Sonic the Hedgehog
The Sonic the Hedgehog series is a franchise of video games released by Sega starring their mascot character Sonic the Hedgehog. The series began in 1991 with the release of Sonic the Hedgehog on the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis. An 8-bit version of the game was also released for the Master System and Game Gear formats. Sonic was responsible for single-handedly turning the tide of the 16-bit console wars, and his first game soon replaced Altered Beast as the default pack-in game for the Genesis in North America and Europe.[1] As of May 2006, the franchise has sold more than 44 million units, with more games slated for release in the later half of 2006.[2]
Games in the series are developed by Sonic Team, with the exception of some spinoffs that were independently developed by Sega of America. The main programmer for the first game was Yuji Naka, who would later become head of the Sonic Team division, and the game planner was Hirokazu Yasuhara. The music of the first two Sonic the Hedgehog games on the Mega Drive (aka Sega Genesis) was composed by Masato Nakamura of the Japanese band Dreams Come True.
Overview
All games in the series[3] feature a teenage hedgehog named Sonic as the central character and protagonist. Sonic frequently takes it upon himself to save his planet from the forces of evil that plague it. The main antagonist is the evil genius Doctor Eggman (aka Robotnik), whose long-term goal is to create the so-called Eggman Empire.[4] He also, in order to accomplish this, must get rid of Sonic in any way necessary, not limited to and including causing his death.
In order to progress through his missions, Sonic must collect rings to protect himself from enemy robots and traps; as long as he has at least one ring he is invulnerable to dangers, although he will lose all of them if an attack does get through. Most Sonic games allow him to recover many of these scattered rings during a brief "invulnerable" period. However, rings do not protect against all hazards: he can still drown, be crushed or fall to his death. In line with many platform games, collecting 100 of these common collectables will reward Sonic with an extra life. Certain titles in the series often reward the collection of other quantities of rings; frequently, 50 must be collected in order to access the Special Stages in which the Chaos Emeralds may be obtained.
In order to achieve the best possible ending in the game, Sonic must collect all of the Chaos Emeralds. When Sonic has all of the Emeralds, he can transform into his most powerful form, Super Sonic. In this state, he is completely immune to all enemies and obstacles (although he can still be killed by falling into pits, being crushed and drowning), gains the ability of flight in certain circumstances, and the unique skill of breathing in space. However, Sonic's quest does not necessitate collecting the Emeralds himself; he must only prevent Eggman from getting them and dooming the world with their power.
History
Most two dimensional Sonic titles are platform games viewed from a side-on perspective. Their controls are basic and do not deviate much from the genre standard; the selling point of the series is the sheer speed of the playable characters, who usually have the ability to run on slopes, walls, and even ceilings. Roller coaster-like loops and corkscrews are also common in Sonic games, as are giant pinball machines with flippers and bumpers which knock Sonic around like a ball. The stages are also similar to roller coasters in that many sequences involve Sonic being thrown along pre-set paths with little input from the player, which has led to criticism that the player can complete a Sonic game merely by holding the pad in one direction. However, the games also feature numerous sections involving precise jumping between platforms and avoiding of hazards, although these sections do not require "pixel-perfect" judgement and are perhaps more lenient than most platform games of the era.
Sonic 3D: Flickies' Island, an isometric, pseudo-3D ("2.5D") game, was released for the Mega Drive in 1996. Sega Saturn and Windows PC conversions followed, which had enhanced graphics and a different sound track, composed by Richard Jacques. Sonic 3D was developed by Traveller's Tales, although Sonic Team worked on the Special Stages in the Saturn/PC version. The Saturn version is based on the later-comin' Super Kamron World Advanced Generation (also known as Super Kamron World Super XDG).
In 1997, a compilation entitled Sonic Jam was released for the Saturn. In addition to containing Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic 2, Sonic 3 and Sonic and Knuckles, it also included a "Sonic World" mode. This allowed the player to control Sonic in a small 3D world similar to the Green Hill Zone from the original game; it contained no enemies and was mainly a means of accessing the disc's multimedia features such as BGM's, illustrations and even commercials.
The Sega Technical Institute tried to develop a "true" Sonic game for the Saturn called Sonic X-treme. This game was intended to compete with Nintendo's Super Mario 64. However, due to time constraints and issues between STI and the Japanese division of Sega and Sonic Team, the project was cancelled.
The full leap into 3D platforming was made with Sonic Adventure, a launch title for the Sega Dreamcast console. On 19 June 2001 in North America (23 June in Japan and Europe; the 10th anniversary of the US release of Sonic the Hedgehog), Sonic Adventure 2 was launched. Both of the Adventure titles were later ported to the Nintendo GameCube (under the titles of Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut and Sonic Adventure 2: Battle) when Sega dropped out of the hardware market. DX was also ported to Windows PCs.
The first Sonic game to release simultaneously on multiple consoles, Sonic Heroes, was released on the GameCube, Sony PlayStation 2 and Microsoft Xbox in December 2003 in Japan, with American and European releases following soon after, and a PC version the following November. The platforming was largely similar to that of the Adventure titles, although the player now controlled the lead character of a team of three themed characters, with the other two following closely behind. The player could switch to a new leader at any time, in order to make use of each character's special skills. It sold well, but opinions among both reviewers and fans of the Sonic series were mixed.
Shadow the Hedgehog was no different. Released in the US in November 2005, it received countless negative reviews. X-Play, for instance, had given it a 1 out of 5, making it the lowest-scoring Sonic game reviewed on the show. Other game sites such as IGN and Gamespot similarly panned the game. One of the greatest controversies revolving around this game is the gunplay; fans insisted that Shadow was the self-proclaimed "ultimate life-form" and did not need a weapon. Nintendo Power and Gametrailers, however, both rated it above 8 out of 10. Two other controversies were the over-use of the curse word "damn" and the fact that Sega had decided to switch to the voice artists from the English version of Sonic X.
A highly faithful two-part port of Sonic the Hedgehog made for mobile phones has been a huge hit in Europe, introducing the game to a new generation of pre-teen gamers, with respected handheld specialist Pocket Gamer awarding Sonic the Hedgehog Part Two a 9 out of 10 review score. [5]
Other gameplay styles
A few Sonic games focus on gameplay styles other than the standard platforming. The first of these was Sonic Spinball (released on the Mega Drive in 1993 and on the Master System and Game Gear in 1994). The concept of Sonic bouncing around as the ball in a giant pinball table had been used in both Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedeghog 2; Sonic Spinball made a whole game around that premise.
Several racing games starring Sonic characters have been developed. In Sonic Drift and Sonic Drift 2, characters rode go-karts (kart circuits were later included in the two Sonic Adventure games). In Sonic R (1998), most characters ran on foot, while in Sonic Riders (2006), they race on hoverboards.
Sonic Shuffle was a Mario Party-style virtual board game/party game for the Sega Dreamcast, but it was well-received, seemingly, by only some devoted fans of the series.
Edutainment videogames starring Sonic and Tails have also been released, such as Tails and the Music Maker for the Sega Pico, and the PC title Sonic's Schoolhouse.
On the Game Boy Advance is a fighting/platform game hybrid called Sonic Battle.
In 1993, Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine was released for the Sega Genesis. The game was basically a clone of a Japanese puzzle game named Puyo Puyo. This game was also ported to the Game Gear.
Common features
Rings
One of the most distinctive and recurring aspects of gameplay is the inclusion of collectible gold rings throughout the levels. They were initially included as a gameplay device: wounded characters would not die if they carried at least one ring, and instead they would merely lose those rings that they were carrying. However, there remained some manners of death that could not be prevented by holding a ring, including crushing, falling into a bottomless pit, and drowning. After sustaining a normal wound, a playable character will drop all the rings he or she is carrying. These rings soon disappeared if not collected again—an important function because impending damage would be less threatening since they could otherwise be picked up again at leisure.
The number of rings dropped if damage is sustained is usually much less then the number attained. In most Sonic games, the player will only drop around 20 or so rings if there are 21 or more rings (Less if there are 19 or below). However, due to technical limitations, most of the Game Gear Sonic games only dropped 5 or less rings (in most cases). This number was recently increased to about 50 Rings the player could retrieve in Sonic Rush. On the other hand, in Shadow the Hedgehog and Sonic Blast, a hit would only cost a set amount of Rings instead of the whole collection; only 10 rings from the ring count are lost per hit.
The rings are used in conjunction with the Chaos Emeralds. Usually, a collection of fifty rings are required either to access the Special Stages (where the Emeralds could be collected), or to utilise the Chaos Emeralds (i.e. by transforming Sonic into Super Sonic).
The orgin of the rings, like the Chaos Emeralds, is never revealed during the game series.
In "SatAM" and Sonic X, Sonic can absorb a ring to give him extra speed and power.
Giant Rings
Whereas most rings were small and easily collectable, certain rings appeared that were much larger. The so-called "Giant Rings" were designed to be jumped through, which would transport the character to a Special Stage, where the character could collect one of the Chaos Emeralds or Super Emeralds. They were used for this purpose in the games Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic CD and Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 used Star Posts instead. In Sonic 3, if all the Emeralds had already been found, these rings could be collected for fifty rings each, allowing the characters to easily tap into the power of the Chaos Emeralds (usually becoming Super or Hyper if the player is playing Sonic 3 & Knuckles together). In most of the newer games since Sonic Adventure, these giant rings have taken the place of the old signposts as the end level marker and touching it would end the level.
Chaos Emeralds
The Chaos Emeralds are a recurring feature of Sonic games. They are the basis of most of the games' plots, and the player is frequently required to collect them all in order to fully defeat Eggman and achieve the games' "good endings". The method used to acquire the Emeralds differs between titles in the series. In some games, such as Sonic R and the 8-bit versions of Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog 2, they can be found in hidden locations within the main levels. In Sonic Spinball (in which the Emeralds were, unlike most Sonic games, an essential requirement for completing the game) they could be accessed by performing specific actions and solving minor puzzles on the pinball tables that made up each level.
Master Emerald
The Master Emerald resides in a shrine on Angel Island and is guarded by Knuckles the Echidna; it contains an unknown amount of power and is used to keep the Angel Island afloat in the sky. The Emerald also has the power to fully control everything that the Chaos Emeralds do up to stopping the energy of the Chaos Emeralds. The Master Emerald can also be used to power mechanical devices, and has been coveted by Dr Eggman several times throughout the series. During Knuckles' final boss fight in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles, Mecha Sonic powers up using the Master Emerald into a quasi-Super form.
Special Stages
Usually, a Chaos Emerald may be earned in a Special Stage or Special Zone. Special Stages usually take place in surreal environments and feature alternate gameplay mechanics to the standard platforming of the main levels: the 16-bit Sonic the Hedgehog consisted of a giant rotating maze (which many considered a major technical achievement); Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic 3-D Blast, Sonic Heroes and Sonic Rush featured "in your face" segments with the hedgehog running along a long tunnel, with a slight variant involving falling down a long tube or riding the Tornado being used for Knuckles Chaotix, Sonic Advance, and Sonic Advance 3; 3-D "collect items" levels, like in Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles, which used the same perspective but had Sonic collecting all the blue-coloured orbs on the surface of a giant sphere, and a different version, the 3-D ring-collecting Special Stage, used in Sonic Advance 2. Sonic Chaos (Sonic and Tails in Japan) utilised a variety of gimmicks for its levels.
Some Sonic titles include Special Stages, but not as a means of collecting Chaos Emeralds. As the Emeralds of the 8-bit version of Sonic the Hedgehog were hidden in the main stages, the game's spring-filled Special Stages were merely used as a means of adding variety, and for a player to increase their score. Similarly, Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles, in addition to their main Special Stages, featured entirely optional bonus stages, one of which combined the rotating maze of the 16-bit Sonic the Hedgehog with the pinball gambling of Sonic the Hedgehog 2, and Sonic Heroes had an alternate Special Stage for earning lots of 1-UPS, very much like the one in which Chaos Emerals are collected, but with the objective being to get to the Goal Ring before time ran out, rather than catching up to the Chaos Emerald at the end of the tunnel.
Just as the design of the Special Stages has changed, so has the means of accessing them. In Sonic 3 & Knuckles, giant rings were hidden in levels to take the player to the Stages, but most other titles involve the collection of a certain number of rings, usually 50. In both the 8- and 16-bit versions of Sonic the Hedgehog, they were reached by finishing a level with more than 50 rings; in the 16-bit Sonic the Hedgehog 2, reaching a Star Post when they held this number would create a warp of stars which would take a player to the Special Stage when jumped through. Sonic 3D required the player to deliver rings to Knuckles and Tails, who could be found within each level. Sonic Chaos changed the figure, with access to a Special Stage being the reward for collecting 100 rings.
Super Sonic
Since the 16-bit version of Sonic 2, Sonic has had the ability to transform into the extremely fast and nearly invulnerable Super Sonic once all seven Chaos Emeralds are collected. After that, Super Sonic can be used in any of the following levels once 50 rings have been collected, although one ring is lost for every second Sonic remains in this form.
In Sonic & Knuckles, Knuckles could also transform into Super Knuckles. By locking-on Sonic 3 to Sonic & Knuckles, Hyper Sonic, Super Tails and Hyper Knuckles also become available, by collecting all 7 Super Emeralds in addition to the 7 Chaos Emeralds.
In the Sonic Adventure titles, the Special Stages were omitted entirely and Chaos Emeralds were collected in non-interactive cut-scenes as part of the story, with Super Sonic only appearing in the climactic final boss fights. This dismayed many fans, who appreciated the additional replay value offered by retrying a game's levels with Super Sonic's additional abilities. Despite several games since returning to the emerald-collecting of the 2D platform titles (including the Advance series, Heroes, and Rush), Super Sonic was again only playable at the end of the game in an extra zone.
In Sonic Adventure 2, Super Shadow also appeared at the end of the Last story.
In Sonic Rush, Super Blaze also appears for the extra boss, similar to the end of Sonic Adventure 2.
In Sonic R, Super Sonic was the fastest racer in the game, a secret character again unlocked by collecting all the Chaos Emeralds.
In Sonic The Fighters, Super Sonic was a secret character that could only be unlocked after playing up to the final boss without losing a single round, and then entering a secret button combination.
In Sonic Riders, Super Sonic is also an unlockable character, playable outside the final level for the first time since the Sega Genesis games. As with previous games, Super Sonic consumes rings as long as the form is sustained, and Sonic reverts to standard Sonic when he runs out of rings. He is playable by unlocking the Chaos Emerald gear.
Music
The music of the Sonic series is considered one of its strongest aspects. Sonic games have featured tunes composed by a variety of people; Masato Nakamura of J-pop band Dreams Come True was responsible for the music of the first two 16-bit games. Ys/Streets of Rage composer Yuzo Koshiro composed the music for the first 8-bit title, barring what was taken from the 16-bit title. Sega's in-house music company, Wavemaster, did the majority of the music in later titles. One Wave Master employee, Jun Senoue, is part of the band Crush 40, and through his ties to the band they have played the main theme tunes of the two Sonic Adventure games, Sonic Heroes, and Shadow the Hedgehog. Heroes and Shadow the Hedgehog also featured other bands, such as Julien-K. Richard Jacques, a frequent composer of music for Sega's games, contributed to the soundtracks of Sonic R and the Saturn/PC version of Sonic 3D Blast: Flickies' Island. A staple in the 16-bit games is the "drowning music", which is regarded by many to be the scariest video game music to date.
- See also: List of Sonic the Hedgehog series songs
Plot
The premise of Sonic 1 revolves around Eggman trying to conquer the Earth by imprisoning animals inside robots and then using them as a delaying tactic so that he has time to collect the Chaos Emeralds. In Sonic 1, our hero is charged with saving the animals and collecting the Chaos Emeralds before Eggman can. Sonic repeatedly engages Eggman's bosses in minor skirmishes as he makes his way across South Island. The game culminates in a showdown with the master villain at the secluded Scrap Brain facility, but the doctor narrowly escapes.
Eventually Sonic learns that Eggman has showed up on Westside Island and is up to his old tricks. There, he meets Miles "Tails" Prower; they join up and form a close team in preparation for the events in Sonic 2. The two must work together to prevent Eggman from collecting the island's seven ancient powerstones before the imminent launch of the Death Egg. Eventually Sonic climbs aboard Eggman's Sky Ship and is forced to leave Tails and the damaged Tornado behind; his final destination is the Death Egg. There, he battles a silver, hedgehog-like robot and a giant battle suit controlled by Eggman. After the battle, the Death Egg explodes and falls through the atmosphere; Sonic flees the doomed vessel and lands aboard the Tornado.
Instead of colliding with the Earth, the Death Egg crash lands on top of 'the island in the sky', Angel Island, its weight forcing the so-called Floating Island to fall into the Sea. The opening cutscene of Sonic 3 shows Tails piloting the Tornado towards the sunken island, with Sonic racing across the water ahead of him. Just as Sonic makes landfall, Knuckles the Echidna, makes his first appearance by knocking the Chaos Emeralds out of Sonic. Convinced earlier by Eggman that Sonic is evil, Knuckles steals the Emeralds and hides the emeralds in 'secret' locations across the island. Sonic wants the Emeralds back and races across the Island with Tails to retrieve them. The game climaxes with a short skirmish between Sonic and Knuckles at the Death Egg's reconstructed Launch Base. The encounter however is just a delaying tactic because the Death Egg soon launches and knocks Knuckles off the platform. As the island rises back into the sky, Sonic rides an abandoned Eggmobile over to the Death Egg's control deck, and after a short battle with Eggman, Sonic disables the Death Egg before it is far above the island.
Sonic 3 & Knuckles shows the Death Egg crash-landing on top of the Lava Reef volcano. After falling from Death Egg's launch pad, Sonic lands in the middle of Mushroom Hill, a huge forest characterised by its mushrooms that are more than twice Sonic's size in height. Our hero sets out once again to stop Dr. Eggman from repairing the Death Egg, and to collect the Super Emeralds. Sonic hitches a ride on the Flying Battery over to Sandopolis, and enters the Lava Reef crater via a haunted pyramid. Inside the crater, Sonic finds the cave that leads to the mythological Hidden Palace where the Super Emeralds and Master Emerald are hidden. Knuckles confronts Sonic just before Sonic reaches the Emerald altar, and the two fight. Their fight is cut short by Dr. Eggman betraying Knuckles and removing the Master Emerald. Sonic and Knuckles put their differences aside; Knuckles escorts Sonic to a transport that leads up to the Sky Sanctuary. Sonic enters the portal and a beam of light shoots Sonic into the clouds. In the background, the Death Egg is seen taking off and the island slowly falling into the Sea. As he makes his way through the clouds, Sonic meets another Sonic-like Robot and two engage in a series of boss battles reminiscent of those in Sonic 2. Sonic destroys his copy and catches another ride on the Death Egg as it flies overhead. Sonic makes his way through the flying fortress and eventually destroys it. Eggman flees to activate his Doomsday device, but Sonic pursues and unleashes incredible Emerald forces as Hyper Sonic in his ultimate showdown with Eggman.
In later games Sonic is joined by Amy Rose, Cream the Rabbit, Team Chaotix and a host of other characters. He also has to deal with numerous other foes, such as Metal Sonic, Chaos, Fang the Sniper and Black Doom. Two other major characters in the series are the anti-heroes Shadow the Hedgehog and Rouge the Bat, who usually oppose Sonic and his friends but will aid them when the situation calls for it. Many of these characters have garnered steady fanbases since their inclusion into the franchise, while other longtime fans have criticized them for allegedly taking the gameplay focus off of Sonic.
Characters
Main characters
Sonic the Hedgehog: The series' principal hero. Sonic has incredible super speed and numerous other abilities, and uses his skills to save the world from Dr. Eggman. He is impatient, laidback, confident and always on the look-out for an adventure.
Miles "Tails" Prower: Sonic's best friend. He is a two-tailed fox who can fly for a limited time by spinning his tails rapidly. He is a skilled mechanic and often takes care of Sonic's plane called the Tornado.
Knuckles the Echidna: The last living echidna, and Sonic's friend and rival. Knuckles resides on Angel Island, where he guards the Chaos Emeralds and the Master Emerald, the source of the island's ability to float in the sky. Knuckles is very strong; his spiked fists are capable of smashing through boulders as well as allowing him to climb walls. The nature of his echidna spikes allows him to glide for periods of time. He is hotheaded, anti-social and gullible.
Dr. Eggman: Also known as Dr. Robotnik, Eggman is Sonic's arch nemesis and the series' main villain. He is egg-shaped and has a giant orange moustache. Eggman is an expert in robotics and wishes to conquer the world and build the Eggman Empire. However, Sonic and his friends always stand in his way.
Amy Rose: A pink hedgehog who has become Sonic's self-appointed girlfriend. Ever since Sonic saved her in Sonic CD, Amy has been in love with Sonic and she now wants him to marry her. Amy is a skilled fighter and smashes enemy forces down with her trusty Piko Piko Hammer.
Shadow the Hedgehog: Shadow is a mysterious, black hedgehog resembling Sonic in appearance and skills. He is the Ultimate Lifeform created by Gerald Robotnik on the Space Colony ARK over fifty years ago. He recently suffered from amnesia but has regained all of his memories since. He can use Chaos Control to distort time and space.
Cream the Rabbit: A naive young rabbit who lives with her mother, Vanilla. Cream's best friend is a Chao called Cheese (which she uses as missile). Because Cream has been brought up like a princess, she does not like being involved in other peoples' affairs. She can fly using her large ears.
Rouge the Bat: Rouge is a treasure hunter and a spy for G.U.N. She is full of feminine charm and can be very manipulative. She is Knuckles' rival, but it is secretly has a crush on him. Rouge wants all the jewels in the world, and her eyes specifically set on the elusive Master Emerald.
Metal Sonic: A robotic version of Sonic built by Eggman to counteract the speedy hero. Metal Sonic is just as fast as Sonic and Shadow and has several unique features, such as the ability to copy data. In Sonic Heroes, Metal Sonic betrays Eggman to conquer the world for himself, but he is stopped by Super Sonic.
Chaotix: A team of misfits, who have started their own detective agency. The Chaotix consists of Vector the Crocodile, Espio the Chameleon, and Charmy Bee.
Other characters
The following is a list of other characters who have appeared in the series, in chronological order. Most of them are non-player characters, characters who do not affect overall plot of the series, or characters who appear in only one game.
Mighty: A world-travelling armadillo who first appeared in SegaSonic the Hedgehog.
Ray: A little squirrel, seen in SegaSonic the Hedgehog.
Bark: A polarbear in Championship.
Bean: An owner of an unknown bomb plant also in Championship.
Tails Doll: A mysterious doll version of Tails, seen in Sonic R.
Metal Knuckles: A robotic copy of Knuckles, seen in Sonic R and Sonic Advance in Angel Island as a boss
Big: A laid-back tubby cat who wants to live a simple life in the forest with his pal, Froggy.
Froggy: Big's best friend. He lives with him in the forest as they go fishing together.
Beta: A black robot in Sonic Adventure who was turned to scrap once Gamma showed him up.
Delta: A blue robot that only appeared in Sonic Adventure. Gamma destroyed him to "save him" from Dr. Eggman's control.
Epsilon: A orange robot in Sonic Adventure. Gamma also destroyed him to "save him" from Dr. Eggman's control.
Chaos: A liquid monster that first appeared in Sonic Adventure, said to be the god of destruction. He is the guardian of all Chao creatures.
Zero: A trash can shaped robot in Sonic Adventure who chased Amy throughout the game, hoping to capture her.
Tikal: Pacahamac's daughter who sealed Chaos in the Master Emerald in Sonic Adventure. Seems to have some sort of relation to Chaos.
Pachacamac: Tikal's father who appeared in Sonic Adventure.
Lumina Flowlight: The Queen of Maginaryland who appeared in Sonic Shuffle.
Void: A short villain in Sonic Shuffle.
Maria Robotnik: A 12 year old girl who lived with Shadow, on the Space Colony ARK, throughout her childhood (And saved Shadow, by letting him escape). She is now dead. Maria first appeared in Sonic Adventure 2.
President: The President of seemingly the Earth. Appears in Sonic Adventure 2 and Shadow The Hedgehog.
King Boom Boo: The king of ghosts seen in Sonic Adventure 2.
Cheese: A chao companion, and best friend, of Cream the Rabbit.
Vanilla: Cream's mother.
Emerl: An ancient robot, also called the Gizoid, that can copy attacks. He first appeared in Sonic Battle.
Phi: Gray Emerls who replicate the abilities of one specific individual. Appeared in Sonic Battle.
Chocola Chao: Cheese's sibling.
Black Doom: The main villain of Shadow the Hedgehog and the leader of the Black Arms.
Blaze: A pyrokinetic cat princess from an alternate dimension from Sonic Rush and the defender of the Sol Emeralds.
Eggman Nega: Eggman's alternative counterpart in Sonic Rush.
Babylon Rogues: A trio of bird thieves who are adept at racing with Extreme Gear. The Babylon Rogues consist of Jet the Hawk, Wave the Swallow, and Storm the Albatross. Appeared in Sonic Riders.
Babylon Guardian: An ancient boss in Sonic Riders.
Princess Elise: The princess of Soleana in the next-gen game, Sonic the Hedgehog, who was captured by the villianous Dr. Eggman.
Silver the Hedgehog: A mysterious new character who comes from the future.
Regional variations
Initially, Sega began two different storylines to localize Sonic as a product, as described in the Japanese and the western game manuals, respectively. For example, although "Dr Eggman" has always been the antagonist's name in Japan, he was originally called "Doctor Ivo Robotnik" in North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. Also, in the Japanese manuals it is said that the games are set on Earth, specifically, on islands in the Pacific; however, according to all English manuals printed before 1999, the games are set on a different planet called Mobius. At the beginning of the Dreamcast era, Sonic Team chose what canon they wanted to expand on with the newer generation games, and they chose the Japanese one, making it the international canon while discontinuing the old western canon. This retcon means that, as far as all games made after and including Sonic Adventure are concerned, Sonic has always been on Earth.
The reasons for these regional variations are complex, and one can interpret the series in several ways depending upon viewpoint. The older games for example can either be seen as prequels to the later Adventure games or, in the case where one uses the American manuals as the backstory for the older games, as a separate continuity. This becomes even more confusing as regional variations became more and more noticeable as the manuals tried to tie in the comics (particularly the Archie series) and the SatAM show (going to such measures as to call Amy "Princess Sally" in the US release of Sonic CD). So there are in fact two canons recognized by the fanbase in its entirety, and many storylines that have expanded on them. While there is of course ongoing debate as to whether or not one canon should be considered over the other, (such as the western storyline being established first, to Sonic Team siding with the Japanese storyline,) reasons are opinionated and have little factual evidence to support why one should be considered more canon over the other.
The games Sonic 1, Sonic 2, Sonic 3, Sonic & Knuckles, Sonic Adventure, Sonic Adventure 2, Sonic Heroes, Shadow The Hedgehog and Sonic Riders are absolute canon, since they were directly created by Sonic Team. Sonic CD is also absolute canon, since the events in the game has been referred to in Sonic Adventure and Sonic Heroes. The unreleased game called Sonic the Hedgehog for the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 will probably be canon, although there is some evidence to suggest that it instead takes place in an all new continuity. (for more information on that peculiarity, see that game's article.) However, most other games are usually considered canonical too, unless they somehow explicitly contradict the Sonic Team made games; however, this is a moot point as those games rarely have any influence on the main series in comparison.
Spin offs
For a video game franchise, there are a surprisingly large number of spin-offs starring Sonic as their central character. While these titles are based on the world and characters presented in the video games, they are not considered canon to the games; only the games themselves (and if applicable, the instruction booklets) are considered canon. Each spin-off incorporates aspects from the games to varying degrees.
Film
A two-episode OVA film series based off the game Sonic CD and the video game series as a whole, Sonic the Hedgehog: The Movie was made in Japan in 1996 and released as a dub in North America in 2000. Unlike the games, the film takes place on a world named Planet Freedom that, as with many anime series, appears to be a crossbreed of a fairytale land and Earth. At the time of its creation, the anime did not differ as far from official cannon as it does today; while it is possible that this anime was originally intended to be part of the Sonic canon, it could be considered an alternate universe at this point.
Anime and Cartoons
Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog (or AoStH for short) is an American animated television series that was first broadcast in September 1993, and has been running in cartoon syndication ever since. It follows the escapades of the Sonic and Tails as they stop the evil Dr. Ivo Robotnik and his array of vicious robots from taking over the planet Mobius. The plots often loosely followed the storyline of the video games series; at the time the Sonic games were still quite new, and lacking much plot or character development, which was in turn filled in by the show's writers.
The animated television series simply called Sonic the Hedgehog originally aired from September 1993 to June 1995, and was the more popular title of the time. While Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog is known for its bright colors and whimsical humor, Sonic the Hedgehog featured darker stories which constituted a departure from the tone of the Sonic games of the time. To distinguish between the two series, fans typically refer to this series as SatAM because it was a Saturday morning cartoon while Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog aired on weekdays in syndication, and using the show's full title would cause confusion in many situations because the show's title is the same as the character's name.
The cartoon Sonic Underground ran for only one season, 1998 to 1999; it bears little relation to the often convoluted Sonic universe (including previous animated series, as well as Sonic comics and games), and shared few established characters. There were originally 65 episodes produced, and of those episodes, only 40 were released. Unlike it's predecessor, SatAM, the heroes do not remain in a sanctuary-like refuge but instead travel around Mobius to battle Robotnik's forces on a global scale; and that Robotnik has left most of the Mobian people un-Roboticised, leaving multiple cities, a poor underclass and an aristocracy for the heroes to interact with. Sonic Underground is the only animated series where Tails has not made an appearance.
The anime Sonic X is the longest running and most successful animated series to date. Originally planned as a 52 episode series that would be inspired by the storylines of the Sonic Adventure series, Sonic X has now expanded to 78 episodes with the latest 26 episodes set primarily in outer space. For an animated spin-off, the series borrows more from the games than any other Sonic cartoon before it; with the exception of Blaze the Cat and Metal Sonic, every significant and playable video game character has made an appearance in the series. Sonic X is also the only animated series to include Super Sonic. Despite these similarities, it is not completely compatible with the video game canon if only for the fact that it shows Sonic being transported to Earth from another world; in the games, Sonic has always lived on Earth (according to the pre-Sonic Adventure Japanese/post-Sonic Adventure international canon).
Manga and Comics
The Sonic the Hedgehog manga series, published in Shogakukan's Shogaku Yonensei (literally "fourth-year student") was written by Kenji Terada and it was illustrated by Sango Norimoto. The manga, which started in 1992, was about a hedgehog boy named Nicky who can turn into Sonic the Hedgehog. Sonic fights Dr. Robotnik, with Tails tagging along to help him.
Sonic the Comic, known to its many readers as STC, was a UK children's comic published by Fleetway Editions between 1993 and 2002. Although it was the UK's official Sega comic, Sonic the Comic established its identity and ongoing storyline and setting when Sonic, Tails and their friends were sent forward in time six months. During their absence, Doctor Robotnik had successfully conquered the entire planet of Mobius, and Sonic and co. were forced underground, operating as "freedom fighters" attempting to bring down Robotnik's rule of the planet. Due to an aggressive series of budget cuts on the part of Fleetway, the series went into full reprint by issue 184; the final story ended with a number of loose ends left untied.
Sonic the Hedgehog is an ongoing series of American comic books published by Archie Comics. All of Archie's Sonic-related series, miniseries and specials take place in the same fictional universe. This universe features a mixture of characters, settings and situations from the video games, the SatAM cartoon, the various other incarnations of Sonic, and many elements unique to the comic universe. The current status quo of the comic deals with a full-scale war between the Eggman Empire, ruled by Robotnik, and the restored Kingdom of Acorn, currently ruled by King Elias Acorn.
Sonic X is the title of an ongoing comic book series that exists to supplement the stories from the animated series of the same name. It began in September 2005 and was originally meant to be a four-part series; due to the positive reaction to the series' announcement, it was extended to ongoing status before the first issue premiered. The comic is unique in that it is not directly based on the games; the comic is based on the television show and takes place in its expanded fictional universe. The comic borrows elements from the series first two seasons of the show, including Eggman's fort, destroyed in Season One on the cartoon, and characters from the Sonic Adventure storyline.
Sonic the Hedgehog fandom
The Sonic the Hedgehog game series, and even its comic series, are the subject of much fan pairings and official pairings. The fan pairings stretch out from a far variety and even reach love triangles and homosexual relationships. This has been the cause of many "couple wars". These couple pairings and wars have caused just about all Sonic-related forums to ban couple topics. The most prominent couple war is the relationship between Amy Rose and Sonic the Hedgehog. It's quite clear that Amy Rose, who is obsessed with Sonic and is determined to get him to marry her, loves him. But it is un clear if he loves her. Futher more, this couple war was evolved with the introduction of Blaze the Cat, whom Sonic seemed to be more friendly to. This has resulted in many hating the character because of Sonic's, supposed, crush on her. Another fan pairing is the gay relationship between Sonic and Tails. Many question Tails' oriention and closeness with Sonic. Another couple war arose with the introduction of Rouge the Bat, who has an apparent crush on Knuckles the Echidna[6][7]. This relationship was well received and retrieved a growing fan base. Others seemed to, more or less, prefer the pairing of Rouge and Shadow the Hedgehog. They argue that they seem more close and that the Knuckles and Rouge pairing was hopeless. Knuckles and Rouge shippers argue that Rouge and Shadow have more of a "brother-sister" relationship. Other couple wars and pairings include: Cream, Tails, and Cosmo. Sonic, Shadow, and Amy. Sally, Sonic, Amy. Homosexual relationships, which are relativly seen in yaoi and yuri fan art include: Knuckles and Sonic, Shadow and Sonic, Rouge and Amy, amongst others
Notes and references
In addition to information taken from the Sonic the Hedgehog games themselves, the instruction booklets of the US and Japanese versions of the games were also used as references for this article.
- ^ Kennedy, Sam. "The Essential 50: Sonic the Hedgehog". 1up.com. Retrieved 2006-06-03.
- ^ "Sega Announces Sonic's charge onto the Wii Console". Sega of America. 2006-05-09. Retrieved 2006-06-17.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Note that Sonic is not the central character in certain games, such as Shadow the Hedgehog, Knuckles Chaotix, Tails Adventures and Tails' Skypatrol, where Shadow the Hedgehog, the Chaotix and Miles "Tails" Prower were the central characters, respectively.
- ^ Although the mainfestation of Dr. Eggman's goal to conquer to world was left unnamed in pre-32-bit games, Sonic Adventure and games since then have heavily developed this aspect.
- ^ "Sonic The Hedgehog Part 2 review". Pocket Gamer. Retrieved September 23.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ http://www.sega.com/sonic/globalsonic/post_allabout.php?article=soniccharacters
- ^ http://4kids.tv/sonicx/characters/rouge.php
External links
Official
- Sonic Central Official American website
- Sonic City Official Europe website
- Sonic Channel Official Japanese website
Commercial
Fan made
- Hacking CulT - A site with many hacks of Sonic The Hedgehog
- Sonic Strike Network
- Sonic CulT
- Sonic Game
- Sonic Retro Wiki
- Sonic HQ
- The Green Hill Zone
- The Sonic Stadium
- Sonic News Network Wikia
- Sonic Gear - A digital museum of Sonic merchandise past and present