Page 19 - OSG Presents Classic Gamer Magazine #5

Game Gear games and knock offs like
Knuckles Chaotix, but they were mainly
believed to be stop gap games. Later on,
near the end of the Saturn's lifetime,
Sega released Sonic R, a 3D Sonic rac-
ing game that had originally been the now
canned Sonic Xtreme. While Sonic R
was a good game to some, it was far too
late for Sega to regain popularity on the
much maligned Saturn system.
Finally, in 1999, the Sega Dreamcast
was released in America. Along with it
came the arrival of Sonic Adventure
sound and music, FMV (full motion video) (reviewed last ish!). Sonic Adventure Sonic Adventure 2
capabilities, etc... However, Sonic CD was the complete 3D Sonic game that
offered something new that none of the fans had been dreaming of for years, and
other Sonic games offered: time travel. luckily it lived up to expectations.
Again Robotnik is up to no good and With the Dreamcast in full swing, more
through time travel, he is building evil Sonic games are on their way, including
factories in the the Mario Party-esque Sonic
past to ensure Shuffle and Sonic Adventure 2.
his domination So there you have it, a run
in the future. In down on my favorite Sonic the
each of the lev- Hedgehog games. With three
els, there are TV shows, over 10 games, and
signs similar to even a full featured animated
those found at movie, there seems to be no
the ends of lev- end to the Sonic juggernaut.
els in most of the Sonic the Hedgehog is destined
Sonic games. for a bright future. Sonic Shuffle
But now if you So what do you do now, you
passed these signs at a fast enough ask? Well, if you haven't already, I sug-
speed, you would be transported to a gest that you
past or future version of that level. The start building
future levels are comprised of post- your Sonic the e-chid-na
apocalyptic environments (lots of machin- Hedgehog
ery, etc…), but the past featured calmer game/TV show Any of several nocturnal, bur-
scenery such as trees and wildlife. If you library. As for rowing, egg-laying mammals
destroyed a factory in the past, it was me, I'm off to of the genera Tachyglossus
replaced with lovely, bucolic scenery. see if I can find
While Sonic CD went slightly off the track any more secret and Zaglossus of Australia,
with the Sonic games at that time, it was spots with Tasmania, and New Guinea,
worthy of the Sonic name and a welcome Knuckles in having a spiny coat, slender
change. Sonic 3! snout, and an extensible sticky
Near the end of the Genesis' lifespan, See ya! tongue used for catching in-
Sega released Sonic 3D Blast, a semi 3D .
Sonic game. There were also a few sects.

Sega Puts a Saturday Morning Spin on the Blue Blur

Premiering in 1993, Sonic’s first show, Sonic the Hedgehog, was,
and still is, believed to be the best show to date. The plot involved
Sonic, his girlfriend Sally the Squirrel, Rotor the Walrus, the wimpy
Antione D' Coolette, his favorite buddy Tails, and, of course, the vil-
lainous Dr. Robotnik.
The show, while whimsical, often had a serious tone to it. Dr. Ro-
botnik had taken over Mobotropolis, and in each episode Sonic and
his friends tried to stop him and his evil minions.
Sonic’s second show, Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, fea-
tured Sonic and Tails, Robotnik, and Scratch and Grounder, the two
roboticized minions. Because Sonic’s first cartoon show was voted
the second most violent cartoon in America, DiC Animation Studios
geared the second show towards a younger audience. Adventures of
Sonic the Hedgehog had a lighter, more comedic feel to it, and fea-
tured cheaper animation. While not quite up to the standards of its
predecessor, this was still a solid show.
Sonic Underground - Ouch! Sonic Underground was giving the series a bad reputation until they mercifully cancelled it!. SU was
similar to Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog in terms of animation quality; however, SU had a completely different plot than either of the
previous shows. Sonic, his sister (Sonya) and their little brother (Manic) formed a band, while at the same time were trying to stop the
mayor, Dr. Robotnik from taking over the town, world, etc... While I hate to say it, this show was unbearable to watch and didn't add
anything of value to the Sonic world (with the slight exception of introducing Sonic’s brother and sister).

Classic Gamer Magazine December 2000 19