More after the jump.

The trailer confirms two new levels for Shadow’s campaign – Rail Canyon from Sonic Heroes, and Kingdom Valley from Sonic the Hedgehog (2006). We also get to see a bit more of the Space Colony ARK, including a sequence where Shadow suddenly gets wings! Presumably this is part of his new “Doom Powers,” which the official site helpfully tells us will let us “battle hordes of enemies and tackle platforming challenges like never before. Surf on water, fly over obstacles, and stop time with the return of Chaos Control!” Story wise, the trailer doesn’t give us much aside from the Time Eater blinding Shadow for a minute. But hey, no worries, the official website gives us a new synopsis:

In this new standalone campaign, Shadow’s nemesis, Black Doom, has reemerged and threatens to take over the world once again. Shadow must journey into his past, confront his painful memories, and unlock new dark powers to save the world.

The trailer might show us Shadow suddenly growing wings, but one thing it completely skips out on is the hub world. In Sonic Generations, the levels lived in White Space, a bright void on a 2D plane where Classic or Modern Sonic could run along before choosing a stage (or mission) to blaze through. Instead of recreating that simple hub world, Shadow is getting a full 3D playground. Luckily, the website lets us know that the hub world lives, completely different from how it is in Sonic’s campaign. Done in the style of Sonic Frontiers, certain areas will unlock as Shadow gains new abilities, giving Shadow more to explore and do. A single screenshot was released where you can see some Soleanna-inspired architecture in this world outside of normal time and space.

But what about the original game? Is the Sonic half of Sonic X Shadow Generations just a one-to-one of the 2011 release? Generations‘ opening cutscene has been updated, a gaggle of Chao now attending Sonic’s birthday party. More than a visual flourish, each stage is getting at least one addition – a hidden Chao that needs to be rescued. Promotional materials also mention the museum’s unlockables, but its not clear just yet if anything new will be added there. But if you loved the Casino Night pinball table? No worries, it comes standard. Hit those bumpers to your heart’s content.

The game is coming in three flavors: Standard Digital, Deluxe Digital, and a physical release.

Physical copies of the game will come out October 25, 2024. Costing $49.99 USD at If you preorder the game, you’ll get the “Sonic Adventure Legacy Skin,” so you can run through Speed Highway the way it was always intended. Also included with the “Physical Day One Edition” is Gerald Robotnik’s Journal. A 28 (!) page booklet “recording Gerald’s innermost thoughts and drawings while creating Shadow and the Ark Space Station.” The preview pages at the end of the trailer can just be made out, which not only show drawings of Angel Island and the Master Emerald shrine, but reveal that Gerald actually visited the island! For those who are deep in Sonic lore, you might just want the physical version.

The Digital Standard Edition will also cost $49.99, and comes with the “Sonic Adventure Legacy Skin” for preorders. But as Sega has been doing with previous Sonic titles, they’re also offering a Digital Deluxe version, priced at $59.99 USD.

For those who followed the Sonic Adventure 2 rumors during the turn of the century, you can finally be Terios, the Sonic doppelganger that definitely looks more like Sonic. There’s also a digital art book, digital soundtrack, extra BGM, and the ability to play the game starting October 22nd. While not available at release, Digital Deluxe owners will also get an additional level and character skin for Shadow.

But that’s not all! Because Japan is getting a completely different physical edition of the game.

Gone is Gerald’s journal. Instead, there’s a physical art book (will it be the same as the digital art book? Time will tell), a bust of Shadow the Hedgehog holding the Black Arms logo, and a neat little keychain with Sonic and Shadow’s footwear. You’ll also get a sticker of the Sonic the Hedgehog 3 logo from the upcoming film.

There’s also one additional extra, but only if you have a PS4 or PS5. Last month, it was announced that Sonic X Shadow would have a prologue animation, similar to Sonic Frontiers and Sonic Superstars. Entitled Dark Beginnings, if you buy the game on Sony hardware, you’ll receive “bonus extended prologue animations with never-before-seen deleted scenes.” Already promising deleted scenes before we’ve seen the full version! How about that.

If you want the complete Sonic X Shadow experience, it’s unfortunate that you might need to double, or even triple, dip. Chances are the Digital Deluxe extras will be available for people who purchase the physical edition, but then you lose out on an extra 72 hours of Shadow. And if you want all the physical goodies? Well, can’t do anything except import a second copy. All that aside, the game itself is looking good. Is this the Sonic equivalent of Super Mario 3D World & Bowser’s Fury? I mean. Sure. But is that such a bad thing?

Sonic X Shadow Generations comes out this October on all the usual platforms: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, Steam, and Epic Games Store.

Source: Sonic X Shadow Generations official site
PlayStation Blog

The post Sonic X Shadow Generations – Info Roundup & Release Date appeared first on Sonic Retro.

Yes, it’s a remaster, but so much more.

Shadow the Hedgehog is back, baby.

The title of Sonic X Shadow Generations spoils what the main draw of this rerelease is – a brand new campaign featuring Shadow taking place in the backdrop of the original Generations. How many levels or boss encounters he’ll have, we don’t know just yet. What we do see is footage of him both running through a city (Westopolis?) and facing the Biolizard and Black Doom. Safe money would be that we’re getting at least three new stages, but I wouldn’t be against more.

Unlike Shadow’s appearance in Sonic Forces, it looks as though he’ll have his own unique move set – there’s definitely some Chaos Spear action in that trailer. The official PlayStation blog also gave us this quote from Takashi Iizuka, Creative Officer at Sonic Team:

“With Sonic x Shadow Generations, we wanted to bring Sonic Generations to PS5 and PS4 while pairing a brand-new Shadow storyline to crossover with the original story.

With Shadow’s portion of the title, players will get to know him more as a character and understand his motivations. It will create the ultimate celebration of Classic Sonic, Modern Sonic, and Shadow gameplay that all fans will surely enjoy.”

The official Steam page has also gone up, giving us some insight as to what Shadow’s campaign will be about:

Play as Shadow the Hedgehog in a brand-new story campaign featuring never-before-seen powers and abilities. When Shadow’s old nemesis, Black Doom, reemerges and threatens to take over the world, Shadow must journey into his own past, confront painful memories, face familiar foes, and unlock new powers to save the world and prove why he’s known as the Ultimate Life Form!

Clearly, this is more than just making Shadow playable in Generations and calling it a day. As for just how much is in store for our favorite rival? Well, we’re going to have to wait on that. Just like we’ll have to wait on knowing who is behind this remaster/expansion. Though Ian Flynn did tweet a certain #KnowingSmile…

Here’s the official blurb:

Shadow the Hedgehog is back with Classic and Modern Sonic in SONIC X SHADOW GENERATIONS, an all-new collection featuring two unique experiences! Play as Shadow the Hedgehog in a brand-new story campaign featuring never-before-seen powers and abilities that prove why he’s known as the Ultimate Life Form! SONIC X SHADOW GENERATIONS also includes a complete remaster of the classic hit SONIC GENERATIONS, featuring newly remastered versions of iconic 2D and 3D stages with upgraded visuals and new bonus content.

Sonic X Shadow Generations is coming autumn 2024 on all the expected places – PS5/PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Epic Games Store, and Steam.

[Sonic X Shadow Generations Official Website]
[PlayStation Blog article]

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David sat down with me on the long-running SEGAbits podcast The Swingin’ Report Show to not only discuss the history of Sonic-Grams, but also debut three long lost newsletters published alongside the comic book which featured writings from Ken Penders covering what was happening in the comics as well as shining the spotlight on fellow writers and artists. The full episode is below, and I’ve also linked the comic pages featuring the PDF scans of the newsletters.

But here is the important part: We are missing Volume 1, Number 1! It was released before issue 28, likely in the summer of 1994, but that is all we know. If you own the first newsletter, let us know in the comments and please scan and upload it to the Sonic Retro wiki!

Volume 1 #2: Archie Sonic issue 28
Volume 2 #1: Archie Sonic issue 40
Volume 3 #1: Archie Sonic issue 49

The post “SONIC-GRAMS” VOL. 6: KEN PENDERS EXTRA appeared first on Sonic Retro.

It’s been a few years since the Sonic Adventure Music Experience and a lot has happened since then. The next major event that Sega did was during The Event of 2020-2021, namely the Sonic 30th Anniversary Symphony in June 2021. While this was incredible to see, it was a shame that due to the nature of the world at that time, the orchestra had to play to no in-person audience.

2 years on from then, and a slightly remixed Sonic Symphony has finally begun, and embarked on a world tour to hundreds of people per venue. Myself and a dozen or so other members of Sonic Retro were present at the opening night at the Barbican in London, and what a night it was.

I pulled into Paddington station early in the morning of the 16th and following a quick change of route from my intended path (someone had triggered a fire alarm at Bond Street’s Elizabeth Line station, making it unusable and forcing me onto the longer, hotter, and not-air-conditioned Bakerloo Line instead), I arrived at Retro’s traditional Barcade meetup spot of Henry’s Cafe Bar in Piccadilly. One by one the group grew, catching up on things since our last meetup in late 2022, and excitedly talking about the evening ahead.

Eventually we left the cafe, and following a quick stop at Forbidden Planet for a couple of the group to buy some Pokémon card packs for a card draw match they had planned – drinks were riding on it, it was important! – we split up again into smaller groups to check into our hotels and get into classier attire for the theatre. I could go on about the unintentional puzzles and weirdness of the “escape room” that was the hotel room myself and two other Retroites checked into (which was still throwing things at us right up to the moment we checked out the next day), but that’s not what you’re here for, is it dear reader? Instead, we reconvened at the Jugged Hare near to the Barbican, where Dreadknux had organised a pre-show meetup. The Retro group grew still more here, from both a couple of faces who’d never been to an in-person meet before, to some long-time friends – the first Sonic community meetup I did was at PlayStation Experience way back in 2003, so this event marked an astonishing 20 years since then.

The very first performance of the Symphony was in full swing by this point, of course. As we all know by now, the original 8pm showing proved so staggeringly popular with bookings that a second show was put on before hand to accommodate the numbers. While some cheeky glances at Twitter of the 3:30pm performance were I’m sure done by most people going to the later showing, all it did was fuel the excitement; and by 7pm, it was time to go and we left the pub, walked the couple of hundred metres down the road to the theatre entrance, and walked inside.

It was obvious even to the most casual onlooker that something different to the usual kind of event a place like this would be putting on, between the large crowds wearing Sonic the Hedgehog gear of all kinds (from pin badges to Chao hats and everything in between), to the hedgehog himself walking around! We got our drinks, headed to our seats, and waited for the show to begin, with a counter ticking down second by second, until finally the moment arrived as the audience counted aloud from 10 seconds to zero.

The show started with the orchestra playing the Sonic 1 Medley from the 2019 Symphony, which was lovely to hear live for the first time (and a joy to hear good-natured laughs from the crowd during the Sonic death montage in Labyrinth Zone). Any thoughts that this show would just be a straightforward live retread of that performance were quickly quashed with the very next item however, an all-new Sonic CD Medley that an audible gasp came up from the audience on starting. From there we heard the Sonic 2 Medley and Game Gear Medley (again from the 2019 show), before another new item – an extended version of Sky Sanctuary, featuring footage from both Sonic & Knuckles and Sonic Generations, as well as Sonic Frontiers. A performance of the Sonic Mania Medley – which I especially enjoyed, the Titanic Monarch section of this track being one of my favourite pieces from the original show and was a pleasure to hear performed live – rounded out the Classic section of the show.

Next, we entered the Adventure era with a performance of the orchestral version of Believe in Myself, leading into a new orchestral version of It Doesn’t Matter. Next up was an extended Chao Medley. While this began with the same theme used during the interval during the 2019 symphony, it quickly became obvious that this was something new as a couple of other Chao themes revealed themselves, along with another laugh from the audience as Robotnik trundled down to the Chao Kindergarten holding one of the creatures. From there, we got another all-new surprise: Rooftop Run from Sonic Unleashed, with a Sonic Generations twist packed into the tune as well. Sonic Colours then got some representation with a performance of Aquarium Park and Planet Wisp, before the first half of the show rounded up with a medley of themes from Sonic Frontiers, a game that obviously didn’t exist at the time of the 30th anniversary show.

The interval arrived to thunderous applause, and we all filed out to get some more drinks, compare notes on what we thought of the show so far, and speculate on what we might see in the second half of the performance. The 20 minute countdown timer seemed to tick away very fast, and we settled back down into our seats for a somewhat different second half to the first – something immediately obvious as the time ticked down a second time to zero (the audience again joining in for the last few seconds), and the stage suddenly being bathed in a sea of red light.

Jun Senoue walked out onto the stage to massive applause and cheering, and the orchestra, now augmented by a singer, guitars and a drum-kit, performed I Am… All of Me from Shadow the Hedgehog. This was followed up by What I’m Made Of from Sonic Heroes, Open Your Heart from Sonic Adventure, Knight of the Wind from Sonic and the Black Knight and Escape From the City from Sonic Adventure 2. The crowd sang loudly along to every song, not missing a beat. While Jun has done live shows like this before (Summer of Sonic, Sonic Boom, etc), having a full orchestra behind it all was a unique experience to see live.

At this point, Jun bid the audience farewell (for the moment, anyhow), and as he left the stage, Tomoya Ohtani came on to just as loud claps and cheers as Jun got coming on. We were treated to performances of His World from Sonic 06, Reach For The Stars: Re-Colours from Sonic Colours, Fist Bump from Sonic Forces and Endless Possibility from Sonic Unleashed.

At that point the show was over; but of course it wasn’t, it was time for the encore. With the audience now standing out of their seats, Tomoya Ohtani joined the band and orchestra for one last song of Break Through It All from Sonic Frontiers before bidding farewell to the London audience and heading off stage, but there was still one more surprise left in store. Jun Senoue came back on stage, and while we were expecting this for Live and Learn – so far, conspicuous for its absence – what we didn’t expect was that wasn’t what was played. Instead, we were treated to a live performance of the opening theme from Sonic Superstars, a game not due out for about another month and a song that had never been heard by the public before the day of the performance.

The lights went down one more time, but there was still one thing missing. To chants of “Live and Learn!” from the audience, the stage started up one last time to perform a live version of the song that has to be in any performance of Sonic vocal songs. Joined by several hundred scream-singing Sonic fans, the orchestra and band performed the main theme song from Sonic Adventure 2 with gusto, a triumphant high note on what had been an outstanding performance.

The lights came up and following a long standing ovation, the performers headed off stage for a well-deserved rest and the audience filed out of the venue, with most of the Retro group heading to a nearby NQ64 for drinks and animated discussion of the show.

Other highlights for me of the show in no particular order:

• The conductor (Jose Delgado) asking the audience how old they were when they’d started playing their first Sonic game, and remarking “I’m going to have to have a word with your parents” when there were still people cheering for having been playing as young as three years old.
• The drowning countdown timer – and audience reaction – in the Chemical Plant section of the Sonic 2 Medley.
• Personal reactions from one or two Retroites sitting near me during particular songs – the Game Gear and Chao Medleys spring to mind!
• The crowd cheering on Silver the Hedgehog being kicked in the head by Shadow during His World. We knew it was coming, and we weren’t disappointed.

On behalf of Sonic Retro and all of those that attended the Sonic Symphony in London, thank you so much to Shota Nakama, Jose Delgado, Dave Vives, Derek Dupuis, Louis Ochoa, Blaize Collard, and the National Symphony Orchestra of Great Britain; for an incredible show and a memorable evening that no-one who was there will ever forget.

Additional special thanks go out to all the Retroites & friends who enjoyed the evening with me: Aerosol, CalamityJames, Cinossu, D.A Garden, Ducktanian, FlickySixx, girlofyourdreamcast, JenHedgehog, Mihael, Narstyle, Neowl, NikTheGreek, Orengefox, Redhotsonic, Shaddix Croft, Stiv, and MrVestek. Several of them took the photos I used in this article!

The final setlist from London, in full:

Sonic 1 Medley
Sonic CD Medley
Sonic 2 Medley
Sonic GG Medley
Sky Sanctuary
Sonic Mania Medley
Believe in Myself ~ It Doesn’t Matter
Chao Medley
Rooftop Run
Aquarium Park ~ Planet Wisp
Sonic Frontiers Medley

–Interval–

(Jun Senoue arrives)
I Am… All of Me
What I’m Made Of
Open Your Heart
Knight of the Wind
Escape From the City
(Jun Senoue leaves, Tomoya Ohtani arrives)
His World
Reach For The Stars: Re-Colours
Fist Bump
Endless Possibility

–Encore–
Break Through It All
(Tomoya Ohtani leaves, Jun Senoue returns)
Sonic Superstars Opening Theme
Live and Learn

Second Opinion: Aerosol

I’ve been to a concert hall. I dressed for the occasion in said concert hall; in a suit, tie and jacket, don’t you know. I am cultured now, you see.

And as a cultured, distinguished gentleman, I’m no longer prone to hyperbolic, superlative-laden descriptions.

Therefore the following, being the result of several hours of auditory digestion and rumination, will have to be sufficient in conveying the course of the evening’s events.

It was adequate. Most adequate.

…

Bugger that it was bloody awesome!!!

Watching the countdown for the show starting, among hundreds of like-minded fans from all kinds of walks of life; from all kinds of generations was something visceral. It was moving and palpable in a way I could taste. I wish you could’ve been there!

The show roared to life before a single note was played as the orchestra walked out of the stage and, without skipping a beat, broke into a wonderfully rendered procession of classic Sonic game medleys. Separated by dead air only long enough to collect yourself and gather some air into your lungs again, we had Sonic 1, Sonic 2, Sonic CD and (curiously) a Sky Sanctuary medley to pull at those heartstrings.

And pull at those heartstrings they did. I’ve gotta tell you folks, you haven’t heard Sonic music like I heard it that night. Even if you’ve listened to recorded orchestrated renditions of Sonic songs before. A live orchestra projects an overwhelming sense of power and majesty and feeling that to the tune of music that I’ve been listening to from before I learned to use a toilet by myself was something else.

And so the Sky Sanctuary medley ended. The conductor said some stuff I don’t remember (you’re a top bloke mate but you did too good a job, didn’t listen to a word you said!), there was an intermission. And I needed a breather. As I waited in line for my pint of hoppy water…they of course decided to start Act 2.

I’d seen Jun Senoue before, way back at Sonic Adventure Music Experience. I was much closer to him then, too. But watching him rip the chords out of the guitar for I Am…All of Me made me feel like I was right in front of him again. I mean I wasn’t, I was up in the stands somewhere near the center. But the dude can perform.

And perform he did, along with the rest of the band on stage. We even got Ohtani up there! It was my teenage years coming back to punch me in the face yet again, and I was here for it. Not that they left out the youngers…I found myself belting out His World and Fist Bump even though I was sure I hated these songs. Oh well!

The whole thing was such a blast. It was so good that I completely forgot about the merchandise situation. And even after being reminded… I still held the memory of the concert so high in value that if I never got a shirt? I probably wouldn’t be that bothered. Unless someone else I knew that was there turned up for a drink-up with a shirt on one day. Hmm.

Anyway, I’ve already said way more than I meant to. Sonic Symphony is just a triumph. A proper, resounding, unrelenting, emotionally engaging, and voice-ruining triumph.

Bring lozenges maybe.

The post Sonic Symphony 2023: The Opening Night appeared first on Sonic Retro.

Twenty five years ago, in a dark theater, a game that would define the Sega Dreamcast was announced to the world in spectacular fashion. Sonic Team had returned to its namesake, and was ready to finally show everyone what they had been working on: Sonic Adventure.

But was it enough? Not just for the Sega faithful, but for those who drifted away during the Saturn era? Could this be the saving grace of Sega on a worldwide scale, and establish the Dreamcast as the cutting edge of the gaming world?

It’s pretty safe to say that, in North America, the success of the Genesis was tied to Sonic the Hedgehog. There were plenty of great games on the system, but Sonic was unlike the rest. The original quintet were able to rival the Super Mario Bros. series on a level no other mascot character had even come close to. Sonic was everywhere – television, comic books, happy meals – and it seemed like Sega could just make 2D platformer after 2D platformer far into the future.

By 1996, however, the landscape of the game industry was changing. People were looking for new experiences, specifically games that embraced the third dimension. Part of that shift was driven by the innovation of Sega’s AM2 arcade division, with Virtua Fighter becoming critically acclaimed not just for its tight gameplay but also it’s state of the art polygonal design. It only made sense that Sega would continue to push the envelope of what a game could be, with Sonic the Hedgehog right there on the cutting edge. Players were ready to see Sonic make the leap to 3D, and for the battle between Sega and Nintendo to renew itself. After all, if any game could dare to compete with Nintendo’s upcoming Super Mario 64, it would have to be a Sonic game, right?

Coverage of E3 1996, from Game Players Vol. 9 No. 8

The Sonic series was coming up on its five year anniversary, and was still considered a leading brand in the industry. It hadn’t been that long since Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and it’s lock-on counterpart, Sonic & Knuckles, had been released. While there was the occasional fan complaint that those two games were simply “more of the same,” they were still commercially and critically successful. However, simply creating a “Sonic the Hedgehog 4” was never on the table. If Sega rested on their laurels and released a 2D game staring Sonic on the Sega Saturn, it would not have shifted units, especially in comparison to the looming 3D might of Mario.

Sega of America knew they needed a Sonic game in true 3D if they had any hope of salvaging the Saturn. From the moment the console had its surprise launch in North America, it struggled to find its audience. Allienanting retail partners, game studios, and considered too expensive by the consumer, the door was left wide open for the Sony PlayStation to become the new “cool” video game console, taking its place at the top. Sony was outselling Sega at every turn – at least in the west. Fortunes had reversed, with Sega of Japan enjoying newfound success based largely on the Virtua Fighter brand. While those games were critically well received in the west and enjoyed some success in arcades, they did not capture the imagination of the American consumer in the same way it had done in Japan.

But Sonic? Sonic could do it. Thus began a long development process that resulted in Sonic X-treme, Sega Technical Institute’s answer to SoA’s Saturn problem. But it wasn’t enough to just have Sonic on the cover. It needed to be cool, it needed to be ready by Christmas, and most importantly, it needed to be good.

Commentary on the yet-untitled Sonic X-treme, from Sega of America’s FY1997 Brand Review

E3 1996 was the first time consumers were able to see Sonic and Mario in action side by side. Some were excited. Others, not so much. From the outside looking in, most agreed that it was what Sega needed. Nearly every gaming magazine out there said there was potential in X-treme, even if it sometimes felt they just assumed it would be good because it was a Sonic game. Behind the scenes? Unfortunately, due to a series of bad decisions and events out of anyone’s control, the game was nowhere near where it needed to be something something. With Christina Coffin, the game’s lead programmer, falling ill, Sega of America’s dream of launching Sonic into the third dimension and saving the Saturn was over. On August 23rd, 1996, the game was officially canceled, leading to some confused Saturn owners.

Some interpreted the news as simply being a delay. After all, a 3D Sonic game was such an obvious thing to make! The demand was there, their competitors were doing similar things with Mario and Sony’s Crash Bandicoot. But as months went by, it was clear that X-treme was over and done with. Instead, rumors began circulating of another team planning to make the next main Sonic title, a team that had some experience with the franchise…

NiGHTS Into Dreams… was released on July 5th, 1996 in Japan. The latest game from Yuji Naka and Naoto Ohshima, it was the first released under the newly formed Sonic Team division at Sega of Japan. Highly anticipated, it was met with near-universal acclaim, and would end up being the game so many compared with Super Mario 64.

“It’s nightmare on Sony Street and bedtime for Mario’s N64. Sega of America, Inc. today unveiled the 3D flight-action title “NiGHTS,” a ground-breaking new Sega Saturn game featuring panoramic graphics and 360 degree flight and ground gameplay. “NiGHTS” is powered by Sega Saturn’s three 32-bit processors to deliver 3D worlds and characters rendered in realtime, producing a game experience never before possible at home.

Developed by “Sonic the Hedgehog ” creator Yuji Naka and the Japan-based Sonic Team, “NiGHTS” will revolutionize videogaming just as Sonic the Hedgehog did in 1991. Combining the dynamics of flight with the speed of racing, the Sonic Team has developed a “flight-action” title which provides unprecedented replay value and gaming excitement.”

– ‘NiGHTS’ ON SEGA SATURN MEANS LIGHTS OUT FOR COMPETITION

With NiGHTS on store shelves, Sonic Team took a moment to gather itself, and begin to think about what was next for them. In August of 1996, the conversation moved towards Sonic, with Takashi Iizuka, lead designer of NiGHTS, proposing an RPG-esque Sonic with an emphasis on storytelling. Originally, Naka had wanted to wait five years between Sonic & Knuckles and the next Sonic project he’d undertake, but it wasn’t long before he was convinced that Sonic Team should tackle the idea of a 3D Sonic. What was the deciding factor? That’s hard to say. Maybe it was NiGHTS fans writing to Sega and asking what the heck a Sonic was. Maybe it was Sega preparing to develop a new video game console. Maybe it was just spite, Naka wanting to prove that only he could take Sonic into the future. Whatever the answer, early pre-production began.

Sonic the Hedgehog blasting through Sonic 3D Blast‘s special stage on the Saturn

The development of the next Sonic game from Sonic Team was kept under wraps, fans instead wondering what Sonic’s future held in store. The holiday season saw Sega of America pushing Sonic 3D Blast, boldly claiming in advertising that “Blue Is Back.” The game, designed for the Sega Genesis, was hastily ported over to the Saturn after the cancellation of X-treme, with some spruced up graphics and a new soundtrack. The true highlight, however, was the brand new special stage. Developed by Sonic Team, it gave people their first look at a polygonal Sonic the Hedgehog. For the Sega faithful, it was a clear highlight and a tease of what would come next. For the skeptical, however, it was not enough. Super Mario 64 would become the best selling game that holiday season, causing the Saturn to slip into third place in North America.

An article from Next Generation Online, reporting on Sonic Team’s rumored showing at the Tokyo Game Show

In the lead up to the Tokyo Toy Show, rumors started that Sonic Team was getting ready to announce something Sonic related. News outlets at the time assumed it had something to do with Sonic X-treme, but instead it was the announcement of Project Sonic – not a game, but a series of releases to bring Sonic back into prominence. The first of these, Sonic Jam, would be a collection of previous Sonic games while featuring the brand new “Sonic World,” an interactive museum one could explore by controlling a polygonal Sonic. Sega may have been coy about what was in store past phase one of Project Sonic, but most everyone guessed as to the true nature of “Sonic World.” This was a taste of the future. Suddenly, the idea that a new Sonic game would be on the Saturn didn’t seem so far out of reach.

Phase 2 of Project Sonic was the release of Sonic R, a racing title put together by the same studio that had made 3D Blast, Traveller’s Tales. Like the previous game they worked on, it was supervised by members of Sonic Team, but unlike 3D Blast it provided a true 3D experience. Well, sort of. Sonic and friends could explore the tracks, but it was still a racing game through and through. Fun on its own, it was still a tease for what was to come. And after so many teases, people were restless. Where was the next Sonic?

“This splendid example of the Saturn’s true 3D power is actually the beginnings of Yuji Naka’s new 3D Sonic game which will debut at the upcoming E3.” A preview of Sonic Jam, from GameFan Vol. 5, Issue 6.

Instead, Sonic Team’s Burning Rangers was released in February of 1998 in Japan. It would take another four months before it was released in the west, but by then, it was clear – the Sega Saturn was dead. Did that mean a new Sonic platformer, in glorious polygonal 3D, was also dead?

The Dream lives on. From Sonic HQ’s original news feed

On May 21st, 1998, Sega held a press event where they announced the Dreamcast, a 128-bit powerhouse that would push gaming once more. It was here that the world got their first glimpse at the next Sonic in one very obvious way, and one not-so-obvious.

A couple weeks later, the news site SegaNet uploaded a photo they claimed was from the next Sonic game. Immediately, people argued that it was, in fact, not from the next Sonic game. The next day, Fernando Mosquera posted an update, stating that the blurry image could actually be from an untitled motorcycle game. The day after, using some “enhanced images” to outline the figure in the picture, they proclaimed “this proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that the picture has nothing to do with everyone’s favorite blue hedgehog.” It would only be a few months later that it was proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that the image was, in fact, not from a motorcycle game, but everyone’s second look at Speed Highway. It was a far different era of the Internet, of fuzzy pictures sent through 56k modems, where 640 x 480 resolutions were high definition.

July 15th, 1998. Sonic Team finally broke their silence, uploading news on their next project. The game was given a name – Sonic Adventure – and with perhaps the first “announcement of an announcement” in Sonic history, the team revealed they would provide more information on August 22nd at a free presentation open to the public. Along with the title of the game, a single image was posted, a set of green eyes and a toothy grin on a black background. It was captivating, it was in your face, and it was mysterious. And for some, they didn’t know what to make of it.

The first discussion on the game happened on the Japanese side of Usenet, with someone pointing out Sonic Team updating their website, and how the game would certainly be the centerpiece of the Dreamcast line-up. The first reply concurred. The second reply? Someone else wishing that a Shin Megami Tensei game would be released on the same day…

It wasn’t long before news reached the English-speaking side of the web, reports being posted on the major news sites of the day. For the first time since X-treme’s unfortunate end, there was concrete information on the next main installment in the Sonic series. And one pretty intense piece of wallpaper.

Over the next few weeks, Sonic Team’s website would update with slivers of new information, intended to keep people interested before the big day. A clear shot of the logo, infused with the elements of the Earth. Commercials promoting the presentation, using CG animated footage of a flooding city. A demo version of “Open Your Heart,” the theme song of the game, in glorious 128kpbs mp3 format. A haunting silhouette of the new Sonic, enough to tantalize the mind. But perhaps the most interesting articles were a series detailing Sonic Team’s trip to South America.

On November 26th, 1996, six key members of the Sonic Adventure team landed in Cancun Mexico:

• Yuji Naka, Producer
• Takashi Iizuka, Director
• Kazuyuki Hoshino, Art Director
• Tetsu Katano, Main Programmer
• Hiroshi Nishiyama, Lead Field Artist
• Nobuhiko Honda, Lead Field Artist

Between riding zerbra patterned jet skis while drinking beer and enjoying tea made from coca leaves, Sonic Team dove deep into the culture that surrounded them, drawing inspiration that would shape the new locations and mythology of Sonic Adventure. Where was Ohshima? Back in Japan, directing Burning Rangers‘ early development. Once again staying behind as Naka traveled around the globe.

Each new post on the website built anticipation, August 22nd feeling so far away. How could one wait any longer? Much to Sega’s chagrin, we didn’t have to.

On August 18th, a virtually unknown French website called Kamui Ten no Ryû upload four images, claiming they were from Sonic Adventure. Two with Sonic, one with Tails, and one featuring some monster no one recognized. Much like the “motorcycle image” from months ago, people weren’t sure what to make of them. A Sonic game couldn’t have leaked early, could it? And that last picture…surely that was from Godzilla Generations, right?

A handful of news sites put the images up, then just as quickly took them down. On Usenet, Daniel Andreas, the person behind the website, politely asked people to remove the images as Sega was not very happy.

A trio of news articles posted August 19th on FGN Online

Even with the request, some people were still skeptical on the authenticity of the images, with a couple taking some potshots, claiming that they just couldn’t be Dreamcast images. Only two days before the Tokyo International Forum presentation, however, one of the four images was uploaded to Sonic Team’s official website. Which? The most unlikely of them all, the mysterious monster. Was it always planned for that image to be uploaded prior to the event? Probably.

Sega.com’s official site to watch the Sonic Adventure presentation stream

The discussion on whether or not the images were the genuine article, or reflected the current status of the game, was to be over soon enough. Only a handful of days remained before the Sonic Adventure presentation, with some news outlets speculating that the two shows planned at the International Forum might need to be expanded to three.

Having a conference open to the public for a single game was already unheard of. But what about the people who couldn’t make it? The many fans around the globe who had been speculating and wondering what Sonic’s true leap into the next generation? Sega went one step further, partnering with video streaming website J-Stream. Long before the era of YouTube and Twitch, the idea of being able to watch something online, and in real time, was novel. This truly was the future – all you needed was RealPlayer 5.0, a stable Internet connection, and you were good to go.

Five days away…

45 minutes away…

August 22nd, 1998. Saturday. 10:00 A.M. The doors opened. Finally, it was time.

For those who were able to attend in person, they were gifted a t-shirt, character postcards, and a press sheet. If you had the money, you could indulge in some extra Sonic Adventure swag, including a pin set and a full color brochure, showing off every aspect of the game. With only an hour before showtime, surely some people rushed to Hall “A” to get a good seat, waiting until after they saw Sonic Adventure up close and personal before indulging in any extra souviners. Who could blame them?

August 22nd. 11:00 AM. The disembodied head of Shoichiro Irimajiri, President of Sega Enterprises Ltd., takes the stage. The demo that introduced the world to the Dreamcast plays as it did only three months ago, and when it finishes, the man himself appears behind a podium. He begins to speak:

“Usually, game production presentations are very restricted. They are only shown to the media people, but… Well… For something amazing as this, we’ve decided to show it to a much larger number of people. This is the first experiment for SEGA, and… In this large assembly hall, We will show it to all of you. Please enjoy the upcoming presentation to the fullest.”

After a bit more talk about the Dreamcast and the VMU, a now-familiar chime starts to play, the first notes that play during the opening cinematic of Sonic Adventure. A haunting pair of voices speak in unison, reciting a poem that would embody the game…

“Chaos is power, power comes from the heart.”

The animation begins, a city floods, and the first moment of Sonic Adventure in movement is shown – Sonic rushing down the first slope of Speed Highway. The same moment leaked months ago as a blurry screenshot, brought to life on the largest screen imaginable.

The two hosts of the program appear, Chris Peppler and Hamaya Yuuko, and guide us through the whirlwind of Sonic information. It isn’t long before Yuji Naka appears in true rock star fashion, emerging from some sort of sphere, smoke and flashing lights surrounding him. The story of Sonic Team’s trip is told in humorous fashion, with Naoto Ohshima and Yuji Uekawa getting screen time, even though they weren’t part of the expedition. Eventually, Takashi Iizuka arrives on stage, and plays the level Speed Highway in front of the audience, albeit with some homing attack trouble.

Following an extended video of the main characters of the game introducing themselves over a bevy of footage, Segata Sanshiro – the embodiment of all things Sega – arrives, leading the audience in a chant of Sonic’s name. A sound that would be forever be preserved in the final story of the game. Rounding out the show, Jun Senoue appears. Not yet the household name of Sonic fans far and wide, he jams on his Sonic Adventure guitar while vocalist Eizo Sakamoto belts out the lyrics, golden shirt half open.

At the end of the day, 15,000 people were able to see with their own eyes the promised future of gaming, with another untold number watching over the Internet. For those who bought the Saturn, waiting for Sonic’s return, it was everything they had been wishing for. For many on the fence, it was enough to make them start saving up for a Dreamcast. As for the general public? It was likely the first time in a while that Sonic would grace the cover of a million gaming magazines.

Of course, not everyone was immediately sold on Sonic. Some were sill weary about Sega’s ability to manage itself, having been burned one too many times. Others were not quite ready for this new take on their favorite video game mascot.

For the most part, the reveal of Sonic Adventure was a resounding success. For the first time in what felt like forever, Sega was back in the spotlight for all the right reasons. The Saturn may have died far too early, but its successor was off to a promising start. The game would be released four months later in Japan, while the west would have to wait until autumn the following year to get their hands on it. Was it enough? For many Sonic fans, yes. For a whole new generation whose first game was Adventure, definitely. For the general video game audience…well, that’s a much longer story, isn’t it.

…it didn’t say “Choose Your Partner,” Dav. It said “Choose Your Buddy!” And that was text that didn’t even stick around for the final release of the game! Oh well, I guess you were tired…

…oh hey, did you know that UK: Resistance put up a fake Sonic Adventure screenshot before the game was announced, but also admitted it was a fake the moment they posted it? You do now.

The post 25 Years Ago, Sonic Adventure Was Revealed To The World: A Look Back appeared first on Sonic Retro.

What you may not know is that the SSRG has, in one form or another, existed since 1996. Initially a small subsection on Andy Wolan’s gaming-themed website EmulationZone, it grew to house a number of Sonic websites dedicated to uncovering the history of the franchise, the lost content that sparked the imagination of an entire generation. Sonic the Hedgehog Area 51, Tom’s Hacking Station, Simon Wai’s Sonic 2 Beta Page – separately, they told snippets of a hedgehog’s history. Together? They became the foundation of what would come.

When Andy stepped away from the project in 2003, it was truly the end of an era.

Twenty years later, Andy Wolan, along with three charter members of the SSRG community, are coming together for the Sonic Stuff Research Group Reunion panel. Taking place at the Retro World Expo in Hartford, CT this will be the first time that these four individuals have ever been in the same room together, telling the story of what once was, and how it informs where we are now. Who knows what stories they have to tell? Or what wild things could happen live and in person?

Who are the others joining Andy on this trip down memory lane?

• Rlan – Founder of Sonic Fan Games HQ, Secrets of Sonic Team, and Sonic the Hedgeblog
• SSNTails – Co-creator of Sonic Robo Blast 2, the fangame that still keeps on kickin’
• Saxman – The original author of the earliest guides to modify the classic Sonic games

The expo will take place on August 26th and 27th of this year. A schedule has yet to be set, but the OG crew will be hosting two panels, “one for a general talk and historical reflection on SSRG and it’s impact, and another focusing on the technical challenges we faced as we attempted to tear into the classic games for the first time ever to figure out how they worked.”

If you plan on being in the area, be sure to check it out. For more information and future updates, be sure to keep an eye on the panel’s dedicated thread on the forums.

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Sonic Superstars is coming this fall. It’s a new Sonic game! That’s what we like, right?

It looked like 2023 was just going to be 2022, but more. More Frontiers, more Origins, more Prime. Suddenly, an announcement for a new 2.5D Classic game comes out of the blue. There he is – Classic Sonic, looking pretty slick, joined by Miles “Tails” Prower, Knuckles the Echidna, and Amy Rose. It’s been a while since Amy’s been playable, especially in 2D. She’s finally getting her due, what with this and her being playable in Origins Plus. Clearly, she’s celebrating her 30th anniversary in style.

Taking place in the Northstar Islands, the game plans to mix up the classic Sonic formula. One of the more interesting new features involves the Chaos Emeralds. Instead of only being the barrier between you and Super Sonic, the Emeralds are meant to give Sonic unique abilities. The trailer shows off a couple of these: changing form to swim up waterfalls, multiplying yourself to attack an enemy head on. Is it safe to assume there’d be seven new abilities? Maybe. There are seven Chaos Emeralds, after all.

There’s also a new four player co-op mode. Ever wanted to throw a party where you’d force your little brother to be Tails, your neighbor as Knuckles, and your history professor as Amy Rose? You can finally live that dream. Unfortunately, this mode is only for local co-op.

What might be the most exciting for long time fans of the franchise is who’s making a return. In-game, Dr. Eggman won’t be the only enemy you’re going up against. Fang the Sniper returns, and unlike his brief appearance in Sonic Mania, he looks to be the real deal. Flying the Marvelous Queen, we get to see an official 16-bit rendition of the character, but are given the biggest tease as to how he’ll look in 3D. Hopefully we see that sooner rather than later. Production wise? The creator of Sonic the Hedgehog, Naoto Ohshima, has returned to design a brand new character. His involvement was left for the press release, creating a character “that Sonic, and his friends will have to face.” Whoever this ends up being, be it a permanent foe or a misguided individual similar to Knuckles or Shadow, we’ll have to wait and see. Either way, it’ll be exciting to see what he adds to the franchise after all these years being away.

As for the rest of the team, there’s no word on who is developing the game, aside from the Sega/Sonic Team logos on the official website. Who is directing? Who is designing? Hopefully we’ll find out soon. There’s already been reports that the game will be playable at Summer Game Fest, so hopefully we’ll get some hands-on coverage on how the game plays.

Could this be the true follow-up to Mania? Maybe. I dunno, I haven’t played it. What I do know is that when the website went live, they accidentally had an image of the title screen with an early working title, Sonic Orion. I’m guessing that wasn’t meant to be there, whoops. But hey! It’s neat we know that now.

Sonic Superstars is coming Fall 2023 for $59.99, and will be available on all the usual suspects: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Epic Games, and Steam. “Additional details regarding packages and future content will be revealed at a later date.” Whatever that means.

[Source: Sonic Superstars official site]

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This year introduces upload limits, three per person, to address issues the community had raised over last year’s event and to ensure that judges are given time to address the community’s inevitably large output for this year. Entries will remain unlimited for team entries and non-judged Expo entries. To help tackle this workload, new judges have been introduced for the three entry types; ‘Retro’,’ 2DPC’ and ‘3D’ Entries. This is to also help ensure fairer evaluation for unique fan projects such as Sonic 3 A.I.R. mods that were introduced last year. The judges participating are subject to change before this year’s contest begins.

For more information on what to expect this year, head on over to the Hacking Contest’s website. You can also receive up-to-date information following the official Twitter account. Discuss the contest in the Sonic Hacking Contest 2023 thread on our forums as well as on Sonic Stuff Research Group’s own thread.

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There’s no reason not to mention it right away – the big draw here is a playable Amy Rose. Featured heavily in the original Origins promotional materials, it felt a bit odd she wasn’t added to the roster across the board. Then again, it felt odd that Knuckles was excluded from being playable in Sonic CD. Clearly, someone heard the criticisms and went looking to address them.

What’s a Plus without some additional playable content? Not presented as a whole since Sonic Adventure DX, the 12 Game Gear titles will be added to Origins Plus. No, they haven’t been made from the ground up – they’re emulated, which is perfectly fine. Even if Triple Trouble is great, not every Sonic game needs to be recreated in the Retro Engine.

Just like Mania Plus, Origins Plus will be getting a physical release, complete with reversible cover art and a 20 page art book. Will the book contain anything that wasn’t shown digitally in the base versions of Origins? Heck, will the game feature any new behind the scenes materials in the museum? We’ll have to wait and see. The physical game will retail for $39.99 US Dollars – the same price as the original digital version.

If you held back on getting Origins last year, but don’t want to mess with physical media, the update will be available digitally. Sonic Origins Plus – which includes the original DLC from 2022 – will retail for $39.99. For those that already have the base version of Origins and want to experience all Plus has in store, it’ll cost $9.99. Granted, that does include the “Premium Fun” and “Classic Music” packs, so if you didn’t get those last year, the new content is technically only five dollars. But if you did get the Digital Deluxe last year, doesn’t look like you’ll be getting any sort of discount. Guess waiting does pay off, sometimes.

This is certainly a first step to making this collection better, but it does seem odd some games are still being excluded. No Sonic Spinball, 3D Blast, or even Sonic the Fighters. Those aren’t games that would need brand new emulators for modern systems, Genesis emulators already exist! Not to mention Fighters works just fine in Lost Judgement. There’s also been no word on bug patches, though I’d wager its safe to assume some of them will be addressed for this roll out. Either way, both the physical and digital version of Sonic Origins Plus will be available on June 23rd, 2023.

The post Sonic Origins Plus Revealed, Amy Rose Finally Gets To Run appeared first on Sonic Retro.

Then the game came out. And. Well. It was fine.

To preface: Sonic Retro was sent a review code for the game. I had intended on writing a review months ago, yet when I sat down, nothing came. After some false starts, I just sat there going “what do I actually want to say about this game?” So I kept on sitting. And thinking. And sitting. Got up to get some coffee. Played the game a bit more. Then gave up.

I know, I know. Exciting story.

It’s been over eight months since Origins came out. And with news that a physical version has been given a rating, it’s made me think once more about Origins. What worked, what didn’t, and why I couldn’t bring myself to write a review.

I don’t know if what follows is a review or not, but here we go.

When Sonic Jam came out in 1997, I was super excited. It’s not like I hadn’t played the main Genesis games a million times prior, but there was something special about having Sonic on the Sega Saturn. In an era where we were desperate for the Next Sonic Game, having the previous entries all together, plus an interactive museum giving us our first real taste of a 3D Sonic adventure? That was neat. “Sonic World” was a taste of things to come, with simple missions to occupy our time between exploring the treasure trove of a museum. Character art, television commercials, unseen animation, and a “Hall of Fame” detailing the history of the series.

The first official entry in “Project Sonic,” Sonic Team clearly put a lot of thought and effort into Jam. It would have been easy to throw the games on a disc, add a time attack mode, and call it a day. At this stage in their history, however, Sonic Team was becoming acutely aware of their own legacy, and the desire to chronicle their story. A taste of this was in Christmas NiGHTS, having its own mini museum with trade show trailers, images of merchandise, and promotional artwork. Sonic Jam was the natural extension, members of Sonic Team being tasked to do research on a franchise they helped create. They specifically went out of their way to find out about Sonic games they had nothing to do with – and had never heard of – just to include a brief mention of them in the Hall of Fame. A step above and beyond to celebrate a franchise they helped create, but one that had been touched by multiple other creators.

Sonic Jam became the gold standard of not just what a Sonic the Hedgehog collection could be, but of video game collections in general. Part of the reason it came into existence was because of Sonic Team’s success with NiGHTS Into Dreams, receiving fan letters asking just what the heck a Sonic was. To me, Sonic Jam was an exciting look back full of things I had never seen before. For others, especially in Japan, it was an introduction to the entire world of Sonic. It worked for newcomers, it worked for longtime fans, it worked to honor the past and preview what the future had in store. “Sonic World” was the demo to Sonic Adventure we desperately needed in a Sonic X-treme-less world. The only thing that would have made that collection better is if Sonic CD could have been crammed in there, but alas, it was not meant to be.

Even without CD, Sonic Jam never felt lacking. The games themselves had some fancy new additions, with a “Normal” and “Easy” mode complimenting the original level layouts. The spin dash could be turned on in the original Sonic. Not a fan of the timer? Turn it off! Since the games were not emulated but ported over, it allowed toggles that would have been a headache to implement otherwise.

With such a strong first outing, it’s been impossible not to compare Sonic Jam to every Sonic compilation that’s come since. Sonic Mega Collection had more games, but was severely lacking in bonus material. Gems Collection was better in the extras category, and gave us the first home release of Sonic the Fighters, but had a lackluster Sonic CD port, not to mention less games overall. Gluing Mega and Gems together brings you a collection that could almost rival Sonic Jam, but it’s still missing an important part of the puzzle – context. Something I was hoping Sonic Origins would bring back.

In the lead-up to Origins release, Famitsu’s YouTube channel streamed the game for around an hour, showing off the island menu, the original TaxStealth ports, and the brand new Retro Engine version of Sonic 3 & Knuckles. What they also showed off were a handful of extras, including portions of the image gallery. When I saw it, I became very excited. There was brand new concept art, with the promise of more to come! But there was another small detail that excited me more than anyone should ever admit to – the mention of Patrick Spaziante. See, among the images were the covers to IDW’s Sonic the Hedgehog 30th Anniversary comic special, and next to each one was the artist’s name. A small detail that told me “woah, they’re paying attention.” Gems Collection gave us never-before-seen concept art, but didn’t bother to tell us who Madonna was, or that Ohshima drew it. Even Sonic Jam, with all its extras, didn’t bother to tell us what “Man of the Year” was. “This could be the one,” I thought. “The one to finally best Jam.”

Sonic Origins is the closest we’ve gotten. But I still can’t say it’s better, as a complete package, than Sonic Jam.

Yes, there’s plenty of new content in the extras menu, which I was super excited to see. We got pages from the Sonic CD design document. We got Yasuhara’s original planning for Sonic 3. Heck, we got concept art of the “rival character” before it became Knuckles, which we’ve never seen before! That’s super neat. However, the images are just dropped in, with little explanation. Seeing those images are cool, but unless you know how to read Japanese, you can only guess at the finer details. There’s a random piece of art featuring someone who might be Sonic, next to a guy who might be Knuckles with a frying pan, but the game doesn’t tell us what it is. It took months before we had Ohshima tweet it was Iizuka who drew the image. And those names I got super excited about? The fact the IDW artists were being credited? None of those names were in the English language version. Whoops!

I dunno, maybe I was just being a bit picky. After all, it still felt like a solid package. There were brand new extras. We could finally play an official version of Sonic 3 & Knuckles in widescreen. Sonic Mania Adventures found a home outside of YouTube. There were even scans of the albums released during the original classic era! This was the first time Sega acknowledged “King of the Ring” existed. But I still had to wonder why there were extras that had found home in previous compilations that were missing from Origins. No promotional art for Chaotix. No “Man of the Year.” Not even some hastily put together “History of Sonic” video.

But Sonic Origins wasn’t the only game compilation that came out in 2022.

Before there was Sonic, I was obsessed with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The first NES game was the second video game I ever played. Any arcade that happened to have the TMNT game? Instant quarter eater. A collection of those early Konami games was something I’d wanted for a while, and a couple months after Origins, The Cowabunga Collection was released.

Digital Eclipse has, over the last few years, stepped up what a video game compilation should be. Cowabunga Collection has the games, yes. It has multiple versions of some of them! And all sorts of options that alter your playing experience. But it’s the extras that, for me, make it truly shine. You’ve got all sorts of magazine advertisements. You don’t just have a couple pieces of concept art – you have entire game design documents, for multiple games. Anything written in Japanese? A single button gives you an English translation. You have screenshots of every single episode of Ninja Turtles. It takes that extra step to not just give you the games, but let you take a peek into how they were made, and how they were part of the greater Turtles experience. The Ninja Turtles were one of the biggest things in the world back in the late 80’s and early 90’s, and you get a sense of why.

Then Atari 50: The Anniversary Collection took it another step, turning the video game compilation into a true interactive museum. You’ve got a timeline, you’ve got full documentary style interviews. The Atari 2600 was before my time, but I understand the importance of that company and the games they produced. For someone who has zero idea why? That is the perfect game to tell you. It takes any Atari collection that came before and blows it out of the water. The highs and the lows are there for everyone to see, with commentary from the people who were there, and giving you a selection of games that cover it all. It even has Atari Jaguar games. A system that most people will say had one good game!

Sonic Origins doesn’t bother to tell you when Sonic the Hedgehog 2 was released.

There has been some conversation about certain games missing from Origins, the most prominent one being Chaotix. Aside from a short stint on the ill-fated GameTap service, it’s never been rereleased. There’s the sense it was meant to be in Gems Collection, but didn’t make it likely due to the difficulty of 32X emulation. There’s debate on its merit as a game. The music, the visuals? Generally positive. The level design, the gameplay? That’s a topic all on its own. Because of this, there are people who argue the reason for its omission in any future compilation is clear – quality control. But for me, that’s not a fantastic argument. Sure, I wouldn’t expect it to get the Retro Engine treatment, but to be an emulated game that serves as a piece of Sonic history? Why not?

I wanted Origins to be a truly interactive museum. A celebration of the character in those primordial years, 1991 to 1997. You have the highs already there, the original games by the once and future Sonic Team remade with modern technology. But even the “lowest of the low” can be someone’s favorite game, could be what introduced them to the franchise in the first place. If Sonic Labyrinth is secretly your favorite Sonic game? Let it be a secret no longer! Give me some Game Gear games to play around with. Let me play the Saturn version of 3D Blast again. Please. It has the best special stages of the entire series!

Even the menu system of Sonic Origins feels lackluster to me. You show off these 3D representations of the original locations for the classic games, then charge people extra to populate them with models of Sonic and Tails running around on them. That DLC includes an “island camera,” but all you can do is zoom in and out. You can’t even rotate the island, which feels silly. It might be too much to ask for an interactive “Sonic World,” but even Pac-Man Museum + gave you a room to run around in, a portal to play what was in that collection, and the ability to decorate. Even seeing that simple compilation made me wish for the smallest of things, like being able to customize what badniks you see on South Island, or being able to change Sonic’s animations on each isle.

When I originally tried to write a review for this game, I spent some time going into detail regarding the Retro Engine-powered games. Dedicating space to talking about how wrong the spinning tops of Marble Garden felt, or how Sonic was outrunning the camera way too often. Some of the criticisms I could point out would be preaching to the choir, all covered in detail months ago on a thousand YouTube accounts. Some of them were fixed with the August 2022 update. Some of them are things only I’m truly bothered by, like how you now stand in a slightly different location to activate Knuckles’ hidden animation in Sky Sanctuary. But really, the focus of this piece isn’t on the differences between the original Sonic 3 & Knuckles and the Retro Engine version. For the most part, it is what you want it to be, and even the team admitted there were aspects they wished they had the time to fix.

No, the focus is on Sonic Origins as a whole. Sure, there could (and should!) be some obvious additions to a physical version, such as additional screen filters and new games to revisit. But what it should be is a true celebration of all things Sonic the Hedgehog in the classic era. Something that takes what Sonic Jam did and takes it to the next level, looking towards the recent Digital Eclipse releases for inspiration. The Retro Engine versions of these games are the crown jewel, but there’s no reason why the Mega Play version of Sonic the Hedgehog can’t be here. Heck, maybe there are times where I want to revisit the first Sonic or Sonic CD as they originally were! I shouldn’t have to buy a Mega Drive Mini 2 for that. Multiple versions of the same game help show the development of the overall Sonic franchise.

I’d love to be able to run in a brand new version of “Sonic World,” walk over to a building, watch the original Sonic the Hedgehog 2 promotional video, then hear some brand new insights from Hirokazu Yasuhara on the making of that game. Then run over to another building, and take in the entirety of the Sonic the Hedgehog CD design document, with full translations. Then run over to yet another building, soak in some tunes from Sonic the Hedgehog – Remix, then finally cap it off with a run through the Retro version of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 playing as Amy Rose – until I decide I actually want to play some Sonic Triple Trouble. It should celebrate the legacy of Sonic the Hedgehog, give something to old fans and those brand new to the series. Place Sonic in the context of not just the story of Sega, but of the video game industry as a whole. Then follow it up with a collection that does the same for the Adventure era of the character…

I don’t expect to be blown away with whatever Origins Plus will do. I’d like to be surprised, but at the very least, I’m hoping they expand the scope of what the original digital release was. If all they do is add Sonic Spinball and the 16-bit version of 3D Blast, sprinkling in a couple more pieces of unseen concept art, I don’t think that’s worth double dipping. If they add Knuckles to CD? That’s a start. If they give me something worthy of the name “Museum?” I’ll be there the moment it drops.

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