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?

The world of Sonic is a world of fast platforming and loop-de-loops. So how well does it fare when inserted into the RPG mould? Can BioWare break the current trend of Sonic games and make something good? Hit the jump for the full review.

RPGs tend to be where you find the legendary stories. Their format allows for complex character development as well as epic quests, able to keep you on edge for dozens, even hundreds of hours. It’s something BioWare seems to have missed when developing Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood. It may well be that the game is simply targeted towards a younger audience, or perhaps the source material wasn’t the best for narrative, but either way I was a little disappointed in the lack of depth.

Eggman has been defeated, Knuckles got kidnapped and there are some new enemies called The Mauraders causing trouble all across the land by stealing the Chaos Emeralds. That’s all you need to know about the story. Things do keep moving steadily, and you will find a few pleasant and inoffensive plot twists, but nothing truly ground breaking or engrossing.

Most of the game is played through the overworld, entering your standard RPG arena for combat. One annoyance with the game that is instantly apparent is the use of the stylus. You have no options on how to control your characters. While moving around the overworld, the d-pad does nothing, and you have to click where you want to go. Why you couldn’t have used both the stylus and d-pad is beyond me, and lead to a rather uncomfortable first few hours until I got used to it.

Each area provides you with some key objectives, as well as several (often diverse) side quests. Each rewards you with an item or two, as well as the accompanying experience. Some quests take the form of puzzles, which require people standing in specific places, or the use of a specific party member’s special ability.

Whilst attempting any mission, your objectives are always clearly labeled and the map has helpful stars indicating where you need to go. Often these locations can only be reached after passing an obstacle needing a specific skill. Your party consists of a maximum of four characters from an ever increasing group. Large gaps, for example, can be flown over by Tails, and boxes can be smashed by Amy’s hammer.

All these actions are accomplished through a rather mundane clicking of an icon which appears when you are next to an obstacle. It’s the same method you use to interact with people and other objects, unless they are proximity activated, such as the enemies.

Thankfully missing are random encounters, replaced with often avoidable over world creatures. Once in combat, the game takes a classic RPG turn-based approach. Characters take turns attacking and you are given the choice to attack a specific target, defend, or use a POW move. POW moves use up valuable POW Points (PP) and range in what effect they have. Some are powerful moves, while others identify key weaknesses or distract an enemy.

Each POW move uses a series of onscreen, stylus-controlled quick time events very similar to the ones found in Elite Beat Agents. Your accuracy determines just how effective an attack is. A similar system is also used when the enemy is attempting a special attack. If you hit all the right places at just the right time, you can cause an opponents attack to completely miss.

These quick time events do help break up the combat, which can become rather drawn out in places. Often times the combat feels tedious as amount of damage done can be negligible some rounds. Especially early on, you can find your characters missing a surprisingly large number of moves. It’s not uncommon for an entire round to pass, and to have 75% of your attacks miss.

The combat is further extended by the enemy’s annoying habit of occasionally fleeing. This pauses the battle and creates a side scrolling chase sequence. Each of your party members have their own lane and as the chase progresses, things are placed in the way which you have to jump over by clicking on your character. Failure to click in time results in you losing ground on the enemy. If you hit too many objects, the enemies get away. Catching up again simply drops you back in the combat, with an extra round of attacks on your behalf.

For the most part enemies will be easily (if monotonously) defeated, but occasionally some rather odd balancing issues crop up. Some minibosses will either miss you completely, or are able to KO you within a single round. When you’re used to most enemies doing almost negligible damage, it can seem rather frustrating and can result in several annoying reattempts.

The musical score sounds like classic Sonic, which is greatly appreciated, and the sound effects are passable. The game looks good too– there are a few pre-rendered scenes which add a nice touch, and character models are on par with the quality of the DS. Sprites are nicely drawn, and environments are pleasantly varied. Though if any of that last paragraph changed your opinion on Sonic Chronicles, you probably don’t play a lot of RPGs.

If you’re not an RPG player, but do like Sonic, then this game will likely appeal to you and I would recommend buying it. However, if you are looking for an RPG experience to sink hundreds of hours into, this game isn’t for you. A weak story and lack of depth in combat will definitely hurt the experience for veteran RPG players.

Overall, I would have to say it is an average RPG, aimed at those more a fan of Sonic than the genre. Sonic Chronicles is worth the money if you like blue hedgehogs, but worth a rent at best otherwise.

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.

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.

The first ever Sonic convention is to be held this summer in London, UK. The event will combine the efforts of the two largest Sonic fan sites; The Sonic Stadium and Sonic Wrecks, with support from Sega Europe.

Taking place on Saturday the 9th of August, Sega have said that the event will have “competitions for big prizes, interactions, special guests” as well as a chance to play the upcoming Sonic Chronicles a good two months before it’s released.

Summer of whaaaa? Yes, SEGA has teamed up to give some backing to a fan venture for the first full on Sonic Convention which will be taking place in London on Saturday August 9th. It’s a creation of the Sonic online fan base and its arguably two most involved websites The Sonic Stadium and Sonic Wrecks – whilst we’re still confirming details, the event is scheduled to have competitions for big prizes, interactions, special guests (tbc) and the chance to look at how Sonic as a brand has diversified over the years and the output of both fans and the company behind the gaming icon. There’ll also be some surprises in store, Sonic in attendance and the chance to get a play on Sonic Chronicles a good couple of months before it comes out. Anybody intending to come will need to register their interest on the website. Find out more details at http://www.summerofsonic.com.

If you fancy spending a day running round with blue face paint on (if they don’t have blue face paint, I’m going to cry), make sure to get yourself registered with the Summer of Sonic website and we’ll see you there.

Can Marcus Fenix roadie run his way through a bullet blazing, one liner laden, no holds barred battle with the one and only Duke Nukem? Will Metal Gear’s main man Snake slither his way to victory against the Splinter Cells triclops, Sam Fisher? Metriod’s Samus Aran, or the combat evolved Master Chief? The king of cold: Sub Zero or the queen of hot: Lara Croft?

We here at ripten have been working for over two months, researching, arguing, and eating lots of junk food, all in the name of bringing you an accurate account of each characters quest for video game immortality. The results are in and over the coming weeks, you will lay witness to five rounds of sword swinging, scope sniping, chainsaw buzzing intense action.

Below you will find division one of the first round match ups, division two will be up tomorrow. We would love to hear your comments on how you think things should go down and who you would like to see win it all.

DIVSION ONE

Update: June 4th, 2007

Hello everyone,

Division One has changed slightly based on the feedback we received from readers. Lara Croft will now be facing off against “Pitfall Harry” and Ryu of Ninja Gaiden fame will be swinging his sword against Mr. Joe Shinobi.

We thank you for the feedback! To see the division two matchups click here. Check back tomorrow for matchups to start posting to the site in comic book page format featuring the artwork of various artists!

Thanks,
Mad Gamer

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