Sonic and All-Stars Racing Transformed review (All versions)

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.

Giveaway: Three copies of Shinobi (2002) on PlayStation Network up for grabs (Details below)

The SEGA Source is proud to announce our first ever giveaway, in which we will be giving away three download codes of the 2002 Shinobi on PlayStation 2, which was recently released on the PlayStation Network for PlayStation 3 as part of the PlayStation 2 Classics lineup.

To enter, first you must follow us on any of the following three: Our Twitter, RSS, or our brand new Tumblr, which we will use to showcase official artwork of various SEGA games from throughout their long and illustrious history. Then, all you have to do is email us at thesegasource@yahoo.com with an image of your favorite official SEGA artwork and that’s it! You’re entered. Please submit your entries before the contest ends on August 26th (this Sunday!).

Please note that the codes being given away are for North American users, though they can be used by anyone from any region as long as they have a US PlayStation 3 account.

SEGA Vintage Collection Vol. 3 Overview

SEGA Vintage Collection has been recently released on both XBLA and PSN – for the XBox 360 and PS3 respectfully. Known as SEGA AGES Online in Japan, it features proper emulations of SEGA classics – both console and arcade – with an abundance of features. It is developed by M2, former SNK employees responsible for SEGA’s Virtual Console offerings on Wii and many previous SEGA AGES games on PS2. Extensive emulation options, high definition artwork wallpapers, leader boards, saving, replays, achievements/trophies, new trial modes, and on-line play are all included, bringing these games back to life in a respectable, professional manner. With it being an on-going series of releases of classic games, it might be helpful to get a basic overview of what is included, how it fairs, and how others view the games released so far. Below is a compilation of this.

Shinobi (2002) available for download on US PlayStation Store

The 2002 PlayStation 2 continuation of the popular Shinobi franchise has been released today on the North American PlayStation Store for 10 USD as part of the PlayStation 2 Classics lineup of games. Although part of the same world as the legendary SEGA series of games, the story and setting focus on the character Hotsuma in a much darker, story-driven plot and are unrelated to the games featuring Joe Musashi, although he is an unlockable playable character.

Considered one of the hardest games SEGA released last console generation, Shinobi was released earlier this year on the European PlayStation Network. A sequel titled Nightshade exists, but SEGA has not commented on if it will see a release on the download platform.

SEGA E3 2012 Roundup

SEGA had a fairly muted showing at this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo, but it was still rich with unique and diverse titles across every major platform, like fans of the company can always expect. SEGA also had some very unexpected surprise reveals and announcements, some received better than others.

Anarchy Reigns and Rhythm Thief are especially notable for not having a proper slot at SEGA’s booth this year. I suggested previously that these games are likely canceled in North America, but SEGA has hinted that this may not be the case.

After the break we have included each game SEGA of America focused on during the event. as well as other titles related to the company. We have read hundreds of articles and compressed it all into a basic read.

Six classic SEGA games from the 80s and 90s available for download on PSN and XBLA

Christmas officially comes early for SEGA fans, as six classic games across four separate franchises are now available worldwide on Sony’s PlayStation Network and Microsoft’s Xbox Live Arcade. The first entries in what is to become a brand new wave of releases, these collections bring several games onto HD platforms for the first time. All of the games have been newly ported and altered by M2, who have added several features and effects, such as a jukebox mode where one can listen to every song from each game and a trial mode that offers players to play through specific sections of each game with altered game rules and newly added online leaderboards.

– Revenge of Shinobi (Genesis/Mega Drive)
– Super Hang-On (arcade)
– Alex Kidd in Miracle World (Master System)

– Wonder Boy in Monster World (Genesis/Mega Drive)
– Wonder Boy in Monster Land (arcade)
– Monster World IV (Genesis/Mega Drive)

On the Xbox 360’s Xbox Live Arcade service, the first set of three are available in SEGA Vintage Collection: Alex Kidd & Co, whereas the second set are available in SEGA Vintage Collection: Monster World. Both bundles are sold for 800 Microsoft Points (roughly 10 USD).

On PlayStation 3, all games have been released separately for 5 USD each. They have different menus in comparison to the Xbox Live Arcade variations, but each offer much more trophies/achievements for players to unlock.

Super Hang-On also features newly added, but optional anaglyphic and stereoscopic graphical options. Although Wonder Boy in Monster Land was released on the Master System in English, this arcade version of the game is the first to ever have the language as an option. Monster World IV also features newly added English text, marking the first official translation for the 18 year old game.

Ten SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive games added to Steam

A number of Genesis/Mega Drive titles have recently been released on Steam, including Wonder Boy in Monster World, Vectorman 2, Revenge of Shinobi, Streets of Rage 3, Phantasy Star II, Phantasy Star III: Generations of Doom, Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium, Golden Axe III, Dynamite Headdy, and Beyond Oasis. All of these games can be bought individually or as part of a collection.

Additionally, ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron was released on Steam back in March, bringing the total of Genesis/Mega Drive ports on Steam to 51.

Source: Steam

Personal View: SEGA’s March 2012 layoffs – A nail in the coffin or the makings of a bright future?

Last week, news from SEGA of America broke that saw numerous members of staff fired, games canceled and a general downsizing of the entire branch of SEGA of America. Initially, rumors ran rampant and confused a large amount of fans across the globe, the worst of which was that the entire United States branch of SEGA had completely shut down, which of course is not the case.

Immediate reconstruction has taken place going into their new fiscal year. They expect a net loss of ¥7.1 billion ($86.4 million) as part of the reform and news of this dropped their entire company’s stock 4%. However, the day after their stock rose 5% and is showing signs of continual growth.

After the break I discuss the potential cancellations, their effects, observe the negatives and positives of the change and attempt to discover if SEGA truly is in trouble or if the downsizing is the start of a brilliant strategy. The rest of the post should be taken as speculation from a dedicated fan of the company and game industry as a whole and not as a financial advisor.

Out of respect of those whom lost their jobs, any subjects around them will not be mentioned at all.

SEGA Vintage Collection: Alex Kidd & Co revealed for Xbox Live Arcade

Information has become available that Alex Kidd Collection will appear on Xbox Live Arcade (XBLA for short) for Xbox 360, although further formal announcements may be made for other platforms. The game will feature Alex Kidd in Miracle World for the SEGA Master System, Super Hang-On 3D – a new 3D (non-polygonal) version of the arcade game, and The Revenge of Shinobi for Mega Drive/Genesis. The collection will be released digitally and will include both bonus trials for the games in addition to a dedicated sound test mode. It is being developed by M2, former staff of SNK and Treasure.

Similarly to the upcoming SEGA Vintage Collection: Monster World Collection, there have been no mention of these titles by SEGA themselves, although Monster World IV and Revenge of Shinobi were announced for release on PlayStation Network last year, no information has been seen on their releases until recently.

[Source: Xbox360Achievements]

First of SEGA’s 3DS Virtual Console games now available worldwide, Shinobi added to PlayStation 2 Classics in Europe

The first of SEGA’s 3DS Virtual Console titles were released today, which includes the Game Gear version of Shinobi, Sonic: Triple Trouble, and Dragon Crystal. These ganes are available worldwide and can be purchased in Nintendo’s eShop on their 3DS handheld.

In other Shinobi news, Shinobi, the 2002 reimagining of SEGA’s long-running franchise first released on Sony’s PlayStation 2, has been added to the European PlayStation Store as part of its catalog of PlayStation 2 Classics. It is currently available for 10€ or £8 and can be purchased right now. SEGA announced last year that ports of both Shinobi and Revenge of Shinobi would be scheduled for release in 2012, but news of Revenge’s release is still forthcoming.