#Modern Super Sonic with Light Blue Chaos Emerald

[sonichedgeblog]

Photos of the Modern Super Sonic with Light Blue Chaos Emerald 4" articulated action figure, released by Jakks Pacific in 2022. This was part of Wave 8 of the series.

[flingmetothemoon]

Hello again, do you have any cute Sonikal Headcanon’s?

Oh hi there! Are you the same Anon who asked about the first kiss? I already appreciate your cute asks! As for your cute Sonikal headcanons, well I have come up with alot of them throughout the years so lemme see what I can do…

~~~~~~~Cute Sonikal headcanons~~~~~~~~

-Here's my possible explanation to the question that has always remained a mystery to me ever since I heard it: Even though she never once introduced herself to him, how did Sonic know Tikal's name? Shortly after Tikal's sacrifice and the birth of Angel Island. The echidna temple was rebuilt to serve as a shrine dedicated to the incident told by witnessing survivors (Makes sense because the temple is inspired by the famous Mayan temple of Tikal). During his early adventure days after meeting Knuckles, Sonic first explored the abandoned Mystic Ruins and heard about the story of a tragedy that fell upon the ancient echidna clan due to the warmongering chief's selfishness and greed and how his daughter sealed herself and the monster in the Master Emerald to stop the destruction.

-Using his ability to channel the M.E.'s power to show people/objects held in the emerald, Knuckles shows Sonic the echidna girl. (Chaos isn't seen because Tikal trapped him in her blue water ring to secure extra escape prevention) Despite essentially being fridged, Tikal actually isn't frozen or disempowered. (She mostly just sleeps when there's nothing else to do) She can still channel the M.E.'s power, transport people/objects and communicate to people And even told Sonic not to rescue her because she fears the destruction that could occur again if she and Chaos were to be set free without plan B.This makes Sonic sad and he often thinks about her even if he doesn't admit it to Tails and Amy. He can't imagine how much Tikal had to sacrifice to stop Chaos from destroying the rest of the world – her freedom, her old friends and family, her opportunity to enjoy life without watching her home turn into a war zone just so everyone else can enjoy those privileges. Not only does she remind him of someone he vaguely remembers in the past, but he also knew what it was like to be confined into stasis for a long period of time due to a tragedy, except she had to go through this ALOT longer. He wants to save her so badly. 😢

-Sonic’s most challenging yet rewarding battle after SA1 is Perfect Chaos. There's not a whole lot to be afraid of when he's basically an invincible Super Saiyan who can easily beat Eggbutt’s robots on a regular basis, but what makes Chaos a unique rival to Sonic before Shadow is the fact that not only is he literally a body of one of his weaknesses: Water, (The fact he is powerful enough to trap him in water and drown him if he can sure as heck doesn't help) but he initially viewed him as another one of those baddies of the week he'll simply kick the butt of as usual, but Tikal, the girl Sonic wanted to help out the most, showed him Chaos was actually that once kind, gentle monster from that historical incident she had to suffer to tame. It was pretty scary for Sonic to tame a literal water God with a whole flood around him, but boy it  was worth it! Now he can rest reassured that Tikal and the calmed down water creature found peace again and can start a new happier life. Now he just makes sure she gets the comfort and new friends and adventures she might need to heal from her trauma at any opportunity he gets.

-Sonic is one of the few modern friends of hers Tikal trusts the most to have a listening ear when she wants comfort when she feels down from her memories of her old life and family she lost so the pain and sorrow inside her wouldn't consume the qualities that made her lovable amongst her former people: Love, joy, kindness & hope. Ever since that day, Sonic was the light to her gloomy darkness. Thanks to him, Tikal doesn’t have to fridge herself or Chaos for another 5000+ years until another madman comes and uses Chaos as a weapon of destruction, she can now have a chance to live a more happier, peaceful life, make herself a new home, make new friends, have new adventures, have more freedom and even be a new hero alongside her light. Tikal is anointed as the new chieftain of her new friends one day much to her surprise and dismay because she now associates a chieftain with her father, who used his position of power to harm others. But Sonic and his other friends reassures her that she'll be a fine chieftain and use her position of power to do good instead of bad, to help those in need and advocate for peace and harmony.

-Even when away from each other, Sonic and Tikal still find ways to communicate with each other from long distances due to their interesting telepathy ability and their creative ways of communicating to the emeralds, particularly when they are relaxing at the end of the day and they don't have anything else to do or anyone else to talk to. Due to their connection to the emeralds’ energy, they can also feel each other's energy when touching each other and feeling a certain emotion. When one is stressed and another is calm and touches the stressed one, the calm, positive energy transmits into the stressed one, and they also calm down. Sonic (Even though he doesn't want to admit it due to him not normally being a physical touchy kind of person) and Tikal likes to hug and hold hands for a reason.

-Tikal didn't really get to explore the world outside of her home place in her life. So for their dates, Sonic takes her to explore a new fun adventure and try new things, whether it's beautiful scenery or a new cuisine. Tikal has a high spice tolerance and loves chili peppers, not only does she like chili dogs as much as Sonic does, maybe it's not spicy enough to her and she often tries to make it spicier by using spices and/or hot sauce. Both her and Sonic often have fun eating spicy food together and watching their less spice tolerant friends suffering. 😂 And they also like to hang out at beaches and the sunflower field of course. They also like to spend a quiet peaceful day together hanging out at a chao garden and parenting the chao as if they're their children. And although Sonic doesn’t want to swim for obvious reasons, he doesn’t mind joining in a pool where Tikal is swimming in long as he simply sits on a stair step where he can still feel a body of water on half of his body while knowing he can easily get out if he starts getting uncomfortable. He surprisingly finds pure peace and serenity when he just chills that way.

-Tikal also sometimes joins Sonic in defending small, helpless critters from Eggman. She despises that guy ever since he fueled her closest friend's anger and used him as a weapon of destruction. Just imagine how she would feel about him when she learns he also takes small, helpless, innocent critters and uses them as machine batteries and pollutes the environment around them. She would not kill him, but she will wreck his replaceable machine's good with her gymnastic warrior moves and her newfounded spiritual powers she can get creative with. Forming orbs with her hands? Fling them as bombs. Wanna create a spiritual border to trap Eggman to keep him from causing trouble? Call this girl. Summoning lightning? Causing stunning earthquakes with a slam of a palm?  Hydrokinesis? Shovel claw whenever Knuckles isn't using it? She got it. Mix that with Sonic’s speed, boosts, spindashes strong enough to create underground tunnels, his super form and whirlwind forming and you sure get one heck of a power couple that gives even Superman and Wonder Woman a run for their money. Whirlwind + Water = Waterspout

-It took a while for these two to decide to get married due to their own things to do and their own issues to work on. But when Tikal finally uses her position as the new chieftain to propose to Sonic with a golden ring, they come up with a very creative wedding ceremony idea that fits for both of their personalities. Both are a bit introverted, but also like to spend time with their friends and make them feel included in the happy memories, But they're also worried about how Amy would react to Sonic marrying someone who is not her. So for their wedding day, they hosted a “fancy party" and put on a dress and tuxedo respectively, but didn't make them look too obviously like wedding gowns. They had fun food and dancing as usual, but Sonic and Tikal sneaked their vows and the kiss the bride ritual when everyone else isn't looking and then he'll bridal-carry her and run into the night to their honeymoon. Their interactions after their marriage aren’t even that different from their normal interactions. Yes, there’s a few kisses and cuddles here and there (They prefer to kiss and cuddle in isolated areas where it's more intimate for them), but they mostly just keep doing what they’ve been doing.

Welp, that’s all I can think of without letting you wait for my answer for much longer. I hope you enjoy reading my headcanons. Cya next time!

[niyana-the-ambiguous-mobian]

Game Informer did an article on Sonic Superstars, which included explaining what each Emerald Power does, and I must say, it really draws unintentional parallels to Sonic Prime, both clear and subtle:

"Blue Emerald: Avatar - Clones of your character speed across the screen to defeat enemies" The Shatterverse as a whole, as there are alternate versions of most of the main cast, or "clones" if you will

"Green Emerald: Ivy - Vines grow up from where your character stands to help you reach new areas. You can even direct where they grow" Boscage Maze, for obvious reasons

"Cyan Emerald: Water - Flowing water becomes traversable as your character can even climb up waterfalls" No Place, again for obvious reasons

"Red Emerald: Bullet - Your character can shoot like a cannonball in any direction" New Yoke City, as there's a lot of shooting involved from both the Chaos Council and the Resistance

"Purple Emerald: Vision - You can see hidden objects and platforms in the level while this power is active" The Grim, as Nine is able to see the hidden potential of this Shatterspace

"Yellow Emerald: Slow - Everything around your character slows down temporarily" Ghost Hill, as time seems to be frozen all together rather than slowing down

"White Emerald: Extra - Your character gains a unique special attack (Sonic: Homing Attack, Tails: Tornado Spin, Knuckles: Punch, Amy: Hammer Throw)" This isn't directly related to Prime, but since Modern Sonic uses the Homing Attack, I think his friends' Modern selves should use these abilities in the future, and this doesn't even need to be said, but "Complete Collection: Super - Your character turns invincible and faster, with rings depleting over time"

It's also worth noting that the Emeralds with ties to specific Shatterspaces all have matching colors with their respective Gateways in the Void, while the Blue Emerald's connection could just be due to the blue guy being the one to shatter the Paradox Prism, and the explanation for the White Emerald's power may be that white is composed of every color of the light and can therefore fit a specific character's needs the most

It's pretty crazy that the emeralds individually have these abilities in this game but don't in the mainline games. It's too bad. It would add some game play elements whenever you gather a certain emerald. Frontiers could have been a good idea to test it out

[stachehand]

What mods i'd seek for my ideal Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (Angel Island Revisited) Experience

This is a list I compiled for no reason other than to dream of my future in gaming. It's the type of modifications i'd like to apply to Sonic 3 A.I.R. in the event I get a new, trustworthy PC for games and play it. It is as follows:

Slots Bonus Stage continue counter

Improved Marble Garden + Flying Battery

Individual Zone title icons

Triple Trouble 16-Bit effects

Improved sprites for Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Doctor Eggman, Super Sonic and the HUD elements

Eggrobo Goal Plate

Extra player character slots for Mighty, Ray, Amy and Metal Sonic

Hydrocity title card space

Music tweaks to Hidden Palace, Sky Sanctuary and Final Boss

Decanonized Super Emeralds (no Hyper)

Giant Rings in Sky Sanctuary and Death Egg

No Super cancellation during abilities

Better Act 2 music for Carnival Night, Ice Cap and Launch Base

S3&K-styled S1 and S2 boss music for Sky Sanctuary mini-bosses

Sms8Powa's fixes and tweaks + misc.

S3-accurate Drop Dash

Doctor Eggman flees after Big Arm boss

Launch Base to Mushroom Hill transition cutscene

Modern Chaos Emeralds

Knuckles, Big Arm and Gigantic Eggman Robo > Super Sonic

Marbel Garden Act 2 S3 layout fix for Knuckles

The Doomsday Zone palette tweak and Flying Eggman Robo health increase

Smooth Giant Rings

Destructible Flying Battery laser boss

Golden Shield + Blast Attack

Second Act saving

Mania Sonic Tornado sprite in intro scene

Special Stage results skip

Hydrocity Act 1 pool fix

Aerial curling and uncurled flight and gliding + Strike Dash

Eggrobo in best ending and Knuckles' good-bye with Super Sonic

S1 and S2 Egg Mobiles renewed in Sky Sanctuary

Marble Garden Act 2 at sunset, Ice Cap Act 2 at sunrise, Launch Base Act 1 at sunrise, Sandopolis Act 1 at sunset and Sky Sanctuary at night

Custom Tails intro

Power Sneakers damage barrier

Multidirectional air dash and custom Origins remix for Super Sonic

Sonic can reach Hidden Palace's secret area alone

Improved Ring physics

New water surfaces

Bubble Shield = no underwater filter

Smooth shield animations

Max lives tweaks

Final boss music on Knuckles' Big Arm

More animal friends

Access to unused hidden rooms

Dash frames only at high speeds for Tails

Character palettes change with Sandopolis Act 2 light

Blue Sphere Special Stages w/o speed increases (Easy)

Bubble Bounce cancellation

Egg Mobile seat fix

Character-specific Sonic CD 1-Up sounds

Sonic Generations Elemental Shield ability physics

Final and Prototype Zone music tracks picked by character

Competition Zone title cards

[sonicloredatabase]

It's Super SONIC

In Sonic the Hedgehog, the first game in the series and the 8-bit version, we get to see South Island, which was taken over by Eggman during the game... but what was it like before his takeover.

In the Japanese manual of the first game, South Island is described as a "treasure trove of gems and ancient ruins" (will return to). It's said to be the home of the dormant Chaos Emeralds, making them explicitly from there. It's also said that South Island moves, and that the Chaos Emeralds are hidden within "distortions" that are made on the island.

Green Hill Zone, known as Green Mountain Zone in Portuguese, is a vibrant landscape, where you'll find lush greenery with palm trees and water, with loops, cliffs, and tunnels to navigate. The only mysterious things here is really why there are loops in the landscape, however it's hard to say whether or not that's something that is natural on Sonic's world. The secondary odd thing is the totem poles and bridges. Despite some art depicting the totems with beaks, most art depicts them as just having faces, though some are depicted as having wings on the top.

In the Marble Zone, you'll journey through underground passages to reach a temple filled with lava and traps. Filled with sharp spikes, moving weights, and fireballs. Unlike Green Hill Zone, we see various blue stone pillars, and Greco-Roman architecture in the form of columns, hinting at some form of civilization having formerly lived there. The oddest part, however scrapped, was that in an early version of the game, the zone had ufos in the sky.

In Spring Yard Zone, you'll find a cityscape at sunset filled with oddly unique buildings. Sonic can bounce around like a pinball by jumping on springs and bumpers. This place is odd for a multitude of reasons. A modern city is on this island would only have to be made by Eggman or is an actively populated/abandoned city that was there. There is one small part of this, where in the early version of the game, where when the zone was known as Sparkling Zone, it was designed as a full city with no background mountains, making it more inudstrial.

In the Labyrinth Zone, Sonic must navigate through an underground maze filled with water. Like the totems poles in Green Hill, there are bricks that represent faces, these ones much more bird-like than the totems appear. There are also gargoyle-like fire blasters in these ruins that resemble some form of dragon/snake-like heads.

In the Star Light Zone, the Star Zone in Portuguese, Sonic dashes through a dazzling night sky, encountering elevators, gusts from electric fans, and seesaws along the way. Despite the cities, which I still don't think Eggman had enough time to build, this seems like the most Eggman-built zone. It's filled with the most amount of mechanical traps, which I believe points to Eggman. Though, we can infer the city has a volleyball team.

In the Scrap Brain Zone (fun fact called Danger Zone in Portuagese), Sonic infiltrates Dr. Eggman's secret base, encountering gears, saws, and automatic hammers. The floors are slippery, and there are dangerous traps everywhere. This is most definitely the most Eggman-made/effected zone. It is explitalty Eggman's base in the Japanese manual. There isn't much to say about it.

However, over in the 8-bit version of South Island, there are a few different zones than in the original game.

The first original zone is Bridge Zone, which is supposed to be on a bunch of tiny islands that sprinkle a large lake, with some bridges (some broken) across them.

Jungle Zone is supposed to be at the center of the island at the bottom of the mountain. Large trees, vines, exotic plants. It overall appears to be the least technological or developed zone. There are some vine bridges, but besides that, nothing to be seen.

The final zone is Sky Base Zone, and this is seen as Eggman's hideout, being a blimp that Sonic gets onto, filled with only tech and a smog background. This place is 100% Eggman.

With all of this information, a few things can be inferred and speculated about. We know there are parts of this land that is more basic, carvings in wood and stone. Underground ruins. There is also cities (however there is no reason there can't be just one big city) we see in multiple backgrounds from different angles. What theories and ideas can you come up with from all this? Let me know! So long!

[segasonic-mogai]

SONIGENDER 💙💫

a gender relating/connected to Sonic the Hedgehog

it can be connected to the games, shows, comics, or the franchise as a whole. this gender feels stronger when consuming Sonic media, or when thinking about it. it can also relate to one’s gender being affected by Sonic the Hedgehog being a comfort franchise. it can also be when one wishes to incorporate Sonic into their gender.

Stripe Color Meanings:

Blue- connection to “Modern” Sonic/games

Light Blue- connection to “Classic” Sonic/games

White- the franchise and cast as a whole

Yellow- rings/“Super Sonic”

Red- connection to speed

Dark Red- happiness or comfort associated with sonic

Alternate Flag

Stripe Color Meanings:

Blue- Sonic

White- Mobius/Mobians

Green- Chaos Emeralds

Light Blue- Sonic media/it’s consumption

Both Flags Without Sonic Icon

[mellow-elbow]

talk more about tikal in SA3!! i love her and im excited to see her have more concrete importance to stopping chaos! (im a bit fuzzy on the original plot but iirc, she was a magical background force that helped sonic stop chaos? correct me there if im wrong)

👀👀👀

Tikal is the daughter of Chief Pachacamac (I call him Patch for short) of the Knuckles Clan- an Echidna tribe that lived in the mystic ruins 4,000 years ago before they were mysteriously wiped out- the truth would later be uncovered in Sonic Adventure 1 that Tikal’s father took his role as Chief after his mother, the previous Chief, passed away and began his reign of terror. Tikal shows flashbacks to the heroes of Sonic Adventure 1 to give them an idea as to what happened to warn them of the future repeating itself.

If you go through all the flashbacks, there’s a lot of truly despicable stuff. One of the most important scenes/quotes that still sticks with me is this one:

[image ID: Chief Pachacamac, a red Echidna in tribal garb, is ignoring his daughter Tikal- a peach Echidna- as she begs him not to attack. The subtitles of Tikal are “Attacking other countries, stealing and killing....” end /ID]

Other countries. The Knuckles clan was traveling, pillaging, and desecrating. But what were they doing in other countries?

[image ID: the same scene as before, this time Tikal’s subtitles read “No one has the right to take their holy grounds.” end /ID]

Taking their holy grounds. To the Echidna’s, their holy ground is the Master Emerald shrine. My theory is that there are other Master Emerald shrines across the world, possibly one for each Chaos Emerald (this translates well seeing thag in Unleashed there are ‘Gaia’ temples that restore the emeralds, I believe they were originally meant to be shrines.) I believe Pachacamac was sending troops to steal valuable information and even the Chaos Emeralds themselves to gain power.

Part of what always made Tikal so interesting to me was her color scheme. She’s much lighter than any of the other Echidna’s we see and I wanted that to have some sort of significance. So, after MORE research, I ended up giving the Emeralds their own geological shrine for each of the continents introduced in Sonic Unleashed (the game that was made of scraps from the original Sonic Adventure 3 concepts). Angel Island in the United Federation became home to the shrine of the White Chaos Emerald- or the Unity Emerald, as it’s called in my notes.

White is the color of purity, innocence, harmony, and unity- which kind of fit with the continent being named the United Federation in modern day. The emerald was also titled this because of something Tikal says in Tails’ flashback:

[image ID: Tikal is reciting an ancient mantra in front of the main temple in the Mystic Ruins. The subtitles read as follows: “The servers are the seven Chaos.” “Chaos is power... Power enriched by the heart.” “The controller is the one that unifies that Chaos.” end /ID]

“The controller is the one that unifies that Chaos.” This mantra was passed down to Tikal in secret for whatever reason, as there’s no mention of Pachacamac knowing it. So why was it so important for Tikal to never forget it?

[image ID: concept art by mellow-elbow featuring Tikal in a super-form with a white aura striking a powerful pose with a look of determination. There is a bright light emanating from where her corneas should be. End /ID]

She was a Guardian.

In my Sonic Adventure 3 pitch, Guardians aren’t only limited to Echidna’s- there were once Guardians for each geological shrine. Where’d that idea come from? Well, you may have seen this image once or twice:

[image ID: the mural from the Knuckles boss fight at Hidden Palace Zone in Sonic 3 & Knuckles; the mural depicts a large entity in possession of a green emerald that may represent the Master Emerald. To the right of the mural is a blue figure surrounded by a yellow aura. There are 6 similar aura’s without figures behind the large entity. end /ID]

Everyone is always so focused on the blue figure surrounded by the yellow aura and scream and shout “Super Sonic! That’s Super Sonic!”... but everyone always seems to ignore the six other auras coming from behind the giant boss. To me, this mural depicts a spiky blue entity in a super form distracting the antagonist while 6 other super-formed individuals attack and defeat it.

My story goes that Pachacamac knew Tikal was a Guardian and wanted to use her powers to aid him in his warmongering ways. Before Pachacamac’s mother passed, she was hellbent on drilling peace and unity into Tikal to ensure it would never happen. Her efforts were fruitless, however, as Pachacamac began his reign of terror without Tikal and still succeeded.

When the time had come and he was ready to take the powers of the Chaos Emeralds for himself, Tikal stood in his way and begged him to leave the place be. Her cries fell on deaf ears, as Pachacamac ordered his men to stampede through Tikal and a herd of Chao- upsetting Chaos who used the negative energy to become Perfect Chaos and decimate a good portion of the Knuckles clan.

We don’t see exactly how Tikal stopped Chaos, we just know that she somehow sealed her spirit inside the master emerald with them. I wanted to introduce the powers of the Unity Emerald in SA3 and how she stopped Chaos, as it would be important info that would help the new Guardians defeat the main antagonist.

Tikal’s spirit would make a return in SA3 where she would help locate the new Guardian of Unity and teach the new Guardians how to defeat their enemy by showing how she defeated Chaos.

Anyways SEGA please hire me to make Sonic Adventure 3 😔🤲🏻💙

[syotoyakurutoki]

So, after around 3 months of drawing, colouring and shading, it's finally done!

Happy 30th to our adorable, cool, and all around loveable, blue blur~! <3

For this picture, I wanted to combine as many of Sonic's variants/ as possible. Even though I haven't drawn EVERY type, I made sure to add objects/props which are related to a particular game and/or version of Sonic.

From bottom left to right;

- Super Sonic - Chaos Emeralds - Werehog - Modern Sonic (with Riders shoes and goggles and Chip's Bracelet from Unleashed) - Classic Sonic - SA2 Soap Shoes - Caliburn from SATBK - Rings - Chili dogs - Sonic 1 - Speed Up Item Box - Sonic OVA - Sonic CD - Sonic's guitar from Sonic Underground - SatAM - Mania Adventures Sonic - Neutral Chao - Sun/Moon Medals from Unleashed - Lamp from SATSR

Middle;

- Excalibur Sonic from SATBK - Neutral Chao Egg (SA1 and SA2) - Darkspine Sonic from SATSR - Boom Sonic - Sonic Overdrive Sonic

Top;

- Wisp from Sonic Colours - Dark Sonic - Adventure styled Sonic - Light Speed Dash Bracelet (SA1) - Movie Sonic - Bag of Rings - Sonic's backpack (from the movie) - The Seven World Rings - Hyper Sonic

All Sonics (c) SEGA

[biolizardboils]

my super-specific Sonic Adventure 1&2 remake wishlist!

welcome back to another episode of me blasting out Sonic drafts I was too scared to post years ago! rev up those light speed shoes cus this is gonna be a long one!

first off shit I’d want in general

retranslated dialogue thats truer to the Japanese originals' tone and keeps the intended subtext

but with the most iconic English lines left in ("Get a load of THIS", "I'll slam dunk it in there"). The Faker scene can stay unchanged, interruption and all

small additions to cutscenes to help explain Little Things people have debated for decades (like whether G.U.N. framed Sonic to cover up Shadow's existence or if that’s just a legitimate plot hole)

all the MIDI cutscene songs redone with real instruments and/or an orchestra! all the other songs are already perfect and Should Not Be Touched

make the Emerald radar beep in time to the level music so it’s less annoying

okay, time for a spicy one: voice acting. hoo boy

Getting the entire original cast probably isn’t possible (for studio and contract reasons, not just Tails’s growing up and Eggman’s dying), and I feel the series’ current cast is just so different in tone and direction that they’d clash with the Adventure era. (will make an exception for Mike Pollock tho, he’s said some iconic Adventure lines already and I loved his take on them!)

So my preference? A compromise: a separate voice cast comprised of whichever OG’s are still game and soundalikes for the rest, complete with an actual kid as Tails. Too good to be true? Probably, but whatever it’s my wishlist

lighting and other subtle effects based on the Dreamcast originals (long story short a lot of these got broken from the GameCube ports onward, there’s video comparisons)

textures remade from scratch cus as much as i love that they used their field trip photos, it probably wouldnt fly today lol

new character models based on Adventure-era promotional artwork! after these games, the characters' proportions shifted over time, giving the impression that they've grown up a little since. it's a very subtle difference, but its enough that just using the now-standard Modern Sonic models would look kinda off

said models shouldn't change between games. like if youre playing SA1 and switch to SA2, the only thing that should change about Sonic is his shoes (before upgrades of course)

speaking of upgrades, an option to remove them visually would be nice, they can get kinda distracting during cutscenes

Unleashed-style redesigns of all the humans!! my heart yearns for it!!!

an option to turn off the Ball of Light/Omochao

the SA2B multiplayer mode but with the SA1-exclusive characters added maybe?

every DLC thing ever reinstated! the extra Kart Races and special Chao as unlockables, maybe the holiday stuff can show up at wintertime NiGHTS style? the Nike one might not be possible tho

Super Sonic/Shadow in normal levels as an unlockable like the Lord intended

Very Important: the game must be revealed with Eggman “hacking” the screens at a public Sega presentation, followed by a trailer that starts with this scene in modern CGI. It’s the hypest way I can think of to do it, and also people could slap A Certain Meme onto it as soon as humanly possible

absolute balls-off-the-walls ad campaign that targets the following demographics: 20-smthns who grew up with a Dreamcast/GameCube, ska enthusiasts, & the entire state of California. more on that here

SA1

fix Big’s fishing. idk how, i haven’t played enough fishing games to know what constitutes a good one, but there’s gotta be something they can do

replace the A-B-C level goals with the 5-missions-each system from SA2 cus it allows for more variety

use the ranking system from SA2 too cus it got used in every game made since anyway

use Generations’s Perfect Chaos design since that’s how he was meant to look in the first place

maybe go the extra mile and add hints of the dark blue armor to his earlier forms too?

finish the unused Sky Chase Dragon and make it a bonus boss maybe??

have Tails look away if Sonic uses the shower in Casinopolis, I know it’s a tiny thing but it always bothered me

make the CD flashback actually look more like CD cus i had no clue that's what it was when i first played it lmao

also make Tails' flashback to when he met Sonic more obviously set in Sonic 2, like Emerald Hill or smthn. this cutscene means a lot to me but its so obvious they just used Mystic Ruins as the bg hfbfv

just. make it more obvious that the Classic games happened? cus that's kinda important to understanding these ones

just generally do better visual storytelling now that the original game's limited animation engine isn't an issue lol

SA2

nerf the Artificial Chaos pretty fcking please

an option to turn off certain upgrades functionally as well as visually? ngl this is for the Magic Hands. to the one person who actually uses them: i’m so sorry but they’re just not popular

either replace the beeping noise Tails/Eggman’s mech makes while targeting with something more subtle or just remove it altogether

get rid of that stream that can sweep you away in the Biolizard fight, like good god it’s hard enough without it

remove that... unfortunate hand motion Sonic and Shadow make when they go Super. you know the one

make an achievement/trophy for waiting till the last minute to beat Finalhazard, so more people can hear that one Shadow line. like that shit should be required reading but i didn't know about it for a criminally long time

this as an unlockable, it’s truly criminal that it never left Japan

redo the Green Hill remix so it actually fits the rest of the game lmfao? something like this

Chao stuff gets its own segment because of course it does

all six Chao Gardens connected by a single Chao World lobby that's accessible from both games!

new unique themes for the SA1 gardens? there’s nothing wrong with the original, but it’d be weird if they all shared a song and the SA2 ones didn’t. the old one can go to the Station Square one

add the Chao Key to the SA1 levels for quicker access like in SA2

new behaviors for Chao to learn, new hats and accessories, new toys, new race courses, maybe new breeds?? new Chao stuff in general!!

make it so animals don’t walk into the garden entrances!! you don't know true pain if you've never tried picking one up, accidentally left the garden, went back in, and the animal was gone

swap out SA1′s racing mechanics with SA2′s. keep the “alternate paths based on stats” thing tho

imagine if you will.... an 8-player online Chao race. imagine the chaos (pun completely intended)

a brand new minigame to join the legendary likes of Racing and Karate! personally id love one based on Chao In Space. like your Chao has to beat the others in a dogfight and its stats determine its ship's stats and weapons

an optional mobile app that combines the VMU’s Chao Adventures and the GBA’s Tiny Chao Garden! maybe with some extra Pokemon Go-ish features??

that’s all i got.... Good God i love these two games. of course they’re not spotless, i just made a long list of issues i have with them. but they’re still important cornerstones of the series in many ways, and it’d be nice to see them remade so people can remember why :’)

months-later edit: added more ideas

[welcome-to-green-hills]

I have a headcanon that all the four Sonics glow, (not in super form) but no more than Modern and Movie. I came up with the idea that Modern glows because I feel like he does in certain games like when in Sonic Colors and is escaping the cannon. It's a natural glow for him since he was born with it, but it also may be because of the emeralds who knows. Movie glows because of his powers. Both can appear very ethereal but can dim their glow. Tom teases Movie about being one of those Tolkien elves.

You mean that each Sonic emits an “aura” like light from their bodies?

I can see that happening.

Wasn’t that seen in Sonic the Hedgehog 2006 once when you’ve received the “Light Speed Dash” power-up or something? It’s been a bit since I’ve played Sonic Unleashed, but I think that the werehog did on occasion also.

I’m a bit surprised that Sonic “Wachowski” the Hedgehog hasn’t displayed a bit of those characteristics with his Chaos-like powers. I would have thought that he’d emit some form of cyan/blue aura from him when he isn’t upset and/or anxious. That would have been an interesting concept to see.

[crystalnet]

Sonic Forces is Good

Sonic doesn't really slot into any of the semi-nebulous interests that this blog has previously covered but I just had to make an exception because I have thoughts on the blue blur's new game, especially in light of everyone going crazy for Mario Odyssey and the fact almost all professional reviewers as well as various critics on youtube have been basically taking a wrecking-ball to this game. Sonic fans themselves are left mostly enjoying the game (if the subreddit is any indication) and kind of sheepishly acknowledging the pretty low metacritic scores with a bit of a shrug--a pose any true Sonic fan has gotten used to taking in the past decade. I want to talk just very briefly about the problem with Sonic in 2017 and anytime past the year 1998 really and why perception of his non-side-scrolling games seem critically flawed and misguided...

First of all, 3D Sonic has basically always been a mess. Now I should mention before getting deep into this, Forces is my first Sonic game since Sonic Heroes and Sonic Advance 2, the former of which wasn't even as fun as the flawed SA2 and the latter of which should be considered Sonic 5 (or 6 if you count Sonic CD) for all I care, in that it is an excellent expansion of OG Sonic style (shit like grinding on rails, updated Sprites and even Amy as a playable character were great additions). Those two games though are indicative of the whole series: the 3D ones are always problematic while the 2D ones don't seem particularly hard to make well. 

I think there is a big range of how fans and critics view the series, but it seems as if the 3D games are either held to the standard of Adventure 1 and 2, which were always pretty flawed games, or else held to some non-existent and unattainable standard. But we should be clear: Sonic never had his Super Mario 64. Adventure 1 comes close, and that game does a lot very well, but it introduces a lot of things which would plague the 3D games forever. I'm mostly talking about the fact A1 and A2 are want to have all these additional playable characters besides Sonic and yet, Sonic (or Shadow) levels are always clearly where the best level design and most fun is to be had. 

Why force characters like Big the Cat or E-102 Gamma down our throat, when almost all the Sonic levels are amazing compared to levels where you shoot at things or hunt for emeralds. Like extra characters are kind of intrinsically fun when your a kid, but it always felt a bit like padding to me to play the Tails/Eggman and Knuckles/Rogue levels in SA2. So the gold standard for the 3D games becomes about 1/3rd of the content in the first two games?

What I'm trying to say is that Sonic Team never knew exactly what they were trying to achieve with these games it seems. It's like they continued the tradition of Sonic 2 and 3 with Tails and then Knuckles being added by eventually just adding a shit ton of characters to every game, effectively diluting the experience. I'm not even a big fan of Mario 64, but clearly that game is critically lauded, whereas the Blue Blur just couldn't seem to make that same transition. Heroes is literally all about adding characters, along with bright, colorful presentation which barely masked the weakened level-design. Then beyond the critical face-plant that is Sonic ‘06, Sonic Team's goals with these games seem even more unclear than ever and the warm embrace of 90s Sonic seems further away then ever before during the past decade or so.

You have a couple of weird "story book"-style spin offs on the Wii like the Black Knight and Secret Rings which really push the boundaries of what a Sonic game can be (seemingly to mostly bad reviews), Sonic Unleashed, which is literally split between somewhat traditional 3D gameplay and the kind of totally different style of gameplay a la non-Sonic levels in the Adventure titles (werehog Sonic...) and then a few games that seem to be headed in a more stable direction: Sonic, Sonic Colors, Sonic Generations and to a slightly lesser degree, Sonic Lost World . 

Like I said,  I haven't played any of these since Heroes, but I've been reading up and looking at all of Somecallmejohnny's videos on youtube to get a sense of how people feel about these, and these last 3 seem to be on the up-and-up in terms of critical reaction from both critics and fans. But Generations was in 2011 and since then it's been mostly an onslaught of Sonic Boom games and I'll do us all a favor and gloss over those completely. While Lost World tweaks things a bit with a run-button, Colors and Generations built on the more traditional half of Unleashed and heavily featured the boost mechanic which lends itself to a new kind of level design which is considerably different than that of Adventure 1 and 2.

I guess the long-winded point that I'm trying to make is that Sonic Team has basically been having an identity crisis since 1998. Not a single one of these stands as a true precedent for the series in that the best of their lot--Generations-- is still one of those meta, self-aware entries since it combines modern and classic sonic, quite literally. I do really wanna play those last 3 I mentioned because they seem like they are on the right path, but I'm sure for every fan, there is still a disappointed nay-sayer. 

This leads me to my final point though, and that is that Forces, for me personally, is a pretty damn good idea of what 3D Sonic is. I think people were putting a lot of pressure on it since it's been a while since a true 3D entry that wasn't a Boom spin-off, but also because of Manias success. Mania from earlier this year was really great, but it's great in a mostly regressive way.  Yes, the four new levels are fantastic and Christian Whitehead did a awesome job of capturing the "magic" of the first 3 games while refining things like the controls and amount of sprite-frames and adding some cool extras as well as those dope Chaos emerald bonus zones, but the success it had is based off of design-principles from nearly 25 years ago. 

I can't complain at all, because it's a really fun game and a great way to revisit classic vibes and levels, but I hope it's the beginning of a sea-change for Sonic Team's approach and not just a blip. Mania 2 for instance could revisit/remix the underrated Advance trilogy, or Sega could grow some balls and let Whitehead and other fan-developers like him step up to the plate and either design a full fresh side-scrolling entry OR something like oh I don't know Sonic Adventure 3?

Either way, the game generated a lot of hype which Sega capitalized on by dropping Forces a few months later. And me and like half of hard-core fans are pretty happy with the game and that's about it. Same old story since SA2: new 3D game comes out, gets mediocre reviews, half the fans are on-board while the other seem even more disappointed than professional critics. Everyone seems to have a clear idea of what Sega should be doing with their 3D games, but no one can really agree. 

Well I for one think Forces is on the right track. It's not perfect, but it's not really trying to be the next big game (they make that clear every single time they release a 3D title that isn't SA3). It's only 40 USD which I think denotes that it's to played in-tandem with Mania, so you got your classic Sonic on one hand, and your new-fangled and always-problematic-to-somebody 3D Sonic on the other. Also it's worth noting that I play this on the Switch. I think the Switch magically makes any game better for being played on it, and yeah I can't really imagine playing this on PS4. The option of portability makes any game better IMO, and Switch just adds this x-factor to any game right now, I can't totally explain it (will write another post all about it).

The game hold ups though, and beyond the novel trifling that is the character-designer/OC, the level-design is better in my opinion than most are letting on. I'm not sure yet if anything comes close to my personal gold-standard for 3D Sonic levels (Radical Highway and City Escape) but the sense of speed is often phenomenal, but I don't think there is any more of those moments where you are forfeiting control than there has always been since even the Genesis games, which is something I've seen some critics complain about. I admit I was slightly taken back by the locked camera, and often-times narrow corridor-esque levels, but once I got the hang of it, I realized that this is a more faithful translation of classic Sonic into 3D than the more free-roaming styled levels of Adventure games. 

People seem to get mad when there's too much precise platforming in Sonic (Marble Ruins..) just as some assail it for feeling like an auto-scroller at other times. It's like fans approach the series with the same confused priorities that Sonic Team themselves have sometimes displayed. I like the generally arcade-y feel of the levels though and re-visiting them for the purposes of refining my runs/time is enticing in the way it was back in the Sonic/Shadow levels in SA2.

Sonic is a weird, platypus of a genre unto himself: Neither pure platforming, racing or trick-based sports game a la Tony Hawk/SSX, he is all of these things and none of them at the same time. And I think these levels capture that excellently. What he isn't are slow and awkward Emerald-hunting levels or shoot-em-ups, but Sonic Teams seems to always shoot for more diversity in game-play than just Sonic levels would allow for, and that's where the Avatar levels come in, retaining the style and speed of the Sonic levels, while also expanding it slightly with Ratchet and Clank-style gun-play that seems to stand-in for awkward shit like the Eggman/Tails levels in SA2. And yeah this does mix it up nicely. 

Something else I've been seeing is that it's too easy and the levels are too short, and I just hope people are playing this on Hard mode (the requisite for hard mode is simply if you have played Sonic before according to the game itself). Other criticisms I've seen simply don't resonate, like people complaining about the controls of the Sonic levels, which just did not stand-out to me as being something I noticed. I like the variety of 2D and 3D, and think it strikes a good balance. 

So yeah, I basically just wanted to write this big ass post to explain why I think it's good and why other people should STFU, basically. Sonic isn't Mario, and never had been. His games are not explicitly all-ages, timeless crowd-pleasers. His games have always been faux-edgy, psuedo-platforming/racing hybrids that click hard with some and leave others cold. They are also explicitly for kids in a way that Mario games aren't, and it's a kind of complicated point but I think professional critics should take into account this shit was never designed for a 30 year-old to enjoy. That's literally why Mania exists. A 10 year old now-a-days might enjoy Mania, but a lot of that game nearly amounts to being a joke that someone born after 1999 couldn't really get. 

So, basically I'm all for trying new things, perfecting a formula that never quite existed and honing in on the good parts of some of the first Sonic games, and I think that's what Forces does. Also the story is sick. Some Sonic fans actually get caught up on the story which is insane to me because its like following the plot of a Tom and Jerry cartoon, but this shit hit some fan-service high-points for me (great cast of characters that mostly glazes newer shit and honors OG Adventure 1 and 2 shit, a slightly "darker" tone, Classic Sonic seeming chill af compared to real Sonic, and cameos from old-school bad guys, for instance). So that shouldn't be a factor in your review if your over the age of 9, is what I'm saying, but I actually dig it despite that. 

Yes, it could be improved upon, but I think it’s an excellent starting point for the developers to build on, so hey why not add Whitehead to this team, as well as few of the level-designers from the other Boost games (Colors, Generations, Lost World), refine the controls and level design a bit and BAM, you got yourself a worthy candidate for the true, long-awaited Sonic Adventure 3 that all true fans have been waiting for forever (even though the Adventure games weren't perfect to begin with so this is a wish that contradicts my other points but still). What I think I'm saying, is if this is what they can do in a $40 title with a relatively small dev-team from what I've read, then what can they do when they go all in? Or are they too scared? Well these reviews might scare them off from even trying again and that's what I'm worried about, but Sega needs to grow some balls, and go all-in for the next release and lay-off the Pachinko-onslaught, or at least funnel some of that Pachinko-gold into developing the next game. Like I said, Sonic isn't Mario, and he doesn't need to be, or need to have games like the big cross-generational 3D Mario games that come out every 5-8 years or so. But you know he could if he wanted to, and I think Forces shows a pretty good way forward. Until then, try opening your heart to the Blue Blur if it's been a while-- who knows, you might just be surprised. Smell ya later, dreamerz~

[sonic-not-sonic]

Hot Take: What if Blaze's dimension, as it exists in Rush and Rush Adventure, is actually the future of Classic Sonic's timeline?  

Hear me out.  

Eggman Nega is introduced in Sonic Rush and Rush Adventure as a dimensional *counterpart* of Modern Sonic's Eggman, with Blaze chasing after him, but in Sonic Rivals and Rivals 2, he's introduced as a *descendant* of Eggman, with Silver chasing after him. I believe that both of these things are true, in a sense- that the Nega of Rush and Rush Adventure is not a dimensional counterpart of Eggman's, but rather, is a counterpart of the Nega from Rivals and Rivals 2. Thus, there are two versions of Eggman Nega, and thus, the conflicting information of their introductions is no longer conflicting. 

So, given that Nega has been established to be a descendant of Eggman, and Blaze regularly faces off against the Eggman Nega of her own world, it stands to reason that she exists in a future time period as well. Supporting this is the fact that Silver is always from the future himself, and as he chases after Eggman Nega in Rivals and Rivals 2, it makes sense that the Nega and Blaze of Blaze's dimension are also from the future. "But wait," you say, "how does this mean that Blaze and her Nega are from Classic Sonic's future specifically, and not just from another branching timeline from some other moment?" I'm glad you asked! 

Take a look at the Chaos Emeralds from some of the earliest Sonic games- from Sonic 1, Sonic 2, various Game Gear titles, etc- and even those from Sonic Mania. You'll notice that they're all *emerald cut*- and you know what other emeralds are emerald cut? That's right, the Sol Emeralds! 

As we've established earlier, Classic Sonic's timeline diverged from Modern Sonic's due to the Time Eater of Sonic Generations, and this timeline divergence resulted in Classic Sonic's timeline being called an alternate dimension in Sonic Forces, due to the significant differences that it now possesses from Modern Sonic's timeline. At some point between Sonic 3 & Knuckles and Sonic Adventure, the Chaos Emeralds shifted to their Modern diamond cut, but given the divergence between the Modern and Classic timelines, it's entirely possible that the Classic Chaos Emeralds retained their emerald cut shape, rather than changing. There could be any number of reasons why the Chaos Emeralds either changed their shapes or didn't, but no in-game explanations are given (that I'm aware of), therefore the sky is the limit! So, the Classic Chaos Emeralds remain in their emerald cut, and the Modern Chaos Emeralds are differentiated via their diamond cut. 

Now that we've established that, you might be wondering why the Sol Emeralds are called Sol Emeralds instead of Chaos Emeralds, if they are indeed just the Classic Chaos Emeralds from the future. My explanation for that is simple- it's because they're from the *future*. Roughly two centuries (as determined by the time difference between Eggman and Eggman Nega in the Modern timeline, thus being translated to the Classic timeline) is a very long time to pass, and Classic Sonic would be hella dead by this time. The Chaos Emeralds would have fallen into the obscurity of legend once more, their names forgotten, save for faint whispers from the heroes' descendants. When Blaze first encounters them in the future, she has no reason to know what they're actually called, and therefore she (or her parents, if she was introduced to them while young) could have ended up calling them the Sol Emeralds. Sol, after the sun, after the light they emit and how they interact with her pyrokinesis, how they turn her into *Burning Blaze* when utilized together. Being the hero of her time, and a princess to boot, what she calls these Emeralds is what will catch on amongst the people. Thus, a possible explanation for the name difference is posed to you, and you are welcome. 

So, the Sol Emeralds and the Chaos Emeralds are one and the same, albeit with different appearances in their different timelines. "Hold the fuck up," you yell, pointing to the Tikal flashbacks from Sonic Adventure that show the Chaos Emeralds being diamond cut so many centuries in the past. "This theory is bullshit! Even if the timelines diverged and created new 'dimensions' due to Sonic Generations as you've said, how do you explain the fact that the Chaos Emeralds are diamond cut in the past!? The Sol Emeralds *can't* have come from the Chaos Emeralds after this time, because they are emerald cut, and the Chaos Emeralds were diamond cut back then! They're even diamond cut in Sonic 3 & Knuckles, in the Blue Sphere Special Stages and as the Super Emeralds, and the timeline divergence couldn't have been between Sonic 2 and S3&K because those two games occur one right after the other! You're an ignorant hack, missing information like this, shut up and go sit in the conspiracy theorist corner of shame!" 

To this very valid point, I respond simply; how do *you* explain the fact that the Chaos Emeralds are emerald cut in the first so many Sonic games, occurring so long after Tikal's time? Hmm? I have a possible explanation for this! You see, the Chaos Emeralds had fallen into myth and legend by the start of the first Sonic game, and therefore it's assumed that they haven't been used for an incredibly long time. During this period of disuse, they may have fallen 'dormant', so to speak, thus resulting in their shape returning to the emerald cut we know from that time period. Whether Chaos Emeralds or Sol Emeralds, they are always called *Emeralds*, and this is very likely because their base shapes are those of the emerald cut. Perhaps being actively utilized by Sonic and the ancient Echidnas is what results in their shape changing to the diamond cut seen during Tikal's flashbacks and Modern Sonic's timeline! I have a possible explanation, one that makes sense given the information that is available, now where is *yours*? 

Ladies and gentlemen and those who are neither, there is but one more thing to consider... Sonic '06. Despite the events of this game never technically having occurred due to timeline cancellation, the game itself is acknowledged as canon, and therefore it must be given some fair amount of thought. What's important to remember though, is that the events of Sonic '06 are part of a closed timeline that technically never existed. They are not part of a *separate* timeline, unlike how Classic Sonic's future is made a separate timeline/dimension due to the Time Eater of Sonic Generations. The events of Sonic '06 are localized, and erased from existence, and so are the *circumstances* of those involved, but the people themselves are not. 

The important details to gather and establish here are that A) Silver is from roughly two centuries in the future of Modern Sonic, B) Silver being from this time translates to the Silver of Rivals and Rivals 2 also being from this time, thus translating to the Eggman Nega of Modern Sonic's Rivals and Rivals 2 being from this time as well, and C) Eggman Nega of Modern Sonic's future translates to the Eggman Nega of Blaze's dimension also being from roughly two centuries in the future. The Silver of Sonic '06 and the Silver of Sonic Rivals and Rivals 2 are technically the same person because they are results of the same Modern Sonic's timeline, and this is why Silver is hinted to remember the events of '06 after spending some time with Blaze, along with the other participants who also remember. 

Now, this leaves the question of why is Blaze with Silver in Modern Sonic's future? Well, amongst the events of Sonic Rush and Sonic Rush Adventure, Blaze and Sonic come to the conclusion that the Chaos and Sol Emeralds are drawn to each other, and that they want Blaze and Sonic to win when doing so. Given the absolute clusterfuck that is Silver's time, is it really unreasonable to say that the Chaos and Sol Emeralds would draw her to that time period, so that she could assist him and restore balance to the Modern timeline? When she absorbs the god and is sent to 'another dimension', she is very likely just returning to her own dimension. Alternatively, this Blaze could be a completely different Blaze from the one from Rush and Rush Adventure. After all, given that there are two Eggman Negas, why could there not be two Blazes? 

So, that's the confusion of Sonic '06 and its place in the timeline(s) resolved. The events within '06 are not of a separate timeline, whilst the events of Blaze and Classic Sonic's dimension(s) are. Whether Rush, Rush Adventure, Rivals, and Rivals 2 occurred before or after '06 doesn't matter, because the events of these games all occur in a manner that- with just a few parts of this theory- does not result in conflict with one another. I digressed a bit there, but it was important to establish these things. 

Now, if there are any issues you see with this theory, or if you have any canon information that could debunk it, please feel free to share a rebuttal! I'm still relatively new to the precise lore and history of the Sonic franchise, and there's a lot I still need to learn! Tell me what I've gotten wrong, so my future theories can be better than this one! :D