Late last month, Sumo Digital Executive Producer Steve Lycett tantalized us all with a Twitter conversation regarding the future of Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing. Now that Nintendo and Sega are all buddy-buddy, one of Lycett’s more interesting tweets has taken on a whole new level of intrigue.

@BlazeHedgehog I’m thinking we could finally settle some arguments, Who’d really win a kart race…

When @BlazeHedgehog asked about the potential for a Pac-Man crossover, Lycett went on to clarify that he was thinking of “bigger rivals.”

Of course most of us are going to leap to the conclusion that Lycett would like to see a crossover with Mario Kart. Considering that Nintendo’s long-running franchise has needed a shot in the arm for years now, and since the fantastic Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed didn’t sell anywhere near as well as it deserved to, combining both games’ audience makes a lot of sense. Besides, Sumo did a great job of referencing just about every major moment in Sega’s console legacy, so why not make a game based on one of the greatest rivalries in the history of the medium?

[Source: The Sonic Stadium]

The Nintendo/Sega announcements just keep on coming, with the latest news revealing that last year’s Yakuza 1 & 2 HD is now coming to the Wii U in Japan. Of course, this means the addition of some new Wii U-exclusive features, including off-TV play.

This announcement comes as quite the shock, as Team Yakuza’s long-running crime saga has remained a Sony exclusive ever since its inception on the PS2. Could this mean we’ll be seeing a Wii U version of Yakuza 5 somewhere down the line? I friggin’ hope so.

Of course, there has been no word of any intention to bring Yakuza 1 & 2 HD to the US. Still, let’s hope that Sega’s new partnership with Nintendo will put some extra fire behind the push for localization.

[Source: Siliconera]

The reveal of Sonic: Lost World may be the hottest story coming out of Sega’s recently announced collaboration with Nintendo, but in the meantime another promise is finally being fulfilled: more Game Gear games on the 3DS.

Other than the previously outed Sonic Labyrinth, Nintendo’s handheld will also be getting Crystal Warriors, Columns, Sonic Blast, Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic 2, Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine, Defenders of the Oasis, Tails Adventure, Shining Force II: Sword of Hayja, Sonic Drift 2, G-Loc Air Battle, and Vampire: Master of Darkness. That’s 13 titles in all. Hallelujah.

Even without any specific release info, this news is cause for celebration. Sega’s months-long silence led many of us to assume that the company had moved on from Game Gear rereleases, so the announcement of 13 games all at once is a pleasant surprise indeed. Just the prospect of playing Defenders of the Oasis and Sword of Hayja have me grinning like an idiot.

[Source: Destructoid]

If you’re currently playing on the Japanese servers of Phantasy Star Online 2 and have acquired at least level 50, you’re in luck! A new update features VR missions created specifically for the more advanced of ARKS soldiers. The enemies will be level 60 and over, including bosses exclusive to these quests. Extreme Passes will be issued every 22 hours, which are required to enter.

Also new to the update will be an on-going event that started May 15th and will continue until June 25th. The event, titled “With Rain and Wind”, will contain a quest where you can fight unique enemies and grab some cool items and weapons.

[Source:  Siliconera]

Looks like it’s time to remember another obscenely long title again!

That’s right revealed at last nights Nintendo Direct broadcast was another game in the Mario and Sonic sports series. This one being a sort of sequel to the 2009 Winter based mini-game collection that we saw on the Wii. This game though is set to take place in Sochi, Russia and will contain a host of new games such as snowboarding, skiing, and even pairs figure skating (catch the dream!).

It’ll also use the features that the Wii U has to offer like the gamepad which is shown off in the above video. And although we haven’t got a release date just yet we can expect to see this game closer to the events when they hit next year.

[Source: Digital Spy]

Also available on Android

As smartphone gaming has sunken its alluringly frugal hooks into the industry over the past several years, the simplicity and quarter-eating addiction of the arcade experience has at last migrated to a new nest, thriving in a mobile market that is rabidly consumed, habit-forming, and supremely affordable.

That’s probably why, despite my ongoing vitriol for virtual controls, I squealed with joy at the news of a mobile spinoff of the arcade-flavored House of the Dead: Overkill. Even as other shooters weigh us down with RPG mechanics and unnecessary, sweeping storylines, House of the Dead‘s bony grasp remains tightly wrapped around the skeletal framework of the on-rails shooting and the hilariously absurd plots of its predecessors.

That common link—the spirit of the arcade—is why an iOS/Android HOTD makes so much sense. But based on Sega’s uneven history with iOS ports, you couldn’t blame me for harboring a little bit of apprehension…Could you?

Ninety-nine percent of the time, my chief concern with playing iOS ports or spinoffs of larger games is the translation of the controls. With Overkill – The Lost Reels however, I found myself much more concerned about the atmosphere. While everything about the original gameplay has been done a thousand times before, Overkill’s gleefully scuzzy grindhouse ambience, gravel-voiced narrator and shamelessly profane script are what set it apart. Could a smaller, more basic version hope to boast that same level of gore-soaked charm?

Luckily, a few of my most glaring fears were assuaged almost immediately. From the very first frames of scratched, jumpy film you see upon booting up the game, it’s apparent that the passion for sleaze that made the original title so beguiling is still at the wheel. Much of Overkill‘s assets have made a nearly seamless transition, with audio tracks, zombie designs and areas looking and sounding as triumphantly depraved and disheveled as ever.

That said, perhaps the most critical assets to Overkill—the ridiculously entertaining voices of Isaac Washington and Agent G—are nowhere to be found. Cutscenes and characters are gone completely, traded out for a handful of comic book panels and voice bubbles. While I will grant that cutscenes and voiceovers would probably make this game far too large for the iOS platform, the omission of these two defining characters drains Overkill of quite a bit of its aesthetic appeal.

Once that jolt of disappointment finally faded, I found myself confronted by another surprise of a much more pleasant variety. Unlike so many mobile ports before it, Overkill – The Lost Reels plays remarkably well. Using your invisible D-Pad to direct your reticule across the screen is surprisingly precise, and the rest of the beautifully translated layout makes reloading your weapon, switching your weapon, and throwing grenades a cinch. As with any virtual control scheme, the lack of tactile buttons can occasionally leave you flailing in more intense moments, but considering the platform I’m not sure they could have done a much better job with this scheme.

It’s obvious that developer Magic Pockets have ventured beyond simply porting the original game, and have even added minor modifications to help the transition. Chief among these subtle changes are three little indicators that pop up while you are blasting away at zombies: “Headshot,” “Sniper,” and “Block.” Shooting zombies in the head, from a distance, or while they are attacking increases your score significantly. While these indicators aren’t particularly original, they do go a long way to help shift the focus of the game to high scores, giving The Lost Reels much more of an addictive iOS feel.

It may sound unlikely, but the gameplay of The Lost Reels manages to simplify Overkill‘s original formula even further, turning an already bare-bones on-rails experience into a storyless, arcade-style gallery shooter that’s based less on upgrades and progression and more on hairtrigger timing and practiced skill. At its best, The Lost Reels strikes an refreshing balance between old and new school, a combination that has been known to hook me in the past.

Which leads me to the most egregious flaw dragging at every corner of this otherwise impressive port. While the enjoyable gameplay certainly has the capacity to inspire an iOS-style “just-one-more-game” addiction, Lost Reels is utterly shameless about capitalizing on that desire in every way it can. Instead of offering several environments to explore, Lost Reels takes just two of the least interesting environments from the original game—“Papa’s Palace of Pain” and “Ballistic Trauma”—and splits them up into five mini-stages each. Some of these miniature versions even overlap one another, sending you on deja vu-enducing quests that drag your through a handful of the same rooms several different times.

This wouldn’t be so irritating if the lack of options didn’t force players into such an unfair corner. You see, Lost Reels has a dramatic learning curve that kicks in before the end of “Papa’s Palace of Pain.” With overly long stages and a complete lack of check points, players have no choice but to pony up the dough they’ve earned in-game to upgrade weapons, health, etc., so that they can manage to survive long enough to progress. Since there are so few stages available, and since weapons and upgrades are so expensive, you are forced to choose between replaying the same stages repeatedly to slowly earn more money or open your real-life wallet and essentially pay to progress. For a game that’s already $5.00, that’s ridiculous.

Making matters worse, some of Lost Reels’ greatest assets are intentionally hidden behind money-locked doors. “Naked Terror,” The Lost Reels’ very best stage, is only available as an extra $1.99 purchase, effectively denying players not just an extra stage but two extra characters. The sadistically satisfying “Goregasm” combo meter, another hilarious element that sets Overkill apart, is shamelessly restricted behind absurd “Combo Upgrades” purchases that offer higher multipliers. Yep—you actually have to pay to get a higher combo. Luckily, unlike “Naked Terror,” Combo Upgrades can be purchased with money earned in-game.

It’s this relentless nickel-and-diming that leaves me so conflicted with House of the Dead: Overkill – The Lost Reels. The more I played the more I enjoyed it, and because of minor additions like character-specific talents (Washington’s weapons do more damage, G’s recoil is reduced, etc.) I actually found this miniaturized, simplified version of the original game to offer a kind of skill-based addiction that its big brothers didn’t. But even considering those achievements, I was continually shocked to see how far this game would go to squeeze its players of even more cash—even if it means stunting the initial product.

UPDATE: Sega released an official statement on their partnership with Nintendo. The statement can be read in full after the jump.

Sonic Lost World will be a Nintendo Wii U and 3DS exclusive title, according to today’s Nintendo Direct.

Nintendo announced today that they have started a worldwide partnership with Sega and that more Wii U and 3DS exclusive Sonic games are on the way.

The only details Nintendo gave on Sonic Lost World is that it will be an “action adventure” game. The above screen shot was also shown. We’ll have to wait until E3 2013 for more details.

Hit the jump to see the screenshot in full and be sure to leave speculative comments in the section below!

SEGA® of America Inc. and SEGA® Europe Ltd. today announced details of an exclusive partnership with Nintendo of America Inc. and Nintendo of Europe GmbH for the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise. The new agreement will make Nintendo consoles the number one destination for Sonic gaming over the next three titles.  The first two titles of the deal were announced today via Nintendo Direct, and details of the third Sonic title will be revealed at a later date.

“Sonic the Hedgehog has performed incredibly well on Nintendo platforms and this exclusive partnership is a natural fit for the next evolution of Sonic games” commented Jurgen Post COO SEGA Europe Ltd.  “The Wii U and Nintendo 3DS are ideal platforms to showcase Sonic and we are looking forward to working with Nintendo on these three exciting adventures.”

Sonic the Hedgehog first appeared as a videogame character in June 1991 and instantly became an icon for a generation of gamers.  Defined by his super-fast speed and cool attitude, in the years since he first raced on to videogame consoles Sonic has become a true global phenomenon with over 75 million videogames and smartphone apps sold worldwide. SEGA’s iconic blue blur has also gone on to enjoy incredible success in many licensed areas, such as toys, apparel, comics and animation.

That’s right, I said “Sonic 1 version 2.0″. No, I don’t mean that Sonic 2 is coming to iOS and Android, so stop asking. No! Sonic 3 & Knuckles isn’t coming either!

Security! Get these Sonic fans out of my office!

It seems not even Sega were happy with their rubbish attempt to port the original Sonic the Hedgehog to iOS. After lone gunman Christian Whitehead showed Sega how to make Sonic ports with Sonic CD, his expertise was put to use in upgrading Sonic 1.

Apparently, this new version looks better, sounds better and plays better than the first version and, as can be seen in the trailer above, includes Tails and Knuckles as playable characters for the first time! Wowzers!

Go to iTunes/ Google Play. Buy or update game. Play game. Leave comment below.

[Source: Sega Blog]

Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate will be available to European and North American customers this autumn for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

We pretty much knew that the third iteration in the Dead or Alive 5 fighting series was coming our way after Famitsu spilt the beans. The upgraded version will contain currently undisclosed characters and features not found in previous versions and will contain all of the extra content from Dead or Alive 5 Plus for the PlayStation Vita. So far, all we know is that a pair of custard filled breasts named Momiji from Ninja Gaiden will be playable.

Sigh…

[Source: Siliconera]

If you don’t own any Sonic games on your PC and want all of them at an incredible price, then you need to head to Steam right now. The Sonic Hits Collection includes 17 items for $39.99, which saves you over $120 if you were to buy them all separately. They list each item as a “game,” but they some of them are add-ons. Hit the jump to see the full list of games included in the bundle.

Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine

Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed

Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing

Sonic 3 and Knuckles

Sonic 3D Blast

Sonic Adventure 2

Sonic Adventure 2: Battle

Sonic Adventure DX

Sonic and All-Stars Racing Transformed: Metal Sonic & Outrun Track

Sonic CD

Sonic Generations

Sonic Generations – Casino Nights DLC

Sonic Spinball

Sonic the Hedgehog

Sonic the Hedgehog 2

Sonic the Hedgehog 4 – Episode 1

Sonic the Hedgehog 4 – Episode 2

I would say that’s a pretty good deal indeed. Especially considering that Transformed still goes for $30 on its own. So who is grabbing this bundle? Thanks to VOTwinstick for the tip!

[Source: Steam]