Sonic History @ Sonic-Club.Com

Page 3

1996

Sonic 1996

Sonic the Fighters
System: Arcade
Released: June 1996

The Plot
Who says that just because you're cute and cuddly you have to get along with everyone? Sonic the Fighters lets you "be" one of many characters in the Sonic universe - most of which you've never heard of before now - and battle each other inside an enclosed arena. This is all in the aim to ride a rocket ship to Robotnik's new, improved Death Egg so you can give him a good smacking.

Knuckles vs. Tails.

The Gameplay
Intended as a one-on-one fighter for the first-time player, Sonic the Fighters was certainly the weirdest thing AM2 put out that year. Three buttons controlled each character's punching, kicking, and dashing options, and a small range of special moves were available with combination presses. Each fighter had a limited shield, which was worn down as the battles raged on. After the regular characters were defeated, Metal Sonic and Super Sonic laid down their own challenge: If you could beat them, you were up against Robotnik. Now remember kids, it's not nice to fight....

Sonic vs. Amy.

Special Notes
Like Virtua Fighter Kids, a polygonal fighting game aimed at small children sounded like a cool idea at first, but it didn't work in practice. Not many Sonic the Fighters machines can be found these days, even in Japan. A Saturn conversion was planned, but, rather sadly, nothing came of it.

Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles.

Sonic 3D Blast
System: Sega Saturn
Released: November 1996

The Plot
Exactly the same as the Genesis version

Special stage.

The Gameplay
Exactly the same as the Genesis version, except that the special stage took the form of giant 3D tunnels. These resembled the ones from Sonic 2, albeit with polygons instead of moving blocks.

Special Notes
With richer colors and better sound, the Saturn version of 3D Blast was the version of choice for those lucky people with both machines. For some strange reason, this wasn't released in Japan until two years after Sega of America put it on the shelves. Maybe someone forgot to tell Sega of Japan about its existence.

Sonic 3D Blast
System: Genesis
Released: November 1996

The Plot
Sonic fans with too much spare time on their hands may well wonder what happens to all those birds that are rescued throughout the game. It turns out that these flying creatures, known as Flickies, have an island of their very own - the suitably named Flickie's Island. You would think that such a remote patch of land would be

Special stage.

beyond the evil Dr. Robotnik's grasp, but this is unfortunately not so - he's flown over and turned the Flickies into robot slaves. Once again, Sonic's the only guy who can sort this mess out.

The Gameplay
On a basic level, this is the standard Sonic formula viewed from an isometric perspective. Heck, even on an advanced level that's all this game is. The formula is still the same - collect protective rings, rescue animals, and beat Robotnik at the end of every stage - with a few psuedo-3D additions. Collecting 50 rings and giving them to Tails or Knuckles opens up wormholes that lead to the bonus stages - complete these and you're awarded with a Chaos Emerald. The extra element of fun is when you collect Flickies. If you run into them before they get transformed, they'll dutifully follow you around to the nearest warp point. The more Flickies you have when you enter, the more bonus points you get.

Green Grove Zone.

Special Notes
Whoever decided the Genesis was dead at this point obviously didn't bother to tell Sega, because Sonic 3D Blast, one of the best games for the console, came out eight years after the console was born. There are fewer colors onscreen, but beyond that, you'd be hard pressed to find the difference between this and the Saturn version. It was an absolute winner from start to finish.

1997

Sonic 1997

Sonic Jam
System: Saturn
Released: May 1997

The Plot
All of the Genesis' Sonic titles, together on one Saturn disc at last.

The Gameplay

Sonic hunting rings.

In addition to the perfectly emulated 16-bit games, you can enjoy Sonic World. This Sonic Adventure prototype has Sonic run around a 3D Green Hill Zone, opening up small bonuses that you can use in the regular games. Also to be found in this area are museums and buildings that showcase old artwork and media.

Special Notes
An essential addition to every Saturn owner's library, Sonic Jam only has a few faults. The most obvious is the lack of Sonic CD, even though you can watch that game's still-impressive animation. Perhaps the emulation software that was used to bring the original games back to life couldn't handle the stress. There are small modifications to the gameplay, such as the spin dash now being available in the first Sonic game.

Amy.

Sonic R
System: Saturn
Released: November 1997

The Plot
Sonic isn't the only game character that can muster up some speed, and to prove it, everyone involved is getting together for a series of races! What Sonic R lacks in plot it makes up for in speed and variety, thankfully. The characters are in full 3D, the tracks are based on classic Sonic levels, and there are lots of secrets to unlock. Go!

The Gameplay
Sonic R isn't a standard character-based racing game. In many ways this is a halfway house between the Sonic World segments of Sonic Jam and the racing episodes of Sonic Adventure, with exploration and collection being just as important as racing. In addition to the standard grand prix mode, there are time attack and balloon modes and the quite cool tag mode that plays like the children's playground game of tag. Each character has its own method of transport; for example, Amy has her car and Dr. Robotnik has his egg ship.

Knuckles in Resort Island Zone.

Special Notes
Sonic R was developed by Sonic Team in theory only. While Sonic Team was responsible for the overall design, it was up to English development team Traveller's Tales to make it work on the Saturn. This the team did incredibly well, resulting in one of the Saturn's greatest games ever. The replay value was extended considerably by the unlockable boss characters - robotic forms of some of the game's main stars! Finding the elusive Chaos Emeralds once again opened Super Sonic up for play, an objective that proved too difficult for most players.

1998

Sonic 1998

Sonic Jam
System: Game.com
Released: June 1998

The Plot
Dr. Ivor Robotnik, a once kindly professor who was studying the power of mysterious Chaos Emeralds, is planning to take over the world! Sonic the Hedgehog must free his enslaved animal friends and give Robotnik a good kicking - just another day at the office!

Click here for more shots.

The Gameplay
The gameplay in the Game.com Sonic Jam is, as expected, scaled down from the Saturn original. You still control Sonic in a side-scrolling environment as he jumps from platforms, collects rings, and faces Robotnik at the end of each stage.

Special Notes
Yes, Game.com. The most laughable handheld in history has a Sonic title of its very own. Since the machine has hardly any game-worthy hardware to speak of, the vibrant colors and essential speed are notoriously missing from this release. It can take a solid hour to reach the end of even the earliest levels, thanks to the atrocious slowdown and immense stage design. It's an hour best spent doing anything - and we really mean anything - else. Not even the most avid Sonic collector should invest in this.

1999

Sonic 1999

Sonic Adventure
System: Dreamcast
Released: September 1999

The Plot
A mysterious creature known only as Chaos has come under Dr Robotnik's wing and is using the power of Chaos Emeralds to grow even more powerful. Stopping this aquatic monster is a job bigger than Sonic alone can handle. He needs help from friends old and new to stand any chance!

Click here for more shots.

The Gameplay
Sonic's debut appearance on the Dreamcast is as multifaceted as it is large. You can take on the role of Sonic, Tails, Big, E-102, Amy, and Knuckles in uniquely themed stages that range from conventional platform action to snowboarding. A few nods from NiGHTS make an appearance: The A-life has been expanded to the cute Chao creatures (which you can play with on the VMU), and there's a NiGHTS-themed pinball table to play in. Minigames galore appear with regularity, but the classic instant-action gameplay is back for the first time in years.

Special Notes
After a few years of the Sonic license being lost in the video gaming wilderness, Sonic Team did the right thing and brought Sonic back with real style. The character design had been refined and moved away from the Americanized "cute" image, with speed and attitude becoming the most important part of Sonic's look. It's good to know that no amount of average third-party games and children's marketing can ruin a classic character.

Sonic and Tails on the Tornado.

Sonic Pocket Adventure
System: NeoGeo Pocket Color
Released: December 1999

The Plot
Surprise, surprise - The Evil Genius Formally Known As Kintobor is back for another attempt at achieving world domination. Maybe someone should just get rid of these Chaos Emeralds for good, but until that happens, it's up to Sonic and Tails to set all wrongs right.

The Gameplay

Sonic vs. Dr. Robotnik.

This is largely a conversion of Genesis Sonic 2, with elements of Sonic 3 thrown in for your added gaming pleasure. Everything that was cut out of the Game Gear incarnation of Sonic 2 - Tails, 3D bonus stages, and superlative speed - is back, better than ever.

Special Notes
This NeoGeo Pocket title makes the Game Gear look incredibly weak by comparison. You can link up machines and race against a friend - a feature that would have been more than welcome (and easy to implement) on Sega's machine. Basically, this is everything that Sonic 2 Game Gear should have been.

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