|
The Next Generation...the battle has begun!
In the last STC Masterpieces, we were at the rumour stage of Sony's, Microsoft's and Nintendo's new love-children.
Finally, at Christmas 2005, we were largely put totally out of our misery and the Xbox 360 was released. Western outlets that
had pre-orders for the console three or more months before its release sold out instantly on launch day. Left waiting
for more consoles, STC-M hears that Japanese warehouses, where the console has been over-anticipated to sell well, are stocked
high with the powerful systems and Westerners just want their turn to play.
Nintendo's Revolution's secrets still reamin closely guarded as we're left guessing about capability, price
and it's design. What we do know is that backwards compatibility IS available and Nintendo are now ready to make
old NES, SNES and N64 games available for downloading and playing on the Revo. What also has been revealed is this:
After months of speculation, the fabled 'Revolution Controller' was finally revealed to the world. Combining
a slick, white appearance with the feel of a remote control and a built-in motion sensor, Nintendo weren't lying when they
said they were going for innovation and this has greatly divided the gaming community. We're now just left waiting to see
if Sonic the Hedgehog, the forthcoming 'next-gen' game appears on the Nintendo some time soon.
It was announced on last week's Archangel Radio by Hume Retro, that Sony have released a similar contraption
called the 'split fish'. So far, no details have been discovered about this at all, so STC-M will let you know!
New Release for the SEGA Mega Drive!
The first new Genesis game to be released in America since 1998, 'Beggar Prince' turned a lot of heads in the
gaming community late last year.
At a hefty 4MB, this is a translation of an Eastern game which didn't make it over here and in the US. Super
Fighter Team have gotten hold of it, hired professional ex-Genesis men to iron out the glitches, revamped the storyline slightly
and made it into a modern day RPG hit. If you want to be one of the growing number to revitalise the Mega Drive days, head
over to www.beggarprince.com today and bag yourself a copy!
January Happy Meal Toys
To mark the release of Shadow the Hedgehog and the growing success of Sonic X, food retailers McDonalds have
launched another promotion involving SEGA's mascot. This January, customers could find Sonic, Tails, Knuckles or Shadow adorned
atop of a classic 'Sonic Spinner' inside a Happy Meal. Above, Sonic hands out the £1.99 meal to a passing car. He sure gets
around!
Short Bursts
February is the month that F-Zero/Trickstyle hybrid, Sonic Riders, flies into shops in America and most likely
in Britain too. Promising to be one of the fastest Sonic thrill rides to date (though little could beat the hair-raising Sonic
Advance 2), characters already confirmed are Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Cream, Shadow, Eggman, Jet, Wave, Storm, Rouge and
3 'Robos'. A full review feature of the game will appear in next issue's STC-M.
Archangel Radio, the semi-popular radio station fronted by Arch and Retro of STC Online, has hit a regular,
weekly spot. Airing every Thursday night at 8pm, you can find the address at the official Sonic the Comic message board. Upcoming
specials include a Top 20 selection from Jake McAllister, a metal evening from Robbie Nekoda and other anticipated events
from Rebecca Gunn and Stuart Gipp.
Avid gamer and reader of STC Online, Turbocharge, had quite a shock when he was playing Unreal Tournament
2004 online. Having been used to playing on the Red Team for three matches, he wasn't aware that he'd been placed on the Blue
Team in the fourth game. Halfway through, he realised he'd been shooting his own troops! Better luck next time, Turbo!
A poll issued by Sega of Europe has recently caused a stir. Mirroring a survey issued by Sega of America last
year, this poll asks which character we'd prefer to see in a new spin-off game. Last year, the poll seems to have been 'won'
by Shadow and a game was consequently made. Questions have been asked about SoE's intentions with this poll, featuring Amy,
Tails, Knuckles and even Big the Cat, whether or not they'll go ahead with another spin-off reamins to be seen.
|
