Sonic the Hedgehog Turns 20

SEGA's standard bearer and long time mascot is turning 20 years old this year- and to celebrate this most auspicious of occasions, the blue blur will be having all manner of events!

What that means is really anyone's guess but SEGA is planning a year's worth of party for ol' Sonic and that's something that's sure to include a couple of games. Best guesses would be some more helpings of Sonic 4 and some kind of compilation set. (*personal note to SEGA- could we get Sonic CD in there somewhere? Thanks)

Release after the break-

L.A. Noire Motionscan Tech is a Beauty to Behold

L.A. Noire is a beautiful game, that's plain to see from the promo shots. But Rockstar Games' upcoming action/adventure for the Xbox and PS3 is more than that- it's got brains too.

Rockstar just released some new shots showcasing the uncanny Motionscan technology that it's employing to make the gritty detective story all that much more believable.

Getting on-screen and in-action characters to look 'right' has long been a Holy Grail of game design, so far L.A. Noire looks like it's up to the task. More screens and some notes about Motionscan after the break.

Scarlett and the Spark of LIfe Updated and on Sale

Scarlett and the Spark of Life (which we mused on here) has just been updated with a commentary mode- and to mark the occasion publisher Launching Pad has discounted the excellent little graphic adventure to just .99

Check it out now on the App store for the iPad and iPhone here.

PSN Update -- 'Angry Tetris ReLoaded' edition

Some great stuff kicks off 2011 on the old PSN- even some PSOne classics!

We get not only a PSN exclusive version of Tetris (1080p tetrads!), but also the A-Number-One portable game of the year- Angry Birds. Aaand if that ain't enough, the PSOne classics ReLoaded and Arc the Lad III drop in too!

Is it all a dream?

Nintendo Sets All Time Records in Console Sales

The popularity of Nintendo's latest batch of consoles may be waning a little- what with the upcoming launch of the 3DS leeching a little shine off of the DS and the Wii just plain old loosing momentum -but it is undenyable that the big 'N' was able to accomplish something truly amazing in this current generation.

And now it's official.

Video Game Day 2011

You may not even be aware, but there's a gaming convention right smack dab in the middle of Richmond Hill. Sort of.

Video Game Day is a fundraiser put on by OutBreak Youth Ministries and (local gaming site) DualShockers.com and hosted by Elohim Christian Church. The event collects money that 'will be put completely toward bringing a positive influence to the urban youth in the community' and features gaming tournaments showcasing Call of Duty, Halo Reach, and Marvel vs Capcom 3- among others.

If you'd like to learn more about Video Games Day 2011 check out:

@ninferno on Twitter
Outbreak Youth Ministries on Facebook
Dualshockers.com

Nintendo Download -- 'Happy New Year' Edition

Nintendo offers up a light serving of downloadables to start off the New Year. Perhaps they figure we've all had a bit too much game related merriment over the bloated Holiday season?

What lacks in big names though, is made up for in a very interesting idea that takes it's cue from the Xbox Indie Channel and will hopefully will take off in some way- Alt-Play: Jason Rohrer Anthology is a collection of three games that you've more than likely never heard of. It's a 'best of' from an independent game developer named (obviously) Jason Rohrer.  And while it should be noted that this title isn't actually being published by Nintendo, props for that go to Sabarasa, the potential for a truely independent games channel on Nintendo's line of consoles- specifically the portables -could be huge.

Here's to hoping-