Sega announced Sonic Advance and two other GBA games on January 30, 2001.[b][14] A video containing footage of the game's first level was featured at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in May 2001,[15] and demo versions were showcased at Nintendo Space World and the Tokyo Game Show later that year.[13][16] Sega released Sonic Advance in Japan on December 20, 2001,[17] while THQ released it in North America on February 3, 2002. The game was released in Europe on March 8, 2002,[4] where Infogrames handled marketing and distribution.[18][19] A port for Nokia's N-Gage, SonicN, was released worldwide on October 7, 2003.[20] In 2005, it was compiled with ChuChu Rocket!, Sonic Pinball Party, and Sonic Battle in separate bundle packs for the GBA.[21][22][23] The game was released on Android on November 25, 2011, and on the Wii U's Virtual Console on February 18, 2015. Both of these rereleases are exclusive to Japan.[24][25]
Original article [Thu 15th Dec, 2022 03:25 GMT]: One of the most ambitious releases of the year was the new "open-zone" adventure, Sonic Frontiers. If you're still not sure whether or not you would be interested in the Switch version of the game, Sega has now released a free demo on Japan's eShop.
Sonic Advance 4 Demo 30 38
The demo is roughly 2.9GB in size and will allow players to try out the first 15 minutes of the title. It's got full English language support as well. To access this demo, you'll need to have created a Japanese Nintendo account, and from there you can boot up the digital store and download it.
This demo follows Sega announcing earlier this week that Sonic Frontiers has now sold over 2.5 million copies worldwide. In the near future, it's adding a free 'Holiday Cheer Suit' DLC item. And in 2023, it's got a whole roadmap planned - with content like a jukebox, photo mode, new story content and more.
At least it's not as bad as the 3-mimute demo of Sonic Forces, also on the Japanese eShop. Seriously, you can play the first levels of both Sonic and the Avatar and a Classic Sonic boss fight for 1 freaking minute each.
Well, I played the demo. It's probably not a great sign that I was kind of bored before my 15 minutes was even up. Although to be fair I skipped all the cut scenes (no time in 15 minutes) so I had literally no context besides 'look, Sonic is in the middle of a slightly incoherent looking world, and jumping on rails and fighting easy mini-bosses for no obvious reason'. I think the conclusion is that 15 minutes is too short to really get a sense of the game unless it was perfect or horrible, neither of which it was. I didn't hate it, but that short demo definitely didn't make me want to immediately go buy the game.
@HammerGalladeBro @EliJapan : What's worse is that the 1 MINUTE demo of Sonic Forces was constantly interrupted by tutorial pop-ups (even if you try to play the level again). Thanks to the demo, the game went from "I'll keep an open mind" to hard freaking pass in no time flat. "Gotta go fast" indeed. Quite possibly the most aggravatingly pathetic demo I've ever encountered.
@EliJapan Not that the time limit couldnt be longer, but a demo in the first place shows way more confidence than any game that doesnt have a demo. Not that it's inherently a sign of confidence either...
Also, the DQ11 example is kinda funny because it is undeniably generous, but you dont really need 10 hours to know if a game is for you or not. The purpose of that much time is to create a sunk cost effect where you're more likely to buy the game explicitly because you've sunk too many hours into the story and progress to "let it go to waste". This goes for every game that hypes up "You can carry your demo save to the real game!"
Happy days. I needed a demo for Kirby's Forgotten Land to see if it was a joy to play and it was. I think this Sonic is going to be the same but I would like to play the demo first. Now for Kirby's Dream Buffet to have a demo version.
For context it was the same with Kirby And The Forgotten World. I couldn't afford it when it released but downloaded the demo and could immediately tell I would play the game for many hours. So it took a while but now I own the full game.
I'll try the demo, but I doubt it will convince me! The gameplay looks really frustrating. Maybe in a few months time when it's a tenner in some sale, but they'll have to do it around Easter because TotK will be my entire focus come May!
@huyi Maybe they're thinking about people like me. I would have bought it on Switch, but I was worried about performance, so I bought the PS4 version instead. Had a demo been available at the time, and it ran smoothly enough to allay my worries, I would have bought the Switch version.
I have the game too and it's a solid outing for the blue blazer. You can feel a little too distracted and aimless in your exploration of the world. It is rather tempting to blast around and play around on the various rails and obstacles. It's interesting and very different for a Sonic game. You will see situations where you are playing standard sonic levels but it is more majorly about the open world.
So... I downloaded the Switch demo. Even though it's pretty bad that it's only 15 minutes, you can replay, so it's not THAT bad. I actually really enjoyed the game, graphics limitations of the Switch version aside. I ended up buying it on Xbox Series X because of the Switch demo. The Switch version itself... the handheld characters were too small and I couldn't imagine myself playing handheld; docked was better but pop-in awful, hence buying it on Series X. But overall, it seems a fresh take on Sonic which has been badly needed.
Members of the United States Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron "Thunderbirds" perform a high show demonstration in Reno, Nevada, September 19, 2021. Since the show site was separate from the takeoff site, no groundshow was conducted. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Nicolas Myers)
MissionThe U.S. Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron, the Thunderbirds, performs precision aerial maneuvers demonstrating the capabilities of Air Force high performance aircraft to people throughout the world. The squadron exhibits the professional qualities the Air Force develops in the people who fly, maintain and support these aircraft.Objectives of the squadron are:- To support Air Force recruiting and retention programs- To reinforce public confidence in the Air Force and to demonstrate to the public the professional competence of Air Force members- To strengthen morale and esprit de corps among Air Force members- To support Air Force community relations and people-to-people programs- To represent the United States and its armed forces to foreign nations and to project international goodwillThe TeamThe Thunderbirds squadron is an Air Combat Command unit composed of eight pilots (including six demonstration pilots), four support officers, three civilians and more than 130 enlisted personnel performing in 25 career fields.A Thunderbirds air demonstration is a mix of formation flying and solo routines. The four-aircraft diamond formation demonstrates the training and precision of Air Force pilots, while the solo aircraft highlight the maximum capabilities of the F-16 Fighting Falcon.The pilots perform approximately 30 maneuvers in a demonstration. The entire show, including ground and air, runs about an hour and fifteen minutes. The season lasts from March to November, with the winter months used to train new members.
Officers serve a two-year assignment with the squadron, while enlisted personnel serve three to four. Replacements must be trained for about half of the team each year, providing a constant mix of experience.The squadron performs approximately 75 demonstrations each year and has never canceled a demonstration due to maintenance difficulty. More than 300 million people in all 50 states and 58 foreign countries have seen the red, white and blue jets in more than 4,000 aerial demonstrations.In addition to their responsibilities as the official U.S. Air Force aerial demonstration team, the Thunderbirds are part of our combat force. If required, the team's personnel and aircraft can be rapidly integrated into a fighter unit at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. Since the aircraft are only slightly modified, they can be made combat-ready in less than 72 hours.F-16 Fighting FalconThe Lockheed Martin (formerly General Dynamics) F-16 represents the full range of capabilities possessed by the Air Force's tactical fighters. This highly maneuverable multi-role fighter has proven to be one of the world's best precision tactical bombers and air-to-air combat aircraft. The only modifications needed to prepare the aircraft for its air demonstration role are installing a smoke-generating system in the space normally reserved for the 20mm cannon, and the painting of the aircraft in Thunderbird colors.HistoryThe Thunderbirds were officially activated June 1, 1953, as the 3600th Air Demonstration Team at Luke AFB, Ariz. Their first aircraft was the straight-winged F-84G Thunderjet, a combat fighter-bomber that had seen action in Korea. Early in 1955 the team transitioned to the swept-winged F-84F Thunderstreak.In June 1956, the team moved to its current home at Nellis. At the same time theThunderbirds traded the veteran F-84 for the world's first supersonic fighter, the F-100 Super Sabre -- an aerial platform that would serve the Thunderbirds for 13 years. More than 1,000 demonstrations were flown in the Super Sabre, thrilling spectators around the world. The team changed briefly to the Republic F-105 Thunderchief. After only six shows, in 1964, due to an extensive modification that became necessary on all Thunderchiefs, the Thunderbirds returned to the F-100.From 1969 to 1973, the Thunderbirds flew the Air Force's front-line fighter, the F-4E Phantom. In 1974, the Thunderbirds converted to the T-38 Talon, the world's first supersonic trainer. The T-38 was more fuel-efficient and less costly to maintain than the larger F-4.Early in 1983, the Thunderbirds reinstituted their traditional role of demonstrating the Air Force's front-line fighter capabilities. Transition to the F-16A allowed the team to retain manpower and fuel efficiency while demonstrating to spectators the latest in fighter technology.In 1986, the Thunderbirds participated in the rededication flyby of the Statue of Liberty and in September, another milestone was attained when the team went over the 200 million mark for total attendance.The largest crowd, 2.25 million people, to see a performance was at Coney Island, N.Y., July 4, 1987. The 1987 Far East tour marked their debut in Beijing, China -- the first American military demonstration performance in a Communist country.Operation Desert Storm cancelled the 1990 European tour and the season was shortened. The team converted to the F-16C in 1992, bringing the F-16A era to an end. In July 1996, the team participated in opening ceremonies of the Centennial Olympics held in Atlanta which were viewed by an estimated 3.5 billion people around the world.The Thunderbirds made television history in 2003 while celebrating their 50th Anniversary. The commander/leader started the Coca-Cola 600 by broadcasting live from Thunderbird No. 1 as he said, "Gentlemen, start your engines."In 2007, the Thunderbirds visited Europe for the first time since Sept. 11, 2001 with the European Goodwill Tour. The trip included shows in Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Italy, France, and the United Kingdom - and for the first time in Thunderbird history - Ireland.In 2009, the Thunderbirds traveled back to the Pacific Rim, performing in locations like Malaysia, Guam, Australia, Korea and Japan. The team performed more than 70 shows in 22 states and Puerto Rico.The 2010 season, the team's 57th year of performing, saw the team in 73 shows all over the United States and Canada. Spending more than 250 days on the road representing Airmen, millions of people have witnessed the Thunderbird demonstrations. In turn, they've seen the pride, professionalism and dedication of hundreds of thousands of Airmen serving at home and abroad. Each year brings another opportunity for the team to represent those who deserve the most credit: the everyday, hard-working Airmen voluntarily serving America and defending freedom. 2ff7e9595c
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