Three old Xbox 360 titles are made new again this week, thanks to the magic of digital delivery. Today you can download Army of Two, Midnight Club: LA, or Sonic Unleashed directly to your Xbox 360, with no need to leave the safety and comfort of your own abode. Just because we say you shouldn't play Sonic Unleashed is no reason not to drop $29.99 for it and see why you shouldn't play it for yourself!

Midnight Club: LA also rings up at $29.99, while EA's buddy mercenary joint is a steal at $19.99.

Has anyone out there purchased a game through Games on Demand? I've only picked up BioShock myself, and that's because I was given a code to test out the service when it launched. Has the convenience moved you?

Xbox 360 Games on Demand: Army of Two, Midnight Club: LA and Sonic Unleashed [Major Nelson]

Sonic and the Black Knight director Tetsu Katano tells Videogamer "You will see the Werehog again." That's despite the general shunning of the Werehog version of Sonic by many longtime Sonic the Hedgehog fans and mixed reviews from critics.

"In principle, I think that the users are always right. They're the ones paying the money and playing the games. If they don't enjoy it, they're not going to buy it," Katano tells Videogamer. "I don't think that producing the Werehog was a mistake per se, but there were a lot of things we could have done better if we had more time and resources."

Katano kind of backs away from confirming a Sonic Unleashed sequel later in the interview, but we have a good feeling Sega sees a winning combination in expanding the Sonic the Hedgehog market to furry enthusiasts. That's something that can only be done with either more Werehog or some disturbing Miles "Tails" Prower spin-offs.

Sonic and the Black Knight Interview [Videogamer via NeoGAF]

Rob Lightner of Sega of America says that the chair is "an ideal complement to the Sonic franchise and delivers the ultimate game experience to young player." However, he also says that Sonic Unleashed "reinvents the Sonic The Hedgehog dynasty" with "imaginative new storylines" so we're not sure we can trust him.

Still, if you're kid's in need of something to sit on and isn't jaded by Sonic games, this is the chair for him or her!

Ultimate Game Chair Unveils First Video Game Chair for Kids Featuring SEGA’s Sonic The Hedgehog

New Reactor Mini Game Chair Coincides with Debut of SEGA’s Best-Selling Kids’ Franchise “Sonic Unleashed”

November 18, 2008, ANTIOCH, CA – The Ultimate Game Chair, maker of all-in-one virtual game, massage and home theatre chairs, today unveiled the first-ever kids’ video game chair – the Reactor Mini Game Chair. The new Reactor Mini Chair is a result of a licensing deal between SEGA and Ultimate Game Chair and will feature SEGA’s Sonic The Hedgehog – one of the best-known kids’ franchise in the history of games. In addition, the Reactor Mini debut will coincide with the release of SEGA’s hotly anticipated Sonic Unleashed.

The Reactor Mini represents Ultimate Game Chair’s first-ever game chair designed for the 3-to-9 year old crowd. The Reactor Mini includes a larger-than-life, full-color image of SEGA’s iconic blue mascot, Sonic The Hedgehog, which appears on the seat back and wraps around the chair for a three-dimensional effect.

“Sonic Unleashed reinvents the Sonic The Hedgehog dynasty to deliver innovative and unexpected game play, along with imaginative new storylines,” said Rob Lightner, Vice President of Business Development of SEGA of America. “The Reactor Mini is an ideal complement to the Sonic franchise and delivers the ultimate game experience to young players.”

Weighing only 13 pounds and measuring 25 ¾ inches (H) by 14 ½ inches (W), the Reactor Mini is sized and stylized specifically for young gamers. With four high-impact vibrating motors and 3D-stereo sound, the Reactor Mini amplifies game play with any title on all gaming systems.

Your browser may not support display of this image.“Perched in the Reactor Mini, young gamers will embark on a high-speed adventure where movements, fighting and speed deliver a full-body sensory experience – all in the comfort of a chair that is sized perfectly to fit,” said Jamie Duran, president of Ultimate Game Chair. “Drawing on SEGA’s legacy of the best game play and most engaging storylines, we have built a chair that will unleash a child’s inner hedgehog and redefine video game fun.”

The Reactor Mini Game Chair will be available online at www.ultimategamechair.com beginning November 21. SONIC Unleashed Xbox 360 games in the United States will include a promotional piece spotlighting the Reactor Mini and offering Sonic fans a 10 percent discount. The Reactor Mini is $69.99 (MSRP) or $62.99 (with coupon), plus shipping. Sonic Unleashed will be rated E10.

ABOUT ULTIMATE GAME CHAIR

Ultimate Game Chair, Inc., headquartered in Antioch, California, designs all-in-one virtual game, massage and home theater chairs. Ultimate Game Chair amplifies the video gaming experience by delivering patented special effects and high-impact vibration capabilities that deliver the ultimate in game play intensity. For more information, visit http://www.UltimateGameChair.com.

海外在住のソニックファンの皆様へ [Sega]

Sonic Unleashed: Yoshi Hashimoto Interview [Kikizo] [Pic]

It's a valid point — is Japan getting a noticeably different game, or will Sega USA follow suit and delay the title too?

Sega Delaying PS3/360 Sonic Unleashed to Improve Quality, but Only in Japan [Siliconera]

Dr. Robotnik still plays his Dreamcast [Sega Nerds]

Sonic Set to Star in Animated Short: Night of the Werehog [The BBPS]

Sega Japan Passing On PS2 Sonic Unleashed [Siliconera]

Nishiyama: There's always the possibility. Whether it would be viable remains to be seen, but having a new game - or even a remake of the GBA games, which we now can't use [thanks to the DSi] - would certainly be possible. If we made one, would you buy it?

Me: [nods]

Nishiyama: Really?

Me: [nods]

Nishiyama: [laughs] Great! One of our ideas has been that on older consoles, you may have had only 16 colours. One thing we could do is make a game like Mega Man 9; do a new Sonic, but in an old style.

Encouraging words, but let's not jump the gun. This is Sega we're talking about, after all.

Expect the game on PS3, Xbox 360, PS2 and Wii November 18th.

I dunno, the dual "dark" character, stretchy arms combat ... reminds me a little too much of Venom and Ultimate Spider-Man.

Sonic Unleashed — Werehog Unleashed [Gametrailers]

The company's presence in the Business Center closely mirrors that of E3, with Alpha Protocol, the new RTS Stormrise, and PlatinumGames titles Bayonetta and MadWorld on display, along with Empire: Total War, Golden Axe, and Valkyria Chronicles. Between the titles we know about and the one we hope we know about, it should be a very exciting GC for Sega indeed.

SEGA UNLEASHES SONIC AND BRINGS SAMBA RHYTHMS TO LEIPZIG

GC 2008 – SEGA confirms games line-up

LONDON & MUNICH (August 14, 2008) – SEGA® Europe Ltd. and SEGA® Germany GmbH today announced the titles which will be presented to the public and industry professionals at Games Convention 2008. Two SEGA heroes will dominate events in the consumer area (Hall 5, Booth F02), which will strongly and positively stand out from the usual trade fair booths thanks to its special design. Amigo, the clever monkey from the Samba De Amigo game series celebrates his comeback exclusively on the Wii, and at the same time, his public premiere. For the first time customers will be able to shake their Wii remotes to the beat, next to, and on the stage – 40 well-known songs and new game modes provide long-lasting enthusiasm. Samba De Amigo will also be the primary element of our professionally moderated stage show – with full audience participation.

Sonic will also be taking the trip to Leipzig and presenting himself to the public in two games. Along with his role-playing game premiere Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, developed exclusively for the DS by BioWare, the cool hedgehog will play up his strengths in Sonic Unleashed. Visitors to the Games Convention will get to experience the new and, in many areas, heavily improved gameplay for themselves. With the Olympic Games in mind, the SEGA booth will also showcase the athletic field – along with Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, Beijing 2008 will also be waiting for medal-worthy video game athletes. The booth will be rounded out with Dinosaur King, the game to the new TV series, and Space Siege – another thrilling PC adventure from cult designer Chris Taylor.

In the Business Center (Hall 1, Booth I31), SEGA will provide an outlook for more up-coming highlights. Notable developers from Japan (Platinum Games), the UK (Headstrong Games, The Creative Assembly), and Australia (The Creative Assembly Australia) will give media representatives a sneak peek at forthcoming SEGA titles for all platforms.

Besides a world premiere, which will be announced in time for the start of the trade fair, new versions and demos of the presented games have been developed especially for GC. The titles presented in the business area include the epic Empire: Total War, the action packed espionage RPG Alpha Protocol, Platinum Games’ highly anticipated Madworld and Bayonetta, the long-awaited comeback of Golden Axe, the Japanese strategy eye-catcher Valkyria Chronicles, and Stormrise – an all new kind of strategy game designed specially for the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360. In addition, all titles from the consumer area will also be available in the Business Center.

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 that 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.

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.