Tag: SEGA

Castle Of Illusion Goes Free For PlayStation Plus Members This Week

PlayStation Plus members have been spoiled this month. First, they got Mercenary Kings and Batman: Arkham City for free, and then Stealth Inc goes free. Now Plus members are getting a remake of one of the better Mickey Mouse games free of charge.

That’s right, this week’s free PlayStation Plus game is Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse. The game is a remake of the classic Sega Genesis title that hit the console in 1990. It’s more than just a simple remake of a 24-year-old title though. It adds a few twists to the core gameplay while completely reworking the boss fights.

Here’s the official synopsis:

Mickey Mouse returns to star in Castle of Illusion, a fantastical re-imagining of the Sega Genesis classic. With all-new HD graphics and gameplay, Castle of Illusion brings Mickey and his world to life in this magical Disney adventure! When the evil witch Mizrabel kidnaps Minnie, it’s up to Mickey to brave the dangers of the Castle of Illusion to rescue Minnie. Gather your courage and traverse enchanted forests, take on hordes of rebellious toys and navigate mazes of living books. Play as Mickey and save Minnie from Mizrabel’s evil clutches!

While previously only a bonus for those who pre-ordered the game, Sony says that those who download the game before April 28 will also get the original Castle of Illusion and a Mizrabel dynamic theme for free.

As always, PlayStation Plus members will be treated to a wide range of discounts this week. Starting Tuesday, PlayStation Plus members will be able to buy many of the LEGO games for PS3 and PS Vita at a discount:

Sony also notes that Street Fighter x Tekken on PS Vita will be dropped from the Instant Game Collection on April 22. If you don’t download it before then, it goes back to its normal price.

Image via PlayStation/YouTube

April 14, 2014
Here’s How Creative Assembly Made The Xenomorph In Alien: Isolation

The xenomorph is the ultimate killing machine. Well, that was the case in the first Alien film before they were reduced to bullet sponges in Aliens and every subsequent media property released in the franchise since then. This all came to a head last year with the disastrous Aliens: Colonial Marines that somehow managed to make the xenomorph look even more pathetic. Creative Assembly wants to fix that.

Earlier this year, Creative Assembly announced they were making Alien: Isolation. The new game takes place between the events of Alien and Aliens and features Ripley’s daughter as the main character. It’s being billed as a survival horror game with just one xenomorph – much like the original film.

While that’s certainly exciting, it might not be that great if the xenomorph is stupid. Thankfully, Creative Assembly seems to know what it’s doing as every encounter with the alien is unscripted. Instead, it will be fully focused on hunting down the player and only reacting to the player’s actions. In other words, the goal is to make sure the player never feels safe.

Alien: Isolation is slated to launch later this year on PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360 and PC.

Image via GamersPrey/YouTube

March 14, 2014
Crazy Taxi Comes To Mobile In City Rush

Crazy Taxi is one of the greatest arcade games ever made. Sega recognizes this, and has milked the franchise over the years with ports to consoles and mobile devices. Now after all the ports – the original creator of Crazy Taxi is back with a brand new title exclusively for mobile devices.

Sega announced this morning that Crazy Taxi: City Rush is coming to iOS and Android devices later this year. The free-to-play title was designed by Crazy Taxi creator Kenji Kanno and developed by Hardlight Studios.

So, how does Crazy Taxi: City Rush stack up to the original? The core gameplay is still the same, but some concessions have been made to better suit mobile devices. For starters, the taxi is now on a somewhat fixed path going at a fixed speed. To turn, you swipe left or right at street corners and you can swipe down to turn around. The game is also mission based so you won’t be picking up random passengers anymore.

Of course, this is a free-to-play game so you’re going to have to deal with the usual pitfalls associated with the genre. Playing the game will cause an energy gauge to deplete and you can’t play anymore once said energy gauge is empty. The gauge does refill over time, but you can buy an instant refill through money earned in-game or through in-app transactions. Like the best free-to-play titles, the game can be completed without having to spend a single cent. If you don’t want to wait, the option is there though.

Despite the revamped control scheme and new mission structure, the game appears to retain the Crazy Taxi spirit. If you still can’t believe it, check out this comparison video from GamesRadar:

While you’re at it, you might want to check out the admittedly humorous trailer from Sega:

Image via Crazy Taxi/YouTube

March 14, 2014
Here’s A Behind The Scenes Look At Sonic Boom

Sega surprised everyone earlier this month when it announced a reboot of Sonic called Sonic Boom. The new game ties into a new CG-animated TV series and toy line that will be produced by Sega’s Western branch. While details on the actual game are still scarce, a new video gives us a look at how the project came together.

First things first – it’s obvious that the team working on Sonic Boom have a deep love and respect for the character of Sonic. For many of them, the original Sonic games were an inspiration when they began to work in the industry. They bring that same love to this project and want to make an action/adventure game that seemingly pulls from older Sonic games like Sonic Adventure 2 as well as Naughty Dog games like Jak and Daxter.

As for the cartoon, the team reveals that they’re writing a consistent narrative that will build upon previous episodes. In other words, Sonic Boom will be more like Sonic SatAM and less like Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog.

Oh, and those worried over Sonic Boom’s direction need not be concerned. Sonic Team reaffirms in the video above that they will continue making modern Sonic games in the vein of Sonic Lost World alongside the Sonic Boom franchise. We can only hope that their next title is more like Sonic Generations instead of the generally awful Lost World.

Image via SegaAmerica/YouTube

February 25, 2014
Sonic The Hedgehog Gets A TV Show, Video Game In 2014

Man, Sonic Lost World was kind of terrible, wasn’t it? It was obvious that Sega missed something in its quest to make Super Sonic Galaxy and ended up moving away from the mostly excellent Sonic Generations. For its next outing, Sega is completely reinventing Sonic again, but in more ways than one.

Starting this year, Sega will be bringing Sonic back to television with a new TV series for Cartoon Network called Sonic Boom. Here’s Sega’s official statement on the series:

The Sonic Boom television series, co-produced by SEGA of America Inc. and OuiDO! Productions, will debut on Cartoon Network in the U.S. and on CANAL J and GULLI in France during the 2014/2015 season. The series is an ensemble comedy consisting of 52 x 11-minute standalone episodes packed full of high-adrenaline action. Every episode starts from a small character-driven story and explodes into an epic tale of saving the world, robot battles and more.

For this new series, all of the characters will be receiving brand new designs:

For a better look at the TV series, here’s a trailer:

Sega is going all in on this Sonic Boom business in 2014 by making a video game based on the TV series. It’s set before the events of the television series and features four playable characters – Sonic, Knuckles, Tails and Amy. They feature the same character designs that you see above.

As for the game itself, it will be developed by Sonic Team and the guys at Red Button Entertainment. Red Button is comprised of ex-Naughty Dog staff that worked on Jak and Daxter so they definitely have experience in crafting platformers. It also happens to be the third game in Sega’s exclusive deal with Nintendo so the game will only be available on the Wii U and 3DS. Here’s the first trailer complete with Skrillex – because that’s what the kids like these days, right?

Images via Sega Blog

February 6, 2014
Here’s Some New Info On Alien: Isolation

Sega surprised nobody yesterday when it announced that it was going to give this Alien game thing another try with Alien: Isolation. Still reeling from the embarrassment and resentment from Colonial Marines, some wondered if Sega should even bother. Well, it seems like the publisher is actually bothering to ship a good game this time.

As reported yesterday, Alien: Isolation is a first-person survival horror game that casts players into the role of Amanda Ripley – daughter of the film series’ protagonist Ellen Ripley. She visits an abandoned space station in search of her mother and comes into contact with a single xenomorph that will be stalking her throughout the game.

The first trailer already instilled some hope that Alien: Isolation would better represent the source material than any Alien game before it. If you’re still skeptical, however, you’ll want to check out PlayStation Access’ inside scoop on some information not yet revealed in either the initial trailer or dev diary:

If you want to see even more Alien: Isolation, PlayStation Access has some exclusive gameplay not seen in the trailer:

Image via PlayStation Access/YouTube

January 8, 2014
Alien: Isolation Will Attempt To Clean Up After Colonial Marines In Late 2014

I think it’s safe to say that Aliens: Colonial Marines was the biggest letdown of 2013. After years of teases and one impressive trailer, the final product was a run of the mill shooter that reduced xenomorphs to cannon fodder. It seemed like all hope was lost for the Alien franchise in video games, but Sega is giving it another go in 2014.

Sega announced today that Creative Assembly, the team behind the super successful Total War RTS franchise, is developing Alien: Isolation for current and next-gen platforms. The game is a first-person survival horror title that tries to capture the feel of Ridley Scott’s original film by having only one xenomorph.

As for the story, the game puts players in the role of Amanda – Ripley’s daughter. She’s searching for her mother and has been sent to a derelict space station after receiving reports that her mother had been sighted there.

Here’s the first gameplay trailer:

Did that just fill you with hope? It sure did for me. I’m a huge fan of the Alien franchise, and I’ve always wanted a game that could match up with the original film. With Alien: Isolation, it seems like the team feels strongly about crafting a game that can match the mood and terror of the original film. Don’t believe me? Here’s a video of the team talking about their vision:

Alien: Isolation will be out in late 2014 for PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One and PC.

Image via Alien: Isolation/YouTube

January 7, 2014
Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed Out Now On iOS

In late 2012, Sega finally showed everybody, including Nintendo, how to make a kart racer with Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed. Now over a year since its launch on consoles and PC, the game is making its way to mobile devices.

Sega announced today that Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed is now available on iOS for $4.99. The mobile port looks to be a complete conversion of the console title with over 75 events for players to engage in. It also includes most of the racers from the original console title with one addition that’s exclusive to the mobile version – Ryo from the legendary Shenmue series.

It should be noted that when played on a mobile device, Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed auto-accelerates the vehicle while you use the touch screen to steer. If that doesn’t do anything for you, you’ll be glad to know that the game supports gamepads on both iOS and Android for those who want a more traditional control scheme.

Before you jump in to the world of Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, you should be aware that the game does have in-app purchases. You’d think the full game would be available to you for $4.99, but Kotaku notes that the initial purchase only unlocks the easy difficulty. You can earn rings and stars in-game to unlock characters and additional difficulties, but the game lets you pay upfront to unlock these from the start. To unlock all difficulties, you’ll have to pony up $9.99 which brings the total cost of the full game to $14.98 – a little pricey for a mobile title.

If you’re on the fence regarding Sonic’s latest kart racer on mobile, check out the trailer below:

Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed is out now on iOS, and Sega says it will be out on Android “very soon.” Most are taking that to mean it will show up on Google Play at some point today.

UPDATE: The game is now available on Android. It doesn’t seem to be compatible with a lot of devices yet though, and many players are complaining about the game being broken. You might want to enter with caution if you’re intending to play this on an Android device.

Image via Sega blog

January 2, 2014
More Sega 3D Classics Highlight This Week’s Nintendo Download

The Nintendo eShop has been getting better and better over the past few months, but there are still those weeks where nothing really exciting comes out. This week happens to be one of those weeks, unless you’re a really big fan of Ecco the Dolphin.

In this week’s Nintendo Download, the third wave of Sega 3D Classics hits the 3DS with Ecco the Dolphin and Galaxy Force II. Like the remakes before them, these new versions are updated with 3D visuals and gameplay enhancements. In particular, Ecco the Dolphin – which is a notoriously hard game – features a new mode where Ecco can’t die thus letting even those who are terrible at the game complete it.

Alongside the release of new Sega 3D Classics, this week’s update also includes the release of Double Dragon on the Wii U and 3DS. The classic beat-em-up helped to inspire an entire genre of video games while the names ~~Bimmy~~ Billy and Jimmy live on in our hearts and minds.

All these classics are certainly appreciated, but is there any new content on Wii U or 3DS this week? Well, RUSH – a 3-year-old PC puzzle game – is finally making its way to Wii U. If you have to experience this classic from Two Tribes, you can pick it up on the Wii U today.

Here’s all the other games hitting the 3DS eShop this week:

AeternoBlade – Demo Version (Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS)
Jump Trials Supreme (Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS)
Life with Horses 3D (Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS)
My Style Studio: Hair Salon (Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS)
Orion’s Odyssey (DSiWare on Nintendo DSi / Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS)

[Image: cubex55/YouTube]

December 12, 2013
Sega 3D Classics Highlight This Week’s Nintendo Download

Soon after the launch of the 3DS, Nintendo began to experiment with the idea of remaking classic NES games in 3D. Only a few were made, but it was pretty cool to see the classic games of our youth pop out on the screen. Now Sega is trying the same thing with its own classic titles from the Sega Genesis.

In this week’s Nintendo Download, Sega will be releasing two more Sega 3D Classics. The two games getting a 3D makeover this week are Sonic the Hedgehog and Altered Beast. While the main attraction is certainly the games being displayed in 3D, Sega has also added a number of other new additions to these titles. For example, Altered Beast now supports local multiplayer and a random transformation mode.

In addition to Sega classics hitting the Nintendo eShop today, the virtual console on both 3DS and Wii U will be treated to a classic title from the NES and SNES respectively. On 3DS, players can try out the final Donkey Kong game for NES – Donkey Kong 3. In this title, players take on the role of Stanley the exterminator as he protects flowers from Donkey Kong. On Wii U, SNES classic The Legend of the Mystical Ninja challenges players to save Princess Yuki.

The “Favorite gaming friends” sale concludes this week with sales on all Donkey Kong titles available on both the 3DS and Wii U. On Wii U, you can get 30 percent off Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Jr. and Donkey Kong 3. On 3DS, you can get 30 percent off Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Jr. and Game & Watch: Donkey Kong Jr.

Here are all the other games coming to the Nintendo eShop this week:
Brilliant Hamsters! (Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS)
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2 (Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS)
Hooked on Bass Fishing (DSiWare on Nintendo DSi / Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS)

December 5, 2013

It’s a bit glorious and immensely nostalgic to witness remnants of the past, looking at relics that once were stationed on our living room rugs – memories of which our youth embellished all products marketed towards us; it was part of childhood. A time unlike now, where controllers were funky and wired, grey cartridges were a standard, TV’s were fat and heavy, and multiplayer meant having friends physically next to you like they were human beings or something. In the 90’s we were unraveling our three foot fruit roll ups, sucking on Capri Suns, unzipping our Jansport backpacks to reveal an extra controller, a rumble pack, or a connecting cord that would allow us to trade our Pokémon.

In 1996, we were spoiled with an embellished catalog from Toys ‘R’ Us. It looked like this:
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Kids (and adults) all over America went to Toys ‘R’ Us lining up behind the kiosks to play Super Mario 64. Back then, you’d make your way to the video game section and see rows of little clear plastic pouches filled with yellow slips. Above the yellows lips were flaps that laminated the front cover of the video games we were interested in. On the back, there were screenshots, details and a description of the game. Sometimes, as if experiencing a lottery, you’d pick the last slip. You’d then take that slip and give it to the cashier who would staple a receipt on it after you paid $59.99 for it. Afterwards, you walked to some magical corner of Toys ‘R’ Us where a man behind a glass case would hand you your game. Inside this magical hut were stacks upon stacks of video games, all sealed and minty fresh. In fact, it looked like the whole room was built with videogames.

This picture does the yellow slip memory no justice, but the concept is the same:

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To this day, you still have fans everywhere discussing which console was the best back then.

N64 was known for its star entourage of first party platformers, alongside accessories like the RumblePak which made you “feel the game”. Goldeneye 64, much like Doom before it, (l’est we forget Maze War) set a standard for the shooter genre that we see so overly manufactured and produced today.

PlayStation had an immense library of 2,418 games that came in CD form. Many games contained full motion videos (FMVs) which provided a cinematic experience. Roleplaying games (RPGS) were groundbreaking. The PlayStation’s startup sound was that of heavenly ascension.

Witness the beautiful, dark and ominous high production value of commercials for video games back then. It was Y2K that entertained the doomsday idea of the world ending, which only made our hearts heavier when it actually happened the following year:

Curious of what Sony’s E3 booth looked like in 1996? The PlayStation was the first console that shipped 100 million units worldwide:

Marketing was rather creative, there was always some sense of competition among our favorite video game companies, and seeing them in real life was really out of this world: