Sonic is the fastest hedgehog on foot, but how does he fare when he’s put behind the wheel of a racing car? Pretty good, it turns out.

Sonic’s back again, but this time, he’s switched his red running shoes for a shiny racing car. Sega All-Stars Racing is coming out early next year on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, and Nintendo DS and is being developed by Sumo Digital (GTI Club Plus, OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast, Virtua Tennis 2009). We checked out the PS3 version at GamesCom 2009 in Cologne, Germany.

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The plumber, hedgehog, and friends are getting ready for Vancouver 2010, and we checked out a few new events at GamesCom.

After the enormous success of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games–(Mario & Sonic win 5M Olympic medals) 5 million copies and counting–creating a sequel based on the upcoming Vancouver 2010 Winter Games seems like a no-brainer. So far, we’ve seen a number of fun events for Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games, including bobsleighing, speed skating, and downhill skiing, as well as numerous characters with which fans of Mario or Sonic games will be familiar. We recently got a chance to meet some more characters and events at GamesCom 2009 in Cologne, Germany.

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Sega’s crazy monkeys are rolling onto the Wii again and bringing Wii Balance Board support with them.

One of the standout launch games for the Nintendo Wii was Sega’s Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz. While the series has suffered from a number of disappointing installments over the years, the primate party game returned in force to prove it still has something to offer. The game also introduced the Wii Remote’s new control scheme, a stack of multiplayer minigames, and a visual overhaul in the process. Building on the success of Banana Blitz, Sega is cranking out its first Monkey Ball sequel for the Wii, Super Monkey Ball: Step and Roll, and it appears to remain faithful to the series while adding some great new features.

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For those unfamiliar with Monkey Ball, you control a monkey enclosed within a hamster ball. The aim is to manage your momentum through increasingly difficult courses, adding obstacles, ledges, and platforms to make you fall off the course. The biggest addition is Wii Balance Board support, something that seems perfectly suited to Monkey Ball’s gameplay. While controlling a ball with the Wii Remote felt intuitive, the balance board takes control to another level. Leaning to either side rolls you in that direction, and leaning forward increases your speed. Courses tilt according to your balance, and while it feels disorientating at first, it actually helps you know precisely where your centre of gravity lies. This is also represented by a balance board graphic in the bottom-right corner of the screen. The remote is another acceptable control scheme, and while we asked Sega if there are any plans to include Wii MotionPlus support, this is yet to be confirmed.

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Microsoft’s console makes rare appearance atop Media Create’s retail recap, thanks to debut of Square Enix’s top-selling Star Ocean: The Last Hope.

The Xbox 360 isn’t what most people would call a “hit” in Japan, but the console does catch a few breaks every once in a while. For the week of February 16-22, that break came in the form of Square Enix’s Xbox 360-exclusive Star Ocean: The Last Hope. In its first week on the Japanese market, the Tri-Ace-developed sci-fi role-playing game achieved sales of 162,000 units, pushing the Xbox 360 past the Wii and PlayStation 3 in total weekly sales, according to Media Create.

On the week, Media Create’s charts reflect that the Xbox 360 sold 25,334 units. In a tight race, the Wii just edged out the PlayStation 3, selling 16,973 consoles to 16,149 for Sony’s flagship. Handhelds were a different story, as the DSi–which launched in Japan in November–sold 41,839 units, while the PSP shifted 29,552 systems. The DS Lite, which is sold alongside the DSi as it will be in other regions, also moved an additional 9,975 units.

With Star Ocean taking the top slot, Mario & Luigi RPG 3!!! for the DS placed second, selling 62,000 copies in Japan. Namco Bandai scored a trio of chart-toppers on its release of the Idolmaster SP trifecta Perfect Sun, Missing Moon, and Wandering Star, which sold a respective 46,000, 39,000, and 35,000 units. Sega’s Shining Force Feather for the DS debuted in the sixth slot, selling 30,000, while Capcom’s perennial best-seller Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G moved an additional 18,000 units.

Titles for Sony’s systems rounded out the remainder of the chart. Flight-Plan’s Sacred Blaze sold 17,000 during its first week on the market, a figure nearly matched by the PS3 edition of Street Fighter IV. From Software’s Demon’s Souls rounded out Media Create’s weekly recap, taking the 10th slot with 15,000 units sold.

Week of February 16 – February 22, 2009

Software:

1) Star Ocean: The Last Hope (360) – 162,000

2) Mario & Luigi RPG 3 (NDS) – 62,000

3) Idolmaster SP: Perfect Sun (PSP) – 46,000

4) Idolmaster SP: Missing Moon (PSP) – 39,000

5) Idolmaster SP: Wandering Star (PSP) – 35,000

6) Shining Force Feather (NDS) – 30,000

7) Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G (PSP) – 18,000

8) Sacred Blaze (PS2) – 17,000

9) Street Fighter IV (PS3) – 17,000

10) Demon’s Souls (PS3) – 15,000

Hardware:

DSi: 41,839

PSP: 29,552

Xbox 360: 25,334

Wii: 16,973

PS3: 16,149

DS Lite: 9,975

PS2: 5,029

Check out the source of this item Japan Sales Charts Feb. 16-22: Xbox 360 hardware, software king

With less than a month until MadWorld’s release date, we can expect a ton of media to come our way between now and then. SEGA has provided a slew of gameplay videos, and introduces a new character, The Black Baron.

He’s going to learn ya something.

These are the first videos to show extensive gameplay, and they don’t disappoint. I am left puzzled however. How does only a certain part of a subway train leave a bloody mess when someone is thrown up against it?

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