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Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed Announced; VYSE IS INCLUDED
IGN drops the word that Sega will announce a sequel to their Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing, subtitled Transformed. Skies of Arcadia hero Vyse will be making his presence felt on the race track alongside Golden Axe’s Gilius Thunderhead (and Dr. Eggman and AiAi). It’s amazing what one character can do to spike interest in something. :p I’ll keep you informed on how much Skies of Arcadia love the game will feature once I know more. More info on gameplay at the link.
Update – Press Release from Sega doubly confirms Vyse’s appearance:
SONIC & ALL-STARS RACING TRANSFORMED™ CHANGES THE RULES OF RACING
LONDON & SAN FRANCISCO – 30th April 2012 – SEGA® Europe and SEGA® of America Inc. are excited to announce Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed™, a thrilling new racing experience featuring Sonic the Hedgehog and a fantastic cast of SEGA All-Stars competing across land, air and water in vehicles that fully transform from cars, to planes to boats. Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed will speed on to the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, PlayStation® Vita, Nintendo 3DS™ hand-held system and PC Digital Download late in 2012.
Following on from the huge success of Sonic & SEGA All-Star’s Racing™, the characters now have their own unique transforming vehicles designed to take advantage of the varying terrain. The line up on the Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed grid sees SEGA favourites – including Sonic the Hedgehog, Dr Eggman and AiAi – return to battle against newcomers that include Gilius Thunderhead of Golden Axe and Vyse of Skies of Arcadia. The brand new dynamic environments and tracks in Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed are once again inspired by SEGA’s illustrious gaming history. When the road falls away beneath you in Super Monkey Ball’s Temple Trouble track your car transforms into a boat and speeds down the rivers and rapids, whilst the Panzer Dragoon inspired track, Dragon Canyon, takes you into the sky in complete control of your plane, barrel rolling to out-manoeuvre rivals and obstacles before transforming back in to a car and racing to the finish line.
“Given the fantastic feedback we received from critics and consumers alike for the first game we really wanted to push the boundaries on our follow up game, Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed” commented David Corless, Global Sonic Brand Director. “Transforming vehicles allow us to do this – as well as drifting your car around the corners of a track, you get to fly your plane and pilot your boat against others all within one race. Add to this a grid full of star characters, retro IP, fun, fast race modes and cool tracks and racing fans of all ages are sure to love this one!”
Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed also sees the popular All-Star moves return with a brand new mechanic allowing your All-Star bar to power up faster if you race daringly and stylishly. An all new fair weapon system ensures that weapons fired at your vehicle can either be blocked or evaded once you have gained the skills to do so, making each race a unique and exhilarating experience whether it’s on water, in the air or on land. Old rivalries can be settled and new track records set in the enhanced online multiplayer mode, whilst the Grand Prix mode and competitive Battle Arenas will prove that Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed is certainly set to change the rules of the race.
Like this:
Artistic Discussion – The Good and Bad of Gaming Box Art: 4/9/2012
Good – Ecco the Dolphin (Genesis, Sega)
Unlike our last visit with Boris Vallejo, this one is quite spectacular! I’m curious about the oceanic world Ecco inhabits, why he has stars on his forehead, and am overall impressed with the ambiance of the piece. This looks like a fun game (which it is, for the most part) from the cover, and I definitely would consider it as a purchase. Well done, Sega!
Bad – Magic Sword (Super NES, Capcom)
And then there’s this. The woman at the left is probably the best thing about this piece. She looks appropriate and she isn’t marred by some hideous problem (her left thigh is a little odd, but not super noticeable). The hero, however…what exactly is he staring at? It’s not the villain! His pecs are also a little lopsided, his arms don’t look like they were originally attached to him, and I don’t think most people would be successfully defending attacks holding a shield like that. That and he just looks too…prissy to be out in the battlefield (well, our heroine as well looks a little too dolled up, considering the game’s context of her being locked up in a wizard’s tower for a few days minimum). The antagonist looks like he’s laughing, is doing some great jazz hands magic, has a dorky costume, and his horns aren’t even. And why is that dark gem randomly floating around? I don’t recall any purple, cloudy sky in the game, either. Nor mountains. Doesn’t it take place in a TOWER? And the space to the right of the villain seems like a rather sudden shift of colors, from pink to dark purple with no transition whatsoever. I’ve seen worse boxes, but this one has quite a few thorns, that it does.
Like this:
Virtual Console No-Shows: Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse (Genesis)
99. Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse (Genesis, Sega)
Brief Synopsis – Minnie Mouse has been taken by the sinister witch Mizrabel, who plots to steal way Minnie’s youth for her own evil purposes. Mickey vows to save her, and enters the Castle of Illusion to win her back. It’s a fairly standard platforming affair, with Mickey bouncing off of foes to conquer them, but it is programmed spectacularly, and is considered one of the best examples of the genre on the system.
Why is it Missing? – Licensing has a lot to do with it. Much like Capcom’s Disney titles, Sega would need to talk Disney to re-release this, or Disney themselves (who probably retain the rights to their characters no matter who does the work) would have to become Virtual Console supporters. I’m hoping that Disney will jump on board someday, because with the announcement of Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion for the 3DS, Disney is continuing the storyline Sega began with Castle and World of Illusion, and it would be great to be able to revisit those classics without having to hunt down Genesis cartridges and hardware.
Other (Legal) Options – The aforementioned Genesis cartridge and hardware is the only way as of right now.
Next time is Game #100! I’ll really have to think about what to spotlight!
Jet Set Radio HD Update: Let’s Look at the Funk
This is a bit late, but I thought I’d mention that there was some good news regarding the upcoming HD port of Jet Set Radio. While we won’t be receiving all of the music that was included in the 2000 release, we’ll still be receiving 16 out of 30 of the original tracks in the port.
The following is a list of what we’ll be getting, as compiled by Joystiq:
Original Songs by Hideki Naganuma
Grace and Glory
Humming the Bassline
Let Mom Sleep
Moody’s Shuffle
Rock It On
Sneakman
Sweet Soul Brother
That’s Enough
Licensed Tracks
Toronto – Electric Tooth Brush
Magical Girl – Guitar Vader
Super Brothers – Guitar Vader
Bout the City – Reps
Funky Radio – B.B. Rights
Miscievous Boy – Castle Logical
Yellow Brea – F-Fields
Everybody Jump Around – Richard Jacques
Comparing this to the Wikipedia entry for the original game, it appears that we’ll mainly be missing out on the songs that had been exclusive to the US and European releases, which isn’t that much of a loss. I could go without ever hearing “Dragula” again for the rest of my life. Either way, it looks as though all of my favorite songs will be in the HD version, so this will definitely be something to look forward to.
Virtual Console No-Shows: Little Nemo the Dream Master (NES), Golden Axe Warrior (Master System)
With America taking a little break from the VC and Europe receiving the Game Boy Dr. Mario (already accessible on the Wii VC), I felt it was a good time to hit up a couple new titles missing from the service.
96. Little Nemo the Dream Master (NES, Capcom)
Brief Synopsis – As Little Nemo, a boy granted the ability to subdue monsters with candy and then take on some of their forms, you have to hunt down keys to progress deeper into Dream Land to rescue the entire kingdom from nightmares. Another strong example of Capcom’s early licensing prowess.
Why is it Missing? – Capcom themselves have an answer for me this time. Brelston, commenting on the game’s music on Capcom-unity, throws in this explanation:
The odd state of Little Nemo copyrights likely makes new content problematic, what with some content being public domain and other content belonging to various companies…
In short, licensing limbo is holding this back.
Other Legal Options -The NES cartridge is your only ticket.
97. Golden Axe Warrior (Master System, Sega)
Brief Synopsis – Since I haven’t played this, I’ll let Racketboy explain:
Golden Axe Warrior was a RPG spin-off of the popular Golden Axe arcade series that follows a young warrior who was trying to avenge the death of his parents by exploring nine caves and collecting missing diamonds. The infamous Death Adder, from Golden Axe, makes a cameo as the boss of the game.
Why is it Missing? – Sega’s backed off from releasing much for their own systems for the Wii Virtual Console as of late. Barring Strider, they haven’t released anything on the service since April 2010. Maybe with their involvement with emulating Game Gear games on the 3DS we’ll see some new stuff on the Wii VC, like this Zelda-esque adventure.
Other (Legal) Options – To my knowledge, this is a Master System exclusive.
Jet Set Radio HD – New details on the music, new additions and more
Sega has unleashed some fresh details for their enhanced Jet Grind Radio HD port (reverting back to the Japanese name of Jet Set Radio is one key change) – the game will allow gamers to rotate the camera with the right analog stick, lacks the tag sharing of the Dreamcast original (but will include 18 new tags from the contest they’re running), and have managed to relicense the majority of the game’s soundtrack, a huge concern of several fans. At present, Siliconera confirms B.B. Rights, Guitar Vader, and Hideki Naganuma will be included, but Sega is still tracing some of the songs to current rights holders in order to get all of it back and on the port. Rob Zombie and Jurassic 5 are part of that hunt, as the new American stages added to Jet Grind Radio are also a part of this package. Some screens and additional info can be found here.
Tunage – Norio Hanzawa
Image source: Giant Bomb
Norio Hanzawa (also credited as NON, Kazuo Hanzawa, Star Hanzawa, and Playback Hanzawa) is a video game music composer currently employed at Treasure Co. Ltd. He originally worked at Konami as a member of Konami Kukeiha Club where his first known credited game was Castlevania: The Adventure for the original Game Boy in 1989. In 1992, he was one of a handful of Konami employees who left the company to form Treasure, and is currently Treasure’s only full-time music composer.
How can it be that the soundtrack for Gunstar Heroes is notable enough to have its own page on Wikipedia (two, in fact!), yet the man who composed it is not? Norio Hanzawa’s musical scores are a perfect fit for Treasure’s classical sensibilities. They have a timelessness to them, capturing the essence of vintage video game music with their use of synth and catchy themes, yet still sounding right at home on modern consoles. Treasure’s games are known for their distinctive charm, but a large part of that charm would be missing without Hanzawa’s amazing compositions.
Discography
Castlevania: The Adventure (with S. Fukutake and H. Funauchi) (1989)
Quarth (1989)
RollerGames (1990)
The Simpsons (arcade version) (1991)
Bucky O’Hare (arcade version) (1992)
Gunstar Heroes (1993)
Dynamite Headdy (with Nazo Suzuki, Koji Yamada and Aki Hata) (1994)
Yū Yū Hakusho: Makyō Tōitsusen (with Nazo Suzuki and Aki Hata) (1994)
Alien Soldier (1995)
Guardian Heroes (1996)
Mischief Makers (1997)
Rakugaki Showtime (1999)
Bangai-O (Dreamcast version, with Aki Hata and Toshiya Yamanaka) (2000)
Silpheed: The Lost Planet (with Kass Satomari and Tomy Sonoda) (2000)
Stretch Panic (2001)
Tiny Toon Adventures: Buster’s Bad Dream (2002)
Wario World (with Minako Hamano) (2003)
Astro Boy: Omega Factor (with Tsuyoshi Kaneko) (2003)
Advance Guardian Heroes (2004)
Gunstar Super Heroes (2005)
Bleach: The Blade of Fate (2007)
Bangai-O Spirits (2008)
Sin & Punishment: Star Successor (2010)
Bangai-O HD: Missile Fury (2011)
Selected Samples
Castlevania: The Adventure
The Simpsons (arcade)
“Downtown Springfield ~ Help Maggie”
Gunstar Heroes
“Stage 1″
Alien Soldier
“Side Limits ~Flashback~”
Guardian Heroes
“Dear ‘Amadeus’”
Mischief Makers
“Esperance 1″
Wario World
Gunstar Super Heroes
“Title”
Bangai-O Spirits
“Title”
Sin & Punishment: Star Successor
“Successor”
Sources
MobyGames – http://www.mobygames.com/developer/sheet/view/developerId,97690/
VGMdb – http://vgmdb.net/artist/1587
Giant Bomb – http://www.giantbomb.com/norio-hanzawa/72-58331/
Video Game Music Preservation Foundation – http://www.vgmpf.com/Composer.php?Id=NorioHanzawa
Additional Links
Artist page at Overclocked Remix
If there are any corrections or additions that need to be made to this article, please let us know in the comments!
Gamer’s Playlist – “Off Da Wall”
For a blatant advertisement, Virgin Interactive’s Cool Spot was actually a surprisingly solid platform game. Not a masterpiece by any means, but certainly entertaining. Perhaps the best part, however, was the catchy music, composed by Tommy Tallarico of Video Games Live fame.
This is theme music that plays in “Off Da Wall,” which I believe was the third stage. The game was originally released on multiple platforms, so I’m including both the SNES and Genesis mixes for your preference and comparison.
Title: “Off Da Wall”
Composer: Tommy Tallarico
SNES:
Genesis:
Trailer Tuesdays – Jet Set Radio and Project X (1987)
Jet Set Radio (Smilebit, Sega)
With Jet Set Radio HD scheduled to hit Xbox Live Arcade, Playstation Network and Windows this summer, here’s a look back at the trailer for the original Sega Dreamcast version.
Remember, kids: graffiti is art, but vandalism is a crime.
Project X (20th Century Fox)
Every time I see a commercial for the new film Project X, I immediately think of Matthew Broderick with a chimpanzee. I guess that just goes to show how old I am. So, here’s the trailer for that 1987 film of the same name.
Jet Set Radioooooooooooo (Coming to XBLA & PSN)
Looks like 2012 is proving to be a red letter year for “games getting released after widespread bitching from the fans”. First Xenoblade, then The Last Story. Now Sega has jumped on the bandwagon with the following teaser, which basically just says that JSR will be the next Dreamcast game to hit XBLA and PSN:
But wait! This is all well and good in theory, but there are important questions to ask first. Will this be another bait and switch, a la Crazy Taxi? Will we get to doo wop, doo wop listen to the music? Jet Set Radio is defined as much by its eclectic soundtrack as by its cel shaded graphics. It just wouldn’t be the same game without the likes of B.B Rights, Guitar Vader and The Reps.
Please, Sega, I implore you! If you’re going to give us an excuse to finally beat this damn game (don’t judge me), the very least you can do is make sure we can listen to Magical Girl at the same time. Here’s hoping.
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