Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed Limited Edition Wii U

Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed Limited Edition Product Details

Released on 30-Nov-2012

• Sonic signs with Nintendo

  In what may yet prove to be one of the signs of the apocalypse, SEGA has announced that the European release of the next three Sonic titles will be exclusive to Nintendo.

  This isn't the first time the former rivals have collaborated, of course. The Mario and Sonic Olympic games are a well established tradition now, but even so - to see the speedy blue hedgehog officially under Mario's roof should still cause any child of the 1990s to do a double take. It's like Han Solo giving the Millenium Falcon to Captain Kirk.

  The deal covers the next Olympic title - Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games - which will be a Wii U exclusive. Figure skating doubles is one of the new events added, and you'll be using both Wii remotes and the Wii game pad for different mini-games.

  Nintendo will also be publishing Sonic: Lost World, the next entry in the main Sonic the Hedgehog series. This too will be exclusive to Wii U and 3DS. A solitary screenshot was released to mark the announcement, showing Sonic and Tails' iconic red biplane approaching what looks like an incomplete jigsaw planet. More details are promised at E3 next month.

  What will the third game be? SEGA isn't saying just yet, leaving us to simply contemplate a terrifying new reality where cats love dogs, Mick Jagger is in The Beatles and Sonic lives at Nintendo.
  

  Published: 21/05/2013

• Video game board games on the way

  Board game company USAopoly has reached out across the digital divide and will be bringing some of our fave video game properties to the world of dice and plastic pieces.

  Among the upcoming titles are Trivial Pursuit: World of Warcraft, Monopoly: Skylanders and Risk: Plants vs Zombies. The most promising of the bunch would seem to be a "Galaxy at War Edition." of Risk: Mass Effect. For old school retroheads, there'll also be Yahtzee: Pac-Man and Jenga Space Invaders.

  This isn't the first time USAopoly has dipped into the digital realm for variations on beloved games. You can already get Risk: Halo and Risk: Starcraft, not to mention Monopoly: Sonic the Hedgehog. The new games will be launched in America later this year before hopefully making their way around the world.

  What do you think? Would you switch off your console to play Mass Effect around the kitchen table?

  Published: 12/02/2013

• Christmas Crackers: 2012's Top 5 Party Games

  
  

  

  It wasn't so long ago that suggesting the family gather around the TV to play a video game together would have been greeted with grunts of confusion, if not howls of dismay. That all changed when the Wii came along, and suddenly mums and dads, grannies and grandpas all understood what the fuss was about. Today, putting on a game to pass the time before the turkey is done is just another part of the festivities, so with that in mind here's our pick of the five best party games of 2012.

  

  If you want to be at the cutting edge of communal gaming, then Nintendo's Wii U is the must-have hardware of the season. Its touch-screen tablet controller, combined with the traditional Wii remotes (you can use the ones you already have) mean that multiplayer games can venture into areas never seen before. For the perfect illustration, pick up Nintendo Land, which offers twelve mini-games ranging from competitive action to cooperative puzzling. Luigi's Ghost Mansion, for example, has one player playing as a ghost, using the tablet controller to escape from up to four other players who are chasing them around a maze. With racing games, shooting games and rhythm music games, it's a brilliant showcase of what can be done when one player has their own screen, and it'll keep you playing together well into 2013.

  

  Maybe you're not quite ready to take the leap into Wii U? Don't worry - there's plenty of life left in the original Wii, as Mario Party 9 proved earlier this year. Reinventing the evergreen virtual board game series, you'll travel with the other players across various zones in dinky vehicles, rolling a dice to see how far you'll go. There are multiple routes through each area, cooperative boss fights at the end, and with eighty mini-games to try no two games will ever play the same way. Of course, you can play any of the challenges separately if you want to practice, or if you just don't have time for a full game. Bright, breezy and effortlessly entertaining, it's a game that everyone can enjoy.

  

  Perhaps your family and friends are a little more game savvy, and prefer a more focused experience? In that case, PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale (PS3, PS Vita) should keep everyone happy. Played one-on-one, it's a thunderingly good fighting game (as you'd expect with former Street Fighter man Seth Killian in charge), but with more players it becomes a manic and hilarious romp as characters from SONY's biggest and coolest franchises run, jump and duke it out in wild interactive arenas. If you ever wondered what it would look like if Nathan Drake and Kratos had a fight with Sackboy and Parappa the Rapper, here's your chance.

  

  All that fighting might go against the spirit of the season, so why not try a competition that's a little less in-your-face? Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii U, 3DS, PS Vita, PC) is another massive character crossover game, but this time you'll be battling in cool vehicles that shapeshift from cars to boats to planes depending on the environment. There are weapons, but it'll take more than crazed aggression to win these races around the glorious arcade-bright tracks. No matter who's playing, there'll be a character you'll love - whether it's Sonic himself, Shinobi's ninja hero Joe Musashi or movie star Wreck-It Ralph.

  

  Finally, dancing games are still the default party game and with good reason. From sprightly kids to game-for-a-laugh grannies, everyone can have a laugh with Just Dance 4 (Wii, Xbox 360, PS3). There's a dance battle mode for those who want to prove their moves, a deep "Dance Quest" system for those who want a solid gameplay structure, and a track list that offers something for all tastes. The kids can get down to Justin Bieber, Jessie J and Carly Rae Jepsen, while mums can wiggle their posteriors to timeless hits from Rocky Horror Picture Show and Dirty Dancing, as well as pop classics from Rick Astley and Britney Spears. There's even pomp-rock classic The Final Countdown, which might tempt brandy-sozzled dads off the sofa for a quick shimmy.

  Whichever game you choose, you're guaranteed a great time and great memories. Just remember to share the embarrassing pics on Facebook, OK?
  

  Published: 06/12/2012

• Developer turns to fan forum for Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing DLC

  Sumo Digital, the studio behind breezy kart racer Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, has engaged with fans on SEGA's forums to decide which characters should be added to the game via downloadable expansions.

  "I'll set you a challenge," read the post from executive producer Steve Lycett. "Without any policing from the Sumo or SEGA crew, if you can all agree on three characters by the first of December and prove there is sufficient interest of at least 1000 unique people per character, I will present the result to SEGA," Sumo's Steve Lycett told SEGA forum users. "I can't promise anything will happen as a result, but since you're starting it, let's see if you can organise yourselves in the next few weeks to pull that off."

  Fans have already risen to the challenge, organising an online poll and marshalling votes. Among the characters up for vote are retro favourites such as Axel and Blaze from arcade beat-em-up Streets of Rage, to more modern SEGA-published icons like Bayonetta and Welkin from PS3 strategy game Valkyria Chronicles.

  Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing Transformed already boasts appearances from real life NASCAR racer Danica Patrick and Disney movie character Wreck-It Ralph. It's out now for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Versions for Wii U, 3DS and PlayStation Vita will be released between now and December 7th.
  

  Published: 23/11/2012

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