Knuckles Steelbook Edition – Paramount’s Sonic The Hedgehog Spin-Off Is Already Up For Preorder
Paramount just launched its six-part Knuckles TV series last week on Paramount+, but fans interested in adding the Sonic the Hedgehog spin-off to their physical collection can already preorder the Blu-ray version of the animated cartoon. Three different editions of Knuckles are available to preorder now, including one that comes with a collectible steelbook case. Unfortunately, Knuckles preorders are limited to Blu-ray and DVD at this time. It’s unclear if Knuckles will be released on 4K Blu-ray at some point.
A release date is yet to be announced, but preorders are officially open at Amazon for $26.
$32 for Blu-ray Steelbook Edition | $26 for Blu-ray | $18 for DVD
Since the Knuckles animated series was just added to Paramount+ on April 26, don’t expect the physical edition to arrive on your doorstep in the near future. Paramount has not yet given a release date, though we’d expect it to arrive in a few months. The steelbook edition of the Blu-ray is available to order for $32. Alternatively, you can purchase the standard Blu-ray edition for $26 or the DVD for $18.
Knuckles Special Features
Unfortunately, no special features have been revealed for the upcoming release. Of course, that’s to be expected, as it still doesn’t have a firm release date. We wouldn’t be surprised to see behind-the-scenes content or new shorts–but keep your eyes peeled in the coming weeks for more details.
Idris Elba, who played Knuckles in the Sonic 2 film, reprised his role for the Knuckles TV show. The six-part live-action series follows the echidna as he trains his protégé, Wade, and teaches him how to fight and fend for himself on the battlefield. The show is earning mixed reviews from critics, with our Knuckles review saying it “works pretty well” as a family-friendly budget comedy.
If you want to bide your time while waiting for the Knuckles Blu-ray to launch, you can check out the Sonic the Hedgehog 2-Movie Collection (Steelbook Edition), which is currently discounted to just $29 (down from $48). The collection includes the first and second movie in the series, along with a steelbook, a new animated short, bloopers, deleted scenes, and more.
While Knuckles is the first live-action Sonic series, it’s not the first time the Blue Blur and friends have starred in TV shows. If you’re interested in revisiting Sonic’s animated TV origins, the Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog Complete Series is available on Blu-ray at Amazon. You can also pick up Sonic Boom’s complete series with a fancy steelbook case at a big discount. Anime fans should check out the complete Sonic X series on Blu-ray. It contains all 78 episodes and is dubbed in English.
All six episodes of Knuckles are available to stream on Paramount+ now.
Bandai Namco Revives Popular Tamagotchi Connection Virtual Pets For 20th Anniversary
Though Bandai Namco releases new Tamagotchi devices fairly regularly these days, its next major release is a blast from the past. To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Tamagotchi Connection, a refreshed set of the multiplayer-focused virtual pets is set to release on July 9. Not only will you be able to raise you pixelated pet, but they will be able venture out into the world to mingle with other little aliens who also happen to be trapped inside keychain devices. Four different color variants are available to preorder now for $30 each. Alternatively, you can preorder a two-pack for $58 to ensure your little guy makes friends and maybe even finds love. Just please don’t forget to feed your digital pet this time.
Tamagotchi Connection – $30 each
While you might be familiar with the original Tamagotchi released in 1997 in the US, the Tamagotchi Connection was a serious upgrade in comparison to when they debuted in 2004. Along with brand-new designs for the digital critters, the big draw here was the infrared “connection” that could be used to link up with friends. Once a connection was established, you could play games, exchange gifts, and even breed your Tamagotchi after they became married to each other. What a wild time, the early 2000s were.
All of those original features have been retained for this new line of Tamagotchi Connection toys, and these eggs also allow you to meet more than 50 characters, play more games, and earn Gotchi Points to spend on food and other items, as part of the new extras being introduced here. You can even find passwords to unlock special items.
If that’s not enough Tamagotchi for you, then check out this new line of Hello Kitty Tamagotchis.
Available for $20 on July 9 in red and blue shell designs, these cute accessories come with a clasping carrying chain and batteries.
There are plenty of other themed Tamagotchis you can buy, and many of them are discounted at Amazon.
More Tamagotchi
Assassin’s Creed Shadows Is Ditching An Iconic Franchise Feature
In Assassin’s Creed Shadows, one of the franchise’s most iconic features–synchronization points–will work a little differently than before.
Following a cinematic reveal trailer, Ubisoft has revealed all kinds of details about the latest entry in the long-running series to IGN. The game will put players into the shoes of both a shinobi and a samurai in feudal Japan. While much of Assassin’s Creed Shadows will sound familiar to fans–parkour, a large open world to explore, stealth assassinations, melee combat–there are some notable changes, particularly when it comes to filling out the game’s map.
In the past, these have been done via synchronization points. These points are usually atop tall buildings or towers. Traditionally, synchronizing sees the camera slowly rotate in a panoramic view of the surrounding area, before marking all nearby points of interest on the in-game map.
That won’t be the case in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. There will be no spinning panoramic views in the upcoming title when synchronizing, nor will synchronizing automatically reveal nearby points of interest. Instead, players will need to survey the area and manually highlight areas of potential interest before investigating them further once back on the ground. Synchronization points will, however, still allow for players to fast travel between them.
It’s a small, but significant change, as synchronization points, including their stylish, slow camera pan of the surrounding area, have largely worked the same for much of the franchise’s long history. Other changes in Assassin’s Creed Shadows include the lack of a bird that can be used to mark enemies, though players will still have access to Eagle Vision to track nearby foes. Light sources, shadows, and the weather will also play an important role in gameplay. For the first time in the franchise’s history, Assassin’s Creed Shadows will star a real historical figure as one of its dual protagonists: the African samurai, Yasuke.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows will be similar in size to 2017’s Assassin’s Creed Origins, Ubisoft has said, which means there should be plenty of Japan to explore. It will feature a non-linear campaign story revolving around tracking down and eliminating specific targets, according to Ubisoft, and it’s one that will also see players building out a spy network to gather intel on targets in a system that sounds similar to one seen in Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows will release on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S on November 15. A collector’s edition exclusive to GameStop is available for preorder now.