Netflix announces Sonic Prime, a new Sonic the Hedgehog animated series

News is spreading almost as fast as Sonic himself that a new animated series, Sonic Prime, is in development and slated to release on Netflix in 2022. According to the information that dropped this morning, the 24-episode series is aimed both at children aged 6-11 and “long-time fans,” and focuses on Sonic having to save “a strange new multiverse.” Sega and WildBrain are collaborating for the production, distribution, and licensing, while talent from Man of Action Entertainment, known for titles such as Ben 10 and Big Hero 6, have signed on as showrunners and executive producers.

Although the announcement of a new cartoon for the franchise is always newsworthy, the real buzz among Sonic the Hedgehog fans actually lies between the lines; specifically, speculation is already circulating as to what exactly the multiverse might entail. Will these be entirely original worlds, or as the noted long-time fans are hoping, will the series nod to other existing Sonic media? The fact that Sega is working with WildBrain in particular could potentially be a huge sign, as the studio currently holds the rights to the classic SatAM show (in fact, you can watch the entire series on their Youtube channel). Fans have fought for years to get the Freedom Fighter characters re-incorporated into the franchise; the characters lived on in the Archie comic series following the cancellation of the cartoon, but have yet to appear in the new IDW comics despite constant fan requests. Ian Flynn, lead writer for the Sonic the Hedgehog comics, has confirmed that Sega is aware of the fan interest.

Whatever the new series turns out to be, it’s coming at a great time for the franchise. Sonic is still riding high following the outrageously successful live-action movie last year, and a 30th anniversary coming up this June. With no concrete details and at least a year of waiting ahead of us, it’s too early to call whether or not this long-shot will come to be. All we know is that they can’t stop us hoping in the meantime.

 

Obligatory Legal Crap

I do not own Sonic the Hedgehog, nor am I affiliated in any way with Sega, WildBrain, Netflix, or Man of Action Entertainment. If I was, I’d like to think I wouldn’t have to work so hard to collect SatAM memorabilia. Seriously, instead of paying way too much money for a whisper of a trinket here or there, I could potentially get something from the inside while getting paid for it!

oh god, this has also made me realize that, should the impossible happen and the Freedom Fighters return, there could potentially be new merch of them. I literally just realized this while typing and my brain wasn’t prepared to handle it. I think I need to lie down for a while.

Hazbin Hotel picked up for production by A24

One week ago, one of my best friends ruined my life by introducing me to Hazbin Hotel, an adult animated series brought to us almost exclusively through the hard work of its creator, Vivziepop. I not only instantly fell in love with the show, but it seems that the impression it left has only deepened as the last seven days have ticked by. I eagerly looked it up hoping for more, but was gobsmacked to find that the second episode wasn’t expected to debut until roughly this time in 2021. I guess that’s to be expected when it’s pretty much a single person shouldering the weight of an enormous project with an exquisite quality standard, but even so, I felt the life leaving my body (no pun intended) upon realizing it’d be at least a year before I could have another dose.

Cut to today when a single tweet changed everything: Hazbin Hotel has been picked up by the studio A24! I had no idea who that was, but I was too excited to care! A quick Googling tells me that they apparently produce various kinds of entertainment media and have shows on Hulu, Netflix, and HBO – aka platforms where the show’s extremely adult humor probably won’t be watered down, thank heavens (still no pun intended). There is currently very little information available as to when or where we can expect to see new episodes of Hazbin Hotel, by which I mean there’s absolutely no information and we’ll just have to wait. The suspense is already killing me (NO PUN INTENDED I SWEAR I’M NOT DOING THIS ON PURPOSE), and I’ve only been into this show for a week; how in the hell (screw it I give up) longtime fans have managed to endure since October 2019, I’ll never know.

 

Obligatory Legal Crap

Hazbin Hotel and all related characters are ©Vivienne “Vivziepop” Medrano. I’m sure there’s now also some ownership rules involving A24 as of today, so let’s chuck them in here too for good measure. I know a lot of people are nervous about this union, but I have high hopes so far. If A24’s had the good sense to back Amy Sedaris and John Mulaney, then apparently they have very good taste and the show is in good hands. And hopefully future me isn’t looking back on this moment and sighing woefully.

Movie Sonic’s model will be redesigned following two days of intense backlash

As a long-time, incredibly jaded fan of Sonic the Hedgehog, I really wasn’t surprised when the first official movie trailer dropped a few days ago and plunged us all head-first into the uncanny valley. I had no confidence that it would be anything less ever since the initial teaser, which was more than enough to set off fan anxiety in and of itself.

This is as far as I go with posting this design, because I’m not adding nightmare fuel to my own blog.

Even as a silhouette, it’s obvious the design is a total miss. The situation got only got worse when it was revealed that Sega themselves weren’t happy with what the movie had done to Sonic’s eyes. Nevermind the fact that Sonic’s eyes are unique and easy to mess up; the eyes of a character – any character – are perhaps the single most important physical feature. They’re how we connect and part of what helps us determine whether or not a person is trustworthy. If some of the earliest information coming out about this movie is that the pivotal facial feature is borked, then yeah, I really wasn’t expecting much from that point forward (although admittedly, nothing could’ve prepared me for those fucking teeth).

Unlike me, however, other fans have been much more vocal about their dissatisfaction with this design, going so far as to dub it “the gremlin.” We knew it would be bad, but we could never predict it would be this bad, and an enormous backlash has flooded the internet in the wake of Tuesday’s reveal. The feedback has been so incredibly bad, in fact, that Sonic is actually getting a redesign. It sounds way too good to be true, but apparently this is legit. Director Jeff Fowler personally confirmed it today on Twitter.

Look, I’ve been a Sonic fan for so long that I’m more or less resigned to never truly getting what I want anymore. Even when Sonic media comes really REALLY close to greatness, there’s still just enough wrong with it to stop me from completely enjoying it. I’m used to it, and I expected nothing less from this movie. The horrifying goblin design isn’t what shocks me, this is. Who knows how much this is going to cost Paramount, and who knows if they’ll even still hit their November release date anymore. That alone seems like reason enough for the studio to just ignore the backlash and shove the movie into theaters anyway, but they’re actually putting in the work to ensure that what they release is good and do right by their audience. Maybe there really is some humanity left in this world.

 

Obligatory Legal Crap

I am not affiliated with Sega, Paramount, or the Sonic the Hedgehog movie in any capacity. I may be a lifelong Sonic fan, but there’s not enough money in the world to have convinced me that spending all day every day with that fucking gremlin would’ve been worth it. I’m going to have horrible teeth dreams as it is just from watching that trailer.

Todd Howard should just post his nudes already

Y’know, despite my past intentions to get a job as a legitimate “gaming journalist” (a term that is almost meaningless nowadays), I rarely actually follow gaming news. Anyone who’s taken even a cursory glance at this blog can figure out my journalistic style: Make a small, silly observation and blow it up to ridiculous proportions. That seems to have worked out pretty well for me so far, so I’ve never felt the need to keep up with game stories that I wasn’t personally involved in.

And yet, there is one piece of games-related news I have indeed been keeping up with lately — and it’s somehow managed to get much bigger and far more astonishingly stupid than anything I could ever concoct on my own.

PSN Flash Sale Reduces 80+ Games to $1

Are you a gamer? Of course you are, that’s probably why you’re on this blog in the first place. But are you a PlayStation gamer? Are you a PlayStation gamer that likes titles such as Katamari Damacy, Tekken, Sam & Max, Twisted Metal, Mega Man X, Wild Arms, or other amazing franchises like them? If you said yes to these questions, then you’re probably a little weird for talking to a blog it’s your lucky day! The PlayStation Network is having a gigantic flash sale, reducing dozens of popular games to less than a dollar.

As of this writing, there are 81 titles on sale, and there’s currently no indication of just how long these prices will last. For all we know it could run all weekend or it could expire in a couple hours. If you’re a PSN user with a dollar burning a hole in your pocket, now may be a good time to look into titles such as Back to the Future or Monkey Island while they’re less than 1/20th of their regular prices.

 

Obligatory Legal Crap

I am not a representative of Sony or the PlayStation Network in any way. I just like posting about gaming sales because I’d appreciate someone spreading the word to me if I were on the other end.

…That said, if Sony WERE willing to pay me to plug their sales, my inbox is always open.

Toejam and Earl Officially Bringing Funky Back

Attention, Funkotronian aficionados: A fourth installment of the adventures of the beloved 90’s duo, Toejam and Earl, is officially in the works — or it will be in a month, assuming the Kickstarter campaign meets its fundraising goal by then.

90’s underground comic-style promo art courtesy of Nathan Shorts, the team’s lead artist.

Greg Johnson, co-creator of Toejam and Earl and head of his indie team of four at Humanature Studios, has officially set plans into motion for the series’ next game, Toejam and Earl: Back in the Groove. According to the Kickstarter, the game will make use of mechanics popularized by the first and second games in the series — and thankfully, makes no mention of the third other than to say that the project won’t harken back to it.

“Will it be like game one or game two, you ask?  Well… (holding breath)… mainly like game one. We plan to go old school with this one. Fixed isometric camera, 2D sprites, simple controls, and an emphasis on coop [sic] play. It will also pull in some of the more beloved elements from game two… Things like the Jam Out, hidden presents, and buttons and coin meters. Maybe we’ll even be able to bring back the Hyperfunk Zone! … Don’t worry we won’t make you sick and confused with an over-the-shoulder POV camera like we had in game 3.”

In addition, the upcoming game will bring all new elements to the table, such as a 4-player co-op mode, randomly generated levels, character customization, and headwear that modifies the characters’ abilities — or “hats for stats,” as I’ve decided to call them. The project currently has plans for a PC release, but hopes to spread to other consoles once a foothold has been established.

Of course, all of this depends on the Kickstarter reaching its $400,000 goal by March 27th at 3:00 PM EST. Over $150k has been pledged so far, and some truly amazing incentives have me wishing I could throw caution to the wind and empty my bank account. If anyone out there pledges enough to get those TJ&E vinyl figures and for some reason doesn’t want them, my ever-collecting hands are always open.

 

Obligatory Legal Crap

I am not associated with Humanature Studios and do not own Toejam and Earl — nor does Sega, I learned over the course of researching this article. Toejam and Earl is entirely the property of its co-creators, Greg Johnson and Mark Voorsanger.

I am, however, calling dibs on “hats for stats.” C’mon, that’s catchy as hell.

Humble Store offers Metro 2033 Free for 24 Hours

Humble Store has officially turned a year old! If there’s one thing we all know about first birthdays, it’s that they’re pointless and no one ever remembers them– Er, I mean, that the gifts are usually more entertaining for the attendees rather than the birthday kid. As part of its birthday celebration, Humble Store has acknowledged this trend and is offering some gifts for their customers — including a free copy of Metro 2033.

The massive sales discounts — ranging form 40-85% off — will last all weekend, but the free Metro download is only for 24 hours. Get in there and download it by 10 AM PDT tomorrow morning, and if you have a few bucks to spare, take advantage of some of the deals while you’re at it. 10% of every Humble sale goes to charities such as Child’s Play and The American Red Cross.

To review: The Humble Store 1st Birthday celebration sales end Tuesday (11/11/14) at 10 AM PDT. Metro 2033 will only be available for free through 11/8/14 at 10 AM PDT, and the steam keys must be redeemed by 11/21/14 10AM PDT.

 

Obligatory Legal Crap

I am not an affiliate of the Humble Bundle website or any of the charities it affiliates with. If anything I would’ve put a free download on the 11th too, as that’s my mom’s birthday, and she actually has a Steam account.

Dragon Age: Origins free on Origin through 10/14/14

Attention, Steam users: Today might be the day you stop making fun of Origin and grab an account. For the next five days, EA is offering the game Dragon Age: Origins for free. Not a demo, not a free trial; it’s simply ‘On the House’ — and once it’s added to your user library, it’s yours forever. If you didn’t already have it but were always interested in giving it a shot, today might just be your day.

The free download does not include any of the game’s DLC, but after not spending $20 for it, at least the extras will be more affordable.

If medieval RPGs aren’t your thing… Well, Bejeweled 3 is also On the House at the moment, and that’s about as far away from Dragon Age as you can get. Then again there is that whole thing about dragons hoarding treasure, so maybe they’re not as disparate as they appear.

 

Obligatory Legal Crap

I am not affiliated with EA or Origin in any way, but I’ll elbow an old granny out of the way to take credit for the graphic I made for this news post. What can I say, I love a bad pun, and this is a bad visual pun.

ThinkGeek partners with major gaming stores, celebrates with $10 coupon

As if ThinkGeek wasn’t the Tom Nook of nerdy online shopping already, today the web-based merchandise company announced a partnership with several gaming publishers’ official stores, including Bethesda, Eidos, Bioware, and Gearbox. The deal also includes the official web stores of Tomb Raider, Plants vs. Zombies, and Forza Motorsport.

If I had all of ThinkGeek’s money to spend on this sale, I’d be smiling too.

What does this mean to you? Glad you asked!

From now until 11:59pm ET 9/29/14, all of these newly allied stores will accept the coupon code “TIMMY” for $10 off an order of $20 or more. The code can be used as many times as you want, at as many of the partnered sites as you’d like, so now may be a great time to get in some early holiday shopping. The only exceptions to the promotion are pre-sale items, deposit items, and Bethesda’s discounted hoodies.

This coupon only works at the partnered sites, not at ThinkGeek itself.

Obligatory Legal Crap

I am not an employee of ThinkGeek or any of their new affiliates. I’m just a poor blogger that lets them suck money out of me like some sort of financial vampire.

Nintendo announces early SSB4 demo access for select Club Nintendo members

In another example of Club Nintendo getting it right, members who’ve actually shilled out enough money to have become platinum-level members for 2014 have a chance of playing the highly anticipated Super Smash Bros 3DS a week before anyone else.

While there’s no guarantee that any given platinum member will snag the coveted access, those that do get the e-mail will receive four separate demo codes. If you have a buddy that’s already reached platinum status this year, now would be a good time to remind him or her of all the times you gave them a ride or bought them a taco. A demo code is always an acceptable way to pay back a taco bill.

Personally, I think Nintendo should be giving these early access codes to all platinum CN members. In order to reach platinum status, a member has to earn 600 coins in a CN-calendar year. Most games — new games, that is — net 20-50 coins, depending on platform and age; consoles net 100 or so. The CN calendar begins July 1st. It is now September 12th, aka roughly 2½ months into the CN-calendar. That means that, unless they picked up some codes on eBay already, these members have already spent hundreds of dollars on hardware and software.

If that’s not automatically worthy of early access to a demo, I don’t know what is.

 

Obligatory Legal Crap

I am not affiliated with Nintendo in any official way, and my only affiliation with Club Nintendo is just as a rewards member. Sadly, I am not a platinum member by a long shot (I think my account currently has like 20 coins).