Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing: Super Sonic Karts

Poor Sonic. He’s had such a bad run of games, and even worse run of racing games, that when “Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing” was announced most gamers just wrote it off as something not even worth trying. After all, “Sonic Drift,” “Sonic R,” and “Sonic Riders” aren’t a stellar line up of predecessors. However, Sega made the wise decision to open up the roster to include characters from outside of the Sonic universe, and that idea alone makes this game better than all the rest, but is that enough to make it a worthy purchase? [Continue Reading]

Mario And Sonic At The Winter Olympic Games Review: Going For Gold

Sometime in the late 1980s, my parents went on a trip to Jamaica without me. I assume they had a good time, and completely understand them not wanting to drag me, a seven year old, and my brother, we’ll say thirteen at the time, around a tropical island with them. I get that. So, when they returned, seven year old me was only really concerned about what they brought me back. Much to my surprise, my parents seemed to have gotten something right, and they brought me back a Nintendo game, instead of some lame painted rock… or at least that’s what I thought until I started to play it. The game was the NES port of the Epyx “classic” “Winter Games,” and God, was it bad. Okay, maybe it wasn’t bad, but it was boring, and I could never really figure out the controls, especially for figure skating. Fast forward to the present day, and if my parents were to head to the Caribbean this holiday season, and bring me back a winter games themed video game, namely “Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games,” I think I would be singing a slightly different tune.

Comparing “Mario and Sonic” to “Winter Games” is like comparing apples to oranges, in that the only two things they have in common is that they are both comprised of a collection of winter themed games, and that they are both, in fact, video games. It stops there. “Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games” just has so much more to offer. [Continue Reading]

Video Game Art From Across The Ocean: A Conversation With deviantART’s Orioto

If you guys didn’t know, TrueGameHeadz not only care about video games, we also care about art, and the creators of these games (that we like to tear apart) as well.

Browsing deviantART, one of the hotbeds for hot artists worldwide, we came across this artist who touched our hearts with the Wacom. He doesn’t design for major games yet, but he can capture what’s true about some old school titles that make us all stop and stare. Without further ado let me introduce you to Mikael Aguirre aka Orioto. I’m sure you’ll find inspiration in his work.

[Continue Reading]

Livin’ the Dream(cast) On PSN

With the upcoming release of the PSP Go, and the already released PS3 Slim, Sony is seemingly reinventing themselves in attempts to further their position in the current console war. But with all this new hardware debuting, it’s easy to lose track of Sony’s other ace-in-the-hole; the PlayStation Network.

While many gamers in the U.S. feel they’re getting shortchanged when comparing PSN in the U.S. to that of Sony of Japan’s online division, stateside support for Sony’s free, online service seems to be improving. Earlier this week, a member of the NeoGAF forums came across an article entitled “SCEA Meeting Aug. 5th Notes,” via Sega’s PR site, and if all things listed in the document come to fruition, PS3 owners can look forward to a myriad of improvements across the PSN. [Continue Reading]

E3 ‘09: Quick & Dirty Video – Sonic All Star Racing Gameplay

The blue blur is back in what Sega hopes to be the next best thing to Mario Kart. Take a look for yourself.

Sega’s Top 10 Biggest Business Mistakes

Sega has been as big of a part of my childhood as Nintendo was. However, this wasn’t by choice, since I was the Nintendo fan in my household, and the Sega player was my older brother. To best describe my experience, I’ll put it into a metaphorical scenario: picture a typical GameFAQs or GameTrailers forum poster who constantly boasts about how great their console is while eating, living, and sleeping under the same roof for over a decade, and that’s what I grew up with.

So, that may be a bit of an exaggeration; it wasn’t that bad, but there were regular conflicts over whose system was better, which one had better games, and bunch of other pointless arguments I’m sure you’ve read/heard/been involved in before.

So, you may now be asking yourself, “Why this particular topic, and why focus on Sega?” It’s because of today’s current economic crisis. People are losing jobs, including yours truly, and many longtime companies within the game industry are fading away. I wanted to examine some of the business mistakes made by these large corporations, and I figured Sega would be a good starting point since they are a big highlight from my past. My other reason for choosing Sega is because they are getting a lot of attention lately, with the releases of “House of the Dead: Overkill,“ “Empire: Total War,” and “MadWorld.”

#10 – Treatment of Franchises

There is no doubt that Sega has a very long history of unique characters and themes. “Alex Kidd,” Sega’s former platformer mascot, made you fight to the death with your enemies by playing Rock, Paper, Scissors. “After Burner” turned you into an ace F-14 pilot without the questionable undertones of Top Gun. For the Dreamcast, there was the oddly addictive “Seaman,” the short-lived rhythm based “Space Channel 5,” and the cel-shaded anti-authority “Jet Grind Radio.” All classics in their own right, but then there’s the king of Sega’s franchises, Sonic.

Sega’s mistake here is how they’ve treated these franchises. Although not necessarily as strong as Nintendo’s cast, Sega still has a place amongst the older (and still biggest) market share of the game industry. However, with the constant release of mediocre games based on these franchises (recent examples include “Sonic Unleashed” and “Golden Axe Beast Rider”) it really does make one question Sega’s judgment. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with changing the direction of a franchise (see “Resident Evil”), going in the complete opposite direction tends to alienate the already existing, and most likely dedicated audience. Taking “Golden Axe,” a well known co-operative arcade beat em’ up, and turning it into some plot-heavy single player game, is a good (or bad, depending on how you look at it) example of this. Another standout example from Sega is changing a platformer franchise known for its obstacles, neat theme, and speedy blue rodent, and adding in a werewolf “plot” or giving it a sword.

But despite the past few years of missteps, gamers still respect Sega. There is still a huge, although disturbing, fan base of hedgehog lovers, so much so that Archie Comics is still publishing their “Sonic” series, oh, and there’s this kid too. So while there are definitely ways to improve on how Sega treats its mascots, it’s not the worst thing Sega has done.

Continue Reading Sega’s Top 10 Biggest Business Mistakes

Play Theater: Sonic and the Black Knight Gameplay

Sonic’s back… again… in “Sonic and the Black Knight” for the Wii, and today’s Play Theater has a look at the first 15 minutes of gameplay. Take a look, and decide for yourself, if it makes sense for a supersonic hedgehog to be carrying a sword around, slicing and dicing everything in his past. While it might not be enough for you to figure out if IGN was right or wrong, it should give you an idea about what to expect in the early stages of the game.

Am I the only one that gets the feeling this is what a Meta Knight game would be like, if Nintendo ever got around to putting one out?

Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection Review: Still Doing What Nintendon’t

Nostalgia is a funny thing, especially when it comes to video games. Some gamers think that retro games are classics, and should be appreciated as such, and others think that the games of the past should be left in the past. Fortunately for both groups, every now and then a compilation of classic titles is released to remind both groups fondly of the old days. The most recent of these compilations is Sega’s “Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection” which revitalizes such Genesis classics as “Sonic the Hedgehog,” “Golden Axe,” and “Phantasy Star” games in addition to some 40 other games, and it does it with class.

Maybe you can blame it on the fact that I never had a Genesis when I was a kid (it was Nintendo all the way in my house), or the fact that I’m really bitter that my Sega CDX died over the weekend, but I never really thought that Sega’s games were on the same level as their competitors back in the day. There was something about the quality of games that were released for the Genesis that just never appealed to me. Sure, there were classics that I loved to play at my friend’s houses; the “Sonic” games, “X-Men,” and even “Holyfield’s Boxing” but beyond that I didn’t think I was really missing out on much. “Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection” showed me that apparently I was wrong. Even though I still remain a true SNES fan at heart, the “Ulitmate Genesis” collection has finally convinced me that there are some great titles that I’ve missed out on; “Comix Zone,” “Ristar,” and “Streets of Rage” just to name a few, and maybe it’s about time I went back and did some deeper digging into Sega’s back catalog. [Continue Reading]

Top 10 Reasons The Video Game Industry Is In Trouble

Yes I will do it! I’m the bearer of doom and gloom. Someone has to do it. While most publications are rife with BEST this and that about the industry, few are looking at what ails it. I intend to rectify this with my list and hopes for the fixes of my favorite hobby. Without further ado…

10. Sequelitis

Yes, the industry has gotten sick with it. Following Hollywood tit for tat video games, for the most part, have become wholly un-original. Before you come stampeding my way with torches, let me explain. I don’t mean original as in a new genre or way to play a game (ducking Wii-motes). I mean original as in a new IP (Intellectual Property). What happened to getting excited over new characters? All of the gaming icons we know were once new. Instead of creating new characters, we get the same ones for the fifth, sixth, and eleventh installments.  I subscribe to the financial reasoning of betting on a name that people know, but it also smacks in the face of how that character became popular in the first place. No! I don’t want to play as Dante anymore, at least not for a while. I’m tired of hopping around with Mario, can I get a new character? Everyone talks about how this year was so great for gaming, but virtually every game on the Best Sellers list is a sequel – GTAIV, MGS:4, DMC 4, GHWT, Rock Band 2, GOW2, Res: 2, Mario Kart, etc etc  (You know these titles so well I can abbreviate them) How about a year without any sequels and totally new IP? Wouldn’t that be refreshing… [Continue Reading]

Sonic Unleashed Review: Unleashing The Beast

I’m certain I wasn’t the only gamer who got their hopes up a few months ago after seeing the first batch of screenshots for Sega’s new Sonic title, “Sonic Unleashed.” For some reason it seemed like there was some extra glimmer of hope this time around, and that we wouldn’t be let down by yet another Sonic game. From the screens there appeared to be some semblance of a return to 2D, and a step away from everything that has caused the series to deteriorate over the last few years. However, after actually sitting down and playing “Unleashed” I can say that anyone that got their hopes up might end up being letdown, yet again. HOWEVER, “Unleashed” isn’t a bad game, it’s just not the game that we were hoping for.

3D is a tough dimensional proposition for any game that established itself as a 2D classic. This goes for all franchises that have been around for the last 25 years, and not just our blue hedgehog friend. Sure, some 2D games have made the jump to 3D successfully, and have continued on in that form for multiple titles, but no matter how well those games have done, there’s still something to be said for their original releases. Those games introduced us to a 2D hedgehog, plumber, and elf (seriously, what the hell is Link?) to an entire generation, and that’s how we fell in love with them. At the same time, I’ve always felt that it’s unfair to hold Sonic to the same standards as we have placed on Nintendo’s titles. Sonic is, was, and will always be different. His games have always been faster, less predictable, and less linear than any Mario title. His 3D games have always tried to reflect those characteristics, and, unfortunately, they’ve never really succeeded, mostly because those mechanics are extremely hard to express in a 3D game. Somehow, despite everything it has working against it, “Sonic Unleashed” manages to be fun, but Team Sonic manages to spread out the fun so much that it’s really hard to enjoy the overall product. [Continue Reading]

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