Attention, SEGA iTunes, iPad, and iPod touch fans — we currently have a sale going on for iTunes, and for a limited time the following games will be on sale in the U.S. iTunes store:

Sonic the Hedgehog (click here to buy!) $5.99 $1.99
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (click here to buy!) $5.99 $1.99
Super Monkey Ball 2 (click here to buy!) $5.99 $0.99
Phantasy Star II (click here to buy!) $4.99 $1.99

We’d like to take this opportunity to thank our fans for helping to make these games a smash success in the iTunes store:  Super Monkey Ball 2 is currently the number 2 app in the U.S. App Store, and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is right behind it at number 3 !

The Sonic games pretty much speak for themselves, of course, and it’s worth mentioning how native Super Monkey Ball 2 feels on the iPhone.  Of course, I’m particularly happy to see Phantasy Star II so easily available — it’s a truly excellent RPG, perfect for the iPhone, and I wrote quite a bit about it when it released a few weeks ago. If you want to pick it up on the cheap, you can check my quick-guide for new players to the game on some easy hints & tips to get started.

We’re excited to see our iTunes games doing so well and, of course, we’re excited to have the chance to bring them to you for super-reduced prices. Get ‘em while they’re cheap!

Just a reminder — Sonic Adventure, which released last week for Xbox Live Arcade, and is out right now for PlayStation Network!

Both the full game and the DLC content which upgrades it to the “Director’s Cut” (also known as Sonic Adventure DX) version are available now for PSN. The price is just $9.99 for the full game (and of course, the Dreamcast came out 9/99 — coincidence?).

My previous blog has most of my thoughts on the game, and it’s worth noting that this news is significant not just because this is the best-selling Dreamcast game, but because it represents Dreamcast’s return. The release of Crazy Taxi is still on the horizon and there’s more to look forward to. Stay tuned!

We’ve got multiple exciting announcements for you!

First, as you know Sonic Adventure releases today (as in, right now!) on XBox Live Arcade! We’ve only just passed the 11th Anniversary of the 9/9/1999 release of the Dreamcast, and Sonic Adventure was the first Sonic game to release for the Dreamcast and was the first Sonic game in 3D. All of those milestones are befitting a game that is presented with a grand and epic sense of “adventure”, exploration, and fun, and this is definitely a game to revisit, or to check out if you’ve somehow missed out on it all these years.

Second, if you’re waiting to get the game on PlayStation Network, you don’t need to wait long — it’s releasing next week, on the 21st in North America (22nd in Europe), on PSN!

Actually, it’s confession time, and I never really played Sonic Adventure until just this past year or so, when I snagged a Dreamcast from our incredible game room and brushed up on some of the classics. There’s a certain grandeur and sense of excitement when a definitive flagship title shows up for a new system, and Sonic Adventure definitely helped fill those shoes for the Dreamcast.

The game actually even has a bit of old-school adventure game to in (fitting enough considering the name), in that there’s an open world to explore and not always a ton of direction in how to proceed: you explore areas on your own, find ways to proceed, and gradually uncover how the multiple characters have interlocking stories.

Of course, the adventure stages are just one part of the game, and they invariably give way to action stages built around pure speed. The Sonic stages work most like the classic ones, as you battle your way through a level collecting rings, whereas the Tails stages that follow have their own unique twist, as you race against Sonic to be the first to catch Chaos Emeralds.

My favorite stages are probably the Knuckles ones — he retains his gliding and climbing abilities from the original Sonic & Knuckles game, and the first Knuckles stage in Sonic Adventure smartly takes place in a city environment. It feels, to be honest, like one of the Spider Man games, as you race around an open level looking for Chaos Emeralds. Flinging yourself from building to building and avoiding cars has a great innate appeal to it.

Final piece of news: there is also a DLC pack available for the game — if you wish, you can download it and convert this original Dreamcast version of Sonic Adventure into the “Director’s Cut” version, Sonic Adventure DX! Sonic Adventure DX was the enhanced version released on the Nintendo GameCube, and includes 60 additional missions as well as Metal Sonic as a playable character.

There’s a lot to explore and discover in the game — I haven’t even touched on the Chao (not to be confused with the boss enemy Chaos from the game, or the Chaos Emeralds), the pet “minigame” which has attained a special cult following among some SEGA fans. To this day we still receive drawings in the mail of Chao designed by fans, and it’s awesome seeing this portion of the game getting a new release & new exposure.

Stay tuned for more — with the PlayStation Network release on the 21st and more Crazy Taxi news coming soon, and still more to come, there’s lot’s to look forward to with digital Dreamcast titles.

SEGA and the community team is headed to PAX 2010 to show off our games, have some fun, and throw a Community Event at the Gameworks right next to the convention center! Our community event kicks off at 8pm on Saturday and will feature live music from Cash Cash (creator of the Sonic Colors theme song), free food & drinks, access to some classic SEGA arcade games, and a chance at some of the epic swag we’re raffling off!

The Raffle Prizes & Sweatshirt

Epic swag you say?? We’ve secured some of our best SEGA swag from years past and present and are rewarding attendees with some really good stuff. To sweeten the deal, we’ve created a very special sweatshirt that’s only available at PAX Community Event – we think you’ll agree, it’s sweet. The sweatshirt comes in black and is heavy duty; very thick. There are four signature controllers from classic SEGA consoles embroidered across the front; we love how they turned out and cannot wait to pass them out. As mentioned, this is only available for our PAX Community event for these special giveaways, so you’ll have to come out and take a chance at winning one!

How to enter?

Very simple – Attend the event and you’ll get a raffle ticket. We’ll hold the prize giveaway later that evening and you’ll need to be in attendance to pick up your prize – it’s that easy! To help save on shipping costs and awkward travel situations (“Is that a Bayonetta gun in your bag, Sir?”) from the show – we are awarding sweatshirts on the floor and shipping all prizes out to winners after the PAX weekend.

Individual Raffle Prizes

We’ve got a total of twenty mixed prizes, spread across a wide range of SEGA brands and even some consoles to giveaway.  Keep your eye on the blogs for updates leading up to PAX 2010 that detail the individual prize packs!  We hope to see you at the event – if you are coming, let us know by signing up on our Facebook Event page!

It’s been hinted at a few times now, but today we can go ahead and finally confirm it: a certain unexpected someone will be attending Summer of Sonic tomorrow, and they might just be happen to be the Community Manager for Sonic the Hedgehog 4, currently in London on holiday from the US!

So, if you’d like to meet up with one quarter of the SEGA America Community team, keep an eye out for me tomorrow and feel free to say hello! I’m always up to chat Sonic, or NiGHTS, or Phantasy Star, or Valkyria Chronicles, or… just about anything SEGA.

Look forward to meeting many of you there – is anyone else excited for tomorrow?

Ever so often we get a fun surprise from a group in our office that is all about the fun – our Licensing Department. If you follow the blogs, you’ve seen some quality gear go out, anything from plushies, limited edition vinyl figurines, comics, and some of the most adorable slippers ever.

Just this week, we got another gem – a Nintendo DS wallet! If you are a DS owner like me, you have too many games, a ds, and a distinct lack of cases available to hold them both. The Sonic DS wallet solves both, stylishly, covering both the DS from harm and housing your games in a handy pouch.

We’re happy to let you know that the wallet is available for purchase and if you’d like to try your luck, we’ll have one available for a Free Stuff Friday giveaway next week. Big thanks to our Licensing Group for being awesome.

Tomorrow is international Free Comic Book Day and is your chance to pick up over 30 free comics from your local comic book shops. Participation may vary from store to store, so ask your local shops and do check out the official FAQ. In addition to passing out free comics, there are quite a few activities planned across the country, including giveaways and creator signings!

There are a lot of excellent choices, including two Sega themed options with Sonic The Hedgehog and Iron Man.  Descriptions of both are listed below, click the images for a downloadable sample:

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG FCBD 2010 EDITION
“Hide & Seek & DESTROY!”: Dr. Eggman has vanished – or has he? As Sonic searches for clues, he stumbles across an old weapon from the bygone days of his childhood. Will Dr. Eggman allow Sonic to be destroyed by this threat from yesteryear? Will Sonic discover the truth behind his old rival’s disappearance? All the answers lie in this free issue!

IRON MAN/THOR FCBD 2010 EDITION

The perfect jumping-on point for any and all readers…and it’s FREE! When rogue mega-billionaires with world-destroying technology threaten the safety of the entire world…and the moon…Thor and Iron Man join forces! In time for the exciting launch of new stories and a bold new direction for Invincible Iron Man and Thor, superstars Matt Fraction and John Romita Jr. team up to bring you two of Marvel’s heaviest hitters like you’ve never seen them before! A major new direction for the Marvel Universe kicks off HERE – on Free Comic Book Day!

What a nice way to kick off the weekend!

What’s that? You would like the chance to take one of the most awesome Sonic games ever with you wherever you go? Well, we can grant that wish — the Genesis mega-classic Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is now available on the Apple iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad!

Also coming is a free update to the game, which will enable full multiplayer — play together through single player levels and Sonic and Tails, or go head-to-head in the classic versus mode!

Click here for a preview of the game and for information on how to purchase it!

Happy Holidays — the SEGA Mega Sale for PSN is on!

Every downloadable SEGA game on PSN and PSP is 40% off, from now through January 7th. This is your chance to not only snag downloadable content for all variety of flagship SEGA titles — present and past — but to load up your PSP with SEGA titles, as well.

There’s a pretty wide breadth of stuff here. On the Downloadable Content side, you can shore up your copy of Sonic Unleashed with new stages and missions — all of the various Adventure Packs for Sonic Unleashed are discounted, with tons of daytime and nighttime missions. I’m a big fan of the daytime stages, and all of the available packs feature more daytime than nighttime missions (but for Werehog fans, there’s plenty of nighttime missions as well).

Speaking of Sonic, the “very hard” missions for Sonic the Hedgehog 2006 are also discounted, so if you were ever looking for a dirt-cheap excuse to complete your Sonic collection, there you have it! But the real gem — at least in my own humble opinion — is the extra content for Valkyria Chronicles. This includes all three DLC packs, featuring bonus missions and the amazing EX mode, which has a ton of new features, weapons, and increased difficulty.

I’ve already written lots about my undying love for the tactical strategy of games like Shining Force, and Valkyria Chronicles is absolutely the spiritual successor to these games. While I can’t say enough good things about the game itself, I also am incredibly impressed with the DLC that’s come out — it’s not just an ad-hoc collection of maps or standalone missions, but several new ways to play the game that deepen and add to an already complex and emotionally engaging story.

Don’t just take my word for it though — our own honorary Gallian, Ruby Eclipse, has fought long and hard for this game as a labor of love. His message to the fans who have worked so hard to help make this great game succeed:

To arms, Gallia! In support of the season and our fans’ amazing dedication, we’d like to say thank you with a special 40% off holiday sale across all three packs of Valkyria Chronicles DLC!

See the battlefield from Selvaria’s eyes in Behind Her Blue Flame, take on challenging odds with some of Squad 7′s rising stars in Enter the Edy Detachment, or add a whole new level of difficulty – and earn new, powerful weapons – with Hard Mode EX!

Did I say PSP Games before? Oh yes! A little while back the community team here at SEGA took a look at some of the best & brightest PSP games SEGA had made, in celebration of the launch of the PSP Go. Now those titles are slashed 40%, and it’s nigh time to take a look at shoring up your collection of portable games.

I already wrote about Sonic Rivals, and now both Sonic Rivals and Sonic Rivals 2 are part of the Holiday sale. This was an awesome experience — I hadn’t actually played them until recently, and didn’t really know what to expect. I was surprised to find that these are incredibly well-crafted racing games, but with the exquisite level design that’s always been core to the best games of the Sonic series.

Aside from the great Sonic games that graced the PSP I’m thrilled to say that some of the most eclectic and unique titles ended up on that system as well. I am speaking here of the incomparable Crazy Taxi and Crush. Crazy Taxi is exactly what it sounds like, and this is a very good thing. It’s also good that it’s on a portable system, because this is one of those games where one’s body tends to move in direct proportion to the craziness of the game as you twist & turn your way through crowded city streets.

Crush, meanwhile, is  a totally unique adventure-puzzle game. I’m actually less familiar with it, but thankfully SEGA’s own community manager Clumsyorchid recently wrote this love letter to the game.

This really just scratches the surface — you can also pick up the gnarly road-battler Full Auto 2: Battlelines, the charming & addictive Super Monkey Ball Adventure, and the awesome 2D action shooter, Gunstar Heroes!

PSP:
Alien Syndrome
Crazy Taxi: Fare Wars
Crush
Full Auto 2: Battlelines
Gunstar Heroes
Iron Man
Sega Genesis Collection
Sonic Rivals
Sonic Rivals 2
Super Monkey Ball Adventure

PSN:
Sonic Unleashed Apatos & Shamar Adventure Pack
Sonic Unleashed Chun-nan Adventure Pack
Sonic Unleashed Empire City & Adabat Adventure Pack
Sonic Unleashed Holoska Adventure Pack
Sonic Unleashed Mazuri Adventure Pack
Sonic Unleashed Spagonia Adventure Pack
SONIC: Very Hard Shadow Missions
SONIC: Very Hard Silver Missions
SONIC: Very Hard Sonic Missions
Valkyria Chronicles Edy’s Mission “Enter the Edy Detachment”
Valkyria Chronicles Hard EX Mode
Valkyria Chronicles Selveria’s Mission “Behind Her Blue Flame”

So I’m just sitting at my desk, typing away, when one of our HR reps appears over the wall of my cube. She says there’s a new Sonic in the lobby, and I should bring my camera. I dash off to find a major project in the works — the assembly of a new Sonic statue.

In case you’ve never been to our offices (as I assume most of you have not), we have a Sonic in our lobby. It’s the older ’99-ish Sonic. He comes up to my mid-torso — tall enough for me to rest my elbow on.

Old Sonic

When I arrived, the base was already unpacked and people were busy working on unpacking the rest of the pieces.

Sonic’s head

Sonic’s shoes, with is body laying next to them

Sonic’s body

Sonic’s arm

Once all the pieces were unpacked, we started putting him together. First on were the shoes. Then the body.

Ben (middle) and Julie (right) put Sonic in his shoes while Joe (left) supervises.

Julie puts in the support rod for Sonic’s head.

Ben puts Sonic’s right arm on.

Joe adjusts Sonic’s left arm.

Carl and Julie lift Sonic’s head on while Ben guides from the back.

Sonic’s head is lowered down.

Julie puts Sonic’s nose on.

Voila! New Sonic is up!

As you can see, the new Sonic statue is quite a bit taller than the old one.

When I posted this on Twitter earlier, I had tons of people asking me what was going to happen to the old one. A big giveaway? A Free Stuff Friday prize? Would I have sympathy in my heart to give the old statue to the person who begged the most? Sadly, the answer is none of the above. The old Sonic will go into storage our HR conference room. (I’m bolding for emphasis because I expect that to be asked a lot.) The ladies in HR seem very attached to him — in fact, one said “neener neener neener” to all the people who want him. But rest assured, if he is ever in danger of meeting the inside of a dumpster, the community team will rescue him and give him a good home.

Hope you enjoyed a peek into our offices and the new Sonic that will greet us every day. There are more photos on our Flickr set, so if you can’t get enough Sonic construction, you can go there.