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It's that time of year again! The 2013 Electronic Entertainment Expo is around the corner and this year it looks like things will be tense. With Sony and Microsoft having consoles to show off, Nintendo not having an actual E3 conference this year but small showings targeting specific groups, and with little news coming from Sega on Sonic or even games as a whole so far this year, it's looking like E3 will be a must-see this year unlike any previous year. Even the E3 that unveiled the Wii U doesn't compare to this.

So it's only natural that yours truly will host Sonic Paradox's third straight year of live E3 coverage! The catch? It's all going to happen during the course of one week. I'm not overdoing it this time like I've done years prior. The schedule is as follows:

June 06th - 10am to 3pm Eastern
June 07th - 5pm to 8pm Eastern
June 08th - 5pm to 9pm Eastern
June 09th - The SonicNews Show: Pre-E3 Special: 6pm Eastern
June 10th - CONFERENCE DAY: 8am to 1am Eastern
June 11th - E3 DAY 1: 11am to 6pm Eastern
June 12th - E3 DAY 2: Noon to 6pm Eastern
June 13th - E3 DAY 3: Noon to 6pm Eastern
June 14th - POST-E3: 3pm to 6pm Eastern
June 16th - The SonicNews Show: Post-E3 Special: 6pm Eastern

As you can see, I even added an extra day just for a SonicNews Show. 9 days of E3 coverage! Over 53 hours total! As for exact conference times, they are currently listed as follows:

Konami - Thursday June 6th @ 1:00PM ET
Microsoft - Monday June 10th @ 12:30PM ET
EA - Monday, June 10th @ 4PM ET
Ubisoft - Monday, June 10th @ 6PM ET
Sony - Monday June 10th @ 9PM ET
Nintendo Wii U Software Showcase: Tuesday, June 11th @ 1:30pm Eastern


NOTE: All times are in Eastern. For the US West Coast, subtract 3 hours from the listed time frames. For the UK, add 5 hours to them. Any needed changes to the schedule will be done with a new post detailing the update in the thread.

So what will the coverage feature? Besides being the very first year of E3 coverage to be broadcasted through XSplit instead of Livestream Procaster, there's a host of other things to expect!

- All the latest trailers, demos, interviews, and more!
- Emphasis on Sega and Sonic E3 news
- Live streaming of the conferences (note that the E3 coverage won't be saved for obvious reasons)
- SSF facecam that is now located in a new angle, under direct lighting, and will be bigger to see in the stream!
- Live audience interaction on Twitter and the stream chat!
- It's a possibility, but I may even have guests on Skype!

I hope you're all set to go! The fun begins at 5:00pm Eastern/10:00pm UK time on June 7th and over at http://www.livestream.com/sonicparadox! For more information, check out the YouTube video created here!

I hope to see you there!

~~SSF1991

Hey guys, thought I let you all we know we now have a music group for the forum. Musicians who contribute to Sonic Paradox projects, be part of the SP Radio, or submit solo albums will receive this rank.


Also be sure to check out our latest solo project: Inspector Shadow by MegaJames!
You can watch it here:
Youtube: LINK
Devianart: LINK

~~A billboard to promote the upcoming release of Sonic 4: Episode II is seen at the foot of San Francisco, California's Oakland Bay Bridge on May 31st, 2012.

Another year has come and gone. A year that had it's ups and downs closes its curtains for good. It's a year that hasn't been good for a lot of folks, including me, and I'm sure I speak for quite a few when I say that we're all glad to see the year 2012 finally over with. That said, a very familiar article is back and is the debut SP SonicNews article here in the main Announcement section. For the third year in a row it is time to take a look back at the last 12 months and recall what has been. Then, it's time to predict what will be for the next 12 months.

Don't expect as detailed an article as last year, considering I'm very busy and am currently preparing for Sonic Paradox's New Year's Party stream I'm doing starting today at 5:00pm Eastern/10:00pm UK time and running until 4:00am Eastern/9:00am UK time, but it will still get the point across. It's never a dull year for Sega, Sonic, and the fanbase.

TOP 10 SONIC NEWS STORIES OF 2012

Here's what I think were the Top 10 Sonic news stories of 2012 that defined the year:

10) Sega Confirms 1.63 Million Overall Sonic Generations Copies & 2.69 Million M&S 2012 Copies Sold - Not bad sales, especially for M&S 2012, but as the sourced article states it could've been better. An update on the sale was again promising for M&S 2012 but not quite as much for Generations. It lost steam while the former game kept chugging along. The somewhat lackluster sales that got confirmed from 2011's games may have been a foreshadowing for what was to come for Sega and their company...

9) Sonic Endorses Progressive Insurance - Who would've guessed that Sonic would be a part of a commercial like this? I certainly didn't! While it looks like the commercial didn't help much for Sega other than a title on their promotion belt, It was a rather interesting way to kick start the year, which was only eight days old at the time.

8) Sonic Adventure 2 Ported - The year was loaded with HD portings, with some in HD more than others, but this was a title I don't think anyone expected. Sonic The Fighters' port over to HD consoles was an even bigger surprise but both ports got the same treatment: little promotion. Word on Sonic Adventure 2 "HD" was few and far between. It wasn't even Sega that tipped everyone off on the game when details on the game began to emerge, as the sourced article shows. Still, the game has sold well and is still doing so. It seems as though Sega can get games to sell even if the promotion isn't all that much. It just depends on what the game is.

7) Sonic In Wreck-It Ralph - This just about became the main event for the community. At the time of this article's publishing, Wreck-It Ralph has not been released in every region worldwide, just in a select few that includes North America. Yet, the movie that gave Sonic loads of cameo time and allowed Ralph to be a playable character in ASRT no doubt gave Sonic his first time on the big screen (remember that the Sonic OVA didn't air in theaters). The movie earned a combined total of $88,000,000 in the first two weeks that the movie was released so it got a lot of money! Here's hoping Sonic gets more moments like this!

6) 4Kids No More - I covered it with a stream and I think this was a blessing in disguise. The results from the bankruptcy claim that 4Kids filed came in June and proved what everyone figured. 4Kids was dead. All the items they had rights to were signed over to other parties. Saban and Konami got the best out of 4Kids' leftovers, with the former picking up the rights to Sonic X. The future of the show was unknown when the news first came out but it was soon announced by Saban that the show would air in their new block. At least one question that came about this year got answered!

5) All Stars Racing Transformed's Birth At A Toy Fair - ASRT was the main game for 2012. To think it all started when rumors that toys associated with an "All Stars Racing 2" game had risen in February. That started a couple of months of rumors that finally concluded when the game was officially announced in late April. From then on out it was ASRT news for most of the year although there were some periods of silence. It wasn't until December that the ASRT news machine finally cooled down for good.

4) The Great SOPA/PIPA Protests - SOPA. PIPA. Remember those? Remember the sheer outrage it provoked? Remember all the protests? Oh yeah, and as the sourced article will give, remember the video Sega made about it? There's one thing Sega is quickly becoming known for and that's their trollish humor. That's not a bad thing either!

3) Ken Penders' Copyright Case - If there was one thing that the copyright case between Archie Comics and Ken Penders was, it was a thorn in everyone's side that never went away. Throughout the year, the community was treated to the case's saga as both sides argued on some Sonic characters used in the past in a stalemate that just keep on going. It wasn't until early December, as the sourced article indicates, that any sort of progress had been made and even then it's not the end of the whole affair. It's going to take the new year to help put an end to this whole soap opera.

2) A Young Sonic Fan's Passing - Dylan Cecil. That name may not sound like much, but for a time, this young four year old Sonic fan that tragically died was the very person that did something that happens very rarely. His passing would cause the Sonic community to unite as one. I, and a bunch of community sites, kept in touch with Kevin "ArchangelUK/AAUK" Eva for a fundraiser that would go live in November with some items donated by Sega and the money earned being sent to the Burnham Area Rescue Boat rescue charity, which helped locate Dylan's body. Needless to say, it was a nice way to help a good cause and to remember the life of a person who was taken away from this world too soon. RIP Dylan!

1) Sega's Big Gamble - This, no doubt, sums up how 2012 went and it was barely spring when it happened! It was a bombshell then, no question. What went wrong? From what I can personally tell, it was the poor showings on what I mentioned earlier. Even Sega Sammy's stocks were hurt in the months leading to 2012 when their third quarter earnings were revealed to be lackluster due to the games not selling as much as they would like. Is it also a coincidence that there was a staff shuffle in four of Sega Sammy's divisions a month prior to the news?

Regardless of the answer, the news set the community on fire and started a train of disaster that seemed to be on a path to crashing for a few months afterwards. Sega ended up closing multiple divisions. 130 jobs were lost, including the loss of Sega Europe's Community Team. I have spoken out against the poor promoting that ASRT and Sonic 4: Episode II got. No doubt about it. But I completely forgot about the fact that this team was a huge help for promoting games in the UK. Sega can't promote stuff in the UK well. The US is a different story, but the fact that the promotion troubles weren't, indeed, just laziness fills me up with both guilt for what I've said and sadness for what has happened to Sega this year. For that I am sorry, and I hope all that got laid off have found new jobs that are satisfying and helpful with finances. I wish you all well.

HONORABLE MENTIONS: Waku Waku Sonic Patrol Car Footage Emerges, Honey Confirmed For Sonic The Fighters
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SONIC 2011 NEWS STORIES THAT TURNED OUT OFF

Time to talk a bit about a stories that ended up being mere mirages. Unlike last year, though, there's only one solitary thing to note of!

Bayonetta 2 Not Happening - Yep. Turns out the game is going to be released after all but with Sega as an advisor. Platinum Games is developing the game and Nintendo publishing it. Not that it wasn't a surprise, though. In fact I'd say it was the biggest shocker of the year for the community. Still, what will become of the game next is still unknown.
------------------------------------------------------------
2012 REVIEW FOR THE SONIC FRANCHISE

Here's that inevitable question. Did Sonic have a good 2012? In terms of feedback, yes. In terms of sales, kind of. In terms of promotion in movies, TV, et cetera, yes. I'd say he did, even though Sega as a whole didn't have quite the same results.

May - Sonic The Hedgehog 4: Episode II
CRITICAL RECEPTION: Slightly Positive

October - Sonic Adventure 2 (HD Re-Release)
CRITICAL RECEPTION: Mixed

November - Sonic The Fighters (HD Re-Release)
CRITICAL RECEPTION: Mostly Positive

November - Sonic & All Stars Racing Transformed
CRITICAL RECEPTION: Mostly Positive

SEGA'S REPORT CARD: C+
- Financial troubles and job layoffs plague company
- Games, albeit good in quality, didn't get enough promotion
- Community interaction & Sonic Boom continue with success
- S4E2 gets leaked 1 month early but does better holding back with ASRT to 1 week early
- HD re-releases becoming notable sellers

FANBASE'S REPORT CARD: C
- Behavior on Twitter & Facebook becomes troublesome
- United as one when a young avid Sonic fan tragically drowned
- Kept overall optimism on both ASRT and S4E2 even after both came out
------------------------------------------------------------
WHAT TO EXPECT IN 2013...

And now the time comes where the past is the past and the future is here. A brand new year with renewed hope. It's also a new year with question marks everywhere. There's plenty of predicting to do for the year to come but first how did I do with my predictions from last year? Well...

Quote:

 

Sega: 2012 will be very subdued in comparison to 2011 as Sega goes back to normality. There's no milestone anniversary for Sonic so expect things to get less...crazy. E3 will be another good year for Sonic. As for the rumored Sonic Dimensions...I think it will be confirmed true and get the typical November/December release. Sonic 4: Episode II will likely get a release around that same time. I also predict a Wii U Sonic game or the next big Sonic game to get announced sometime next year.

Expect me to be more wrong than this time last year. By a lot...XD. I'm rather surprised that 2012 turned out to be just as crazy, if not even more crazy, than 2011. E3 turned out to be a bad year as a whole and not just Sonic only. Why did I even think Sonic Dimensions would happen?! I didn't even get Sonic 4: Episode II's release date right. Remember that the game was announced right in the final few days of 2011. A release day in May, if you had told me that was going to happen there's a good chance that I wouldn't have believed you. It's rare that Sega releases Sonic games like that before summertime.

I did get one thing right, though! A Wii U "Sonic" game did indeed get announced but it wasn't limited to just him. Sonic & All Stars Racing Transformed got announced four months after I predicted what I predicted.

Quote:

 

Sonic's Fanbase: Once again, disappointing. The catch is not AS disappointing. The fanbase's reaction to Sonic 4: Episode II will remain calm but the fancharacters, furries, and debates will continue with them. Overall I'm thinking that the fanbase will still be their average selfs but a step below.

How did I get this wrong, too? The fanbase was a train wreck for the majority of the year with unnecessary drama on social sites, petitions returning, and more. Not just the usual things I mentioned in that quote. The only plus? Seeing the fanbase unite as one when, sadly, a child that was also a Sonic fan drowned. I just wish it didn't take the tragic death of a child for the community to be so friendly and at peace like that.

Quote:

 

Sonic Paradox: Volume 8's release is up in the air. I also know of something else being in the works that you will only have to find out yourselves. I can't really say when Volume 8 will get released, especially since it has NO release date at all for now, but don't expect things to be as huge as this year. Sonic F will continue and so will Sonic Paradox.

Welp...Volume 8's release is still just as uncertain and it did, indeed, end up being in the air. That "something in the works" I hinted at ended up being Sonic Junk Volume 2 which got released on July 18th. What I got wrong (surprise surprise) was Sonic Paradox not having a huge year. From an interview with TitansCreed/ProjectPhoenix to the release of Seaside Denied and its grand premiere at Summer of Sonic 2012...from Sonic Junk Volume 2 to the YouTube channels, ParadoxPowerPlays and SonicParadoxMusic Sonic Paradox had a really busy year! I can't say anything on what's to come for the site or even whether Sonic Paradox will have any involvement in Summer of Sonic, if it happens, next year. However I will say this much. Expect SP to continue being SP, Sonic F to continue being Sonic F, and much more.

Quote:

 

SonicNews: Expect The SonicNews Show to return on January 7th and 8th. The show's birthday arrives in mid-February and its revamp turns a year old on April 16th. Oh yeah and your news reporter, AKA me, turns 20 himself the next day. Hurrah. Just expect SonicNews to continue...and for the articles to pick back up again.

My god. I just got worse and worse with my predictions as I went on...XD! The SonicNews Show didn't officially return for another few months. The articles didn't pick up again in 2012 either! At least SonicNews continued, I guess.


I'd give myself a solid C for how I did. I gave myself a solid B last year so I'm not too proud on how I did...and to think I'm giving another set of predictions this year! Welp...here goes nothing. It's my predictions for 2013:

Sega: Sega has already stated that several digital Sonic games and one retail Sonic game will be released in 2013. As for what they will be, it's uncertain. I think one may be Sonic 4: Episode 3 while the other two end up being HD re-releases. The retail Sonic game should be a regular, full blown Sonic game and I think it may be the last true Sonic game released on the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 before Sony and Microsoft's next home consoles are announced and released. More than likely, that game will be 2013's dominating story. E3 will be rather lackluster for Sega. Most importantly, I think Sega will recover a little bit from their financial and employment slump that plagued them this year. The negative news on that matter had since stopped and their stocks have slightly increased, along with new partnerships. However I don't think it will be a complete recovery. It may take another year, if not two years, for Sega to get back on track for good. It's a big question mark on what will happen but make sure you tune in as the pieces to the puzzle start to fill in.

Sonic's Fanbase: Same old, same old but I'm hoping that this time they end up being a step below their usual antics like I said last year. I do expect a positive reaction to the majority of the games that Sega releases in 2013. Whether they'll have another moment of union remains to be seen.

Sonic Paradox: Nothing else can be said that I haven't covered already. Volume 8 is still up in the air but I do expect various projects like Sonic F, Paradox Power Plays, and more to continue. What happens with Summer of Sonic, as I said, is a large uncertainty. Still the site as you guys know it will continue!

SonicNews: The SonicNews Show will have its Season 4 Premiere on January 6th. As you guys have seen, things have changed and you guys will now be able to comment on articles, see pictures again, and even catch any new articles I have on the front page of Sonic Paradox to your own heart's content! My show will have a revamped intro and a new ending, hopefully by the time it turns 2 in February. I also hope to permanently migrate over to XSplit soon. I'll be turning 21 in April (totally irrelevent but still!) and my title as Sonic Paradox's news reporter turns THREE this coming October! Wow! As for an increase in articles again, I intend on doing that still. I just have to....you know...do it. XD


That's all! This wall of text marking an entire year of Sega and Sonic is done. I'd like to remind you all again to check out my Sonic Paradox New Year's Party stream at http://www.livestream.com/sonicparadox starting tonight at 5:00pm Eastern/10:00pm UK time and running until 4:00am Eastern/9:00am UK time.

For now, I'd like to thank you all for checking out the article and putting up with all my text! Oh yeah, and for being completely awesome! It's you all that keep me going on here, along with the rest of Sonic Paradox. I hope all of you are thrilled for the ride to come in 2013! There's some big stuff coming! For now Happy New Year and I will see you all in 2013! Have fun, and take care!

~~SSF1991