One Week Later: Reactions to Sonic Central’s Announcements

So, as I wrote here semi-recently, today marks the 20th wedding anniversary for my wife and I. Seems we’ve managed to coordinate well with other things as well, such as our wedding day also becoming known as “Rockman Day” in years to come, and this year marks the 20th anniversary of Xbox as well! All special things to me.

As for SEGA, as luck (or fate?) would have it, they’ve picked this day to release Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis, and as this year happens to mark the 20th anniversary of Phantasy Star Online in North America, we’re celebrating both occasions with a livestream of the game tomorrow on our Twitch channel:

With that out of the way, we’re brought back around to Sonic the Hedgehog. As noted in the article above, our anniversaries coincide, and to that end, SEGA held a special event called “Sonic Central” on their YouTube channel about a week ago:

Due to other obligations, I didn’t have time to say anything in-depth about the announcements, but that’s not really the case right now. So here’s my slightly-late reaction to everything that came up during the stream!

Sonic Symphony

Say what you will about the Sonic games. Maybe some don’t play as well as others. Maybe some have cheesy stories. But one area in which they always seem to excel is in their soundtracks. One could even argue that even the most disliked games in the franchise are salvaged somewhat by their soundtracks.

I’ve been to a few symphonies over the years, from Video Games Live to The Legend of Zelda to Ghostbusters, and I’ve enjoyed them all. So a Sonic symphony sounds nothing short of fantastic.

Also, free? The price isn’t just right, that’s a downright bargain.

Sonic (But Not Mario) at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games

While not as cartoony as the Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games series, SEGA’s Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 – The Official Video Game has its own over-the-top style that reminds me a bit of NBA Jam and its ilk, and I hope I get to experience it. Seeing Sonic there, not as a simple video game character, but a mascot costume, only sweetens the deal.

Move Over, Dr. Mario — Sonic’s in Charge of This Medical Facility

I don’t have Two Point Hospital, but being able to deck the place out with Sonic statues, arcade games, and dress the staff up as various characters definitely makes it a more attractive option to me. And it is on Xbox Series X|S, so maybe…

Sonic the Fighters in Lost Judgment

Among other classic SEGA arcade games that will be in Lost Judgment will be Sonic the Fighters. This is a cool addition, particularly for anyone who doesn’t have it already. Me? I have the Xbox Live Arcade version, so I’m pretty well covered.

I do love almost anything Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio puts out, though, but I’ve got a serious backlog of their games I haven’t even touched yet, the first Judgment included. But whenever I can get around to this, you can bet I’ll be dropping a few yen into this virtual coin-op.

Oh, and they promise more cameos are still to come throughout the year. I can’t wait!

Sonic Colors for Everyone!

The beans spilled about this ahead of time, but seeing the confirmation is still cool: Sonic Colors is going multiplatform with Sonic Colors Ultimate.

There’s been a strange division among fans regarding the game that’s grown over the years since it was released back in 2010, but I still love it, especially the aesthetic. Neon, night skies, and space? I am so there… again. I got it back on the Wii and never quite finished it, but I look forward to giving it another go when this release hits.

As much as I’m looking forward to this, I do have two beefs with it:

1) Would have been nice if the Nintendo DS version was included with it. I never got to play that one, and having it here would have been really nice. I wouldn’t expect it, but… well, I consider that a minor quibble in the grand scheme of things.

2) What really disappoints me is that, as a fan and collector of SEGA and Sonic stuff, all the cool bonuses are in the Digital Deluxe Edition. I want to own a physical copy, but in doing so, I feel like I’m being punished for it, because then I miss out on:

• Early Access (Okay, this makes sense for digital, no beef here… even though I’m pretty sure other companies have managed with physical pre-orders of their games)
• Exclusive Music – See above for how highly I think of Sonic music
• Gold & Silver Wearables – Neat.
• Exclusive Player Icons – I have no idea what these do. These for our account profiles on our systems, or something else? They all seem to be based on the movie, though.
• Sonic Movie Boost – Okay, I loved the Sonic the Hedgehog movie — saw it on Day 0 in theaters, and pre-ordered the Blu-ray/DVD/Digital combo pack with bonus comic (you can see my review of that here, where I lovingly placed it alongside my Super Mario Bros. DVD and Street Fighter Blu-ray). This is a bonus I would love to have.

Meanwhile, if I go physical, I get… what appears to be Baby Sonic overstock from the early movie design that had to be changed. A neat curio, but… I dunno, I think I would rather have the music and the Movie Sonic boost?

As it stands, the plan is to go Digital Deluxe, then see if I can grab a physical copy on deep discount or used, I guess? It’s not a satisfying way to do business here, I’ll tell you that much.

Roger’s Back! And He’s Bringing TOONS!

Following the sad departure of Roger Craig Smith from the franchise after spending more than a decade voicing its titular character (longer than anyone in the role to date), I and other fans wondered who would be next to voice the Blue Blur? And when would we find out?

The answer to the second question is “now” (the day before, technically), and the answer to the first is… Roger Craig Smith!

What happened? Who knows? Who cares? Roger’s back, baby!

Not only that, but he’s voicing Sonic (as he does) in a new animation, a prequel to Sonic Colors Ultimate titled Sonic Colors: Rise of the Wisps. The first episode is coming this summer, and it looks really slick.

Another Sonic Collection? Wait… Another Sonic Collection!

This one seems to be getting some mixed, but generally positive reactions online. Another Sonic collection? (That is, if we include stuff like the SEGA Genesis Classics collection into account as well.) And it only has five games?

But wait, there’s more here than meets the eye.

For starters, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic & Knuckles (and hopefully their combined form, Sonic 3 & Knuckles) are included in the pack. SEGA hasn’t re-released these anywhere for anything in a long time, not since they came to Steam in 2011.

But wait, there’s more!

Also included with Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic the Hedgehog 3, and Sonic & Knuckles is Sonic the Hedgehog CD (or Sonic CD for short), a relative rarity among re-releases.

But wait, there’s more!

The footage shown of Sonic, Sonic 2, and Sonic CD is in widescreen! Could this mean we’re finally getting the mobile-only Taxman and Stealth ports of these games, which I and others consider the definitive versions (sorry, M2) on consoles at long last?! Granted, the first of these, Sonic CD, was available on consoles and Steam, but not for Nintendo’s platform at the time, so it would mark a debut there.

BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE!!!

While the footage didn’t show it as such, the Sonic Social Media Manager confirmed that Sonic 3 (and hopefully Sonic & Knuckles by proxy) will also be in widescreen! Could this mark the debut of a Taxman & Stealth version of one of my favorite Sonic, if not favorite games ever? Oh man, I sure hope so!

Sure, it would be nice if there were some Master System/Game Gear games, or Knuckles’ Chaotix in the package, but as it stands, if the above all turns out to be true, then this is more than enough for me. I’ll be keeping a close eye on this one with my fingers crossed about this “added content and features” they spoke of, you can bet on that!

Sonic on Amazon Luna and PlayStation Now

Cool.

…

…what? I don’t really use either. But it’s not just about me, so being available to more people is cool.

Lotsa Sonic Mobile Stuff

I’ll keep most of this brief:

• Pirate Sonic and Captain Shadow in Sonic Dash – Cool, but I already had both of these guys by the time this aired.
• Super Sonic in Sonic Forces – Wait, is this a power-up for Sonic, or a different character? Neat either way, even if I primarily use Lunar Blaze.
• Battle friends in private races in Sonic Forces – Sounds neat, but I don’t know if I have any friends who play the game. And a shame it’s for a limited time, as something like this might have convinced some of them to go in on it.
• Sonic the Werehog in Sonic Forces this October – I like the Werehog well enough, and more characters are always fun to have. Truth be told, my main goal when playing is trying to collect all the characters.
• Classic Sonic in Sonic Racing on Apple Arcade – Okay, this one actually upsets me a little.

This is similar to what happened with the Steam and Mobile versions of Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, where those versions got extra content that the consoles did not. I could sort of understand with the PC game characters on Steam, though I’d have loved to have them along anyway, but not getting Ryo Hazuki from Shenmue — who was in the first game, mind — piloting Hang-On, Space Harrier, and Out Run cabinets? That sucked.

And here we are again. Sonic Racing on Apple Arcade is basically Team Sonic Racing, minus the “Team” part. And seeing the “free” (subscription required, but otherwise) version get Classic Sonic, three new tracks, and new music while the version I paid $55 for at launch (and reviewed higher than Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled) doesn’t even get the option as paid DLC? That sucks.

I can almost sort of see the reasoning, in that they might need to create a Classic Tails and a Classic Knuckles to complete the full team on consoles, but heck, let him sub in for Modern Sonic, maybe? And not getting the other stuff either way is just disappointing.

Sonic Prime Creators Speak

Not a lot here, honestly. Coming in 2022, and there’s a new Eggman logo. Cool to have them here, though, and I’m looking forward to the show, but this bit specifically didn’t really fan the flames for me much.

Merch!

Okay, so I’m sort of torn here. That Death Egg Robot set, for example, looks really cool, and I want one. But for some reason, the only thing Jakks Pacific seems interested in releasing here is stuff from their “World of Nintendo” line. So little-to-no Mega Man or Sonic stuff up here without paying a hefty premium for it.

And I really want some of that damn Mighty the Armadillo merchandise, too.

The King Ice stuff looks neat, though, and I definitely want that deluxe edition of the Sonic the Hedgehog Encyclo-speed-ia, and the Apmex coins look pretty neat.

New Game

I’m not even sure what to say about this — at least, based on this snippet alone — besides “yaaaay, new Sonic game!”

However, based on rumors (which I’m not going to bother going over here, because this is already nearly 2,000 words long), I will say that I like and am intrigued by what I’ve read, and if it’s true, I’m eager to see if they can pull it off.

And that was it!

This Sonic Central, seemingly the first of hopefully many, wasn’t mindblowing, and while there were some disappointing parts to it, I’m coming away generally feeling pleased for now. Sonic Colors Ultimate and Sonic Origins definitely have me reaching for my wallet (pending more info on the latter, at least), and I’m looking forward to more Roger Craig Smith as Sonic and the Rise of the Wisps cartoon. And for now, that’s enough for me, as we’ll hopefully be hearing more throughout this year of Sonic’s 30th anniversary.

Thanks for reading!

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David Oxford is a freelance writer of many varied interests. If you’re interested in hiring him, please drop him a line at david.oxford (at) nyteworks.net.