We’re collecting questions for Joe Amaro at Jazwares about the making of Sonic toys like these. If you have a question for Joe, leave it in the comments!

Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing fans! Many of you asked about the toys that we gave away during our last Free Stuff Friday, and that our European friends are giving away this week. Now that the game is out, I’ve got some great news for you…  these sweet toys are on sale now exclusively at Toys ‘R’ Us! There are three of them — Sonic, Shadow, and Knuckles. They are 3 inch toys that are removable from their 5 inch vehicles. They are on sale for $14.99 each.

I’m lucky enough to have a few of these toys to give away during Free Stuff Friday, so keep your eyes peeled for these in an upcoming giveaway.

You Ask, They Answer

So what goes into making these toys, anyway? Joe Amaro at Jazwares is the one to ask! He’s in charge of all the Sonic toys made by Jazwares, from concept to production. He even visits the factories that make the toys to ensure that they are being made correctly! Joe’s worked on Mortal Kombat, Viewtiful Joe, Astro Boy, Planet 51, Percy Jackson, and A-Team as well, so he has quite a background. I’ll soon be doing a Q&A with Joe about everything related to the Sonic toys that Jazwares makes, and I want to add your questions. Ask Joe what you want to know about Sonic toys, and check the blog in a week or two for the full Q&A!

All the characters in Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing

Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing is in stores today! To celebrate, we’ve got a launch trailer for you.

I’ve been playing the game a lot, and I can tell you that it’s totally fun. But if you don’t want to take it from me, here are some links to articles from people who played it last week at our preview event:

GameZone Preview – “The game is a visual treat”

GameZone interview with game producer Omar Woodley

The Kartel (SEGA Nerds) interview with Omar Woodley and brand manager Dan Gallardo

Looking forward to hearing what you all think of the game! I have to say, I’m pretty fond of Ryo and the Shibuya Downtown track.

The funniest video we’ve seen all day.

Props to DoctorEggman over at the Sonic Stadium for creating it!

ASR Dev Diaries – Part 4 – Where I actually talk about the game for a change…

Why hello again! It’s me, Steve Lycett, inviting you to come inside out of the cold, hang up your coat, grab a nice cup of tea and have a guided tour of the Sumo office! We’ll take a look at some of the work being done on ASR today. It’s about time I talked about the game I’m sure!

First, welcome to the SEGA room. You can tell it’s the SEGA room as we’ve got our OutRun2 and Virtua Tennis 3 cabs over there – occasionally I have to get the spanners to the OutRun one to keep it in working fettle!

You’ll notice we have a light side of the room, that’s where the artists like to sit. They’re over to our right and are busy finishing off all the tracks and characters you’ll soon be playing.  ASR has been a big job art wise, we’ve got 24 tracks in the game, spread across 8 classic SEGA IP’s. As you’d expect, we’ve got Sonic tracks, so there’s ones based on Seaside Hill, Casino Park and of course Final Fortress. This game we’ve taken our Sonic cues from Sonic Heroes, but classic fans don’t worry too much, we’ve also revived a few Badniks to chase you around!

There’s also tracks based on Super Monkey Ball, Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg, Jet Set Radio Future, Samba De Amigo and House of the Dead EX. They’re a diverse bunch taking in all manner of lovely sights, a few special cameos, shortcuts and huge jumps galore. Plus of course the obligatory corkscrews! Oh – and before I forget to mention, that’s not counting the 3 special Battle Arenas we have too. So I guess that makes 27 tracks.

Of course, the poor art team didn’t get to make just 27 tracks. They also worked along with our special art team in Sumo India to make another set of 27 tracks for the Wii. These are all the same tracks, but re-worked to run as nicely as possible on the Wii. So I guess that’s 54 tracks. Oh but wait, we also had to make the same set of tracks for the DS, so that’s 81 tracks. Oh and we also had to optimise the tracks for Split-screen multiplayer so that’s… Bah, I’ve run out of fingers to count on!

No wonder the art team has been going grey! That’s just the tracks too!

On top of all those, we’ve also got over 20 playable characters. As you’ve probably spotted, all our characters have their own unique vehicle to boot. So Sonic has his own car, the Speed Star, which we developed in conjunction with Sonic Team over in Japan.  So yes, Sonic has his own car, but we’re not limited to cars. Oh no! We’ve also got characters on bike, so Shadow, Ryo and others can take to the road/beach/jungle – and if they do a wheelie, gain boosts where the cars can’t. Did I mention I like motorbikes? I can’t think why the bikes got a special move no-one else did!

If bikes aren’t your thing (and why not!) then you’ll also be pleased to hear we’ve got other selections. You’ll have seen Tails in his all new Tornado Racer, but we’ve also got Ulala in her custom Astro Glider and we’ve even managed to cram four ChuChu into a Rocket to race too. Plus we might be enjoying racing with a very special sentient space ship too! The flyers have their own trick too, whilst they don’t get wheelies, they don’t have to worry about being slowed down on surfaces other vehicles can’t run full speed over.

All these characters have to be built, textured, set up and animated. I should take a moment to mention the animation, we’ve tried to get a lot of life and energy into the game, and I think our animation team has done an amazing job! You’ll see characters react as they’re both winning and losing, watching each other pass and firing weapons at each other.

Then we had to do a whole suite of special effects for the All-Star moves, we’ve got characters going Super, Choas Spears, Monkey Balls, Airships, Giant Frogs, the lot. Again, these need specific assets for all platforms… It’s been a lot of work!

Let’s leave the art time alone to finish the job then…

If we wander across to the other side of the room, we get to where the coders live. You’ll notice the lights are off here…

All this art is great, but without an engine to power it, it’s not going to be much of a game. To this end we’ve been using our in-house Sunshine engine to make it all whizz around at high speed. If you’ve played our OutRun conversions, VT3 or Sega Superstars Tennis, you’ve already played with Sunshine!
Of course, each platform has its own tailored set of Sunshine too. So we’ve got specific rendering on PS3, on 360 and on Wii. We’ve got to make sure that whether you play Single Player or 4 Player, it’s nice and smooth an enjoyable too. So the code team have been wringing out every last drop from each platform the game is on.

They’ve also been making sure you have good AI to race against too. We have three distinct difficulties you can pick from with the AI. Start on Beginner and get to grips with the game, and the AI will go easy on you. Move up to Advanced, and the gloves come off! If you think you’re a racing legend, tip the slider up to Expert – then we’ll see how good you really are. You’ll need to drift all those corner, fight for lines and use your weapons tactically to win. You’ll also need to master the tricks you can do mid-air for more boost too! The AI certainly has!

Code wise, they’ve also been busy with our Mission Mode. Here we’ve got a diverse set of missions from such things as a bike only race, to smashing pots with Big, boosting as much as you can with Beat – and well let’s say there’s all manner of different things in there.

We’ve also been busy on the multiplayer side. All the console versions have full online support, including DS. Go out and race with who you like. If you want to play with just friends you can too. If you want to add AI to mix, go for it!

It doesn’t end their either. Back in split-screen land, you can opt to play on our Arena’s in a number of modes. Go for a straight battle, or play Capture the Chao, King of the Hill or compete to grab those Chaos Emeralds!  Or go for a Knockout race, you really don’t want to be in last place when that countdown runs out…

Actually – we’ve got to visit the DS team now, they’ve been busy building the game from scratch on DS. We’re really, really proud of our DS version, we’ve managed to pack the whole game from the big platforms into that tiny little cartridge.

Finally, whilst we’re touring, there is just time to wave at the Design department. No matter how big a SEGA fan you think you are – you’ve got a long way to go before you beat these guys at their SEGA knowledge. Whether they’re writing character bio’s for the SEGA shop and SEGA collection, of tuning the handling, or forcing the art team to sneak in more cameo’s and references, they’re always trying to force in more SEGA than is probably healthy.

Finally, before we shake hands and wave goodbye, you can cast a look at where the Production team sits. Yes, I know we’re the boring ones obsessed with schedules and budgets and paperwork, and the unpopular ones for making everyone stay late. Though I can tell you, when we show up with enough Pizza to feed an army, we do get the *occasional* smile! But spare us a thought; we have to make sure the unruly lot actually finishes the game on time so you can all play it!

So that’s our little tour over, you’ve been in, seen us all busy at work, and yes, we’ve got more than enough suggestions on what else we could cram in, and whilst we’ve hoped you have enjoyed your visit, please show yourself out – as we’ve got to get back to finishing the game off!

You’ve seen all the videos, and you’ve played the demo. You can’t wait to get your hands on Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing, right? Well, here’s your chance to get some hands-on time a few days before the game launches!

We’re having a community preview day this Friday (February 19th) from Noon until 3pm at the SEGA offices in San Francisco. We’ll have some Xbox 360s and some Playstation3s available for you to put some time in on. Dan (the game’s brand manager) and Omar (the game’s producer) will also be on hand to answer your questions. We’ll provide lunch as well, because hungry gamers are grumpy gamers!

If you are in the San Francisco Bay Area (or are willing to travel here) and available from noon until 3pm on Friday, please leave a comment below (and use your real email address, so I can contact you!). I’ll accommodate as many of you as I can, but space is limited.

Hope to see you on Friday!

Attention all Shenmue and Ryo Hazuki fans! In honor of the impending release of Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing, you could win one of 75 limited-edition Ryo figurines! The figurines feature Ryo in his forklift. They are approximately 7 inches tall and they are individually numbered on the base. There were only 1000 of these figurines made, so this is truly a piece of history that you won’t want to miss. Just enter your SEGA Pass information on the sweepstakes site, and you’re entered. The contest is open to residents of the United States and Canada (excluding Puerto Rico and Quebec) aged 13 and up. Read the official rules for all the details, and get your name in the giveaway pot.

PS3 Trailer

We’ve also got a brand-new Playstation3-centric trailer for the game. Check it out!

Nintendo DS Demo

If you want to check out the game on your Nintendo DS, the demo is now available!

Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing is vrooming into stores on February 23, 2010.

We’ve just launched a fun new Facebook application on the Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing Facebook fan page. It allows you to take photos of your friends and put them into classic photos and paintings as well as characters from Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing!

By participating in the photo tag fun, you can also enter to win copies of Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing as well as other great prizes.

When you first go to the Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing Facebook fan page, (You are a fan, right? If not, be sure to click the “become a fan” button before you move on!) click the Photo-Tag tab at the top, or you can go directly to the application. You’ll see the image above with an example and an explanation of how the application works. When you’re ready, press “Let’s Go”.

On the next page you’ll see the three most recent images created, as well as a billboard to enter the contest and another to get started making photos. Click the text below the Mona Lisa to get started. You’ll see an entry form for the contest when you do — fill it out (or press “skip this step” at the bottom if you don’t wish to enter) and get started.

The app will load a list of your Facebook friends. You can use the up/down arrow on the right to search through them, or if you know the friend you are looking for, you can type their name in the search bar above the photos. You might not be able to see all of your friends if they have their privacy settings to deny applications any of their data.

Once you’ve found the friend you want, just click on their image.

The application will load all of the photos of that person (photos that they are tagged in) on the left side. Select the photo that you want to use, and it will show in the right side. Photos where the person is directly facing the camera work best. (ClumsyOrchid graciously volunteered to be the guinea pig for my photo-tag project.)

Once you click on a photo from the left side, it will appear in the oval on the right. Use the rotate, scale, and flip buttons to move your image around until it’s lined up with the lines. You want the center vertical line in about the middle of your friend’s face, and the eyes to line up with the top horizontal line and the mouth to line up with the bottom horizontal line. Don’t worry about getting it perfect, as you’ll be able to adjust it later. This is more to get you in the ballpark of correctness. Once you’re ready, click the “continue” button at the bottom.

You will then be taken to the background screen. This is just like the screen before, except this time you’re choosing which character, painting, or photograph you want to put your friend in. Use the up and down arrows to go through the photos on the left, and when you click on one, it will load on the right side. Use the rotate, scale, flip, and tone buttons to adjust the face of your friend to the background until you’re satisfied with the result. You can add a caption if you wish as well. Once you’re done, select “save and share”.

Congratulations! Once you’ve shared and saved your photo, you can start again with another or invite your friends in on the fun.

Give the application a try, have some fun, enter the sweepstakes, and spread the word about Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing.

I think Clumsy makes a nice Ryo, don’t you?

Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing will be in stores soon, and hopefully many of you have already downloaded and played the demo on Xbox360! To whet your appetite further, we’ve got a new trailer featuring the All-Star Moves in the game.

The demo for Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing has hit the Marketplace! It allows you to play as Sonic or Banjo across a selection of tracks, is available now. Please be aware that it’s a hefty chunk at 1GB, but  its your first chance to grab a hold of the game and play it! And be on the lookout for someone who isn’t forgotten in action.

But that’s not all! There’s a brand new theme on the 360 as well for you to download at 240 points. If you want to see before you buy, check out the images below.

Friends List

Spotlight

System Settings

Media Library

Game Library

Handy huh? So there we go, the demo and the theme go download them both now!

Bentley has set a challenge to you (yes, you) to win some Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing  goodies, and star in his music video for So Much More.

Full details of the contest taken from BentleyJones.com are below.

HOW DO I ENTER?
All you need to do is film yourself performing to Bentley’s song “So Much More…” in any way you want. You can sing/lip-sync, dance, play/mime/air an instrument, produce an animation – there’s no limit to what you can do!! Upload your clip to a video sharing website (like YouTube) and e-mail the link (attachments will not be accepted) to smmvideocompetition@bentleyjones.com* by February 26th 2010. It’s as simple as that!

WHAT CAN I WIN?
1st PRIZE x 5
“Sonic & SEGA All-stars Racing” signed by the game’s creators SUMO Digital***
Signed concept art from “Sonic & SEGA All-stars Racing”
“So Much More…” Limited Edition CD**
“So Much More…” glossy artwork photo signed by Bentley Jones
“SEGA Superstars Tennis” signed by the game’s creators SUMO Digital***
YOUR performance featured in the official “So Much More…” video

2nd PRIZE x 5
“Sonic & SEGA All-stars Racing” signed by the game’s creators SUMO Digital***
“So Much More…” Limited Edition CD**
“So Much More…” glossy artwork photo signed by Bentley Jones
YOUR performance featured in the official “So Much More…” video

RUNNERS UP
Large glossy artwork photo signed by Bentley Jones
YOUR performance featured in the official “So Much More…” video

RULES
Video soundtrack (either playing in the background, or as the full soundtrack) must contain the original version OR instrumental version of “So Much More…” by Bentley Jones so that your performance will fit to the song!

Shoot in the highest quality possible – this will help us when we come to edit your video and help your legions of adoring fans see your talent!!

Videos must a minimum of 2 minutes and a maximum of 5 minutes.

Upload your videos to a video sharing website (i.e. YouTube) then e-mail us the link to your video to smmvideocompetition@bentleyjones.com*. We will ask winning entries to send us the raw file(s) once the competition has closed. Do not attach videos to e-mails as your e-mail will not be delivered.

Videos must contain the tag www.bentleyjones.com either as an annotation (preferable) or in the video description.

Extra bonus points will be awarded for placing the “So Much More…” CD** somewhere in the video.

One video entry will only be eligible to win one prize bundle, regardless of how many people may feature in (or have contributed to) the video entry.

Competition closing date: February 26th 2010. Any entries received after this date will not be eligible.

Entries to feature in the official “So Much More…” music video will be contacted upon the competition’s closing and asked to send us the raw video files either digitally or by post. This should be done as quickly as possible within 7 days so we can announce the winners on schedule. Failure to do so may result in your video being disqualified.

Once all selected video entries have been received, prize winners will be announced with the release of the “So Much More…” music video on 19th March 2010 (TBC).

Videos must not contain any profanity, explicit, discriminatory or otherwise offensive material including third party advertising.
*By submitting your video entry to the e-mail address you are agreeing to the Terms and Conditions.
**If you have already ordered / purchased the “So Much More…” CD, winners may be eligible to a refund if they so choose.
***We will make our best efforts to get the platform and region that you require, how this is subject to availability and it may not be possible for us to offer your requested version of the game.

Good luck!

[For more information, please check BentleyJones.com]