Date Released: Winter 2012 for most versions Date Reviewed: February 17, 2013 Genre: 3D Party Racer Players: 1-4 players locally (up to 5 on Wii U), 10 online Length: 3-30 minutes per event, 12-25 hours to unlock all content Replayability: High
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Introduction
Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed is the sequel to 2010’s crossover party racer Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing. Not simply a basic sequel, the game focuses around the concept of vehicles that change during the race to traverse over land, water and the sky with a few courses that even head through lava or outer space. Presented as kid-friendly but designed to be enjoyable for all ages, Transformed is a quality racer for fans of SEGA and the genre. Difficult but not unfair, the game succeeds in making a unique and fun game for groups online or off, but somewhat sloppy direction and awkward marketing attempts keep it from becoming a true classic.
SEGA released a lot of brilliant games in 2010 full of fun and sexy times. It was a great year to be a fan of the company, and what better way to get excited for the new year than to look back and see just how much they accomplished within just 365 days? We have compiled a montage of just a handful of them, and we hope you enjoy!
The music is a remix of the OutRun song Splash Wave from what is arguably SEGA’s best game from 2010, Bayonetta.
Videogame blog 1UP features an extensive two-part interview with world-renowned game designer Yu Suzuki. The interview spans much of his history within the industry as well as what his concepts and work have achieved and gone onto create. He may be more influential than you expect.
This interview goes into everything from his first work with Hang-On to creating whole genres and some of the most universally acclaimed and renowned game franchises in the industry all the way to his latest work, Shenmue City. It is a must read for anyone interested in the history of game design.
PART 1 – Yu Suzuki talks about the old days at SEGA and current industry trends.
PART 2 – Yu Suzuki looks back at the Shenmue franchise, and explains why he’s been out of the public eye in recent years.
SEGA had a very large presence at the Tokyo Game Show this year, regarded by many as their biggest since becoming a third party publisher even. As this would all clutter up the front page of the site, I feel it is best to move them all together. Hit the jump to learn more about their announcements, see many of their new trailers and learn about their future plans.
Date Released: 21 April, 2006 Date Reviewed: 30 April, 2010 Players: 1 Player Only Length: 15 Minutes Replayability: High
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Introduction
After Burner Climax is an arcade title available for digital download on Microsoft’s Xbox Live Arcade service and Sony’s Play Station Network Store service. Created by AM2, the game was originally released in arcades during the year 2006 on the Lindberg arcade system, and it is a sequel to the classic After Burner arcade and console series. Its name – After Burner – is in reference to military hardware used on jet engines to create supersonic speeds, as it consistent with the game’s high speed gameplay; while Climax refers to an in-game gimmick used to attack enemies in limited ‘bullet time’ sequences. It stays true to its 1980s arcade roots with simplistic controls, and sensational visuals and sound.
Major Nelson reports that for the week of April 19th AfterBurner Climax has not only outsold the competition, but was the most played Xbox Live Arcade title played online for the week. This includes the Xbox 360’s own Game Room, a free downloadable program that serves as a hub for players to stay and play that includes purchasable emulated games from the arcade and early videogame consoles like the Atari 2600. During the week of April 19th there were a total of 30 games in Game Room.
With these very impressive results coupled with the very similar response from Virtual-On: Oratorio Tangram (which was also converted by the same staff in AM2 that did AfterBurner Climax for the downloadable services) it is extremely likely more arcade conversions for the Xbox Live Arcade are on the way.
SEGA Legacy articles is a series at The SEGA Source about the vast and varied history of SEGA. They can range from people to places to times to art to even just a simple song. The staff here has a vast knowledge of the company’s history and would love to share it all with anyone willing to listen. Now sit back, get your favorite beverage ready and “Let’s Go Away”!
Hit the jump to read the first in the SEGA Legacy series.
Here is the last trailer for the recently released digital download game AfterBurner Climax. In it, a fraction of the gameplay modes and options are shown off to help you understand how the game is played and presented.
AfterBurner Climax is now available on the Xbox Live Arcade (XBLA) on the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation Network (PSN) on PlayStation 3. The SEGA Source will have a very in-depth review for it next Friday.
The SEGA Source 