that they toted would become very popular to the boys in green, keeping “SE”rvice “GA”mes (or SEGA) in the black. SEGA would enter the video game market by producing games such as Frogger, Zaxxon. When the video game market crashed in the 80’s, it affected many companies including SEGA, and would lead to SEGA’s Tokyo assets being bought out by a Japanese conglomerate. Re-titled Sega Enterprises Ltd., the company would buckle down for the video game resurgence of the late 80’s and come out swinging. Sega wanted it all – Arcade as well as console dominance. Some goals would be achieved and others would prove disastrous.

The arcade was the place for new developers to shine, and SEGA built a name for itself over the years. Classics such as Altered Beast, Hang-On, OutRun, and Afterburner would lay a lot of the bricks that would become the foundation for the company’s own console launchers. Golden Axe was another popular entry at the time, and lead to the development of six subsequent games that fleshed out the series. The games were loud, colorful, and addictive – just what young audiences were looking for in their next electronic vice.

SEGA would have a few early pieces of hardware, but its first real entry into the console war was the Sega Master System. Released less than a year after Nintendo’s unbelievably successful Nintendo Entertainment System, the Master System had some tough competition. In order to combat this, Sega created the game Alex Kidd in Miracle World. The game was meant to compete with the great success Nintendo found with its Super Mario Brothers franchise. While the game’s presentation and gameplay were sound (good enough to lead to the creation of a sequel) it wasn’t until five years later, that SEGA would finally give birth to a character able to go toe-to-toe with the mushroom munching plumber.

Sonic the Hedgehog was first introduced in 1991 on both the Sega Genesis and Sega Master System. The games reinvention of the standard platform was evident at first view. Speed was your new best friend, rings were to be collected instead of coins, and loop-de-loops were commonplace. The spiky blue smart mouthed mammal would help SEGA become a major contender in the 16-bit era of gaming, and ended up replacing the tried and true arcade smash Altered Beast as the bundle game for future Genesis consoles.

Sonic would continue his ascension to the video game mascot hall of fame in a blue streaked blur, with TV shows and plush dolls to boot. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 would be released a year later, and prove to be faster and sleeker than its predecessor. A success that would result in it becoming the best selling 16-bit cart of all time. Other games of varying quality would follow, but Sonic’s earlier adventures stand out as his best (including the excellent Sonic the Hedgehog CD for the SEGA CD).

While success in the land of hardware hasn’t favored SEGA in recent years, the company does standout as a game developer. Originality is something that has thrived in SEGA titles. Nights into Dreams, a game that revolved around two 14-year olds entering the dream worlds of Nightopia and Nightmare to battle for both the real world and it’s sleep induced parallel universe, offered new and interesting gameplay mechanics, maintaining a very artistic approach, complemented by whimsical graphics, and sensational storytelling.

Another shinning example of originality was Shenmue, a Dreamcast title directed and produced by the talented Yu Suzuki. The game, told the first part of a layered storyline which followed the path of young martial artist named Ryo Hazuki as he vowed to avenge the murder of his father. As arguably one of the best titles the Dreamcast had to offer, it stood out with richly developed characters, brutal open ranged fistfights, and “quick time event” triggered mini-games. Sadly though, the conclusion to young Ryo’s story may never be known, as SEGA has yet to announce any continuation of the series, as it never became the huge seller the company had envisioned.

While SEGA has had a rocky history, they are a company that maintains their credibility and quality within the gaming community. They continue to churn out Arcade benchmarks in the form of the trigger yanking House of the Dead, and strategic button mashing Virtua Fighter series. Shenmue’s legacy has been maintained with the addition of new franchises, like the totally immersing bruiser, Yakuza. As a company that’s seen a World War, million dollar mergers, and staved off a possible bankruptcy, SEGA knows how to survive.

Armed with exceptional amount of industry knowledge, and a commitment to creating quality games, SEGA continues to stay the course, compass held firmly in hand.

Must Haves:
Shenmue (DC), Sega Genesis Collection (PS2), Virtua Fighter 5 (Multi), Streets of Rage 2 (XBOX Live)

Have Nots:
Sonic the Hedgehog (XBOX 360, PS3)

Top Ten Developer List: 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1

Its official, Smash Bros. Brawl will be entering the U.S. market Feb. 10, 2008.

The announcement came today at Nintendo’s media summit in San Francisco, CA, by vice president of marketing and corporate communications, George Harrison.

According to IGN.com, Harrison mentioned Sonics involvement in the game and the games ability to allow players to share content with each other online and off.

There are still many questions regarding the game that will be answered at the summit. Ripten will keep you updated.