Please note that this site is no longer being updated or maintained; as a result, there may be design issues, and links to images and other media may be broken.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.
SEGA’s latest remix project, Sonic Sessions, has continued to churn out superb remixes of classic Sonic songs, with an acoustic version of Live and Learn out today. As “acoustic” would imply, this puts Live and Learn to a slower, more laidback beat, with acoustic guitars replacing the electric guitars of the original song.
In addition to that, we’ve also got last week’s “edgy” remix of Fist Bump, which goes in the complete opposite direction! You can check them both out in Youtube embeds below:
If you liked it on YouTube, you can now get it for your music library.
Continue reading Sonic 30th Anniversary Symphony Album Now AvailableLast year’s Sonic movie had a lot of success, but one thing it didn’t have was Crush 40. So, with the sequel coming next year, is that going to change? There’s no answer yet, but lead singer of Crush 40, Johnny Gioeli, is telling fans to “stay tuned”.
Continue reading Will Crush 40 Be Involved With Sonic Movie 2? Johnny Gioeli’s Suggesting You “Stay Tuned”It was announced today via the Sonic Central stream that there will be a FREE online concert, in which a full orchestra will be performing the best of Sonic the Hedgehog songs in symphonic style during Summer Game Fest.
Not only this, Sonic sound team staples Crush 40 will be joining the orchestra on stage, to give the event a rock theme!
The concert will be streamed live, for free, with more information following through Games Fest media.
More to follow!
Fans of this Crush 40 masterpiece are in for a treat with this heavy tribute to Sonic Adventure 2’s title track!
Continue reading Check Out This Hard Rock Cover of Sonic Adventure 2’s Live and Learn!While we can all agree that the 2020 Sonic the Hedgehog movie was jam-packed full of fantastic fan-service, one notable omission has been a talking point since its release – the lack of Sonic Adventure theme song group Crush 40 in the movie’s soundtrack. Today, a group of fans has launched a petition to encourage Sonic director Jeff Fowler to fix this for the newly-announced sequel, and singer Johnny Gioeli is very publicly on board with the idea. Continue reading Johnny Gioeli Joins Fan Call for Crush 40 to Feature in Sonic Movie Sequel
Take heart, those who have gloomy skies overcast: this official re-imagining by Tee and Mariana Lopes is sure to brighten up your day!
Continue reading Can You Feel This New Sonic R Remix By Tee and Mariana Lopes?
Good things tend to come in threes, and this is certainly no exception with Sonic-themed music releases of 2019 so far; the phenomenal Team Sonic Racing soundtrack saw general release with the launch of the game in May, a new Crush 40 compilation is due in July, and sandwiched between these is Jun Senoue’s third instalment of “The Works” collection. Continue reading TSS Review: Jun Senoue’s The Works III
A new Crush 40 compilation album, “Driving Through Forever”, comprising a CD and DVD set, is due for release next month!
Continue reading New Crush 40 Ultimate Compilation CD and DVD To Be Released
If you aren’t already feeling ancient at the prospect of Sonic the Hedgehog turning 28 next month, here’s a fact that’ll age you; it’s been 7 years since SEGA Sound Director Jun Senoue led the creation of a Sonic the Hedgehog soundtrack (Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 2, for those who can’t remember!).
Senoue’s absence has been by no means a sabbatical, having been involved in several other SEGA titles – as well as peripherally with most Sonic games – and regularly performing with a multitude of live acts across four continents. Those who have taken the reigns in the meantime have accomplished some phenomenal feats, particularly Sonic Mania composer Tee Lopes who pulled a rabbit out of a hat with a perfectly blended score of old and new material, while simultaneously tipping the hat to the synonymous tones of the 90s titles. But with the classic itch well-and-truly scratched, many have longed for the return of Senoue and his trademark rock sound, in the context of a modern Sonic game.
As such, the anticipation for MAXIMUM OVERDIRVE, the Team Sonic Racing Original Soundtrack, reached fever pitch. Expectations have flown high based on the calibre of the tracks that had been drip-fed to us via Sonic the Hedgehog’s social media channels over the last few months. Now that the full OST has been released, we can firmly say that it does not disappoint.
Continue reading TSS REVIEW: MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE – Team Sonic Racing Original Soundtrack
The official soundtrack for Team Sonic Racing, “Maximum Overdrive” was today announced at the SXSW Sonic the Hedgehog “Gotta Go Fast” panel! Continue reading Team Sonic Racing Soundtrack “Maximum Overdrive” due for May 2019 Release
Fresh from the SXSW 2019 Sonic the Hedgehog “Gotta Go Fast” panel, Jun Senoue has previewed a brand new remix for Team Sonic Racing! Continue reading Sonic Heroes Track Remix for TSR Previewed at SXSW 2019
Team Sonic Racing’s soundtrack certainly seems to be shaping up as one of the most rock-centric OSTs to feature in a Sonic the hedgehog title for many years, and this insight into the recording process doesn’t let up at all!
Check out the video below to see Sonic Sound Director Jun Senoue, accompanied by long-time Sonic soundtrack bassist Takeshi Taneda, and Act. on percussion putting down tracks for “Market Street”, “Frozen Junkyard” and the game’s theme song “Green Light Ride” in the recording studio…
Time to get metal! SEGA today release the first of five remixes featured in the Sonic Mania Adventure cartoon series, commencing with a guitar-driven version of the “Big Arms” theme from Sonic 3 / Sonic & Knuckles, rearranged and performed by Sonic Sound Director Jun Senoue and Sonic Mania composer Tee Lopes. Continue reading Rock Out to the Sonic Mania Adventure Remix of Big Arms
To celebrate 20 years of Sonic Adventure, we take a brief look at some of the best Sonic Adventure-themed merchandise released in 1998 and beyond!
Sonic Adventure celebrates it’s 20th anniversary today after hitting screens in Japan way back in 1998.
We take a look back at what made this game one of the most enduring Sonic the Hedgehog titles, and why SA1 was such a trailblazing title in not only the series, but in video game history.
SEGA of the 90’s certainly knew how to pull out all of the stops when it came to generating a buzz around the next Sonic game, and the anticipation of what was in store brought kids and grown-ups alike to fever pitch…and the announcement of Sonic Adventure was no different.
On the 22nd of August 1998, a few thousand lucky punters were invited to attend the first presentation of Sonic Adventure at the Tokyo International Forum – an event that was luckily recorded for posterity (which you can watch below). The first foray into the world of 128-bit high speed action was introduced by Yuji Naka, entering the stage in Rock star fashion by emerging from a balloon to a face-melting guitar riff.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LEoZs_s_oQ
The event also showcased a “Making of Sonic Adventure” semi-documentary presented in a light-hearted manor, in which Sonic Team embarked on a fact-finding trip to central America to visit the Tulum Ruins, the Caribbean Sea, the Tikal Ruins of Guatemala, and Machu Pichu amongst other locations – all of which influenced stages in the game.
Some members of the Team even became ill on their research trip from altitude sickness – talk about dedication to the cause!
Sonic has undergone several redesigns in his 27 ½ year history (we won’t mention the most recent!), but most fans regard the Sonic Adventure iteration of the neon protagonists to be one of the most successful. Characters traded their pot-bellies in for coloured irises and longer limbs, allowing for some incredibly elastic posturing that would become Yuji Uekawa’s instantly recognisable stylisation which remains the norm for modern Sonic artwork to this day. While the classic design of Sonic has since been translated to 3D, the modern Sonic style allowed for a much easier transition to the medium.
Dr Eggman was given a particularly significant redesign, along with both western and eastern franchises aligning on the Japanese name (although Robotnik would be kept as the name for his grandfather in the sequel).
Story was not an element that featured heavily in Sonic the Hedgehog games until Sonic Adventure; in fact, one of the initial ideas while the game was on the development bench was to in fact create a Sonic RPG. For Sonic Adventure to include cut scenes and a narrative was a significant change to the game, and novel in that it in itself was derived from the intertwining stories of six different protagonists (one in fact executed in very few other video games at the time).
The seventh and final story in the game, and the true conclusion only accessible once all six main stories were completed, crescendos in the final showdown with Chaos with the player taking the controls of Super Sonic – something undoubtedly cemented as one of the most memorable video game conclusions for many Sonic fans.
Sonic Adventure was also the first Sonic the hedgehog game to include voice acting (besides SEGASonic Arcade) – and while the jury might still be out on the quality of the dialogue, SA1 is definitely one of the most quotable!
Hum the Green Hill Zone theme and just about any video game fan will tell you that its from a Sonic game – indeed, the soundtrack has always been a core component of what makes a Sonic game so, well, Sonical!
While Sonic Adventure is not the first video game to include vocal tracks (Sonic CD was doing that five years before) it is one of the first to have a fully-fledged album-like feel, complete with a swathe of character themes and a main anthem Open Your Heart, performed Crush 40, that is unparalleled in magnitude. The intro FMV undoubtedly still brings goose bumps to many!
The shift to a rock-centric soundtrack, a decision made by first-time Sonic Sound Director Jun Senoue, was a bold move; the music for the original trinity of Sonic games were after all composed by Masato Nakamura of Dreams Come True (and most likely Michael Jackson), resulting in a prolific pop influence. However, the move would prove highly successful and would be followed up with the equally popular Live & Learn in the sequel.
The magic of the soundtrack however derives from a brilliant use of multiple genres – rock, pop, rap, electronic, and jazz to name a few all feature throughout.
The game’s soundtrack has endured long enough that it has been celebrated since with the Sonic Adventure Music Experience, which saw Senoue-san and company re-record and perform key songs from the game and its sequel.
The Dreamcast was the very first games console to provide a connection to the internet as standard, and as such, Sonic Adventure is the very first game in history to include downloadable content! This came in the form of the Sonic Adventure Christmas download, which was only available for the first few days of release (it was no longer available after Christmas day). While this content only included Christmas trees in station square which played played music and gave a seasonal message when interacted with, it was another example of how SEGA and Sonic games were well ahead of the curb.
Happy birthday Sonic Adventure!
What makes Sonic Adventure special to you? Let us know in the comments!
Wow!! Am I late with this one!! So Sorry about that. Check out our hands-on impressions of Team Sonic Racing, our discussion of Sonic Revolution, the end of Sonic Boom, The Sonic toys at Subway (which I have yet to find a Subway in my area that has them) and much, much more!! Continue reading Sonic Talk 54: Party of Four
As the launch of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate draws closer, Nintendo continue to tease the new and exciting features included in the game – and today’s blog post on the Official Super Smash Bros. Ultimate site is delectably Sonic AND Mega Man-themed!
Sonic Team sound director and Crush 40 guitarist Jun Senoue has been revealed to have created a Mega Man 4 Medley for the game, following on from the reveal of Tomoya Ohtani (sound director for Sonic Forces and Sonic Colors) has created his own rendition of a track from Splatoon for the title.
You can check out a sneak preview of the track over on the Official Super Smash Bros. Ultimate music page.
Will the theme of collaboration in SSBU mean a Sonic the Hedgehog cover from another prolific composer in the video game music industry? Stay tuned to TSS for news as it comes!
CRUSH 40 performed Team Sonic Racing’s Green Light Ride at the Sonic X PUMA Launch Party last night and we got it all on video. Green Light Ride is the band’s first new Sonic song in roughly nine years, and this was its first live performance.
Check it out below:
On Wednesday June 13, get ready to party with Belly and Crush 40 as Sega teams up with Puma to give you a rockin’ launch party for their new Sonic-themed shoes at Nice Kicks in L.A. This includes a meet and greet with Sonic Team’s own Takashi Iizuka. While the shoes go on sale on the 12th, the party is on the 13th. While no ticket info is given, it appears to be a party open to the public, so you may want to come in early before it gets too crowded.
Alex and I are bound to be there, so expect coverage right here at the Sonic Stadium. In the meantime, go to the offical launch announcement page for more information.
During this period of vinyl resurgence, it is great to see seminal Sonic the Hedgehog soundtracks are receiving LP incarnations, and as such, following on from 2017’s Sonic Mania vinyl soundtrack released through Data-Discs, Japanese record label Brave Wave have produced both Sonic Adventure 1 and Sonic Adventure 2 soundtracks in 12″ vinyl format. Continue reading TSS Review: Sonic Adventure 1 & 2 Soundtrack Vinyl Editions
Sonic music aficionados, get excited! Record label Brave Wave have announced that they will be collaborating with SEGA in order to produce both the SONIC ADVENTURE and SONIC ADVENTURE 2 soundtracks in vinyl format.
The albums will each contain a selection of songs from both games, each coming complete with two 180 gram records (in either a special edition blue / white or blue / red for SA1 and SA2 respectively, or a standard black edition), and will include a booklet containing “a reflective interview with Jun Senoue and head of Sonic Team Takashi Iizuka” in addition to song lyrics and artwork (track listing below).
While no pricing or release date has been announced, Brave Wave expect the albums to see a release this winter.
Stay tuned to TSS for more information on these releases as they come!
SONIC ADVENTURE VINYL SOUNDTRACK LISTING
Side-A
A1. Introduction …featuring “Open Your Heart”
A2. It Doesn’t Matter …Theme of “SONIC”
A3. Welcome to Station Square
A4. Azure Blue World …for Emerald Coast
A5. Run Through The Speed Highway …for Speed Highway
A6. Pleasure Castle …for Twinkle Park
Side-B
B1. Believe In Myself …Theme of “MILES”
B2. Be Cool, Be Wild and Be Groovy …for Ice Cap
B3. Theme of “Dr. EGGMAN”
B4. Mt. Red: a Symbol of Thrill …for Red Mountain
B5. Blue Star …for Casinopolis
B6. Lazy Days ~Livin’ in Paradise~ …Theme of “BIG”
Side-C
C1. My Sweet Passion …Theme of “AMY”
C2. Mystic Ruin
C3. Theme of “TIKAL”
C4. Unknown from M.E. …Theme of “KNUCKLES”
C5. Theme of “CHAO”
Side-D
D1. Bad Taste Aquarium …for Hot Shelter
D2. Egg Carrier – A Song That Keeps Us On The Move
D3. Skydeck A Go! Go! …for Sky Deck
D4. Theme of “E-102γ”
D5. Open Your Heart …Main Theme of “SONIC ADVENTURE”
SONIC ADVENTURE VINYL SOUNDTRACK LISTING:
Side-A
A1. SA2 …Main Riff for “Sonic Adventure 2”
A2. It Doesn’t Matter …Theme of “SONIC”
A3. Event: Let’s Make It!
A4. Escape From The City …for City Escape
A5. That’s The Way I Like It …for Metal Harbor
A6. Won’t Stop, Just Go! …for Green Forest
A7. Live & Learn …Main Theme of “SONIC ADVENTURE 2”
Side-B
B1. Unknown from M.E. …Theme of “KNUCKLES”
B2. A Ghost’s Pumpkin Soup …for Pumpkin Hill
B3. Dive Into The Mellow …for Aquatic Mine
B4. Believe In Myself …Theme of “MILES”
B5. This Way Out …for Prison Lane
Side-C
C1. Throw It All Away …Theme of “SHADOW”
C2. Vengeance Is Mine …for Radical Highway
C3. Rhythm And Balance …for White Jungle
C4. The Supernatural …for Final Chase
C5. For True Story …for Sonic vs. Shadow
C6. Supporting Me …for Biolizard
Side-D
D1. Fly In The Freedom …Theme of “ROUGE”
D2. Lovely Gate 3 …for Egg Quarters
D3. I’m A Spy …for Security Hall
D4. E.G.G.M.A.N. …Theme of “Dr. EGGMAN”
D5. Soarin’ Over The Space …for Cosmic Wall
2018 marks the 20th Anniversary of the seminal Sonic game, Sonic Adventure – and what better way to celebrate the event than through the music of the series!
Continue reading Sonic Adventure Music Experience At MAGFest 2018
SEGA have announced today a wealth of events to be held at the San Diego Comic-Con! To complement the already announced “Behind the Scenes” Sonic Mania panel, the five day convention will also play host to the “Sounds of Sonic” music extravaganza, which will take place at the San Diego Hilton Bayfront, and include a suite of music performed by Shota Nakama, creator of the Video Game Orchestra, and Sonic Team composer and Crush 40 guitarist Jun Senoue. Continue reading Sounds of Sonic Music Event Set For San Diego Comic Con
Guitar aficionados rejoice, as Japanese guitar producers ESP announce a brand new range of Sonic the Hedgehog themed guitars! The designs, SONIC-II and SHADOW-II are both based on the signature guitar played by Crush 40 and Sonic Team guitarist and composer Jun Senoue, which have been used at a number of performances around the world. Continue reading ESP×SONIC SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 25th Anniversary & SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG 15th Anniversary Guitars Announced
Following a successful funding, Summer of Sonic announced a stretch goal and it was smashed after just a few hours by generous fans. Confirming what many had suspected, fan favourite Johnny Gioeli will be returning to this years convention! Continue reading Johnny Gioeli Coming to Summer of Sonic: Stretch Goal 2 Announced!
A large proportion of the fan base to this day cite the Sonic Adventure series as being the pinnacle of the Sonic the Hedgehog gaming experience; on the most part, the games were their first jaunt into the Sonic Universe, and have defined what they come to expect from titles to this day. Being one of the more senior fans, Sonic Adventure was an exciting revival of my favourite video game franchise, after several years of stagnation and the glory days of the Megadrive now a distant echo. Continue reading TSS REVIEW: Sonic Adventure Music Experience 2016, Tokyo
International Superstar and Crush 40 vocalist Johnny Gioeli has announced the launch of a Pledge music campaign to fund what will be the first solo album of his career. Among many Crush 40 releases, Gioeli’s career spans 4 decades and includes more than 30 albums (most notably as the lead singer of the anthemic rock bands Hardline and Axel Rudi Pell) and no doubt hardcore fans will be excited at the prospect of this debut album and an EP of the long awaited Colorblind.
The driving force behind the funding drive is to raise support for a family friend:
A tragic story of our friend’s son who had a horrific accident, leaving him paralyzed. He’s a high school student fighting for movement as simple as moving his finger, and I want to find a way to “pay it forward” and use the good things happening to me, to help someone else. The average cost of rehabilitation in the first year, far exceeds anything they can raise on their own. Let’s all help keep the music alive and help my friends too.
Backers of the campaign can not only look forward to receiving a copy of the new album (with the option of a signature from Gioeli), but will have options to access to a boatload of exclusives such as a streamed live acoustic performance, original (and rare) Hardline and Axel Rudi Pell memorabilia and handwritten lyrics to some of the songs in his extensive back catalogue.
Check out the Johnny Gioeli Pledge Music campaign here, or check out the Johnny Gioeli facebook page for more details.
UPDATE: Following the publication of the article, the post on the Facebook Page has since been removed.
Original Story: It probably isn’t far-fetched to guess that SEGA have a Sonic the hedgehog title lined up for the 25th Anniversary this year, however Crush 40 lead singer Johnny Gioeli has given a very strong indication that one is in the pipe line…and that Crush 40 could potentially contribute material to it.
Via a Q&A on the Official Johnny Gioeli Facebook Page today, Gioeli gave the following response to a question regarding new Crush 40 material in the works:
When will there be news about the Crush 40 album?
~We are planning a few performances for 2016 to commemorate the anniversary of Sonic. We “might” participate in writing new songs for the anniversary game…stay tuned…
Although some caution should be exercised with the key word in this response is “might”, the fan anticipation for a new Sonic game announcement will no doubt be further escalated, irregardless of game or new Crush 40 songs.
Stay tuned for more 25th anniversary announcements!
Crush 40 as we know them today has been gracing our ears since “Open Your Heart” in 1998’s Sonic Adventure, and set a new standard for music throughout the following line of Sonic the Hedgehog games – nearly every main Sonic title released since the Dreamcast era has been accompanied with a memorable theme tune of some sort. Most popularly, fans of both the band and the series would immediately think of “Live and Learn” from Sonic Adventure 2, “What I’m Made Of” from the final boss battle against the Metal Overlord in Sonic Heroes, or even “Knight of the Wind” from Sonic and the Black Knight, all performed by vocalist Johnny Gioeli, and Sonic music composer-slash-guitarist Jun Senoue.
The duo have performed at a number of fan venues over the years, namely the Summer of Sonic and Sonic Boom conventions, but most recently, the pair was confirmed to perform live at the recent Youmacon in Detroit. While awesome news, a good many were understandably bummed at missing such a wonderful opportunity to see them live.
Until today!
IXI! Studios of Toronto, Canada travelled to the Detroit convention and managed to capture an hour of footage from Crush 40’s Youmacon show! Rock out to a plethora of classic Sonic tunes and miss their concert no longer through the video below!
While at Youmacon 2015, the convention-hopping IXI! Studios (who have travelled to previous MAGFests, ConBravos, and Anime Norths among others) have also managed to film the Team Four Star panel (including the premiere of the new Dragon Ball Z Abridged episode, parodying the movie Super Android 13), the two Little Kuriboh Q&As (Yu-Gi-Oh Abridged episode 65 premiere, Secret Panel), and the Elite 3 panel featuring the Pokémon ‘Bridged 23 debut.
Source: IXI! Studios
For those of you who make use of the digital music service Spotify, you will be pleased to know that a gargantuan selection of Sonic Soundtracks, from Sonic CD to Sonic Runners, have been added to the vast library of songs available for streaming.
As if this wasn’t enough, you can also enjoy a selection of Crush 40 songs including their “Best of title”, the 2012 “LIVE” album and the tracks from their 2012 EP.
While Spotify does not contain a complete library of Sonic the Hedgehog songs, many fans will be pleased they can now access many of their favourite songs on the go without the need to purchase songs through other services or track down physical copies of the official soundtracks.
h0i!!
welcom to…
TEM SONIC STADUM!!!!
u shud check out…
TEM MASH-UPS!!!!
yAYA!!
Toby Fox’s UnderTale has pretty much taken the web by storm at this point. Released for PC and Mac through Steam back in September, the EarthBound-inspired title by the one-man dev team was released to widespread acclaim for its game-changing morality mechanic, unconventional combat, quirky characters and even quirkier writing, and stellar soundtrack. The game has already received a handful of nominations for The Game Awards 2015, for the categories of “Best Independent Game”, “Best Role-Playing Game”, and “Games For Change”.
To those unknowing, the world of UnderTale is that of a realm of monsters, banished from the surface and sealed away beneath the earth following a terrible war against humans countless years ago. You play as a human child named Frisk who falls through a gap up Mt. Ebott, a mountain from which no one who climbs it ever returns from, and finds themselves trapped underground among the same monsters of legend with no way out, save for a magic barrier at the end of the caverns. Filled with determination, Frisk then travels through the underground, but how they travel is ultimately up to the player.
You can either spare the monsters you come across and move on, adopting the route of the pacifist, or you can kill them and unleash a full-blown genocide onto the denizens of the underground and level-up conventionally. The path you choose will ultimately and entirely affect the rest of your time spent playing UnderTale, to a degree that has yet to be explored in video games up until now.
Now with that short stint of exposition out of the way, why not see out how UnderTale music meshes with classic Sonic tunes? Three of ’em, in fact! Special thanks to my friend Stingybee365, for her support and input on selecting this week’s mash-ups!
For your sakes, I’ll try to keep major spoilers to an absolute minimum where avoidable.
Our first mash-up, courtesy of Lavalamp, is… well, special.
Carnival Night Zone stood out as a stage in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles for the sudden change of tone it provided: after blazing forest fires, wide-spanning and interconnected underwater tunnels, and ruined remains of a long lost civilization (all thematically fitting for a fabled floating island) came a theme park with flashing bright lights and towering machinery, colourful balloons floating about, and that damned barrel that brought many Sonic players to their knees way back before online guides were even a thing.
As wacky as some of UnderTale’s characters and locations can get, none can really compare to the very infamus (VERY!!!!!!!!!) hidden village of the Temmies within the Waterfall region… called Temmie Village. Its citizens? Temmies. Their diet? tem flakes. The save point? Fills you with detemmienation.
So of course, it warrants for both of their abominable songs to be blended together into one unholy union.
celbrating tems new colleg degree, proving tem learnt MANY THINs, “tem go 2 carnivl!!!!!”
awawawawah!!
Now that we’ve said b0i!! to Temmie, we can move on to the nittier and grittier mash-ups and higher standard grammar.
Next one up, called “Genocide Adventure 2”, is by MtH!
Crush 40 need no introduction, but Toby’s “MEGALOVANIA”? Definitely. Played during a particular boss fight exclusive to the game’s dubbed Genocide Route, the tune originally appeared in the EarthBound Halloween ROM Hack back in 2009 (made by the same guy, actually!) for the final boss, and again as Vriska’s theme for one of the official Homestuck Adventures albums.
it’s a beautiful day outside. birds are singing, flowers are blooming… on days like these, kids like you….
S h o u l d b e b u r n i n g i n h e l l.
Take heed should you choose that particular path… because you’re going to have a bad time.
This next one wasn’t one that I’d have ever anticipated, but the end result was definitely a song worth savouring! Why? Of all things, this is a Sonic Rush Adventure mash-up — didn’t see that one coming, did ya?
The sequel to Sonic Rush saw its release on the Nintendo DS back in 2007, starring Sonic and Blaze once again as they chase after the scourge of the seas, Captain Whiskers. The robotic and familiar looking pirate made off with the Jewelled Sceptre: native to Blaze’s world, the sceptre possesses the Power of the Stars, which has the power to alter reality to one’s favour, and dwarves even the Chaos Emeralds and Sol Emeralds in comparison. After Sonic and friends succeed in retrieving the sacred artefact, it is stolen once again under everyone’s noses, this time by the real villainous masterminds behind the game’s events: Doctor Eggman and Doctor Eggman Nega.
The ensuing final battle that takes place in the Deep Core underneath Southern Island was a memorable one indeed, all the more with the music provided by Seirou Okamoto. Sir Spacebar felt it appropriate to combine it with one of UnderTale’s own climactic boss battle tunes, “Finale”. Without further ado, here’s “DeepCoremination”!
Last, but not least, isn’t the kind of mash-up you might be expecting, but nonetheless, I just wanted to share it because it sounds plain friggin’ cool.
Martyn Davies, also known as BlastProcessed, rearranges tunes as though they were being played off of a SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive. His effort is worth noting, seeing he bars himself from ever using MIDI files and simply transplanting them into a different sound font before calling it a day, instead relying on a YM2612 VST alone to get the job done (and going over the actual console’s sound limitations for the plain hell of it). That calls for some serious time, effort, and energy.
That is why I feel the need to cap off this Mash-Up Monday with his take on “ASGORE” from UnderTale, the tragic theme to the King of All Monsters in the Underground!
BlastProcessed has also done UnderTale’s “Spider Dance” — feel free to check out the rest of his “Genesis covers” library too while you’re at it!
Found any other interesting Sonic music mashups out there on the web? Maybe you have one of your own you’d like to share? If so, you can reach me via any of the following to see your choice on the next Mash-Up Monday:
Feel free to post your respect and recognition towards Lavalamp, MtH, Sir Spacebar, and BlastProcessed’s mash-ups below in the comments! Nyeh heh heh!
[ Feature image is Super Sonic vs. SSJ Goku, by Lamar Wells! ]
As though Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball hasn’t garnered enough success during its initial run in print and on television the world over, the famed manga and anime series is having quite the revival period in recent years.
Sequel films Battle of Gods and Resurrection: F have since contributed to the series mythos with the introduction of the Super Saiyan God, and a new sequel anime series – Dragon Ball Super – continues to add to Goku’s many adventures, following the defeat of the alien warlord Frieza, Doctor Gero’s Androids and his ultimate creation in Cell, and Bibbidi’s evil, planet-levelling monster of eons past, Majin Bū.
Numerous parallels exist between Dragon Ball and Sonic the Hedgehog – a set of seven magical artifacts said to grant miracles, Super transformations, time-travelling heroes sent back to the present to save their future, just to name a few – but there’s only one such parallel we explore here on Mash-Up Monday (or would a “Fusion Friday” have worked better for this one?), and that’s music!
Our first mash-up – “Dragon Spring” – was submitted to us by TrueBlueFuse, combining the opening to Dragon Ball Z Kai with one of my favourite tracks from the mobile endless runner, Sonic Runners! Takayoshi Tanimoto’s “Dragon Soul” fuses with Tomoya Ohtani’s “Spring Emotions” below!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hb7Cy5z1EZI
Thanks for sending it in, TBF!
On the other hand, Dragon Ball fans in the West are likely to have grown up to Bruce Faulconer’s score, so perhaps the next mash-up, “Knight of the Power” by Hyper-Shan, might suit your fancy!
Faulconer’s “Gohan Powers Up”, first played during the Z Warriors’ climactic battle with Cell (heck, some of you might even recognize this tune from Chakra-X’s Sonic: Nazo Unleashed animated fan film!), combines with Crush 40’s “Knight of the Wind”, from Sonic and the Black Knight, and the end result makes for a rather mystical take on an otherwise rock-heavy track. On one hand, it’s easier on the ears, but on the other, it sounds otherworldly!
Found any other interesting Sonic music mashups out there on the web? Maybe you have one of your own you’d like to share? If so, you can either share your suggestions in the comments section below (as well as your thoughts on TrueBlueFuse and Hyper-Shan’s mash-ups above!), or you can reach me via any of the following to see your choice next Monday:
OH! MY! GOD! Three mash-ups on a single Monday!?
Conceived by Hirohiko Araki back in 1986 and acting as one of the forefathers of modern shōnen, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is an ongoing Japanese manga series that tells the tragic tale of the Joestar family, whose members possessing unique latent powers are forever bound by destiny to battle against supernatural forces. JJBA spans across multiple story arcs following the preluding battles between Jonathan Joestar and Dio Brando, each part with their own starring JoJo, and is currently well into its eighth part almost 30 whole years later, dubbed JoJolion.
After a handful of OVAs and a number of video games over the past few decades, JoJo has finally received a stellar anime adaptation for its first three arcs so far – Part 1: Phantom Blood, Part 2: Battle Tendency, and Part 3: Stardust Crusaders. However, one of the unspoken rules of a good anime is that it needs a really good opening sequence, and thankfully, the JJBA anime has had four incredible ones as of now!
Why all the JoJo exposition on a Sonic fan-site, you say? Context for this week’s mash-ups, of course! No need for alarm either: I can assure you that none of these are the work of an enemy「Stand」.
First up is mash-up artist BotanicSage‘s concoction, which brings the opening tune “Bloody Stream” for Battle Tendency and Hideki Naganuma’s “Vela-Nova” from Sonic Rush together into an even funkier jam combined. I suppose you could say that the end result is a real match…「Made in Heaven」! Eh?
Eh?
…get it?
…
. . . . . .
Yare yare daze, you’re no fun at all.
Anyway, here’s “Bloody Nova”!
We’re switching gears from jazz to rock now as we turn to our next JoJo/Sonic mash-up, this one by guilhox!
When some people think of a memorable Sonic theme, chances are they’re going to think of the iconic “Live and Learn” by Crush 40. When it comes to JoJo, understandably, a lot of folks will point to Jin Hashimoto’s “Stand Proud”, the opening track for the first half of Stardust Crusaders, the arc that formally introduces the ethereal spiritual projections known as “Stands” into the JoJo universe. Rock out to the fused “Live and Stand” below!
Albeit this is a Jet Set Radio mashup rather than a Sonic-themed one, we might as well feature this final gem for the week! Richard Jacques’ “Everybody Jump Around” from the SEGA Dreamcast classic is mixed together with “A Fine Fellow Arrives” by Yugo Kanno, the latter straight from the original soundtrack for Stardust Crusaders. Courtesy of Swordy, here is “Jet Set JoJo”!
Found any other interesting Sonic music mashups out there on the web? Maybe you have one of your own you’d like to share? If so, then you can post some in the comments below (as well as your thoughts on BotanicSage, guilhox, and Swordy’s mash-ups above!), or you can reach me via any of the following to see your choice next Monday:
Even Speedwagon would be impressed!
The juggernauts of Sonic the Hedgehog soundtracks, Crush 40, are set to play the Youmacon convention in Detroit later this year. Crush 40 have recently played at the JOYPOLIS theme park in Tokyo to promote the launch of their latest album 2 Nights 2 Remember, but have not played any shows outside of Japan since 2013.
Youmacon is a celebration of Japanese pop culture, including video games, anime and music, running across three days from Friday 29th of October until Sunday 1st of November. There is currently no information as to which day Crush 40 will be performing as of publication of this article, however we will keep you up to date as more details come to light.
Details on tickets and registration for Youmacon can be found here:
http://www.youmacon.com/registration
In June I had an opportunity to complete the set of SEGA-affiliated fan events and attend SONIC FEST 2014, SEGA of Japan’s answer to Sonic Boom and Summer of Sonic at SEGA’s Tokyo theme park, JOYPOLIS. SONICFEST this year was also a celebration of Sonic’s golden birthday (the birthday for which the age in years matches the date of the month of birth) which is a big deal in eastern culture. Although I’ve had a lot of contact with fans based in the Europe and the US, I’ve not spoken to many Japanese fans; whether this is because there are fewer of them or because there is a language barrier, I was unsure. Suffice to say we arrived at the gates of JOYPOLIS on Daiba island, unsure what to expect in regards to both the order of the day and turnout.
I was pleased to see Japanese Sonic fans are just as enthusiastic as the rest! By the time we had arrived (about 45 minutes before doors opened), the queue was already down the boardwalk, heaving with fans dressed for the occasion, excitedly talking and greeting each other as the queue built. The first 200 fans through the door were given special individually numbered tickets, which allowed them access to the “golden circle” for the main stage event at SONICFEST (other fans could watch but from further back from the stage).
The park itself was open as usual on the day, albeit dressed a little more Sonic-themed than usual. In addition to these extras, the park recently underwent a large refurbishment, removing a lot of the old and outdated features and replacing them with attractions more akin to Sonic’s more modern appearance. A large portion of the first floor in the park is now an area known as the “Sonic Carnival”, an area dedicated to Sonic-centric games, as well as a very impressive Sonic statue, who exclaims various statements (in Japanese) when activated; fittingly, Sonic had been adorned in a crown and fur coat for the day. Several of the games are typical fairground affairs in which the most skilled players are rewarded for their efforts in the form of a lovely Sonic plush.
Amongst the standard affair are three unique Sonic games. Sonic Athletics sees players take to treadmills, in order to compete in three track events including sprints, long jumps and hurdles. The players physically run on the treadmill, with the forward pressure applied dictating the velocity of the chosen character. Conversely, Sonic Brain Training requires competitors to flex their grey matter through a series of five of a possible ten games, involving memory, mathematics, fast reflexes and a keen understanding of Japanese! Players stand at podiums containing touch screens, and compete to score the highest each round. Those scoring above 1,000,000 were rewarded with a keepsake card to mark your achievement, with those exceeding 1,200,000 earning a special card (the latter being just out of the reaches of my abilities!). Children can also enjoy the Sonic Ghost Shooting game, where a small cart takes players around a small track while blasting Sonic Adventure 2 era ghosts with a gun.
For the seasoned merchandise hunter, JOYPOLIS is heaven. The gift shop is filled with a huge range of current, generally available items, as well as a lot of exclusive pieces which can only be purchased at JOYPOLIS. More excitingly, the UFO machines had been especially stocked for one day only with the entire range of seasonal Sonic plushes, which included Surf Board and Water Melon Sonic (Summer exclusive), Halloween Vampire Sonic (Fall exclusive) and Santa Sonic (Winter exclusive). While some were easily obtained by unhooking a ring holding the plush in the catcher machine, others required you to destroy a load-bearing paper tie with a needle-like UFO arm – One Japanese fan pumped thousands of yen into a machine in order to obtain their prize!
For those feeling a little peckish, a special drink and chilidog combo was available, which came with a sticker to prove you’d devoured the foot-long. A limited edition range of sweets were on offer, including a special branded E-MA capsule which contained little cherry candies.
The main event of the day was a 90 minute show on the main stage, hosted by a gentleman in a SEGA boiler suit [EDIT: The guy is called Sexy Saito! Good to know! Thanks to Shane for the info – T]. He was soon joined on stage by Takashi Iizuka, who introduced the trailer for Sonic Boom (branded as “Sonic Toon” for the eastern market), after which gameplay was demonstrated by Iizuka-san himself, Jun Senoue played a selection of Sonic songs accompanied by Sonic himself with fans accompanying by singing along. AiAi from Super Monkey ball made his presence known for the blowing out of the candles of Sonic’s birthday cake.
Iizuka-san then issued a challenge to the audience for three competitors to go head-to-head against at Sonic All-Stars Racing Transformed, with participants receiving a goodie bag of Sonic goods. Amusingly, none of the challengers has the skill to beat Iizuka-san, who came in first in the race!
Yuji Uekawa, best known for his signature Sonic the hedgehog designs that have graced the franchise since the days of Sonic Adventure, also made a rare stage appearance at SONICFEST to talk to the fans during the show. Soon after, a raffle also took place on stage, with the numbers of the 200 golden circle audiences being drawn at random to receive a special prize. After several of these prizes had been amusingly “modeled” by Senoue-san, we were ecstatic to realise that one of our number had been drawn (The winner being Lewis from Segadriven)! Not only that, Uekawa-san also presented three hand-drawn original Sonic sketches, which were also given away to three lucky winners (unfortunately my number was not picked!)
After advertisements for several SEGA games, the stage events concluded, and fans were invited to a meet and greet session with Iizuka-san, Senoue-san and Uekawa-san, with an impressive range of rare Sonic items being brought out by fans for signing (Kieran also got an opportunity to present Uekawa-san with a hand drawn gift). Post-signing session, I had an opportunity to talk to some Japanese fans and take some photos; some of the hand-made items were incredible, and it was obvious to see that a lot of them were extremely passionate about Sonic. More impressively, we saw an attendee wearing a Summer of Sonic shirt! We also got to meet Act, one of the drummers from Crush 40’s live shows, who was also in attendance for the day.
SONIC FEST was a fantastic day out, and it is great to see that community events like this have also caught on in the east. Hopefully SONIC FEST will be a reoccurring event, and I implore you to go if you’re in Tokyo next year! JOYPOLIS is open all year round, with admission starting from ¥800 ($8 / £5) – you can find more information about the park on the English JOYPOLIS page.
