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TSSZ Statement From Donnie: What You Need To Know

Donnie
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“Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.” ~ Winston Churchill, 1942

Granted, this quote serves a higher purpose considering the era at which it was stated. But I think it very much applies to what transformation TSSZ has gone through in the past week. And I’m here to, hopefully, clear the air and explain to you guys what you can expect from me. Especially considering I feel that there’s some tension in the air from my decision to join the team and what my plans may be. But I think an introduction is in order, first. I’d like to warn you, however, that this post may be a lengthy one.

I’m sure a lot of you readers on TSSZ do not know me. You might have seen my occasional comments in previous TSSZ articles but nothing more and that is perfectly fine. People know me in the Sonic community as SSF1991, or Donnie. Either is fine, that’s entirely up to you. I could list everything I’ve done but I think it’s more appropriate to just list my most recent contributions from the past year.

  • Sonic Paradox news reporter and ambassador. Yes that Sonic Paradox. This is my main work. Basically I go around the community and get the site’s name out there while also reporting on any Sonic community happenings such as charity streams (more on that in a moment) or events and to announce any new Paradox announcements or released projects. This also means that I see what happens behind the scenes on the site and see Paradox projects before release. Listening to Seaside Denied a million times before release has its setbacks (it is embedded in my brain now) but I digress.
  • BrainScratchComms and HellFireComms guest commentator. My most recent work with them is during the HFC Sonic-A-Thon where I streamed games such as Sonic Spinball, Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine, Sonic Pinball Party, and Sonic the Hedgehog 2. I also co-commentated on games such as Sonic & The Secret Rings, Sonic Advance, and Sonic Rush Adventure. Feel free to check out the edited videos of the run if you wish. That is entirely up to you.
  • Co-host of The SEGA Lounge on RadioSEGA. Basically KC and I interview various names in the Sonic and Sega community along with SEGA staff and other notable figures. Remember when we interviewed Bentley Jones?  Once again, feel free to check it out.
  • Summer of Sonic 2013 commentator. Yes, I did official commentary for the convention last year. Currently no footage of my commentary is up yet. I do have the files, however, and the intent is to get audio of the commentary onto RadioSEGA whenever the time comes. Here’s the official Summer of Sonic article  that announced it in the meantime.
  • The Sonic Show guest. This doesn’t happen often but once in a blue moon I am involved in whatever antics may ensue. Some may be more embarrassing than others. For me, anyway. It is all in good fun, though.

I could go on but these are the things I’ve done in the past year. Now that you know who I am and what I do I think it is time to elaborate on my history with Sonic and how I ended up in the community in the first place.

I’ve been playing Sonic games as long as I can remember. I remember playing Sonic Spinball and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 on my Sega Genesis back in 1996 and loving them. I remember seeing the Sonic Cheerios contest commercial and seeing Emerald Hill in the advertisement was quite charming to me. It wasn’t until 2003 that I got any new Sonic games. Well, if you consider Sonic Mega Collection a new game or not. It certainly was to my eleven year old self, my introduction to the original Sonic game, Sonic 3, Sonic 3D Blast, and Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine. Once again I lost track of the Sonic franchise (it seems Mario was a bigger influence back then) for another period of time. I had Sonic Advance 3 at this time but I was very confused on how to play it as I was not used to the hub worlds at the time and thought those were the levels. I picked it up one time, put it down, and that was that. Didn’t even play a single level. It wasn’t until I got Sonic Gems Collection around 2007 that my interest perked again. It was here that I was introduced to the Sonic games from 1993 to 1996 such as Sonic the Fighters and the Game Gear games. That and Sonic CD. However I never knew of the modern Sonic games. I didn’t even know they existed. Secret Rings came and went without me catching a thing of it. It would take another company entirely to change that.

In came Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Having been a Melee veteran, 2007-2008 was the period of Brawl for me. I was looking on the Dojo all the time. It was here that I saw the news that Sonic was going to be a playable character. He looked so different to me. I was not used to this. But this was the Sonic I still grew up with. And I was excited to play as him in the next Smash game. When I finally got the game on release day I played Subspace for twelve hours straight. Not only to unlock everything but so I could play as that blue hedgehog once more. I was disappointed to see as I got to Tabuu that he was nowhere to be seen. Then he showed up and I knew, by this time, that since he joined my party that he would be unlocked. Sonic is still my main character to this day and that’s exactly who my main will be in the coming Smash games for 3DS and Wii U.

But Brawl did more than allow me to play as Sonic. I had been introduced to modern Sonic. I knew now that Sonic games were still ongoing and I wanted to play more. Thus I began to follow Sonic Unleashed on GameFAQs. I also came across the Sonic Shorts, not realizing the fate that was meant to be just two years later. I came across sites like TSSZ, Sonic Stadium, Sonic Retro, and Sonic Wrecks and began keeping tabs on developments there. I got Unleashed, played and loved it, then got Black Knight on release day. I followed Episode I of Sonic 4 from the moment it was teased with that comical “Pikachu in a sombrero” image to the moment it was released. I got Sonic Colors in Christmas 2010 along with many other Sonic games. I was all caught up. But I hadn’t forgotten those Sonic Shorts. Occasionally I’d stumble across the Sonic Paradox website and move on without a thought. It was different on October 15th, 2010. I saw they had a forum and decided to join it because, well, why not? And the rest is history. Well, sort of.

Now I get to the part where I am sure a lot of you reading this are more interested in. The news reporting. Coincidentally TSSZ is not the first time I took over a news reporting role when someone got too busy with a new job to do it themselves. I did the same for Sonic Paradox on October 30th, 2010, when RGX could not continue news reporting due to his new job. He looked for someone to hire. I figured I’d try my hand at it because I love informing people of news. I got the job within just two weeks of me joining. Why? I guess I was in the right place at the right time. You see, the site was having a string of new members join that the group didn’t feel were mature or capable to handle such a  responsible role. I guess, to them, I was a welcome breath of fresh air. But never mind that.

I have been news reporting for Sonic and Sega news for, as of the time of this article’s writing, nearly four years. Here’s some of my previous work so you guys get a feel of my reporting style:

I’ve also done live coverage streams. My most recent was back in February when Sonic Boom was shown to the world for the first time, redesigns and all. What a long day that was. I learned a valuable lesson on news tips though. I also cover E3 extensively along with Summer of Sonic and Sonic Boom. The latter of which I will be doing a coverage stream on! More info on that to come.

I hope this shows how dedicated I am to the cause of informing you guys what Sonic news you need to know and only what you need to know. Although my articles on Sonic Paradox were more community related, I never had a venue to provide more official news from Sega and other gaming companies. Which brings me to this question: why did I take the job on TSSZ? Well what was previously mentioned was part of the reason. It’s not all, though.

I’ve always told this to people I keep in contact with: if I’m needed for something, I’ll be there. I did it for RGX back in 2010 when he couldn’t continue with news reporting for Paradox. I did it for various streamers of the Sonic-a-thon when planned co-commentators were having setbacks and had to decline. And I wanted to do it here, too. The final reason? I want to help make TSSZ better. The site, unfortunately, doesn’t have quite the best history and I’m very well aware of it. I’m not going to defend anyone nor take sides. It is none of my business and what’s done is done. However I want to be friends. I know a lot of figures in the Sonic community and I try my best to be on my best behavior but I know TSSZ hasn’t struck a good chord with some sites and I understand. I’m sure it won’t matter who is the main news reporter on TSSZ anymore because just the name of TSSZ might rub people the wrong way. Again, I understand. Believe however you want. I just want you to know I’m listening and I’m all for hearing your imput.

So what does this mean for TSSZ? Let me first begin by stating that, although you’ll be hearing from Tristan a lot less now, he’s still head of TSSZ. Is he gone? Yes and no. The vast majority of his work will be behind the scenes now. He will still be decision-making. For example if he’s available he’ll still have a poll go up every now and then at the usual scheduled time frame. If he can’t I’ll be doing it. I’m sure he also has the last word on things. He will still be managing administrative and maintenance duties on the website. In other words he’ll keep the site up to date, make sure it’s up to date, and add or remove features whenever it feels like it should be done. He still has access to the site’s Twitter although, as I previously stated, you will very likely be hearing much less of him on there. Because of this I will have Twitter access and will update you  guys on breaking news and any coming articles that may be of importance.

As for the rest of the staff, I have no involvement in anything they do with their articles. Vertical Slice and Fan Fridays will continue untouched but that has nothing to do with what I, myself, will be doing. I say that because I want to establish before I take over news reporting duties tomorrow that what they say in their articles is entirely out of my league and I am not responsible for anything stated in those articles. Andrea, Michael, Ryan, and the rest of the crew do not go to me for approval for their entries. They go to Tristan, which again reinforces that although Tristan is no longer going to be posting articles or saying as much on Twitter, he will still be making sure the site is working, things are running smoothly, and that nothing has gone up in flames. In other words he’ll be directing rather than producing.

I should clarify that this does not mean I can’t do anything at all. The only thing I’ve been told: to maintain the site’s quick and daily news. How I do it doesn’t seem to be a problem as long as you guys are informed of what you need to know. I should warn you all, however, that I am more picky than Tristan when it comes to what I find newsworthy. Therefore, here is what you can expect my reporting style to be on TSSZ. I cannot stress this enough that if you disagree with any of this, tell me in a comment to this article. send a tweet to my own Twitter or DM me there if you follow me, wherever you can contact me. Facebook, YouTube, whatever. Just let me know. In fact, anyone reading this that is outside of TSSZ, feel free to do the same. I care about you guys. You’re the ones who read my work, view my content, and are the reason I haven’t left. There’s no point posting articles if no one likes them. I want to make sure everyone has a say. I have no problem being fair and honest but I do have a problem bringing harm or negativity to any of the fan sites that I may or may not be associated with. I take my work as news reporter very seriously.  Anyway, let’s get started.

  • No community drama articles. I’m sorry, but I just do not feel these articles are necessary or newsworthy. If something bad happens on sites like for example Retro or Stadium that is none of my concern nor is it appropriate. I’m reporting Sonic and SEGA news. I also want the Sonic community to shine, not burn, no matter what the personal differences or opinions on things. Every fan site is a contributor in my eyes. They keep the interest in Sonic going. Believe it not, the community does have a very good side. And there really are some amazing personalities in the community, including Sonic Retro.  I don’t want to slander any fan sites. I want them to shine.
  • No bias at all. To clarify, I will not be giving my opinion on any Sonic an SEGA news articles. I will be giving the lowdown by saying what info is needed to be said, include any media like screenshots of video, thanking a person who sent a news tip if that happened, and that’s all. You get what you need to read, not what I need to read.
  • Open-minded. What does this mean? Well it sort of adds to the lack of bias that I wish to have in the articles. You won’t be getting pessimism. You won’t be getting optimism either. Instead of saying “this isn’t looking good” or “hopes are climbing” you will be getting “more information will no doubt be coming soon so stay tuned” because 99% of the time this is really the case. Believe what you want and leave whatever comments you feel you need to make about the news at hand but, as a news reporter, my articles aren’t to believe. They’re to inform.
  • No leaks. If there’s a leak, like for example Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal is leaked a week early, I will put up an article saying it’s happened but nothing more. It will serve more as a warning that spoilers may be abound and to keep an eye out. I will not be linking to where you can see the leaks. I will not include the leaked info itself. All that will be said is “this person got it from [insert retail store here] and have shared their findings online. Their findings include very confidential info, including spoilers, so please keep your eyes peeled if you do not wish to see this information” and nothing more. If there’s one thing I understand it is legal rules and the wishes and requests of SEGA. I have boundaries, basically.
  • No articles with confidential and vague info from “a source”. I’m fine with news tips. Feel free to let us know of whatever catches your eye. But it’s difficult to make an article on something if I can’t source it properly. “A source who wishes to remain anonymous” comes off awkward to me. I have nothing to link to, nothing to prove. Just “some person sent me this”. How do I know it’s not just a twelve-year-old looking to gain attention? I learned the hard way back in February that having a source is critical. I might make a tweet saying that someone sent us a news tip with unannounced details related to the next Sonic game and ask you guys on if I should trust it but, unless I have something more valid to source in an article other than “someone told me”, an article is a no go.
  • All info will be double checked on validity before publishing. I will be honest when I say that false leads and headlines have become quite a nasty plague this year. No matter where I’ve gone, I find out news and it turns out to be fake. So that will change. Not only will I be relying on a link to go to as a source but I will be checking that link and seeing if things look valid or not. I don’t want to go to a link and see it’s from a fake account, a site that’s known for being satirical, or whatever. If the articles continue to provide links, I’ll continue to inspect their sources.

As you can probably see, I’m more picky than Tristan with what I feel qualifies as trustworthy and/or worth publishing in an article. But that’s not all I had in mind.

Last but not least, I have a question for you all. Do you all want me to keep reporting on Ken Penders or the Gearbox/SEGA lawsuit? Whether they are informative or not, if you guys don’t want me to cover these (and I honestly can’t blame you if you don’t) let me know and that subject will be ignored. Being informative helps but listening to reader imput, especially when it is polite and constructive, matters to me just as much. Likewise, do you guys want me to promote anything important that Sonic Paradox , Sonic Stadium, Retro, et cetera do? Considering my work on various Sonic fan sites, it might come off biased and I don’t want you guys to put up with that if you don’t want it.

Now, I’ve already contemplated on some ideas on what to do with TSSZ news coverage and I’d like your input on this as well. Would you just like it if I do those coverage streams and promote them here if they’re live? Would you guys approve of live blogs from me? I may extend the E3 coverage for 2015, if that’s any indicator to how far ahead I think, to include streams and live blogs. I also plan on streaming Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric if I get the game on release day. Would it be fine if I promote that? I want you guys to be honest too. Don’t pretend to be fine with things if you’re not. I’m a nice guy but I’m not a wuss. I bolded all the important stuff in this article for a reason. Because that is the most urgent things.

I apologise in advance if anything I’ve said has come off rude or disrespectful but I really am wanting to cool heads, ease tension and curiosity, and show to the world that I take what I do seriously and listen. I care. I really do. And I want you all to voice whatever concerns or questions you may have to me. Leave a comment here if you want. I’ll be reading every single one of them. Tweet or DM me (if you follow me) @SSF1991 if you don’t think I’m on TSSZ’s twitter at the time. Send me a question on Ask.fm if you want. There are many places you can leave me feedback and I assure you, I care about you all and I will listen. As I said, the same goes to anyone outside of TSSZ that may be reading this. If you’re on Retro, Stadium, SSRG, anywhere. Contact me with your feedback. I want to help. If you feel TSSZ is just not for you or you still don’t approve of the site, that is fine. I won’t force you to. You have your reasons. But if you ever have second thoughts, I’ll be around and waiting.

Apologies for the long article but I really did want to clear things up. Thank you for your time and I look forward to reading your feedback and producing content that I hope you all will enjoy. I will see you tomorrow when we get this show on the road!

This post was originally written by the author for TSSZ News.

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Donnie

Donnie

A chao that wears a news reporter hat, Donnie has been a part of LMC since 2012, LMC's main news writer Donnie is also a part of the Uncutting Crew commentary series.

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74 Comments

  3. I’m really glad you’re taking the “anonymous source” rule into effect. I get really suspicious and never really find leaks or news articles with that excuse as credible, and I’m glad to see that you’ve taken that into consideration!

    1. Thank you. I took it into consideration because of the overall feedback I’ve seen from the community, not just TSSZ.

      Again, just proof that I’m listening. =)

    1. Crap, I knew I forgot to mention something! XD

      Yes, there will still be April Fools articles. Perhaps not as many as before (3+ feels overkill and unnecessary) but I’m keeping that tradition going.

  9. Glad to hear that you’re taking a more strict approach to what and what not to cover as news. I see that’s part of the reasoning why this site has so mych flak, because of what and how the news is approched. Yeah this place does have its criticisms and not-so-good rep among some in the community, but I said this last night (and you should know this because you was there): it is unfair people give this place a bad shake due to association with mainly obe person and his reputation among the community. Hell, even I wouldn’t go that far with demonizing the whole site when there are legit good people who provide sone good contebt because ‘Oh I hate that Tristan guy so much’ and whatever.

    With that said, I would say this change up is a very good thing, if only for yhe the reasoning that with your more favorable reputation maybe (and yes I am going to use this word) the site as a whole will be more tolerable for some people. Maybe it won’t. But by just reading your new news guidelines already that may have already earned you some good graces.

    So in closing, congrats on taking over the main news duties and whatnot. As far as the Penders thing…nah. Like, what hasn’t already been said enough? I certainly wouldn’t want to give the guy anymore unwanted attention. As far as the SEGA/Gearbox fiasco, now that’s a lot more suitable to post in my opinion.

    By the way, we all know you’re just building to your New Donnie Order you can’t hide from THE TRUTH WE’RE ON TO YOU

  10. Everything you have said made me ecstatic.

    I beleive those changes are nessasarly and I love how kind you are! As for parodx and streams, it gives more variety so why not? Thats just my opinon however, but I do wish you the best of luck! And I look forward to hearing more from you in the near future.

    Welcome aboard friend.

  11. I’ll miss the leaks. Throw up a spoiler warning for the people wearing blindfolds, but they’re probably the most newsworthy items of potential news. I come here for new information because this site has always been the most and active and thorough. I can get official trailers and screenshots from facebook or Desctructoid.

    Community stuff? Eh. Definitely not the drama (or at least not such with a dramatic spin). Noteworthy items of business for other sites? Go for it. I visit Retro and Stadium on occasion, but their lack of regular updates and interesting content is the reason I visit TSSZ daily, so if something big or interesting happens in the community, it’d be nice to hear about it here. I always thought it was weird when some sites would cover some content, but others would overlook it.

    I will not watch video content. Ever. Don’t have the attention span for it. This even goes for Ryan’s video reviews, which is a shame because I love Ryan XD Of course I will check out trailers and cutscenes, or comedy stuff and the like, but video editorials, streams, or the type of news/information I have to listen for over 20 minutes as opposed to reading over 3 will always turn me away.

    Frankly, I’ll also miss the bias. I love that Tristan was never afraid to share his take on the state of things. It was frankly a breath of fresh air that made this place feel like less a soulless pro-Sonic advertising machine, and more like a place that genuinely cared for the franchise and where it was heading. Maybe I just enjoyed the often cynical echoing of my own thoughts and worries, but I still want to see this site stand for something more than free advertising for Sega. Tristan might not have always been the most amicable guy, but his spin on the news always made it feel genuine, and his editorial comments brought the news to life by causing me to question things or look at them from a perspective other than merely a news-hungry consumer.

    I get wanting to play nice and make everybody happy, but there’s something to be said for that style of reporting. An absolute refusal to step on toes can tend to make a site sound disingenuous, I’ve always liked TSSZ’s reflection of the community’s current state and mentality, in addition to the news content provides. It would be a same to see that leave completely.

    I’m sure I’ll think of more as time goes by, but those are my thoughts thus far.

    1. Oh don’t worry, when I’m not news reporting I get quite expressive with my own opinion. Hell I do a talk show every week on Sonic Paradox (which I should note is a site that does animated jabs at SEGA all the time) that is literally just me expressing myself for a good hour or two. And I’ve ranted quite a bit on things. XD

      With leaks it’s very awkward. What are the boundaries? Is it legal? What do I say? Lots to keep in mind with that. But not to worry, I’m not completely ignoring leaks. I’ll be acknowledging them and explaining how the leak came about but I won’t elaborate where they can be found or how.

      I just hold back on doing it for articles. It’s less so “I blindly support SEGA” and more so “I just feel it’s unnecessary”. And even if I did include my opinion, I wouldn’t say much. It’s strange but I find that it is easier to express myself via audio than typing. That’s why I think of alternatives like video content and live blogs to appeal to that crowd. It’s more casual in nature and I can loosen up.

      But I can see your concerns and I’ll keep them in mind. That’s why I put all this out in the open today instead of tomorrow and why I’m asking for feedback. I don’t expect to please everyone but I do hope people are at least comfortable with me now. XD

  12. Left a fairly lengthy comment that was, as expected, lost to our awful filtration system. Might wanna look into that for me. I’m sure the rest of us would appreciate it as well. It’s been quite the problem for a while now.

      1. It seems like the longer the comment, the more the system hates it. I think the reason why is because spammers generally spam walls of text so the system mistakes it for that. Was the comment broken up into paragraphs? That might help.

        2. Can you do the same for me? I just posted a kind of lengthy post that I wanted to hear back from you on.

  13. I’m gonna miss Tristan, a lot. His way of news reporting is the reason I come to this site every day, even on days when there is no news and instead he reports on some of the most redundant things because it shows he’s willing to look in and out to make sure this site is up to date with everything. Plus he shares a lot of my opinions and it’s always nice to see someone who agrees with you and vice versa.

    If I do have to ask one thing from you Donnie, it’s that you keep the leak articles around because they are a breath of hope of things we might/will get in the future regarding Sonic and SEGA who has that habit of leaving Sonic fans in the dark for two years regarding new games.

    I’m a little skeptical about TSSZ’s future but hopefully you can continue where Tristan left off and keep this site on the right track.

    1. Thanks for the feedback. I’ll still be reporting on things that seem casual in nature such as that Sonic X dance we saw before and any community happenings/events. It won’t be just Sonic and SEGA news, I think.

      Like I said, I’m not completely ignoring leaks. There would still be an article mentioning that it happened and how. So you’ll still get them. I just don’t want to spread that leak around and cause problems, some that could even get legal. =)

      The skepticism is understandable though. It’s a big change and I agree., it’s not someone to just jump right into. I just hope I made that a little easier to handle. =)

  14. If you ask me, I think you’re going to do just fine. I’ve been pretty content with what Tristan’s been doing on the site, and my only problems with TSSZ were with some of the commentators who were here or are still here. If anything, this site just seems to be a magnet for people who tend to be a little more vocal and active about their opinions, which can both be a good and a bad thing. I never really thought the news that was delivered actually had any influence over how people reacted, it was and is always just the people themselves and how they react to things, that’s all.

    But issues with the community aside, it sounds like you’ve got a pretty reasonable plan about how to handle the one thing I come here for, the news. I’m pretty much fine with all of your ideas and barriers and such. I have to say though, while others may for some reason or other prefer to hear somebody’s bias on a particular thing, I find that it only benefits those who share the same opinion, and that doesn’t apply to everyone. It’s always fun to see that you can agree with someone on something, but it can really ruin your day when one of your favorite games seems to be needlessly bashed upon. I think it’s probably best that the strong opinions are kept in the comments section. If you have an opinion about something and share a bit of it in the article, that’s fine by me and it can be fun to hear actually, even if I don’t entirely agree with it. But if the entire article itself is opinion based like the Vertical Slice, then it’s kind of a turn-off for me. Still, you sound like a very level-headed and fair guy, so I doubt it’s really going to be much of an issue.

    Again, some people on here may prefer to hear somebody maintain a bias for an entire article, but in my opinion I think there is already more than enough bias in the comments section to keep everybody satisfied. Just give the news as it is and people will fill in their own opinions about it. You don’t have to extinguish the fire, you just have to keep it from burning the news.

    And finally, I think you should definitely continue the Penders coverage. I don’t like what’s been happening, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to know what happened. Information is a key to understanding these kind of things, so the less we know, the less informed our opinions sound. I could care less about any leaks or opinion articles, but cases like the Penders/Archie case are things worth knowing more about, at least to me.

    All in all, I think you’re going to do great on here. It was a lengthy article, sure, but you wanted to get every concern addressed and out of the way so that we can get back to what we love most about this site, hearing about anything Sonic or SEGA related without any complications. Besides, as you can see, a few of us are pretty accustomed to expressing our feelings in 5 paragraphs or more, so if anything, you are among friends here. Some other commentators may not feel the same, but in the end, it doesn’t really matter as long as you know that there are people who appreciate the work you go through. We all appreciated what Tristan has done for us, and I’m pretty confident that I’m going to appreciate what you do for us too.

    Good luck Donnie! 🙂

  15. As I expected, my comment got lost. Can either of you (Tristan? Donnie?) find it for me? It’s probably in spam like Fox’s was.

    1. Took care of it. It happens. None of the comments actually get deleted, they just go to spam. It reminds me a lot of email in a way.

  16. I would prefer no more attention to Penders, but there’s still the suit he’s going to pursue with Sega and Bioware, which should prove quite interesting, or just further aggravate the people who don’t much care for him anymore. I dunno, it’s your choice on whether you think it worthy and relevant or not. The Sega/Gearbox thing, eh, I’m not really interested in men in suits proving that they have a huge diaper under it. Still, some people would like to see how that turns out. Probably cover it for as long as it remains relevant I would say.

    Now for Sonic community stuff, if something big is coming down, like a fan game, or a fan site is holding a major event or something of the like, go ahead and share it. It helps spread the word, and I personally think it helps tie the community together. So I have no issue with what you mentioned there.

    Live streams and blogs are fine with me, I say go for it, gives more options for getting news.

    I also have no problem with you streaming Rise of Lyric either, just so long as you make sure that spoiler warnings are up for those who do mind being spoiled. Because, let’s be honest here, a stream of a game will do exactly that. But yeah, go for it, for those of us who don’t mind being spoilt, it’ll help us determine if the game is worth the money, especially if there are any game play and control issues that would definitely affect how the game plays.

    All in all, I look forward to seeing what you’ll bring to the table, so long as we continue to get the news we need. Which you’ve assured that’s exactly what we’ll be getting.

  17. That story about how you got into Sonic reminds me of mine. 🙂 I’d like you to keep reporting on Penders’ Lara-Su project. It’s one of those, “It’s so bad it’s good” articles. As much as I like the idea of streaming your play through of Sonic Boom, I don’t think it is a good idea because there are people who prefer to play through and discover the game themselves than watching a play through and spoiling all the surprises. I’d suggest streaming it on a later date, not the day it comes out. Everything else you have planned is fine. Good luck!

  19. No community drama articles: Yeah, probably for the best. It can be amusing at times but those type of articles were not good for the reputation of the site.

    No bias at all: Good luck. lol

    Open-minded: I have no problem with opinions in articles and it can make for more interesting articles depending on the quality of the commentary. You could always do what newspapers do: separate news and editorial articles, and make it’s clear when an article is a “TSSZ Editorial”. Though avoiding clickbait titles for editorials would be a good idea for the reputation of the site. Sometimes that can be difficult depending on the subject though.

    No leaks: I don’t have a problem with the site talking about leaks or showing leaks as long as there’s a clear spoiler warning to leaked content. Before Episode 1 of Sonic 4 came out, Tristan mentioned the Metal Sonic surprise without any warning in the article which pissed me off to the point where I left an rather unflattering comment…that got filtered. >_> I went a bit overboard, but that massive spoiler before the game came out was totally uncalled for those of us who wanted to be surprised.

    No articles with confidential and vague info from “a source”: Unless you have a damn good source that wishes to remain anonymous, this is a very good decision. Most Sonic related leaks are always absolute bullshit.

    All info will be double checked on validity before publishing: Good.

    Regarding the Archie vs. Penders article, keep them going. This is the only site I know of that has covered the case extensively. Also keep on more making more court related articles in the future that relate to Sonic and Sega. Legal drama amuses me and it’s nice to know about that stuff, especially considering how the case with Penders had such unfortunate ramifications.

    Here’s hoping much of these changes will help to improve the reputation and quality of the websites. Maybe some sites will eventually get rid of their fluffy kitten filters and allow discussion related to articles from this site.

      2. Donnie?As in Donnie from Sonic Paradox and Brainscratch?

        Hi buddy,great to see you working here ^_^

  23. Just want to make sure u guys keep on the promise Sega gave to the west in regards to pso2. It’s a shame we have had to wait this long.

  25. If this goes through: Congrats Donnie, interested to see what you do with the site. Hopefully the random non-SEGA/Sonic articles are no more. The GTAV review still has me scratching my head. I get “Beyond Blue”, but that’s a bit too beyond.

    1. Hmmm. Strange. I don’t see it but I think I know why: The spam folder got cleared. I don’t think there’s anything I can do about that unless you resubmit the comment. D=

  29. Welcome, Donnie! I’ve been checking TSSZ regularly since 2008, and even though I’m not terribly familiar with your previous work, what you’ve said here really makes me excited for the future of TSSZ News!

    I would certainly like more video content, and gameplay streams are fine as well, as long as they aren’t too often. Once every week or two sounds like a good sweet spot to me. I’d hate to come to the front page and see 4 stream notices all in a row. HAHA!

    I agree with your stances on leaks and community drama, but I do hope you will follow the community’s successes on here. Things like big fangame and hack releases, the uncovering of some long-lost beta, a new batch of Paradox shorts, stuff like that.

    As for Ken Penders and SEGA vs. Gearbox, I say if something INTERESTING happens, feel free to cover it. I don’t need to know every time someone sneezes, but if there is some big court ruling, or new piece of evidence, go ahead. I’m fine with reading any article, as long as I don’t finish it thinking “…And how was that newsworthy?”

    Also, if I may make a suggestion… TSSZ always seems to take a LOONG time to get game reviews out, so may I suggest a short “First Impressions” article near release, followed by a more detailed review later on? It’d allow for TSSZ to react more quickly to game releases, and even reflect your evolving opinion on a game, which is interesting in it’s own right.

    Oh, and editorials are nice, too. 🙂

    I look forward to reading your work! Good luck!

    1. Thanks for the warm welcome and feedback! =)

      Don’t worry, there won’t be that many streams. Here I’d promote news coverage streams which I only do for the bigger headlines like the announcement of a game or, say, playing a recently released Sonic game for the first time. I don’t have the time to stream four a week anyway. XD

      Yes. I plan on following the community’s successes. In fact I promoted a stream that SEGABits and Dreamcast Junkyard are doing for the Dreamcast’s 15 anniversary in North America.

      That’s what my plan was. If something interesting happens.

      First impression articles don’t sound like a bad idea! I may just do that! Thanks for the suggestion! =)

  30. DONNIE!!! Dude, I’m a huge fan of you and your stuff from BSC and HFC. Suuuper excited to have you here! Welcome and good luck with your work here.
    That Spinball run was BEAST. 😀

    1. Thank you. I greatly appreciate it!

      I may be lead reporter of TSSZ now but that doesn’t mean I’m leaving other sites. All that work will continue. There will just be another venue to find me now. =)

  31. Wow Donnie, its nice to see you working here. Being that we have spoken in the past and since your videos are one of my favorites, I know you can deliver quality news here. Keep it up dude.

  32. I already wrote this just got deleted by the spam folder so I’m writing everything in short:

    1- Like the way you say you will report news, verify sources and avoid personal opinions inside news articles.

    2- Since you claim this will be a no drama/bias free site I would love if the Vertical Slice articles would stop being posted on this site, those are as much biased as a fan can get, also it feels like most of them are just flame wars bait.

    3- I would like to know about the progression of Ken Pender’s lawsuit against Sega/EA for the rights of Sonic Chronicle’s characters and story, I’m not really interested in his Lara-Su Chronicles nor in the Sega and Gearbox lawsuit but I don’t mind of other users want to know about them.

    4- I would like to see live streams coverage and live blogs, especially that Sonic Boom first playthough, aslo I would love to see updates on Sonic Paradox latest projects since I’m a big fan of their animated shorts.

    It’s great to have you on board, congratulations and I wish you the best of luck!

    1. I have no control or relation in regards to Vertical Slice nor the contents of it. That’s an entirely separate project and it has nothing to do with me. =)

      Thanks for the feedback!

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