Sonic to have his own rollercoaster at Alton Towers

It has been confirmed today that Sonic will have his own rollercoaster at Alton Towers. An existing ride, called the Spinball Whizzer, is to be re-themed in a Sonic style.

Here is what TowersTimes has to say:

"Rumours of a Spinball Whizzer retheme for 2010 first surfaced several months ago, but now TowersTimes are able to confirm that these rumours are true.

The resort information packs in the Hotel bedrooms have been updated already, ahead of the new season, and a small promo shot of a Spinball Whizzer car has a Sonic the Hedgehog logo on the side. This would appear to confirm the plans for the ride which is due to open in February."

The ride has been rumoured to be renamed "Sonic Spinball", a reference to his 1993 game of the same name. A new colour scheme for the ride is already in the process of being applied.

The ride's new dark blue supports.

It is likely that the ride will open to coïncide with the release of Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing, which has a release date of February/March.

Still no confirmation for when Sega will re-open SegaWorld - perhaps to coïnicide with the launch of the Dreamcast 2?

[Source: TowersTimes and forums]

09/09/09 - Sonic's long-awaited return

Hello everyone! This is my first post since June when I suspended the blog. I said in the comments section of my "final" post that I would occasionally come back whenever something interesting happens. Well today (UK time), on the 10th Anniversary of the Dreamcast's North American launch, Sega announced what old-school Sonic fans have been waiting to hear for a very long time.

In an interview on GameSpot, Sega's brand manager Ken Ballough announced a new 2D/HD Sonic game, with the working title Project Needlemouse.

"Old-school Sonic fans have long asked to see Sonic return to a more 2D style of gameplay. Many liked the daytime stages in Unleashed, but wanted to see a game that plays purely similar to the early games of the Genesis. Project Needlemouse is that critical first step that brings Sonic back to his 2D roots."

A trailer has also been released, stating "Speed returns, in an all new 2D adventure built from the ground up". This confirms the game will not be running on the Hedgehog Engine or be a remake of a previous title.

On the subject of visuals, Ballough said "You can definitely expect HD graphics". He did not confirm whether or not they would be 3D graphics on a 2D plane (as in Sonic Rivals), 3D models on a 2D background (as in Sonic Rush), or 2D sprites on a 3D background (like Namco's Klonoa). From the art that has been released, it looks unlikely that the game will be fully 2D.


The artwork released was found on the teaser website, with the filename "concept_art_snapshot.jpg". It looks to be based on Green Hill Zone, and has been rendered in 3D.

The game is set for release in 2010 on (probably) PS3, Xbox 360 and PC. I can hardly wait.


[Source: GameSpot via Kotaku]

P.S. Remember to check back here every few weeks or months - I will still occasionally post updates on major Sega events (such as this), and my time studying Games Design (which starts next week - ARGH!).

EDIT: The teaser site, containing the "concept art", is fake. This means the graphics may not be in 3D, and use one of the combinations posted above. I personally hope for 2D hand-drawn graphics, with layers upon layers of glorious parallax!

Happy 18th Birthday Sonic!

Today is Sonic's 18th Birthday - it was 18 years ago today that Sonic the Hedgehog was released on the Mega Drive in North America and Europe. The Japanese release was a month later, with added parallax and raster effects.

Sonic showed everyone what the Mega Drive could do, and what the NES couldn't. He was part of the reason Sega dominated the generation in Europe, and challenged Nintendo's rule in the rest of the world.

Despite some terrible games in the last decade, Sonic has remained a household name. At one point in the Nineties he was more well-known among children that Mickey Mouse! He was also the first video game character to appear in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, a feat only replicated by Pikachu.

To think it was nearly 15 years ago that I first played Sonic 2 on the Mega Drive - I still own both the game and the console. Sonic Adventure 2 was the reason I bought a GameCube back in 2002 (sorry Dreamcast!).

Hopefully Sonic will still be around in another 18 years, with a return to form in his games. More 2D sidescrollers please Sega (and a new console whilst you're at it)!

More Tamagotchi Park info

Slightly edited growth chart for the Segagotchi eggs.

I found some more information regarding the Saturn Tamagotchi game Sega Saturn de Hakken!! Tamagotchi Park, which featured cameos from many Sega characters.

One interesting point is that only certain eggs can become Sega characters, rather than one egg becoming any character (like the keychain pets). These "Segagotchi" eggs all have characters based on Sega hardware and franchises.

The baby and child characters are Master System cards, the teenage characters are a Saturn disc and a Mega Drive cartridge, and the adult characters are based on Opa Opa, Pengo, Flicky, Alex Kidd, and Sonic.

The games you can play include a food-eating contest (does Sonic eat chilli dogs?) and a Chao-style race, where you can cheer your pet on to make it faster.

The game as a whole sounds fun. If only Bandai would release Segagotchi in keychain form - that would be excellent!

[Source: WarOmnimon from Tama-Zone]

Sonic appeared in Saturn Tamagotchi game

A while ago I posted information on a Sega Toys-produced virtual pet toy. Recently I discovered that Sonic himself appeared in a Tamagotchi game, published by Bandai in 1998.

The game, entitled Sega Saturn de Hakken!! Tamagotchi Park ("de Hakken" meaning "discovered in"), had some hidden Sega characters that your pet could turn into, among them Sonic and Alex Kidd. "Sonikkutchi" could be fed, played with and given medicine, and would sleep in a ball at night. Awww.


Sonicology says that Sonikkutchi was the best character, a spot usually filled by Mametchi and Mimitchi (yes, I'm a Tamagotchi freak). I'm not sure how good of a character Arekutchi (Alex Kidd) was, however.


Sonic has certainly appeared in some weird places. It's a shame how often he cameos with Mario nowadays, though. It would have been unthinkable back in the Nineties!

[Source: Random Japanese Sonic Site and Act Select]

Sonic characters' name etymologies are interesting

Probably not where Robotnik's name came from...

An interesting blog called "Back of the Cereal Box" has posted a history of game characters' name etymologies. It includes explanations of names in the Zelda, Mario and Street Fighter series, as well as the Sonic series.

Most of the etymologies are fairly well-known in the Sonic community, but make an interesting read nonetheless:

"Robotnik happens to mean worker in Polish and peasant in Czech. Robotnik was even the name of the newspaper of the Polish Socialist Party. Is Sonic, then, crusading against socialism? Probably not. Robotnik comes from the same origins as the word robot, and the Sonic villain should be known for robot creation if nothing else. Today, Robotnik goes by the far less cool name Doctor Eggman, in apparent reference to his rotund physique. By the way, on the subject of the character’s appearance, his looks — including his trademark moustache — were inspired by Teddy Roosevelt.

Similarly, Sonic’s sidekick Tails has two names as well — the one everyone knows and his “real” name, Miles Prower. It might seem like a useless footnote, but it brings the added benefit of being a pun on the phrase miles per hour. (Ha.) It should probably be noted that joke would make a lot more sense if Tails was known for his ability to run quickly instead of uselessly flying about with an anatomically anomalous helicopter tail.

The majority of Sonic characters aren’t of much use for this article as their names are straightforward. (Knuckles the Echidna, for example, is an echidna who has pointy knuckles. Brilliant.) There are, however, two characters that time has essentially forgotten, Ray the Flying Squirrel and Mighty the Armadillo, that I think deserve a mention. Both debuted in an arcade game, SegaSonic the Hedgehog, that allowed players to control Sonic, Ray and Mighty with a trackball and a single jump button. The three moved identically.

Despite what their names might imply, Ray could not fly and Mighty was not especially powerful. Lame, I know. And I think Sega did too, as Ray never appeared again and Mighty appeared only once more. However, latter-day Sonic games such as Sonic Heroes frequently feature characters grouped into threes — one that can move fast, one that can fly, and one especially that is strong. If you think about it, these three attributes are reflected in the names of the leads in SegaSonic the Hedgehog. In the sense of sunlight, a ray is an airborne thing, while the associations with the word mighty are obvious. In this sense, SegaSonic the Hedgehog’s take on the three-man team could be seen as a precursor to what appeared in these later games.

Two other quick ones: A few Sonic games feature a ninja chameleon named Espio and I only recently realized that the reference to the word espionage makes the name the most appropriate one ever for a ninja chameleon.

Sega jumped on the fighting game craze in 1996 with Sonic the Fighters, which had the various Sonic characters kicking the crap out of each other for no apparent reason. The cast included a character whose name bucks the pattern of “name + the + animal species” — a bomb-tossing duck saddled with the baffler Bean the Dynamite. The odd name references the lesser known Sega title Dynamite Düx, which starred ducks named Bin and Pin who also specialized in explosive devices."

I never realised that Espio was short for "espionage", and that Sonic Heroes may have been based on SegaSonic the Hedgehog. Weird. Anyway, aside from Sonic, there is an entry on Golden Axe:

"Ax Battler is one of the three playable characters in Sega’s sword-slinging beat-’em-up Golden Axe, the other two being Red Sonja rip-off Tyris Flare and feisty dwarf Gillius Thunderhead, the latter of which himself has a pretty terrific name. Upon hearing the name Ax Battler, you might think the name is actually a description of the character. It’s not. You might also think he’d be the one of the three characters who fights with an axe — if not the very axe referenced in the game’s title. Nope again. Mr. Battler carries a sword; it’s Mr. Thunderhead who carries the axe. Finally, there’s the strangeness in the fact that the game officially spells the character’s name Ax — that is, without the “E” at the end. Now ax is an acceptable spelling of the word more commonly represented as axe, but the fact that both would feature in the game so prominently is just stupid. Even worse: a later spin-off that focused specifically on Ax at the exclusion of Tyris and Gillius awkwardly included both spellings in the same title: Ax Battler: A Legend of Golden Axe. Fortunately, this title is now remembered as little more than a rip-off of Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, even down to the structure of the title. Sequels Golden Axe: Revenge of Death Adder and Golden Axe III replace Ax with clones with equally awkward names: Stern Blade and Kain Grinder, respectively."

Ax Battler is almost as cool as Captain Ace Gunn and Major Rock Hardy from Xybots. Why aren't characters named so ridiculously now?

[Source: Back of the Cereal Box via Kotaku]

More Sonic 18th Birthday tat

Last week I reported how Sega Japan are giving away prizes in celebration of Sonic's 18th Birthday. Well, the competition is still open, but you can also download some free stuff for your phone!


Birthday-themed wallpaper is available for download, which unfortunately has a large watermark on. You'll have to go on the WAP site to download them properly, where I would personally opt for Sonic holding the doughnut cake with Iced Gems around it.


Perhaps not in celebration of Sonic's birthday on Tuesday, but still good anyway, is this newly-released Sonic raincoat. The coat has a nice varsity-style Sonic print on it, front and back. It will cost you ¥4,935 (about £30), which is actually quite good in comparison to the outrageously-priced Enterbrain Sega products.


Other items available, which are made by Cospa, include a "Stay Sonic" t-shirt (¥3,045/£20), those indie cushions (¥2,625/£16.55) and bandanas (¥1,260/£8) I mentioned a few months ago, a reversible Sonic/Werehog top (¥4,200/£26), and various other Sonic t-shirts for ¥3,045 each.

If only I lived in Japan - the amount of Sega-themed tat I would own!

[Source: Sonic Channel]

Some horrific Sonic merchandise for you

Browsing Sega Europe's Flickr I came across some highly disturbing pieces of merchandise. One a novelty controller, the other a novelty comic.


The first item is a PS2 controller released alongside the abomination that was Shadow the Hedgehog. Created exclusively for 13-year-old emos, you too can HOLD Shadow whilst CONTROLLING him on the screen! Oh joy. At least it comes in a nice plastic orb.

Argh! Tails has TOES!

The next item is a comic with the inevitable "kids" theme. Yes, even Sonic has undergone this treatment, along with Scooby Doo and the Muppets. You can read about his non-canon adventures (where he and Tails apparently went to pre-school together) in "Sonic Kids", an Archie Super Sonic Special. No thanks.

Remember to keep checking Sega's Flickrs, as you never know what horrific merchandise from yesteryear will pop up!

Sonic joke book is Green Hill-arious

There is an interesting discussion over on Sonic Retro about Sonic books from back in the day. The UK got its fair share of weird titles, including a Sonic-themed joke book (which is available to download in the thread).

Here is a selection of some of the jokes, for your delight and delectation:

"Why doesn't Tails wear a watch? Because time flies on its own!"

"Can Robotnik eat soup with a big moustache? Yes, but it's easier with a spoon!"

"When my Mobian Measles get better? I don't know - I don't make rash promises!"

Each joke is accompanied by a humorous (and highly exploitable) image, some more questionable than others:

Remember kids: just say no!

I'll let you decide what the horse is trying to do here.

Unfortunately books with this high calibre are not produced anymore. You'll have to settle with these Archie compilations instead, the newest of which is released on August 5th.

[Source: Sonic Retro]

Sega Japan giving away prizes for Sonic's 18th Birthday!

On June 23rd, Sonic will be celebrating his 18th Birthday. To mark this occasion, Sega Japan are giving away prizes to 300 lucky people.


To be in with a chance of winning, you must sign up to the "PuyoPuyo!Sega" mobile site and complete a quiz. 200 people with all the correct answers will win a Sonic mobile charm, and another 100 will win a Sonic hand towel. The designs are in the style of Sonic's concept drawings.


Of course, these rules have been translated and so may be incorrect. It is also impossible to access the site at the moment (it may be mobile only), so you cannot enter yet! Not that you could anyway, as the competition is limited to Japan residents only.

Both prizes look absolutely delicious - the mobile charm doubles as a screen cleaner, and I suppose you could use the towel for the same purpose. If you're weird.


In other news, Uniqlo have just released some more Sonic t-shirts. The latest designs feature Sonic circa 1999, with only his gloves and socks visible. Many other Sega-related t-shirts can be bought as well off the website.

[Source: Sonic Channel]

Sonic Unleashed mobile trailer released

A trailer for the mobile version of Sonic Unleashed was released yesterday at E3. The game is being ported to mobile phones by Gameloft, a Paris-based company founded by the owners of Ubisoft.

The game is completely 2D; even the free-roaming werehog stages are side-scrolling. The graphics are quite impressive, and are in a similar style to Sonic Rush. Unfortunately, probably due to the limitations of mobile phones, there are no parallax effects.

The game has an expected release date of this month in PAL regions. At the moment it looks very promising - perhaps an enhanced console version could be released in the future!

You can view the trailer below. See some screenshots of the game here.

[Source: IGN]

Gameplay video of Seaside Hill released

A gameplay video for the Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing circuit Seaside Hill has been released on GameTrailers. We have previously seen a video of the Billy Hatcher circuit, but this is one of the first of Seaside Hill, which featured in the original announcement screenshots.

The game refers to the track as "Forgotten Falls", but the game's announcer clearly says "it's race time from the sunny home of racing, Seaside Hill!". The announcer can be heard throughout the race, commentating on the events à la Sonic Riders. The track features classic Sonic enemies such as Crabmeat and Choppers from Green Hill Zone, and placeholder (I hope) Crush 40 music.

The developer in the video says that the final game will have "over 20" power-ups and "over 20" characters. He says we will be "pleasantly surprised" with the final character line-up, which goes back to some of Sega's classic franchises. There will also be "over 20" environments with a lot of variety.

All of the unique vehicles the characters drive have different statistics, for example flying characters (Tails and Eggman) will not be affected by grass unlike the characters closer to the ground. Each character has their own taunts and moves, much like Power Drift, with some people spotting Sonic apparently giving "the finger" or doing a Michael Jackson grab (!).

Boosts can be triggered by the shoe power-up, speed pads and doing tricks in the air. "Star Moves" allow the characters to speed up - we have previously seen Sonic turning into his Super form, and AiAi speeding in his Monkey Ball in this particular video.

The developer says some surprises will be announced over the coming months, with no hints as to what those could be. Forklifts? Maybe.

More All-Stars Racing info emerges

Thanks to E3, a lot more information has emerged concerning the upcoming kart game Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing. More screenshots have been released, as well as a gameplay video.

The confirmed characters so far, according to Wikipedia, are:

• Sonic
  
• Tails
• Eggman
• Amy
• Shadow
• Big
• AiAi
• Amigo
• Ulala
• Billy Hatcher
• NiGHTS

In the screenshots we have seen Shadow, who is riding his motorbike; and Big, who is riding a tiny bicycle. Ulala, Billy Hatcher and NiGHTS are yet to be seen.

Joining the Seaside Hill circuit is a Billy Hatcher-themed ice level, complete with giant eggs. The tracks seem rather large with multiple routes, shortcuts and jumps. The gameplay video showed drifting and banked turns.

Also seen in the gameplay video was Sonic's "Star Move", where he turned into Super Sonic and sped towards pole position. Each character will have their own signature move relevant to them, such as Amy's Piko-Piko Hammer, and Shadow will probably "Chaos Control" to the front.

Power-ups seen in the video were speed shoes, shields, fish missiles (?), mines, and Chaos Emeralds (which trigger a "Star Move").

Aside from the E3 discoveries, many people in the community were concerned that the game would be download-only on the PS3, due to being listed only for PlayStation Network on the official website. This has now been changed to just PlayStation 3, and the PSN logo has been removed from the bottom of the page. It can probably be assumed that the game will come out on disc after all.

Hopefully more gameplay videos will surface from E3, as well as more character and circuit confirmations! Anyway, below is the gameplay video courtesy of GameKyo. See the new screenshots over on TSSZNews.

Sega Rage Guy #3

Another "no news" day, another Sega Rage Guy! I decided to theme this one on the announcement of Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing, and the general reaction of the internet.

Most people were horrified at the prospect of a "Sega Kart" game, but thrown in Richard Jacques, Sumo Digital and forklifts and you've got a Day One purchase!

Click to enlarge.

I'm pretty sure Ulala in the bottom-left picture reads my blog. Anyway, I'm genuinely excited about this game, and I hope it turns out to be excellent. Perhaps everything will go better than expected!

[Source Pictures: SEGAtastic and UK:Resistance]

Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing announced

Sega have just announced their latest game, which will be entitled Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing. It has a release date of early 2010, and will be available on the PS3, Xbox 360, Wii and DS.

The game will be the latest installment of the Stars series, which includes Sega Superstars and Sega Superstars Tennis. It seems the series has been renamed to include Sonic in the title, perhaps to make it more clear that everyone's favourite hedgehog is present.

Expect loops and corkscrews aplenty!

The title explains the basic premise of the game - cartoon racing with Sega's most well-known characters. Here is the official press release:

"SEGA Europe Ltd. and SEGA America, Inc., today announced Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing, a fast and furious battle to the finish line in this supercharged racer. Developed for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system, PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system, the home video game system, Wii and the Nintendo DS system, Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing will speed into stores in early 2010.

In a frantic battle to the chequered flag, Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing sees Sonic and friends speed around tracks set in mediaeval castle ramparts, lush rainforests and bustling cities, all taken from the visually rich and varied universes of Sonic and SEGA. Fan favourites such as Dr. Eggman, Tails, AiAi, Amigo and many more will join Sonic in their custom built vehicles, revving their engines and jostling to stay ahead of the pack. Each character will race around the track in cars, planes, motorbikes, and in AiAi's case - a banana mobile! Secret short cuts, swift handling and avoiding strategically placed obstacles are certainly the best way to get to the top of the podium.

"Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing is no ordinary racing game. Its huge variety of characters and vehicles, plus the ability to play both online and off set it apart from other games of this type" commented Gary Knight European Marketing Director, SEGA Europe Ltd. "The team have pushed the boundaries on what you would normally expect and created a different and unique party racing title whereby you really can't take anything for granted!"

And winning is only part of the fun in Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing! Each character has a specific All Star move such as Super Sonic, Banana Blitz and Tails Tornado, allowing a quick way for competitors to get back into the race! Power ups and weapons can also be collected around the tracks and used against the opposition to ensure they don't become a threat to that number one position... Players can battle it out in single or multiplayer mode, allowing up to four friends to race in frantic split-screen action, or up to eight players to compete online in the ultimate racing showdown."

A new Sega game was expected to be announced tomorrow, but it has instead been brought forward one day. The title was said to be no "huge surprise", but I certainly couldn't have predicted this. I am actually glad - I've always wanted another Sonic racer!

Sega say there will be no new announcements at E3 next week, so this is the only surprise we'll get for the time being. Anyway, you can see the trailer for All-Stars Racing here:



[Source: C+VG]

Sonic 1 remade in 3D by fans

Yes, you read the headline correctly, but unfortunately it is not what it seems. Someone on YouTube has uploaded a video that appears to be a preview for a fanmade 3D remake of Sonic 1, but it is in fact just a CG movie.

The video is entitled "Sonic HD", and looks as though it was based on that "real life" Sonic fanart from last year. Both the video and the picture have the same mistakes, such as enemies from Emerald Hill rather than Green Hill. Exclusive to the video, however, is the "lost rings" noise whenever you collect rings.

"Real life" Green Hill Zone.

The graphics are rather impressive, until Sonic appears on the screen. It is quite possibly the worst Sonic model I have ever seen, and is even uglier than the Sonic Heroes render. He should join that list of "Gormless Sonics" I posted a while back.

ARGH!

Here is a translation of the video's description, courtesy of Sonic Retro:

"Video TEASER of a make-believe HD Sonic game created by fans of the blue hedgehog. What do you think?"

Judging by the comments, people don't think it is very good:

"Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha"

"That Sonic is giving me nightmares."

"You... really need a better model for Sonic."

It looks like the only way you'll ever be able to play Green Hill in 3D is by unlocking it in Sonic Adventure 2. Oh well...



[Source: Sonic Retro]

Sonic mobile screensaver now available on more models

Here's some useless information for you if you don't happen to own a Japanese mobile phone, but Sega's Sonic screensaver is now available on many more models.

First announced back in April, the Sonic screensaver is designed to be like a virtual pet, reacting when you get a message or phone call. Sonic does many different things on the screen to keep you entertained.

The screensaver is completely free, and is now available on the following obscure phones:

• P001
• T001
• SH001
• H001
• S001
• W63CA
• W63H
• Premier 3
• CA001
• W64SH
• W65T

The screensaver is probably in Java or Flash format, so it may be compatible on Western phones. I have no idea how or where you would download it, however!

New screenshots were also released, viewable above.

[Source: Sonic Channel]

Sonic cameos in Jazz Jackrabbit

This is probably ancient news in the Sonic community, dating back to 1994, but I'll post it to inform those who did not know about this. I discovered it for myself today when I bought the game!

Back in the days when furry platformers were the number one genre, it was hard to escape comparisons with Sonic the Hedgehog. Jazz Jackrabbit for the PC was one of these games, despite managing to set itself apart from the rest and amass a cult following.

It seems Epic, the developers of the game, were fully aware of this - the hedgehog himself makes a cameo in the game's instruction book! Referring to the fact that he carries a gun, unlike most other furry mascots, Jazz complains that in video games enemies only need to be jumped on to be disposed of.

As you can see, a disgruntled Sonic is standing behind him requesting his lawyers. On the back of the box, PC Format says "on a console a game like this would undoubtedly have a name like Sonic the Hedgehog". Call Sonic's lawyers indeed!

I doubt anyone could get away with this now, which is a shame. It's also a shame that furry platformers, one of my favourite genres, seemed to die with the 1990s. They certainly deserve a revival in my opinion.

Sonic papercraft?

If you have nothing to do this Bank Holiday weekend, why not try your hand at some Sonic-themed papercraft?

Found on the official Japanese Sonic page, you have a choice of creating paper versions of Green Hill Zone and Tails' Tornado. They have an estimated assembly time of 5-6 hours, so they're sure to keep you busy!


Here are the poorly translated descriptions of them:

Green Hill Zone
This memorable zone was first seen on the original Mega Drive version of Sonic the Hedgehog, and was the very first stage.

Palm trees, jumps, monitors and rings make up this familiar Sonic world.

Some of the images are examples only. Put in any monitor or item to create your own world!

Tornado
Debuting in Sonic Adventure, Tails pilots the Tornado which you can recreate in paper.

It can decorate the table, or you can try hanging it from the ceiling!

There is much attention to detail, so the difficulty level is high.

Paper is prone to kinking, so we recommend you use card.

These interesting kits were originally made for Sonic's 15th Anniversary in 2006. I wonder what we can expect for his 20th Anniversary in 2011?

Hint for Sega: 16-bit Sonic 4. You know everyone wants it...

[Source: Sonic Channel]

Sonic Unleashed swastikas removed

Recent patches for Sonic Unleashed seem to have removed the swastikas featured on ice level Holoska. The symbol could be seen on the daytime levels, and was first spotted back in November.

Before...

The swastika, which is a part of a texture in the game, has been transformed into a box by connecting the four points together. The rest of the texture remains the same.

It is not known whether the change was made in the most recent patch, or an earlier one. Whenever it was made, it has only been noticed today.

...After

It should be noted that the symbol has been used in cultures for many thousands of years, not just by the Nazi Party. Their emblem was rotated 45°, whereas most other variants (such as in the game) are not.

On that note, I'll leave you with this. Make of it what you will...


[Source: TSSZ News]