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SegaSonic the Hedgehog

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SegaSonic the Hedgehog
Developer(s)Sega AM3
Publisher(s)Sega
Director(s)Tomosuke Tsuda
Composer(s)Hiroshi Kawaguchi
Keitaro Hanada
Naoki Tokiwa
SeriesSonic the Hedgehog
Platform(s)Arcade
Release
  • WW: 1993
Genre(s)Platform, action
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer
Arcade systemSega System 32

SegaSonic the Hedgehog[a] is an isometric, action-platform video game developed and published by Sega. An arcade spin-off to the Sonic the Hedgehog series, the story follows Sonic the Hedgehog and his friends Mighty the Armadillo and Ray the Flying Squirrel, who must escape an island after they are kidnapped by series antagonist Doctor Eggman. The gameplay centers around escaping the island in the fastest time possible, with players using a trackball control system to move the characters.

SegaSonic the Hedgehog was developed by Sega's arcade division, Sega AM3, and released for arcade cabinets in 1993. It received positive reviews from Electronic Gaming Monthly and Computer and Video Games, who praised its graphics and gameplay. However, the title has never been re-released in any form; a port to Sega's 32X platform never materialized, and the game was cut from Sonic compilation release Sonic Gems Collection (2005) due to problems with properly replicating the game's trackball control system on a standard controller. Mighty and Ray have reappeared sparingly throughout the Sonic franchise.

Gameplay

(From left to right) Sonic, Mighty, and Ray skate across an ice-themed level

SegaSonic the Hedgehog is an isometric, action-platform game that has been likened in gameplay to Marble Madness.[2] Players control three characters: the titular Sonic the Hedgehog, Mighty the Armadillo, and Ray the Flying Squirrel, who can be controlled by a single player or simultaneously with two others.[3] The story follows the three characters after series antagonist Doctor Eggman traps them on his island. They team up to escape, and must dodge various hazards and dangers to reach Eggman in his base, the Eggman Tower.[3][4]

The game takes place over several levels, which must be completed in the fastest time possible. Players use a trackball to control a character's direction and speed, and a button to make a character jump into a Spin Attack.[5] Each character has a health bar, which is depleted when the player falls into traps; players lose a life if the bar empties. Health can be recovered by collecting rings that are littered around the course or hidden inside obstacles or enemies. Players receive bonus rings for use in later levels they collect over a certain percentage of rings within a level.[2][3] Upon reaching Eggman at the end of the game, he pushes a button that causes the island to self-destruct. The three heroes manage to escape unharmed, while Eggman is left stranded at sea.[4][6]

Development and release

Development of SegaSonic the Hedgehog began after Sega expressed a desire to create an arcade game that successfully re-captured the spirit of the Sega Genesis games.[7] The game is one of four spin-offs in the Sonic the Hedgehog series to feature the SegaSonic name.[b] It was developed by Sega AM3, an internal Sega division that created games for arcade cabinets,[9] with assistance from Sonic Team.[6] The game uses a Sega System 32 motherboard, which enables the multiplayer option, and a unique graphics system.[3][10] The game also features two new characters, Ray the Flying Squirrel and Mighty the Armadillo;[3] the latter was based upon an early prototype of the character that became Sonic.[11] The game also features voice acting, with Takeshi Kusao, Hinako Kanamaru, Yusuke Numata, and Masaharu Satō voicing Sonic, Ray, Mighty, and Eggman, respectively.[4][6]

The game was featured at the Summer International Consumer Electronics Show 1993 and the Amusement Machine Show 1993.[2][10] It was released worldwide in arcades the same year.[3] A port of the game for the 32X was planned, but ultimately went unreleased.[12][13] According to series co-creator Yuji Naka, it was also considered for inclusion in the 2005 rarities compilation Sonic Gems Collection for the GameCube and PlayStation 2, but was left out due to difficulties with properly emulating the game's trackball controls on a standard controller.[5]

Reception and legacy

Electronic Gaming Monthly gave SegaSonic the Hedgehog a perfect 10 out of 10 score. The magazine stated that the game "shatters your perception of what a good game should be", reserving high praise for its graphics and music, and the variations between each level. It also noted the "hilarious" character animations and cinematics, and encouraged readers to play the game.[2] Computer and Video Games offered similar praise and made note of the game's attention to detail, "highly recommending" it.[10] The French magazine Mega Force compared the game's isometric graphics to Sega's Zaxxon (1982) and SNK's Viewpoint (1992).[14]

Mighty would later appear as a playable character in the 32X game Knuckles' Chaotix (1995), in which he is a member of the Chaotix.[15] Ray never appeared in any subsequent games,[16] but he and Mighty were both featured in the Sonic the Hedgehog comic book series published by Archie Comics. Ray became a member of the Chaotix along with Mighty, who is depicted in the series as his honorary brother.[17] The game is also referenced in the anniversary title Sonic Generations (2011), where a "missing persons" poster of Ray and Mighty appears in City Escape.[18]

Notes

  1. ^ SegaSonic the Hedgehog (セガソニック・ザ・ヘッジホッグ, SegaSonikku za Hejjihoggu)
  2. ^ The other titles include SegaSonic Popcorn Shop,[8] SegaSonic Cosmo Fighter,[9] and the cancelled SegaSonic Bros.[6]

References

  1. ^ "ソニック・ザ・ヘッジホック | セガ・アーケードゲームヒストリー". セガ・アーケードゲームヒストリー (in Japanese). Sega. Archived from the original on 15 February 2017. Retrieved 13 October 2017. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ a b c d "Sonic the Hedgehog (tentative title)" (PDF). Electronic Gaming Monthly. Vol. 6, no. 8. August 1993. p. 60. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 October 2017. Retrieved 11 October 2017. {{cite magazine}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Sonic The Hedgehog Arcade - Videogame by Sega of Japan". The International Arcade Museum (in English and Japanese). Killer List of Video Games. 1995–2012. Archived from the original on 27 April 2013. Retrieved 28 May 2012. The game play is somewhat similar to Marble Madness. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ a b c Sega-AM3 (1993). SegaSonic the Hedgehog. Sega.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  5. ^ a b Kemps, Heidi (30 Sep 2005). "GameSpy Xbox: Sega's Yuji Naka Talks! - Page 2". GameSpy. Internet Archive. IGN Entertainment. p. 2. Archived from the original on 19 Feb 2006. Retrieved 28 May 2012. Yuji Naka: It was done by part of the Sega arcade division at the time. We did think about adding it to Gems Collection, though, but we couldn't implement it in the end because the game used a trackball control scheme that is very, very difficult to replicate with a standard controller.
  6. ^ a b c d Dransfield, Ian. "Has a lost Sonic arcade game been unearthed?". DigitalSpy. Archived from the original on 6 July 2017. Retrieved 12 October 2017. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  7. ^ "Sega, 1993 and Beyond..." Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 46. May 1993. p. 52. Archived from the original on 13 October 2017. {{cite magazine}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  8. ^ Good, Owen. "Emulator brings obscure Sonic popcorn-machine game back to life". Polygon. Vox Media. Archived from the original on 6 April 2016. Retrieved 11 October 2017. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  9. ^ a b Parish, Jeremy (5 June 2014). "Who Makes the Best Sonic the Hedgehog Games?". USgamer. Archived from the original on 8 August 2017. Retrieved 17 July 2017. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  10. ^ a b c "Sonic the Coin-Op" (PDF). Computer and Video Games. No. 144. November 1993. p. 18. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 October 2017. {{cite magazine}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ Thomas, Lucas. "Sonic the Hedgehog VC Review". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on 13 January 2016. Retrieved 10 October 2017. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  12. ^ "Work in Progress" (PDF). Computer and Video Games. No. 155. October 1994. p. 33. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 October 2017. Retrieved 10 October 2017. {{cite magazine}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  13. ^ "Multimedia" (PDF). Mean Machines Sega. No. 24. October 1994. p. 20. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 October 2017. Retrieved 10 October 2017. {{cite magazine}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  14. ^ "The Sega Villiage: Sonic" (PDF). Mega Force (in French). No. 19. p. 29. Retrieved 13 October 2017.
  15. ^ "Knuckles' Chaotix". Electronic Gaming Monthly. Vol. 69. April 1995. pp. 122–125. Archived from the original on 12 September 2016. {{cite magazine}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  16. ^ "Retro Vault: Double Dragon, SegaSonic the Hedgehog, Legends of Wrestling". Computer and Video Games. Archived from the original on 11 December 2014. Retrieved 25 October 2017.
  17. ^ Ponce, Tony. "Sonic Universe says, 'Make way for the Chaotix, son!'". Destructoid. Enthusiast Gaming. Archived from the original on 15 April 2016. Retrieved 10 October 2017. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  18. ^ Sonic Team. Sonic Generations. Sega. Level/area: City Escape (Act 1). MISSING since 1993. Ray the Flying Squirrel & Mighty the Armadillo. Have you seen them?
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