Crispy Gamer News

SEGA of America has the blue blur loose on the Xbox 360. Sonic Unleashed for the Xbox 360 is officially in stores across North America. Sonic Unleashed is an action-packed adventure filled with classic fast-paced gameplay and internationally-inspired locations. Sega promises that this game takes advantage of the newly developed proprietary Hedgehog engine and the power of the Xbox 360. But the real question is, does the game actually work this time out; previous Sonic games on the platform have been less than.. stellar.

Sonic Team’s newest endeavor features classic 2D/3D gameplay and incredibly fast daytime action. The game features new moves that make Sonic even faster including the Sonic Drift (to corner quickly without losing speed), Ring Energy (faster speeds brings more ring energy), QuickStep (to move side to side without losing momentum), and Sonic Boost (uses Ring Energy to give Sonic a speed boost)- each allowing Sonic to reach ridiculously high speeds. Sonic Unleashed also introduces the Werehog – Sonic’s dark alter ego who comes out when the moon shines bright. Within the nighttime levels, players can take advantage of the Werehog’s strong and flexible arms to fight tough enemies as well as to climb and swing reaching all new heights in each level.

Sounds like fun for the whole family. Sonic Unleashed is currently available for Xbox 360, the Wii and the PlayStation 2.

Sega announced that it will offer an exclusive graphic novel to those consumers who pre-order The House of the Dead: Overkill. This special pre-order offer will be available soon from GameStop, GameCrazy and Amazon.com (while supplies last).

That graphic novel, “Prelude to an OVERKILL” tells the stories of Agent Washington and Varla Gunns, on the night before the violent and shocking events of the game take place. Illustrated by Steve Copter, of dissident punk band ‘Black Mekon’, this specially-commissioned comic is only available for those who pre-order the game.

The House of the Dead: Overkill will see Wii owners gunning down zombies in February 2009.

I’m a sucker for classic compilation packs, so when I heard about Sega’s plans to release a Sega Genesis game pack featuring 40 games (along with some unlockable titles, I got giddier than a school girl. The package includes multiple sonic games, Phantasy Star 2II - IV, shining in the Darkness, Shining Force 1 & 2, the Streets of Rage series, and a whole lot more.

The compilation will also feature a hearty batch of extra, unlockable content including arcade games, developer interviews and other extras. All of the games will also be upgraded to high definition so they look good on the Xbox 360 and PS3, and many of them will offer some kind of multiplayer option. The game collection is set for release sometime in Spring 2009 for Xbox 360 and PS3.

Full list of known titles after the jump. Thanks to Game | Life for the original story.

(more…)

SEGA announced today that Empire: Total War, its upcoming RTS game, will incorporate the Steam into the game’s multiplayer backend, providing server browsing and match-making functionality, bolstering Total War’s commitment to multiplayer game modes and features. Further details on multiplayer will be announced soon.

”We are delighted to be working with an infrastructure as effective as Steam” said Mike Simpson, Studio Director at the Creative Assembly. “Having their matchmaking and support systems on board for Empire: Total War makes a huge difference both for players and for the development team. It not only helps make multiplayer slick and sizzling, it also frees up a huge chunk of the team’s time which helps make the whole game better.”
(more…)

SEGA of America and BioWare’s Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood has gone gold and will be in stores exclusively for the DS on September 30th. Promising an all new adventure crafted by BioWare the game will take the Sonic universe to a new space with new adventures, beautiful environments, a classic cast of characters, and a new dark enemy for Sonic to take on. Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood marks the first RPG game for Sonic the Hedgehog and his friends.

For more information, check out our recent preview.

Sega has released the complete list of songs for its upcoming rhythm game Samba De Amigo for the Wii. Sega’s game, which we previewed a while ago, is apparently going to give gamers many tunes to shake their maracas along to.

This Wii remake of the popular Dreamcast maracas sim  will offer lots of different types of music - more than you can shake a Wii Remote at, in fact. The complete list after the jump.

(more…)

SEGA is bringing back House of the Dead series with a brand new game called The House of the Dead: OVERKILL. This “pulp-horror reinvention” based on the classic SEGA light-gun shooter franchise is being developed by London-based studio Headstrong Games and is exclusive to the Wii.

The House of the Dead: OVERKILL takes players back to the very beginning of the series, staying true to the original while offering a brand new retro look and feel. The game will also feature the ability to shoot enemies on screen and to pistol whip zombies to your heart’s content.

The game once again follows Special Agent G, a fresh out of the academy rookie, forced to team with a hard-boiled bad-ass named Detective Washington, who are both sent to investigate stories of mysterious disappearances in small-town Louisiana. Fun, fun, fun.

The House of the Dead: OVERKILL will be released in early 2009.