Music Monday: Sonic Spinball- Toxic Caves

8-Bit Girl hasn't had a Music Monday post for quite some time, so I have decided to bring it back!

Today's track is the Toxic Caves theme from Sonic Spinball. I recently played this with my friend Brad, who lent me his Sega Megadrive Collection on the Xbox 360 so I could get my retro Sonic on. This song is catchy!

Sonic and All-Stars Racing Transformed Wii U Trailer

Sega have released a new video for Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed. This trailer shows off footage for the Wii U version of the game, featuring Sonic the Hedgehog and other Sega favourites.

The trailer shows off the Wii U controls, including playing with ten players online or up to five people locally. The Wii U touch pad is utilised too. 

Check out the trailer below. Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed will be released on the 16th November for PC, PS3, Xbox 360, 3DS, PS Vita, and in the near future, the Wii U. 

Jet Set Radio Release Date Confirmed

SEGA's revamp of the classic Dreamcast game Jet Set Radio has been given a release date and price. 

This high definition revamp will be released on Xbox 360's Xbox Live Arcade and PS3's Playstation Network on the 19th September 2012. The game will be priced at 800 Microsoft Points on the Xbox 360, whilst it is £7.99 on the PS3. 

Jet Set Radio combines cel-shaded art with plenty of futuristic skating action...all set to a brilliant soundtrack. It's definitely worth checking out if you haven't played it before!

Art Feature: Pasta Soup's Posters

Mock movie posters from games by Phil aka Pasta Soup.

Written by Anna Harris

Yakuza HD Revamp is Official

Sega has revealed their HD revamp of Yakuza 1 and 2 via a Japanese trailer.  Both games have received a graphical revamp and will also allow players to install game data onto the PS3's hard drive, decreasing the games loading times.

The Yakuza games have been massive hits in Japan and whilst there is no word of a release date for the HD revamp, Yakuza 5 is scheduled to be released for the PS3 in Japan this winter.

.Written by Anna Harris

Sonic The Hedgehog 4: Episode II Announced

Sonic The Hedgehog 4: Episode II will be coming to the Xbox Live Arcade and Playstation Network next month, SEGA announced. 


Those of you who already own Sonic The Hedgehog 4: Episode I will gain some additional content. Entitled Episode Metal Lock-On, this unlockable chapter allows players to play as Metal Sonic, and includes four acts that explore the origins of Sonic's metal enemy. 


Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II will be released on the 16th May for 1200 Microsoft Points on the Xbox Live Arcade, or £9.99 on the Playstation Network.

Rhythm Thief and the Emperor's Treasure Demo Now Available

The latest demo to hit the Nintendo 3DS eShop is Rhythm Thief and the Emperor's Treasure. Developed by Sega, the game combines rhythm and action with a Professor Layton-style puzzle/exploration side. 


Rhythm Thief and the Emperor's Treasure places players in control of Raphael, who breaks into Paris museums to steal priceless works of art before returning them later. Raphael's father has gone missing, and he believes that the answer to his disappearance lies in the clues hidden in each of the stolen paintings. 


Check out the trailer below for more information. The game will be released on the 5th April 2012. 

Rhythm Thief and the Emperor's Treasure won't be released until April 5th but you can play it now if you download the Rhythm Thief demo from the 3DS eShop.

Rhythm Thief and the Emperor's Treasure is a new rhythm action game from Sega. Playing as Raphael, you break into Paris's most famous museums to steal priceless works of art before returning them a couple of days later. Why? Because Raphael's Dad's gone missing and he thinks there are clues to his whereabouts hidden in the paintings. The story sounds like Elite Beat Agents meets The Da Vinci Code but it also features Professor Layton-style exploration.

You have to help Raphael avoid the museum guards and police by completing rhythm-based challenges with a combination of stylus, buttons and gyro controls.

Jet Set Radio HD Trailer Released

Further to the announcement that Jet Set Radio HD will be heading to the Xbox 360 Arcade and Playstation Network, Sega have now released the first trailer. 


The trailer features some of the games vibrant cel-shaded graphics, and a pretty catchy tune. Check it out below.


Jet Set Radio HD will be released in the Summer.

Sega Officially Announces Jet Set Radio HD

After quite some speculations from fans and game sites, SEGA have officially announced today that yes, Jet Set Radio will be getting a re-release. 


Originally released in 2000 for the Dreamcast, the sequel, Jet Set Radio Future, hit the Xbox two years later. Jet Set Radio saw DJ Professor K, Beat, Gum and the rest race through a futuristic Toyko and spraying their graffiti  tags across the area. 


The game will be upgraded to HD and will be coming to the Xbox Live Arcade, Playstation Network and Windows PC as a digital download sometime this summer. Jet Set Radio has an excellent art style which I'm sure would look fantastic in high definition. 


As well as this news, SEGA also announced that they are holding a contest for UK and USA fans of the game to design their own graffiti. When the contest is over, 18 entries will make it into the finished game. Many more prizes are also up for grabs!For more details, check out the SEGA website. 

Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing Sequel Announced

Many of us probably saw it coming, but Sega have now officially confirmed that a sequel for Sega & Sonic All-Stars Racing is now in the works.


Announced to Kotaku at the Toy Fair in New York, the sequel will be out at some point later this year. No further details have been confirmed as of yet, although it is likely it will see a release on the major consoles once again. 


New characters and vehicles will be revealed later in the year, along with a name, which I'm betting will be something as simple as Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing 2. 

Crush 3D Demo Released on Thursday

A new demo will be available on the Nintendo 3DS eShop this Thursday. Crush 3D marks the third available demo in the store, following on from Cooking Mama 4 and Resident Evil Revelations. 


Crush 3D is a puzzle platformer from Sega, which allows players to play through 80 3D levels levels. Certain points cannot be progressed in 3D however, and players must "crush" the 3D levels to make them 2D in order to complete it. 

Aliens: Colonial Marines CG Trailer

SEGA have just released a new trailer for Aliens: Colonial Marines, a squad-based FPS being developed by Gearbox. 


The game focuses on a group of Marines who are sent on a mission to inspect the abandoned U.S.S. Sulaco,  which has been found mysteriously orbiting around the LV-426. 


It's a great CG trailer, which features a soundtrack from Clint Mansell, the composer for Moon, although it would be great to see some in-game footage. Hopefully this will follow soon! Check out the trailer below.

New Yakuza: Dead Souls Trailer

Sega have released a new video for their upcoming PS3 exclusive, Yakuza: Dead Souls (Yakuza of the End in Japan). 

Yakuza: Dead Souls pits players up against hoards of zombies in the red light district of Tokyo. Players will also get to face off against the sinister Japanese underworld and some powerful mutants. This upcoming Yakuza title features gunplay for the first time in the series.

Yakuza: Dead Souls is due for a March 2012 release. You can check out the trailer below. 

Sonic CD Released Tomorrow

Sonic is back once again on the Xbox 360 Live Arcade and Playstation Network from tomorrow, with a re-release of Sonic CD.

Presented as a downloadable game, Sonic CD showcases retro Sonic in one of his best adventures. Originally a 1993 Sonic title for the Sega Mega-CD, Sonic CD is on a mission to retrieve time zones from his arch-nemesis Dr. Robotnik in order to save Little Planet. Along the way, Sonic will have to contend with Metal Sonic, rescue pink hedgehog Amy Rose, collect the usual golden rings, and fight plenty of enemies.

Sonic CD is available to download from tomorrow (the 14th December) for 400 Microsoft points on the Xbox 360 or £3.23 on the Playstation Network. Check out the trailer below to get a taste of what to expect from tomorrow.

Shogun 2: Fall of the Samurai

Sega has announced a standalone expansion to Shogun Total War 2, bringing new campaign maps, foreign powers and clans.  The expansion also adds modern weaponry to the mix as well as French, British and American forces.

The game is set 400 years after the events of the first game during the conflict between the Imperial Throne and the last Shogunate in 19th century Japan.  This period in history marked the end of the Samurai and to many Samurai a loss of purpose and identity.


The expansion adds in six new playable clans, three on each side of the conflict and the players now not only have to deal with each other, but also relations between the British, French and American forces.  Relations with these forces bring 39 new unit types such as Gatling guns, British Royal Marines and torpedo boats.


Shogun Total War 2: Fall of the Samurai is due for release in March 2012.

Rise of Nightmares Trailer Brings The Gore

It seems like Kinect players have been waiting a long time for something a little less family friendly to grace this motion-controlled addition to the Xbox 360. Finally though, companies are starting to branch out a little more with more adult-pleasing ideas. Rise of Nightmares, created by Sega, being one of them.


A Kinect exclusive, Rise of Nightmares is a survival horror game which will see the player take the role of an American tourist who has to save his wife from a crazy scientist. Along the way the player will find themselves chopping through hoards of sinister enemies by choosing from a variety of melee weapons. Melee weapons range from brass knuckles, knifes, hatchets, chainsaws and much more. No doubt some weapon choices are ridiculous, but each will cause a lot of dismemberments, decapitations, and blood. Lots of blood.

Upon seeing the trailers and screenshots, my first reaction was that this looks like it could easily fit into the House of The Dead series. After all, the same team which developed the successful House of the Dead series is taking control of Rise of Nightmares. This should give players a hint at what the gameplay should be like: gory and humorous with just the right amount of cheesiness. 


The original teaser trailer was first unveiled at the 2010 Tokyo Game Show, but now a new trailer has been released, which shows the melee weaponry at work. Whilst the trailer is undeniably bloody, Sega's tongues are firmly in their cheeks throughout. Although the gore levels are definitely high, it appears that Rise of Nightmares will be a very fun interactive title. I am definitely looking forward to giving this a go.

Rise of Nightmares is released on the 9th September on the Xbox 360's Kinect platform.

20 Years of Sonic

Hundreds of fans descended upon London on the 25th June 2011 to celebrate 20 years of Sega’s well-known blue hedgehog, Sonic. There have been countless Sonic games, some have been excellent, whilst others have been a bit disappointing, but it appears that fans have not grown tired of Sonic after two decades. So why is Sonic so popular? Here I'm taking a retrospective look at the Sonic series, as well as news about the 20^th anniversary celebrations.


The Beginning and Beyond
It all started back in 1991 on the Sega Megadrive. Sonic the Hedgehog brought gamers a fast-paced platformer, with the now familiar blue hedgehog. The first game in the series proved to be one of the Megadrive's best sellers, and thus spawned an ever-growing collection of games. Over the years, more characters have joined Sonic, such as his flying side-kick Miles "Tails" Power, Knuckles, who originally started off as a henchman to Sonic's arch-nemesis, Dr. Robotnik, Shadow the Hedgehog, and a whole host of other buddies and bad guys.

The Sonic series has seen it's fair share of genre changes throughout the past 20 years. Not wanting to stick to their traditional platforming game play throughout, the Sonic Team created puzzle games, such as Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine, Sonic the Hedgehog Pinball, racing games such as Sonic Riders and Sonic & Sega All-Star Racing. 2007 signalled the first Sonic crossover game, featuring a host of Nintendo characters in the Wii and DS game Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games. This created a partnership between Sega and Nintendo, and Sonic has since been seen in Nintendo's best selling fighting game Super Smash Bros. Brawl, as well as a few Wii exclusive titles.


It is clear to see that game developers are pleased to have Sonic titles gracing their consoles, as Sonic games are present on Sega's consoles, most of Nintendo's, and the Playstation consoles. 


So what's next for Sonic? Well, an as-yet untitled Sonic game for the Nintendo 3DS was announced at E3. Mario and Sonic at London 2012 Olympic Games is released next year, as well as Sonic Generations, which allows gamers to play classic Sonic through new and re-imagined levels, such as the classic Green Hill Zone.


20th Anniversary celebrations 

• A demo of Sonic Generations is available to download for 16 days from today on the Xbox 360 and PS3.
• 20th Anniversary merchandise will be released, including figures, plushes and comics.
• For a limited time only, the arcade versions of the classic Sonic games have a price reduction on the Playstation Network and Xbox Live Marketplace, some of which are up to 50% off.
• A Sonic Anniversary Bundle Pack is available for 20 days from the 23rd June 2011, and features Sonic 1 and 2, Sonic Adventure, Sonic 4: Episode 1 and a special Sonic theme.

With so much planned for Sonic, it is clear that this blue hedgehog will not be fading into the background any time soon. Happy anniversary Sonic!