GamesRadar - Sonic The Hedgehog - Xbox Live Arcade

The Pikmin Suicides (Feature)

Jul 14, 2009

You may be familiar with Andy Riley's superb book The Bunny Suicides. We liked it so much, we thought we'd create an homage to it, using everyone's favourite flower-headed people.

These Pikmin burned too bright for this world. Rest in pieces ...

Classic mistakes rookies always make (Feature)

Jul 9, 2009

Ah, noobs. With their awkward fingers and stupid questions, it's a wonder we ever let them near our joypads at all. It's nice to get someone started in gaming, but it's so hard to witness utter incompetence at your favourite games.

But instead of yelling, snatching the pad and showing them how it should be done, why not sit back, make encouraging noises and tick off each entry in our list of classic rookie mistakes ...

Sonic Team Isn't Going Stale, Claims Sonic Veteran (News)

May 15, 2009

Kikizo writes:

"In the not-too-distant past, some pretty convincing claims were made by an alleged former member of Sonic Team staff that the once-adored Sega studio is losing its will to live."

"Sonic Team veteran Tetsu Katano says it's not true that staff inside the studio are becoming disillusioned, and that fresh talent keeps things bright."

Videogame music makes The Terminator better (Feature)

Apr 17, 2009

VIDEO: Cameron's classic gets an aural upgrade. ...

Which version of Sonic is the best version of Sonic? (Feature)

Apr 1, 2009

At first, he was a blue hedgehog sprite with feet that blurred because he ran so fast. But that was 18 years ago (yeah, where's the time gone?) and he's been redrawn over and over again to fit new technology. In fact, unbelievably, Sonic the Hedgehog has appeared on our screens in some 50 guises. Don't believe us? Take a look in here! ...

Revealed: Why Sonic can't swim (News)

Feb 23, 2009

VideoGamer.com writes: "Have you ever wondered why Sonic the Hedgehog can't swim? No, neither had we - but that didn't stop us from stumbling across the answer during a brief-yet-bizarre interview with Yuji Naka."

Microsoft Children's Miracle Network Games Bundle (News)

Jan 23, 2009

Microsoft's Children's Miracle Network Games Bundle is the first package to be launched as part of the company's Family Games initiative. The bundle, which is priced at a "value" price point of less than $30 includes three Xbox 360 games; Viva Pinata Party Animals, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Shrek The Third.

Microsoft will donate 100 percent of its net proceeds from sales of the Family Game Pack to support Children's Miracle Network hospitals, a network of 170 children's hospitals across the United States that treat 17 million sick and injured children every year. Enhance your enjoyment of family game night knowing that the proceeds from your purchase will help other families by allowing children to receive the medical care they need.

The Top 7... games we want announced in 2009 (Feature)

Jan 19, 2009

By now you’re probably aware of all the top-tier games coming out in the first three months of 2009, but isn’t there a little part of you that wants to know what the devs are working on next? We sure as hell do, and have already made up our minds about what should be unveiled before the year is out – most of them games we already suspect are on their way but have so far remained hidden. ...

Sonic Underground: Vol. 1 - Netflix Instant Queue (Video)

Jan 8, 2009

This iconic first game featuring Sega's rocketing hedgehog punk convinced a lot of us to beg our moms for a Genesis. And now, we can beg our moms to buy us an Xbox 360 so we can relive those cherished childhood memories.

Why Sega Doesn't Care When Sonic Sucks (News)

Jan 8, 2009

It's the money, stupid. And enough gamers buy crappy Sonic games for Sega not to care, according to an anonymous Sega employee. Boss Rush was an anonymous blog, currently deleted, run by someone who actually turned out to be Sonic Europe employee Ben Andac (who is no longer with the company).

Free LIVE Arcade game offer (News)

Dec 23, 2008

Itching for a gratis Xbox Live Arcade game? Microsoft is offering one of five titles for free, but you have to follow these three steps:

1. Sign up for 12 months of Xbox Live Gold between now and January 5. It must be done directly through Xbox Live, meaning you can't use that prepaid card your mom or significant other bought you as a gift.

2. Decide what game you want free: Zuma, Marble Blast, Sonic the Hedgehog, Assault Heroes or 3D Ultra Minigolf. Do this step in your head.

3. Download a gamer pic or theme related to the game. Only the first one counts, so make sure you didn't skip Step 2 before downloading a picture of a putter when you're hoping to nab Sonic.

See, folks? Even with digital distribution, TINSTAAFL applies: There is no such thing as a free lunch. Of course, if you were needing to upgrade or renew your subscription anyways, you might as well get something extra out of it.

Sega Delaying PS3/X360 Sonic Unleashed in Japan (News)

Nov 11, 2008

Something strange is going on with Sonic Unleashed, better known as Sonic World Adventure in Japan. Instead of coming out on December 18th Sonic Unleashed won't be released on the PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360 in Japan until spring 2009. The official Sonic World Adventure page explains the extra time will be used to further improve the quality of the game. Meanwhile, the Wii version isn't affected and the Night of the Werehog T-shirt in Sega's Winter campaign is still valid.

But, wait a minute Sonic Unleashed is scheduled to ship on every console under the sun, including the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, next week in North America.

So, is Sega USA going to announce a last minute delay? Or is Sega Japan getting a retooled version of Sonic Unleashed?

Images courtesy of Sega.

Sega Japan Passing On PS2 Sonic Unleashed (News)

Oct 28, 2008

In North America and Europe Sonic Unleashed is exploding on every viable console on the market with a PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, and PlayStation 2 version that Japan isn't getting. Sega of Japan plans to release Sonic: World Adventure (renamed to better fit Sonic's journey around the Earth and downplay the Werehog thing?) only on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Wii. The PlayStation 2 port will be completed before Sonic: World Adventure launches in Japan so this begs the question why is Sega passing on it? It's not like Sega Japan is abandoning the PlayStation 2 entirely. Thunderforce VI comes out on Thursday in Japan and unless Sega has anything secretly planned it will be the final PlayStation 2 game published by Sega in the region.

The Top 7... games that don't deserve nostalgia (Feature)

May 12, 2008

You know that heartwarming sensation you get while remembering games of yesteryear? The one that makes you ponder, "Why aren't games this good nowadays?" It's a lie. It's a childhood veil that, once lifted, exposes how shitty some of your favorite games were all along. They didn't just sour with age - they were never that fun, you just put up with them because there was no better alternative.

Metroid, for example, is fairly crap by ...

The greatest Sonic game we never got to play (Feature)

Apr 24, 2008

A 16-bit platform game icon reinvented in a multi-gravitational 3D world. Spherical stage effects with a vast sense of scale and gallons of design innovation. Super Mario Galaxy? No, a Sonic The Hedgehog game did all that stuff ten years before the Wii was even launched. So why was it never released? ...

Sonic The Hedgehog and Pendulum's Slam custom soundtrack mash-up (Video)

Apr 18, 2008

Sonic The Hedgehog and Pendulum's Girl In The Fire custom soundtrack mash-up (Video)

Apr 18, 2008

Soundclash! The Best Custom Soundtrack Mash-ups Ever (Feature)

Apr 18, 2008

Cinematic, atmospheric, or completely subversive. Discover the tracks that will make your 360 games new again. ...

The world's best counterfeit games (Feature)

Mar 27, 2008

Not happy with what the devs are doing with your favourite games? Then let the gamers take over production. ...

Xbox Live Arcade Sales, Week Ending 3/01/08 (Triggerheart = 7.2k) (News)

Mar 1, 2008

VGChartz reports that this week, Triggerheart Excelica launched to decent numbers. Triggerheart Excelica is the 2nd ever Dreamcast game to come to the XBLA Service, with Rez HD being the first. Excelica beats previous $10 Schmup recordholder, Omega 5's debut of 6,000 units by a decent 20% increase.

However, like Omega 5, it was vastly frontloaded this week: it's debut sales on it's first day was almost 40% of the 3day week (which is rather high). Another major note: Japanese Xbox 360 users made up 40% of the entire Excelica userbase. In the case of Omega 5, it sold only to 14% Japanese users (which is well above the norm, as the JP userbase constitutes maybe 5% of the average XBLA purchase base).

Other notes:

-Sonic the Hedgehog reaches 250,000 Units
-N+ increased very well
-Rez HD finishes it's first month just shy of 100,000 units
-Chessmaster LIVE ends it's first month with almost 28,000 units.
-Poker Smash had a massive drop from last week: it shed 70% from last week. Fortunately, the game has still done very well with grossing $400,000 in 4 weeks.

Fan films gone wrong: Part 2 (Feature)

Feb 6, 2008

We all know that professional movies of videogames completely miss the point nine times out of ten. They're usually made by people who seemingly have no clue what makes the IP great or the faintest idea of what its fans want. But gamers haven't got that excuse, so why do our fan films so frequently incite the urge to explode oneself to death? ...

Europe: help MS sell 360s, get 10 free XBLA games (News)

Oct 24, 2007

Todo Juegos (translated) is reporting that Microsoft is planning a new promotion for Europe. Said promotion should run between November 1st, 2007 until January 31st, 2008. The gist of it is pretty simple. Just get a friend to purchase a new 360 at some point during the promotion, attach a copy of the receipt to a special coupon (PDF link), mail it in, and both you and your friend will receive ten free Xbox Live Arcade games. The games reportedly offered are:

* Sensible World of Soccer
* Sonic the Hedgehog
* Street Fighter II: Hyper Fighting
* Bomberman LIVE
* Marble Blast Ultra
* Spyglass Board Games
* Small Arms
* 3D Ultra MiniGolf Adventures
* Assault Heroes
* Zuma Deluxe

Sonic the Hedgehog - Xbox Live Arcade (Review)

Jul 27, 2007

Xbox Live Arcade is a great service that tends to dip a little too far back for its titles a fair bit. Publishers have only barely dipped their feet into the most recent gaming golden age - the 16-bit era. One of the greatest console battles in history produced some of the best, most inspired games on any console. And now one of the two figureheads of that battle has finally arrived on Live. Sonic the Hedgehog probably isn't as fast as most of us remember. Back in '91 this was state of the art ...

Sonic The Hedgehog - Xbox Live Arcade (Screenshots)

Jul 26, 2007

Sega Announces Vintage Game Collection For Xbox Live Arcade (News)

Jul 11, 2007

SEGA® of America, Inc. and SEGA® Europe, Ltd. today announced the SEGA Vintage Collection, a new product line that includes enhanced versions of five SEGA classics which will be available for download on Xbox LIVE® Arcade for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. SEGA Vintage Collection kicks off today with the launch of Sonic The Hedgehog and an enhanced version of the arcade classic Golden Axe. Three other titles from SEGA's Genesis library will be ready for download shortly thereafter: Streets of Rage 2, Ecco the Dolphin, and Sonic The Hedgehog 2.

Team Sonic On Why Sonic The Hedgehog Stunk (News)

Feb 21, 2007

The glitch-ridden game received scathing reviews and disappointing sales. So, Team Sonic leader Yojiro Ogawa what the hell happened?

"The reason why probably ended up with what we see today, involves a lot of reasons. One is that we did want to launch the title around Christmas, and we had the PS3 launch coming up, but we had to develop for Microsoft's 360 at the same time and the team had an awful lot of pressure on them. It was very hard for the team to try and see how we were going to come out with both versions together with just the one team. It was a big challenge."

Three extra levels for Sonic the Hedgehog (News)

Feb 14, 2007

If you've bought the latest Sonic game, you'll be glad to hear 3 more levels have been added to the Xbox Live Marketplace. They can be yours for 200 MS points.

Gamefly Top 10 for Feb. 12, 2007 (News)

Feb 12, 2007

Eight out of the top ten spots are occupied by Xbox 360 game requests. Crackdown is tops for the Xbox 360, Sonic for Nintendo Wii, and Virtua Fighter 5 tops the PS3 list. Anticipation for God of War II for the PS2 bubbles all the way to the 8th position on the cross-platform list.

Read on for the complete list:

New Video Game Releases for the Week of Jan. 29, 2007 (News)

Jan 31, 2007

Some decent releases starting to trickle down the pipe now... Xbox 360 and PC gamers have Battlestations: Midway, while the Playstation 3 gets Sonic the Hedgehog.

Check out the latest list of new video game releases (USA) for the week of 1/29/2007 on Xbox 360, Playstation 3 (PS3), Nintendo Wii, Sony PS2, PSP, Nintendo DS, and PC (USA)!

Latest Famitsu Review Scores (News)

Dec 13, 2006

Here is the list of the latest review scores from Famitsu.

The complete list:

Motorstorm (PS3, Sony): 8 / 8 / 8 / 6 - (30/40)
Sonic The Hedgehog (PS3, Sega): 8 / 7 / 7 / 7 - (29/40)
Lost Planet: Extreme Condition (Xbox 360, Capcom): 9 / 9 / 9 / 9 - (36/40)
Sonic The Hedgehog (Xbox 360, Sega): 8 / 7 / 7 / 8 - (30/40)
Seiken Densetsu 4 (PS2, Square Enix): 7 / 8 / 8 / 7 - (30/40)
Madden NFL 07 (PS2, EA): 7 / 8 / 7 / 5 - (27/40)
Monster 4X4: World Circuit (Wii, Ubisoft): 7 / 6 / 7 / 8 - (28/40)
A Ressha de Ikou HX (Xbox 360, Artdink): 7 / 6 / 7 / 7 - (27/40)
Metal Gear Portable Ops (PSP, Konami): 9 / 10 / 9 / 9 - (37/40)
Tales of The World: Radiant Mythology (PSP, Bandai Namco): 8 / 7 / 8 / 7 - (30/40)
Nounai Aesthe: IQ Suppli DS (NDS, Spike): 7 / 7 / 6 / 6 - (26/40)
Heisei Kyouiku Iinkai DS (NDS, Bandai Namco): 6 / 9 / 7 / 6 - (28/40)
Need for Speed Carbon (PS2, EA): 8 / 8 / 7 / 7 - (30/40)
Need for Speed Carbon (PS3/Xbox 360, EA): 9 / 9 / 8 / 8 - (34/40)
Need for Speed Carbon (Wii, EA): 8 / 7 / 6 / 7 - (28/40)
Need for Speed Carbon (PSP, EA): 8 / 8 / 7 / 8 - (31/40)
School Love! (PS2, Views): 6 / 6 / 6 / 6 - (24/40)
Intelligent License 2 (PSP, Now Production): 7 / 9 / 7 / 8 - (31/40)
NBA Live 07 (PSP, EA): 7 / 8 / 7 / 7 - (29/40)
Hamster to Kurasou (NDS, Interchannel): 6 / 6 / 5 / 5 - (22/40)

Official Xbox Magazine rates new Xbox 360 games (News)

Dec 8, 2006

In their latest edition, the Official Xbox Magazine has again rated all new Xbox 360 game that have been released last month. Sonic the Hedgehoc is the only game that scores below average, the other rates are pretty good.

The full list:

Lost Planet (Xbox 360, Capcom): 8,0
Star Trek Legacy (Xbox 360, Bethesda): 8,0
Sonic The Hedgehog (Xbox 360, Sega): 4,5
DOA Xtreme 2 (Xbox 360, Tecmo): 6,5
Viva Pinata (Xbox 360, Microsoft): 8,5
Phantasy Star Universe (Xbox 360, Sega): 6,5
Call of Duty 3 (Xbox 360/Xbox, Activision): 8,0
Superman Returns (Xbox 360, EA): 6,5
Tony Hawks Project 8 (Xbox 360, Activision): 7,5
College Hoops 2K7 (Xbox 360, 2K Sports): 9,0
Roboblitz (Xbox 360 XLA, Microsoft): 8,5
Small Arms (Xbox 360 XLA, Gastronaut Studios): 7,5
Contra (Xbox 360 XLA, Konami): 6,5
Novadrome (Xbox 360 XLA, Stainless Games): 7,0
Defender (Xbox 360 XLA, Midway): 6,5

FIFA Ousts Gears Of War From Top Of UK Charts (News)

Nov 28, 2006

There have been no new entries in the UK top ten this week, but considerable movement, as soccer simulation FIFA 07 moves up three places to reclaim the number one spot. The PlayStation 2 version is now outselling Pro Evolution Soccer 6 on PlayStation 2 by a factor of 3:2, while the Xbox 360 version of Konami's title is outselling its FIFA 07 equivalent by the same ratio.

Xbox 360 exclusive Gears of War was the most obvious victim in the shuffle of positions, with sales down by 45 percent on its debut week Â¿ although it remains the only single format exclusive in the top ten.

Meanwhile, the newly released PlayStation 2 version of Call of Duty 3 kept the game afloat in the top ten for Activision, while the new Xbox 360 version of movie tie-in Cars did the same for THQ. Girl's toy license Bratz: Forever Diamondz proved to have the best week in the top ten though, with sales up by 45 percent Â¿ led by the Nintendo DS version which accounted for 80 percent of all sales for the title.

Outside of the top ten, Nintendogs: Labrador & Friends re-entered as high as number thirteen, making for five Nintendo published titles in the top twenty. The highest new entry though was PlayStation 2 exclusive Guitar Hero II at number sixteen, which sold almost three times more than during its predecessor's debut. Home console movie tie-in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Legend of Jack Sparrow re-entered at number twenty-three, boosted by sales of the DVD release of the movie.

There was no place however for other Christmas titles such as Warhammer: Mark of Chaos from Namco Bandai/Deep Silver, Cricket 07 from Electronic Arts, Who Wants to be a Millionaire? Party Edition from Eidos, Sonic the Hedgehog from Sega or movie tie-in Happy Feet from Midway. Many of these titles stand a good chance of charting in the top forty next week, although others will no doubt be lost in the traditional Christmas rush of new titles.

Sega ships Sonic the Hedgehog for Xbox 360 (News)

Nov 14, 2006

Gaming icon celebrates 15th anniversary with first adventure for the next-generation console.

SEGA today announced that Sonic The Hedgehog has shipped in North America for the Xbox 360. Celebrating his 15th anniversary this year, Sonic The Hedgehog brings his fast feet and feisty attitude to new next generation heights in his most intense, high velocity adventure yet. The game will also ship for the PLAYSTATION 3 this holiday season.

Screens reveal new Sonic characters (News)

Oct 17, 2006

Previous Sonic instalments, Sonic Heroes and Sonic Adventure 2, were criticised for focusing too heavily on multiple characters, the loudest fan cries asking for more Sonic and less shooting/hammering/frog chasing.

Unfortunately though, out of these 12 screenshots we count two with the blue spiky one in them.

Sonic the Hedgehog is out on 360 this Christmas, with a PS3 version arriving alongside the console next year.

X06: Sonic the Hedgehog gameplay (News)

Oct 8, 2006

XBOXYDE found this video of Sonic the Hedgehog featuring Silver.

Sonic The Hedgehog - with Tails! and other secret characters (News)

Sep 28, 2006

Sega updated their official page for Sonic the Hedgehog, and revealed some awesome images of Tails. They also shown some "secret" shadowed characters that will be unveiled in the upcoming weeks, and it seems like there are some returning from Sonic Adventure.

Sonic The Hedgehog Demo Hits Live Marketplace (News)

Sep 27, 2006

Major Nelson has just revealed that a demo of the upcoming release of Sonic The Hedgehog has just hit the Live Marketplace. The demo has gone live as part of Day 8 of the "Bringing it Home" campaign. The demo is not stupidity big either, clocking in at only 314MB it will not take a whole day to download.

Sonic the Hedgehog Site - New Details (News)

Sep 19, 2006

The Japanese site for the next-gen version Sonic the Hedgehog gives some new details if you can read japanese and has character bios for the main characters Sonic Shadow, Silver, and Princess Elise, and also shows more room for future content to be revealed, you can expect the site to be flooded with new info in 3 days as TGS06 kicks off in Japan.

Microsoft announce TGS lineup (News)

Sep 18, 2006

Microsoft have released a list of games that will be featuring at this year's TGS. There are not many surprises, apart from the omission of the game everyone wants to see: Halo 3.

There are also a couple of games I have not heard of, such as Super Robot Taisen XO, so it will be interesting to see exactly what that turns out to be. Of course, it could be a Japanese title, since the event is in Japan, and might be an attempt to try and sell more 360s to the unwanting Japanese public. The games are as follows:

MotoGP'06 (THQ)
WWE 2007 SmackDown vs. Raw (THQ)
The Outfit (THQ)
Vampire Reign (AQ Interactive)
A Ressha de Gyouku HX (Artdink)
Dead Rising (Capcom)
Lost Planet Extreme Condition (Capcom)
Winning Eleven Serie (Konami)
Operation Darkness (Success)
Project Sylpheed (Square Enix)
Tomb Raider Legend (Eidos)
X-Men The Official Game (Spike)
Prey (Spike)
Full Auto (Sega)
Sonic the Hedgehog (Sega)
Chikyuu Boueigun X (D3)
Fuzion Frenzy 2 (Hudson)
Culdcept Saga (Bandai Namco)
Trusty Bell: Chopin's Dream (Bandai Namco)
Mobile Suit Gundam: Operation: Troy (Bandai Namco)
The Idol Master (Bandai Namco)
Super Robot Taisen XO (Banpresto)
Tenchu Senran (From Software)
Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 (Tecmo)
Forza Motorsport (Microsoft)
Viva Pinata (Rare)
Riot Act [Crackdown] (Microsoft)
Rockstar Games presents Table Tennis (Microsoft)
Gears of War (Microsoft)

Hands-On: Sonic the Hedgehog (News)

Jul 3, 2006

Sonic is back and ready for action, and he's brought along a new friend for his next-gen debut.

After years of disappointing installments and broken promises, Sega looks to be going back to their roots with the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of Sonic the Hedgehog. We recently had the opportunity to play through the latest build of the game and so far the results are looking quite promising. While the game is still in early development, we're wagering that once it launches, you may just be picking bugs out of your teeth - it's that fast.

Sonic's latest adventure centers on a mysterious new world, one ruled over by a beautiful human princess. For ages, the kingdom has protected a mysterious jewel that is encased in a necklace that hangs around the princess's neck. Unfortunately for her, the jewel is a powerful Chaos Emerald. Dr. Eggman, hearing of the existence of the Emerald, soon attacks the kingdom, hoping to harness the power of the jewel for himself. Sonic, hearing of his arch-rival's evil plans, rushes out to save not only the damsel in distress, but also the entire kingdom.

Sonic Is 'Fall'-ing (News)

Jun 27, 2006

All we knew about the upcoming Sonic The Hedgehog game as far as a release timeframe went, was 'TBA 2006'. Well you can start counting the months and days that are left as it seems that Sonic will be hitting the Xbox 360 in the fall.

Sonic the Hedgehog: FAQ/Walkthrough (FAQ)

Mar 30, 2009

Go to GamesRadar to see the FAQ ...

Silver Medal Location Guide (FAQ)

Mar 30, 2009

Go to GamesRadar to see the FAQ ...

Town Mission Guide (FAQ)

Mar 30, 2009

Go to GamesRadar to see the FAQ ...