SegaSonic the Hedgehog | |
---|---|
Developer(s) | Sega AM3 |
Publisher(s) | Sega |
Director(s) | Tomosuke Tsuda |
Composer(s) | Hiroshi Kawaguchi Keitaro Hanada Naoki Tokiwa |
Series | Sonic the Hedgehog |
Platform(s) | Arcade |
Release |
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Genre(s) | Platform |
Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Arcade system | Sega System 32 |
SegaSonic the Hedgehog [lower-alpha 2] is a 1993 arcade game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series by Sega. Controlling Sonic the Hedgehog and his friends Mighty the Armadillo and Ray the Flying Squirrel, the player must escape an island after they are kidnapped by the villain, Doctor Eggman. The game uses an isometric perspective. Players use a trackball to move the characters while dodging obstacles and collecting rings. The game was developed by Sega's arcade division, Sega AM3. It is one of four Sonic games with the SegaSonic name and was inspired by the 1984 game Marble Madness .
SegaSonic the Hedgehog was released in Japanese arcades in late 1993. [lower-alpha 1] It has never been rereleased; a port for Sega's 32X never materialized, and the game was cut from the compilation Sonic Gems Collection (2005) due to problems with replicating the trackball control system on a standard controller.
At the time of release, SegaSonic the Hedgehog received positive reviews from Electronic Gaming Monthly and Computer and Video Games for its graphics and gameplay. Retrospective reviews have been more divided. The game marked the debuts of Sonic characters Mighty and Ray; both have reappeared sparingly in the franchise.
SegaSonic the Hedgehog is a platform game that has been likened in gameplay to Marble Madness (1984). [3] Players control three characters: Sonic the Hedgehog, Mighty the Armadillo, and Ray the Flying Squirrel, who can be controlled by a single player or simultaneously with two others. [4] The story follows the three characters after series antagonist Doctor Eggman traps them on his island. They team up to escape, and must dodge various hazards and dangers to reach Eggman in his base, the Eggman Tower. [4] [5]
The game takes place over seven levels, which must be completed in the fastest time possible. Players use a trackball to control a characters' speed and direction from an isometric perspective, and a button to make a character jump into a Spin Attack. [6] Each character has a health bar, which is depleted when the player falls into traps; players lose a life if the bar empties. Health can be recovered by collecting rings that are littered around the course or hidden inside obstacles or enemies. Players receive bonus rings for use in later levels they collect over a certain percentage of rings within a level. [3] [4] Upon reaching Eggman at the end of the game, he pushes a button that causes the island to self-destruct. The three heroes manage to escape unharmed, while Eggman is left stranded at sea. [5] [7]
Before SegaSonic the Hedgehog, Sega had attempted to create two Sonic the Hedgehog -based arcade games, but these were never released because "they were not the specialness that Sonic was." [8] By May 1993, a new Sonic arcade project was in development. [8] SegaSonic the Hedgehog was developed by Sega AM3, an internal Sega division that created games for arcade cabinets, [9] with assistance from Sonic Team. [7] The game is one of four arcade games in the Sonic the Hedgehog series to feature the SegaSonic name. [lower-alpha 3]
According to designer Manabu Kusunoki, the idea for trackball controls was conceived after an unspecified member of the development team—who was a fan of Marble Madness—suggested that it would work well with Sonic's style of gameplay. [11] The game uses a Sega System 32 motherboard, which enables the multiplayer option, and a unique isometric graphics system. [4] [12] It features two new characters, Ray the Flying Squirrel and Mighty the Armadillo. [4] Both were designed by Kusunoki, who chose their species since he thought they would control similarly to how Sonic did and that they, like hedgehogs, were obscure. [11] Mighty was likely based on an early prototype of Sonic. [13] [14] The game also features voice acting, with Takeshi Kusao, Hinako Kanamaru, Yusuke Numata, and Masaharu Satō voicing Sonic, Ray, Mighty, and Eggman, respectively. [5] [7]
The game's title in development was simply Sonic the Hedgehog, but was changed to SegaSonic because Sega lost the trademark to the Sonic name during production. Kusunoki could not recall why it was disputed, but according to video game journalist John Szczepaniak, Sega of America failed to turn in its paperwork for the trademark on July 13, 1993. [11] SegaSonic the Hedgehog was featured at the Summer International Consumer Electronics Show 1993 and the Amusement Machine Show 1993. [3] [12] It was released in Japanese arcades later that year. [lower-alpha 1] It is unclear if the game was released outside Japan. Hackers discovered English-translated dialogue and sprites based on Eggman's appearance in the American Sonic the Hedgehog animated series hidden within the ROM image, suggesting that there were plans to release it in American arcades to promote the series. [15]
SegaSonic the Hedgehog has never been rereleased. [15] A port for the 32X, an add-on for the Sega Genesis, was reported to be in development in late 1994. [16] [17] Sonic co-creator Yuji Naka said the game was considered for inclusion in the 2005 rarities compilation Sonic Gems Collection for the GameCube and PlayStation 2, but was excluded due to difficulties with emulating the trackball controls on a gamepad. [6] In 2011, Sega's brand manager Ken Balough said there is not much demand for a rerelease; he believes this is because it was not released outside Japan. [18] In 2020, Sega's Yosuke Okunari mentioned the possibility of SegaSonic The Hedgehog being ported if games in the Sega Ages line were successful. [19]
Game Machine listed SegaSonic the Hedgehog in November 1993 as being the sixth most popular table arcade unit in Japan at the time. [20] Electronic Gaming Monthly gave SegaSonic the Hedgehog a perfect score of 10 out of 10. The magazine stated that the game "shatters your perception of what a good game should be", reserving high praise for its graphics and music, and the variety of levels. It also praised the "hilarious" character animations and cinematics, and encouraged readers to play the game. [3] Computer and Video Games offered similar acclaim and praised the game's attention to detail, "highly recommend[ing]" it. [12] The French magazine Mega Force compared the isometric graphics to Sega's Zaxxon (1982) and SNK's Viewpoint (1992). [21] Gamest enjoyed the game but wrote that its trackball controls will hurt the player's palm. [22]
In the midst of a review for Sonic Gems Collection in 2005, GameSpy expressed disappointment that SegaSonic the Hedgehog was not one of the games in the compilation, voicing hope it would someday be rereleased. [23] In 2014, GamesRadar+ called the game's graphics impressive for 1993, but that its lack of a rerelease was "no great loss". [24] John Szczepaniak offered a negative stance in 2018, due to what he called bland level design and imprecise controls that had "an irritating fuzziness". He compared turning characters with the trackball to feeling intoxicated, and claimed to have watched several individuals try to play but give up. [11] Hardcore Gaming 101's Kurt Kalata similarly criticized the controls and high difficulty level, but nonetheless praised its break-neck pace and level design, which he wrote were aspects the Genesis Sonic games could not achieve. He ultimately summarized the game as "a fun experiment". [15]
Mighty appeared as a playable character in the 32X game Knuckles' Chaotix (1995). [25] For many years, Ray did not appear in another game, [26] but he and Mighty were featured in the Sonic the Hedgehog comic book series published by Archie Comics. Ray became a member of the Chaotix along with Mighty, who is depicted in the series as his honorary brother. [27] The game is referenced in the anniversary game Sonic Generations (2011), where a "missing persons" poster of Ray and Mighty appears in City Escape. [28] Mighty and Ray are playable in Sonic Mania Plus (2018), an expanded version of the 2017 game Sonic Mania. [29]
Sonic the Hedgehog is a fictional character created by Naoto Ohshima and Yuji Naka. The title character of Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog video game franchise, Sonic is an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who can run at supersonic speeds and curl into a ball to attack enemies. He races through levels, collecting power-up rings and avoiding obstacles, as he seeks to defeat the mad scientist Doctor Eggman.
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is a 1994 platform game developed and published by Sega for the Genesis. Like previous Sonic games, players traverse side-scrolling levels while collecting rings and defeating enemies. They control Sonic and Tails, who attempt to retrieve the Chaos Emeralds to stop Doctor Robotnik from relaunching his space station, the Death Egg, after it crash-lands on a mysterious floating island. Sonic 3 introduces Knuckles the Echidna, the island guardian, who lays traps for Sonic and Tails.
Knuckles the Echidna is a character from Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog series. He is a red anthropomorphic short-beaked echidna who is Sonic's secondary best friend and former rival. Determined and serious, but sometimes gullible, he fights his enemies using brute force and strength. His role is established as the guardian of the Master Emerald, a large gemstone which controls the series' integral Chaos Emeralds, and is the last living member of his tribe, the Knuckles clan.
Sonic Heroes is a 2003 platform game developed by Sonic Team USA and published by Sega as part of the Sonic the Hedgehog series. The player races a team of series characters through levels to amass rings, defeat robots, and collect the seven Chaos Emeralds needed to defeat Doctor Eggman. Within each level, the player switches between the team's three characters, who each have unique abilities, to overcome obstacles. Sonic Heroes downplays the action-adventure and exploration-based gameplay of its predecessors Sonic Adventure (1998) and Sonic Adventure 2 (2001) in favor of returning to the linear style of Sega Genesis-era Sonic games.
Miles Prower, better known by his nickname Tails, is a character from Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog series. Tails also appears in several spin-off games in which he stars, comic books, cartoons, and films. He is the first character to consistently appear by Sonic's side in the series as his best friend, appearing in nearly every mainline and spin-off since his debut. The name "Miles Prower" is a pun on "miles per hour", a reference to the famed speed of Sonic the Hedgehog. Miles Prower is a two-tailed anthropomorphic fox, hence the nickname.
Sonic the Hedgehog is a 1991 platform game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega for the Genesis/Mega Drive. It was released in North America on June 23 and in PAL regions and Japan the following month. Players control Sonic the Hedgehog, who can run at near supersonic speeds; Sonic sets out on a quest to defeat Dr. Robotnik, a scientist who has imprisoned animals in robots and seeks the powerful Chaos Emeralds. The gameplay involves collecting rings as a form of health, and a simple control scheme, with jumping and attacking controlled by a single button.
Shadow the Hedgehog is a character who appears in Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog franchise. He was created by Takashi Iizuka and Shiro Maekawa and first appeared in Sonic Adventure 2 (2001). Within Sonic's fictional universe, Shadow is an anthropomorphic black hedgehog created by Professor Gerald Robotnik, the grandfather of the series' antagonist Doctor Eggman. After witnessing the death of his best friend Maria Robotnik, Shadow vows to keep his promise to her that he would protect the world from danger. An antihero, Shadow has good intentions but will do whatever it takes to accomplish his goals, putting him at odds with Sonic the Hedgehog.
Knuckles' Chaotix is a 1995 platform game developed by Sega for the 32X. A spin-off from the Sonic the Hedgehog series, it features Knuckles the Echidna and four other characters known as the Chaotix, who must prevent Doctor Robotnik and Metal Sonic from obtaining six magic rings and conquering a mysterious island. Gameplay is similar to previous Sonic games: players complete levels while collecting rings and defeating enemies. Knuckles' Chaotix introduces a partner system whereby the player is connected to another character via a tether; the tether behaves like a rubber band and must be used to maneuver the characters.
Sonic the Hedgehog was an American comic book series published by Archie Comics, in partnership with Sega. The series was based on Sega's video game franchise, as well as on the 1993 animated series of the same name. After initially beginning with a four-issue miniseries from February to May 1993, the first full-length issue of the comic was published in July 1993. The series ran for 290 issues for over 20 years, earning a place in the 2008 Guinness World Records for being the "longest-running comic series based on a video game", and it became the longest-running franchise-based comic series in 2015 — surpassing Marvel Comics' 275 issues of Conan the Barbarian — before it was confirmed cancelled in July 2017, following Sega and Archie Comics' decision to discontinue their business relationship. The series features a cast of hundreds of characters, consisting of both those derived from the Sonic games and those original to the comics, with stories focused on a crime-fighting organization called the Freedom Fighters, led by Sonic, as they face off against series antagonist Doctor Eggman alongside a variety of other villains.
Shadow the Hedgehog is a 2005 platform game developed by Sega Studios USA and published by Sega as part of the Sonic the Hedgehog series. The game follows Shadow the Hedgehog, who suffers from amnesia, as he attempts to learn about his past while dealing with an alien invasion of Earth. Shadow the Hedgehog reintroduces third-person shooter elements from Sonic Adventure and Sonic Adventure 2, but greatly expands upon the concept and introduces nonlinear gameplay to the Sonic franchise. To defeat enemies and progress through the game, Shadow can use a variety of weapons from each faction and complete missions that will determine the game's plot and subsequently playable levels.
Sonic Gems Collection is a 2005 compilation of Sega video games, primarily those in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. The emulated games span multiple genres and consoles—from the Sega Genesis to the Sega Saturn—and retain the features and errors of their initial releases with minimal edits. Player progress is rewarded with demos of other Sonic games, videos, and promotional artwork spanning the history of the Sonic franchise. While its 2002 predecessor, Sonic Mega Collection, comprises popular Sonic games, Gems Collection focuses on more obscure games, such as Sonic CD (1993) and Sonic the Fighters (1996). Other non-Sonic games are included, but some, such as the Streets of Rage trilogy, are omitted in the Western localization.
Sonic the Hedgehog is a 2006 platform game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega. It was produced in commemoration of the Sonic series' 15th anniversary and intended as a reboot for the seventh-generation video game consoles. Players control Sonic, Shadow, and the new character Silver, who battle Solaris, an ancient evil pursued by Doctor Eggman. Each playable character has his own campaign and abilities, and must complete levels, explore hub worlds and fight bosses to advance the story. In multiplayer modes, players can work cooperatively to collect Chaos Emeralds or race to the end of a level.
Sonic the Hedgehog is a video game series and media franchise created by the Japanese developers Yuji Naka, Naoto Ohshima, and Hirokazu Yasuhara for Sega. The franchise follows Sonic, an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who battles the evil Doctor Eggman, a mad scientist. The main Sonic the Hedgehog games are platformers mostly developed by Sonic Team; other games, developed by various studios, include spin-offs in the racing, fighting, party and sports genres. The franchise also incorporates printed media, animations, feature films, and merchandise.
Doctor Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik is the main antagonist of Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog franchise. Eggman was created and designed by Naoto Ohshima as part of many design choices for Sega's new mascot. After the creation of Sonic the Hedgehog, Ohshima chose to use his previous egg-shaped character to create the antagonist of the 1991 video game Sonic the Hedgehog, making him the arch-nemesis of the series' eponymous main character.
Sonic Universe was an American comic book series published by Archie Comics in association with Sega, based on the latter's Sonic the Hedgehog. It is a spin-off of the comic book series of the same name, and shared continuity with that title. Sonic Universe centers on several characters featured throughout the franchise and comics, including Shadow the Hedgehog, Blaze the Cat, and Silver the Hedgehog.
Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I is a 2010 platform game developed by Dimps, with assistance from Sonic Team, and published by Sega. It is a sequel to Sonic & Knuckles (1994), following Sonic as he sets out to stop a returning Doctor Eggman. Like the Sonic the Hedgehog games released for the Sega Genesis, Episode I features side-scrolling gameplay, with movement restricted to a 2D plane. The player races through levels collecting rings while rolling into a ball to attack enemies. The game also features special stages in which the player collects Chaos Emeralds and online leaderboards comparing level completion times and high scores.
Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II is a 2012 episodic platform video game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, and the sequel to Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I. The game was developed by Dimps, with assistance from Sonic Team, and published by Sega. The game was intended to emulate the original Sonic the Hedgehog games on the Sega Genesis.
Sonic Mania is a 2017 platform game published by Sega for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows. Produced in commemoration of the Sonic the Hedgehog series' 25th anniversary, Sonic Mania pays homage to the original Sega Genesis Sonic games, featuring speedy side-scrolling gameplay. It takes place over 13 levels, including several redesigned from past games. The story follows Sonic, Tails and Knuckles as they venture to defeat their nemesis Doctor Eggman and his robotic henchmen, the Hard-Boiled Heavies.
The game play is somewhat similar to Marble Madness.
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: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)Yuji Naka: It was done by part of the Sega arcade division at the time. We did think about adding it to Gems Collection, though, but we couldn't implement it in the end because the game used a trackball control scheme that is very, very difficult to replicate with a standard controller.
Exploring their new direction further, the team looked at animals that rolled into a ball to either attack or protect themselves. They arrived at a shortlist of just two: the armadillo and the hedgehog. It didn't take too long for the former to be dropped: the hedgehog's quills were simply better suited for attack than the armadillo's leathery armor shell.
プレイヤーの、あなたの手が必ず痛くなります。てのひらの皮が厚くなってもいいっ!
MISSING since 1993. Ray the Flying Squirrel & Mighty the Armadillo. Have you seen them?