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Sega Reveals more details about Sonic Boom at E3 2014
Highly Anticipated Videogames for Wii U and Nintendo 3DS to Make Hands-On Debut and Expand Reach for Sonic Boom Franchise
SAN FRANCISCO (June 2, in
the year of our Lord 2014) – SEGA® of America, Inc.
will unleash an all-new Sonic the Hedgehog at this year’s
Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles with the debut
of playable versions of new titles exclusively for Wii U™ and
Nintendo 3DS™. The new games Sonic Boom™: Rise of Lyric for the
Wii U system, developed by Los Angeles-based Big Red Button, and
Sonic Boom™: Shattered Crystal for the Nintendo 3DS hand-held
system, from San Francisco-based Sanzaru Games, will introduce
new gameplay and the most vile and formidable villain in Sonic
history -- Lyric.
In both games, Sonic and friends - Tails, Knuckles, Amy, and the
newest member of the team, Sticks, will work together as they
face their most powerful enemy yet. Lyric is a giant and
monstrous snake-like creature from an ancient race. An extremely
tech-savvy mastermind who uses a sophisticated robotic body of
armor to carry out his own nefarious deeds, he is a formidable
enemy and a force to be reckoned with. With a strong emphasis on
collaboration, the roles of Tails, Knuckles, Amy, and Sticks,
will be elevated in gameplay that capitalizes on each
character’s unique talents and abilities. The goal is to prevent
Lyric from powering his army of robots and carrying out his plan
to destroy the world. The stakes have never been higher, and the
only chance to overcome Lyric is to band together and work as a
team.
“This is a new Sonic, with gameplay built on action-adventure
and collaborative play. They are unlike any previous games
featuring the iconic blue blur,” said Hiroyuki Miyazaki, Chief
Content Officer for the Sonic Bran, SEGA of America. “We are
looking forward to our first hands-on showcase at E3 for fans
old and new alike to experience the exploration, combat and new
moves for the entire team.”
Both Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric and Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal
are crafted to take full advantage of the unique gameplay
mechanics of their respective consoles. Each version is a new
chapter in the Sonic Boom universe and will each have their own
unique immersive storylines. Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric will also
feature CRYENGINE®, the cutting-edge 3D game technology from
Crytek, one of the leading innovators in the industry. As the
very first Wii U game to incorporate this technology, the lush
environments and landscapes within the game will be visually
enhanced like never before.
Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric
Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric will deliver a different experience
than past titles. The detailed levels and emphasis on each
character’s unique abilities will showcase the distinctive feel
of an action- adventure game, giving players more choice in
exploration as they work as a team to stop the deadly snake-like
ancient villain, Lyric, before he can power up his army. The
gameplay will challenge players with over-the-top speed runs,
but the heart of the game will focus on intense combat and
brand-new abilities including the Enerbeam. This new feature in
the game gives players an energy-charged cord that can be used
by characters to navigate the world like never before. Players
will be able to swing or zip-line across gaps, explore alternate
paths, grab and throw enemies and take away their shields in
combat.
Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal
Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal is a standalone adventure that
shares key characters, events and lore of the Sonic Boom
universe with exclusive environments and characters. For the
first time ever, gamers will be able to take on the role of
Sticks, the newest member of the team who will play an integral
role in the story after her best friend Amy gets kidnapped by
the ancient villain Lyric. While the Wii U version is focused on
action-adventure and exploration, Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal
will place a bigger emphasis on platforming and puzzles.
Additionally, unique collectibles featured in the Nintendo 3DS
version will unlock special content on Wii U via Wi-Fi
connectivity.
Announced earlier this year, Sonic Boom is a new branch of the
Sonic Universe that, in addition to gaming, will include a
first-ever CG-animated TV series on Cartoon Network in the U.S.
and Canal J and Gulli in France as well as a robust
merchandising program anchored by master toy partner TOMY.
Unlike previous Sonic adventures, the Sonic Boom video games
will operate in harmony with the TV series, with many feature
storylines and characters appearing in both formats.
Sonic the Hedgehog first appeared as a videogame character in
June 1991 and instantly became an icon for a generation of
gamers. Defined by his super-fast speed and cool attitude, in
the years since he first raced on to videogame consoles Sonic
has become a true global phenomenon with over 140 million
videogames sold or downloaded worldwide across consoles, PC’s,
mobile phones and tablets. SEGA’s iconic blue blur has also gone
on to enjoy incredible success in many licensed areas, such as
toys, apparel, comics and animation.
The Sonic Boom TV series is a co-production between SEGA of
America, Inc. and OuiDO! Productions. Executive producers on the
Sonic Boom TV series are Evan Baily, Donna Friedman Meir and
Jane McGregor on behalf of SEGA, and Sandrine Nguyen and Boris
Hertzog from OuiDO!. Bill Freiberger is Co-Executive Producer.
Other partners involved in the TV series include Lagardère
Entertainment Rights for distribution and Lagardère Active TV
Licensing & New Business for licensing and merchandise in
France.
Sonic Boom™: Rise of Lyric for Wii U™ and Sonic Boom™: Shattered
Crystal for Nintendo 3DS™ will release in November 2014 for
North America.