Sonic Lost World gets free Zelda DLC

Sega has announced that some free Zelda-themed DLC is coming tomorrow, and will be free for all Wii U owners to download, provided they own a copy of Sonic Lost World. The DLC features a massive level set in Hyrule Kingdom, which includes Hyrule Field and Hyrule Castle. The stage will place an emphasis on exploration, with plenty of hidden areas, including some which are accessible only with bombs.

A number of familiar characters appear, including Stalchilds, Cuccos, Gorons, and even Fairies. In addition, Sonic the Hedgehog himself will don Link's green tunic, and the green-clad hero himself will make cameos every now and then. It appears that finding the Triforce will be Sonic's primary goal.

IGN has released two videos which show off the level in action. The first is a basic announcement trailer, which lasts a minute, while the second includes a five-minute walkthrough of the level by a member of Sega. It goes without saying that this DLC will probably sell more copies of the Blue Blur's latest adventure.

Professional game critics gave Sonic Lost World  mixed reveiws, and it currently has a Metacritic average of 63 based on 64 reviews. However, average gamers seem to have a much more favorable opinion. Amazon customers have rated it very well, and you can read some of their reviews here. Trailers after the break.

Sonic: Lost World - Tokyo Game Show Trailer

The Tokyo Game Show is underway, and Sega has released a new trailer for Sonic: Lost World. The video shows plenty of new gameplay footage of both the Wii U and 3DS versions. The action is fast and frantic, as always, and we catch a glimpse of how the HD version will make use of the GamePad's unique features, in addition to seeing how Miiverse is integrated. Everything is in Japanese, but you don't need to know the language to appreciate the trailer. Video after the break.

Sonic: Lost World - The Deadly Six Trailer

Sega has released a new Japanese trailer for the Wii U version of Sonic: Lost World. This new video shows a glimpse of the Deadly Six, the bosses featured in the game, which have received plenty of attention in the marketing campaign. The speedy hedgehog's latest game mixes 3D and 2D platforming in massive levels and appears to have taken quite a few cues from Nintendo's own Super Mario Galaxy games, which is definitely a good thing. It is also worth mentioning that the HD version of Sonic: Lost World is coming exclusively to the Wii U, while the portable version will be released only on the 3DS. In other words, you'll need one of Nintendo's systems if you want to play it. Trailer after the break.

Sega has seven releases scheduled for Wii U this year

This was just the beginning.

Sega have just released their yearly financial results, and there is some interesting information for Nintendo fans. The company says it has seven SKUs scheduled for release on the Wii U in the coming year. For reference, that's the same number they have planned for the PS3, with only 4 SKUs planned for the Xbox 360. Many gaming sites are interpreting this as seven games, but it's worth noting that the figure could also include "special editions" of games that come with bonus material.

The report also mentions that the Wii U version of Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed had very strong sales with 310,000 copies sold, which accounts for over 25% of the game's 1.36 million sales. Taking that into consideration, it's easy to see why Sega has plans for continued support of the console.

Source: Sega

Sega teases Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey of Mouse

Last week, it was widely reported that Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse had received a rating in Brazil which stated it was coming to the Wii U. And now, Sega, has posted a video on YouTube which certainly seems to confirm that their classic Disney game is being remade with enhanced graphics, very much like WayForward's forthcoming DuckTales Remastered.

The video consists only of animated 3D models with no mention of solid details or even a title. However, it does say that the project should be expected in Summer 2013, and just before the teaser trailer ends, the name Disney appears in the lower-right corner of the screen, which is pretty much a giveaway. Video after the break.

Sega cancels Wii U version of Aliens: Colonial Marines

Last year, Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford heaped praise on Nintendo's new system, saying the Wii U version of Aliens: Colonial Marines was going to be the definitive version. He claimed it would be more immersive than on the other platforms, citing plans to use the GamePad controller as a motion sensor, just like in the films. However, when the game was finally released, it was universally panned by critics and gamers alike.

Due to the poor performance of the movie tie-in, rumors have been circulating that the Wii U version has been cancelled. Sega, the publisher of the game, had repeatedly declined to comment on the subject, but they have finally broken their silence. Earlier today, they provided the following statement to IGN:

    SEGA can confirm that the Wii U sku of Aliens: Colonial Marines is no longer in development.

The statement is very short and blunt, with Sega providing no explanation as to why the Wii U version has been cancelled. Given all the negative press the title has received over the preceding weeks, the fact that it has been canned should come as no surprise to anyone.

Source: IGN

Sega has "no comment" on Wii U version of Aliens: Colonial Marines

After years in development, Aliens: Colonial Marines was finally released late last year and received overwhelmingly negative reviews. Due to the poor reception, rumors have been circulating that publisher Sega may be thinking of canceling its release on the Wii U. Randy Pitchford, the CEO of developer Gearbox Software, recently spoke to GameSpot about the matter, and he praised Demiurge, the company responsible for porting the title to Nintendo's console, then went on to say that it's ultimately up to Sega to decide whether it comes out or not.

We'll see. That's not our call. I think [Demiurge Studios] did amazing work. I think it's really cool, but Sega's got to figure that out. We're doing the best we can.

-Randy Pitchford, CEO of Gearbox Software

GameSpot has reached out to Sega for a comment about the Wii U version of Aliens: Colonial Marines, and they are still unable to reveal any sort of news on its present status.

Still no comment on ACM, sorry!

-Sega representative

Source: uk.gamespot.com

Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed receives temporary discount on Wii U eShop

A few days ago, a new patch was made available for Sega's hit racer Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed which fixed numerous issues and made some improvements. And now, the company has announced that the Wii U eShop version of the game will be available to purchase at a discounted rate through March 31st, this Sunday. The game is usually priced at $39.99, but the digital version can be yours for just $29.99 until the weekend is over. The offer is valid in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Brazil.

A few other Sega games are also available at a discounted rate on the PlayStation Network. You can check them out via the source link below.

Source: blogs.sega.com

Update available for Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed

Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed is one of the best reviewed titles available on Nintendo's new console, and the experience is now even better. Sega has announced that a new update is available for the Wii U, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3 versions of the game, which address a number of glitches and bugs while making a few small adjustments. Here are the official release notes.


    Networking

•         Vehicle collisions in online races handle high latency much better.
•         X360 - Increased timeouts to allow for less network errors.
•         Rating reset issues should be resolved.
•         -100 Rating Penalty for players who quit races intentionally (even for router resets).
•         Starlight Carnival - Road shader adjusted to prevent 'driving in the sky' issue.
•         Super pick-ups in arenas should work in all cases now.
•         Rare issue leaving players unable to return to lobby addressed.

    Difficulty

•         Tuned the difficulty of Traffic Attack, Ring Race, and certain Race events in World Tour.
•         Corrected certain traffic attack gates not giving you extra time.
•         Made the ‘Skip event after 3 failed events?’ option appear on all difficulties.

    Achievements

•         Team Sonic - Made achievable in local gameplay so this is easier to get.
•         Yokozuna - No longer unlocks when you only beat Sunshine Tour Expert Ghost.
•         ‘Beat someone 500 points higher than you’ sticker no longer awarded unless criteria met.
•         'Meteor Strike' No longer triggers incorrectly.

    Misc

•         Time Attack – Multiple exploit fixes.
•         Online play - Multiple exploit fixes.
•         Co-op swap weapon slot now allows you to swap if you already have a weapon.
•         Improved front end leaderboard caching.
•         In-games triggers now handle physics tunnelling better for very fast players.
•         incorrect HUD showing ‘Lap 2’ cases addressed.
•         Improved motion controls for Wii-U
•         Favourite character in license no longer incorrect.
•         Hot-Rod physics effect in Arena's clamped.
•         Occasionally being able to drive through Swarm attacks corrected.

    Audio

•         Announcer should now say correct finishing position in high latency games
•         All-Star music volume level corrected
•         Reverb effects removed when audio disabled.

Source: forums.sega.com

Platinum Games reconfirms that Bayonetta 2 would not exist without Nintendo

Hideki Kamiya of developer Platinum Games directed the first Bayonetta which was released on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. When the sequel was revealed to be a Wii U exclusive, there was quite a backlash from angry fans who felt betrayed. In an interview with The Verge, Kamiya explained that if Nintendo had not stepped in and backed the project with their own funds, the game would have been cancelled.

Now, Kamiya has responded to the controversy yet again via Twitter, reconfirming that if it weren't for Nintendo, Bayonetta 2 would not exist.

Idea? There was no way other than that. RT @snatch_the_fox: Who's idea was it to make Bayonetta a Wii U exclusive ?
— 神谷英樹 Hideki Kamiya (@PG_kamiya) March 19, 2013

Sega, who published the original game, are still involved to some extent. When asked via Twitter if they are acting as producer, they responded saying that they are acting as an advisor.

@faseehdeen Bayonetta 2 is developed by Platinum Games and published by Nintendo. SEGA is working with both as an advisor to the project.
— SEGA (@SEGA) September 13, 2012

Source: Twitter

Gearbox says Sega will decide if Aliens: Colonial Marines is released on Wii U

Aliens: Colonial Marines received abysmal reviews when it was finally released last year, with very few critics having anything positive to say about it. Development of the game did not go smoothly: Gearbox Software were said to be the studio tasked with its creation, but there have been rumors that they outsourced primary development to another company with a "less than stellar past."

Due to the relentlessly negative reception the game received, there have been rumors that publisher Sega may be thinking of canceling its release on the Wii U. Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford recently spoke to GameSpot about the matter, and he praised Demiurge, the company who responsible for porting the title to Nintendo's console, then went on to say that it's ultimately up to Sega to decide whether it comes out or not.

We'll see. That's not our call. I think [Demiurge Studios] did amazing work. I think it's really cool, but Sega's got to figure that out. We're doing the best we can.

-Randy Pitchford, CEO of Gearbox Software

Source: uk.gamespot.com

Sega says Nintendo is differentiating themselves on hardware level from Microsoft and Sony

Toshihiro Nagoshi, the chief creative officer of Sega, has spoken to Polygon about next-generation gaming. He says that Nintendo is trying to "differentiate themselves on the hardware level," rather than competing in a war of processing power as Sony and Microsoft are doing with their systems.

“They’ll be better-performing systems, but I think they’ll start being closer and closer to each other on the inside. The Wii and Wii U are differentiating themselves on the hardware level, but the other two systems are going to wage an all-out war of services, one that’ll involve the entire Sony group and the entire Microsoft group. It’ll be a battle to see which group can leverage its scale to best benefit developers and gamers.”

Many analysts and industry insiders have commented that Nintendo is following its own path, trying to compete with innovations rather than horsepower. The processing power of the Wii wasn't nearly up to the same levels as the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, yet it completely dominated the sales charts. The next-generation of console wars will be very interesting to watch.

Source: Polygon

Gameplay video of Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed

The GamePad will show an overhead view each course, along with player rankings.

The staff of GamesRadar attended Nintendo's big press event in New York, and they got some hands-on time with the Wii U version of Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed. In this video, Sonic flies around the track in his car, which transforms into a high-speed watercraft when it comes into contact with water. We also catch a glimpse of some of the items that will be featured in the game. Pretty cool. Video after the break.

The Cave coming to Wii U eShop

Developer Double Fine is working on a new platformer called The Cave, and the game's director, Ron Gilbert, has confirmed via Twitter that it will be available as a download title for the Wii U. Sega will be publishing said title, and it will be released sometime in 2013. Other supported platforms include the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. When it comes to third-party eShop support, things are certainly looking up for Nintendo's new console.  As time goes on, I think we can expect to hear a lot more titles announced for the system. You can check out the trailer after the break.

Box art for Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed

Click for full-size.

Sega has revealed the box art for the Wii U version of Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed. Pretty sweet cover if you ask me. The game allows players to race by sea, air, and land. It's pretty much Sega's version of Mario Kart 7, but much faster and in HD. I've said it before and I'll say it again: it looks like Mario Kart 7 on steroids. You can check out the trailer after the break.

Sonic & Sega Racing dev: Wii U specs are surprising

If you like speed, keep an eye on this one.

Steve Lycett, the executive producer of Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, has good things to say about the Wii U. Speaking with Official Nintendo Magazine, Lycett said the tech specs for the new console are better than he and his team expected, specifically those for the GPU and memory.

Lycett: "When we first got out hands on the kit, the first surprise was the capability of the GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). We'd been worried we might need to re-engineer all the effects and shaders in the game, but they worked just fine."

Lycett also said "The Wii U looks as good as any of the other platforms," before moving on to the question of memory. Though he didn't give any figures, he did say that the Wii U has far more memory than the Xbox 360 and PS3, which will allow them to create graphics with "less compression on models and textures." This is definitely a good sign for future owners of Nintendo's new console.

Source: Official Nintendo Magazine

Trailer after the break.

Rumor: Sega is going to bring XBLA and PSN titles to Wii U eShop

She was right about StarBeast. This could very well be true.

Emily Rogers of notenoughshaders.com has been in the news lately. Just recently, she claimed that the shoot 'em up StarBeast was in development for Nintendo's new console, and shortly afterwards, it was all but confirmed by some leaked concept art that surfaced in the NeoGAF forums. Rogers has now tweeted that Sega is working to port "multiple" Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network titles to the Wii U eShop, and they have a respectable library to choose from. Here's hoping this turns out to be true as well. Nintendo is finally getting serious about digital distribution, and support from a big name like Sega would definitely go a long way.

Source: Emily Roger's Twitter feed

Eurogamer apologizes for misleading Sega headline, revises it

The staff at Eurogamer have apologized for the misleading headline of their Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing Transformed article, which made it appear as though the game's developer said the Wii U might have "better" graphics capabilities than the PlayStation 3. Sumo Digital's staff had actually said that the game itself looked as good as the PS3 version, and weren't referring to the new console's strengths in relation to those of Sony's.

The revised headline now reads "Sega: Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed Wii U graphics on-par with PlayStation 3 version, "maybe even better."

Source: Eurogamer

Eurogamer posted misleading headline about Sumo Digital's Wii U comments

Yesterday, we reported that Sumo Digital told Eurogamer the graphical capabilities of the Wii U were "on par," if not "better" than the PS3. As it turns out, the headline was misleading. The developer actually said the Wii U version of Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing Transformed was graphically "on par" with the PS3 version of the game. The site has now issued an apology.

Trailer For Sonic and All-Stars Racing Transformed

Sega has released a trailer for Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed. Players will choose from a long list of Sega's most popular characters, then race by sea, air, and land. It looks like Mario Kart 7 on steroids. Check it out: