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Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II was developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega. It was released May 16, 2012 for 1200 MSP. A copy was provided for review purposes.

Sonic has had a bit of a hit and miss record lately. Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I wasn’t quite as beloved as Sega hoped, yet Sonic Generations brought back that classic Sonic feeling. Episode II promises fixed physics, the addition of Tails and more Metal Sonic, all promising the potential for a return-to-form. Now it’s finally upon us, Episode II fixes some of the problems of its predecessor but not without introducing some new slogging problems along the way.
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View the stream: [springboard type=”video” id=”496935″ player=”xbla001″ width=”640″ height=”400″ ]

We announced earlier this week that we would be kicking off Thursday Night Streaming with a Minecraft Game Night. …
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You might have thought Double Fine had forgotten about XBLA, with their Kickstarter fame all we’ve heard XBLA-wise is rumblings of new Iron Brigade content. Now Sega is publishing their brand new game entitled The Cave, conceived by Maniac Mansion creator Ron Gilbert. It’s an adventure game with puzzle and platforming elements but not in a traditional sense and more Metroidvania-style exploration. You’ll assemble a crack team of spelunkers each with different abilities and personalities. You can switch between any of the three characters on the fly or use 3-player local co-op. The characters include a scientist, a knight and a hillbilly…because why not? Ron Gilbert had this to say about The Cave:

“The concept of The Cave has been bouncing around in my head for many, many years, and then the little voices that tell me to do things said it was time to make the game,” added Ron Gilbert. “I’m thrilled to be working with amazingly talented folks at Double Fine and ecstatic that the team at SEGA believes in adventure games and quirky ideas.

Catch some screenshots after the jump, the game will be out some time in 2013.
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Looking for your next Walking Dead fix but don’t want to wait until the second episode hits next month? Fear not – the newest episode of Playing Dead, the Web …
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Microsoft Japan has revealed that Crimson Dragon, the on-rails dragon combat title from Grounding, Inc. and Land Ho! Co. Ltd., is set to release in Japan on June 13, reports Famitsu. The Kinect-enabled spiritual successor to the Panzer Dragoon series will cost gamers 1200 Microsoft Points. No release details have been made available in regards to American and European territories at this time.

A trio of new dragons were also shown and detailed for the first time, meaning that all six of the game’s dragon types are now known. Black Bone makes up for his lack of agility with powerful main attacks and skills such as his “homing-Ray,” which locks on to a multitude of baddies. Golden Hawk has strong defensive attributes and a move called “plasma Barrett.” A rough translation identifies the move as “a power attack fire.” Last up is Silver Tail, who is sort of the smarty-pants of flying lizards. Silver Tail has the highest mental strength but low stamina. His main “Vision Lightning” ability allows for a form of automated tracking, and his main attack will be customizable to some degree.

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We’ve all been curious as to what would be on the soundtrack for the upcoming Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD. Will there be a return to the classics or will it be filled with new music? In an interview with Robomodo, they finally revealed 14 of the 16 tracks that will comprise of the soundtrack. Standouts include Superman by Goldfinger and Bring the Noise by Anthrax feat. Chuck D. Catch the 14 after the break and here’s what Ken Overbey, producer/product manager said about the soundtrack:

It was a little difficult. We definitely wanted to bring back some of the songs from the original soundtrack, but wanted new songs as well. The most difficulty we had was our budget, which was very small, and the scope and time frame; it was a lot of work to get it all lined up and get the songs in. You have to put out a risk analysis report and you have to point out to the publisher what the biggest risks are in the development. Soundtrack, Patrick and I both agreed, was the number one. Anyone who knows the game knows the music is just as important as the gameplay.

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Feel like going for a ride? You will this XBLA Wednesday with the release of Joy Ride Turbo for 800 MSP. Based on the Kinect retail title, this time, …
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First thing’s first, apologies for the low quality audio in this weeks episode. Numerous technical difficulties caused some issues which led to some parts of the show to dip in quality, I did try to salvage it as best I could but it’s not perfect. Thankfully the show is still mostly listenable and everything should hopefully be fine next week.

This weeks episode sees the return of former podcast co-host and current Game Music Fans Managing Editor, Tyler Cameron. He shares a familiar story of getting sucked into Minecraft and not quite knowing why. Perry is on the review for Sonic The Hedgehog 4: Episode 2, he gives us his not so great impressions.

Todd Talk this week is all about episodic gaming, after which we discuss what we think does and doesn’t work when trying to make an episodic game.

Please subscribe, rate and review the podcast on iTunes. We appreciate it! Check us out on twitter (@XBLAFans) where you can win codes for games, give us feedback or just ask a question. We are also now on Stitcher, so you can stream the show on your smartphone, give it a go!

Big thanks to Chris Green for the awesome theme music, be sure to check out his site BlurredEdge and why not follow him on twitter too @BlurredEdge.

[podcast]https://xblafans.com/xblafancast/XBLAFancastEp62.mp3[/podcast]

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Spanish developer Tragnarion Studios has announced that Scourge: Outbreak, a futuristic third-person shooter the team is currently working on, will be coming to XBLA, PSN and Mac “around …
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Where have all the Supercross creators gone? This is a callout to any makers of Supercross maps. Post your map name and gamertag in the comments below. We’ll try your map out, and if it’s good enough we’ll record footage of it.

But we digress. This week has a great mix of Trials and Skill Game tracks, and we mean that literally. Not only do we have a few of each, but some tracks cross the lines into both types. To download these tracks by entering Track Central, selecting Get Tracks, then pressing X to search. Enter the gamertag below to find the track. Be aware that the search is case sensitive. A big thanks to the Trials Evolution community for the borrowed videos. Hit the jump to see this week’s picks.

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