Retro Gaming Australia

Sega has announced that Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode II will be available on PSN and XBLA on May 15 and May 16 respectively.

We will also see the title hit both PC and iOS devices in May, Android devices in June and finally Windows Phone in July.

Episode Metal was also revealed. Exclusive content for owners of both Episode I and Episode II, Episode Metal see Metal Sonic playable in four exclusive stages.

Hirokazu Yasuhara, designer of gameplay and stages for early Sonic the Hedgehog titles, has joined Nintendo.

Both Yasuhara and Nintendo have confirmed his new position at Nintendo Software Technology in the U.S., Gamasutra reports. Nintendo Software Technology has developed many games for Nintendo consoles including Metroid Prime Hunters, Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem and various DSiWare titles. However, the Sonic co-creator’s new role at Nintendo currently remains a mystery.

Yasuhara worked on the Sonic franchise on and off up until 2002, he then moved to Naughty Dog as a senior game designer working on both the Jak and Daxter and Uncharted series.  Before his recent shift to Nintendo, Yasuhara was senior design director at Namco Bandai Games America.

You may have previously heard about the fan made HD remake of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 that’s been in production for eons – but now you can actually play it.

An alpha version of the game has been released by the team, giving players a sample of what the game has to offer in the game’s first level, Emerald Hill Zone.

It’s short, but sweet and you can get it here.

Sonic the Hedgehog Chaos is the third game in the 8-bit Sonic series. It’s the first Sonic game to allow players to control Tails’ ability to fly – which was kind of a big deal back then. It’s substantially better than its immediate predecessor, the 8-bit Sonic the Hedgehog 2.

Sonic the Hedgehog 4 has a lot of detractors whom Sega is hoping to convert to believers with Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 2 later this year, but this entry looks like it will be Sonic 4‘s final stand, according to producer Takashi Iizuka.

In a recent interview, Iizuka stated “We are looking forward to hearing the feedback from the users for Episode 2, but we are currently not planning to release another episode. We just want to see how the users accept this episode.”

Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 2 will hit Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network, iOS devices, Windows Phones and Android devices later this year.

Team Chaotix fo’ life.

Sonic Heroes was the first Sonic the Hedgehog game to be released across multiple platforms on day one. The game is best known for its three character set up, which allows you to switch between characters on the fly, and the return of Team Chaotix, who had not been seen since Knuckles’ Chaotix on the 32X.

Sonic the Hedgehog: Triple Trouble and Shinobi could well be the first Game Gear games headed to the 3DS Virtual Console, as both games have recently been rated by the ESRB for release in North America. Both games were exclusively designed for the Game Gear upon first release. Triple Trouble was later released in a variety of Sonic collections, but Shinobi stayed exclusive to the system.

Nintendo announced at last year’s Game Developer’s Conference that Game Gear and Turbografx/PC Engine titles would be headed to the 3DS Virtual Console, but little was said of these plans in the months since.

No release date or pricing information is available at this time, so watch this space.

An oft-overlooked Sonic adventure

Sonic the Hedgehog: Triple Trouble is the hedgehog’s fourth 8-bit platforming game and the first not to appear on the Master System in any region. It introduces Nack the Weasel, a talented thief who wishes to capture the Chaos Emeralds for mass profit. The game was developed by Aspect, who handled most of Sonic’s 8-bit appearances.

Back in the early 1990s, there were two Sonic the Hedgehog cartoon series, the fun-filled, bright and appallingly animated Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, and the well-animated, plot-driven, overly-serious furry bait Sonic the Hedgehog: The Animated Series, known by fans as “SatAM” due to its original Saturday morning timeslot.

Now you can get the latter series on DVD in Australia thanks to Beyond Home Entertainment. While it has previously seen release in R1, those sets are somewhat difficult to find and can be quite pricey on secondary markets.

The series is being released over two sets that will set you back $AU19.95 each. You might be a little disappointed if you’re a dedicated fan of the series, as there are no special features, and the episodes, while complete, are presented out of order.

Half of Sega’s best 16-bit game.

Originally set for release for Holiday 1993, Sega’s Sonic the Hedgehog 3 proved too ambitious for the company – the size of the cartridge was going to make the game’s manufacturing super expensive, and the rapidly expanding size and scope of the game was likely to make it miss its scheduled release. So they split the game in two – Sonic the Hedgehog 3 for early 1994, and Sonic & Knuckles for late 1994.