Please note that this site is no longer being updated or maintained; as a result, there may be design issues, and links to images and other media may be broken. Links to posts may redirect you to the same article on the current Sonic Stadium website.
Newgrounds animator Egoraptor returns, this time with another Sonic-themed videogame parody, this time of the 32X title Knuckles Chaotix (if you haven’t seen the original Awesome the Hedgehog, check it out here). Expect lots of street talkin’ , a totally stacked Espio the chameleon, and an Oscar award-winning performance from Knuckles at the finale. Get your hankies ready.
Check out Awesome Chaotix on Newgrounds here (NSFW!!!)
…
LOOK AT HOW SMALL YOU ARE!
Doctor MK, the man behind the successful Sonic Relief fundraiser has kicked off this years event at the SSMB today with the below details of what’s happening and how you can get involved. Take it away, Doctor MK! (Rhyme unintended :p)
Sonic Relief is back at last for its third and final year of fundraising antics! Following the success of the previous two campaigns, Sonic Relief 2011 aims to be bigger and better than ever so as to make it a swansong to remember. Our target for this year is £500+ as it would mean over the three years of Sonic Relief we will have raised over £1,000 for charity – quite the achievement to bow out on! That’s not to say we don’t want to reach for the stars though… let’s give the Sonic Marathon a run for its money if we can, and regain our crown as the most successful Sonic fundraiser!
Entry Submissions
Show off your creative talents in aid of a good cause! Simply create your own piece of humorous Sonic fan art/music/video/etc (the possibilities are endless!) and every one we receive will go towards raising money.You can either post your entries in this designated topic on SSMB or alternatively e-mail your entries to sonicreliefuk@hotmail.co.uk – the best entries will be in with a chance of winning some goodies! (prizes yet to be revealed)
The theme for entries this year returns to “something funny”, but we’d love to see some entries that incorporate our new Blue Noses to help promote the campaign. So once you’ve made your masterpiece and entered, share it with the world and help to spread the Sonic Relief love across the interweb!
A different kind of entry we will also accept this year comes under the heading of ‘Sonic Relief DIY’, for which we want to see you going out into the big wide world and doing your own spot of Sonic fundraising! Have a sponsored day in blue, participate in a fun run dressed as our favourite ‘hog, make a calendar with your friends, literally anything you can think of – and then pass the proceeds onto us! Simples! Details (preferably with some photographic evidence) of your efforts should be posted in this here topic and the money raised donated via our JustGiving page.
THE DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES WILL BE FRIDAY 18TH MARCH 2011.
Donations are not compulsory alongside entries this year, however they are obviously encouraged if you have money to give.
Donations
Want to do your bit to help but don’t necessarily fancy having to make an entry, or want to accompany your entry with a donation? Then we’ve got you covered! Simply head on over to www.justgiving.com/sonicreliefuk and you can pledge as much as you want to our cause – and all the money goes straight to the charity! You’ll need a credit/debit card to use JustGiving, but it’s simple and safe!THE DEADLINE FOR DONATIONS WILL BE FRIDAY 18TH MARCH 2011.
Sonic Relief is branching out into all-new horizons with the Blue Noses, our most ambitious and exciting feature to date! We want each and every one of you to don one of our Blue Noses on your avatars, signatures, profile pictures, etc to help spread the word about our campaign and hopefully provide some laughs in the process!
The process is simple, as demonstrated here by Sonic the Hedgehog himself:
You can get your hands on a Blue Nose in a variety of sizes to suit every purpose here:
XS (20×20)
Small (30×30)
Medium (50×50)
Large (100×100)
XL (150×150)Feel free to resize the Noses to suit your images as necessary, or if you need us to slap a Blue Nose onto your avatar for you then just let us know!
We’d love to see some of your entries incorporating the Blue Noses and don’t forget to post any of your Blue Nose images here in this topic – perhaps we could make a collage out of them all at the end of the campaign!
There’s plenty more to be excited about during the course of Sonic Relief 2011, with many creative projects already underway!
Sonic: The Age of Steam, the steampunk Sonic fan-fiction being written by yours truly, kicked off earlier this year and you can look forward to reading the rest of the story in the coming weeks! We’ve had some great steampunk badnik designs too, amongst other support – this is truly turning into a real community project! You can read the story and check out all the artwork so far at the official blog. We’d love to see your The Age of Steam inspired entries, also!
RadioSEGA DJ Gavvie is also returning to help out with Songs For Sonic 2, which follows in the vein of the original album from last year, but this time featuring originally mixed tracks exclusively for Sonic Relief 2011! The album will be available to download soon.
Sonic Relief and RadioSEGA are also planning to team up at some point during the campaign for Blue Nose Day, a radio-thon of musical and fundaising fusion! Stay tuned for futher details.
These and many other individual projects are going on right now as well, such as Glenn Scully’s The Shadow of a GUN fan-fic, so please show your support to each and every one of them and pledge accordingly!
Let’s make this the Sonic fundraiser to end all Sonic fundraisers!
Sonic Relief Facebook Group
@SonicReliefUK Twitter
Sonic Relief DeviantArt Group
For more information about Comic Relief, head over to the official website.
The cover to Sonic #225 has finally been revealed. IGN got the scoop on start of the “Genesis” saga which will play out over the summer. We can see Sonic and the Freedom Fighters running past what looks like a new, giant Death Egg! As they say in the youtubes “consequences will never be the same!”
You can find the cover here!
Earlier this week we reported on the Sonic Colors Soundtrack VIVID SOUNDS X HYBRID COLORS getting a digital release in Japan with no sign of release in the west…well…be disappointed no more!
As of today, VIVID SOUNDS X HYBRID COLORS is available to download from iTunes in North America and Europe! Not only this, the price of the soundtrack has scaled with the market!
The Soundtrack is again released in 3 volumes, each disc costing £7.99/$9.99 to download. “A great price!”, you say, but are you only after specific tracks? Then don’t worry! You can buy individual tracks from the iTunes store for the bargain price of 0.99p / $0.99! Yes! That means you can have your fill of Cash Cash for the price of a hamburger!
So whether you fancy just reaching for the stars for a quid, or downloading the whole experience for £24/$30, iTunes will let you do so, at a much reduced price to importing the physical soundtrack.
To check out the tracks available follow this link.
So, will you be purchasing any of these tracks from iTunes? Let us know in the comments!
Earlier this month we reported on Awesome Games Done Quick, a marathon in Maryland organised by speedrunning powerhouse Speed Demos Archive.
Over five days playing through a hundred games, SDA smashed their donations target to raise over $52,000 for the Prevent Cancer Foundation. But you’re here to see Sonic, surely?
One top guy taking part was Joe Stanski, one of – or perhaps the – top Sonic 2 player on the net. He had a simple remit – plug the game into a Sega Genesis, and get through the game as fast as possible in one attempt. On the Player 2 side providing somewhat questionable (but capsule-hitting good) assistance was MercuryZelda, who “won” a donation battle against everyone else at the marathon.
[youtube width=”640″ height=”265″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBZMEJtRrRk#t=4m35s[/youtube]
Gameplay starts at 4:35.
Here’s the level results:
SDA are uploading all the game runs from AGDQ right now, at http://speeddemosarchive.com/marathon/schedule/, so check it out. There’s a number of good runs on there: Funkdoc’s demolition of the (S)NES Castlevania series; Kareshi taking on the ultra-hard Ghosts ‘n Goblins series; four people destroying four copies of Ocarina of Time; an Expert and Master mode run of Super Monkey Ball; Mike Uyama and Funkdoc one-credit clearing Streets of Rage 2 Mania with default lives…
Just… pretend Halo doesn’t exist.
With older Sonic the Hedgehog soundtracks becoming more scarce and difficult to obtain, along with newer releases frequently only being available to Japanese markets, the cry from fans for Sonic music to be available for download has become greater in recent years. This is set to change however, with the announcement that the Sonic Colors Official soundtrack album VIVID SOUNDS X HYBRID COLORS will be available from the 26th of this month for download from iTunes.
However don’t jump for joy just yet; the album will only be available to the Japanese market in which Wave Master Entertainment (long time Sonic OST publishers) operate, meaning Western markets will be no closer to getting Sonic soundtracks on general release (although there are ways in which to buy through the Japanese iTunes). Unfortunately the soundtrack does not come cheap; the album is sold in three volumes each costing ¥1500 ($19/£12), with individual tracks being unavailable for purchase. Some fans may find this deal not to be worthwhile, with the physical 3-CD soundtrack costing ¥300 less than downloading all three volumes. Those looking only to purchase the title “Reach for the Stars” by Cash Cash will also be disappointed.
VIVID SOUNDS X HYBRID COLORS is still available for import through CD Japan for ¥4200 ($48), although expect to pay appropriate shipping charges and import tax. Although it may appear that the west is no further forward into getting similar releases to this, it is certainly a step in the right direction.
It’s been around five years since Yuji Naka parted ways with SEGA and formed Prope. Since then, his games have mostly been small projects for download services and handhelds, as well as the strange Wii party game Let’s Tap. Now it looks like we may finally be getting a game fans of his old work can sink their teeth into: Rodea: The Sky Soldier. The game is meant to be a spiritual successor to NiGHTS, and looking at the trailer I see the inspiration. Take a look. If anything, the music is incredible.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zg-xVn0vZSo[/youtube]
Rodea is not the game’s Japanese name, by the way. It’s full Japanese name is actually Tenkuu no Kishi Rodea. Rodea: The Sky Soldier is actually the game’s western trademark, which seems to indicate we’ll be getting a localization. Cross your fingers!
For further details, magazine scans, concept art and screen caps please check out SEGAbits.
UPDATE: Seems my reservations were fully justified. The abbreviations at the bottom stand for programming tools. Hopefully we are getting a game like this, but either way this job listing is not a sign of it. I still encourage you to click the SEGAbits link at the bottom to enter the wider world of SEGA!
Maybe, I don’t know. It’s what Go Nintendo seems to be implying at least. Sumo Digital has put out a job listing for a senior artist, and “SSR 3DS” appears to be listed as one of the projects. I am personally crossing my fingers on this one. ASR is one of those games I am hoping we’ll get a 3DS port of. Here’s the job listing in full:
Senior Artist
Location: INDIA – Pune, IND – Sumo Digital
Job Code: 785
# of openings: 5
Description* Senior Artist (SA L1 to L3) with 4+ years of experience in Game art creations for AAA titles.
* Hands on experience in modelling and texturing in areas like Environment Assets & Characters, except VFX & Animation
* Ability of making Concept Art would be an added advantage
* Communication skills in English.* Edit – 07 Oct 2010
* Artist will be assigned to Sumo Digital – ARS2, SSR 3DS, Crispins
Source: SEGAbits
As part of our 5 year anniversary, we take a look back at the original Slingerland’s Corner. In this episode he tackles a big subject, Sonic fan characters. In fact he tackles one particular one, Evil The Hedgehog.
Slingerlands Corner may be a thing of the past, but you can now ask the ‘Answer Man’ you Sonic questions! He answers a few of them through the site, but the best ones get answered in his upcoming video episodes! If you want to ask the Answer Man something, go to formspring.me/thesonicshow.
Also Click below to download the awesome Evil the Hedgehog video game!
DOWNLOAD ME
This game was originally made in the Really Amateur Games Expo in either 2008 or 2009. Which I found lurking on my pc, if anyone knows who made it please comment as Id love to credit them, even though its a pile of crap (intentionally!)
As of next month, Sonic comics will no longer carry the CCA seal. The CCA is a ratings authority which was established in the 1950s amid a witch hunt that targeted the comic book industry. Led by psychiatrist Frederick Werthem, the industry reacted by setting up the CCA to regulate itself and censor questionable content. This regulation nearly destroyed the industry and has since become more lax over the years. Archie Comics was one of the few companies that continued to use the CCA stamp on all of it’s publications.
So what does this mean for the Sonic comics? Not a whole lot, actually. Archie Comics Mike Pellerito tolds Newsarama “”The code never affected us editorially the way I think it did other companies,” he said. “You know, we aren’t about to start stuffing bodies into refrigerators or anything. We have to answer to Archie fans.”
So I guess you guys won’t have to look at that ugly stamp anymore!
For the full story, check out Newsarama. Special thanks goes to Illustrious Q for sending in the tip.
French Sonic fansite Eversonic received a parcel from SEGA France yesterday revealing the company’s secret to keep Sonic looking young and hip in the years ahead …anti-aging cream. Yes, just 20 years old and already on the cosmetics. In all seriousness though, it’s a pretty funny piece of Anniversary merchandise. The cream inside the tub is even blue. Nice one, SEGA France.
Check out more pics of the item at Eversonic.
Seems shipping problems caused the next issue of Sonic Universe #24 to be a week late. Nevertheless, it’s here and it’s the best (non shipper) fan service a Sonic fan could ask for! Everyone from Shadow the Hedgehog to Bean the Dynamite are battling it out in this issue, and boy is it fun. Omega fans may be displeased with the ending though, as Omega lets a bit of mushy side out…and there’s also a slightly odd shipping moment I’m not sure anyone saw coming. If I wanted to spoil it I’m not sure what I’d even call it. Nevertheless I’m sure there is at least one Sonic fan out there who supports it.
In any case, here is the preview!
SONIC UNIVERSE #24
“Treasure Team Tango” Part Four: The wild grand finale to our craziest story yet! Four teams vie for the precious Sol Emerald! Will Team Rose help Blaze save her world? Will Team Dark beat them into submission? Will Nack’s “Team Hooligan” cash it in, or will the Babylon Rogues beat them to it? You can’t miss this blockbuster conclusion!
SCRIPT: Ian Flynn
ART: Tracy Yardley!, Jim Amash, Phil Felix and Jason Jensen
COVER: Tracy Yardley!, Jim Amash & Ben Hunzeker
Shipping Date: 1/5/11
On Sale at Comic Shops: 1/12/11
Newstands: Week of 1/25/11
Comic, 32 pgs, 40 lb. glossy stock, Full-Color
$2.99 US
I don’t know how this took 6 years to hit international waters. Apparently the Middle East shares our love of Sonic, and for the release of Sonic Heroes in ’04, McDonalds in Pakistan duly responded with the same terrible LCD games the rest of us got in our Happy Meals.
…and by “our”, I mean “your”; I’m way too old for Happy Meals. Honest.
Thing is, it looks like the overworked and underpaid animators for the advert only had those games to work with, and left their glasses at home. The result is quite horrific.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7Q0_DgXHG0[/youtube]
Now aren’t you glad you live in a country where the only thing you have to worry about is green eyes?
Thanks (I think?) to TheGLaDOSTYIE on the SSMB for bringing this freak of nature to our attention.
If that was too much for you, BlazingTales saves the day with some… shall we say more recognisable adverts from elsewhere:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Li4m_cc0SKc[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mx1Va7Ma7J8[/youtube]
For those of you who may not have noticed, this weekend saw the release of the first teaser trailer from Sonic 2 HD! It has been in the works in one form or another as far back as 2007, and like a lot of fan projects we do wonder whether it will ever truly be finished, but you can’t deny how good this trailer looks! Interested (you should be), then check out their developer blog, their official site, or join their facebook page!
UPDATE: ArchangelUK of SEGA Europe and Sonic Wrecks has received European and Australian pricing and release date information from SCEE. The theme will be available Wednesday 19th January for free to PlayStation Plus members, and cost €1.99/£1.59/$AU3.45 for everyone else.
Source: Sonic Wrecks/UPDATE END
SEGA’s RubyEclipse has revealed that a Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 Dynamic Theme will soon be available on the PlayStation Store for PS3 owners thanks to a joint effort from SEGA and Sony. This theme is based on the game’s first stage Splash Hill Zone and features Sonic running and spin-dashing around, with an appearance from Dr. Eggman every now and then. Another cool feature is the ring sound effect we’ve all grown to know and love that will trigger when toggling around the XMB.
This Dynamic Theme will be a part of this coming Tuesday’s PlayStation Store update in the U.S. and will be released shortly after in Europe, so maybe Wednesday’s European PlayStation Store update, if we’re lucky? The theme will cost $2.99 in the U.S. and for a limited time will be available free to all PlayStation Plus members. No European prices were given.
If you missed the announcement, SEGA added exclusive Sonic 4 Avatar items to the Xbox Live Marketplace for Xbox 360 owners in December.
Source: SEGA of America Blog & Sonic City Blognik
Thanks to CobraRoll at the SSMB for the heads up!
Will you be downloading this theme? Let us know in the comments.
8-4.jp has posted up scans of various New Year’s postcards that they’ve received from various companies in the gaming industry and one such company is SEGA Japan, who sent out the above post card featuring new artwork of Sonic in a snazzy white tuxedo alongside the 20th Anniversary emblem.
What do you think of the postcard? Do you like Sonic’s posh threads? Should Sonic wear trousers? Speak out in the comments.
Source: 8-4.jp (via GoNintendo)
SEGA has today officially announced the Dreamcast Collection, a title that was rumoured to be on the way in November last year and later confirmed in December by SEGA’s Alan Pritchard. The collection will include all Dreamcast games that have been released or are currently on the way to Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network, which are Sonic Adventure, Crazy Taxi, Space Channel 5: Part 2 and SEGA Bass Fishing. There’s currently no word on if the Sonic Adventure DX: Director’s Cut DLC will be included.
The Dreamcast Collection will be available for Xbox 360, PC and PC Download on February 25th 2011 in Europe and February 22nd in North America, February 24th in Australia and February 25th in New Zealand. It seems PS3 owners will have to stick to the individual releases on PlayStation Network.
The full press release sent out by SEGA is available below:
SEGA® Europe Ltd. and SEGA® of America, Inc. today announced that a packaged compilation of classic titles from SEGA’s popular Dreamcast™ console will hit retail shelves on the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, and the PC. The Dreamcast Collection will be available on February 25th 2011 in Europe and February 22nd in North America, February 24th in Australia and February 25th in New Zealand.
The Dreamcast Collection includes the fan favourites Sonic Adventure™, Crazy Taxi™, SEGA Bass Fishing™ and Space Channel 5™: Part 2. Players will get to enjoy four very different Dreamcast experiences, from hopping behind the steering wheel of Crazy Taxi, to taking things a little slower by luring in their fish before catching them hook, line and sinker with SEGA Bass Fishing. Alternatively, take over as intergalactic news reporter Ulala in Space Channel 5: Part 2 and dance your way past the evil Rhythm Rogues, or make it all about speed in Sonic’s first Dreamcast outing, Sonic Adventure!
SEGA’s Dreamcast Collection features enhanced graphics for both platforms versions, providing an even more engaging experience. In addition to this, achievements and online leader boards will be available for each game providing a competitive edge and allowing players to prove their skills!
“The Dreamcast console is still remembered as a pioneering console for online gaming,” commented Gary Knight, VP of Marketing at SEGA of America and SEGA Europe “We are delighted to be able to offer to our large community of dedicated fans a collection such as Dreamcast Collection for them to enjoy old favourites on this generation of consoles”.
Dreamcast Collection will be available in Europe in February 2011 for Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PC and PC digital download.
Source: iTWire
Will you be picking up this collection? Let us know in the comments.
We have a new member of The Sonic Stadium team. His name is Answer Man. Coming straight from his Answer House in Answer Town, he’ll be answering your questions about anything Sonic related. For real.
We’ve been receiving feedback about what people want to see back on the show and my “Slingerland’s Corner” segment was the one that people wanted to see again. I don’t know why. People throw a big fit when I write articles full of truthiness, but I can lay into people in a video and people will like it. However, I’m a little tied up to respond to your questions, so the Answer Man will be taking over. He’s a cool dude. He’ll be keeping my format, but do it more efficiently and with flashy graphics.
For the first episode of “Ask the Answer Man,” we need some questions. Want to ask the Answer Man something? Then post a question on the link below and it might be answered next week. Keep your questions brief. Treat it like Twitter or something. Answer Man doesn’t want to read your rants. He’s too busy with his Answer Women.
It was back in 2008, that Evil Doc teamed up with The Sonic Show to create a series of toons for our audience to enjoy. In this one they looked at some of the more odd memories the characters have.
EVILDOC is a collaboration between Roger Van Der Weide and Alexandra D. Fortin and has been active since September 2006. They mainly focus on Videogame parodies (Bowser’s Plan, Doomed Shadow Show) and made a few original series such as The Evildoc Show.
It was back in 2006 that The Sonic Show started, and throughout the next few months we will be looking back at what The Sonic Show has been up to.
To start it off, we take a look back at every intro sequence along the years of the show.
2006 started with a basic sequence edited by myself, to the tune of the Sonic & Knuckles theme.
2007 brought in a revamped version, using the Remix Project version of the tune and art drawn by Unny Gorey.
2008 saw a whole new era with art drawn by Professor J and music composed by Huepow.
2009 Finally brought us up to date with a new sequence animated by the very talented Legend 20x with music originally composed for the show too by Hunter Bridges
Apologies for the brief and rather flavourless update this evening – was in the middle of sprucing up the home page and my laptop’s battery caved in. As you can see, we’re going through something of an early Spring clean, so excuse the mess while I’m unable to fix it basically.
The general idea is that all posts will be morphed into this one monster list of TSS articles – we have written a lot of stuff over the last week, but some posts have not been as popular as others because they were hidden underneath other sections. I hope to have in place a system where users can easily see new posts on the home page since their last visit, so you don’t miss a beat.
The top of the page – horrific Dr Robotnik and all – is intended to be for the latest ‘hot’ stories, be they news, articles or anything else. I will be adding text into each of the three (one currently doesn’t work – something else to fix) hot story images as soon as I get the chance. In the meantime, enjoy a turning Robotnik without any context. Sweet dreams!
Let me know your feedback on the home page, and whether you think these changes are good for you. We’re not above changing it again to suit your needs, so give us your thoughts in the comments box below! And we’ll return to our usual home page service soon…
Long-standing community member Psyguy has launched an initiative for a fan tribute to celebrate Sonic the Hedgehog’s 20th Anniversary. The plan is to create a digital art book featuring a collection of “some of the best artwork from around the globe.”
It’s a project that follows the lead that Udon Comics established with the Street Fighter and Darkstalkers Tribute books. Fanart old and new will be considered, but limited space means only the cream of the crop will get included in the 100 pages planned. There are no plans to actually publish the project when completed, but naturally Psy is open to anyone that might want to sponsor such an endeavour. Udon? Sega?
If you fancy getting your work included in the digital booklet (or have some additional questions to ask about the project) then you can find all the details – along with already-submitted pieces – on its website. If you have an SSMB account and fancy throwing your thoughts into the ring, you can go to the SSMB topic here too.
UK Xbox 360 specialist magazine Xbox World 360 recently sent out e-mails to a variety of game developers to find out the secrets of the industry for a feature in their magazine, which has now been made available online on partner site CVG. One of the developers queried was Sonic Team head Takashi Iizuka, who was asked “What’s the secret to making 2D work?”, to which he replied with the below statement.
I think there are various kinds of 2D platformer and each one of them focuses on different game elements. In the case of Sonic games, I put a premium on the game tempo of the stage.
A game cannot be constructed with only speed elements and a game with only jump actions is not a Sonic. Though jump actions bring a feeling of tension and cause a lot of stress, it’s an element giving the player a great sense of achievement when completed.
In addition to that, maximizing the feeling of achievement and exhilaration in a game whilst still providing the speed is the basic concept – and also real pleasure – of Sonic games.
Takashi Iizuka has gotten a lot of flack from the fanbase for Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 due to physics being very different to the classic Mega Drive titles among other reasons, and those fans who didn’t enjoy Episode 1 are hopeful things will change in Episode 2. While this statement doesn’t mention physics, does it give you some hope for Episode 2 and any other future 2D Sonic games? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Source: Xbox World 360 @ CVG (via GoNintendo)
Many of you will no doubt have heard of SEGAWorld Sydney, that once stood proudly on Darling Harbour. Although housed in a grand building and offering a variety of attractions, SEGAWorld Sydney was only open for four brief years during 1997 and 2000, with the park closing November 2000 and the building being demolished in 2008. The park was host to many rides and a whole bunch of merchandise that now goes for crazy prices on ebay, but one of the main attractions was a live hour-and-a-half stage show involving actors dressed as a host of characters and a plot loosely based around the SatAM universe (with some pretty cheesy songs which you can hear if you’re lucky/unlucky enough to own the “Sonic In Sydney” soundtrack CD).
Unbeknownst to most this show was not the only to grace the SEGAWorld Sydney stage. Forumer SonikkuForever has been doing some digging and has been in touch with Philip Einfeld of Philip Einfeld’s Puppetoons, who was comissioned to produce an puppet show to replace the stage show. Philip has been kind enough to share photos from the show along with a description in his correspondance, and considering I think very few have heard of this, or even know this show existed, it deserves mentioning here on TSS.
The Sonic the Hedgehog Puppet Show performed 3-4 half hour shows daily in Sega World Sydney throughout 1998-99.
It was performed on center stage, pretty much in the middle of Sega World next to the food court. People could dine at their tables while watching the show.
The show was designed, written, produced and performed by Phillip Einfeld Puppetoons. It involved 2 puppeteers and a live hostess.Dr. Robotnik had devised a plan to finally defeat his arch enemy Sonic. He has concocted a robot making machine that would build the ultimate, evil, robot with every device needed to catch Sonic. With the help of his buddies Tails and Princess Sally, Sonic defeats the robot (Grounder) who turns out to be a bit slow physically and mentally. Robotnik blasts off back to his secret laboratory in anger and everyone lives happily ever after.
Originally, a show with dancers and costumed characters performed on the stage. The soundtrack you have heard is from that show. I think I may have the puppet show sound track in my files somewhere but it could take some time to find it.
When Sega decided to disband the original stage show, due to it not being very dynamic, late 1997, I was brought in to replace it with the puppetshow and some animatronic displays.I redesigned the stage to represent planet Mobius, on either end were magic mountains, every 15mins except during show times, audio animatronic Sonic and Tails characters rose out of top of mountains and spoke to each other and audience, anouncing show times and upcoming events in Sega World. In center of stage stood the large, fully sculpted puppet theatre. Perched above the theatre was a big ,purple, animatronic bird that spoke to the audience. Above the stage was a large vid screen. Segments of the puppet show where filmed and appeared on the screen i.e when Robotnik blasts off in his space ship he is seen flying across a planet strewn sky above the audience (on the screen).
The puppets were large, muppet style creations, Sonic, Tails, Princess Sally, Dr. Robotnik and Grounder the Robot. A large ‘Robot making Machine’ prop was made along with special Sonic hats for children chosen from audience to wear. The show included much audience participation. I had 3 original songs recorded (I attached the lyrics).
I used all my own people for the voices (all approved by Sega) From memory I voiced Grounder, Dennis White voiced Dr.Robotnik, and Sonic, Tails and Sally were voiced by Alexis Nagy. The original music and songs were written and produced by myself and Mark Rosenberg.
Here are a selection of photos also sent by Philip:
Many thanks once again to SonikkuForever and Philip for giving us a peak into one of the many forgotten chapters of SEGAWorld!
Did you ever witness this show or any other on a visit to SEGAWorld Sydney? Let us know in the comments!
For more discussion, head to the thread in the SSMB.
Some of you may recall a Sonic Retro forum goer by the name of Sammybeany and his colorful opinions on the Sega community event held back in November. You may also remember the infamous clock he received as a gift for attending that he was not too happy with. Well, he sold that clock on eBay which was immediately purchased by Ben Kalough, another Sonic fan who was at the event.
After purchasing the clock, he sent it along with some candy and a card back to Sega. Sega has written an article all about it on their official blogs which you can find in our link down below. They seem to have a good sense of humor about the whole situation. Let’s hope they put as much effort into improving Episode 2 as they do joking with their critics.
Click on the photo to see Sega’s blog.
The link to TSS may be somewhat tenuous, but, like Brad and Sonic Retro, Speed Demos Archive are my bros.
Last year SDA held their first marathon, Classic Games Done Quick, a 55-hour session that blasted through 65 golden oldies, including the original Sonic, Knuckles in Sonic 2 and Sonic 3 & Knuckles as Tails, and raised $11k for poverty charity CARE. This year they meet in Maryland for Awesome Games Done Quick, a 107-hour bumper session aiming to get through 100 games in that time, this time for the Prevent Cancer Foundation.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nWUpNdCYDY[/youtube]
Normally I’m not big on marathons, because, well, I kinda like to see games played well. What sets SDA apart from other groups that organise marathons though, is that, without exception, all the players are experts in speedrunning the games they play. This motley crew includes Super Mario Bros. world record holder Andrew Garkidis who will be playing said game blindfolded, a man called Joe Stanski who you can see plastered all over Sonic records portal The Sonic Center’s Sonic 2 time records, and The Speed Gamers‘ Kari Johnson, better known as the girl that speedruns Final Fantasy games without saving. This is a group you don’t want to #### with.
Unfortunately, Sonic isn’t going to be well-represented this time. In fact, it’ll only be Stanski on Sonic 2. But you guys want to see this game destroyed live on camera in less than half an hour anyway, surely? Joining Sonic from the Sega camp are classics like Moonwalker, Earthworm Jim, Rocket Knight Adventures and Streets of Rage 2, as well as not-so-classic but still awesome games like Super Monkey Ball and Bayonetta.
In addition to all this cool gaming, donations of $5 and up will get you into a raffle for small prizes related to that game, and the top donations will decide important, or not so important, aspects of the run like character and weapon choices, character names in RPGs etc. Finally, some games will be races between 2-4 top players, and there’ll be live piano accompaniment for a couple games as well.
Bound to be a fair bit of fun, so if you’re in, check out the schedule, and turn up at the SDA site starting on Thursday at 9PM GMT for a top marathon ending on Tuesday at 8AM.
Sonic and Mario aren’t wasting any time, and are getting themselves “pumped” for the next games in 2012!
After SEGA Japan’s New Year’s Day teaser/announcement, SEGA of America has today issued a similar press release regarding their plans to celebrate Sonic the Hedgehog‘s 20th Anniversary with events around the world. The publisher says we can expect details about these events throughout the year. Check the full press release out for yourself below.
SEGA® Corporation is proud to announce their company mascot will celebrate his 20th anniversary on June 23, 2011.
From the first day of the release of Sonic The Hedgehog™ back in 1991 on the SEGA Genesis™ console, Sonic the Hedgehog quickly became a popular gaming icon due to his super fast speed and his cool, edgy character. In the twenty years that the video games have been available, Sonic the Hedgehog has notched up over 70 million units sold worldwide.
As well as videogames, SEGA’s iconic blue hedgehog has enjoyed huge success in areas such as comics, apparel and toys and even starred in his own animated series.
SEGA Corporation will be celebrating this special year in style with events around the world, details of which will be released throughout the 20th anniversary year of 2011.
For more information on SEGA, please visit www.sega.com :
About SEGA® Corporation:
SEGA® Corporation is a worldwide leader in interactive entertainment both inside and outside the home, encompassing consumer business, amusement machine sales and amusement center operations. The company develops, publishes and distributes interactive entertainment software products for a variety of hardware platforms including PC, wireless devices, and those manufactured by Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. SEGA Corporation’s Web site is located at sega.jp : .
About SEGA® of America, Inc.:
SEGA® of America, Inc. is the American arm of Tokyo, Japan-based SEGA® Corporation, a worldwide leader in interactive entertainment both inside and outside the home. The company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive entertainment software products for a variety of hardware platforms including PC, wireless devices, and those manufactured by Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. SEGA of America’s web site is located at www.sega.com
Sources: PR-Inside.com and SEGA of America Blog
What kind of events would you like to see for Sonic’s 20th Anniversary? Share your ideas in the comments.
This is a story that’s going to draw a lot of applause and skepticism, as it’s easily one of the most profound change Ian Flynn has introduced since he was brought on the book. Sonic is betrayed by a character who has his purpose and intentions completely changed from the day he was brought onto the book. I’m not sure what to make of it at the moment, and I personally intend to ride this one out and see where it goes before judging the move. This could very well be the beginning of some very nice stories, or could mean the sloppy permanent butchery of a character I appear to like more then many others.
Below is the preview and the solicit.
SONIC THE HEDGEHOG #220
“In Service to the King” Part Two.
Danger abounds in this pulse-pounding issue! Sonic is lost in a void with no chance of escape! One of his friends is about to make a terrible mistake! An old villain is poised to return, and a Chaos Emerald hangs in the balance! Then, discover the final fate of the villainess Lien-Da in “From the Inside Out.”
SCRIPT: Ian Flynn
ART: Jamal Peppers, Terry Austin, John Workman, and Matt Herms
COVER: Jamal Peppers, Terry Austin, and Matt Herms
Shipping Date: DEC 15, 2010
On Sale at Comic Shops: DEC 22, 2010
Newsstands: Week of JAN 4, 2011
Comic, 32 pgs, 40 lb glossy stock, Full-Color
$2.99 US
Happy New Year Everyone!
We hope you’ve all enjoyed whatever celebrations you’ve attended over the past weeks, and are looking forward to what the New Year has to offer! 2010 has been and gone, and boy it’s sure been a rollercoaster year! We’ve seen the long-awaited Sonic the Hedgehog 4 released and met with mixed reviews. We’ve been pleasantly surprised with the new cast of Sonic voice actors and with how fantastic a title Sonic Colo(u)rs turned out to be. Some of us got the opportunity to rock out with Crush 40 at Summer of Sonic ’10, and some of us have probably fallen over while trying to play Sonic Free Riders.
If you’re resident to the UK then no doubt your parents or grandparents will have insisted on watching the Queen’s speech on Christmas day, where our majesty usually talks about something relevant to the past year’s events. Well, I’m not royalty, but I’d like to talk to you guys and gals about friendship and tolerance. One of the things that makes this fan base so unique is the variety of talent and knowledge that you all harbour…not to mention the kindness, the generosity and the good nature you all display on a regular basis. I know a lot of you have forged strong friendships and have even found love through a mutual passion for Sonic. These principles of friendship are undoubtedly the backbone to many elements of what this community provides from general day-to-day conversations on the forums to real life meet-ups. Another thing that makes the community special in many ways is the diversity of opinions. I’ve always maintained we’d have one pretty boring world if we all agreed on everything, and it’s been rewarding to have lengthy discussions debating music, games and merchandise with many of you over the many years I’ve been a part of this community. I’m sure many of you who share the same passion will have had similar experiences.
Of course sometimes this passion can mean we lead with our heart and not with our minds, and from time to time discussion can become heated. More often than not the result causes an exchange of words that serves any purpose but to antagonise the other party. I am pleased to say that over the last year I’ve seen a massive decline in this happening in the comments on articles or on the SSMB forums, and I hope that you guys will continue this attitude, as well as to extend this to our brethren across all other sites and forums as well. Opinions are exactly that: opinions. We are all allowed to have them, and regardless of whether or not you agree with them, you have to respect the opinions of others. I hope TSS will continue to be a place where thoughts, feelings and opinions can be shared and discussed constructively.
Our network of friends continues to expand every year, and we are pleased to have been able to add many new names to the list of sites we communicate with, and we hope to add more to that this year as well as reinforce our bonds with those we already work with. 2010 has also seen our connections with SEGA grow even stronger; this has included opportunities for exclusive news, but it has most notably manifested with the increasing support we have had for the Summer of Sonic convention. I’m sure that the near thousand-strong crowd who came along to play games before anyone else, to pick up prizes and freebies available nowhere else and to see the UK’s first Crush 40 performance will agree that this event was something special.
These things don’t just pop into existence however; without the creative powers of Dreadknux (our very own Svend Joscelyne) and AAUK (Mr. Kevin Eva, SoE) to mobilise the massive undertaking, without the financial support from SEGA, and without the band of merry men and women from TSS, Sonic Wrecks, Emerald Coast, Nights Into Dreams (who will also be celebrating NiGHTS 15th anniversary this year!) and so forth, Summer of Sonic simply wouldn’t happen.
Our ties with SEGA still don’t end there though; we’ve also been fortunate enough to have been in a position to be able to give our feedback on games such as Sonic the Hedgehog 4 directly thanks to SEGA Community Events (attended by our very own Brad Flick late last year). Events like these are heralding the beginning of a paradigm shift to an era in which SEGA are listening more and more to what the community and to what the fans want. Even if you don’t think Sonic 4 is the perfect title, the feedback our community contributes will assist future direction to the franchise. For those of you were totally unimpressed with the title, exercise tolerance; creating the perfect game is surely an iterative process, and thus we should exercise patience as frustrating as it is. In any case I toast AAUK, RubyEclipse (Mr. Aaron Webber, SoA) and the many others who have taken the time to make this their mission to talk to us fans, and hope they will continue their work on into 2011 and beyond.
For those of you still sceptical, then I invite you to come along to Summer of Sonic this year and meet fellow fans for yourself. Dread often talks 
of something that has now become affectionately known as “SoS syndrome” – the fantastic feeling you get from coming along to Summer of Sonic, and which usually lingers for weeks after the event. I’m sure it will change your mind.
So what does 2011 have in store for us? Well it looks like there are two or three new Sonic titles to look forward to, as well as Sonic’s 20th anniversary, which is already being teased by SEGA of Japan’s website. Of course if that wasn’t enough, you can expect Summer of Sonic ’11 in June as well; I can guarantee you won’t want to miss this year’s festivities! As per usual we’ll have some awesome stuff to give away to you guys as well, so keep your peepers peeled for new competitions just around the corner!
On behalf of all the staff here at TSS, I wish all of you the best for the year to come, and we hope you all enjoy sharing and celebrating two decades of Sonic the Hedgehog with friends new and old with us here at the Sonic Stadium!
T-Bird, TSS Staff
At long last it is here! The sequel you guys have been waiting for! Return to a human world influenced by the characteristics and adventures of the Sonic world you know and love. I won’t waste your time with words, just watch it and enjoy!
Some characters you may wish to know:
Sonic
You should all know who this character is. He’s still a positive guy who loves the thrill of adventure. Thanks to the time stones from the previous movie, who knows what he gets up to these days.
TailsStill looking after his Tornado, but hasn’t seen Sonic for a long, long time.
Amy
She also hasn’t heard from Sonic for a long time. But in this canon, she has reason to be annoyed, as Sonic has a spark for her.
Dr. Ivo Robotnik
Dr. Robotnik is recovering from his previous defeat. But this time he has much bigger plans.
