LGR 2016: Episode 31 - The Sonic the Hedgehog "Trilogy"

Welcome back to another LGR PlayList episode. Today it’s all about the gold rings as we race through every level of the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive classics SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 1 + 2, before briefly touching upon SONIC 3 + KNUCKLES along with the everlasting legacy of Sega’s spikey blue blur mascot. For this 16-bit, nostalgia infused show, our resident Sonic fanboy Adam Ducker is joined by the ageing and somewhat slower speedsters Stuart Neill and Lee Howard.

WARNING: The discussion on this episode covers the entirety of all three games and includes key details on the levels and boss fights of each zone. So beware of spoilers when listening.

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG was released in 1991 and remains one of the best selling games ever, helped in part by it being bundled with purchases of the Genesis/Mega Drive console. This success elevated the creators Yuji Naka and Naoto OhshimaIt to Sega royalty and they changed the name of their development team to ‘Sonic Team’ in recognition of this breakthrough title.

Useful link: For a full copy of the ‘Mean Machine’ review online and scanned PDF please click here; http://www.meanmachinesmag.co.uk/review/152/sonic-the-hedgehog.php

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 2 introduced Miles "Tails" Prower and was released worldwide on November 24th, 1992. Dubbed "Sonic 2sday," the simultaneous release was an unusual move for the time. The game eventually replaced the original SONIC THE HEDGEHOG as the default pack-in title for the Genesis/Mega Drive, being bundled with the redesigned Mega Drive II model (which reportedly had an inferior sound chip).

Useful reference: ‘Console Wars: Sega, Nintendo, and the Battle that Defined a Generation’ by Blake J Harris (ISBN 978-0062276698) is available in Hardback, Paperback, Audio and all popular digital formats.

SONIC 3 was released in February 1994, as a standalone release and was well-received. Significantly, this was soon followed by SONIC AND KNUCKLES in October of that same year. The two games were originally intended to be a single game. However, due to time constraints and the cost of a large-memory-capacity cartridge, Sega split the game into two. Notably, this two parts of one game, saw the introduction of series stalwart Knuckles the Echidna.

Interesting related stories:

Did Michael Jackson create the music? http://info.sonicretro.org/Michael_Jackson_Involvement_with_Sonic_3

Pop Fiction episode uncovering the mystery: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFgnUa1v8uA

The Lapsed Gamer Radio Team created this episode. Edited by Stuart Neill, with music and audio selections by Stuart Neill.

Original LGR themes, FX and music cues created and composed by Cevin Moore. Other music and audio sampled in this episode comes from all three Sonic games composed by Masato Nakamura and various artists.

For more details about this episode, including any links to relevant material, full music usage listings and notes, as well as our full contact information and where to go for additional LGR content - please visit our blog: http://lapsedgamerradio.com

You can stream or directly download our episodes via our Podbean homepage: http://lapsedgamerradio.podbean.com/ and if you’re enjoying our content, please subscribe to Lapsed Gamer Radio on iTunes. All reviews are most welcome and appreciated in order to allow our little community to thrive.

As always, thank you for listening and best wishes in your own efforts to pick up the controller and play!