Sonic The Hedgehog

Zamuel

Pittied fools.
Citizen
I definitely played a different game. I didn't hate Eternal Engine.

Recently bought SA2: Battle and just finished the Hero side. I wasn't bothered by Eternal Engine. While the lock-on control doesn't feel quite as fine as what the game wants you to do, the dynamite puzzles were interesting. What I hated was Final Rush. You want me to homing attack onto grind rails in void of space with SA2's homing attack? It reveals that the true final boss isn't Gerald Robotnik or the Biolizard...it's the Adventure era camera.
 

CoffeeHorse

Exhausted, but still standing.
Staff member
Council of Elders
Citizen
For me it wasn't the camera so much as the collision detection. Sometimes jumping on rails just doesn't work. I usually land on a rail, but I never know I'm going to land on it no matter how good I think my aim looks when I take that leap of faith.
 

Daith

Bustin make feel Good!
Citizen
I finally beat Sonic 2! :D Silver Sonic or whatever the first of the two bosses took me some time to get the pattern down but after getting frustrated by the Death Egg Robot for years I went to just watch the Origins cut scene on YouTube which ended up going through the boss fights. I just was never patient enough it seems for Robotnik to lower his defenses. Still got to get all the Emeralds in 2 and Time Stones in CD though.
 

Zamuel

Pittied fools.
Citizen
On Friday, Japan's finally getting "Sonic the Movie: Sonic vs. Knuckles". However, something happened on the way there: Sonic Movie 2 crossed the $400 Million mark. While it has the US record for top grossing videogame movie, hopefully Japan will push it past the world record (currently held by Warcraft).
 

CoffeeHorse

Exhausted, but still standing.
Staff member
Council of Elders
Citizen
I thought for sure we'd need Japan to cross $400 million. That's incredible.
 

Zamuel

Pittied fools.
Citizen
Something you said probably came into play: while some theaters stopped running it, theater owners have to make a hard decision to drop it. For all the competition and big releases this summer, being a family movie allows it to be a slow but guaranteed earner since the movie is good and has word of mouth. What I'm curious about is, what major regions other than Japan and Russia haven't had theatrical releases yet?
 

Zamuel

Pittied fools.
Citizen
Over the last few months I've been watching the various Sonic cartoons and it's been an interesting experience so far. Finished Sonic Boom and Sonic X (4Kids dub). I started Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog but I might stop and watch Sonic Underground. I was going to skip SU but a number of things are telling me to go ahead and get it out of the way. One is a generic "might as well" since I'm currently absorbing Sonic stuff. Another is that it was pointed out that there's an episode with shades of the recent movie to it. And, finally I am watching AoSTH. I was worried I would find AoSTH cringey but upon watching the intro I felt...incredibly nostalgic. Maybe I shouldn't have been surprised since AoSTH was the Sonic series I grew up with.
 

Sabrblade

Continuity Nutcase
Citizen
Over the last few months I've been watching the various Sonic cartoons and it's been an interesting experience so far. Finished Sonic Boom and Sonic X (4Kids dub). I started Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog but I might stop and watch Sonic Underground. I was going to skip SU but a number of things are telling me to go ahead and get it out of the way. One is a generic "might as well" since I'm currently absorbing Sonic stuff. Another is that it was pointed out that there's an episode with shades of the recent movie to it. And, finally I am watching AoSTH. I was worried I would find AoSTH cringey but upon watching the intro I felt...incredibly nostalgic. Maybe I shouldn't have been surprised since AoSTH was the Sonic series I grew up with.
No SatAM?
 

Zamuel

Pittied fools.
Citizen
No SatAM?
I did explicitly plan to watch SatAM. It's other stuff that I was unsure of. But as I said, I developed various thoughts so far. While I have a suspicion that I will dislike SU (I'm actively dreading the music), so far Sonic X has been my least favorite Sonic series. Weirdly, it's a series I enjoyed but had a "two steps forward, one step back" aspect to my enjoyment. A Sonic that's even more overtly shonen than he is officially in the game gets kinda unbearable at times. The show seemed to want to sideline Sonic's friends half the time and treat them as useless. And there were weird shifts in how he interacted with his friends. To the point that it stood out that in Sonic Boom Sonic's friends are Sonic's friends. While he had a few annoying moments, Chris Thorndyke didn't feel like the worst part of the show on average. And the annoying parts are sad since it was otherwise an enjoyable show. The SA2 arc had two things I really like in how they adapted it. And I feel that while 4Kids may have removed some parts that hurt the show, the whole wasn't bad.

AoStH has been utterly vindicated by history. It fits in better with today's stuff than with its own contemporaries. They got Robotnik exactly right.
It's kinda crazy how much AoStH gets right, despite having elements that are very different. The sheer fact that it uses a variant of the Sonic 1 title screen music as it's show theme and then further adjusts that for background themes makes it the show that most uses game music. Sonic fully regards Tails as a brother to him. The planet has humans and anthropomorphic animals but tends to limit how much of one you see of one if it focuses on the other. And as mentioned, Dr. Robotnik's over the top personality works yet he's still dangerous.
 

ZakuConvoy

Well-known member
Citizen
While I have a suspicion that I will dislike SU (I'm actively dreading the music),
I'm not sure about ALL the music, but the opening is actually kind of a jam. Underground is...Underground IS. It exists. Urkel doing 3 voices at the same time is kind of novel and I like the general idea of the series. I kind of wish Ian Flynn got to do the original version of Sonic Universe 50 that he planned to finish the series, just for the novelty of it.


(Also, just something to slot in here, there IS a fan-made version of Universe 50 that concludes Underground their way. And it includes a interview with Ian Flynn in the back of the issue. It's fan-fiction, but it's there if you want it.)


And I mostly agree with your other observations.

AoStH is...surreal. Goofy, and weird and by FAR the most "Looney Tunes" out of any of the Sonic shows. It can be a fun time, if you're willing to just go with it.

Sonic X is okay. It has it's moments. I think the Metarex arc was the most interesting, for me, if only because we got new villains out of it. The game adaptations were fun, too. But, it really didn't do enough well enough to make me ever really love it.

Sonic Boom is surprisingly fun. It's writing is MUCH sharper and wittier than I think most people expected. There's a reason why so many memes get spun out of it.

SATAM? This is my personal favorite. Now, will it live up to expectations after watching ALL these other shows? Well...I think it has the best drama out of all of these shows. But, it is still a product of it's time. And it depends on what you want out of a Sonic show. My nostalgia goggles are FIRMLY in place. I love it, I love the characters and the setup. But, parts of the other shows might out-shine it, if you've never seen it before. And, a LOT of that love is also tied into me also loving the Archie Comics. Don't go in with TOO high of expectations, is all I'm saying.
 
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LBD "Nytetrayn"

Broke the Matrix
Staff member
Council of Elders
Citizen
I did explicitly plan to watch SatAM. It's other stuff that I was unsure of. But as I said, I developed various thoughts so far. While I have a suspicion that I will dislike SU
Just wanted to say that if you haven't watched either yet, I'd recommend SatAM before Underground, since there was a push to make Underground a continuation, and... it didn't quite work out. It's the sort of thing where having the added context of having seen SatAM already might bring something to the experience.
 

ZakuConvoy

Well-known member
Citizen
I debated on recommending saving Underground for after SATAM, too...but then I realized that would mean ending this marathon on UNDERGROUND. That's just...almost guaranteed to leave a bad taste in the mouth. If only because of the non-ending.

And...it's been YEARS since I've seen it, so remind me if I'm wrong, but I think all that's REALLY shared between the two shows is some design elements. Robotnik's design and some of the buildings. I don't think the Freedom Fighters from SATAM ever come up in Underground. So...it's enough of it's own thing to treat it as such.

And, warts and all, I think SATAM is a MUCH more pleasant end to this marathon than Underground.
 

Sabrblade

Continuity Nutcase
Citizen
Due to Underground's heavily episodic format (after the initial three-part series opener, that is) it has been recommended that one end the series not on its actual final episode (which is just another one the many standalone one-in-done stories) but instead end it on its other three-part saga: "Flying Fortress", "No Hedgehog Is an Island", and "New Echidna in Town". Saving these three for watching them at the very end makes for a much satisfying conclusion to the series.
 

CoffeeHorse

Exhausted, but still standing.
Staff member
Council of Elders
Citizen
I have the old DVD of that three-parter. I watched it once.

Once.
 

LBD "Nytetrayn"

Broke the Matrix
Staff member
Council of Elders
Citizen
I debated on recommending saving Underground for after SATAM, too...but then I realized that would mean ending this marathon on UNDERGROUND. That's just...almost guaranteed to leave a bad taste in the mouth. If only because of the non-ending.

And...it's been YEARS since I've seen it, so remind me if I'm wrong, but I think all that's REALLY shared between the two shows is some design elements. Robotnik's design and some of the buildings. I don't think the Freedom Fighters from SATAM ever come up in Underground. So...it's enough of it's own thing to treat it as such.

And, warts and all, I think SATAM is a MUCH more pleasant end to this marathon than Underground.
Watch the Sonic movies as a chaser, then, says I.

Or the OVA.

And the OVA?

Was the OVA even brought up in this, for that matter?
 

Zamuel

Pittied fools.
Citizen
I'm actually contemplating stopping AoStH and watching the rest of it last since I'm enjoying it and the episodic format means I'm not breaking up a story arc. Since I've done research and cross referencing things, I have been spoiled on a few plot points across the various series. Though, "product of it's time" seems like a proper descripion for most of these series.

The OVA hasn't been brought up but I was mostly planning on watching it at some point. It gets referenced often enough. Though...Sonic movies? I guess you're referencing something other than the Paramount stuff?
 


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