Sonic Unleashed has some formidable bosses and SEGA and Sonic Team have captured some on video. The Sonic Unleashed ‘Boss Trailer’ gives players a glimpse of some of the big bad allies and creations of Dr. Eggman in action. Hopefully you can also glean some clues on how to beat these bosses. Check out trailer to see if you want to add Sonic Unleashed to your gamer profile.

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SEGA released Sonic Unleashed in stores across North America yesterday.

Developed by Sonic Team in Japan, Sonic Unleashed is filled with 2D/3D gameplay and fast daytime action including new moves that make Sonic even faster including the Sonic Drift (to corner quickly without losing speed), Ring Energy (faster speeds brings more ring energy), QuickStep (to move side to side without losing momentum), and Sonic Boost (uses Ring Energy to give Sonic a speed boost). Nighttime though, changes our hero into the strong and flexible Werehog – Sonic’s dark alter ego who comes out when the moon shines bright– and who can fight tough enemies as well as to climb and swing to new heights in each level.

Sonic Unleashed is currently available for PS2, Xbox 360, and the Wii and will be available for the PS3 December 2008.

Here are just some gaming related stories floating around on the web from yesterday and today:

• Want to know how to obtain the M1A1 Carbine from Call of Duty: World at War without ranking to level 65? Well fret not, because thanks to a pal of theirs at Treyarch, the folks over at MonsterVine have all the answers (thanks William Saw!).

• According to GamesIndustry.biz, GameStop expects there to be more Wii shortages at Christmas this year. Is that really surprising? Maybe it is time I pulled mine out of the closet and put it up on eBay. With the outrageous prices people are asking for the console, I think if I went $100 less I could make a sale and put it towards finally getting a PS3 (wakes up from her daydream).

• VG247 has posted a link to a video called Immersion that The New York Times has a posted by photographer Robbie Cooper which shows the vacant and sometimes scary looks on kids faces as they play videogames–and most likely ones they should not be playing in the first place from what I could hear. If you watch the video though, you may come away with the impression that a lot of these were staged–especially that one kid who keeps saying “Let me kill you”. Then again, maybe he is just a dork.

• Ubisoft will release downloadable content for Far Cry 2 sometime before the end of the month. “The Fortune’s Pack” will will include multiplayer maps, some new weapons and vehicles. You can expect it to hit the PSN and XBL for around $10.

• In case you haven’t heard, The Killers, Yngwie Malmsteen, Soundgarden, Lamb of God will hit Rock Band on November 25.

• Shacknews has a lovely list of upcoming game releases posted on their site. The list is for releases during the week of November 23-29. Looks like no PS3 titles though, and the only ones worth noting are Sonic Unleashed for the Xbox 360 and Age of Empires: Mythologies for the Nintendo DS. You think I am joking? Then hit the link and see for yourself.

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Sega of America’s Vice President of Marketing Sean Ratcliffe stated that criticism aimed at recent games from Sonic franchise is warranted. In a interview with GameDaily, Ratcliffe admits the problem in one breath but, then goes on to excuse it in the next.

Some of that criticism is probably warranted. We definitely recognize that a franchise that has been going as long as Sonic, you really have to put a huge amount of effort in to make sure that you maintain that quality, and arguably a disproportionate amount of effort.

I think the Sonic next-gen experience in terms of quality, that was relatively early in the next-gen cycle when lots of developers were just coming to grips with the technology. It’s not a huge surprise when you try to get something out for launch or thereabouts and the quality is not optimal.

Ratcliffe goes on to promise that Sega has got it’s act together and is sure the company can renew the faith of Sonic fans in with Sonic Unleashed.

This time around, with Sonic Unleashed, we got a great new engine, the Hedgehog engine, and that allows us to truly deliver the Sonic experience as it arguably should have been on the next-gen – you know, blending classic 2D gameplay with 3D, beautiful landscapes, rich environments. Then with a nice innovative twist, we’re taking Sonic in a different direction, slow him down and he transforms into a “Werehog.” And that changes the gameplay again. For fans of Sonic that have been looking for a next-gen experience, this is the game they’ve been waiting for.

I attended the Sega media presentation and demonstration for Sonic Unleashed at E3. Based on what I saw there, I’m not entirely convinced of Ratcliffe’s shining vision of the game. However, the gameplay I saw demonstrated was two early demo levels. As a Sonic fan, I hope the finished product is everything Ratcliffe claims it will be.

It’s interesting to note that Ratcliffe refers to Sonic Unleashed for next-gen consoles. The Wii and PS2 versions, although they bear the same title, are engineered by entirely different teams. There will be roughly the same story line, but a very different gaming experience. Keep that mind if you have a choice of which console to buy it for.

It has been one crazy week, and the craziest thing happening at home base while Jonathan and Shawn were in LA was the amount of assets we received in our inboxes on a daily basis. I have decided to post the lonely screens and trailers that did not get their very own post into one large post full of links. There’s just is not enough time to post them all, so this is the best way I know how.

While this is not a comprehensive list of what was not covered, it is close. There are more screens floating around out there that we have yet to get, but if or when we do, we will do our best to wow you with them.

Below you will find a list of games from A-N and a link to the trailer or screens for it. Be sure to look over the list carefully, because something you are interested in may be included. I have highlighted ones that may be of special interest.

Games O – Z are posted after the jump

50 Cent: Blood on the Sand Screens
Active Life Outdoor Challenge Trailer
Afro Samurai Screens
Age of Booty Screens
Age of Booty Trailer
AWAY Shuffle Dragon Screens
Babysitting Mania Screens
Bangai-O Spirits Screens
Bangai-O-Spirits Trailer
Battlestations Pacific Screens
Bionic Commando Screens
Bionic Commando Trailer
BioShock PS3 Screens
Borderlands Presentation Trailer
Borderlands Screens
BUZZ! Master Quiz Trailer
Champions Online B-Roll Trailer
Champions Online Screens
Chrono Trigger DS Screens
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 Trailer
Cooking Mama World Kitchen Screens
Dark Void Screens
Dark Void Trailer
Destroy All Humans: Path of the Furon Trailer
Digimon Championship Trailer
Digimon World Championship Screens
Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen Screens
Dungeon Hero Screens
Elebits: The Adventures of Kai and Zero Screens
Empire: Total War Screens
Eternal Sonata PS3 Screens
Eternal Sonata PS3 Trailer
Final Fantasy IV DS Screens
Flock! Screens
Flock! Trailer
Gran Turismo 5: Prolouge Trailer
Heavy Duty Screens
I Am Alive Trailer (This looks rather interesting)
I Heart Geeks Screens
Infinite Space Screens
Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol Enc. 2 Screens
Kill Zone 2 Trailer
King’s Bounty: The Legend Trailer
LEGO Batman: The Video Game B-Footage Trailer
LEGO Batman: The Videogame Screens
Little King’s Story Screens
Luminous Arc 2 Teaser Trailer
Marker Man Adventures Screens
Marvel Ultimate Alliance II: Fusion Trailer
Mega Man 9 Screens
Mercenaries 2: World in Flames Trailer
Metal Gear Online Screens
Monster Lab Screens
Monster Madness: Grave Danger Screens
MySims Kingdom Screens
N+ Screens
N+ Trailer
Naruto: Clash of Ninja Revolution 2 Screens
Naruto: Ultimate Ninja STORM Screens
Naruto: Ultimate Ninja STORM Trailer
National Geographic Panda Screens
Neopets Puzzle Adventure Screens
NHL SK9 Screens

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Like many older gamers I was a fan of the golden age of Sonic the Hedgehog. I still have fond memories of a certain New Years Eve party when I was younger and the challenge was issued amongst the rather inebriated guests to partake in a competition of skill.. namely to see who could get the furthest in Sonic the Hedgehog on the Genesis. I’d never been particularly good at the game, though I’d spent a lot of hours playing it but as the host I was obligated to try the best. Long story short, I got further in Sonic that night than any other time since and I credit that to my loose reflexes compensating for the game’s innate sense of speed.

Years have passed and Sonic’s seen better days. The last two games – Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic and the Secret of the Rings were mediocre titles that lacked the certain charm and style of the earliest games, or event the excellent early 3D games.

Sega wants another shot at changing the impression that Sonic is old hat. Last year’s Mario & Sonic titles sold well but they were not true Sonic games. The announcement of Sonic Unleashed however caught the attention of Sonic fans and the limited screens and footage hinted that maybe Sega had finally found the right mix to recreate the Blue Hedgehog for the new consoles.

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The E3 trailer for Soinc Unleashed is a helluvalot better than the last trailer we posted. No people in this one what so ever, no campy attempts at humor, and chock full of blazing side-scrolling, rail-riding, beast-morphing goodness.

New features have been implemented in the game, and one called Speed Drift will allow Sonic to slide around corners at top speed, while the other one, Quick Step, is a side-step maneuver which allows him to doge obstacles instantly. Sonic will also gain more abilities as he progresses through the game, and repeated action chains will give him the ability to perform special moves and access different routes inside the level.

Sonic fans, lets all continue to keep our fingers crossed on this one. The game will be released on multiplatforms just in time for the holidays.

The new trailer for Sonic Unleashed tries to be campy and cute but it falls so short of its intentions that I honestly cannot find the proper word to describe my loathing for it. Normally I would not even post such rubbish, but it is Saturday, and I need an excuse to start drinking early.

On a brighter note, CVG recently previewed Sonic Unleashed and what they witnessed sounds very promising despite them not actually getting their hands on it. The Sonic Team have presided over the marriage of 3D graphics and action 2D gameplay, and having patched up their differences, 3D and 2D Sonic are finally living together in harmony once more – which is great news for fans of the blue hedgehog.

In the game, Dr. Eggman ripped the world to shreds which not only has the world in pieces, but has affected Sonic himself in a way that has him using his powers during the day and at night trying to control the savage beast inside him. Sounds like a werewolf complex to me, but if it brings us back to the glory days of Sonics past, full of side-scrolling goodness brought to life with today’s engines, then I am all for it.

Read CVG’s impressions for yourself here.

SEGA has committed to participating in the locally organized Summer of Sonic event in London. The company is using the event as an opportunity to promote two upcoming games featuring its Sonic the Hedgehog character.

“The Summer of Sonic is essentially a community get-together/convention arranged by a number of Sonic fansites, such as The Sonic Stadium and Sonic Wrecks,” a SEGA spokesperson told Eurogamer.

“Although independently organised, SEGA’s online community team will be providing some support for the event as part of the promotion for Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood and Sonic Unleashed.”

The Summer of Sonic event is scheduled for August 9th at the Dragon Hall in London’s Covent Garden. For more information on the event, visit the Summer of Sonic website.

via Eurogamer

SEGA has just confirmed the release dates for their upcoming titles. When I say “confirmed” this also includes a vague time frame for a particular month or quarter and even titles coming in the first part of 2009 – one of which is Aliens: Colonial Marines which has been pushed into next year.

• Beijing 2008 PS3/360/PC – June 27
• Space Siege PC – August 22
• Picto Image DS – September
• Golden Axe: Beast Rider 360/PS3 – September
• Sonic Chronicles – September
• Yakuza 2 PS2 – September
• Sonic Unleashed 360/PS3/Wii/PS2 – November
• Empire: Total War PC – Q1 2009
• Alpha Protocol PS3/360/PC – Q1 2009
• Madworld Wii – Q1 2009
• Aliens: Colonial Marines – Q1 2009

All release dates are subject to change so don’t blame me if that should happen.

Thanks: Videogaming247