Introducing The Stage Showcase & More (Updated 19/6)

Having been doing Summer Of Sonic for a while now we’ve begun getting requests from fans -  both in a professional and a casual respect – if they could appear during the show.

Now that was fine with us, so we arranged a segment this year which we began refering to as the “Showcase” where select members of the community can show off their talents.  Due to the simularities we’ve placed this as a follow on to the Wrecks Factor and I suspect it will be its replacement after this final year.

You already know one of the items to be shown in the showcase – this is where you’ll find us showing the new Sonic Shorts from Sonic Paradox.  However there’ll also be more comedy and music, speaking of the latter our first

Zonic (or Ziggy in the real world) came to our attention via the SOS Facebook group and her lyricalisations of classic SEGA Megadrive games tracks – specifically Sonic. Apart from these she also makes her own brand of ambient, electronica based pop and dance with influences from everything from Lady GaGa to Depeche Mode. Regularly appears at a variety of game, anime and manga events and is touring very soon all over the country. She’s even got an EP out on iTunes. There’s an example of her Sonic-related work below.

Whilst we’re here I should probably point out our first featured fan artist has also been added to the guest page. Go ahead and click the link, if you like that sort of thing.

19/6 Update: The second of each are now live on the Guests page in the form of Roareye Black and Syaming-Li – also, please keep your questions to the trio of Naka/Iizuka/Senoue coming in!!!

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New Event: Sonic Team Community Q&A Panel/Signing

The comments box for asking questions is now CLOSED. Thank you for all your submissions – we will try and ask as many as we can on the day!

  • Have you ever wanted to say thank you to Yuji Naka?
  • Have you ever wanted to ask Takashi Iizuka about his favourite character apart from Sonic?
  • Do you need Jun Senoue’s signature on your copy of [Insert CD Name Here]?

Then I have good news for you, not only will Naka-san, Iizuka-san and Senoue-san be signing and saying hello in our specific signing area they will also be answering YOUR questions in a special Sonic Team panel.

In fact the good news is we’ve been asked by SEGA if we could perhaps arrange TWO panels, a morning and an afternoon session to answer all your questions and give both the early birds and the later arrivals a chance to see them – that’s fine by us!

We’ll have more on when these will be nearer the event itself. For now though we’re after your questions for Naka-san and Iizuka-san.

So now’s your chance to have your questions asked, submit your question via the comments and the very best ones will be chosen to be answered on the day in front of everybody.

If there’s something you really wanted to know, now’s the time to get asking!

Here’s some hints as to how to make your question more likely to be selected.

  1. Make sure you make leave your question HERE. It’s all very well leaving it in a forum, on Twitter or on the Facebook group/page but we’ll be looking here.
  2. Make sure you put who the question is to and who you are – we will try and find some of you on the day so you can ask your questions directly to the panel!
  3. Try and be original and creative in your questioning. “Why did you call Green Hill Zone ‘Green Hill Zone” will likely not get picked.
  4. Likewise please try and ask a question that might actually be able to be answered – “what levels are in Sonic Generations” and “what are you working on at the moment that we don’t know about” are examples of questions that you’re not going to get an answer to. Sonic Team (or Prope in Naka-san’s case) aren’t going to spill the beans to you are they?
  5. It goes without saying, but we know how unpredictable things can get on the day; these guys are essentially your gaming heroes. Please ask respectful questions.


Best of luck!

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Courier? I Hardly Knew Her! – Reason #347c Why Archie Are Awesome

Do you remember last year? I crafted a little deal with Archie which enabled you to nab a free comic on the day in your little orange goody bags.

Well unknown to you I’ve been chatting with them again and have arranged with a transportation assist from the SOS organisational committee for UNDER NINE THOUSANNNND comics to make their way over from America to the UK.

(Actually it’s about 1000.)

Hopefully they’ll arrive in time – they’ve just got off a plane actually at Stansted Airport but you never can tell if they’ll get stopped, delayed, etc by the EVIL powers that be. Still if all goes well on a week Saturday you’ll receive on entry one of the STH FCBD issues. We’re not sure which one it is at the moment as it depends on which issues they actually have 1000 of!

Still, even if it’s one you’ve got, somewhat ideal for getting signed, considering we have the writer and artist about though you’d’ve thought…

Don’t forget you’ll also be able to buy Archie comic panels from Tracy Yardley! on the day, Sonic The Comic-related items from Nigel Dobbyn and Nigel Kitching.  Not to mention the Dobbyn-Yardley special Fleetway-Vs-Archie print.

There’ll also be Archie comics available from Flyboy Fox’s comic store, next to the comics guys and on the epically awesome T-Bird/AAUK joint merchandise stall run by Nemain.

My thanks to Archie, who have been all kinds of awesome over the last two years.

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Special Guest #8: Jun Senoue

Music is a big part of the Sonic franchise, and the Summer of Sonic has played host to several key artists and composers in the past. This year’s convention will be no different, and for Sonic’s 20th we’ll be in the presence of a popular musician who will be making his second appearance at the convention. Not just because we wanted him back (which we did), or that you wanted him back (which you did) but that he really, REALLY wanted to come back and see you all again.

We welcome back the legendary Jun Senoue, music director for many of Sonic Team’s games and the composer for a range of unforgettable adventures such as Sonic 3 & Knuckles, Sonic Adventure, Sonic Adventure 2, Sonic Heroes and Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1. This year, Senoue-san is behind the incredible score to the 20th Anniversary title, Sonic Generations and he has been kind enough to take time out of his insanely busy schedule to enjoy the Summer of Sonic event with fans of his work.

Though not performing this year, Senoue-san will be present to meet with fans throughout the day, making for an electrifying and nostalgic event for fans of all ages. He’ll also be part of a special as yet to be announced item also involving Iizuka-san and Naka-san. Stay tuned for more details on that.

If you hadn’t gathered before you’re really being spoiled this year for people to see. :)

- Svend & Kevin-

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New Sonic Shorts Will Appear At SOS 11

We’re pleased to announce that the ever popular Sonic Shorts will once again be making an appearance at Summer Of Sonic!

Sonic Paradox will be bringing some new and unseen clips to SOS following their 2009 appearance which went down so well people wanted us to play them a second time – so we did!

If you’re not familiar with them, then check out their website: http://sonicparadox.webege.com/

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Get Ready To Go Absolutely Crazy…

(The following text is taken from The Sonic Stadium and Sonic Wrecks)

From Kevin Eva:

There is a reason I referred to this Summer Of Sonic as “The Special Stage”.

As you know we’ve been somewhat tight lipped on guests and events for this SOS.  Well there’s a good reason for that as we’ve been in negotiations for a loooong time to secure them.  With Sonic’s 20th year it only makes sense that we really went all out to get you the best we could. We’re now at a point where we’re able to actually tell you:

So we’re delighted to announce our headline guests for Summer Of Sonic! Not that our other guests aren’t special of course, but this is really quite a coup. First up ladies and gentlemen, joining us at Summer Of Sonic to celebrate Sonic’s twenty years will be a man who has worked with our little blue pal since 1994.

The head man himself, TAKASHI IIZUKA!

Multi-time Producer and Director (including both Sonic Adventure titles, Sonic Colours and the upcoming Sonic Generations), Game Designer on titles like Sonic 3 & Knuckles and the original NiGHTS into Dreams and not forgetting being the current head of Sonic Team itself. Takashi Iizuka will be flying in from Japan especially to join us.

From Svend Joscelyne:

Without a shadow of a doubt, every single Sonic the Hedgehog fan in the world has dreamed of this – an opportunity to meet the man who has been a creative force in the Sonic franchise since its very conception. The man most commonly referred to as the “father of Sonic,” even after leaving SEGA back in 2006 to form his own studio.

No, I can hardly believe I’m writing this myself.

Ladies and gentlemen, it is with great honour that I reveal our second special headline guest – one of the men that kick-started the Sonic franchise that we all love.

YUJI NAKA.

As the programmer for the original Sonic the Hedgehog Mega Drive game, Yuji Naka was responsible for creating the gameplay mechanics and physics of the 16-bit classic, while influencing the design of the character due to his ‘spin attack’ concept.

Since then, he has led the development of almost every single Sonic title until his departure, assumed the lead role at Sonic Team and created many other iconic franchises such as NiGHTS Into Dreams, ChuChu Rocket! and Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg.

Naka-san now leads his own independent game studio, PROPE, which caught the world’s attention with Wii party game Let’s Tap and reminded everyone of his flair for unique gameplay design with Ivy the Kiwi? While he is no longer involved with creating Sonic titles, the hedgehog still has a special place in his heart.

This year, Naka-san will be attending the Summer of Sonic 2011 to officially celebrate Sonic the Hedgehog’s 20th Anniversary with his old friend and colleague, Iizuka-san, and to share the experience directly with the fans. How lucky are we to be in the presence of two of the biggest men behind the Sonic franchise!? Exceptionally lucky.

If you’re currently shaking in excitement right now, just imagine how we feel back here – the chances of this ever happening were incredibly slim, and thanks to the work of SEGA Europe, SEGA Japan, Sonic Team, Iizuka-san, Naka-san and the organisers of the Summer of Sonic, we now have the stage set for the best fan party that ever lived!

What a year to be a Sonic fan!

And you know what? We’re STILL not done.

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THEY Are Coming…


REVEAL LATER TODAY.
PREPARE FOR THE AWESOMESAUCE
- AAUK/KEVIN, DREADKNUX/SVEND & THE TEAM-

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At SOS 2011 Get Ready To Rock… With JULIEN-K!

Summer of Sonic is delighted to announce alternative electronic rock act Julien-K will be appearing as part of the amazing line up at this year’s Summer of Sonic convention! Julien-K defined the sound of Team Dark with their fan-favourite track “This Machine” for Sonic Heroes, and returned a few years later to perform the song “Waking Up” which was featured on the soundtrack to 2005′s Shadow the Hedgehog title. The band have since worked on a whole host of projects including the soundtrack to the Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen video game, released their first album Death to Analogue and have collaborated with Linkin Park’s Chester Bennington on his solo project Dead by Sunrise.

Ryan Shuck, Amir Derakh, Elias Andra and and Anthony “Fu” Valcic will be joining us during their current European tour to perform a music set as part of the afternoon’s entertainment on the main stage. The band will also be appearing later in the afternoon for a meet and greet session to give all you boys and girls the opportunity to meet the band in person as well as grab a few autographs if you wish.

The band will also be playing the London Borderline on the 22nd of June to promote their upcoming album We’re Here With You, so if you’re in the neighborhood go and check them out!

Get ready to rock at this month – Summer of Sonic is going to be a scorcher!

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Food Glorious Food – Don Fachio’s Comes To Summer Of Sonic

As you know our “American cousin” Sonic Boom is on tonight in Los Angeles, T-Bird and Dreadknux are over there as guests of honour (or should that be honor?) to discuss Summer Of Sonic.

Those of us left behind to ‘man the fort’ aren’t jealous at all. Although mysteriously both Adam and Svend are now on toilet cleaning duty after Summer Of Sonic. Most strange. *Puts away schedule*

Now I’ve been having a chat with the venue today and I have confirmed our menu, we may not have croissants… but we have BAGELS baby. That and with our Chili Dogs it’s like we have our own London branch of Don Fachio’s – so guess what, we’re going to call it just that!


DON FACHIO’S MENU
(prices to be confirmed)

CHILI DOGS

Breezy Dog (Chili Dog)
A Don Fachio’s favourite, a meaty treat served Apotos-style with a London twist.

Doggone Dog (Vegetarian Dog)
This lean, green dog has no meat whatsoever. The top seller at the now defunct Eggmanland branch of Don Fachio’s comes to London as a Summer Of Sonic special.

BAGELS

Professor P’s Culinary Concoction (Cheese & Salad)
Chow down on this healthy cheese and salad bagel, likely to contain cucumber (sliced thinly if you please). For clarity, absolutely does not include Chao.

Big’s Special (Tuna & Mayo)
And he most certainly is… All the cool cats will want a bite of this tuna and mayo treat. Makes excellent bait for frogs. Caution: may cause constant cameoing.

Catch Me If You Ham (Ham and Tomato)
Won’t let you down, a high taste grown – in a bread form with piggy and tomato.

DESERTS

Miss Vanilla’s Home Made Carrot Cake
We sincerely hope you enjoy our cake, fresh out of the family warren. 9/10 crocodiles approve greatly of the baker… and the cake as well.

Chip’s Super Awesome Chocolate Cake
Hey… want some chocolate? Light in Gaia, not necessarily light in calories. But who cares about that? NOM!

CRISPS

Various flavours available.  Not hedgehog flavoured, that would be in poor taste considering…

DRINKS

Chaos Cola
Get that 100% perfect chaos taste…

Also… Lemonade, Tea, Coffee, Fruit juice and Other soft drinks available.

Since I was asked, I asked the venue (who is organising all the food) and they cannot guarantee the food to be halal or kosher.  So if this is a requirement for you, please make alternate arrangements.

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Celebrating 10 Years Of SA2 – It’s BATTLE Time At Summer Of Sonic 2011!

This year at Summer of Sonic we mark Sonic’s second decade, as such it is perhaps fitting that in doing this we look back at the game that was created for Sonic’s tenth anniversary. A game that really did usher in a lot of new blood into the fanbase and is still held up as one of the best Sonic games of any era.

Sonic Adventure 2.

The game that introduced us to Shadow, Rouge, G.U.N and that really is the foundation of a lot of the background to the the current main storyline canon. Plus it was fun as anything.

 

The timing is also good considering the original Dreamcast version was SEGA’s hot E3 property that year, much like Generations is scheduled to be this year. As such Sonic Adventure 2: Battle will be at SOS 2011, playing on a Wii pod and we’ll be instigating a ‘Winner Stays On’ system of 2-player versus battles. The person with the longest win streak as we hit the final hours will win a prize.

Be sure to bring your snowboards, mechas, karts, treasure scopes and shovel claws on June 25th.

[Taken from SonicWrecks.com]

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Past Summer of Sonic Events: 2006 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013
The Summer of Sonic is a convention based in Central London, UK. Event created by Svend Joscelyne, presented by The Sonic Stadium and Sonic Wrecks. Supported by SEGA Europe, SEGAbits and Emerald Coast. Attendees of all ages are welcome, but visitors under 15 years of age should be accompanied by a suitable parent or guardian - the organisers accept no responsibility for those attending the event. Anything brought in by attendees to showcase are the sole responsibility of their owners. Be careful when meeting strangers you know online elsewhere; The Summer of Sonic is a safe neutral location for fans of Sonic the Hedgehog to meet up. All content copyright © The Summer of Sonic 2011, fan content published is the copyright © of respective artists and fans. Sonic the Hedgehog and all related characters are copyright © SEGA. All Rights Reserved. Website powered by WordPress and chili dogs.