Now this is clearly insane and brilliant in equal measure - you might have already seen this as it has done the rounds on UK:Resistance and SEGA Nerds but we just had to comment on it also.

 The general concensus is that we’d like to shake this gentlemans hand forcably before trying to scan him in with some kind of terrifying laser in order to fully appreciate its majesty.  I’ve started looking in the cupboards for one.

In fact its given us the idea that this “SEGA Inkorporated” section could really take off, so if you have a tattoo of SEGA related goodness show us at blogs@sega-europe.com.  We don’t endorse little kids rushing out to to try and tattoo themselves up so DON’T, this is for the more senior fans amongst us.

Its brilliant. Though I must admit to being somewhat un-nerved by Knuckles who, judging from his eyes seems to be possessed or is one of the “infected” (that’s a HOTD in-joke folks). Of course if we were being reaaaally picky we could say the SEGA logo isn’t in the correct style, we can’t endorse it and the whole thing would have to be removed for legal reasons. Probably with some kind of terrifying laser.

I’ll go and look in the cupboard.

As many of you have seen, the SEGA website has changed an AWFUL lot, this is the result of months of work from our European online team. The design is for what is termed “SEGA West” i.e. Europe and America, we’ll be working much much closer in the future. Borrowing cups of sugar and inviting them around for Sunday BBQs etc, admittedly that might be difficult with them in San Francisco.

But I digress, the new website is still under a bit of development - we’re taking note of your feedback and a couple of little niggles that have come up - but it is miles better than the old one both graphically as well as the back end of the site. We’ll be working through the older games when we’ve got a sec, so if you can’t find Jet Set Radio Future or similar have patience and enjoy the dynamic new look.

One of the things you’ll notice is us getting very big on the concept of Digital Downloads, for example we’ve got ones coming up for release with Iron Man as well as a download only game in Happy Tree Friends. Keep an eye out for more details regarding this medium in future blogs, etc as we’re all very excited about the possibilities here.

As such if you are interested in our other current games available here they are -

Football Manager 2008 - Click Here
SEGA Rally - Click Here
Universe At War - Click Here
The Golden Compass - Click Here
The Club - Click Here
Medieval II Total War: Gold - Click Here

We’re friendly with Ninty nowadays so we can talk about the joys of owning a SNES. I was at the family home over the bank holiday weekend collecting it (I’ve been itching for some Link To The Past action) and a suitcase of other stuff when I discovered at the back underneath a copy of Fifa 98 that I owned a Super GameBoy!

Surprised? You bet I am.  It’s never seen the light of day since purchase. As such I own NO original Game Boy games what so ever, so I’m looking to you o’ wise blog readers to let me know your suggestions for purchases.

Hit me with your suggestions!

It’s always nice when you get good news - one of our contact friends Damo from NintendoLife, VC-Reviews and Pocket Gamer amongst other strings to his bow has just become the daddy to a strapping baby boy.

Naturally we hope he grows up to be a star gamer and fan of all things SEGA, we at SEGAAUK HQ would like to offer our congratulations and hope that Damo doesn’t get too run down by what I like to term the “Babami Code”:  ↑ ↑ ↓ ↓ ← → ← → Feed Change Cry

Congrats once again Damo.

They call him Ecco, Ecco, faster than liiiiiiiightning- oh wait that’s someone else isn’t it?  In any case we might not have seen our dolphin friend for a while, but he certainly is not forgotten as MTV.com’s Multiplayer blog has voted him “The Greatest Aquatic Animal In The History Of Video Games”.

Spiffy.

http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2008/04/02/the-greatest-aquatic-animal-in-the-history-of-video-games-is/

On a cold morning last Tuesday a bunch of people dressed up as game characters to set a world record and guess what? SEGA turned up as well as an official partner for the event!

Yes, I braved the elements (and a restless nights “sleep”) with my guests from the NiGHTS fanbase TRiPPY and DiGi Vallentine who I’d had flown down from EDiNBURGH, er, sorry Edinburgh to participate in the event.  As the first ones there we sort of held the fort for the organisers and others gathered around the NiGHTS shaped becon of cosplay.  Amongst the first people around were a Gordon Freeman, a Saria and a Lloyd Irving who was moderately astonished I knew who he was but then I am the big Symphonia fan. Incidentally OXM, he’s the one you don’t recognise on your photos.

TRiPPY was bedecked in her truly stunning NiGHTS outfit, which garnered a lot of attention whilst DiGi was donning the blue suit and tights- much to his dismay - of Sonic.  Actually DiGi was a very good Sonic indeed, showing off the full range of Sonic manerisms after a crash course from myself and ample costumed “speak” doable for a man wearing a large suit, big shoes and having zero visibility.

There were many characters there from across the various gaming divides and many stories to tell, some of the Sonic community turned out too.  Blog poster extreme Diogo appeared as Assassin (minus his Creed), whilst Urtheart turned up as Pokemon Trainer Red complaining he’d put too much dye in for his cap and that it was itching like crazy.

Here we can see a rather tall looking Tails who was very popular with the kids, especially the primary school class who had turned out en masse as Super Mario.  If you caught Newsround on that day you’ll have seen one small girl claiming that Tails was her favourite by far, admitedly she said he was from Sonic Underground but we’ll forgive her that slight mistake.

Unfortunately Tails had a tendency to dance around rather strangly - “NO ONE KNOWS WHO I AM!” yelled Vger at the top of his voice.  Actually the danger money award should go to Vger as the interior of the Tails head was unprotected chicken wire and frankly looked like it was going to do damage to him.

I was of course busy with NiGHTS and Sonic making sure they were okay, but then look who turned up: Richard Jacques himself!

We got into a very animated conversation about various things Sonic related including SST which is out today in case you didn’t know, but in his small entourage there was an Ulala with a tennis racquet!  So we had pretty much half the line up for the game as well as the composer and the game!

By the way, myself and Richard agree that if that bastion of all things Jacques, UK:Resistance, miss the FOURTH RJ item in a row from these pages then they fail spectacularly and should be ashamed of their fan abilities. Ashaaaaaammmed!

Eventually all the press dragged our costumed heroes away whilst myself and Richard talked “shop”. Though after a while I also went back to defend our bags because they had been left lying outside the Tate Modern. To the TWIT who left a rather expensive looking Nikkon camera, iPod and dog shaped speaker unattended on a bench you have me to thank for it not being stolen.

In the end the day was a success, the record was set a load of children got to dress as Super Mario and I had to send “the first couple of Nightopia” on their way. It was a great day and you can find the whole range of photos from the day on the SEGA Europe flickr account at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/segaeurope/

Everyone has been very busy this last month as the fiscal year comes to an end, as such we’re all stressed out and a good gaming session is exactly what the doctor ordered.  Here’s what we’ve been relieving the tension with.

ArchangelUK

The Orange Box (X360)
I finally spent money on the game and have already worked my way through it pretty convincingly, sorting out the majority of the achievements.  Yes, even finding all the lambda caches! Achievements are kind of my thing at the moment it has to be said as I try and catch up my senior team members with their massive gamerscores.  Now if only I had broadband so I could get the online ones!  HL2 Episode 1 has irked me a little, as the bridges in the Citadel core broke and didn’t move when they should have, leaving me stranded and screwing up my “One Bullet” run.  I’ve just spent £50 on items from the valve store, so while I sip water from my Aperture Science mug and listen to the soundtrack I can think of the joys of Portal and how I am SO not getting the Neighbourhood Watch achievement on Episode Two.

Mario & Sonic At The Olympic Games (DS)
Well it IS my game after all, so with all the demoing and sorting out of things I was bound to have played it more than once or twice.  Hopefully my DS will appear soon so I can go back to reducing my 100m time.

SD! Vs Raw 2008 (X360)
It came with the console deal, and hey I like wrestling - its like a soap opera without the misery and people asking telling their daughters to eat up their chips.  SD! Vs Raw 08 is a hideously flawed game in places (Do you want to relinquish your title? No. You have relinquished your title!) but again its rather good on the achievement points.

SEGA Superstars Tennis (Wii)
Its an early build the version I have alas, but I’ve been enjoying it far too much to care.

Forza Motorsport 2 (X360)
Another bundled title. my driving may be awful but I’m racking up the wins at least.

Mark OC

I have spent most of my time recently travelling around Europe and playing Viking: Battle For Asgard (out on 28th March!). I have also found a little time to play Super Mario Sunshine, Guitar Hero 3, Mario & Sonic at the Olympics (DS), Call of Duty 4 and also revisited an old favourite - Crackdown.

El Magnifico

Football Manager Live has been my main vehicle of play this past month, purely through commitment to work and for research purposes, of course. It remains my ultimate life goal to leave Dynamo Dave FC in a state of financial ruin and see Electronic Hearts as the dominant club at SEGA. Other than that, I’ve been keeping my consoles warm with the following:

Outrun 2 SP
Still awesome at capturing a sense of serious speed, and the drift is enormously satisfying. A killer soundtrack, too.

Ghost Squad
The thinking man’s mindless shooting game.

Professor Leyton and the Curious Village
This is my way of salvaging grey matter after bringing out my savage side on Ghost Squad. A very satisfying puzzler. 

Dave K

I went all retro this month digging out my old Atari ST and sampling some Football Management classic. The original Football Manager got an hour of my time, before I bored of this and moved onto the challenge of guiding England to glory on Tracksuit Manager.

As ever, Football Manager Live & Pro Evo made up my staple gaming diet for February. But, I did manage to squeeze in a little Mario & Sonic on the Wii.

The Big Cheese

Trying to improve my team’s ranking in Football Manager Live BETA, I’ve got a warchest of £2M for the start of the new season and I’m trying to pick up a bargain from my shortlist.
 
Other than that, PS2 Katamari has been revisited, not only for the fantastic gameplay but also for the funky songs. I’ve collected further stars on Super Mario Galaxy, been shooting like a loon on the PS3 version of The Club and been building an empire on Civ 4.
 
Final Fantasy Tactics on the PSP is making those long train journey’s whizz by, Cooking Mama 2 and Mario and Sonic DS are also complimenting the handheld fun.

So I’ve had Jetix email me and now the Guinness Book of Records! Guinness World Record’s Gamer’s Edition will be attempting the ‘Largest gathering of Games characters’ on March 18, 10.30 for 11am at the Millenium Bridge, London and are looking for all cos players and gamers to come down and make Guinness World Record history!

SEGA are teaming up with Guinness to support the event, with Sonic himself in attendance to wow the crowds as well as one of his other fellow SEGA Superstars NiGHTS. 

So if you think you could maybe make a good Dr. Eggman, Knuckles, Amy Rose or even be someone non-SEGA like the King of All Cosmos (Katamari Damacy), Master Chief (Halo) Dante (Devil May Cry) or Gabe Logan (Syphon Filter) then we want to see you there so we can bust that record! To register please e-mail gamesgathering@guinnessworldrecords.com

All characters will appear in the Guinness World Record Gamers Edition 2009 plus on the website as well as receiving a gift for their efforts!

The record attempt celebrates the inaugral Guinness World Record Gamer’s Edition that is on sale now and is bursting with new records, high score statistics and fascinating facts.

In addition Guinness World Records are also searching for the next new gaming record breaker to join the hallowed ranks of the book. Applicants are being encouraged to upload their scores on the Gamer’s Edition website, http://gamers.guinnessworldrecords.com  to enter the challenge. 

“I am writing to you to announce my arrival into the XFA. I am a fantastic young manager who will almost certainly unbalance the existing status quo and establish myself as probably the most talented man in Game World 3.”

The decision to mark my entry into Football Manager Live by mailing this statement to every other manager in the game world was perhaps slightly abrasive. Some might (and did) label such a move arrogant. It was, however, a calculated move on my part to create a launch pad for a dynamic dynasty for my team - Electronic Hearts.

The responses came thick and fast, and I was soon inundated with accusations of delusion from the collective player base. This was my first glimpse at the potential that the game has. When I heard about the concept behind FML, I was both excited
and expectant, but this first experience of real interaction between players actually drove home that it’s no longer a case of Human vs. CPU.

I was up against some stalwart managers with a sense of pride that did not take kindly to my self-proclaimed brilliance. The responses that went back and forth were indicative of the good-humoured banter that the game world is riddled with; from team names to chat room messages and e-mails offering players for auction, the personal touches that stem from the interaction in an MMO is most definitely what is most apparent in FML.

Obviously after such an outspoken announcement, I had to back up my self-assurance with results. No problem, I thought. After all, having played FM in its various incarnations since the Amiga days, I’ve won every accolade going. Surely it would just be a question of throwing together some bright youngsters with promising stats and letting my tactical wizardry bring in the silverware, right? Well, after combing through the ranks of unattached players, I offered provisional contracts to a fairly small squad of promising international mercenaries. My faith was rewarded by a 4-2 defeat at the hands of Spurs FC, which I put down to poor refereeing decisions and adverse weather conditions.

I had to turn my patchwork of players into a team quickly. If Sven could manage it at Man City, it should be no problem for El Magnifico. After a stint toggling my tactics and setting up what seemed to be an impenetrable defensive style, I knew my next fixture against Sebastian M FC would set things right. Surely the form book could not be upset again. But, to my astonishment, I was beaten 3-1. Of course, the unfair dismissal of my key attacker did not help, but I was beginning to doubt whether my defensive approach was suited to the FML match engine. Furthermore, my loss streak was making my cocky opening message look even more ridiculous.

A switch to Keegan-esque gung-ho attack was in order, and it was with this in mind that I approached my game with Ossett Wanderers. My objective was to impose my team more offensively on the match, and after changing my tactics, I was heartened when this came to fruition before my eyes. The only downside (and a somewhat minor and irrelevant one) was a final score of OW10-4 EH, but at this stage I was just pleased to have got 4 in. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and sometimes conceding 10 goals to a mediocre team are just what a true champion needs.

Wanderer’s manager pointing out that I was playing my goalkeeper up front for the entire first half was not going to detract from my certainty that I had turned the corner with strategic nous.

That ‘corner’ took a further two games to turn. A 5-game losing streak finally came to an end with a 1-1 draw against ‘PC Gamer UK’. I’d settled on a cautious, counter-attacking style to try and bridge the gap between my bargain bucket brigade and the longer-running teams with well-known players, and it seemed to be working.

The initial budget of £500,000 is balanced well, in that it allows a player to get involved without really being able to have immediate success. As always with FM, it’s the ‘one more match’ mentality where the player is constantly striving to get one more step up the ladder that makes this game so addictive. A bigger budget with access to world class players not being just out of grasp would no doubt water down the challenge, and the carrot-on-the-stick of finally signing big-name stars. 

After a second draw, I finally registered my first win, against my first opponents, Spurs FC. A victory that heralded a 3-win undefeated streak clearly warranted my fellow manager’s attention. Capping it off with a scintillating 6-6 thriller in my first competitive match cemented my Keegan approach as a free-scoring force.

 So, I signed off my second day as El Magnifico, the future of FML, with the following message:

“Dear Fellow Managers,

Since my well-received debut in FML yesterday, I am well aware that my career has been closely observed by both my few detractors and many admirers.

After a few very unfortunate and somewhat undeserved false-starts, Electronic Hearts recorded their first win after a well-fought ’smash and grab raid’.

This is, of course, the beginning of a new era in football management.

Thank you for your time.

El Magnifico

P.S Do not hesitate to contact me if you need managerial guidance from an astute veteran.”

The day closed with an invitation for my team to compete in a competition organised by a Stuart Sampson:

“Mexican manager David Hanson’s obscure Electronic Hearts have been invited by Stuart Sampson to enter the sixteen-team you wish you were David Hanson Competition

There is no entry fee and there is no prize fund.

Stuart Sampson was quoted as saying ‘in honour of you’ after making the invitation.’”

Finally, I was getting the recognition I deserved.

Being the boss of this rabble is a tough life; I have to sit here waving my silver cane shouting at them to play more games, while I try to fathom out what delicacy to eat at lunchtime.

Well, it’s going to get harder as we now have another new person to look after. Welcome to David Hanson, who’ll be given the massive responsibility of playing Football Manager LIVE all day. Check out David’s blog here soon.

Another important part of the day is deciding who makes the tea/coffee. Because of the gravity of this task, a few months ago we incorporated a serious method of brew creation management. It’s Tee for Tea!!

A quick dash over the road to Argos, purveyors of cheap sporting goods, allowed us to unlock the “putting green acquired” achievement. A slower dash back from Argos (the road was busier) was followed by a frenzy of cardboard ripping and sellotape picking. We now owned our very own Belfry.

Rules are simple, Tee off from the carpet near the printer, get on to the green and then putt uphill into the hole for glory. Glory is basically taking fewer goes than anyone else, the unlucky or “rubbish” golfer who takes the most putts is sent to the kitchen to make hot warming drinks for the winners (or a glass of water for ArchangelUK who likes cold things).

We’ve also been tracking the stats on whose been the tea maker fool the most (come on we all play FM, how could we not make a league table) and here they are:

Martin The Fat Ninja - 26
Dave - 11
The Big Cheese - 9
ArchangelUK - 6

As you can see from the picture below, Martin the fat ninja hasn’t quite grasped the concept of golf.

Keep any eye out for more office updates, thanks for reading!