Xbox 360 News

Checkpoint (@CheckpointMZine) and SEGA (@SEGA) have joined forces to create innovative educational games that aim to enhance the learning experience for teachers and students. The games are designed to make subjects more engaging and enjoyable, as well as more effective and memorable. According to a survey, more than 90% of students who participated in lessons that used video games as a key component, reported that the games helped them to have more fun and learn better.

The principles behind these teaching methods have arrived in classrooms courtesy of Checkpoint, a video-game inspired education platform that, according to this new study, is responsible for genuine and marked improvements. Both in the way pupils are engaging with the teachers — and their implementation of the National Curriculum.

Partnering with SEGA for this study, Checkpoint designs, writes, and curates teaching materials that tap into gaming culture. From Sonic the Hedgehog to Planet Zoo, Checkpoint is helping teachers educate their students through the lens of gaming. These learning materials were welcomed by any school that used them.

“We wanted to see whether our approach actually had the benefits we intended,” said Checkpoint’s founder and editor-in-chief Tamer Asfahani. “So we approached the educational experts at Brunel University London to design an independent study to evaluate the extent to which key stage 2 children engaged with our learning materials.”

Brunel’s Professor Kate Hoskins led a team of experts from the university’s Department of Education, who worked with five teachers at four London schools to trial learning materials for a science lesson that’s part of the National Curriculum. The aim of the lesson was for the students – aged 7 to 11 – to learn how animals are classified into different species and groups based on various characteristics, and to practice doing this themselves. Instead of categorizing normal animals, the students were tasked with organizing Sonic and his fellow SEGA characters into the correct groups.

Interviews and questionnaires found that the lesson was “overwhelmingly positive”, with teachers praising the engagement of children who they knew struggled in a more traditional learning environment. “The link to children’s game culture enabled participation across otherwise marginalized groups,” said Professor Hoskins. “Including minority ethnic, SEND” — those with special educational needs and disabilities — “and low socioeconomic status children.”

Games industry charity SpecialEffect and Solving Kids’ Cancer UK announce a new annual fundraising and awareness event called British Racing Greats, taking place this year on Thursday, 1 June, at Donington Park Circuit. British Racing Greats, working in partnership with Supercar Driver, whose team are renowned for their annual Secret Meet at Donington, is a first of its kind track event, celebrating the greatest racing games ever made.

Racing studios and games companies across the UK are already confirmed to participate, including Sumo Group, Playground Games, Electronic Arts, SEGA, Codemasters, Lucid Games, NaturalMotion, Hutch, Escape Technology, Stainless Games, Criterion, Motorsport Games and many more. Every significant racing franchise developed in the UK over the last 30 years will be celebrated and represented. Each of the pit-lane garages will be adorned with memorabilia, merchandise and real world cars from the greatest games of our generation, including Need for Speed, Forza, SEGA Rally, OutRun, Colin McRae Rally, Sonic Racing, CSR Racing, Rebel Racing, Top Drives, and Formula 1.

SEGA (@SEGA) and Sonic Team announced that Sonic Frontiers (@sonic_hedgehog) is coming out for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and PC on November 8th.

Worlds are colliding in Sonic the Hedgehog’s newest high-speed adventure! In search of the missing Chaos emeralds, Sonic becomes stranded on an ancient island teeming with unusual creatures. Battle hordes of powerful enemies as you explore a breathtaking world of action, adventure, and mystery. Accelerate to new heights and experience the thrill of high-velocity, open-zone platforming freedom as you race across the five massive Starfall Islands. Jump into adventure, wield the power of the Ancients, and fight to stop these new mysterious foes. Welcome to the evolution of Sonic games!

Sonic Frontiers - arriving November 8, 2022! pic.twitter.com/jjaMDOSTdy

— Sonic the Hedgehog (@sonic_hedgehog) August 23, 2022

Sonic Frontiers launches November 8th on Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, Switch and PC. The game is available to pre-order today on the Xbox Store for $59.99.

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SEGA (@SEGA) announced today that the company will delist the digital versions of the stand-alone titles that will be featured in the upcoming game, Sonic Origins on May 20, 2022.

This will include Sonic the Hedgehog 1, 2, Sonic 3 & Knuckles and Sonic CD. There are a couple of exceptions - Sonic the Hedgehog 1 and 2 will remain available via SEGA AGES on the Nintendo Switch and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 will still be playable via Sega Genesis on Nintendo Switch Online +.

Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 Launch Edition is now available for pre-order for Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One.

Two Puzzle Legends Reunite for the Ultimate Crossover Japan’s beloved puzzle game series Puyo Puyo and the world-renowned Tetris game franchise have teamed up again to deliver even more Puyo-popping and Tetrimino-clearing fun in Puyo Puyo Tetris 2. Playing is easy: match 4 or more same-colored Puyos or complete a line of blocks to clear them from your board and dump Garbage into your opponent’s game. But keep an eye on what’s coming your way too. Play traditional Puyo Puyo and Tetris…or mix them together to level up your game. Offline or online, you’ll have loads of modes that let you play the way you want from single-player Adventure to couch-competition Versus to ranked Online matches, and more.

Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 will be released for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 on December 8th 2020, with a Microsoft Windows version scheduled for release in early 2021.

Pre-order the Launch Edition to guarantee exclusive bonus add-on content, the Skill Battle Booster Pack that includes special edition Sonic the Hedgehog item cards. Only available for a limited time.