[Rolken]

Here's some screenshots. Info in English when I can find it.

Update: SEGA's made a press release, and there're numerous transcriptions of it. It looks to be a takeoff of SSR in aesthetic in the same way Rush was a takeoff of Heroes, with dinosaurs, pirates, skeleton warriors and watercraft making an appearance. It also has online racing and missions through NWFC.

Since SEGA had a falling out with Dimps a year or two ago, this is the first Nintendo portable Sonic game to not be developed by them but rather SEGA Studios, crafter of such fine wares as Sonic06.

edit: not SEGA Studios USA sry

[P.P.A.]

Lawl, I thought Sonic couldn't swim and was therefore afraid of water. X)

* P.P.A. goes to translate the German news page

EDIT: Done:

As the Japanese publisher Sega officially announced today, Sonic Rush Adventure, which is supposed to be released fall 2007 and exclusive for Nintendo DS, is currently in development. Like in its prequel Sonic Rush, SRA will also feature fast 2D gameplay.

Sonic's newest adventure features a total of seven different levels, filled with spectacular jumping passages, loops, and numerous obstacles. In terms of settings, Sega will put Sonic in a sea adventure where he will be confronted with ruthless pirates. The player will send the blue blur through the different areals of the single-player mode where he/she collects different materials which Sonic and Tails use to hunt down the pirates. While the obligatory bosses are already know from the prequel, Sega is going to include various vehicles that Sonic will use to cross the ocean. The player will control Sonic across the ocean onboard of various water vehicles, collect the golden rings and use the Touchpen to do various tricks.

Especially taken care of will be a varied adventure that sends the player jumping, running and flying through different areas. Sonic Rush Adventure features for example dark forests, a scary ghost ship, snowy mountaintops, pirate villages and large underwater caves. Variety is also going to be important with the enemies. So will the player encounter robots, skeleton warriors, flying lizards, mechanic dinosaurs and many more. Once all areas are cleared, the final battle against the dark Captain Whisker awaits.

Additionally, Sonic Rush Adventure will make use of the DS' gamesharing and Wi-Fi connection, which will allow players to duel against each other in wireless races or mission-based battles.

[Crowbar]

Nice to hear enemies will include something other than those stupid Egg Pawns.

I wasn't aware Sega fell out with Dimps though...hope their non-involvement with this won't be for the worse.

[Rolken]

Well, here's the bad guy. I can't find an official source for this.



edit: He's on the official site.

[Bilan]

Looks like Eggman got a new suit to me. >_>

[KnucklesSonic8]

^ Same here...

Anyway this is great news. I've always suspected a sequel to Rush as it did a fabulous job on the NDS.. not like I'd know as I've yet to try it but I would like to badly. Anyway, here's looking at a game where SEGA will actually listen to the public.

I laugh just typing that...

[General Throatstomper]

Anyway, here's looking at a game where SEGA will actually listen to the public.

Remember Shadow?

Oh wait, that's why you laughed.

I'll buy it, if for no other reason than to complain about how crap it is and Sonic team can't do anything right by themselves. The lack of Dimps makes me wary. So does the rushed development cycle. Fall 07...after working on it for how long? Not very is the answer. Consider also that the same team is working on making the NiGHTS sequel at the same time and this isn't shaping up too well.

Also, 3D bosses are back (for whatever reason), and tacked on touch-screen controls have been added (for whatever reason), meaning Sonic Team USA is trying crap they really shouldn't. The zones also look uninspired, but as Rolken pointed out earlier it's nothing new.

With any luck, it will be tolerable. Without any luck, it will be the generic feel of Sonic Advance mixed with everything bad from Rush.

Online play sounds decent, but only if the game itself is.

The chance of them fucking up badly is: 99.99%.

[Groudon]

Since SEGA had a falling out with Dimps a year or two ago, this is the first Nintendo portable Sonic game to not be developed by them but rather SEGA Studios USA, crafter of such fine wares as Shadow the Hedgehog.

Which means it, like Shadow, will be better than SH?

* Groudon run

Either way, it's another Sonic game that looks decent.

[Magnezone]

...This isn't quite what I was expecting.

I don't really have a good feeling about this. :/ I feel like this Mushroom Hill is rather plain and unexciting from these screenshots, and these sailing parts just seem completely tacked-on... They're a distraction from what I want out of these games. Not only that, but the prime ability that made the original Sonic Rush a, well, rush, is not represented in any of the screenshots at all. The least they could have done was show the rush ability while he's going through the loop. >_> It makes me think something is up with that.

I need more details to get a better idea of what this game will be like. Hopefully this new team doesn't do stupid crap like take out the time-attack mode :[

[Stardust Speedman]

Are you sure it's being developed by Sonic Team USA? They are working on Nights Journey of Dreams, so, it would be very wierd if they are working on this title, too.

It's very possible that Sonic Rush Adventure follows the Story of Sonic and the Secret Rings. The plot and the Theme shocked me totally when I read about this game, but since Sonic Rush is my most favorite game ever, I am very excited about this one! I just now have a problem. Before this announcement, I counted the main games of the Sonic Series like this:

01. Sonic the Hedgehog (Sega Mega Drive)
02. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Sega Mega Drive)
03. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles
04. Sonic Adventure
05. Sonic Adventure 2
06. Sonic Advance
07. Sonic Advance 2
08. Sonic Advance 3
09. Sonic Rush
10. Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)

I called all the others spin-offs. Now, if Sonic Rush Adventure is following the Story of Sonic and the Secret Rings, I either have to count Sonic Rush a spin-off too, or count Sonic and the Secret Rings a main Sonic Game.

[Rolken]

Are you sure it's being developed by Sonic Team USA? They are working on Nights Journey of Dreams, so, it would be very wierd if they are working on this title, too.

I thought that was weird too. I looked back and the press release actually says "Sega Studios", so they probably mean the Japanese incarnation, developer of such fine titles as Sonic06, which would make more sense as that project ended half a year ago. I'll edit the first post.

[Paused]

Well, here's the bad guy. I can't find an official source for this.



edit: He's on the official site.

So we now have a trio for each of the main characters in the very first game, Sonic and Eggman.

Course we have Blue Sonic, Black Sonic, and White Sonic.  (Sonic, Shadow, and Silver.)

We also have Eggman, Clown Eggman, and now, Pirate Eggman.  (Robotnik, Eggman Nega, and this weeks new bad guy)

As 'great' as this looks I am looking forward to June when 'Sonic Riders the Secret Rings:Twilight Princess' is announced and we can finaly be introduced to Grey Sonic, and Elvis Presley Eggman.   

[Waxwings]

Silver is grey.

We already have one.

[Bilan]

We already have pink, yellow, silverygold and sparkling rainbow hedgehogs too >_>

[Crowbar]

Silver is grey.

We already have one.

Lol no he's white.

[magnum12]

Hooray. All we need now for this to be the stupiest plot ever is for Espio to help fight "Pirate Egg Man" with a random army of ninjas.

[P.P.A.]

I suggest Sonic discovering he was actually created by Admiral Whisker and Blue Doom!

[Stardust Speedman]

We are actually getting to a balance here! In the first generation of Sonic games, we had five very successfull Sonic games:

1. Sonic the Hedgehog (Sega Mega Drive)
2. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Sega Mega Drive)
3. Sonic the Hedgehog CD
4. Sonic the Hedgehog 3
5. Sonic & Knuckles

In this generation of Sonic games we also have five very successful games:

1. Sonic Adventure
2. Sonic Adventure 2
3. Sonic Rush
4. Sonic and the Secret Rings
5. Sonic Rush Adventure (even though it's still not out, but I asume it's going to be very successfull. - At least I hope!)

Supposedly, after Rush Adventure there will be a gap and then the next generation of Sonic games will start. A difference is that the the first generation of Sonic games was seven years long, while this one has so far been 10 years long. I actually prefere the five very successful games of this generation a little bit over the ones of the last generation, though. Even though one of these five games isn't out yet. Suriously though, they can't afford to ruin the name of such an extremely successfull game like Sonic Rush, so, I'm sure they must be working hard on this one!

[F-Man]

Siavash Tazari, I don't know what kind of drug you're taking but I sure as hell don't want any of it.

[Stardust Speedman]

F-Man, could you please explain why you are saying that? It is a fact that Sonic 1 (MD), Sonic 2 (MD), Sonic CD, Sonic 3, S&K, Sonic Adventure, Sonic Adventure 2, Sonic Rush and SatSR have been the nine most successful Sonic games ever. I'm not talking about what I personally believe, but what the world in general apparently thinks. It is also a fact that with Sonic Adventure, a new generation of Sonic games has started. It was also said that after Sonic Rush Adventure, Sonic Team will stop making Sonic games for a while to "reinvent" Sonic. Nothing is wrong about what I've said so far. There isn't even opinion involved. The only parts where I wrote about my opinion, were when I said that I prefer the good games after Sonic Adventure a little bit over the good games before Sonic Adventure, and when I said that I believe that Sonic Rush Adventure is going to be very successful. Is anything wrong with that?

[Magnezone]

Ok, tip. In any situation, whether relevant to videogames or not, it is BAD to assume things. Especially that SRA will turn out to be as good a game as the first or better, seeing as there is just a lot of evidence to suggest that the developers are not going to produce a good sequel, promoting random crap instead of what makes Sonic Rush a decent Sonic title.

Suriously though, they can't afford to ruin the name of such an extremely successfull game like Sonic Rush, so, I'm sure they must be working hard on this one!

They sure didn't mind affording to ruin the name of Sonic The Hedgehog. >_> Random note, but they weren't even on a tight schedule to make that game. They showed the game behind closed doors at E3 2005, with the same exact trailer that they showed at the Tokyo Games Show in October of that year. Hmm, less development time, lazy developer, that doesn't sound like they're going to be working hard on it to me.

It was also said that after Sonic Rush Adventure, Sonic Team will stop making Sonic games for a while to "reinvent" Sonic.

Two things:
-They said that BEFORE they announced Sonic Rush Adventure, which pretty much rendered anything the Sega representitive said as false.
-Sonic Team doesn't know what the hell they're doing anymore. They concentrate on things like the moves a character has, characters in general, and "oh man Sonic can move at the speed of sound," all kinds of things to appeal to the "fanbase," when ultimately, a good Sonic game is none of that. The good Sonic games are all about something that is often replaced by the "random crap syndrome" these days - pure action and involvement.

Sonic Team seems to have forgotten that, instead going for creating mindless adventures with mindless control schemes sprinkled with a flavor that tastes like they're just making soulless games to make a profit from them. Sonic Rush Adventure, NiGHTS II, I see your fate, and it does not leave me with a good taste.

[eggFL]

We are actually getting to a balance here! In the first generation of Sonic games, we had five very successfull Sonic games:

1. Sonic the Hedgehog (Sega Mega Drive)
2. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Sega Mega Drive)
3. Sonic the Hedgehog CD
4. Sonic the Hedgehog 3
5. Sonic & Knuckles

In this generation of Sonic games we also have five very successful games:

1. Sonic Adventure
2. Sonic Adventure 2
3. Sonic Rush
4. Sonic and the Secret Rings
5. Sonic Rush Adventure (even though it's still not out, but I asume it's going to be very successfull. - At least I hope!)

Supposedly, after Rush Adventure there will be a gap and then the next generation of Sonic games will start. A difference is that the the first generation of Sonic games was seven years long, while this one has so far been 10 years long. I actually prefere the five very successful games of this generation a little bit over the ones of the last generation, though. Even though one of these five games isn't out yet. Suriously though, they can't afford to ruin the name of such an extremely successfull game like Sonic Rush, so, I'm sure they must be working hard on this one!

Rationalization

Are you going by sales or reception? Because either way that list does not add up.

Sales - you list Sonic Rush but no Shadow or Heroes
Reception - you list Secret Rings but not Heroes

correct me if I'm wrong.

Anyway I don't think Sonic Rush Adventure is worth the breath. Sonic Rush existed before Sonic06, and now we're getting a sequel afterwards. I'll withhold my rants until I see an actual serious console Sonic, or the lack thereof. Unless games like Sonic Rush Adventure, Sonic-only and nature environments, with cute themes, and sticking primarily to DS and Wii, is what the new Sonic is all about. But like I said, we already said Sonic Rush before.

So that's just what I think.

[douglas]

Ah, but the Wii is the best selling next-gen console at the moment (at least here it is), and it's broader user base is more likely to be receptive to Sonic due to less hardcoreness and more age variation.  The DS also has a pretty big and diverse market.  Moreover, what costs money in game development is artistic content, especially high-def stuff, so Wii/DS game dev will cost less and return more.

That and SSR/Rush were decent games and Sonic06 was plagued with issues, so on the Nintendo consoles Sonic has a clean reputation ;)

On the other points: unless new characters actually bring in new gameplay, they're pointless and should not continually be shoe-horned in; nature vs whomg human city environments is irrelevant, I want good level design first and foremost; and given that "serious" or "dark" Sonic games have been lol thus far I'm not fussed at cutesy instead, unless you add the following to the "serious" ones: a plot with some form of literary quality and a lack of the overriding clichés that plague the series, originality, characters with more than one personality aspect, character development, decent animation, well-written dialogue, and voice acting that doesn't make me bleed out of my ears.





On Rush Adventure itself: meh.  Give me big open flowing levels, and give me speed that's controllable (and a working camera ffs).  I want adrenaline from a Sonic game.  If I want an open-ended adventure, I play Zelda or Oblivion or something.  Get the basics right already Sonic >_>

[Magnezone]

SO A NEW SONIC RUSH GAME WOULDNT BE COMPLETE WITHOUT...



BLAZE!!!!!!! And uh, some new character.

Also it's rather unknown if this is real or not, as in, there's no source attatched, but I have this feeling it's real.

[Marth]

What is that? If the above image didn't have the Sonic Rush Adventure logo, I'd say it's
a fancharacter which is basically Cream, but as a raccoon.

Fine, as long as she doesn't get in the way with bad voice acting and slow, annoying levels.

Is it just me, or does Blaze look like Shadow in that picture? The pose, the hair, the expression.

douglas: A few little disagreements.

- High-definition doesn't cost the developers more. Neither does throwing in a few extra polygons.
(I know from experience that smoothing out a model can be as simple as clicking a button.)
Pushing the system to its limits is what would take the most effort and money.
Which is why so many games (on any system) look so-so or outdated.

- Sonic's reputation on Nintendo systems isn't that clean. SADX was a pretty sloppy port,
for example. (And I don't need to explain Shadow the Hedgehog.) All the games
have enjoyed decent sales, but most of them are criticized.

- New gameplay? Big brought in new gameplay. So did Knuckles. If that's what new gameplay is,
I'll stick with stale, old Sonic stages. In my opinion, Tails and Amy in SA were fine.
(Although Tails's stages were a little short, and Amy was too slow.)
Gamma's stages weren't bad, but SA2 messed up that type of gameplay.
So it should either be like Tails and Amy in SA, or maybe like Amy and Big in SA2.

I agree just about everything else in the last two paragraphs, though.

[douglas]

- High-definition doesn't cost the developers more. Neither does throwing in a few extra polygons.
(I know from experience that smoothing out a model can be as simple as clicking a button.)
Pushing the system to its limits is what would take the most effort and money.
Which is why so many games (on any system) look so-so or outdated.

Au contraire.  I know and have worked with a guy who's been an artist on the GTA series and is working on GTA4, and I can assure you the devil is in the detail.  You can take old low-poly models and smooth them, but it looks like ass in a brand spanking new high def game.  In any case, that's clearly not what Sega did with Sonic06.

- Sonic's reputation on Nintendo systems isn't that clean. SADX was a pretty sloppy port,
for example. (And I don't need to explain Shadow the Hedgehog.) All the games
have enjoyed decent sales, but most of them are criticized.

Quite so, but there's a difference between 'criticised' and 'almost universally raped' in reviews (/me awaits death by raving Sonic06 fanboy ;)

- New gameplay? Big brought in new gameplay. So did Knuckles. If that's what new gameplay is,
I'll stick with stale, old Sonic stages. In my opinion, Tails and Amy in SA were fine.
(Although Tails's stages were a little short, and Amy was too slow.)
Gamma's stages weren't bad, but SA2 messed up that type of gameplay.
So it should either be like Tails and Amy in SA, or maybe like Amy and Big in SA2.

Again, agreed, but at least they brought something original to the table.  I'd much rather just have Sonic gameplay too; my point was simply that if you're going to be heavily character-based you need to differentiate them from each other.  Quality is a whole other issue.

[Crowbar]

Yeah I saw that image on 4chan, but extensive Googling brought me no answer as to its source.

I don't mind Blaze, I really don't, but ugh.

Sega's problem isn't new characters in and of itself, it's new characters at the expense of developing existing ones (both in terms of good gameplay features and personality).

[Magnezone]

I have to agree. It bothers me even more when they introduce a new character and then barely develop them, or they introduce a character that everyone is "meh" about and put them in 2385 other Sonic games.

Anyway, apparently Sonic Stadium reported the banner and Sega asked them to take it down, no doubt so they could reveal it at a later date, so it probably is true that Blaze and this raccoon thing are in SRA. http://www.sonicstadium.org/sonicnews/288/

[Crowbar]

I have to agree. It bothers me even more when they introduce a new character and then barely develop them, or they introduce a character that everyone is "meh" about and put them in 2385 other Sonic games.

Kinda like Bowser Jr and Petey Piranha in Mario, then (well, I hate them at least...)

[eggFL]

WOW damn a new character.

I come to find about a new Sonic game, I come back again to find out about the new character. thanks guyz

It's a decent character design imo but she doesn't look at all that fast. But that tail of hers and her ridiculous boomerang-shaped ponytail might look better from a 2D perspective.

The kitchen gloves are iffy.

She /does/ look similar to Cream. But I already hope she replaces Cream because Cream was a retarded. (lolicon Sonic character for Shadow haters whoo) >_>

I like how Sonic character designers play dress the eyes. The patch/stripe lining the outside of her eyes is pretty hot.

So I guess she's a raccoon.

Interesting color scheme. It's different, to say the least.

*looks again* Yea the kitchen gloves piss me off.