Sega is planning some big moves with the company looking to take over Rovio, the Finnish company responsible for the Angry Birds series.
The Japanese entertainment giant announced its plans to takeover Rovio recently with The Wall Street Journal marking the nearly $775 million deal as “close to completion.”
Sega has clarified that it is looking to grow its position in the mobile gaming world, a market that Rovio knows very well. They are planning to use the Finnish company’s experience to help bring Sega’s intellectual property to the mobile world.
The deal has been approved by Rovio’s board and shareholders and puts a $775 million price tag on the studio. Once acquired, Rovio will join companies like Creative Assemble and Sports Interactive as part of Sega Europe.
Sega is confident that the deal will be completed by September 2023.
In a press release, the company said that it expects mobile gaming to grow to 56 percent of the overall gaming market by 2026, making this the ideal team to team with Rovio.
Sega is looking to help Rovio too, with the company planning on helping the Angry Birds developer expand its reach to other platforms besides the mobile world. Sega also noted that both companies have been active in multimedia, with both Angry Birds and Sonic the Hedgehog adding movies to their franchises.
Rovio is of course known for its 2009 Angry Birds app, the hit mobile game was one of the touchstones of the mobile game revolution that took over the App Store during the early 2010s.
Since then, however, the company has struggled to grow itself following the popularity of Angry Birds. Sega’s acquisition will look to take what Rovio does best with mobile gaming and scale up the company in return.
Sega’s takeover will follow a handful of other blockbuster deals in recent memory, such as Sony’s multi-billion dollar acquisition of Bungie and Microsoft’s ongoing purchase of Activision Blizzard.
Whether it’s Sonic the Hedgehog coming to mobile gaming or a new Angry Birds launch in theatres, Sega’s planned purchase of Rovio looks to bring exciting new plans to both teams.
Over three years ago, my friends (including MobileSyrup gaming editor Brad Shankar) and I visited Japan for the first time. Over the duration of nine days, we travelled to the busy izakayas in Tokyo, the spiritual streets of Kyoto and the vibrant Blade Runner-esque, neon-light-filled Osaka.
I was left awestruck by the country, and as soon as I returned to Canada, I was eager to go back to Japan. My trip left a lasting imprint on me and reaffirmed my desire to teach English there, with my ideal location being Kyoto.
However, the world changed shortly after returning home (can you believe that the COVID-19 pandemic started three years ago?), and so did the trajectory of my life. Suddenly, travelling to Japan seemed lightyears away and the itch to experience even a little bit more of the country grew stronger.
Then, I discovered Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio’s Yakuza 0.
What I thought would be a welcome distraction quickly became one of my favourite games of all-time. Though the gameplay is a simple 3D beat-em-up, I loved how it balanced wacky humour with deeply serious and emotional moments. It also cleverly combined the setting of Japan’s fascinating bubble economy with its gameplay, using huge stacks of cash to upgrade your move-set.
What added to my Yakuza 0 Japan trip simulation was the insane amount of mini-games that you can play, from disco dancing and karaoke to classic arcade games and billiards. At a time when I felt that big open-world games were starting to become more tiresome to play, having a smaller but vastly dense sandbox area was refreshing.
After my Yakuza 0 playthrough, I was hooked, finishing Kiwami and Kiwami 2 in quick succession, along with going back to revisit the minigames. Though I ended up taking a break from the series, I felt drawn back after seeing the announcement for Like a Dragon: Ishin!
Like a Dragon: Ishin! is a remastered version of the Japan exclusive of the same name, handled similarly to the Kiwami games, including graphical improvements and added content. It’s considered a spin-off, featuring the same characters from previous Yakuza titles (this time including beloved characters from Yakuza 0) but with different backstories and personalities.
Even though we’ve gotten more Edo-based samurai games recently, such as Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and Ghost of Tsushima, Like a Dragon: Ishin! was more enticing because of the distinct charm that Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio adds to its games.
That said, Ishin! excels in its narrative and gameplay, though with a few shortcomings.
The undercover samurai in modern-day Kyoto
The story involves Ryoma Sakamoto (resemblance based on Yakuza hero Kiryu Kazama), a lone samurai coming back to his hometown Tosa after his sword training in Edo. In a span of a few hours, Ryoma becomes embroiled in a political civil war conflict between the Bakufu, the current authoritarian military government, and the Loyalist Party, a group dedicated to the Emperor with plans to overthrow the government. After a series of events, Ryoma ostracizes himself from Tosa to pursue his own investigation in the city of Kyo (modern-day Kyoto) with an undercover name.
This leads to an interesting dynamic in the story, as his sworn brother is the leader of the Loyalist Party while he becomes a high-ranking captain in Bakufu’s elite samurai army, the Shinsengumi. Without going into spoilers, I found the story to be quite interesting, especially compared to the more crime-focused Yakuza counterpart.
However, while you get more out of the game if you played the past Yakuza titles, it also spoils a bit of the plot because some characters follow the same fate. This was quite apparent at the start of the game with Ryoma’s reasoning for leaving Tosa in the first place. Thankfully, the predictability does fade after you get into the real meat of the story, and despite this issue, the inclusion of the Yakuza 0 characters was fantastic, especially in regards to the boss fights.
Ryoma Sakamoto’s bizarre adventures
For a Yakuza/Like a Dragon title, sub-stories are just as important as the story, and Ishin! has some great ones.
From helping out a good-hearted loan shark to aiding a person who’s being ignored for talking literally all day, these side-quests provide lots of humour to keep players engrossed in Kyo.
There is also a lot to do in the city, and at times, it feels overwhelming when you’re trying to progress through the main story. Whether it’s the dozens of people that you can befriend or the countless mini-games, it can be a detriment because your progression is constantly interrupted (though you’re free to just ignore it).
On top of all this is ‘Another Life,’ a farming simulator where Ryoma can grow produce, cook food, own pets and sell various goods. It doesn’t help that despite the great narrative, Ishin!‘s pacing can be quite slow at times. If you’re trying to breeze past the story, you may find that there’s a lack of action set-pieces, especially if you’re a newer fan who started off with Yakuza 0.
Saying all of that, the advice that I have for playing this game will sound bizarre. If you have the time (which, as an adult, feels shorter as you get older), my recommendation would be to play the game at your own pace and not speed through the story. Complete the sub-stories you want, develop the farming business you desire and embrace Kyo’s wackiness and chaos without any constraints. You’ll get a more enhanced experience that way.
The art of the sword… and revolver
Like most of the Yakuza games before the switch to a traditional RPG system, Like a Dragon: Ishin! is a 3D beat-em-up where you use different battle styles to defeat multiple enemies.
There are four combat styles to choose between:
Brawler — the traditional battle style from previous Yakuza games where you fight with your fists or can pick up nearby objects to smack the living hell out of enemies
Swordsman — use your katana for highly damaging strikes at the cost of range and mobility
Gunman — prioritize a revolver to shoot enemies from afar with ease
Wild Dancer — uses both swords and revolvers to perform chaotic combos
Wild Dancer is especially devastating, as you can perform combos to a single enemy or use a spinning gun attack to blow away multiple people at once.
However, a new addition to the combat with this remaster are the Trooper Cards, which act like special moves that you can manually control or perform automatically. In the original game, you can only use Trooper Cards in the dungeon-crawler minigame, but now, they’re usable in regular gameplay.
It’s a bit similar to the deck system in Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories, where specific cards can perform combat moves, buffs, or healing. You can also assign three cards to each battle system, meaning you can have a deck of 12 catered to a specific play style. The Trooper Cards are great to use and add a bit more strategy to boss battles, specifically. However, it’s, thankfully, not complex compared to an RPG system, so you won’t constantly be shifting cards around for specific battles once you have a comfortable loadout.
Reliving Kyo through emotional connections
If Yakuza 0 was used to recreate my trip to Tokyo and Osaka, Like a Dragon Ishin! was my way of experiencing historic Kyoto and reminiscing over my own emotional connections to the city.
Thanks to the new graphical uplift, Ishin! looks really beautiful, especially at night when you can see the lanterns lit up near the river and towns. It’s by no means groundbreaking compared to current-gen games, but for someone who has an interest in Kyoto, it’s a great way to bring the Edo-period prefecture to light.
This setting enhances the game, distancing itself from the urban locations of previous Yakuza games while offering a fresh sense of discovery. Personally speaking, it’s a dream combination of my favourite place in Japan with my interest in ancient history. Because of this, I’ll always connect my emotional experience of Kyoto to this game, which will encourage replayability because of the sheer amount of content and my own sentiments on the prefecture.
Overall, Like a Dragon: Ishin! is a great remaster that should be on your radar whether you’re a Yakuza fan or new to the series. It’s both familiar and distinct, allowing players to familiarize themselves with the series without knowledge of the past Yakuza games. Furthermore, it allowed me to reminisce about my first trip to Kyoto because of my ties to the area.
For that, Like a Dragon: Ishin! delivered an experience that was priceless to me, and as I revisit Japan later this year, it will be a game that I remember as I walk through the streets of Kyoto again.
Like a Dragon: Ishin! is available on the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC via Steam.
It’s the lead-up to the weekend, meaning that my mom would pick up my brother and me from school in Toronto and drive back over to Brampton.
This particular week was quite special, however, as Sonic Generations released on Tuesday and my anticipation for the game was immense. I still remember endlessly playing the demo on PlayStation 3 leading up to its release.
As a middle-school student, I did not have a lot of money to spend or even ask for, but my mother made an exception for this game.
If I were to trap those memories into a time capsule, it would contain all the ridiculous hours consuming Sonic Generations. If I wasn’t playing through the game, I was watching two of my favourite content creators Somecallmejohnny (a person who was one of my inspirations for creative writing) and ClementJ642 duking it out in the leaderboards.
I could go on about how Sonic the Hedgehog has both directly and indirectly influenced my life, specifically the 3D games because those are what I grew up with.
It’s also the reason why I remained cautiously optimistic with Sonic Frontiers until launch, because I wanted the game to be good since primary Sonic developer Sonic Team’s reputation is pretty rocky.
Not to say that the recent games were outright terrible, but Sonic Team lost my trust with Sonic Forces. It was tonally ridiculous (World War 3 in the Sonic universe does not work), the level design was flat and classic Sonic felt (pardon the pun) forced into the game because they were playing the nostalgia-bait card again.
It didn’t help that Sonic Frontiers’ marketing was not great at the start. All we saw was Sonic interacting with a lifeless, bleak-looking world without any signs of the traditional levels or Sonic’s banter with his friends.
Thankfully, not only did the marketing greatly improve but so did my own general feelings. As I played through the first couple of hours, it felt like I was back in my pre-teenager self eating Frosted Flakes and playing video games in front of the TV.
I’m a firm believer that instead of forgetting the past, we should embrace and learn from our mistakes, even if we fail to learn the first time.
Because of this mindset, I think it’s fair to look back at Sonic Team’s track record at storytelling and gameplay mechanics. Before Sonic fans click off this review, I’m not going to mention Sonic ’06 or Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric.
Instead, I want to comment on Sonic Colors, Forces, Lost World and even Generations, as I feel these games highlight Sonic Team’s lack of direction with developing new characters and characterizing pre-existing ones.
One character that really showcases this issue is none other than Sonic’s sidekick Miles “Tails” Prower. Throughout the aforementioned games, Tails’ development is both confusing and inconsistent. For example, Sonic Colors does a great job of showing how useful he is as Sonic’s partner, as he’s cunning and witty. Then Lost World’s story has him getting angry at Sonic for not trusting his intelligence (for no good reason) and working with Eggman to stop the Deadly Six. Talk about mood whiplash.
However, the biggest crime comes from Sonic Forces as Tails, the person who stood up to Eggman when he was about to blow up Station Square in Sonic Adventure and fights multiple powerful versions of Chaos, becomes scared of the base form of Chaos and cries for Sonic.
Tails, while timid in his own right, is a character that does stand up for himself, even if the situation is quite scary. While he’s not as direct in handling situations like Sonic, he makes up for it with mechanical skills and intelligence. Sonic Forces essentially killed his character, making him one of many characters that I felt previous Sonic writers never really understood.
However, instead of disregarding the previous games, Sonic Frontiers actually embraces these flaws and weaves them into the storytelling. For example, Tails actually comes to terms with his problems about co-dependency on Sonic and, specifically, references plot details from Forces. Not only that, but there are so many references to the older games (including the classics) that had me constantly grinning during my playthrough.
For the first time in over a decade, I felt these characters had a clear sense of direction that was actually written by a Sonic fan. This is in special part to the involvement of Ian Flynn, the lead writer for Sonic IDW comics that have been well received for a long time. While the overall story did have some issues, I loved the characterization and I’m eager to see how this writing carries over to the next game.
Finding your own flame
Takashi Iizuka, the head of Sonic Team, coined the phrase ‘open-zone’ to describe the gameplay for Sonic Frontiers. While it sounds like techno-babble (Apple’s ‘dynamic island’ springs to mind), it really does describe the gameplay quite well.
Sonic Frontiers is not an open-world; rather it’s filled with bigger sandbox levels that have various obstacles and puzzles to explore. Though these worlds lack any real presence besides Sonic’s friends and the Kocos (adorable stones used to enhance Sonic), that’s not really essential for this game’s setting.
Instead, it’s about the joy of travelling around the islands. This is only further highlighted as you complete more puzzles and open up new routes to run quickly between areas. The more you play and complete challenges, the more these islands feel like traditional Sonic stages.
I especially loved experiencing the freedom of running around the world without the constraints of sticking to one specific path imposed by the past Sonic games. There was also a sense of reward when you had to figure out how to travel from one place to another without the game explicitly pointing out how you needed to go. This type of exploration is also encouraged because of the various collectibles that are scattered across the map that you need in order to progress the story. These include vault keys, memory tokens, portal gears and purple coins.
While these may sound tedious, especially for a Sonic game, I didn’t find it to be a nuisance. That’s because you can acquire all these items alternatively through Big the Cat’s fishing mini-game, a fun distraction with lots of useful rewards. It also helps that Sonic himself controls quite well, with the added feature of customizing exactly how you want him to play. This includes movement speed, jump height and more, making this the most accessible Sonic game (control-wise) to date.
Another addition to the overall gameplay is the revamped combat system. Since Sonic Frontiers reintroduces enemies with health bars, the blue hedgehog decided to take some fighting lessons from the Devil May Cry series. Sonic can perform parries, initiate combos and even has a skill tree to upgrade moves, though it’s really simplistic. The combat system is not fully realized, but it was quite enjoyable to fight different mini-bosses and even opened up some different combat strategies.
However, there’s more than the open-zone gameplay in Sonic Frontiers — you also have the cyber space levels. These are bite-sized platforming levels using the ‘boost’ formula, where the player has to quickly traverse through the stage while reacting to various obstacles at high speeds. They also contain four challenges that include reaching the goal, clearing with a S rank time, collecting all the red rings and finishing the level with a certain amount of rings. While I was concerned about this approach because of Sonic Forces’ shorter stages, these provide a great burst of challenge without overstaying their welcome.
Not exactly all fist bumps
However, while the cyberspace levels provide a lot of fun, they also bring up most of the issues I have with Sonic Frontiers.
For starters, there are over 28 levels but Sonic Team reuses the same four aesthetics present in Sonic Generations. It’s still baffling that we can’t move past Green Hill Zone and Chemical Plant is starting to become an eyesore. Unfortunately, this laziness is also present in the level design because most are a copy-and-paste job from previous 3D games. It’s a double-edged sword because it makes the stages fun to play through at the cost of unoriginality. However, if you’re not familiar with the older games, this probably won’t be an issue.
What is a universal problem is how Sonic controls in these stages. While I have a lot of praise when it comes to the open-zone gameplay, those controls don’t necessarily translate well to cyber space levels. Specifically, I found that basic 2D platforming was incredibly awkward for precise jumps, though there are some 3D stages that highlighted issues regarding sharp turns and double-jumping.
Outside of the cyber space levels, I can’t ignore the multiple graphical issues during the open-zone islands. There are numerous issues with objects popping in, textures looking right out of an early PS2 title and some cutscenes feeling hollow and unfinished. However, if the world can accept Pokémon Violet and Scarlet’s horribly poor performance, which is worse than anything you see in Sonic Frontiers, then these graphical issues are comparatively quite minor.
Undefeatable in Certified Hits
There are some guarantees in life: death, taxes and Sonic games having phenomenal soundtracks, and Sonic Frontiers is no exception.
In fact, it’s one of the best since Sonic ’06, with so many varied tracks ranging from peaceful and atmospheric to high-energy EDM and metalcore. Long-time series composer Tomoya Ohtani has dabbled through different genres before (with some being hit-or-miss), but he’s finally perfected it here.
I can’t quite describe the levels of euphoria I felt when I first heard “Undefeatable,” the first Super Sonic titan theme, but the joy was very similar to listening to hearing veteran Sonic composer Crush 40’s final boss songs.
Endless Possibilities
Overall, what Sonic Frontiers has achieved is a reminder that Sonic Team can be successful when ambitious.
Many people see this game as the hedgehog’s revival or that “he’s back” to being a video game mascot. While it’s not inaccurate to say (Sonic Frontiers currently has an 82 percent user score on Metacritic and is being received overwhelmingly positive on Steam), I honestly feel like he’s never left. We’ve had other entries such as Sonic Mania, Lost World and even the 3DS Sonic Boom titles that delivered a good experience.
Sonic Frontiers isn’t perfect, but it’s a giant leap in the right direction as Sonic Team has finally made the right evolution to the hedgehog’s core gameplay. Most importantly, it was the most fun I’ve had with Sonic outside of the Adventure games and Generations.
New modes, new Koco, new…playable characters!? More Sonic Frontiers content coming your way next year! pic.twitter.com/MoZ8Gtj4Ro
To my surprise, they’re also continuing to support Sonic Frontiers with free DLC next year, introducing new challenge modes, small quality-of-life improvements and playable characters (a feature Sonic Team has avoided since Sonic ’06).
With all the positive press and continuing support, my hope is that Sonic Team uses this game to deliver an even better experience. This time, I’m quite hopeful that they will keep their promise.
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Paramount Pictures has confirmed that Sonic the Hedgehog 3 will open in theatres on December 20th, 2024.
This will be a little over two-and-a-half years after Sonic the Hedgehog 2, which landed in cinemas in April 2022. However, it’s currently the same date that James Cameron’s untitled third Avatar film is hitting theatres, so it remains to be seen whether the date for the Sonic threequel will stick.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2, alongside its April 2020 predecessor, have grossed over $700 million USD (about $901.6 million CAD) worldwide, making them some of the most successful — and more well-received — video game movies to date. They’re based on the Sega platformer franchise of the same name, which celebrated its 30th anniversary last year.
Directed by Jeff Fowler, the first two Sonic movies followed the titular hedgehog (voiced by Ben Schwartz) as he fights the evil Dr. Robotnik (Newmarket, Ontario’s own Jim Carrey). The sequel introduced fan-favourite characters Knuckles (voiced by Idris Elba) and Tails (voiced by Colleen O’Shaughnessy, reprising the role from the games).
Official details about Sonic the Hedgehog 3 have yet to be confirmed, so it’s unclear whether Fowler, Schwartz or anyone else from the creative team will return. It should also be noted that Carrey expressed interest in retiring from acting after Sonic the Hedgehog 2, although the film’s producers hold out hope that he’d return. That said, there is another notable character from the Sonic games who was teased in the post-credits scene of Sonic the Hedgehog 2. A spin-off series focused on Elba’s Knuckles is also in the works for Paramount+.
However, if you were still holding out hope for a Dreamcast or Saturn ‘Classic’ console — well, you probably shouldn’t, according to Sega hardware producer Yosuke Okunari.
The game maker made the comments while speaking with Famitsu about the Mega Drive Mini 2, Sega’s recently unveiled retro console featuring 50 pre-installed games. During the interview, Okunari acknowledged that some people would have preferred a Dreamcast or Saturn replica, and the company even considered making them.
“Some of you may say ‘this isn’t a Sega Saturn Mini’ or ‘I wanted a Dreamcast mini’, it’s not that we didn’t think about that direction,” Okunari said.
However, he noted that the company ultimately decided not to pursue them, as “both developing and manufacturing new chipsets during the pandemic is a difficult and expensive process.”
While Okunari didn’t outright say that Sega will never produce a ‘Saturn Classic’ or ‘Dreamcast Classic,’ his comments aren’t all that hopeful. Saturn games, in particular, are notoriously difficult to emulate, and Sounari even joked that a hypothetical ‘Saturn Mini’ could cost as much as a modern-day console. Conversely, he said the Mega Drive Mini 2 was a more “manageable” product since it’s based on the existing Mini hardware.
The Mega Drive Mini 2 will release in Japan on October 27th at a cost of ¥9980 (about $95 CAD). It will include games like Slipheed, Sonic CD, Virtua Racing and Fantasy Zone.
International pricing and availability of the console have not yet been confirmed.
Sega has announced the Mega Drive Mini 2 classic console. The follow-up to the original Mega Drive Mini includes 50 games spanning across Sega Genesis and Sega CD.
Sega revealed the console during a Japanese live stream held by the company. Here, Sega reveals that the Mega Drive Mini 2 is launching on October 27th in Japan. At launch, the console will cost ¥9,980 (roughly $96.05 CAD). However, Sega hasn’t discussed when international sales begin.
The 2019 Mega Drive Mini sports 42 games. However, Sega’s upcoming Mega Drive Mini 2 supports 50 titles. A few notable highlights include Sonic CD, Slipheed, and Virtua Racing. In addition, Sega includes a Mega Drive port of Fantasy Zone, which was never released on the original console. Sega also claims other arcade ports are in the works and describes them as “mysterious new work”.
The full list of games confirmed to be supported includes:
Silpheed (Mega CD)
Shining Force CD (Mega CD)
Sonic CD (Mega CD)
Mansion of Hidden Souls (Mega CD)
Popful Mail (Mega CD)
Virtua Racing (Mega Drive)
Bonanza Bros (Mega Drive)
Shining in the Darkness (Mega Drive)
Thunder Force IV (Mega Drive)
Magical Taruruto (Mega Drive)
Fantasy Zone (Mega Drive port)
It’s been quite some time since we’ve seen a “Classic” console hit the market. Nintendo bootstrapped the golden era of the classic consoles. The company released the NES Classic Edition in 2016 and SNES Classic Edition the following year. PlayStation even got in on the action with the PlayStation Classic.
This wave of nostalgic mini consoles has petered out in recent years. Though, with Sega still supporting its older games by way of classic consoles, there may still be hope for a Nintendo 64 Classic Edition or something just as tantalizing.
The extended demo was provided on June 1st, showing super clear and crisp graphics within its opening clip. Running through a vast and expanded map, you can see Sonic staples on any ramp or boost in the game.
Let us not forget the Sonic franchise’s famous ground boost, bumpers and rails. From different aerial moves to boosts, Sonic Frontiers enables you to reach different towers and complete challenges from them.
However, despite seeing a lot from the extended gameplay, the map isn’t visible and it does not show any missions within the game. A release date is currently unknown.
For now, check out the trailer for Sonic Frontiers for more information on the game.
While we knew that the Sega video game adaptation would be available on the service in the U.S. on May 24th, given its 45-day theatrical exclusivity, it wasn’t previously clear where it would stream in Canada. A Paramount+ subscription costs $5.99 CAD/month.
In the sequel to 2020’s Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic allies with a crafty fox named Tails to face off once more against the evil Dr. Robotnik, who has enlisted the dangerous Knuckles the Echidna.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 was once again directed by Jeff Fowler and features returning cast members Ben Schwartz (Sonic), James Marsden (Tom), Newmarket, Ontario’s own Jim Carrey (Robotnik), Tika Sumpter (Maddie) and Canadian-raised Lee Majdoub (Stone). Meanwhile, Idris Elba voices Knuckles and Colleen O’Shaughnessy reprises her fan-favourite role of Tails from the Sonic video games. It’s also worth noting that much of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 was shot in Vancouver, just like the first film.
Since its release in early April, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 has grossed more than $375 million USD (about $482.5 million CAD) worldwide, making it the highest-grossing video game film to date. Paramount is currently developing a third Sonic film, as well as a Paramount+ spin-off series focused on Elba’s Knuckles.
Sega’s Sonic Origins collection brings Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic 3 & Knuckles and Sonic CD to modern consoles and PC on June 23rd.
The game will release on Xbox consoles, PlayStation consoles, the Nintendo Switch and PC for roughly $54 (the price varies slightly based on the platform). Controversially, several features, including ‘Hard Missions,’ are locked behind the game’s more expensive ‘Premium Fun Pack’ version.
Sonic Origins also offers noteworthy extras, including an ‘Anniversary Mode’ with widescreen visuals and infinite lives and specific extra challenges you can complete during levels to earn ‘Medallions.’ These Medallions can then be spent to unlock in-game content, including special stages and other items.
It’s no secret that I’m not a massive fan of the Sonic series because I don’t feel the gameplay featured in the chilli dog-eating hedgehog’s sidescrollers has aged very well when compared to, for example, the Super Mario series.
Still, even I can admit that Sonic Origins seems poised to be a pretty solid, albeit pricey, collection of some of Sonic and friends’ most fondly remembered titles.
Sega is reportedly working on “big-budget” reboots of Crazy Taxiand Jet Set Radio focused on creating online communities with recurring revenue.
Bloomberg says that these reboots are part of Sega’s ‘Super Game Initiative‘ that aims to create titles that operate as a living service and feature ample microtransactions, similar to popular titles like Fortnite and Destiny 2.
Sega’s Crazy Taxi reboot has been in the works for a year and will release within the next two to three years. Jet Set Radio is still very early in development.
Two other titles are also reportedly in the works, with the first being a first-person shooter Sega wants to earn $780 million USD (about $984,000,000 CAD) in revenue. Bloomberg says that all of these titles are still early in development and could still be cancelled.
Though Crazy Taxi/Crazy Taxi 2 and Jet Set Radio are Dreamcast cult classics that I personally spent a significant amount of time playing in the early 2000s, it’s unclear if either series will still have an audience in 2022.
For example, the arcade nature of the Crazy Taxi series could make it challenging to expand into a more full-fledged experience (this is the issue Crazy Taxi 3 ran into). That said, I’ve been playing a lot of Crazy Taxi on the Steam Deck through a Dreamcast emulator, and I’m surprised at how well the game has aged. Also, it’s not a Crazy Taxi game without a very The Offspring-focused soundtrack, of course.
Jet Set Radio and its Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater-like goal-oriented gameplay and cel-shaded graphics, on the other hand, seem more primed for a modern reimagining.
However, the world changed shortly after returning home (can you believe that the COVID-19 pandemic started three years ago?), and so did the trajectory of my life. Suddenly, travelling to Japan seemed lightyears away and the itch to experience even a little bit more of the country grew stronger.
However, instead of disregarding the previous games, Sonic Frontiers actually embraces these flaws and weaves them into the storytelling. For example, Tails actually comes to terms with his problems about co-dependency on Sonic and, specifically, references plot details from Forces. Not only that, but there are so many references to the older games (including the classics) that had me constantly grinning during my playthrough.
