2011 Eurogamer Expo Day 1 Wrap

Wow, what a day! Between the chance to play with Sony’s PlayStation Vita and OnLive giving away their console for free (yes, for free!) to the lucky early-birds, it was a blockbuster opening to this year’s EuroGamer Expo!

Of course, we headed to the games straightaway. We got the chance to sit down and play with some of the biggest games of the Christmas period, with titles including Final Fantasy XIII-2, Rift, Skyrim, Battlefield, Sonic Generations, Forza 4 (just to name a few!).  Keep tuned in to Wanderson75.net for a more in-depth look at these games.

We also had the privilege to finally sit down with OnLive’s cloud gaming service and got the chance to see the system working on tablet devices.  Needless to say, it looks to be a fantastic system that is fluid and lag free. It offers the chance to play games on the move, at console standard, with no chop to speak of. We’ll be taking an in-depth look at OnLive soon!

There are so many games on offer here and we haven’t even looked at the indie games show, retro games, careers fair, and everything else that is available at EuroGamer 2011.  The next few days promises to be busy! So keep yours eyes on Wanderson75.net for more news and views on the games and consoles that you will want to buy over the coming months.

In the meantime, take a look at these photos (we’ve got more coming!), and if you’re in the area and have the opportunity to get down to the Expo, you really, really should!

Editor’s Note – Slideshow is fixed!

 

Happy Birthday Sonic the Hedgehog!

Today, we celebrate one of the most iconic video game characters in the history of the industry.  Nemesis to Nintendo’s Mario, this character launched the first console that would rival the Atari crushing juggernaut.  15 million copies of his first game were sold to catapult SEGA’s console market share to a staggering 65% when it was bundled with the Genesis, outselling the Super Nintendo by a staggering 2 to 1.

Sonic the Hedgehog would go on to spawn dozens of sequels and spin-offs to sell over 80 million units worldwide.  Ten years after his creation he would arrive on his first foreign console, Nintendo’s GameCube having outlived SEGA’s ill-fated hardware line.  Ever since, Sonic the Hedgehog has appeared on every major console since 2001, and today he turns 20 years old.

Here are some of Sonic the Hedgehog’s milestones over the years:

June 23, 1991 – Sonic the Hedgehog is released for the Sega Genesis (known in Japan as the Mega Drive)

November 21, 1992 – Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is released for the Sega Genesis in Japan.  Introduces Tails as a playable character.  Features cooperative and competitive multiplayer modes.

June 1993 – The Sonic the Hedgehog comic series’ first issue is released by Archie Comics.  It is currently at issue #225.

September 6, 1993 – The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog animated series is launched on ABC.  Jaleel White (Urkel) voices Sonic.  The show runs for one season (65 episodes).

November 1993 – Becomes the first video game character to have a balloon in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

June 19, 2001 – Sonic Adventure 2 releases in Japan.  Introduces Shadow the Hedgehog to the franchise.

December 10, 2001 – Sonic Adventure 2 releases for the GameCube.

November 2007 – Appeared on the same video game cover as Mario for the first time (Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games)

January 31, 2008 – First appearance on Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

To celebrate, SEGA is releasing Sonic Generations on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Nintendo 3DS on November 22, 2011.  Generations will feature a collection of levels derived from some of the classic favorites across games of the past.  Sonic will be playable in both his modern look, as well as his 90’s counterpart as a mysterious enemy has created time holes which pull Sonic and friends back into the past.  Help both Sonics as they work together to find out who the evil mastermind is and save their friends.

So while we’re all waiting for his new adventure, let’s all bake a cake and wish a very happy birthday to Sonic.  Here’s to another 20 years!

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