Back To The Future w/ SEGA!

Before I even jump into this article, take a look at this video which reveals some of the awesomeness I've been waiting to see for quite some time (some of you may have seen it at the Video Game Awards 2023):

If you didn't know, now you know that SEGA is going back to the future... by way of diving into its legacy to bring new games to the forefront from familiar franchises. Crazy Taxi & Jet Set Radio were IP's served up to us on the Dreamcast, and were great titles worth being added to a collector's library (I still have these games for my system). It was great to see the games being brought back on the scene because... there's a place for them. Sega should have peeped game awhile ago (I mean... look at Capcom).

Crazy Taxi on the Dreamcast + Arcade focused on picking up people... and getting to their locations in time by any means necessary, while racking up bonuses for drifting, etc. The game was buttery smooth, wacky, and fun and I hope to see the locations expand in the pending game along with the various challenges that take advantage of the online multiplayer. Back then, SEGA took a bold step to make the console capable of connecting to the internet, but... it wasn't there yet. So I'm curious what modes are going to be available today, now that online multiplayer is a major staple in games now.

Jet Set Radio was so fun and also ran buttery smooth. The art style was undeniable, and... the music kept you rocking as you tagged the various locations (with graffiti) and took on rival crews. The fun factor was through the roof, and I had to force myself to put the controller down for various titles on the console. 

Those titles included Crazy Taxi + Jet Set Radio, so Christmas came early for me with these two reveals, not to mention the Streets of Rage reveal.

Granted there was an awesome 2D Streets of Rage 4 game released in 2020, but It's great to see that Sega is keeping the party going by bringing it back in a new way. This adds to the multiplayer fun that each of the mentioned games is going to bring... and this actually takes me back even further because we played the crap out of these Streets of Rage games on Sega Genesis and Sega CD (via Final Fight CD). My cousin and I played Final Fight CD's survival mode for hours. I can hear the music now, good times.

I'm going to keep the focus on multiplayer for now... with Golden Axe. I remember playing the 1989 game in the laundry mat. It was a fun multiplayer game and did things that were quite impressive to me for a 2D game. Not only could you mount various animals, but you could arm yourself with melee weapons at the same time + use magic and all that good stuff. The victories were rewarding because it truly felt like a battle from stage to stage, so I'm curious to see what the results will be in the upcoming installment.

Last but not least... the Shinobi reveal looks fantastic as well and appears to have 2D comic-style art (which may contain some 3D cel-shade elements... which appears to ). It seemingly has a depth served up at a nice scale, including various platforming challenges to put fans and newcomers to the test. I can't predict what any of these games will play like, but if they serve up new experiences with great controls and fun factors that make us come back for more... it's safe to call these a win.

This could be a move that Sega is making to have the resources to develop even better Sonic games as well. Remember... they want to take on Mario to a serious degree, so we shall see where all this goes. Either way... I'm excited, and what made it even better... is the fact that it wasn't a rerelease of old games. The classics are saluted, but it's great to get something new by way of the classics (remakes are a beautiful thing) and I can't wait to see the trajectory of Sega over the next decade.

If you haven't seen The Video Game Awards 2023... grab some popcorn, click play, and... enjoy!

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SEGA takes aim at Nintendo and it's a good thing!

Sega is fully embracing its roots and bringing back the old-school feel that made it a head-turning brand that rivaled Nintendo. As Nintendo's mainstay is the beloved Mario franchise, Sega has grown tired of the blue blur living in his shadow and wants to revamp the Sonic The Hedgehog franchise to surpass Mario in terms of quality and reach.

In a recent interview with Osamu Ohashi, Division Manager at Sega, he expressed his desire for Sonic to finally achieve the goal it was originally created for... to compete with Mario. Ohashi's vision is for Sonic to become a global phenomenon, just like Mario. He even envisions Universal Studios Japan creating a "Sonic Area" for fans to immerse themselves in the world of Sonic. It's clear that Ohashi and the entire team at Sega are passionate about making Sonic a household name once again. However, the question remains - is Sonic being held back by Mario's success, or is Sonic simply tripping over its own Sega-themed shoelaces? Only time will tell if Sega can revitalize Sonic and bring him back to his former glory and then some.

When it comes to video games, there's no denying that Mario's adventures are far more memorable, and it's not because people just want Mario to have better installments. There are Sonic fans who desperately want Sonic to catch his stride and not have this hit/miss reputation going on, they want Sega to go hard... to the degree that supporters can take a step back in awe.

Sega will have to study Mario games, especially the 3D ones... but Super Mario World is certainly one to take notes on also based on the depth it has. I can still go back and play that game but at the same time... I can go back and play certain Sonic games too. What has Nintendo done differently though? 

They've kept it cohesive, borrowing from the past (Mario's movements from Super Mario 64... can be seen in Super Mario Odyssey), but... they kept things moving forward in solid ways that decrease frustration and rev up the fun factor. Put the necessary time in to make everything smooth on a fluid level, and bring in a writer who can draw someone in with a captivating story or something. 

By the way, Mario rolling around... totally feels like something borrowed from Sonic (but he moves much smoother with it). What can Sonic borrow?

Oh yeah... the city from Super Mario Odyssey... totally reminds me of Sonic Adventure.

That's not to say that Sonic can't be as thrilling without using pointers from Mario's adventures, but Sega needs to get serious about what they want to do with him if they're going to take on Nintendo. While games like Sonic Colors, Sonic Generations, and Sonic Frontiers have their merits, Sonic Adventure is the stand-out game for me that they should honestly consider exploring again but... in an all-new way and building upon it. I'm reminded of Sonic's movies and despite him living in a city, he has the ability to travel through rings. They can totally play on that and other emeralds from the past (see what I did there?). By the way, Super Mario Bros. Wonder also feels like the second coming of Super Mario World to me.

Mario has his adventures, but story isn't something Nintendo goes in-depth on by way of a script using voice acting. They let the captions and action do the talking. You play and proceed, and while you do get to enjoy progression as you make your way to big bad Bowser... an epic story showcasing Sonic's personality can help him win with little differences such as that. Add real comedy in there... Sonic has way more personality... and people saw it in the films.

This isn't to crap on Mario, he's the more squeaky-clean character... whereas Sonic was more of that cool character who's a little rough around the edges. By the way, Sega has other dope games... so it's not like they don't know how to deliver solid games, they just need to break things down to a science with Sonic.

Sega has tried in the past and continues to try in regards to the story... which is something I don't think they should abandon.

Anyway, Sega it's good to see this energy from Sega. Sonic Superstars is a step in the right direction, and if they continue to maintain a competitive spirit... we win. Sonic is still around for a reason, and it's because gamers want to support it. So keep on going Sega... keep what works while finding ways to wow the audience with new gameplay mechanics and exciting adventures. No longer should Sonic simply fly through environments though (I've always said this)... unless the section justified it. He needs to bring back the sense of wonder and excitement that made players fall in love with him in the first place.

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Sonic Superstars

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Bomb Rush Cyberfunk: The Second Coming Of... Jet Set Radio?

Bomb Rush Cyberfunk screams... Jet Set Radiooooooo with even more Hip Hop influence... in a funky super stylistic game that puts rival crews against each other while taking on the cops for the sake of either group taking full control of the five boroughs to become the all-city crew of New Amsterdam.

Start your own cypher and dance, paint graffiti, collect beats, combo your tricks, and face off with the cops to stake your claim to the sprawling metropolis of New Amsterdam.

Red is a graffiti writer who lost his head and instead uses a cyberhead to get around. In search of his roots, he joins the Bomb Rush Crew, Tryce and Bel. Together they decide to go All City, to become the best graffiti crew in the city. The more territory they gain, the more they discover who it was that cut-off Red's head and how deeply his human side is linked to the graffiti world (shout out to the legendary graffiti artist... Cornbread).

Features:

Explore the 5 main boroughs of the city to hit graffiti spots and get REP. You'll need it to challenge the rival crews to a Crew Battle.

Find new members to join your crew around the city. Spread around are also new graffiti pieces to paint, outfit colors and music to play on your flip phone.

Use skateboarding, inline skating or BMX-style tricks in the unique environment-based trick system. Extend your combos with manuals and get even higher scores by incorporating special Boost Tricks.

You can get boost power for doing long combos so the fastest way to move is also the most stylish.

Dynamic militarized police that scale up as you vandalize.

This game totally has Jet Set Radio written all over it, and makes me crave a new official installment from SEGA, which... if you didn't know, is currently in the works alongside a new Crazy Taxi. As some of you know (because I've spoken with some of you face to face about it)... I freaking love these games. I still own them for the Dreamcast and felt for a long time that sequels or full remakes were rightfully deserved. So if Sega truly goes big... get ready to scarf up some gaming gold (as long as they don't lose what made these games great). Going bigger works, but my fingers are crossed that they knock them out of the park and may be better than ever before. Holy crap, I still have to share these games with my daughter. I know what we're doing with a portion of the weekend... time to take an adventure into the vault.

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Best Nintendo Switch Games For Family Fun: Sonic Superstars

Gaming as a family is a great way to bond and spend quality time together. It also gives parents a chance to enjoy game time with their children and make memories that will last a lifetime. Gaming can be a great way to teach kids about teamwork, problem-solving, and competition in a healthy and fun way. In addition to games relieving stress and delivering fun, there are some that provide other benefits that most movies & TV shows don't deliver.

In the case of Sonic Superstars, your children learn about teamwork + healthy competition, which are great things to begin grasping at an early age. Sonic Superstars launches October 17th, 2023... and would make for a great launch title for family game night! If you're a big Sonic fan, consider making it a chili dog night!

Sonic Superstars... takes things back to the 2D days of Sonic The Hedgehog with 3D models, and serves up a multiplayer game where up to 4 people can drop in & out of the action as needed. It's the first time a Sonic game allowed for 4-players to play through the full campaign together in the pursuit of harnessing the power of the chaos emeralds to take down the baddies.

When it comes to the 4-player action, you will choose from Sonic, Knuckles, Tails, and... Amy. Your team will take on the likes of the infamous Dr. Eggman, Fang, and Trip as they execute a plan to turn the Northstar Islands giant animals into Badniks.

In Sonic Superstars, you aren't simply side scrolling and going through loops, your team navigates in a variety of ways that bring back the signature moves we know and love, but also new moves as seen here:

In Sonic Superstars, you can:

- 4-player local co-op & online Battle mode

- Multiply, swim up waterfalls, change form, and more with the powers of the Chaos Emeralds

- Multiple paths and secrets

This game is rated E for Everyone!

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E3 2023 Canceled... but does it matter anymore?

E3... E3, if you haven't heard by now, it's canceled... again! Does it matter though?

The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) didn't have to let it go this route, they could have... and technically still could do a digital presentation (but they aren't). Did they wait to the point that people are now shrugging off the legendary Superbowl of video game events? I believe so.

Waiting around wasn't going to present them to emerging audiences, and more adults are hanging up their headsets more often because of time constraints (although we're challenging some to just try different games). Those who may have wanted to see them come back, they've begun enjoying other video game presentations. 

Is it all on them? Not at all, when you consider major publishers like Nintendo, Sony, Sega, Microsoft, Ubisoft, and Tencent reportedly withdrawing, but... you don't back down if E3 is something you want to happen. You double down, and fill those freaking slots!

Again, E3 could have gone digital this year, and these companies aren't the only ones around (duh of the day), but the ESA has to be willing to stand with Indie and other lesser-known companies. Look at Devolver Digital, I salute them because they aren't just crossing their fingers during the traditional game expo window, they're going in with a middle finger up + all their craziness. The ESA can learn a thing or two from them. 

I'm also disappointed because it's another year that opportunities are stripped from those who could've worked the event or done the work to deliver a digital showcase. It also is one less place where other developers and publishers were able to get shine. I don't know what they'll do for the sake of bouncing back, but if it gives the ESA solace... no one that's interested in game expos will just turn away E3.

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