Sonic CD

Sonic the Hedgehog CD
European cover of Sonic CD.
Developer(s)	Sonic Team
Publisher(s)	Sega
Designer(s)	Naoto Ohsima (director), Kazuyuki Hoshino, Takumi Miyake (Design), Matsuhide Mizoguchi (programming)
Platform(s)	Sega CD, PC CD-ROM
Release	September 23, 1993 (Japan) October, 1993 (Europe) November 19, 1993 (USA)
Genre(s)	Platformer
Mode(s)	Single player

Sonic the Hedgehog CD or Sonic CD (as it is known in Europe and North America) is a platform game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, developed and published by Sega. It was released for the Sega Mega CD in Japan on September 23, 1993, in Europe in October 1993, and finally for the Sega CD in North America on November 19, 1993. The game was later ported to the PC.

Development

File:Sonic CD Title.gif

Title screen of Sonic CD

After the release of Sonic the Hedgehog, Lead Programmer Yuji Naka had grown dissatisfied with the rigid corporate policies at Sega, so he moved to America to work with the Sega Technical Institute. Incidentally, a large number of the original design team of Sonic also left for America, to help instructing the American developers. With half of Sonic Team and two of its most important creators present, the Sega Technical Institute eventually got the job to develop Sonic the Hedgehog 2.

Meanwhile in Japan, Sonic CD was handled by a separate development team, headed by Sonic creator Naoto Ohshima. Initially, as revealed in interviews and magazine clippings [1], Sonic CD, and both the Sega Genesis and Game Gear versions of Sonic 2 were all supposed to be the same game. However, during development, the Genesis version of Sonic 2 and Sonic CD evolved in to two vastly different types of games. As time passed, Eventually the gameplay of Sonic 2 would be favoured for the future games but this explains why the theme and handling of Sonic CD are different, as well as the use of Sonic 1's sprites for Sonic. The time posts also had pseudo-3D sprites similar to the Knuckles' Chaotix title screen.

Sonic CD was released after Sonic the Hedgehog 2 but before Sonic the Hedgehog 3. Some fans believe the story of Sonic CD either takes place before Sonic 2 or after Sonic and Knuckles due to the misconception that Sonic 3 takes place where Sonic 2 left off, but in actuality, the Japanese manual states that there was some time in between games. However, due to considerable delays, it is apparant that Sonic CD was supposed to launch at the same time, if not before Sonic 2.

Storyline

Sonic the Hedgehog is chasing Metal Sonic, who kidnapped a girl named Amy Rose. It turns out that Amy had used the tarot cards to find Sonic, but was kidnapped in front of his very eyes. Sonic has to get the Time Stones and to travel through time to foil Doctor Robotnik's latest plot. It is also speculated that Sonic CD might have been slated for release before Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Through some codes entered at the sound test screen, some puzzling pictures of Sonic in different forms (ie. a very Batman-esque Sonic) were revealed. One of these pictures is actually Tails, accompanied with the text "See You Next Game". Tails was Sonic's sidekick in Sonic the Hedgehog 2.

Gameplay

File:Sonic CD QuartzQuadrant.gif

Quartz Quadrant Zone

The game's key element is the manner in which the player can travel to 4 different versions of each level in 3 different time periods. This is accomplished by speed posts scattered around the level, bearing the labels "Past", and "Future". After running through one of these posts, the player has to run at top speed for a few seconds without stopping to travel into the respective time period. There are no "Past" signs in the Past and no "Future" signs in the Future. As in most Sonic games of this era, every stage has three "Acts" (Although they are called "Zones" in this game, see below), the third of which always takes place in the future. If Sonic destroys Dr. Eggman's machine in the past in the first two acts of a stage, he will then travel to the different "Good Future" with no enemies. By completing all the good futures or by collecting the 7 Time Stones in the Special Stages, Sonic will finish the game with the good ending.

The game itself has Sonic feeling generally more sluggish than normal. The spin dash he does is different to that of Sonic 2's; the position he takes in both games is different. A new move was added to complement the spin dash: the Super Peel-Out (AKA Strike Dash). The Super Peel-Out, performed in a manner much the reverse of the spin dash, by pressing up and any trigger button, causes Sonic to rev in position until you release the button, at which point he speeds off. The difference between the spindash and the Super Peelout is the spindash damages enemies who get in its way, due to Sonic's curled attacking pose; the Super Peelout, whilst quicker to charge up than the spin dash, does no damage, instead leaving Sonic vulnerable to attack (however, this can be foiled by pressing down immediately after performing the super peelout, sending sonic into a roll that is just as fast as the super peelout as well as making him invulnerable to enemy attack).

Also, while leaving the game idle for more than a few seconds makes Sonic tap his foot impatiently (as per usual), leaving the game idle for 3 minutes causes Sonic (i.e. a digitized voice clip) to say "I'm outta here!", followed by Sonic jumping off the screen while giving the player a nasty look and the player receiving a Game Over.

Rounds

What would typically be called a "Zone" in other Sonic games is called a "Round" in Sonic CD. Likewise, an "Act" now becomes a "Zone". In total there are seven rounds to complete, each in three different time zones.

Palmtree Panic

A tropical level, with mountains and waterfalls in the backgrounds, as is typical of the first level in a Sonic game. At the end of Zone 1, Amy can be seen chasing after Sonic.

Collision Chaos

This is one of the traditional pinball type levels often in Sonic games. There are a lot of bumpers and springs, especially at the end of the first two zones. Curiously, the land can be seen upside-down toward the top of the stage.

At the beginning of this level, Metal Sonic kidnaps Amy, thus beginning Sonic's quest to get her back.

Tidal Tempest

A water filled level near a volcanic area. When underwater, Sonic has to breathe in giant air bubbles so he won't drown (as common in Sonic games). This level has many platforms and passageways, and currents that blows Sonic around the water. The height of the water area rises as Sonic moves into the future, and vice versa.

Quartz Quadrant

Quartz Quadrant is a busy place with conveyor belts and platforms abound. Big changes take place in this level if you time travel. It's a swamp in the past, a cave in the present and the bad future is a metal-covered wasteland.

Wacky Workbench

A factory level located in a canyon. It features flashing floors that send Sonic incredibly high up when touched. Sonic has to traverse this area using moving platforms, some spinning, and various platforms that bounce up and down on the flashing floor.

Stardust Speedway

One of the fastest rounds in Sonic's history. Stardust Speedway is a highway above an enormous city that featured many loop-de-loops, zig zags, and junctions. Also, depending on the orientation of certain panels, Sonic may be able to walk on parts of the background or otherwise fall through them, and respectively walk behind parts of the foreground or be blocked by them.

At the end of Zone 3, Sonic finally rescues Amy (Sonic had to race against Metal Sonic to rescue the girl).

Metallic Madness

Eggman's base on Little Planet. There are many spikes, traps, springs and platforms in this level. Near the end of Zone 2, Sonic is shrunk and must make his way through small passageways. Zone 3 is the final boss, preceded by a battle against firefly robots, and the only bottomless pit in the entire game. Metal Sonic's pre-ultimate form, Metal Madness, may have been inspired by this level's name.

Soundtrack controversy

The most controversial fact about this game is that the US and Japanese versions feature two different soundtracks. Europe uses the original soundtrack. The Japanese soundtrack was composed by Naofumi Hataya, and featured songs by Keiko Utoku. The songs were entitled "Sonic - You Can Do Anything" (infamously nicknamed "Toot Toot Sonic Warrior" by Sonic fans) and "Cosmic Eternity".

The US version was delayed a few months to have a new soundtrack composed by Spencer Nilsen, who did other Sega CD soundtracks as well as some early Sega Saturn soundtracks. All the music (save for the Past tunes, which were in PCM audio rather than Red Book CD Audio) was replaced, and new themes were composed. The new theme was "Sonic Boom", performed by Pastiche. Both the opening and ending had similar lyrics but different instrumentation. This is called the "Special Edition" soundtrack. The intro and ending FMV sequences were slightly re-edited to fit in time with the respective music. Since then, every re-release of the game in the US exclusively has this soundtrack, including both the PC version and the one in Sonic Gems Collection (the latter having the Japanese soundtrack in Japan but with the slightly altered programming of the US version's); the Japanese soundtrack surfaced in Sonic Screensaver, but otherwise has never made it to the States, reportedly due to licensing issues.

This, rather infamously, caused the biggest JP/US version differentiation review clash ever when GameFan magazine, who gave the Japanese version 100%, gave the game a less-then-flattering score for the US version and it was made clear that the score had been based on the US version's soundtrack alone, as rather than any changes in the gameplay (of which there were none). It is largely argued that this perhaps was one of the main things that gave the magazine its hard-edged view on the gaming community and ultimately, would lead to its discontinuation.

Sonic fans are usually split between the music of each game. Some prefer Hataya's music, which is somewhat similar in style to the music heard in Sonic games on the Sega Genesis/MegaDrive (J-pop), while others prefer Nilsen's music, which is a bit more similar in style to that heard in Sonic Adventure and the games that followed (Rock). Some like both equally. Although when the game's music is mentioned in a negative light it is more often that Nilsen's version of the soundtrack that gets mentioned.

Thus, with all the facts given above, most fans say that the changes were completely unnecessary. In fact, the last development version of Sonic CD (after the Japanese release), which was running on American NTSC systems, contained the Japanese soundtrack completely intact, indicating that perhaps at one point in localization, the soundtrack wasn't considered for revision.

Ports

A version available for the personal computer was released in Japan on August 9, 1996, with a North American version in August 26, 1996, and a European version in October 3, 1996. Among the most noteworthy changes of this version was the fact that the entire FMV anime intro and ending sequence is available for this version. The Mega-CD version only had a truncated version of the intro and ending sequence. The Japanese version of the game had its manual translated from the US version, and all versions had the US soundtrack, with the "Past" tunes converted to normal CD tracks. Also on the disc is a short video clip of a pencil sketch of Sonic in action.

Due to the design of Microsoft DirectX in Windows NT-based machines (namely, Windows NT, Windows 2000, and Windows XP), the installation program for the game can crash. While this can be worked around (usually by using compatibility modes in Windows XP, which rarely works on Sonic CD's installer), the program will still not execute. Using third-party patches written by members of the Sonic community, Sonic CD will run on the latest versions of Windows.

While the DirectX version of Sonic CD for PC is the most common and the best-selling initial commercial game for Windows 95, it is not the first version of Sonic CD for PC. The original version of Sonic CD for PC was powered using Dino libraries, an Intel-developed precursor to DirectX. This version of Sonic CD was never individually sold at retail, it was only sold with Packard Bell computers as a pre-installed game, and sold as double-paks along with other PC Sonic games. Upon the release of DirectX 3, Sega ported the Dino dependencies to DirectX calls and released Sonic CD in its DirectX form. However, a user by the name of Sonic_Millennia_King on the Sega Boards discovered that the Dino libraries still were in use on the game along with DirectX, which is why the Sonic game does not run without the patch on Windows XP, even if in rare cases the installer succeeds.

In addition to the PC port, Sonic CD is part of the Nintendo GameCube (and, in Japan and Europe, PlayStation 2) compilation Sonic Gems Collection. This version is, in turn, ported from the PC version. The soundtrack in this version depends on the region. And while Europeans orignally had the Japanese Soundtrack in their versions of the game, Europeans got the US Soundtrack instead in "Sonic Gems Collection".

Trivia

File:Scdtails.gif

Tails' only appearance in Sonic CD.

• When accessing the debug mode of Sonic CD, a secret picture of Tails will appear in the game. The car next to Tails is a possible reference to Sonic Drift.
• In addition to the change of soundtrack the US version also replaced Amy Rose's name in the manual with that of Princess Sally to garner support for the television show, despite the fact that the Princess Sally character was already established as a completely different looking and seperate character.
• Sonic CD marked the first official appearance of both Metal Sonic and Amy Rose.
• It is often rumoured that Sonic the Hedgehog 2 was to incorporate a time travel function similar to Sonic CD at one point or another. These rumors likely stemmed from the fact that at one point in time, Sonic CD was actually refered to as "Sonic 2 CD" early in development. To perpetuate this theory, a beta version of Sonic 2 had similar characteristics to other levels in the main game, specifically Wood Zone and Metropolis Zone, thus speculating "Past" and "Future" versions (see screenshots here). In addition, the beta had a "futuristic" point marker programmed into it (sixth row here)
• Sonic Mega Collection for the Nintendo Gamecube (and later for the Xbox and Playstation 2 as Sonic Mega Collection Plus) included, in the extra section, both the intro and good ending FMV sequences from Sonic CD. These videos are also available in Sonic Jam for Sega Saturn.
• This was the first Sonic game to include centiseconds in the time as opposed to just minutes and seconds.
• When Sonic dies and starts to fall off-screen, the games animations continue to play as opposed to the other 16-bit games, where the entire game freezes during the death sequence.
• When you put the game into a CD player or a computer, you will be able to hear the game's music.
• The FMV content--including the hidden pencil test--is encoded in AVI format and can be easily navigated to via the CD's filesystem. The Sonic Screensaver's pictures and music can be accessed in a similar manner.
• The version of Sonic CD found in Sonic Gems Collection is infact a port of the PC version. This is likely because to emulate the Sega CD original, Sega would have to emulate both the Sega Genesis processors in addition to the new processors for the Sega CD - which might have been difficult, if not impossible for the Gamecube hardware to do at full speed. As a result of the PC port, Sonic CD on Sonic Gems Collection features 11khz WAV Audio for all it's sound effects, as well as the high-color versions of the intro and ending videos; however, it also is missing certain effects present in both the Sega CD and PC versions - such as transparent water in Tidal Tempest Zone.
• Issue #25 of the Archie comic book features a cover story loosely based on Sonic CD.

External links

• Sonic CD at MobyGames
• Sonic CD at Green Hill Zone - contains info, screenshots and a basic walkthrough.