Brett Hatfield
Straight-Edge nerd. Writer & Community Manager for Sega Addicts. World's biggest Asuka Kazama fan. Professional Iblis Trigger.
Homepage: http://saiyavenger.tumblr.com/
Posts by Brett Hatfield
Original Windy Valley Found in SA1 AutoDemo
May 22nd
Shit just got real y’all. Last night, we reported on Sonic Retro getting their hacky little hands on a 1998 AutoDemo of Sonic Adventure, one of the very earliest builds shown to the general public at Japanese game shows.
Already we’ve seen some amazing stuff come from this find, such as soundtrack WIPs, early cutscenes and levels, and a couple of test levels which imply there were some very very different gameplay mechanics that didn’t make it to the final game. However, there was one thing many Sonic fans thought we’d never see again included in the disc as well: The original Windy Valley.
Long thought to be lost to history, the original form of the game’s famous second level was found late last night by hacker darkspines35. While nothing has been made playable yet, and getting the level to its former glory is going to take quite a bit of time, the geniuses at Retro are already hard at work, with amazing progress already being made, as seen in the screenshot above.
This is one of the coolest things I’ve had the chance to see the Sonic community unearth, and it feels like we’ve found a Hidden Palace Zone for a new generation almost. I’m really looking forward to having to chance to play it when, not if, the hacking community makes it possible.
Source: Sonic Retro Forums
Sonic Adventure 1 and 2 Prototypes Surface
May 21st
Buckle up, ladies and gents. Things are potentially about to get very interesting. Sonic Retro users Orengefox and Jen have acquired two discs containing early prototypes of the Japanese versions of Sonic Adventure and Sonic Adventure 2 for the Dreamcast.
The SA1 disc is a simple AutoDemo and the SA2 disc seems to be a Japanese press copy, and is standard fare aside from constant mentions of Shadow’s original name, Terios, in the file list.
While neither seems like much on the surface, both have enormous amounts of potential for looks into the development of both games. The SA1 disc has already provided unused textures and WIPs of various stage musics, as well as having a ton of differences from the final release, as it’s one of the very earliest demoed builds.
Neither game has aged very well, but they’re still landmark games for Sega, and any look into the development of these two is cause for being excited. Is anyone else as hyped as me for whatever else might come from this find? Tell us in the comments.
[Source: Sonic Retro]
Review: Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory (PS3)
Apr 10th
“Think any game reviewers won’t get this one?”
That’s the text that accompanies the very first trophy you get in Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory. We here at Sega Addicts never really “got” the Hyperdimension Neptunia franchise. The premise of a game based around the console wars sounded fun on paper, but the execution has been anything but. The first game, while given a lot of hype (and a contest even) initially, was basically written off as a borefest, and Mk2? Well… The lengthy rant on the I had on the creepiness factor should speak for itself.
But I also mentioned that deep down, there was a good game scratching and clawing to break free from the lolicon fantasies and overall blandness that put me off before, and when no one else here was interested in covering the third sequel, I couldn’t help but feel the need to give Neptune and Co. one last chance to impress me and right the wrongs of Mk2.
Which brings us to Victory. By bringing back the heroines from the first game and setting itself in a world based around the early console wars, does the latest game in this beleaguered series finally live up to its initial potential? Or is my show of good faith rewarded with another plodding pedophile nightmare? Hit that jump to find out.
Review: Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (PS3)
Mar 19th
Also available on XBox 360
There are very few series I love more than Metal Gear, and even fewer characters I adore more than Raiden. So when it was announced he was getting his own game, based around his newly acquired cyborg ninja skills, I couldn’t have been more excited.
And then nothing else came of it. Outside of a small teaser trailer, the game had practically fallen into the shadows, and at one point, Hideo Kojima quietly canceled the original Metal Gear Solid: Rising. That is, until he decided to bring action game gods and unofficial Sega development powerhouse Platinum Games into the fold to help finish Raiden’s big day out.
Armed with a new title, a new gameplay focus, a healthy dose of attitude not seen in the Metal Gear series before, and a team of two of the best development teams in the business today, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance has all the potential in the world to steal the mantle of this generation’s best action title. Does it live up to the hype? Hit the jump to find out. More >
Sonic 2 HD’s soundtrack getting released
Mar 18th
While the Sonic 2 HD project may have gone up in smoke in a highly embarrassing way, one of the few things that went mostly right with the Alpha Release was the soundtrack. Quite a few have been clamoring for a full release of the remixes, as they were apparently already finished before the project’s cancelation, and the arranger, Tee Lopes, is finally providing one via his Youtube page.
As of this writing, only the stages up through Mother Alex’s favorite, Hill Top Zone, have been released, but the rest should be on their way within the next couple days. And for those not wanting to wait for that, there’s a sampler medley available here.
Hearing these tracks is a little depressing, because I would’ve loved to have heard them in the game proper, but it’s really nice to finally be able to hear full versions.
Source: teezord @ Youtube
Sonic Generations PC hack makes more Sonic 2006 levels actually fun
Dec 6th
Did you, at some point, happen to think that Sonic 2006 had decent level concepts that were ruined by the abysmal gameplay? Have you often wondered what it would be like if Wave Ocean or Radical Train had gotten the treatment Crisis City got in Sonic Generations? And do you have at least the demo of Generations on Steam?
If you answered yes to those questions, then good news! Sonic hacker Melpontro, along with some other hackers in the scene, have been working on porting and reworking various 06 levels for Sonic Generations, and today shared this new video showing off beta footage of their work on Wave Ocean Modern and Classic, as well as a little snippet of Radical Train. While the levels are still beta and said to be unstable at the moment, there is a file available for download in the Youtube link for everyone to try for those that know what they’re doing.
I’ve gotta say, I really hope he keeps this project going. One of my favorite things about Generations was Crisis City, and seeing that level go from an unplayable mess, to a challenging, yet genuinely fun level five years later, so to see more levels given that treatment is so cool to me. You can see more videos, level imports from Unleashed, and WIPs (including a level from Shadow the Hedgehog) on his Youtube channel.
Valkyria Chronicles is Crunchyroll’s Deal of the Day
Oct 11th
If you’re still one of the holdouts waiting for a reasonable deal on Valkyria Chronicles, and you have a Crunchyroll Premium account, today’s your lucky day. For the next 14 hours as of this writing, the game is the site’s “Shinji’s Deal of the Day”, going for 24.99 for non-premium members, and 16.99 for those with a Premium account, brand new.
I think this is an absolutely fantastic deal as far as brand new copies go, and I’m definitely jumping on it. How bout you fellas?
Source: Crunchyroll
Special Yakuza 5 Playstation 3 coming to Japan
Oct 2nd
Are you a hardcore Yakuza fan who’s also interested in picking up the new redesigned PS3? Are you ok with paying ridiculously high import fees and risking potential region lockout on certain games? If either of these apply to you, then this special edition PS3 is right up your alley.
The new 250GB system comes adorned with the emblems of the various clans from the Yakuza series, and also comes with the (in these biased eyes at least) very cool gold and black DualShock 3 you see above, and a copy of Yakuza 5. It’s set to hit the streets in Japan on December 6th, for 37,800 Yen.
A lot of people have been down on the new PS3 design, and aren’t digging this as much as the Yakuza 3 “fat” PS3 from years ago, but as someone who’s biased towards simple designs and these colors, I like it quite a bit. Anyone else liking this, despite it likely never coming to the west?
Forum News: Update your bookmarks!
Oct 1st
If you’ve tried to access the forum tonight and gotten a screen like that, you’re not the only one. The site I host our forums on, X10Hosting, pulled some shenanigans with their domain names, and the old address doesn’t work anymore.
So for the moment, we’re located at http://nr89.x10host.com/SegaAddictsForum/index.php. This will hopefully only be temporary, as I’m currently looking into getting an actual domain name for our lovely (but currently inactive WINK WINK NUDGE NUDGE GET ON THERE AND POST FOLKS) little slice of the internet, but for now, make sure to update your bookmarks to the above link.
Review: Jet Set Radio HD (PSN)
Sep 29th
This entire month on the site has been one giant Dreamcast lovefest, and it goes without saying that, when you mention the Dreamcast, there’s usually someone who will bring up Jet Set Radio. It was one of the most unique games Sega ever made, and while it’s rare to see someone claim it as the greatest game ever, it still gets a lot of much-deserved love from fans. Despite the rather massive cult following, aside from guest spots for characters in the Sega All-Star games, Sega’s never really revisited the franchise since 2002′s Jet Set Radio Future.
Needless to say, the day Sega announced this re-release for HD consoles was met with a ton of celebration and hype. So much so, “Jet Set Radio” was a #1 worldwide trending topic on Twitter soon after Sega posted the teaser, the first time to my knowledge a Sega game has ever done such a thing. This release was a big deal, to say the least.
So after all these years, was it all worth the wait? Or does it tarnish our memories of a great game? Hit the jump, preferably with a flamboyant spin, to find out. More >
