“After the success of Sonic and the Secret Rings we’re delighted to announce a second title in the Storybook Series,” said Gary Knight, European Marketing Director, SEGA Europe, “Following Sonic on his way to knighthood will excite players of all ages.”

The game is due out in Spring of 2009, giving the writers of the "Seven Rings In Hand" theme song plenty of time to swap out the lyric "Seven rings in hand, speed through nights with feet in sand" to "Seven rings in hand, speed through knights with sword in hand." We will NEVER escape this song.

SEGA ANNOUNCES SONIC AND THE BLACK KNIGHT

A new addition to the Storybook Series of Sonic Titles

SAN FRANCISCO & LONDON (July 21, 2008) –SEGA of Europe Ltd. and SEGA® of America, Inc. today announced Sonic™ and the Black Knight, an all-new Wii-exclusive adventure. Part of the storybook series of games that began with Sonic and the Secret Rings, this new title brings Sonic into the world of Arthurian legend and offers the worlds most infamous blue hedgehog the chance to become a knight. Using the unique Wii control system, this exciting game will take advantage of both the Wii Remote and the Nunchuk to offer an interactive experience that any Sonic fans will love.

Created by Sonic Team in Japan, this innovative game takes Sonic into a medieval world and arms him with a sword to aid in his effort to save the day. Sonic and the Black Knight will provide Sonic fans with an irresistible cast of characters and teach them all what it takes to be a true hero and the ultimate knight. With a series of missions taking place in stunning Arthurian-inspired locations, Sonic and the Black Knight promises to offer a fast-paced adventure that gamers of all ages will enjoy.

“After the success of Sonic and the Secret Rings we’re delighted to announce a second title in the Storybook Series,” said Gary Knight, European Marketing Director, SEGA Europe, “Following Sonic on his way to knighthood will excite players of all ages.”

Sonic and the Black Knight, exclusively for the Wii, will be out in Spring 2009.

We have little info beyond the cover details for Sonic's third Wii outing, but can imagine a Sonic themed adventure with the compelling gameplay of Red Steel or Dragon Quest Swords will fit the series like a glove. Hey, we'll take it (begrudgingly) over gunplay any day.

To sum up... :\

Sonic and the Black Knight (Wii) revealed in new Nintendo Power [NeoGAF - thanks, Carlos!]

Worldwide SEGA has sold about 10 million copies and, as Jeffery pointed out, the upcoming Olympics will likely provide a boost to sales of the game when they kick off.

Will there be another Mario and Sonic collaboration? Jeffery was being coy about the details, but he's certainly all for it.

"We would be delighted to do another game with Mario and Sonic," he said.

The sense of speed in the daylight sections is completely amazing. The Sega rep informed us that once Sonic fills up his ring power and boosts he can reach the real-world equivalent of 300 miles per hour. Watching Sonic speed through the levels made my hands ache to get my hands on the controller.

Then the evening comes.

Sonic Unleashed begins with Dr. Eggman using the chaos emeralds on Sonic, cursing him to evenings filled with beat-em up platforming and fuzzy, implausibly stretchy arms. Yes, Sonic becomes a were-hog, a hulking beast that runs slowly on all fours, beats up hordes of enemies at a time with his giant fists, and uses his elastic arms to help him navigate some traditional platforming segments.

The difference between gameplay neatly parallels the shifting of my emotions while watching the demo in action. The daylight portions had me grinning from ear-to-ear, bringing to mind the magic of Sonic games long since past. Why does Sega then shift gears and give us a beat-em-up, with gameplay elements that have nothing to do with the original premise of the franchise?

I'd imagine the idea men at Sega are as split as Sonic is over this next game. A part of them realizes http://publish.kotaku.com/ged/5026505?poststatus=savedthat fans want gameplay similar to the 2D platformers of the past, while another portion believes they are keeping the franchise fresh and new by adding these new concepts. With 50% of the game night and 50% of the game day, Sega has effectively halved my interest in the title. When we said we hated the stupid tacked on 3D gimmicky elements of the 3D Sonic games, we didn't mean we hated them only 50% of the time. 50% of crap and marshmallows is still 50% crap.

Wikipedia is still very much the domain for longwinded parsings of the esoteric, if not completely hallucinated bullshit, a lot of it depending on how motivated that subject's fanboy corps is. Who's gonna show up more, Q-Bert's fans, or President James Buchanan?

Games Radar has put together a list showing the truly distorted priorities of Wikipedia editors and writers, if length is a useful metric. And I think it is. Because according to their analysis, Knuckles from fucking Sonic the Hedgehog gets 7,832 words, and God — yes, that Guy — rates 3,726. There are 14 other hilarious comparisons (Call of Duty vs. World War II; Electronic Gaming Monthly vs Time, etc.) So get out there and start padding entries that really matter: Niko Bellic's (385 words).

The WTF World of Wikipedia [Games Radar]

Why do the civil engineers in the Sonic universe feel the need to construct boost pads, spring loaded bumpers and twisting rails that connect to nothing? They're everywhere! And who's putting those gold rings all over the place? I realize we're discussing a game in which a giant blue hedgehog who wears shoes battles robots at high speeds and occasionally gets freaky with human beings, but c'mon. Sure, Sonic Unleashed looks good — better than any Sonic the Hedgehog effort we've seen in a long time — but when Sega's mascot gets all real world on us, we have to question this stuff.

This much crisper look at the Xbox 360/PlayStation 3 version is also available in impressive high definition.

Sonic Unleashed Trailer [GameTrailers]

Sonic's Birthday [Sega Nerds]

The multiplayer-free game has Sonic traveling through the fractured chunks of an Earth recently shattered by Dr. Eggman, collecting Chaos Emeralds in an attempt to return the planet to its former state. The game will include stylized humans, but likely no hot hedgehog-on-female action.

The developers said one version of Sonic Unleashed is being developed for the Xbox 360 and PS3 and another for the PS2 and Wii. The Wii version of the game will allow you to use the remote and nunchuk or the classic Gamecube controller.

The developers showing off the game to media said that, while the engine was designed to "work well with Sonic titles," it can be used for other games.

Sega brought on Yoshihisa Hashimoto to lead the project because he "knows what needs to happen to make Sonic new and relevant again."

It was unclear if that meant the occasionally over-the-blue-fur look of the game or the yet to be unveiled "surprise" about the game, which I suspect might be his still-unconfirmed werewolf nature.

In our short session watching the game, it felt to me that playing through the third-person perspective sections of the game could be, if not nauseating at times, at least very daunting. The developer who ran us through several sections did just fine, though I imagine first-time gamers wouldn't be as adapt at jumping and maneuvering through the maps with such little warning of approaching turns.

Sonic Unleashed will have day and night gameplay and maintain the ability to collect ring energy. The faster you collect the energy the more you obtain. Eventually you can use it to boost your speed, making Sonic go so fast it blurs the scenery.

The sections we saw did include a couple of split paths, giving the game at least a bit of replayability.

Like what you've seen so far from Platinum Games? Good, because bet your ass there's going to be more. Sequels, even. Let's let SEGA American boss Simon Jeffery explain it:

So these franchises will be built over a long term. What we've seen today is the starting point, but all of those games — Bayonetta, MADWORLD, Infinite Line — won't be one-offs. They're all uniquely different enough from everything in their space to build complete franchises out of. The whole foundation of Platinum Games is built around that long-term strategy. They don't just want to make a quick buck and throw out a few games. They've been in the business long enough to know what works, and they really want to pretty much establish themselves as gaming gods.

That's good to know! Right after purchases these upcoming titles, we can looking forward to purchasing the inevitable sequels. Though, not sure how we feel hearing that from SEGA and all — especially because SEGA does own these IPs. You saw what they did to Sonic, right? Right?!

Sega Brass Talk Platinum Games [GameSpot] [Pic]

While we didn't get a walk through of the game's storyline, we were given a chance to mess around with a chunk of the game.

The DS title shows the action of the game on the bottom, touch screen, while the top screen is taken up by a large colorful map of the section of the world you are currently exploring.

The game has you playing a team of Sonic characters, selected among 11 playable in the game.

Typically while playing only one of your team is shown on the screen and controllable, but you can switch between them by tapping on their icons. Each character has different abilities, which can be used by tapping icons that pop up at times while wandering the map.

For instance, only Big the Cat was able to make his way through a dense fog of clouds in portions of the map I was on, while a wing icon showed me that I could use Tails' flying ability.

The fighting segments of the game did a nice job of capturing the essence of typical role-playing and adding enough to make it exciting. While you still select who you are attacking and how you are attacking them in a turn-based setting, once the attacks start some require the gamer to rhythmically tap the screen or drag the stylus in particular places, ala Elite Beat Agents, to succeed.

Fleeing an encounter is also very hands on, as you have to keep an eye on your entire team and tap different members to get them to jump over obstacles as you run from the bad guys in a sort of mini-game.

Despite being on the compact DS, the game seemed to pack most of the features one would expect to find in a role-playing game including lots of wandering, dialog trees, puzzles, leveling up and even an equipable pet of sorts.

Over the years I've found myself losing interest in role-playing games, but this slight blending of genres, a move that gets more involved in the process and makes the title feel slightly more like an action game, has me thinking that this would be a great game to take with me on a trip.

FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, WHAT IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE? [UK:R]

In the end I decided to give him a color-pattern that resembles a West European Hedgehog but facial proportions that stick to Sonic himself. His white gloves and the red shoes he kept as another link to the original, but the shoes underwent a little redesign. In addition his body looks like that of a runner, making it more believable that he can run at such high speeds.

Pretty sure we'll have trouble sleeping tonight. Tomorrow, too.
Sonic The Real Hedgehog [essenmitsosse via Sega Nerds]

Sonic 2 HD fan remake on the way [SavyGamer via UK:R]

NINTENDO VS SEGA EP [RAC]

Sonic's Thrilling Return to 2D [UK:R]

Yes, the game was still in its infancy, but we got a decent glimpse at the gameplay mechanics that should make Sonic Chronicles another BioWare hit.

The game is almost entirely stylus controlled, with Sonic (or whomever you're playing) following touchscreen taps and drags. Context sensitive pop-up actions will appear at certain points, letting the player enter doors, sprint through corkscrews or cross gaps. Some are character or ability specific, requiring the use of a flying Rouge the Bat, for example.

In battle, fights with angry woodsy creatures will require a knowledge of turn-based RPG tactics. Your quartet of fighters will load out with a series of special attacks that depends on who is in your current party. Tag-team moves may require both Sonic and Amy, with some special attacks that can only be done via threesome.

Those special attacks are executed with a rhythmic Ouendan-style series of touchscreen presses, an addition that brings a bit of welcome action to an otherwise passive Sonic game.

There's no lack of options for stats obsessive RPG gamers, with a skill leveling system and a Chao breeding mechanic that will let players tailor how Knuckles or Tails evolve. Expect Sonic Chronicles to feature an impressive depth in line with the BioWare pedigree.

It's hard to pass any sort of judgment on a game so incomplete, but the few minutes of Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood we played certainly held our interest in playing a more plodding, calculating Sonic the Hedgehog game. Put it on your 2009 wishlist.

In our minds, this game will have more in common with the older Sonic Adventure series. It has no relation to Sonic the Hedgehog [the 360/PS3 game] or Sonice And The Secret Rings... We wanted Sonic fans to love Sonic even more. Also, for people who are not familiar with Sonic, we think that this will be a great way to introduce them to Sonic The Hedgehog.

Thanks, Joe for the tip!

"It hit the victim in the leg, causing a large, red welt and several puncture marks," said Senior Sgt Bruce Jenkins, in the North Island town of Whakatane.

NZ man 'used hedgehog as weapon' [BBC - Ninja Girlden]

Under development for three years, the Hedgehog Engine produces a visually rich next generation look and feel with elements of classic Sonic gameplay mechanics. The Hedgehog engine will help re-define the gameplay experience for Sonic fans and newcomers to the franchise alike.

Sonic Is Unleashed!

SEGA's newest Sonic title is set to combine amazing next gen capabilities with classic Sonic 2D gameplay!

LONDON & SAN FRANCISCO (April 3, 2008) - SEGA® of America and SEGA of Europe Ltd., today announced that everyone's favourite hedgehog will be breaking new ground yet maintaining his roots, in the upcoming title, Sonic Unleashed™. Developed by renowned studio Sonic Team, the latest installment in the multi-million selling franchise, will take players on an unforgettable high-speed journey around the globe in a way never before experienced in the world of Sonic. The game is set for release later this year and will be available for the Xbox 360™ videogame and entertainment system from Microsoft, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, Wii™ home video game system from Nintendo and PLAYSTATION®2.

Sonic Unleashed is built on a powerful new "Hedgehog Engine", which introduces seamless 3D to classic 2D camera transitions, whilst delivering a rich and expansive world with multiple paths to choose from. Under development for three years, the Hedgehog Engine produces a visually rich next generation look and feel with elements of classic Sonic gameplay mechanics. The Hedgehog engine will help re-define the gameplay experience for Sonic fans and newcomers to the franchise alike.

"By combining rich and vibrant scenery with dynamic viewpoints Sonic Unleashed will provide an immersive 3D experience whilst keeping alive the 2D gameplay elements and fantastic worlds that Sonic fans know and love" commented Gary Knight, European Marketing Director for SEGA Europe. "In addition to this classic Sonic gaming experience, when darkness sets in Sonic Unleashed players will be able to experience a completely new way to play as Sonic... making this his most exciting adventure yet!"

Having been broken apart by the evil Dr Eggman, it's down to Sonic to put the pieces of the world back together again by retrieving the power of the chaos emeralds. In doing so, Sonic will find himself in a race against time and faced with an unusual situation that will challenge him in ways never before seen. By completing a wide variety of action-packed stages, spanning the seven broken continents of the world, gamers will need to unleash Sonic's amazing abilities to save the world, and himself!

The opportunity to engage in Sonic in different ways during the day and night time levels brings a completely original way of playing to the Sonic franchise, in addition to running at high speeds in classic Sonic style, combat fighting will become possible. Super quick Sonic's speed skills will be highlighted by four new modes, whilst the all new combat, movement and functional abilities will offer depth and variety to the game. As the sun sets in Sonic Unleashed, a different type of adventure will awaken in Sonic's newest quest....

Sonic Unleashed is scheduled for release worldwide in late 2008.

Our crack legal team was quick to point out to Sega that we believe the existence of the trailer and screens are newsworthy and that we aren't actually violating Sega's rights.

So I guess you can chalk those down as officially confirmed. Thank you mister lawyer man.

Dear Mr. Crecente,

It has come to our attention that your website, Kotaku.com , has unauthorized postings of Sega's copyrighted work, the debut trailer and screenshots for Sonic Unleashed ("Work"). The postings may be found at:
http://kotaku.com/371098/leaked-sonic-unleashed-footage and http://kotaku.com/371203/more-sonic-unleashed-images-trickle-out.

As the copyright holder of the Work, Sega did not authorize the use of the Work in this manner, either via license or otherwise. Sega has a good faith belief that the use of the Work in this manner is not authorized by us (the copyright owner), any of our agents, or the law. Thus, Sega respectfully requests that you promptly remove this posting from Kotaku.com . Please provide me with confirmation that the posting has been removed.

The information in this letter is accurate, and I declare under penalty of perjury that I am authorized to act on behalf of Sega's exclusive copyright in the Work that is being infringed.

If you would like to discuss this matter with me, I am quite happy to do so. ... Thank you for your prompt attention.

Best regards,

Tristan Higgins-Goodell
Senior Legal Counsel
Sega of America, Inc.

Retailer GameStop is currently listing Sonic Unleashed for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, as well as the Wii and PlayStation 2. All listings are labeled with November 4 ship dates, along with platform appropriate pricing.

Thanks for the heads up, Daniel!

New Sonic Game Screenshots Discovered [Sonic Stadium - thanks, Dylan and Daniel!]

The Video Game Blog has posted an interesting list of the third party Wii games that have sold over a million copies. Some of them are pretty obvious like Resident Evil 4 (1.6 million) and Guitar Hero III (1.8 million) while others were definitely a surprise (at least to me) like Carnival Games (1.2 million) and the top seller of all, Sonic and Mario at the Olympic Games (3.4 million). There are seven games total on the list including three that are getting pretty close to a million like RE: Umbrella Chronicles (900k) and LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga (900k).

While all the games on the list may not be your cup of tea, it certainly is interesting to see what sells on the little white console. You can check out the entire list at That Videogame Blog.
3rd party Wii games that sold a million [That Videogame Blog - via GoNintendo]

MTV Multiplayer's Stephen Totilo asked BioWare founders Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk about the challenge of making, say, Rouge the Bat or Big the Cat tolerable to play.

"I think maybe the challenge there, if people are not as excited about having the friends, is making them worthwhile, making them a good part of the game," Zeschuk says. "They're not going to be gimmicky. They're not going to be side things. It is actually a core part of the gameplay mechanic. It's actually, we think, going to revitalize the love of the Sonic friends, especially Big the Cat."

We'll give it a fighting chance and promise to go in with an open mind. We might even learn to... like Shadow the Hedgehog in some tiny way. But you've got your work cut out for you BioWare.

BioWare: New RPG Will 'Revitalize The Love Of The Sonic Friends' [MTV Multiplayer]

I do think going forward there is very much a place for the hardcore gamers on the Wii and there's a big opportunity for publishers to take advantage of that because we've seen the success of Resident Evil on Nintendo platforms... But I do also believe that a lot of Western publishers are only looking at the Wii for casual and family gaming, and I think that's a mistake — I think there's a lot more opportunity there on the Wii. The Wii isn't just about Wii Tennis and Mario & Sonic; it's about so much more. The Wii as a platform has way much more to offer than [Wii Tennis and Mario & Sonic], and hardcore gamers traditionally love Nintendo as well. There's no reason why they should be excluded or excommunicated from the Nintendo world.

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games™ Hits 5 Million in Global Sales

Founding Fathers of Video Games, SEGA and Nintendo, Find Winning Formula with First-Ever Pairing of Famous Mascots

TOKYO—(BUSINESS WIRE)—SEGA® Corporation today announced that its history-making video game title, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games™, has sold five million copies worldwide in just over three months. Developed by SEGA for the Wii™ video game system and the Nintendo DS™ system, with creative input and executive milestone approvals by Nintendo's developers, the title brought together for the first time the two most beloved icons in the entertainment industry. In the spirit of the Olympic Games, the legendary mascots also brought friends from their storied franchises along, including Luigi™, Knuckles™, Yoshi® and Tails™, to compete in a variety of Olympic events.

"With adored icons and fun game play, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games has shot to the top of the sales charts and is clearly resonating with the growing audience of casual gamers that want an engaging and accessible gaming experience," said Simon Jeffery, President and COO, SEGA of America.

Published by SEGA across Europe and North America, and by Nintendo in Japan, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games made its worldwide debut on November 6, 2007, when the Wii version hit store shelves in the United States. According to the NPD Group, which tracks sales data in the United States, the game was one of the top-ten best-sellers in the United States - across all platforms - in the critical holiday sales month of December.

When Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games launched in Europe just days later, it was an immediate hit, rising rapidly to the top of sales charts. Mario & Sonic became the best-ever performing Wii game over the seven-day period that ended on December 11, 2007. In January, Mario & Sonic was the best-selling video game in England across all formats.

"The market for entertaining games that everyone can enjoy is growing faster than any other segment in the industry, thanks in part to the explosive popularity of Wii and Nintendo DS," continued Jeffery. "A key element of our growth strategy at SEGA is to develop and publish games that appeal to this expanding market."

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games is licensed through a worldwide partnership with International Sports Multimedia (ISM), the exclusive Interactive Entertainment Software licensee of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

So, yeah, Kirby's about the same.
Ninty Retro [Image Shack via Digg via Infendo]

Sega Superstars Tennis gives us the most conflicted early feelings of any game we know of in development. On the one hand, it's Sega. On the other, Sumo Digital is actually doing the work. On the original hand, it's going to prominently feature Sonic the Hedgehog and Shadow the Hedgehog. On that other hand again, it has Ulala and Gum and Beat. But back on the negative hand, this is certainly not how we expected to hear from Space Channel 5 and Jet Set Radio's main players. Returning to the positive hand, we are pleasantly surprised to see how well Chu Chu Rocket mini-gameplay seems to be integrated.

My brain is about to be ripped in half as I struggle to come to terms with Sega's answer to Mario Tennis. Do we hate it to death or smother it into oblivion? Someone! Do the thinking for us!