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Evenin’ all. Just popped in to say for those of you who aren’t using FastFeet Media and also for those of you that do but use SSMB too – a little announcement. FastFeet Media is having a new look placed up at the end of October with loadsa new bits including:
Continue reading New Look FastFeet Media and FFM Forums… coming soon
Not that I’m one to complain about such things, but was it me or was SAGE 9 extremely short? Even shorter than it used to be back in the days of SAGE 4/5? I do believe this event ran for a grand marathon of about 3 or 4 days maximum. Although it was a success in such a short time, I’m sure many fangame developers would be rather choked that their creations were given a three day limit to be seen – especially considering that there are so many people out there who hasn’t even heard of a fangame. ShadowTeam was a sufferer in that we didn’t find time to add our stuff for that three day window, so we’ll be announcing our stuff over the coming weeks instead.
As for the coverage, I’m going to begin after I’ve had my lunch. But considering the number of booths that appeared this time, and the lack of time to see it in, it’s a shame I’m using the “aftermath” time to actually cover these fangames. A suggestion for SAGE 10 – especially since the SAGE event is to be a once-yearly event after SAGE 9: make it about 2 or even three weeks. Especially seeings as it’ll only be happening once a year now, a lot of people will be looking forward to it. And it also gives people like myself time to cover, report and actually play these games at leisure.
So, the stylish influence of United Game Artists strikes further within Sonic Team HQ, as we finally know what ‘Project Rub’ is all about. It’s a dating sim for Nintendo DS, you see. And it involves “touching girls”. Egad. We’ll be covering that in a day or so’s time. Sorry for lack of updates too, but a new job convinces me to stay away from this computer and all, so bleh. Trust me though, I’m putting stuff up and have a ton of great things lined up over the next month – in time for TSS’ FOURTH Birthday. Also, SAGE has started once more – but if you hear hide nor peep from me for a day or so, I’m just fixing up Shadow Team’s booth for the event. Finally, the Sonic Site Awards is in Phase 2. Need I say more? I don’t think so. ‘Ave it.
In conjuction with the SSA 2004 and Sonic Stadium’s 4th Birthday SSR is going to be hosting the Top 8 Sonic Tracks. Just like the Site Awards the Top 8 tracks of this year will be voted upon by you and will involve a two stage voting process with categories.
Stage One will give you the listeners to nomiante 6 tracks in each of the catergory’s. Stage Two will be voting on the compiled nomianted tracks.
This Fan Shout is written by Psychobob.
The answer is no.
Sonic games have been on and off lately, but their position has been further worsened by groups of people who feel compelled to compare them with the MegaDrive games of yester year. The underlying flaws in this argument are:
The majority of fans continue to concern themselves with judging the most recent of sonic games by standards set when the serious was at it acme (peak). Not only is this a difficult expectation to reach, but it is one which is irrelevant when it is considered that each game was catering for a different industry period.
Why is it then that the fans are continuing to compare the old with the new? I think that perhaps it is because it is easier to judge games with similar aesthetics, rather than on game dynamics. For instance there would be far more relevance to compare “Crash Bandicoot GBA” with “Sonic Advance” because both have been developed to cater for the same industry.
Generally the comparisons made between old and new sonic games tend to focus on comparing the two rather than contrasting them. If more attention was paid to contrasting the games, then it would be seen just how different the new games are from the originals. Just like Sonic Advance 2, Sonic Advance 3 is all about speed. Many would agree that both games were trying to imitate the Classic MegaDrive gameplay, and failing to do so. A more realistic approach would be to suggest the GBA games are not trying to imitate the originals; instead they are trying to establish a new set of dynamics for a new generation of sonic. The problem is that so long as critics continue to think the new is trying to imitate the old, they will always see differences from the older games as a negative, rather than the positive that it is.
The biggest flaw in most comparisons is the inclusion of the speed element. For people who concern themselves so much with the original sonic games, it seems unusual that one important factor has escaped them: sonic never achieves blistering speed, at leased not to the degree we see in Sonic Advance 2 and 3. With the exception of early levels which were purposely designed to be less complex, there was more emphasis put on the platforming element of the originals rather than rip roaring speeds. This is not to say there was no speed in sonic, because there was, but more often than not it was restricted to small sections abruptly ending in cruel object placement and far overshadowed by the platforming elements. Below is a list of levels which demonstrated the greater emphasis on platforming in the original sonic games:
If you consider all this, then a game that was far closer to the originals was Sonic Advance. Ironically this gas was criticised for not being enough like the originals.
Ah, you thought we forgot didn’t you? 😉 Well, we thought it was pointless covering it AS it was going, because people update stuff halfway through and it all gets very annoying. So we did a complete coverage report for you now, when it’s ended, so you can see our review on the event. Also, did you notice? HUH? DID YOU? That’s right – we updated. When? The other day. The 5th August to be exact. But we didn’t put anything here did we? No, we indeed did not.
Take note of the ‘Latest Updates’ feature on the left hand side there – it will tell you when we last updated, and what exactly. This bit will only be updated when there is an important announcement, or when I can be bothered to do some sort of random blog-esque… thing. You’re happy – you know what’s updated and when. I’m happy – I don’t have to make a huge speech when I’ve only added a Box Art scan 😛 We all win. BTW, sorry for getting Sonux confused with Rally the Cheetah a while ago, regarding the most recent Box Art scans. It’s been sorted, so bleh. Send us stuff, remember amigos!
As Summer peaks, and the sun is blazing hot, no-one is going to the local beaches. No-one is going out at all as a matter of fact. No, at this point of the year, us Sonic fans are busy inside our houses, with our computers, pens, pencils and papers, drawing and creating fancomics to entertain the world. And if they’re not doing that, they’re viewing these comics. Why? Because it’s time for the annual Sonic Comic Convention, and everyone’s gone into sketching mode – heck, even your very own Dreadknux has dabbled in the comic strip-making on the back of the event. Yes, comics are a very important, yet largely ignored, entertainment medium with which to communicate with readers. The Sonic Stadium happily goes through these comics that people have spent so much effort and time on, and have reported back to you as to how well each comic is getting on. It’s going to be a long Summer.
The Modern Life of a Hedgie – By Blackstar – Link
Blackstar brings a new sprite comic to the Sonic Comic Convention this time around. Although I think of the words “hand drawn” when I think of comics, Sprite Comic-ism has been all the rage since the comedy sprite comic was pioneered by Fireball20XL. Since then, there have been countless more comics like That’s My Sonic, attempting to repeat the success Psyguy had. Usually it all goes to pot, and sprite comics end soon after they start. ‘The Modern Life of a Hedgie’ starts off as your average sprite comic affair, with lack of a plot, attempting to be funny. There are some great comics, such as Sonic and Shadow suspended in midair and Knuckles’ lame comments after smacking Sonic in the face. The Monty Python ripoff and immensely generic Michael Jackson joke don’t get me going, but I’m sure there’s someone who likes that kind of thing. All in all, a good attempt.
Mach Adventure – By GohanWinner – Link
This comic is interesting, revolving around a fan character Mach – a hedgehog with robotic limbs. According to the description, this comic will outline the most important journey Mach has ever faced. Four pages were available, and began with Mach mourning, until Robotnik’s badniks arrive searching for him. The pages detail an impressive show of Mach’s character during battle, and the loss he’s suffered. We hope this goes somewhere.
Sonic: Drive – By Murray Thomson – Link
There’s been a lot of kerfuffle about Sonic: Drive – not much is actually known about the comic asides from the fact that it’ll have your usual Sonic action, plus a new female mouse character (that looks cunningly like Rouge’s long lost sister… :P). Unfortunately, Sonic: Drive didn’t manage to successfully present their first issue – a 404 Error was present when clicking the link – but when the next event hits in December, hopefully the comic will be running smoothly enough to let visitors catch up then.
Sonic Revolution – By Volti – Link
A fantastic French effort, in the form of Sonic Revolution. Much like the Sonic Adventures of our time, we see Sonic and Eggman in a human world, but this is an excellent alternative to the official storyline – Starting in New Zealand, a Mr. Eggman attempts to find the six Chaos Gems in order to control the world as he sees fit – a world without lying politicians and endless suffering. A familiar blue hedgehog is after these gems too, however – enter Sonic the Hedgehog. On the way he runs into a young pink hedgehog, attempting to commit suicide. The storyline so far is excellent, and the artwork is inspiring, if not justifyably French (which I meant in a good way! ^_^). Can’t wait to see how the plot unfolds.
Wave Adventure 2 – By Wave – Link
There wasn’t a lot on show here, nor was there any real information as to what the plot was about, but the most logical guess would be another fan character outing. The character this time, is called Wave. Only one finished page that shows a rather lost Wave, but there are some rather cool preview and unused pages to sift through too, that are no longer of relevance to the main comic. Hard to judge on just one page; we hope more pages are made soon.
Behind the Scenes of Sonic Heroes – By Sapphire Luna – Link
Sapphire Luna, who impressed last time with her previous comics in the Comic Con, hasn’t prepared herself for this event. Silly cat ^^. But, forseeing the possible disappointment ahead, she has pulled through and, instead of a ‘Shadow and Light’ or a new comic, we get a quick series of gag comics about Sonic Heroes. They range from Big turning intelligable, Sonic literally going on a date with Eggman (remember that line?) and a conspiracy of the Mystic Mansion lights (Team Dark lighting them and Team Chaotix blowing them out). Very funny and a great filler. We hope you return with your great comics next time Sapphire, great work.
Sonic Adventure X – By Boltworld Studios – Link
The famous Boltstryke comes out and knocks us all for six with Sonic Adventure X. The story is set sometime after Sonic Adventure 2’s storyline, but includes Boltstryke and some other original characters. This comic is completely CG’ed as well, which is why it’s taking a fair while for the pages to come along. But the two pages that were released just before the Con’s close were superb, and involved a battle between Sonic and Shadow, with some philosophical points by Sonic himself. Almost everything Boltstryke does is amazing, and SAX is no different.
A Day In The Life – By The Sonic Comic, Inc – Link
This is why I’m always apprehensive with ‘comedy’ Sprite Comics. This comic did not entertain me at all, it has to be said. It’s of an… acquired taste shall we say. If you like pointless cursing, hideously unfunny Michael Jackson jokes (or unfunny jokes in particular) and gay jokes as well, then you’ll love it. But for me, it didn’t sit well. It got better later on, but I still didn’t find it funny myself. Again, there will be some people who love it, but meh.
Chaos Syndrome – By Tigerfog – Link
A very cool and very inspiring comic that stars Tails and Amy, and features the Chaotix Team. Shortly after Sonic Adventure, Sonic seemed to have vanished without a trace, and Amy and Tails are left chasing him. They then run into Espio and Mighty, who attempt to rejoin the Chaotix Team after Knuckles signals for a regrouping… The artwork is astounding and so very close to the official artwork it’s untrue, and there are many comedy scenes in both the old version and the new “Remix” version (the “Remix” is a revamp of the old one) to keep you entertained. One of the event’s best.
PROJECT: SHADOW – By Shadow Takimoto
No comic and no information, however there were two good concept art pieces of Super Sonic and Super Shadow, along with three rather strange Sprite Comics.
Sonic the Comic: ONLINE – By Various Artists/Writers – Link
Everyone knows that the best official Sonic the Hedgehog comic ever created is the Fleetway Sonic the Comic. Not Archie. Nothing else. Fleetway. It owned, and still owns, you all. Every last one of you. Anyone worth noticing has also taken an interest in recently founded Sonic the Comic: Online, an online webcomic that follows the storylines and universe of Fleetway, but is a fan project continued by fanatics of the comic. And it’s so good, it makes you want to have Fleetway back in circulation again. It at least lets you get out your old issues of STC for good backreading. And the stories are continued superbly and with a true direction to the Fleetway universe. The best Sonic online comic in existence, and definitely made a huge presence at the Sonic Comic Con this year, I can tell you that for free. Good work guys – a thumbs up from a fellow Fleetway fan!
Sonic Legacy – By Ace_ Spark – Link
Sonic Legacy is a new comic created by Ace Spark. It brings doesn’t so much bring back the old Archie storyline that everyone thought was dead and buried after Archie #50, as barfs it back up. But it’s good looking barf. Basically, it acts as if Archie never happened, which depending on your viewpoint, can be a good or bad thing. But since Archie pretty much got cack after the 50’s anyway, I’m not complaining. The comic ends on a cliffhanger, with Eggman capturing Sally, and no way of Sonic to save her. Pretty generic storyline, but the artwork and effort gone into producing this is admirable if nothing else, and is a great attempt. A bizarre school project was even included for good measure, which ended up being very interesting indeed. Great stuff.
Sonic Adventures – By Crystal T. Hedgehog
One of the staffers of Julie-Su’s SonicAnime.net website brings us a new comic. At least, he would have if he found time to actually finish. Booth link wasn’t up, so we’ll never see it this year at the Comic Con. Shame
Sonic: Saga – By Harry Hatman – Link
Three pages were on show at the Comic Con for this promising effort. A synopsis from the creators shows that Sonic: Saga seems to be based around a very original universe – or at least, one not based heavily on any particular, already-exisitng one – but with official characters from the games, Sonic the Comic and even Archie. The first pages were really some kind of prologue, with the takeover of the land being shown. The artwork is very original and has a unique charm to it, and I’d love to see more of this comic as it progresses.
Sonic X-2: The Comic – By VJ Sinah and Ilascott – Link
Based on an upcoming fangame of the same name, Sonic X-2 follows Amy Rose in the near future as she attempts to track Sonic down. Four pages of the comic were on display at this event, and the artwork here is very unique also, as befits a storyline of a game of a slightly differing verse. It’s all looking promising, so I hope we get more pages coming through soon.
DSC Sonic The Comic – By DragonSteinCole – Link
Another fan continuation of the Fleetway Sonic The Comic series, this time revolving around a mysterious dragon called Nick. Dr. Robotnik sure seems to be interested in Nick, but why remains to be seen… elsewhere, Knuckles and Porker discover what appears to be Julie-Su, in a (perhaps vain) attempt at crossing Fleetway with Archie. The stories work well so far, and the artwork isn’t too shabby either. The sprite comic offering by the same people is your typical Sprite Comic affair, no biggie.
‘Avoiding Amy’ & ‘Mumu, The Fattest Thing Alive’ – By Ink the Echidna – Link
Two more-impressive-than-your-average Sprite Comics on offer here, simply because they dare to be different. ‘Avoiding Amy’ is exactly what the title suggests – everyone’s fed up with Amy and yet they cannot escape her big loudmouth. And I almost didn’t even notice the copout that you don’t even _see_ Amy in any of the comics either. Sneaky. ;P ‘Mumu’ is funny, but it’s one of those “Funny, but it really shouldn’t be” comics. You know when you hit on one of these ‘Forbidden Fruits’ you can’t stop being entertained by it – a fat, selfish and overly greedy Chao. And you. Just you two. Oh, the fun you have together. This one is the more inspired of the two – good work Ink!
SatAM: DX – By Soniched
Booth didn’t exist when we checked it. Shame.
A Hero’s Tale – By Chalcara – Link
A comic loosely based on the SEGASonic verse, a (rather feminine if I say so meself) worried Tails evades capture from some badniks and meets a blue hedgehog named Sonic. Unfortunately, Nack the Weasel has tracked Sonic down and Dr. Robotnik has sent an army to capture him. Not a good situation for Tails to get stuck in the middle of. And it’s even worse when he’s just met Sonic and he’s annoying the hell out of him. But that’s life, eh? Well, not mine, that’d be a pretty bloody hectic life. Kudos on the ‘Londoner’ personality for Nack, it’s always how I pictured the bounty hunter. Artwork is really cool, and the storyline seems to have quite a bit of energy left in it…
Shipwreck Sonic – By Water Jewel Emi – Link
Imagine Sonic and friends, as mermaids. Now imagine everything about the Sonic universe as you knew it, but underwater. That’s the basis for Shipwreck Sonic and although it may sit with many as bizarrely freakish, it’s a very nice and interesting concept – the battle scenes for example are entertaining to see simply because no-one’s seen a water version of Sonic doing the rounds before. The latest issue revolved around Cream and Cheese, and in an attempt for Sonic to rescue her again, another enemy appears… Great work so far, let’s hope Water Jewel Emi can keep the good quality up.
The Amy Rose Show – By Muzzy Roberto – Link
A sprite comic dedicated to Amy and her misadventures. Hardly inspiring, but the funnies Sprite Comic on show here, although this has been voted as the Funniest Comic Winner at the Convention itself. Wouldn’t have gone that far, but there are some quality gems to be found here. Muzzy’s included random bits from classic games that we all remember such as Doom, Bubble Bobble and Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, and stirred it in a pot of randomness. Random in a Sprite Comic doesn’t usually sit well with me, what with all the failed attempts of said genre comic. But this one pulls it off. Cool.
Sonic R.S – By Emerald8 – Link
It doesn’t seem like this Sprite Comic has been going for very long, but kudos to Emerald8 for making a serious Sprite Comic, it’s much more enjoyable to read (for me, that is :P). According to the website, it’s based on a character called ‘Red Sonic’ (hence the comic title), the character’s origin and adventures, that kind of thing. Shaping up as a basic, but well constructed, Sprite Comic.
Poulto’s Sonic Comic – By Poulto – Link
Poulto sure is no stranger to fan comics, offering a helping hand in many popular comics in the past. This new comic is simply titled “The Sonic Comic”, and is basically a comic outlining Sonic’s experiences throughout the Mega Drive era – Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic 2, Sonic 3 and Knuckles, etc. The only comic on offer features Sonic’s first encounter with Robotnik and the classic “Ball-on-chain Boss” scenario. It’s excellently drawn, as we’ve come to expect of Poulto, and with the Mega Drive games holding a special place in more than many Sonic fan’s hearts, there are many adventures and stories to resurrect to help us lot reminisce and remember. Promising.
Sonic… Whatever! – By Robosonic – Link
Usually the last comic rather pleases the eye with something better-than-average, despite the general feeling that the last in any list is not worth bothering with. While I won’t go as far as to say this Sprite Comic is completely worthless, I’ll say it needs some work on some humour issues, some things are either taken too far or just not funny to begin with. But, it’s early days, and can easily turn around and come back with some hilarious material. We will just have to wait and see. ^_^
Looking at the impressive selection of comics, got me going on a comic myself. I have had a few comic plans in my head for a while now; a unique Sonic universe of my own, a comic featuring ‘Dreadknux’ and his own adventures, and more recently the idea of a gag comic was knocking around in my mind. You can thank Sapphire Luna’s great ‘Behind the Scenes of Sonic Heroes’ comic for kick-starting this comic for real though. And thus, although this comic isn’t actually on the list of the Sonic Comic Con (and it’s closed now anyway), I present to you, The Sonic Stadium’s own gag comic:
Speed – By Svend ‘Dreadknux’ Joscelyne
[ Episode 1: Because we all hate the fanboys ]
[ Episode 2: Billy Hatcher, #1 Chao-sitter ]
This is what I’ve been working on in the last week or two on the back of keeping track of Sonic Comic Con. The first one is obvious in itself – there is such a thing as being too bad of a fan – and Shadow fanatics as bad as that are the worst. Comic #2 you will only fully get if you’ve played Billy Hatcher – I plan on making “Speed” a gag comic that can span across Sonic Team franchises and not just limited to Sonic. Besides, if you’re a Sonic/Sonic Team fan, WHY have you not played Billy Hatcher? Go on. Go out and get it. N.O.W. n00b. 😛 More to come, if I can be very bothered. ^_^; And that was TSS’ Comic Coverage! ^_-
Welcome to The Sonic Stadium. Yes, it is the same website, but uber-vamp style. This is the fabled ‘TSS Ultimate’ layout – the last and best layout for The Sonic Stadium, based on your comments and suggestions. We’re all set, but we’re still tweaking bits – scripts to use for the main page and that (at the moment it’s still hard HTML code). But meh – tour! This page has changed – see latest release dates and BIG update above, see announcements here – announcements will no longer pertain to updates, as a quick list of what has been updated can be found to the side, as the latest Sonic News headlines and soon SSMB topics and a site poll. Every page has accustomed to the new layout – best way to see is to explore yourself. 🙂 And remember to send us stuff – we’re going to be set on updating much now, since the staff’s to come back soon and all. So, whoppee. Hope you like!
Now, as many of you know, Sonic Ultimate is my main Shadow Team project, but as many of you also know, it’s the buggiest ST project in production. Now, I’m sure many of you have noticed I’ve been modding alot, and spriting alot over the last two months, combine that with the fact that I am a very lazy person, and you can prolly guess what SU has been doing since March. Thats right, sitting. Well, recently due to some problems with my internet I tried to pick up work on it, getting into it though, with a clear head, I realized, that it was going to be alot more work then it was truely, truely worth.
Realizing that I could get much better results through restarting, I sent an E mail to Roareye saying basically what I have just said. He also thinks that restarting that project would be much better then trying to fix every bug. I could prolly, through alot of work, correct the current version of Sonic Ultimate, but it’s a giant mess. Every time I’d patch something, another bug would come out of it, regardless of the amount of work put in. Continue reading SHADOWTEAM: Sonic Ultimate Rehaul (or perhaps, Restart)
I know it’s months away but, that gives us enough time to set things up and shiz… Right now I am trying to get 99% of the sonic music downloaded. If you have any suggestions for games, competitions, funny stuff, casts, etc. please post them here and I hope that the SSR team (Dread, Fastfeet, Spawnofsonic, Sonux, me, etc.) will take it into considerations.
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE NO STUPID THINGS like “why not do funny things like faf about?” or “Plez play Open your Heart 1,000,000,000 times ’cause itz my fav” because:
I will check back here regularly to see what ideas you guys have and I will comment on what you have said and I will rate it out of 5.
Yo. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find the time to update an awful lot, and today’s update consists of the rest of the submitted ‘presents’ handed to me on my 19th Birthday. You can find the link to the page below, or within the Site History page. Sonic Team Inc has ‘folded’ and re-integrated back into SEGA as an internal studio rather than it’s own independent studio, and frankly this could do more good than harm, if any harm was apparent. Sonic Team will keep their identity within SEGA too, and SEGA as a whole will return to it’s former glory during the Mega Drive days.
Excited? Oh you better bloody well be. Speaking of former glories, the reason why hardly any updates has occured is because what you suggested to improve The Sonic Stadium over the last few months will finally come into fruition. Remember some time ago I personally invited TSS visitors to come to me and detail their thoughts on the site, and ideas for major improvement, be it content, information or even regular updating (Ooooh, irony strikes! ^_^;)? Continue reading Sonic Team, and proof that we listen to you…
I’ve set myself a bit of a task but nothing too big considering the free time I have. As you all know, SAGE is coming up and I know you’re all probably going to be dribbling over Sonic the Fighters 2 and wanting to know what else has happened since you last got your grubby mitts on a copy. Well, that’ll all be shown on the day, since Sonic the Fighters 2 is mainly Anarchy Rat’s game as he does all the excellent programming.
However, Shadow Team doesn’t wish to put all it’s eggs in one basket. As you know, from ST:UK there are four members – Anarchy Rat, Dreadknux, CyberBlade and me. Since Anarchy Rat’s been working hard on STF2 you’re probably wondering where the rest of us have been? Continue reading SHADOWTEAM: Sonic Boom Racing, New Shadow Team Project
Blah! Just thought I’d announce, I am 19 years old today. Choice, isn’t it? 🙂 This year’s gone a lot better than last year’s, in regards to parties and general feeling, but I won’t go into that. Oddly (but cool- erm -ly) people online have taken a massive interest in myself. Which is rather good isn’t it? People that visit TSS and the SSMB have sent and made me stuff for today too, so rather than save it on my computer and just pass it off for blah, I’ve given it all it’s own little page. You can find it in the Site History page, Dreadknux’s 19th Birthday is be called. While I’m on the subject, I updated the old TSS Timeline section too, so check that out if you like. Sonic Scansday delayed; will happen tomorrow instead. Cha’mone.
Just a quick note to say, that The Sonic Site Awards is now officially open! Do not bother to submit larger, established sites like Sonic HQ, Shadow of a Hedgehog or even TSS itself into the SSA this year – all very popular sites will be denied entry into the Sonic Site Awards and will instead enter a single poll seperate from the main event called the Sonic Elite Awards. Check out the page on the SSA mini-site for more details on these events. Also, I added another Top 50-mahoobitz button, whatever the hell they’re called. Yay for pointless updates-ism!
2004 looks set to be big in terms of online events. We have the sure-fire hit, Sonic Site Awards this year, we also have the Sonic Comic Convention, held by SonicVerse Team, SAGE 9 will hit in September, and you also have this newcoming event, the ‘Chaos Con’. New fansite Prower Power has wasted no time in being a hit with the Tails fans out there, and its Chaos Con is an online convention for all aspects of Sonic works. A bit like TSS’ Sonic Fan Club, only as a convention to make the whole thing a bit more special, perhaps. Over the next few days we will review the different sections – there currently stands “Fan Art”, “Fan Fiction” and “Fan Games” – and all the candidates within them. Here’s to a successful Chaos Con run this year, and a good future for the event!
Although it’s very hard to review or criticise artwork for what it is, we present a list of the artists that feature in the Chaos Con, and we mention our favourite works within each of them.
– By SonicFanatic
When we checked, there was merely a link to SonicFanatic’s DeviantArt, so we shall just look through this. The artwork consists of mainly fan character work – a character called Naomi the Mouse, that is very well drawn indeed – A Sonic Team style shading of Naomi is presented very well – The drawing that catches our eye the most however is the Sonic X art image of Sonic pulling his eye down. The style of art here is quite different indeed, and much of the other artwork is to be commended. Good job sir.
– By Zebby Zebra
Despite being new to the ‘net, Zebby has gotten the grasp of arting her favourite characters, and being a SonAmy (read: Sonic & Amy… ‘together’. Not like THAT, pervs, in a relationship. Geez…) fan, many works involve Amy and SonicXAmy. The ‘Amy at 17’ artwork is very cute, and our favourite may lie with the Team Rose picture. Big looks so vacant… so perfect… 😀
– By Trigger Happy Rose
We’re big fans of sketch drawings. And Chibi. Gotta love the chibi-ness. Although there are only three art pieces in this booth, Trigger Happy Rose is certainly more than competent at the ol’ pen and paper business. The “Chibi Group Photo” reminds us a lot of our Japanese friend Aoi’s work, but what made us go “Wow” was the “Glare” picture, of Shadow standing there all smug with himself. One of our favourite pictures.
– By Daikonran the Blackice kitsune
Havoc Studio’s Art selection for Chaos Con was not available when we went to write-up. When it becomes available, we will add what our favourite bits and art is in this booth in the near future.
– By Chibi Yoshi
A vast selection of art from Chibi Yoshi, past and present. The pencil colouring works great with the pictures, and some art pieces are rather comedic and quite funny. There’s a thanksgiving funny involving Shadow and Sonic and some Yu-Gi-Oh characters (from what we gather), and since we couldn’t give two rat’s arses about the direness that is Yu-Gi-Oh, our favourite sketch goes to the rather cool Chaos and Eggman picture (“I gave you a baby, now gimme emeralds”) – but our favourite coloured picture must be the ‘Shadow of the Hedgehog’ piece with a rather wicked Shadow cast on the wall in the figure of a familiar character. Good show.
What, you thought I’d miss Sonic’s 13th Birthday? For shame! 😛 I’ve managed to make a special article to commemorate the Sonic anniversary, “Let’s have a Happy Birthday“. Because we all should. My birthday is on the 30th too, on a completely unrelated note!!! 😀
Also, the Sonic Site Awards website is fully up and running, although voting will not officially start until Monday. Check out the noiceness! Finally, as I speak I’m just about to hop into a special SEGASonic Radio LiVECAST gathering with all the SSR:LiVECAST DJ’s for Sonic’s 13th! Join us if you will, we’re all at the TSS Chat Room. Have a good one!
Well, it’s Sonic’s birthday again. June 23rd 2004 – it’s amazing how time flies: not long ago we were all celebrating Sonic’s 10th anniversary! But what have we got to show for it? This would be the part, naturally, where most people would sit down, take a deep breath and count all of Sonic Team’s mistakes non-stop for the space of ten minutes: “Sonic Heroes… countless ports… Shadow’s still alive (well, the Shadow haters would say that anyway)”. Not that this whinging doesn’t stop anyway, but during the birthday period, it’s generally a time to reflect on how far Sonic has come since the previous year.
Call me a strange one, but I rather think that Sonic is on his way up. Upon reflection, Sonic really has come quite far over the last year. You may recall my most recent article before this one, about the general state of games being crowded, over-complex or simply ruined by the addition or placement of too many characters. Although there is a trend there that is really rather worrying – Emerl effectively is ‘reborn’ in Gmel in Sonic Advance 3 – perhaps not literally, but the fact that Gmel is pretty much a copy of Emerl and is obviously there for those fans of the boring belated robot in Sonic Battle – Sonic Heroes is really the only instance in which the character roster reaches breaking point.
Speaking of which, the only real disappointment of Sonic games as of late, if you don’t count the ports, has only been Sonic Heroes. Which, to my knowledge, is the first and only Sonic/Sonic Team game to date that has made me feel that standards are slipping. The first, probably the only, substandard Sonic game.
But no matter what people think of it, people still bought it. And a half. In fact, Sonic Heroes is so popular it’s still in the top 5 of every console chart to date since it’s release in February. Not many games these days actually last this long at all. In this sense, things have turned out very well for Sonic, for Sonic Team and especially for SEGA Europe, who had the massive pressure of making the game a success in our continent.
“But Sonic Heroes is crap!” So bloody what? You bought it didn’t you?
Play the damn thing instead of blasting it, if only for half an hour.
It’s all about having fun, remember?
Now we got Sonic Heroes out of the way, Sonic’s presence elsewhere has been felt with, for the most part, happiness and good feeling. Whatever your own personal opinions about Sonic’s offerings outside the games is your own. Whereas Sonic Heroes is to be admired for it’s popularity and success, the rest have been generally decent all round.Sonic Advance 3 was released just before Sonic’s 13th. Which was quite nice, wasn’t it? Perhaps we notice anniversaries more when a game is released in close proximity to it… Sonic Advance 3 does not disappoint, and is a very enjoyable game indeed. What with all this bad feeling flying about regarding Sonic recently, playing this game just about lifts all of those doubts about the blue blur’s future, if only for a little while (until you stop playing it). Indeed, many ideas in Advance 3 have been adopted from past games, although unlike Sonic Heroes they have been done a little bit more tastefully and Advance 3 manages to pull it’s own little twists on the homages. Playing as Sonic with Tails running around after you instantly reminds you of Sonic the Hedgehog 2, but rather than make you wish it really was Sonic 2, it stands out as a decent game in it’s own right. Seeing Tails being as dumb as usual will no doubt raise a smile.
Go on, play Sonic Advance 3. Let Tails run around erratically a bit. He may even unexpectedly jump down a pit for no reason. Let’s see that smile. Come on, raise that grin.
That’s better! That’s what this is all about!
Oh, look, it’s cynicism! My, aren’t YOU funny?
When was the last time you genuinely smiled when something Sonic was within your presence? It was most likely something regarding a Mega Drive or a SEGA Saturn. Or maybe even Sonic Adventure 1 on the Dreamcast. Even after Sonic Adventure’s release on SEGA’s last console, the “fans” have found constant things to nit-pick and complain about. All things that come back to bite them in the arse some years later.Take the aformentioned Sonic Adventure. A truly great game, and a perfect example of taking Sonic into the third dimension. Sure, it had a few faults here and there, but nothing that couldn’t be fixed in a future sequel. Some decided to voice their dislike in the Adventure Field; that these free-roaming sections made the game boring, tedious, and resulted in them calling Sonic Adventure a seemingly average game. Fair enough, people have their own opinions. After the release of Sonic Adventure 2 and even Sonic Heroes however, these very same people are exclaiming that Sonic Adventure was the best of the lot and even cite the Adventure Fields as a point for future games to base themselves on!
These hypocrites are everywhere, and constantly fans seem to find more time to nitpick a certain game rather than comment on it’s good points. It’s a little bit different for Site webmasters like myself; we review Sonic games for your convenience, and thus if a decent review is to be executed, good and bad points must be focused on. And if a game has more bad points than good, then so be it. It’s the ‘qualified decision’ of the reviewer. This addiction of slamming Sonic games for no due reason go far beyond the reasons of simply ‘self-reviewing’ a game.
Yes, you see people on Message Boards, who don’t own websites, effectively voicing their opinions on a particular game. People are perfectly within their own rights to effectively “review” a game themselves. But when it comes down to it, many people don’t even make very good opinions on them – if you only have bad things to say about a game, people will just think you are out to bash Sonic and the games that spawn from him. And in this day and age, I’m looking at many people’s opinionated topics, and would have to say this is not very far from the truth.
“I’m an oldie fan, Sonic 3 & Knuckles is the best, SA2 sux, blah blah blah!”
Unfortunately, much of this bad feeling originate from a particular fan group – the ‘oldies’. ‘Oldies’ are Sonic followers that claim they have been a fan since the very beginning. And what do these people have to show for it? A bunch of abuse for anything new that appears with Sonic’s name on it. They will say everything after a specific point has been total crap. Some people will say Sonic R, some Sonic Adventure. The worst ones will have a high disgust for anything immediately after Sonic 3 & Knuckles.Much of the criticisms thrown towards Sonic games these days is the classic quip “It’s nothing like the classic Sonic games”. These traditionalist Sonic fans will chuck this line at you all the time, attempting to denounce anyone who likes anything sub-Sonic Adventure (or whatever) as a “newbie fan” and that you’re not worth the dirt on the bottom of their shoe. These people give the real ‘oldies’ a bad name, and many people who have loved Sonic since the beginning and are more level headed in their judgement avoid this title like the plague. Indeed, “oldie fan” has now become the new “N00b fan”. And is it any wonder?
Heading back to Sonic Heroes again for a split second, while this may have been the first real disappontment in a mainstream home console Sonic game, it’s undeniable that it has its fun points. Any review will tell you this – at least the ones that know its ‘gameplay’ from its ‘GamePro’. We’ve already noted that Sonic Advance 3 is quite a worthy game to commemorate Sonic’s birthday this year. The Sonic Archie comics get more flak than most, but at least they are still in circulation and keep many fans happy, and Sonic X has kept many people gripped with the latest storylines revolving around Sonic trapped in a foreign dimension.
These things will all be called upon as some sort of dumbed-down fanboy hysterical rubbish by the ‘oldies’ and they’re almost fascist beliefs (Sonic-wise that is). But their suggested alternative – “Make games more like the originals” – how much would that work, if you actually put that theory into practice?
So, you like ‘classic’, eh?
Perhaps the worst (or best, depending on your point of view) case for detailing a Sonic game with elements adopted from the classic games – Sonic Heroes. Classic tunes, sound effects, cliches, techniques and ideas were used in Sonic Heroes to make the older gamer feel more at home. But did this work? Unfortunately not, for Sonic Team. And yet many of these ‘oldies’, who preach to us like we don’t know what we’re talking about, hate the game themselves. I smell a whiff of irony about the place. Justified for other people to like or dislike it, because although people like you or I would have liked a return to Sonic’s roots, we never paraded around saying anything else was utter crap. A stern realisation in Sonic Heroes is that “classic” just does not translate well into 3D.Another thing to point out, is that much of the ‘Sonic Team’ that worked on the Mega Drive projects of yore no longer work at today’s Sonic Team: they have either since left to follow their own pursuits, or were part of the American ‘SEGA Technical Institute’ team that Yuji Naka abandoned after Sonic the Hedgehog 2. The point is, you will never get a game like Sonic 3 & Knuckles in today’s gaming, it’s just as impossible as you’d never get a Sonic Adventure in the classic days, or in the very far future of game evolution.
Game franchises need to evolve with new technologies, they need to breathe. Sonic Adventure is the “classic Sonic games” of the new generation of Sonic fans, it is now the benchmark for excellent Sonic games. Much like Super Mario 64 is the benchmark for excellent Mario games now rather than Super Mario World or Super Mario Bros 3. That is not to say people should forget all about the classic games – look at Sonic Mega Collection – but you don’t see many Mario fans parading around saying Super Mario Sunshine should have been more like Super Mario World, do you?
SMILE, BE HAPPY YOU CRAZY FOOLS
Why have I been going on about ‘oldies’ for the last half an hour? It brings me to the earlier point, and the whole point of this article – there is too much cynicism in the Sonic Community these days – too many people think that the classic games are the epiphany of ‘excellence’ and should be revived. My suggestion? Leave classic games as they are – bloody classic!The main reason for everyone acting so bloody glum all the time is that they WANT Sonic to be more like his 2D Mega Drive outings. Sorry, but what exact part of Sonic Adventure did you hate so much? These people that think the only way Sonic will get better if they revert are just deluding themselves – the real fans will know that the future of Sonic is the most exciting part of being a fan, and if a Sonic game brings a new element into gameplay while giving good grounds for a storyline and a gameplay mechanic, and there is a potential future for this new line of Sonic game, then let this new Sonic game be tried. By restricting Sonic to just the classic games, you are doing nothing to Sonic games in general, and you yourself are limiting Sonic’s ability to evolve into something that is as equally exciting in this generation of gaming as Sonic & Knuckles was in the 16-bit generation. What impressed in the 16-bit era will not impress anyone, not even yourself, in this generation of gaming.
As I close this birthday article, I urge you to take a look around you, take a look or think about what is here and what lies ahead. You have a line of classic Sonic games that broke the mould in the 16-Bit era. You have Sonic Adventure, which broke the mould for platforming games in general, in much the same way the original Sonic the Hedgehog adapted to Super Mario Bros. own game. We have the Sonic Advance series, and most recently Sonic Advance 3, which is the closest you can get to the ‘classic’ gaming while still managing to impress with it’s own style of platforming gameplay. We have Sonic Mega Collection, a homage to the games we all loved so dearly. We have Sonic Heroes, which does have some great gameplay mechanics and is an enjoyable ride, even if it all does seem dumbed down. We have Sonic DS round the corner, which will introduce us into a new way to play Sonic that no-one can even guess yet, and we have Sonic X and the comics in America, which provide ample entertainment when you’re not being anti-social playing games ;). Now you know what we have around us, just stop being pessimistic over your favourite game character, stop moaning about his direction, stop preaching the classic games, and just sit there, play, read, watch, and enjoy. Listen to no-one and ignore everyone, and revert yourself back when playing Sonic Adventure or Sonic Heroes and imagine yourself as a kid again, reliving this new Sonic world through the eyes of yourself when you played Sonic 2 for the first time.
Be happy, enjoy what we have. Sonic, like all gaming and entertainment mediums, are there to make us happy and let us enjoy the product. Cast aside all your doubts, if even for a day, and just relax in a world of Sonic, rather than regretting a world of Sonic.
Sonic’s birthday is nigh on a few days away, and what do we have planned? … Erm, maybe not a whole lot. 😉 We could just surprise you though. Bear in mind I’m trying to open The Sonic Site Awards 2004 by the 23rd, so if we can do that, then that’d be good enough, eh? ^_^; Another event has spawned in the community, called Chaos Con, and is a showcase of all manners of fan works. We start covering it today, so check out the link and read our coverage so far. Then check out the site itself. We’d have begun when the event actually opened yesterday, but alas certain circumstances meant it was delayed until today. But still. 🙂
Also of note, I’ve added two more new fan articles to the Articles section. One by Cake, and one by Sonicoman. Read ’em and… weep. Possibly. Also bear in mind that Sonic Advance 3 is already out in the UK! That’s right, it was released early, so get it in! I’d also like to point out that I’m preparing a reshuffle of the Games Reviews, what with older reviews not being ‘Sonically correct’, so to speak. That is all, enjoy!
Hands up those who thought the old ZX Spectrum was dead? Oh, a lot of hands there. Well, I don’t blame you. But, thanks to some talented guys online, Sonic is set to hit the classic 1980’s UK micro computer! No lie. Of course, it’s not SEGA, but rather some groovy Spectrum enthusiasts giving a go of porting Sonic 1 (the 8-Bit Master System/Game Gear version) onto the Speccy. Click here to check out Sonic ZX, and thanks to Psychobob for finding this webpage. As well as looking to the future of console gaming, it seems Sonic is also speeding backwards through time too.
Aside from that surprising but cool news, this is a pretty boring period for us Sonic fans isn’t it? I mean, at least the Americans got Sonic Advance 3 a few weeks back. PSO III: CARD Revolution is out now in stores, but only in GAME stores (bunch of butchers… gimme a freckin’ job!), so until the 25th June (Sonic Advance 3’s UK release) we’re just sitting on our thumbs here for something Sonic-y. Continue reading You’re All Talk and No Meat ^_^
Yeah, as it stands at this moment, I’m redesigning Eggman Tug as an engine overhaul, however I’m hoping to add some new characters and such soon.
First of all, this engine has been rebuilt from scratch so that I can avoid any glitches present in the original. It’s still quite early (I’ve only been working on it for two days) but the two player (including character and level select) works and the animations are flowing well. The only problem is that some characters are out of sync (since they require a different rope I’ve not yet implemented) and that they’re only the right height on Eggman’s level (as I’ve merged all the levels into one, same with all the menu’s being one level). Continue reading SHADOWTEAM: Eggman Tug
The response has been well-recieved about the new-old-new navigation bar. So that’s good news. I’ve managed to get the Articles section updated – I’ve found and re-added a very old article about Sonic going multi-platform, and, since I was in the mood for a quick little writing exercise, I wrote another article today, Night of the Living Dead. If you have an ‘article’ to rant about whatever you like about Sonic, send it into me, and it will be added to the Articles section. I want that section not only to be a place where I waffle on, but also a place where you can send in your own articles. Plus it’ll give you a chance to rant or discuss something important to you regarding Sonic or Sonic Team. Articles sent in must be at least 500 words long. Hate to sound like an English teacher on this one, but it’s a waste of time putting up articles that are either worthless or are only five sentences long.
Aside from that, I’ve added all the links I had left to add from God knows when, so I’m completely even with you lot on that front at last. ^_^ Sonic 2D World, Sonic Zero, StarCloud’s Zone, Sonic & SEGA Site, SonicSonic, Super Chameleon Games, Team Chaos, Many Music Videos, Knuckles World and Domain of Sonic J have been added, while the link to Sonic World has been altered. As I take my leave for today’s update, I ask you to vote for The Sonic Stadium by clicking the vote buttons to the side of any page, underneath the navigation bar. It only takes 5 seconds to vote once, that’s all I ask 😀 Cheers!
Sonic Adventure 2 was, for all intents and purposes, a bloody good game. An excellent game, in fact. It was a perfect game for a perfect time; Sonic fans were growing up and were looking for something to top their current favourite Dreamcast game, Sonic Adventure. It was a very special time for Sonic, and for Sonic Team – at this point in time Yuji Naka and his wickin’ crew could seem to do no wrong whatsoever, after creating the quadruple threat that was Sonic Adventure, ChuChu Rocket!, Phantasy Star Online and Samba de Amigo. 2001 came, and E3 (the Electronic Entertainment Expo, held every year in May at Los Angeles) was the perfect time to show the world more of Sonic Adventure 2.
2001 was not only a brilliant time for Sonic Team to shine, it was also a landmark moment for Sonic himself: June 23rd 2001 would mark his official 10th birthday, and a lot of fuss was rounded by SEGA around the world to commemorate the 10th Anniversary. Sonic Adventure 2 not only was a landmark game in terms of accomplishment, but in addition to this it was both the landmark game that Sonic fans fondly remember as THE game to mark Sonic’s birthday; and on a sadder note it was also to be Sonic’s last outing on the SEGA Dreamcast. This made Sonic Adventure 2 not only great in the hands of journalists and non-Sonic fans alike, but for us Sonic fans, it was a game to forever treasure and hold even more dear to us.
The story was excellently written, and provided the perfect storyline for a time such as this. It introduced a new character called ‘Shadow’, which would end up being Sonic’s “dark side”. This story was a great gimmick for a time that was so good for Sonic fans, that it was truly something to remember. Sonic and Shadow’s final battle with each other, running along the Space Colony ARK, if nothing else added to the fact that the whole package – like Sonic’s 10th Anniversary – was something of epic proportions.
Then, at the very end of the game, Sonic and friends (even Dr. Eggman, like in Sonic Adventure) have to defeat a great evil in the way of Gerald Robotnik’s overpowering moustache. Oh, and that Biolizard thing. During the final battle where Sonic and Shadow team up to knock the Biolizard on its rectum, Shadow loses power and falls towards the planet, supposedly never to be seen again.
“Maria, this is what you wanted, right? This is my promise I made to you.”
Wow. What a perfect end to a perfect Sonic game. A character who you grow to become fond of during the course of Sonic Adventure 2 “dies”, leaving you only the fond memories of playing as him in the game, just like Sonic and friends are left with only the fond memories of Shadow and his misunderstood character. This gave even more reason to treasure the game, and to keep playing over and over.
Sonic Adventure 2: The Experience of a Lifetime?
It would have been just perfect if that was the last we ever heard of Shadow (excepting possible future spin-off games), but there was a problem. Somehow, somewhere, some group of sad misfits did not want closure on Shadow’s death, infinitely finding him “more cool than Sonic”. ‘Theories’ were constantly, constantly made between this small but significant group of fanboys regarding “Shadow’s death”, including possible ways in how he could have actually survived. And you should have heard them…“Shadow could have used Chaos Control with the last amount of energy he had”
“If you look closely, Shadow still has his flame ring, he could have had some power left…”
“… NO$! ShAd0W’z Nut DED! h3 WUz sTill SuPeR wh3n he fELL!”
Now, I don’t have anything against wanting a character to return. There are many instances in many games before this where a small (or large) group of people want a return of “X character” or “X game”. Cloud, the “mature” Link, a new Gunstar Heroes… But for the period between August 2001 and late 2002 (when Sonic Heroes was announced), the entire Sonic community was riddled with fanboy talk on Shadow and wanting his return. It got to such a point in even The Sonic Stadium’s Message Board, that most talk on Shadow is now outlawed on the SSMB.
However, the unthinkable happened. Sonic Team showed screens of Sonic Heroes, and along with it the definite proof that Shadow was alive and kicking. The response was a mix of pleasure (for the most part), hatred and indifference (I pretty much stood inbetween ‘hatred’ and ‘indifference’). Many people were so happy that Shadow was alive…
However, the repurcussions this event would have on how people percieved Sonic Team, and their subsequent game Sonic Heroes, would be catastrophic. And who can blame us? It’s true, many people were happy that Shadow returned, but thinking rationally for a second, what exactly would that have accomplished? Perhaps more levels like Sonic, another “Sonic’s Dark Side” story twist, being the opposite of Sonic again?
This is where Sonic Team lost points severely with audience morale. Except for maybe the Shadow fans of today, but even now these fans are starting to lose interest in Shadow. The whole point was that Shadow was meant for one game, and one game only – Sonic Adventure 2. By effectively “reviving” the character, you completely destroy Sonic Adventure 2 entirely, in terms of both storyline plotholes and the special experience that fans felt back in 2001.
Sonic Adventure 2 is no longer a special game to fans. In fact, most people now hate the game, and even Sonic Team themselves, because of the huge fact that Shadow has been uneccessarily revived. And as a result, Sonic Team have now lost their “invincibility” that they had from 1999, up until they announced Sonic Heroes.
Un-Happy 10th Anniversary, Sonic!
Why did reviving Shadow destroy Sonic Adventure 2? First of all, it’s the experience that fans had in 2001, which is the most important reason for this turn of events. As mentioned at the beginning of this article, Sonic Adventure 2 had a massive impact on the fans when it was originally released – it was a special game that made fans feel special themselves when playing it. The storyline was unlike anything ever written before, surpassing Sonic Adventure 1’s storyline. This made the fans feel that extra effort was being spent on SA2, and therefore more effort was being spent on Sonic’s 10th Anniversary and the fans that have loved Sonic up until that time.Now Shadow is “alive”, what will happen now? Well, in Sonic Heroes, exactly the same happened. Shadow was a “Dark version of Sonic” more or less, with him being ‘evil, but misunderstood’. The same character background is being repeated from Sonic Adventure 2, and that completely undermines Sonic Adventure 2’s original storyline and charm.
Sonic Heroes was poor on many levels, but the most relevant one to note for this article is that nothing was done with Shadow’s character. It was almost as if Sonic Team just copied Shadow’s story from Sonic Adventure 2, minus the “Maria” part and pasted it into Heroes. At least if Shadow’s background or character was taken further, then most fans would have tolerated his return.
The very fact that Shadow is alive in Sonic Heroes means that he has indeed “survived”, which means the whole ending and atmosphere of Sonic Adventure 2 has been ruined, as well as losing the special appeal that the game had. Instead of one landmark game where you could play to save the world or conquer it (Sonic Adventure 2), you have a pathetic ‘Fisher Price’ style Sonic game (Sonic Heroes) that steals that very idea and makes the previous landmark game redundant and unimportant. It’s almost as if, in doing this, Sonic Team actually have no respect for Sonic’s 10th Anniversary and their fans during that period at all, instead favouring the fanboys who really know no better, with their only opinion being “Please bring back [insert character here] back”. Geez, no-one went this nuts for Gamma did they, and Gamma’s levels had more significance than Shadow’s did in SA2: at least Gamma didn’t have the same abilities or style of stages as Sonic did.
It’s all about the kids, remember?
Of course, if it’s the kids’ decision to want Shadow back, then who the heck are we to argue? We’re only fans that not only have been knowledgeable about Sonic longer than them, are actually wiser about gaming ourselves and would know a little more about how a game would be percieved or end up playing. Unfortunately, as it happens we are now considered adults, and Sonic Team no longer want to listen to us. Funny, because they seemed like their ears were open for almost everything we said back in 2001, a mere three years ago.Of course, while the whole ‘kids’ debate is something to be spared for later, it was mainly their views that were listened to when Sonic Team decided upon whether to bring Shadow back. And then Sonic Heroes arrived. Which provided an onslaught of characters, not only Shadow, but even dusting off old favourites such as Chaotix. Surely an attempt to try and make up with us older fans who actually knew who the Chaotix team was before Sonic Heroes was released.
Getting a bit cramped in here…
The amount of characters, especially new ones, is overwhelming in the Sonic universe, if we were to break off from Shadow for about ten seconds. Sonic Adventure gave us Big the Cat, E-102 Gamma and Chaos, SA2 brought us Shadow, Rouge, Maria, Gerald Robotnik, and Sonic Heroes provided us with E-121 Omega. The new characters from Sonic Adventure were created tastefully, with only one game in mind. Sonic Adventure 2 broke that rule with Shadow and also thought it would be funny to make Rouge a returning character too. No doubt we’ll see Omega again as well.But just what good are all these new characters? Sonic Team are making new characters in every game, and almost seem to want to make some kind of “Sonic Colony” where there’ll be about 200 new characters by 2030. All of them seem to have next to no real purpose of returning – even Cream the Rabbit and Cheese the Chao was a new character as of Sonic Advance 2, and she probably is the most useless of the lot (sorry all you Cream fans ^_^).
Perhaps a general response would be that, since I’m an old fan from “the beginning”, that I would have no bones about old characters like Fang/Nack, Mighty and the Tails Doll returning in a new Sonic game. And while yes, I do have a lot of fond feelings towards those sidelined characters, my opinion would be no different. Only bring them back in a new game if it’s necessary and it helps. Let’s face it, Team Chaotix looked really out of place in Sonic Heroes, and some would even take a dislike to they way they “mutilated” Vector and the disappearance of Mighty. And Shadow returning in Sonic Heroes was certainly NOT necessary.
Go on now, back to your graves!
Is this character misuse something that will happen in the future? At the moment, most definitely – Sonic Team have seriously gone downhill since Sonic Adventure 2, and I’m not even sure if Naka-san and co are aware of it. The latest news on the rumourmill is that even Emerl may return for a new Sonic game. Why? Because the fanboys want ‘him’/it back.Sigh. Is there no hope for these people? G-mel appeared in Sonic Advance 3 because of the ‘Emerl Collective’ and that was frankly when I just lost interest. On the back of this, it could well be inevitable that we see Emerl and his stupidly DragonBallZ style fighting ways return on our screens. It’s as if the Shadow fans have died and it’s all about Emerl now.
My advice to Sonic Team, and especially Naka-san, before they dig themselves an early grave (which will be too small to fit all the Sonic Team members and the Sonic characters they’ve created so far – Naka-san will have to decompose in next-door’s coffin) with all these stupid returns of one-hit-wonder characters like Shadow and Emerl, would be this: Don’t take everything the kids say for what everyone else wants.
Kids are fickle, are outspoken and they certainly don’t really know what they’re wanting really for the most part. It’s like a toy. They will want the latest Action Man just because “it’s there” and after weeks of going on about it, the new toy is finally bought for the kid. Do they actually play with it after receiving it at long last? No. They just push it aside. And the parent who buys the toy suffers, because they spent money on a useless toy.
So please, Sonic Team, don’t make the same mistake – don’t bring back a character just because kids want them. Because, like Sonic Heroes, the kids who wanted Shadow back now couldn’t care less, and it will be the more dedicated fans and the older fans that will suffer because of your errors. So please listen to the dedicated fans as well as the kids.
Oh, and kill off Shadow, never bring him back – and save whatever last grain of honour you have left for your Sonic fans of 2001. Thank you.
Right, I did a few things today, let’s try to remember what the heck I added… New movies have been added to the Movies Zone – they are the Sonic & Tails and Sonic Ride movies from Sonic Jam and the entire Director’s Commentary from Sonic Adventure DX director Takashi Iizuka. Split into 4 parts, mind. The Music Zone has had a brush up, with previously submitted MIDIs and a slightly new format now added to Sonic 1, Sonic 2 on both Mega Drive and Master System, Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles.
Also, the first step into listening to people’s suggestions as to improving this site navigation wise, I’m changing the navigation bar to it’s old format. This is the format where everything we had to offer on The Sonic Stadium would appear as a seperate link in a simple menu. Many people felt this was the best navigation bar and made the TSS design previous to this one the best ever made. So who am I to argue with that eh? Won’t be on every page for a while though, so just be patient. Also added three links just for the hell of it – the Donation page returns, as does the Banner Service, as mentioned in the last update. Finally, since it’s been ages since there’s been any word of it, and people are starting to ask the questions again, The Sonic Smash Cards information page returns.
You know, it’s good to go back and reminisce sometimes. For me, a guy who’s worked hard on a website for three years running, one particular thought comes to mind is “It’s amazing how far TSS has come”… and “Why the hell did I make so many site layouts in the first place?” Today I’ve only felt inclined to let you take a trip back with me to memory lane – The Old Site Layouts page has been revamped; images now replace the proper HTML source, for two reasons. For one thing, it stops people nicking my effing stuff with any luck, and secondly it’s a lot easier to browse if you’re a visitor. Plus you don’t need to see all the pages and stuff, which is why you see the main page evolution, along with anecdotes of the whole layout itself through the ages. Sonic News has had the same treatment, check it out on the new Old Site Layouts page. … Did you know this is the 12th Sonic Stadium layout design? o_O;…
Oh and if you fancy having an advertisement for your own website on TSS, while helping to support us at the same time, then click here – the new Sonic Stadium Banner Rotation Service.
Good job we dedicated two days to this bumper Sonic Scansday eh? I promise you you will have the most fun with today’s update – all comic scans related! First off, the Fleetway Comics section has been improved, with Issue 7 and Issue 8‘s scans replaced with TSS’ own high quality scans now. Alongside that, courtesy of regular submitter Robert Frazer, we have two new Fleetway issues too – Issue 20 and Issue 78 are now online for you to read.
Finally, the Manga Comics section is due a bit of a makeover and information reformat, and you can read new Sonic manga at the information page for the SEGA Gag 1P Comic book, that includes Sonic and NiGHTS manga, both of which you can read right now. And that’s not even it yet. An website on the TSS Network returns today, and we know it has it’s fans for it’s innovative…ness. Don’t know what I’m talking about? Click here.
Righty then. Wednesday. Sonic Scansday. Been missed a few times. So here we go – enjoy the huge deluge of scans we have for you this week. We have new boxart for SA2Battle, Sonic DX and Mega Collection, thanks to Rally the Cheetah. Then we have new Scanned Material for Sonic Heroes (8 pieces), Sonic DX (2 pieces) from Psychobob, and a music page on theSupersonic EP, a Sonic single that was released in the UK, with scans also by Psychobob.
Finally today, the Sonic Sprites section had a few sheets added to it – expect the amount of sprite sheets to balloon over the next few days too. We have a dedicated sprite ripper – Dark Sonic – to help out with the creation of sprite sheets for new Sonic games, so expect some more Sonic Advance 3 sheets soon. As for the gaps, they will be filled very quickly. More scans to come tomorrow – including a whole TON of new Sonic Comic material, including scans from a very intruiging SEGA Manga that I acquired some time ago! Make sure you don’t miss it!
“Pinch, punch, first day of the month, no returns of any kind”… x_x; Although this is pretty much the best time of the year. For me anyway. Think about it. It’s slap bang in the middle of the year for starters. It’s officially the start of Summertime, and that means Will Smith will be played on stations until everyone throws their radios out of the window. My “Bo’ Selecta” calendar shows ‘David Blaine’, evidently one of the best characters in the British TV comedy series. Plus, for us Sonic fans, we have Sonic’s own Birthday on the 23rd, the Sonic Site Awards round about that time too… and for me especially, my own birthday is on the 30th. Right at the end of the month. But it’s worth the wait, no? ^_^
And to celebrate the turning of this wonderful month, most of the change-around involving the new Movies Zone is complete, and the movies can be accessed via category. You can also find a link to each movie page related to a Sonic game just by going to the Sonic game page in the Games Archive too. Finally, Eternal Revolutions: another area we (or more precisely, I) have been slacking off on, and we know it has it’s fans. So we’ve caught back up to date, and it will be updated on a regular basis now. Catch all Episodes 1-7 at the ER page. Plus, we’ve finally woken up and sorted the Guestbook out. There’s STILL more updating to do before we’re square with you guys though, so expect more updates during the week. Adios! 🙂
I have a loooot of stuff submitted and that needs to be added, so I’m spending this week to get it all online and sorted so the site is back up to date 🙂 To start with, I went through the ENTIRE list of Sonic Links for dead links. I would have named them all here to commisserate the dead sites involved, but there turned out to be 139 dead links! 139! Added a few links too, and will be adding more throughout the week too. Assuming they’re not dead. The links, that is.
The reason most people have not been able to get onto the FTP Service is because the details changed – again – and TSS’s page was no longer up-to-date. Apologies, and you can now use the details on the updated page to successfully enter. Interviews have been added: two old interviews withShayne Thames and WB, and a recent interview of myself by Miles Attacca. The Movies section of the downloads zone is under renovation, so it’ll be finished and ‘n00’ during the week. That, and new sections on the Sonic E3 DS Demo and Sonic 3 Fighter Sonic [A new pirate game.. sigh] are up in the Games Archive.
Finally, today is the first day of the warm-up to… The Sonic Site Awards 2004! The SSA is changing for this year’s event, and you can now find out the first details… HERE.
By the time you read this, the world’s best loved Sonic community will return in all it’s former glory – it’s been a troublesome last month or so (had it really only been that short a time?) but the SSMB has shifted course from the ezBoard back onto local servers. No Ads. No Slowdown. Just classic SSMB. Make sure you read the rules before you actually register (it’s on the first page you see actually, so there’s no reason not to), and make sure you can actually type half decent and not like a dribbling baby.
Anyway, in other news, Sega Sonic Radio’s website will be revamped during the weekend, and then the first words on The Sonic Site Awards 2004 will be announced! Bet you cannae wait. Anyway, the new SSMB and SSR will tide you over the whole weekend and Bank Holiday, and then some, so enjoy what there is for now. Tata. ^_^
Sorry about the lack in updates guys, things are really hectic back here, and I just switched to Windows XP the other day – it’s good actually. Wow, who’d have thought Microsoft would make something that would work? Anyway, E3 has come and gone, but luckily The Sonic Stadium is here to let you know what Sonic Team had to offer – the link is up there in the Game Alert. You can also find it in the ‘Articles’ section underneath the ‘Features’ channel.
It’s been an interesting E3 if nothing else, with The Legend of Zelda revelations, Nintendo DS, and Sony and Microsoft frankly not being able to touch Nintendo this year. Sonic Team had a good showing, and I think I speak for all of us when I say that the biggest Sonic Team development in that event was Phantasy Star Universe: the true, proper, kosher sequel to Phantasy Star Online. We have info. We have screens. We have movies. We have it all. Only on TSS. Check it out. Then shout out your thoughts on the SSMB.
E3. The Electronic Entertainment Expo. The biggest video games showcase on this living earth, and also known as the Journalist’s Zoo. Taking place every May, Sonic Team have been on hand to show the world their latest games, alongside other worthy stalwarts such as Nintendo and… Nintendo. Oh and Bungie. Last year brought Sonic Heroes to the Los Angeles show floor, 2002 was comparatively minimal due to the exchange in SEGA’s first-to-third party involvement, and 2001 – well, 2001 blew everyone away with Sonic Adventure 2, didn’t it? Thankfully, Sonic Team made a pretty good presence at this year’s E3, bringing more to the table than the blatantly obvious, with even a kitsch little demo of Sonic on Nintendo’s new DS portable system. This page showcases all of Sonic Team’s showings at the LA gathering, how we can expect them to play like, and just how damn excited we should be with them. Onward, noble steed – sorry, that was The Legend of Zelda again wasn’t it? I should stop doing that.
Click on the images to enlarge them…
Now before you lot get excited, let’s get this one out of the way first. NO, it is NOT the announced Sonic DS game that Sonic Team are making, for all of those panicking. This was simply one of the many technical demos that Sonic Team made to toy around with the many abilities and innovations of the Nintendo DS. The ‘DS is a new handheld that Nintendo are making alongside the Game Boy Advance, and has a lot going for it. Two screens, touch screen, Wi-Fi (basically, online without the line) and even instant messaging and linking to a wireless router for ‘proper’ internet. This handheld will rock, no doubt about it, and Sonic Team are making no bones about developing for this wondermachine. In fact, this demo pretty much uses a special feature to make even this tech demo real impressive. By using the touch panel on the bottom screen and rapidly sliding either a stylus or your finger from side to side, you make Sonic run faster and faster, reaching mach speeds and warping the surroundings Neo (The One) stylee. You can recognise the environment from Sonic Heroes and the jingle at the end is a souped up Sonic Advance 1 title theme. Which I always did like anyways. Again, not going anywhere as a standalone game, but I really wish I was the one farting about with a touch screen to make Sonic run. Plus this demo is a testament to the hidden power of the Nintendo DS – the Sonic model in this demo is simply amazing to see, and is most reminiscient of a mix between Sonic Adventure 2 and Sonic R models. In some twisted way, this one demo also feels more like a Sonic game than most of the blue hedgehog’s recent outings: but that’s a debate for someplace else. Not a game so you can’t get it, but check out the movie IGN made anyways.
This IS the proper, announced Sonic game that Sonic Team are reported on developing. Not an awful lot is known about this game, and like most of Sonic Team’s games at E3, no real concrete media could be seen. However it has been announced at E3, and during an interview as to where the Sonic Advance series was to be taken after Sonic Advance 3, Yuji Naka stated that the next in the series would involve a mix between 2D and 3D Sonic gameplay. Perhaps referring directly to the Nintendo DS, as one screen can handle 3D while the other can manage 2D. A Sonic handheld game where 2D and 3D graphics and gameplay was combined sounds intruiging at the very least, and maybe the Sonic games can get a little bit simpler this way too: we can do without Cream, Shadow, Rouge, Chaotix and the entire Sonic Character back catalogue making an appearance every game thank you very much.
Next to Diablo, one of the sole catalysts of Online Multi-Player Gaming has got to be Phantasy Star Online. Sonic Team are truly to blame for the losses of many people’s social lives, with the PSO series not only a defining turning point in the classic Phantasy Star series (which have been going since the 1980’s don’t you know), but also a landmark in console gaming as we knew it. First appearing on the Dreamcast and subsequently settling in on the Nintendo Gamecube, with a small stint on XBOX, the Phantasy Star Online series IS online console gaming. You won’t find many people playing much else online on their XBOX Live simply because everything else is too yawnsome, and on the Gamecube because there really is nothing else. Suffice to say then, that PSO has pretty much gotten predictable as of late: every time it’s the same old rehash of the original PSO. If it wasn’t ver. 2, it was Episode I & II, and if it wasn’t that it was PSO I & II Plus, and then Blue Burst… But this E3 Sonic Team have teased us with something very very special. The next step – the evolution of Phantasy Star Online. Perhaps the biggest game Sonic Team had to showcase at E3, the movie simply blew everyone away. Not a lot about the game has been revealed though, and it looked like the movie was entirely in CG, although the way top brass games are going these days, it could well be real time. With the lack of information, it’s obvious Sonic Team want to keep us hanging in the balance here. After all, work just seems to have started on the game. Only a few small screens have been unveiled, and shows something truly special. Basically, it looks like Phantasy Star’s going back to it’s ’80s roots, along with a bit of Star Wars thrown in for good measure. No word on any consoles that PSUniverse is heading, but we’re putting the safe money that the Nintendo GameCube is a definite. Whether it will end up on the XBOX too remains to be seen. PSU looks simply stunning even now, and we’re going to be keeping a very close eye on this one, don’t you worry…
A no brainer really. This, alongside Sonic Mega Collection Plus, was actually announced a few days before E3 by SEGA Europe, not SEGA Japan. Hardly surprising, as the success of Sonic Heroes in Europe is evidently the most surprising and headline-grabbing news compared to it’s success anywhere else in the world. After the SEGA PC division recently got back on the ground and running in Europe, and subsequently the release of Sonic Adventure DX among others, Sonic Heroes on PC will be much in the same vein; a console port with improved graphics and speed. Since there’s a whole market untreated to the hype of Sonic Heroes yet, PC gamers around the world can soon experience the gimmick of team play. Let’s hope SEGA Europe don’t make a balls up of the ping-pong-esque CD exchange system like they did with SA:DX (but consequently fixed for the US and Japan release of the game – bastards).
It was going to happen. After having seen rewards aplenty with trial-running Sonic on PlayStation 2 with Sonic Heroes, it seems Sonic Team want to milk past games for all their worth. Since most of Sonic Heroes’ sales came from the PS2 version (despite hardly getting off the ground in the first two weeks of release on the platform), it makes sense that Naka-san could make a killing by rehashing old material like they did on the Nintendo Gamecube last year and beyond. No-one knows quite what the ‘Plus’ part stands for, but evidently it could mean more boring-as-hell Archie comics, more shoddily crafted “movies” and perhaps another five pieces of random artwork to waste disk space inefficiently. If we’re lucky. Or it could just be a port which would make the ‘Plus’ part irrelevant. Still, there are many PS2 owners that originate from the good old days of the Mega Drive, so perhaps the compilation of quality classics (and hogwash ‘extras’) could be more appreciated on PlayStation 2. Or maybe it’ll sink down the charts without a trace in favour of a resurgance in the dire “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”. Or even worse, “Manhunt”. But still, crap happens.
Sony announced their Eye Toy device for the PlayStation 2. People got excited. You can’t say it’s not a quirky little addition to the PS2 family, and all the more for it. Eye Toy sold by the truckload when it debuted last year with ‘Eye Toy: Play’, and ‘Eye Toy: Groove’ helped secure it’s success over the Christmas period. But now interest seems to be waning and the appeal in the Eye Toy is wearing off. Most probably why SEGA didn’t bother to release their DreamEye outside of Japan (the DreamEye was a camera add-on for the Dreamcast, and is where Sony nabbed the idea for the Eye Toy). SEGA, being third party, have decided to make a compilation of their most profitable and ideal franchises and bringing them to you – Camera style! Sonic Team are primarily behind this one, and like ‘Eye Toy: Play’, sees you using your limbs and movements on the camera to affect gameplay. Move your hands to the right beat circles in rhythm alongside Samba from Samba de Amigo. Slap some zombies about a bit, courtesy of House of the Dead III. Guide Sonic through the Sonic Heroes Special Stage in a quest for the Chaos Emeralds, and kick Akira from Virtua Fighter in the groin. Grand. Sounds like classic stuff, and with the appeal of 12 different games (all assigned to a different franchise – there are plans to use the power of Crazy Taxi, Billy Hatcher and even NiGHTS via Eye Toy), it could be the ‘Eye Toy: Play 2’ that Sony are desperately needing to revive the camera device.
Sonic Team are now relaying the arrival of Astro Boy, after United Game Artists (UGA: creators of REz and Space Channel 5) merged with Sonic Team as part of the whole “Let’s merge half of our studios” manouevre by SEGA. Based on one of the most defining and influential Japanese Animes ever created, you control the world’s most powerful robot, Astro – handily Astro also has the added bonus (or drawback, depending on which side of ‘efficient’ you’re looking at) of having human emotions. Soaring about the expansive Metro City on his rocket shoes, you get to play missions to unlock all of Astro’s special abilities. Screenshots are definitely showing Tezuka’s style faithfully, and anyone who has a passing interest in Anime will enjoy this alongside Astro Boy’s return to this generation. Hardcore anime fans will just be gagging for this game and we can tell. Don’t worry, it’ll be released soon…
Alongside Sonic DS, Sonic Team are also responsible for making a game for the Nintendo DS called Project Rub. No sniggering in the back there. No real concrete details from the Nak-meister, but suffice to say it will be quite the inventive game, taking advantage of the touch-screen that comes with the DS, as some kind of rubbing is involved to experience gameplay like never before, according to the press release. OK, you’re really being childish with the sniggering now.Sony enters the handheld market by announcing the PSP (PlayStation Portable) at E3 2004. Basically a PS2 without the ridiculous size. Not one to miss a potentially large profit scale, Sonic Team are on board faster than the blue one himself (but then again Sonic Team did also support the flailing N-GAGE…). Sonic Team have two games lined up for the PSP, one of which is a faithful port of Puyo Pop Fever. Not quite what everyone was expecting, but if you have the Game Boy Advance and the DS, what else can you really do on a newcoming competitor to the market? The other title is called Project S, which sounds like a better codename than Project Rub, I must say. Not really much to go on with Project S however even judging by the name of the title, although Yuji Naka states that SEGA “will propose a new style of gaming and entertainment that maximizes the features unique to PSP”, which include the ability for wireless LAN and the impressive 16:9 widescreen TFT screen. No Sonic in sight of the PSP, but since I personally won’t be able to afford both a PSP and Nintendo DS, that’s perhaps more of a relief than most.
Finally, in an interview about the future of Sonic games on home consoles (IGN), the Naka-san commented that Sonic could perhaps take a 2D route in the future on home consoles, and is in the mind that to truly enjoy Sonic the Hedgehog, the action really has to be in 2D form. Considering most people consider Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Sonic 3 & Knuckles as their all time faves, alongside the sales of Sonic Mega Collection, we tend to agree with you there, Yuji. He also said regarding Sonic’s future, that he will listen to what the kids think; as the kids are Sonic’s target audience, what they say will shape Sonic’s future turns. Hmm. A bit more controversial there methinks; sure Sonic’s main audience is with the children, but as Sonic gets older so does the kids in the older generation. The kids of ’91 are now adults or older teenagers, surely their views cannot be totally dismissed? Else we may even see more of Shadow than is really healthy (… even more so). And we don’t want that do we? Well, the kids do…
Overall a good E3, and a good show by Sonic Team and Yuji Naka this year. Although there is a substantial Sonic title lacking this year, it always seems to be the case; this is the pattern that Sonic Team follow, so don’t fret gentle readers; next year you’ll see a new Sonic console game announced at the very least. Phantasy Star Universe and the Sonic E3 Demo on Nintendo DS pretty much won the attention of the TSS staff, what games are you most looking forward to? And what do you think about Yuji Naka’s statement on the future of Sonic games? The SSMB is the best place to chat about it with fellow Sonic fans. Until then, expect another E3 coverage report next year!
Whee, look at that, we finally got our arses in gear and sorted this place out server-wise. For the time being I’ve removed the comments system and stuff, simply because the comments were being abused and the system we were using was crap. =D Sorry if pages seem ill-placed or if any errors pop up, we’re still sorting everything about, and are currently putting into action some things that you wanted changed on TSS to make it a better place: you can see this already implemented in the new look Games section, so be sure to check that out.
Next is the SSMB and Sega Sonic Radio, then Shadow Team and then sorting pre-Sonic Site Awards 2004 stuff out as well as sorting out the TSS Account stuff during all of this – not got a lot of stuff to do, eh? 🙂 But for now, I’m going to be sitting pretty for a few days for a break – that and E3 kind of prevents anyone from thinking straight. New Legend of Zelda game, wheee! ^_^ That Nintendo DS is so mine. Anyway, I’ll leave to prevent this place becoming a Nintendo fansite instead, lol. Update soon.
Well, as most people in the UK know, CiTV were showing Sonic X on Wednesdays. Cool, but a bit of a bugger after Fox Kids decided to show it 4:30pm every day a week or so ago.
Episode 13 has passed and gone, and it seems both Fox Kids and CiTV don’t want to go past it, as Fox Kids are already showing repeats.
CiTV will be showing reruns of Sonic X starting Monday at 3:40pm every day, AND it won’t be the 5-minute cut version. It will be the 25 minute long, as-long-as-the-US-version… version.
Who knows if FK and CiTV plan on showing more? I reckon CiTV are playing a set of reruns to attract people who missed out the first time, or just want to see the extra ‘uncut’ version, then continuing the series. Which would be a good idea.
This ezBoard’s changed a bit, innit? o_O;
Just a shame I can’t mess about with the templates, or make this a sticky topic. Ah well.
The reason, if you need another one, of why we’re here is the fact that obviously everyone must be getting REALLY pissed off with the hacker (not even worthy of a mentioning of the name) spamming you, changing your username and whatnot.
We’re fed up with it too. The ezBoard is pretty rock solid. It’s all on a free networked server, available to all to post and stuff. The ezBoard staff would knacker ‘Slimy G’ (wow, what a name, I wish I thought of it) before he got a chance. Continue reading Well, here’s our refuge for now…
First of all, the SAGE 8 coverage is finally finished. We’re not usually this slack, so apologies to the SAGE crew for being so tardy, but given the amount of troubles we’ve got at this time, I guess it’s understandable. The next event that’s due to start are… well, THREE actually. June marks the start of SonicVerse Team’s Sonic Comic Convention, Prower Power is going to launch it’s very first Chaos Con, and then of course you have TSS’ very own Sonic Site Awards 2004. 2004 marks a slight change for the SSA, so that the original aim of awarding smaller lesser known Sonic sites can be focused on a little bit. But more on that when the time comes.
On a side-note, Prower Power is a new affiliate of TSS. How did he do it? He didn’t ask. ;P Think about it. If you’re desperate to have a link on TSS, then there is the Links Section that gets a LOAD of attention every day (trust me, I’ve seen the figures… wait, hang on, they stay here, obviously… honest. They just like to know about other sites… heeey, my site is good.. isn’t it? :D). Oh, and as a gesture of how 1337 buddies we are, Sonic CulT and TSS have decided to make a little banner exchange with each other. So TSS visitors can see a link to the CulT and CulT Members can snoop around on TSS if they’re that bored. ^_^ Continue reading SAGE and the FTP Service
First off, the response to the Sonic Scansday has gone, for the most part, pretty well. Remember if you have any magazine adverts, old artwork from comics and mags, comic scans or other print media that can be scanned, be sure to wing them our way. On the back of this, some people who don’t seem to like Sonic can’t understand that if you don’t like Sonic, then you shouldn’t be here. These people’s behaviour is what’s scientifically known as “Being A Dumbarse”. Here are the rewards from this weeks Scansday:
More from Scansday next week. Get your submissions in! Continue reading Sonic Scansday & HUGE Update
