The Sonic the Hedgehog level editor, a creation of Mediatonic, lets VIP members of PlaySega create Sonic levels relatively easily. Using a simple interface creators lay down scenery tiles, place obstacles and enemies, and set starting and ending points, resulting in a somewhat primitive but definitely playable Sonic the Hedgehog level.

The bad news? You can only create your own levels if you sign up for a VIP subscription to PlaySega, which starts at $5.95 a month. The good news is that even free members can play the levels, and should you choose to upgrade, a three-month subscription for $14.95 nets you the free Sega Saturn-styled PC controller, seen below.

Worth it?

Sonic the Hedgehog Level Player [PlaySega via GameSetWatch - Thanks Carolina!]

Recently announced for Japan in the pages of Famitsu, Aksys is picking up the ball and running it to North America with the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of the game due out this summer. As mentioned previously, the 2D fighter features twelve highly-detailed characters, each one animated with over 1800 frames worth of hand-drawn sprites. That's a whole mess of sprites.

The console version of the arcade fighter features new music, new animations, and a full-fleshed out story mode that apparently makes use of a girl with chipmunk ears and a tail, so I wholeheartedly approve. Online play and the ability to switch between Japanese and English voices is nice, but they had me at random chipmunk girl.

Despite Castlevania's periodic forays into 3D games (many of which incite fanboy rage), series creator Koji Igarashi is long-known as a staunch supporter of the 2D aesthetic.

And he tends not to keep his secrets too near his chest, readily expressing his interest in certain things (warming up to the Wii remote just prior to the revelation of Castlevania: Judgment, for example).

So when Iga, asked by MTV Multiplayer about a return to classic Castlevania form on the console, expresses affinity for Wii Ware, it's easy to get fingers crossed for a traditional Castlevania on Wii:

“I’m definitely interested in WiiWare and I think it’s one of the areas that 2D can still be very strong at,” said Igarashi. “I’m very much looking into that.”

Hey, if Capcom can do it with Mega Man 9, we can dream, right?

'Castlevania’’s Igarashi Looking At WiiWare [MTV Multiplayer]

Players can also compete in three contests focusing on user-created content. There's a fan-art contest for...fan art, a create a monster contest, and a create a weapon contest which allows users to create their own weapon design for inclusion in the game.

The festivities will also be felt in the cash shop, where every fake item available will cost you slightly less real money. Go nuts, but remember - your family cannot eat your new hairstyle. That's why I cannot play this game. My love of 2D graphics coupled with my penchant for spending money in stupid ways would ultimately lead to my big-headed anime downfall. Michael Fahey

NEXON'S MMO GAME MAPLESTORY CELEBRATES TWO YEARS OF GAMING SUCCESS IN NORTH AMERICA

MapleStory's Two Year Anniversary Kicks Off with a Month of Special Celebratory Events, New Game Items and User Generated Contests

Los Angeles, CA - May 7, 2007 - Nexon America Inc., the U.S. division of Asia's leading online game company Nexon Group, is proud to announce the two year anniversary of its first massively multiplayer online (MMO) game release in North America, MapleStory. In-game festivities during the month of May include five coordinated events awarding special prizes, and ample opportunities for the community to showcase its collective talent with contests driven by user generated content. MapleStory currently boasts more than three million registered users in North America, making it one of the fastest growing massively multiplayer online games. According to Xstatics, compiled by Xfire.com for the month of April, MapleStory is fourth among the top ten MMOs currently being played online, and 15th among the top 20 PC games currently being played online.

"We would like to thank our 50+ million users worldwide and rapidly expanding U.S. audience for helping us mark the two-year anniversary of MapleStory in North America," says John H. Chi, chief executive officer of Nexon America. "Nexon looks forward to celebrating MapleStory in the years to come by providing even more innovative content and unique gameplay for our passionate community."

Through the month of May, various anniversary events will take place in the MapleStory universe in which community members can participate. The "Massive Maple Item and Weapon Hunt" promotes an all-out hunt for monsters carrying unique Maple Items and Weapons. The "Birthday Present Blow-out" features cake and candle monsters designed exclusively for this event carrying birthday presents for users based on their level. "Cody's Quest" will offer users who complete the celebratory and birthday themed quests an extraordinary and rare game item. In addition to these commemorative events, special GameMaster events will take place in MapleStory each day during the week of May 9-16. Finally in a special "thank you" to the community, Maplers will be "Seeing Double" as experience points (EXP) and drops will be doubled from May 11-31.

MapleStory will also offer players opportunities to submit content for future in-game inclusion with three contests in the month of May. Building off the success of previous fan art contests, players will be asked to capture the spirit of MapleStory's 2nd Anniversary by uploading original fan art for "Fan-tastic Art!" The Top three submissions will receive limited MapleStory dolls, one converted poster of their fan art, and 100,000 Maple Points. The "Design a Weapon" contest invites players to create a new weapon design with one lucky user being awarded 50,000 Maple Points, the privilege of naming the weapon, and the honor of having their new weapon implemented into the game. Lastly, "It's A-A-A-L-L-I-V-E-E!!" will allow players to design and name a monster to be brought to life in the game; the winner receives a MapleStory doll and 25,000 Maple Points, in addition to having their monster join the unique horde already featured in-game.

"There is no doubt that we'll see some very creative, funny, and downright eccentric designs and artwork submissions from a community exceeding 3 million users," says Min Kim, director of game operations at Nexon America.

Until May 16, all items in the cash shop will be on sale during the "Cash Shop Sale." Players will be able to buy hip, popular items for 1,000 Nexon Cash. Mysterious packages with a bonus 2x Exp cards will also be sold in the cash shop for a limited time.

MapleStory continues to expand in North America as one of the fastest growing massively multiplayer online role playing games (MMORPG). Averaging 45,000 new registered users a week, the award-winning game is known for its robust and active community with the ability to personalize game characters in endless combinations. Filled with vibrant backgrounds and charming characters, players interact with each other online through chatting, trading, mini-games, and coordinated events. Groups of players can also ally together in parties or guilds to socialize, hunt monsters, and venture through the immersive lands on thrilling quests.

In MapleStory, players can purchase in-game apparel and accessories that enable them to create unique identities, utilizing an innovative cash shop system (microtransactions). These features are purely optional, and players can try out items prior to purchase in virtual dressing rooms, ranging from colorful outfits to fire-breathing pets.

As the pioneer of the microtransaction, or Item Selling business model, Nexon has sold millions of virtual items worldwide through MapleStory and other hit titles such as KartRider and BnB: Crazy Arcade. In 2005, Nexon Corporation reported $250 million in revenue, driven primarily from millions of microtransactions.

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The long in the works fan remake of the classic Nintendo 64 game The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time looks like it may be progressing, with a release candidate coming "soon". While the authenticity of the project has always been in doubt, the newest screens of the game, regardless of whether it actually exists, are still very pretty.

A Something Awful forum poster updated the long running topic with new information about the remake's creator and the status of the project.

Daniel Barras, an old friend of mine, has announced that Release Candidate 1 of OoT2D will be released soon. He's waiting on his laptop to be airmailed to him (and he probably needs to put a couple finishing touches on it).

Sounds promising, but I'm a skeptic and still have my doubts. Still, I simply cannot wait to be proven wrong and try this out for myself. True believers can check out more screens at the links below.

Thanks for the tip, Gourry. Michael McWhertor

Ocarina of time: 2D - RC1 (Release Candidate 1) Beta - Release will be soon [Something Awful Forums]
OoT2D - The Original by TRM (New Graphics upgrades too) [Zelda Fan Game Central Forums]