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Milestone Mania! Let's Discuss Sonic Anniversary Games || Sonic Anniversary Month
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Three Sonic the Hedgehog fans. One mission. Join Satsunami, SuperShadow271 and WysteriaMoth as they navigate through 35 years of the iconic blue blur. From anime adaptations to the best anniversary games, join the trio as they look back on what made this series so iconic.
In this episode, Satsunami is joined by SuperShadow271 and WysteriaMoth as they look back at the anniversary milestones of the Sonic the Hedgehog series. From commemorative coins to crocs, the platforming icon has had a number of crossovers. But how have the anniversary games held up? Which was the worst one? And what is this about fighting in a Denny's car park?! All of this and more in the next episode of Sonic Anniversary Month!
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Transcript
Surprise Sonic Beach Holiday
00:00:01
Speaker
ah This is life. I have to admit, I'm really surprised you asked me to go on this holiday to a beach shadow. It is pretty scenic. Well, minus the robots running around and the...
The Organizer Revealed
00:00:13
Speaker
ooh, there's springs everywhere. Wait a minute, I thought you were the one who sent that message. Don't be silly. Why would I- Wait, what? Well, why else would I invite you to a Sonic-themed beach? No, no, no, no, no. That's ridiculous. You were the one to organize a holiday for three, even though there's only two of us. And oh, dear God, I've just realized who organized this. Guess who's back?
00:00:38
Speaker
Did you miss me, guys?
Introduction to the Chatsunami Podcast
00:00:40
Speaker
Oh, I should have known it would be All right, Moth. What hijinks are we up to this time? Oh, geez, don't sound too afraid. Seeing as Shadow and I here are your top Sonic co-hosts, who else would be better suited to celebrate Sonic's 35th anniversary this year? She's got a point.
00:00:55
Speaker
I guess there's no getting out of this, is there? Nope. All right, fine. I'll go get the mics. Welcome to Chatsun- No! You think he'll be okay? Unless Red Panda's land on defeat? Absolutely not.
00:01:10
Speaker
Welcome to Chatsunami.
Lighthearted Banter on Sonic's Anniversary
00:01:17
Speaker
Hello everybody and welcome to another episode of Shatsunami. My name's Shatsunami and joining me for the second episode of Sonic Anniversary Month is none other than the one and only Super Shadow 271.
00:01:32
Speaker
Yay! And returning from the Sega Vault is Wisteria Moth. Moth, welcome back. Hi, thank you. Glad to be you back. And if anybody asks, no, they didn't. Good to know. I'm not even going to fall with a up that up. This isn't an interrogation, I swear. Oh, God, no. There's a window right next to me. I will jump. I'm the one asking the questions. All right, so who's the good cop? Who's the bad cop? I need to work this out right now. I'm the bad cop. Do as he says, Mom.
00:01:59
Speaker
God help us all! He's a real card! God help us all! Just do what he says! You can't see it now. I'm holding him back. I could go for some tea right now. You back away from my tea! In-fighting, in-fighting. Perfect. As you escape. Anyway, Moth, it was a pleasure to have you on. Where can the Pandalorians find you? No, I'm only kidding. I was going to say, whoa! I was like, okay, bye!
00:02:24
Speaker
Anyway.
Reflecting on Sonic's 35th Anniversary
00:02:25
Speaker
So, yeah, today, with that chaotic introduction today, we are going to be diving into a rather special topic because as we were kind of joking about there in the opening skit before I fell down to earth, by the way, red pandas don't land on their feet, fun fact. Oh, well, dang. I don't think they do. That sounds like a skill issue to me, not going to lie. yeah Yeah, true. Any Red Panda enthusiasts that aren't myself, please feel free to reach out and let me know if that's a lie. But anyway, this episode isn't about Red Panda physics. Sadly, that's next week's episode. But but yeah, as you were saying, Moth, this is indeed the 35th anniversary of Sonic the Hedgehog, which is the whole reason why we're doing this anniversary
Personal Sonic Anniversary Experiences
00:03:06
Speaker
month. It is absolutely fantastic to see this series go for so long. Some people might disagree, but we don't really listen to those people anymore. We don't invite them back for tea, do we? No.
00:03:17
Speaker
I like my echo chamber let just like this, actually. Very true. Very true. Shadow, do you agree? Yes or yes? Echo. Echo. Echo.
00:03:28
Speaker
So yeah, moving on from our insanity. When I asked you both to come on, I was like, this is either going to be the greatest thing ever or the craziest thing ever. Or both. Turns out, yeah. A little bit of column A, a little bit of column B. What's column D doing here? Where's C? I actually don't know. I've got no joke for that. I'm going to be honest. I'm just like, yes. Yes. Well, honestly, that's an acceptable answer. It's like, where is C? Yes. And is about 30 minutes west from me. Took a wrong turn to Albuquerque. But you know what's not on its way to Albuquerque? Sonic Anniversary Games.
00:03:58
Speaker
What? Before we dive into the main topic of today's episode, which of course is going down nostalgia lane and talking about the games that came out in celebration for the anniversaries of Sonic the Hedgehog.
Sonic Adventure 2 and Early Anniversaries
00:04:12
Speaker
Yeah, I'll turn on to you first, Moth, before we dive in. What was your first exposure, see, to the anniversary games of Sonic? Have you always been aware of them or did you just kind of play them like any other Sonic game? I'll be honest, I really just sort of played them as they came out. Because to me, time is a bit of a soup. Until I was much older, I didn't really pay a lot of attention to that sort of thing of like anniversary, especially for things like content, that sort of thing that I consumed anyway. Of course, you know, things like birthdays, that's one thing, right? remember birthdays, that sort of thing. But I was never really one to sort of keep track of, oh, this released on this date. So we're gonna something special for it. It wasn't really anything that I put a lot of thought into. only as I got older and I realized, damn, time's going quick now. Now it just feels really nice to sort of look back on where I was at the time when these games were out. And it's just a fun little thing to sort of look back on and to have a little bit of reflection about and how the games made me feel back in the day, you know? Yeah, because I have to say, when I got, think it was Sonic Adventure 2 Battle, which is probably heresy for a lot of Sonic fans, but I always remember it had the logo on it for the 10th anniversary and everything. Yeah, I remember looking at that going like, oh, neat, and then just moving on with life. And just playing the game, yeah. Yeah, I never really put much thought into it, but Shadow, you're the same as well. Absolutely. You know, back in the day, I didn't really have internet. So it's not like I could really keep up with what people were talking about. So whenever I would play a game, I just played through it completely blind. And when I saw the 10th anniversary logo on Sonic Adventure 2, I went, oh, that's neat.
00:05:45
Speaker
But I think the big thing was that it's not quite an anniversary series like we would think of now where it's celebrating anything necessarily. It's just a release that coincides with the anniversary. Yeah, because a lot of these anniversary games don't really line up with the anniversary in some yeah years.
00:06:05
Speaker
It is actually really baffling the way it worked out, especially for the 25th year, which we will definitely be talking about in length. The quote-unquote Sonic Mania slash Forces era, because there is one game that came out for the 25th anniversary, but I don't think it was, let's just say it wasn't anniversary the adjacent, or at least I wouldn't like it to be anniversary adjacent. Same. Moth is probably just nodding her head. yeah Yes, these are words.
00:06:36
Speaker
but Before we jump in, the thing that I find really baffling is the Sonic anniversaries actually didn't start as a proper thing until the 10th anniversary, which I find really weird because Sonic 2 came out a year later after Sonic 1, because that's how numbers work.
Unique Sega Promotions and Nostalgia
00:06:54
Speaker
But they came out and yeah, there wasn't really much fanfare. You know, i think they were too busy trying to beat up Mario for that. And then in the five year anniversary, there was Sonic Blast slash Sonic 3D Blast. don't know if they came out in the same year, but yeah, there wasn't really much fanfare, was there, for that era of anniversary. I feel like that's just in a way sort of to be expected because I don't really think that they realized just the sheer impact that Sonic as a franchise and as a series would have until we got further down the line. I pretty much agree. I think that most people will only really start celebrating a huge anniversary at the 10th or later. Yeah, once you get into like the big nombies, that's when people really start to pay attention to it and be like, wow, it's been a whole decade. When you start getting the fancy terms for a period of time, that's how you know that things are getting serious. Yes. Totally not thinking about the Chatsunami podcast right now. Yeah, yeah we're coming up to the sixth of the year, you know, another four years and we'll be on Sonic's level. Uh-huh. It's gonna be great. It'll just be me, you, and Shadow posing in the front of a cover ten years later. Ten years later. Where are they now? Still here! I'll have a walker. you You'll have a walker! Yeah, my back is awful. Honestly, same about my knees. yeah Yeah, but are we talking about like a cool Eggman walker or just like an Up walker here? I would love to use the Egg walker. The Egg walker. It's gotta be the one from Sonic Prime that but has the tennis balls on it. Oh, yes. Yeah.
00:08:31
Speaker
I mean, facts, but still. But still, ouch. ouch You wound me. Oh, consider me wounded. Listen, we're not even 15 minutes in and we're already giggling for most of this. This going to be fantastic. Oh yeah, it's only going to get worse next week when we have a very free-form conversation. Oh, it's going to be awful. going to be fantastic. I'm so ready for it. And see without any further ado, let us get our walkers in preparation for this episode because yeah, we will be right back after these fantastic messages. Welcome Welcome to Chatsunami, a Scottish variety podcast that discusses topics from gaming and films to anime and general interest. Join me, your host, Satsunami, as well as the rest of our Chatsunami team for our takes on these very important pop culture topics. Sir, it's clearly a trap. I accept your page! That happens three times in the film. Every time that general goes, don't do this one thing, he goes, do you know what I'ma do? It's the exact thing.
00:09:33
Speaker
It doesn't, well, she had the pointy teeth. What was that about? She looked like Bilbo when he wants the ring back. ah She did, didn't she? I just want the lightsaber one more time. Parasite says, no, you will get back into your office and work. No, says the man in Zoom. yeah Trousers are for the working man You're bursting into your hotel room. Honey, we need to go.
00:09:56
Speaker
Leave the kids. You can milk an audition. Oh, no.
00:10:04
Speaker
That's the worst thing you've ever said on any of the episode episodes. If
Sonic 06 and 2006 Game Releases
00:10:08
Speaker
that sounds like your cup of tea, then you can check us out at our website, chatsoami.com, as well as all good podcast apps. As always, stay safe, stay awesome, and most importantly, stay hydrated.
00:10:20
Speaker
Stay classy and have a banana. This has been chatsoami. I'm sorry.
00:10:30
Speaker
hi I'm SuperShadow271. You can find me over on Twitch, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, and even Discord. I play and talk about a huge variety of games, so there's bound to be something you're interested in, especially if you're a Sonic fan. My content tries to be chill with some insightful commentary on games, so if you're interested, please check me out. Thank you so much for listening, and let's get back to Chatsunami. And we are back.
00:10:54
Speaker
Those were the longest messages of all time, not gonna lie. feel like ages, honestly. Yeah, you really need to think about cutting those down a little bit. Mm-hmm. Yeah, Moth, what did I tell you about sending mail the war and peace of adverts? Don't worry about it. It's just you for 10 minutes going, don't worry about it. Don't worry about it. yeah Don't worry about it. Watch my content. Don't worry about it. You want to see the stream? While you sit in a chair with a wad of bills counting them. Exactly. Just counting my fat stacks. Hey, don't worry about it. It's all going be great. It's all going to be fine. Just keep watching. Keep watching, funny man. Keep watching. yeah So when's the ASMR of that coming out, Morph? Oh, yes. Moth counts our Sega millions from the vault. From the vault. What's up, guys? It's Moth from the vault. What's up, gamers? Today, we're going to be counting all of these Sonic Adventure 2 copies. One click. to God, imagine. Oh, anyway, our dreams aside, Sega, please hire us. We're not insane. Please. Just make for yourself. yeah that Same. Same.
00:12:00
Speaker
Same, bestie, same. yeah Yeah, amend that statement then. Sega, we're not sane. Nope, that's why you should hire us. Yeah. I will voice anybody, please. I will voice Eggpaw number 52, please. Damn, that's aiming a little high, I think. Oh!
00:12:14
Speaker
Excuse me! It's Wow! Eggpond 52, that's where you draw the line. Bruh, you gotta work your way up the hierarchy. You can't just jump straight to 52. That's upper 100. What, so you want me to go for motorbug or something? Yeah, you gotta start humble. You gotta to build up your, oh, what is it called? Portfolio, that's the word. She wants you to voice sticks and not sticks the character, sticks like actual sticks on the ground. You're gonna start from tree number four and you're gonna like it.
00:12:44
Speaker
It's like, no, I'll take anyone but Antoine. yeah My French accent's not that good. Okay, now we're going to fight because Antoine's a king. Except if you believe Ken Penders, in which case he's a horrible person. Anyway. Sorry, sorry. had a bit of a visceral reaction to that one. I know, I know. Back to the anniversaries. So the year was... 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. 2001.
Sonic Generations and Personal Impacts
00:13:08
Speaker
God. Those were the days. were the days.
00:13:12
Speaker
When Sonic Adventure 2 came out, we didn't have to worry about anything. We didn't have to worry about paying taxes. We didn't have to get a job. We could grind the Chao Garden all day. Oh, the Chao Garden. Sega, please, I beg, give us a standalone cozy game that is nothing but Chao Garden and my life is yours. Um, I kind of disagree. I'm sorry. oh We're gonna fight. yes No, I'm not opposed to the idea of a Chao Garden game. I'm opposed to it being purely cozy. I think what made the Chao Garden work is the fact that it incentivized you to replay the levels and get better at the levels. I thought you meant you wanted just like a gritty retelling of the Chao Garden. No, no, no. Raising these kids isn't for the faint of heart. You can give the Chao spears and have to go hunt for their stats. Just a dark Chao in the corner being like...
00:14:03
Speaker
Things weren't the same after Sonic Adventure 2. Yeah. They gave me a chaos drive. Oh, dear. but but Yeah, of course, we had Sonic Adventure 2 which came out, one of the most iconic Sonic games, is it right in saying? Oh yeah. I'd say so. And would you believe, I actually had to look this up because I genuinely didn't believe it, because this was Sega's first anniversary, because as you were saying in the intro, this was the one where they were like, okay, we have made something incredible here. Sonic isn't really going away, although it's ironic because it was on the eve of the Dreamcast going down the drain and then becoming multi-platform. But yeah at that time, when it was still on the Dreamcast, the better days, as it were, apparently Sega Japan released a Sonic Adventure 2 birthday pack.
00:14:52
Speaker
Yes. Which, yeah, so it had a copy of the game. It also had the music album in it, which is pretty neat. But it also had a commemorative coin. as well which i thought interesting choice because as you know all sonic fans a love a good coin as it was select is you know honestly it probably would have been better if it would have been like a ring or something like a little gold ring you're stealing the competition's trophies and giving it to your own in a show of dominance but what was also really weird at this time was they also commissioned and correct me if i'm wrong shadow you might know better than me in this because they also had a zippo lighter and a sonic wine glass that is also commissioned. I don't think I know about this. Okay, I'm not gonna lie here. It feels like they were pre-gaming for nowadays. Yeah. Facts. Like, they were pre-gaming for all of the people who grew up playing Sonic. Like, yes, this is stuff that adult Sonic fans are going to want. Yes, indeed. Yeah. yeah The chronic smokers and drinkers after the original game. Listen, 2001 was a very different time. I mean, true. True. At this point, we're just treating it like it's the eighty s
00:15:58
Speaker
Back in the good old days when we had big shoulder pads and everything and frizzy hair and what is it, mixtapes? I know the 80s. And everybody was chain smoking in their houses. Facts. Yep.
00:16:10
Speaker
I'm saying that as if I did that. i'm like, oh yeah, yeah, more. i mean Yes, those were the days. Game consoles used to come with ashtrays. They used to be real games, dammit! We used to be a real civilization. Now we live in a society. Yeah.
00:16:25
Speaker
God, unironically though, I do miss the days of the Glass Burger King Commitative Cups for stuff. That was peak. I mean, true. This isn't related to the anniversary stuff, but do you miss see the Sonic Happy Meal toys? Yes! Oh my god, the little handheld toys? Dude, the Tails one used to be my favorite, and ironically, because I love those little dodging games. It was almost like Baby's First ah Temple Run. Right? So... I absolutely loved it, Shadow one was, oh my god, I love them so much. I love them so much. I miss them so much. I never went to McDonald's, so I never really got to experience them. Honestly, you're probably better for it, I can't lie. Yeah, I mean, i you know, trade one in for the other, you know? Yeah. I went to McDonald's probably a little bit too much. I think that's part of my problem. Well, look where we are now, Moth. Look at me now We're talking about Sonic wine glasses.
00:17:17
Speaker
Hell yeah. I've peaked in life. Hell yeah, brother. Yeah. So apparently another game that came out in the 10th anniversary, which this is where you two will probably jump me at this, but Sonic Advance, which I have never played. Honestly, I'm not going to jump you for it because it took me a while to play Sonic Advance because I didn't have Game Boy Advance as a kid.
00:17:37
Speaker
I've never actually played Sonic Advance. The only Sonic Advance I've actually played was Sonic Advance 3 and that was a lot of fun. Not a bad one. I've never actually finished it though because I'm god awful at the 2D games. It is actually quite sad how bad I am at the 2D platforming games. I'm not good at them. I prefer the 3D games. How dare you? I know. I'm so sorry. I'll meet you outside Denny's. I know the drill, but I said what I said. Yeah, you guys enjoy Denny's. You know, you're going to be inside having a grand slam and we're going fist fighting in the parking lot. Unrelated to Sonic, but there was a Denny's that opened up in Scotland and I think literally a couple of weeks later they had to shut it down because it was just so bad.
00:18:13
Speaker
but Yeah, that tracks actually. It did not last long. The things that pass for food in America is frankly appalling. I don't even think it was the food. Although, speaking of American chains, you know, we've had a lot of American chains coming over here, like Wendy's, Popeyes, that kind of thing. But we had a Wendy's opening up somewhere yeah and they had a bagpiper outside. Yeah. Huh? Well, it was Scotland. I mean, we've got to have a bagpipe. I mean, yeah, that's true, I guess. But man, nothing feels like, listen, there's nothing quite like going in there and getting me one of them there Wendy's baked taters a thing of chili and having some bagpipe playing in the background. That sounds about right, I think. Brrrr.
00:18:56
Speaker
Moth, Moth, it's okay. Let me sing you the song of my people. For legal reasons, that's a joke. You're just here in the background, Scotland forever! Oh yeah. Just in the distance. See, that's why we haven't met up yet, because I would 100% do that to you both in public. Good. Do it. Scotland, whatever.
Sonic 06's Reception and Evolution
00:19:17
Speaker
Anyway. I'll put you this way. When Toaster came to visit me in America one time, we went on a roller coaster and we were going down of the dips. He went, Tallyhoo!
00:19:24
Speaker
At the top of his lungs. You're fine. Don't worry. You're in good company. That sounds like something Toaster would do. I'm not going to lie. For real. But you know, if it sounds like it is, because it is something he did. Funny that.
00:19:37
Speaker
Anyway, speaking of the opposite of high expectations, now we are going five years into the future to the wonderful world of 2006, where it all went wrong.
00:19:50
Speaker
We go ten years in the future instead. I was still in middle school for this, so this is definitely where I have some core memories formed, I fear. So I remember, this was the days of dial-up internet, which, if there's any younger Pandalorians listening and you don't know what dial-up internet is, I swear to god, just google it, it's hard to describe. It was like, you know, you plugged your internet into your phone, and if someone picked up that phone, you weren't messaging anybody. Yeah, if you want the experience, pause this episode, wait for an hour, and then resume this episode. Yeah, that's the experience. God help you. He's like, Mom, get off the phone! trying to play Minecraft!
00:20:26
Speaker
yeah Yeah. I remember, it must have been 2005, where, you know how they had announced Sonic 06 was coming? Because that was the era where they were moving away from, i want to say it was the fifth or sixth generation, you know, like the GameCube, the Xbox, PlayStation 2. They were moving away from that into the Xbox 360, the PlayStation 3, and the Wii later on, but we don't talk about the Wii. Or we will be for very different reasons I'm sitting ready to say I'm gearing up for battle. Yeah, because, well, I've got a point to that. I swear, please don't jump in.
00:20:58
Speaker
but I don't think I'm the only one. I think Shadow is like planning. Cracking the knuckles, yet yeah. Yeah. We're both just in here going, uh-huh. Yeah. Go for it. I just want to talk. I just want to talk. My hand is slowly going to my holster. Me just sitting a shotgun down on the table. Yes, go ahead. Like that family guy thing. I just want talk. I just want to talk. I just want to talk. I just want to talk. I just want to kill. So the reason I bring that up, of course, was back in, I want to say was 2005, I remember using dial-up internet to try and watch, I think it was the E3 reveal for Sonic 06, and it was so slow to actually load, but I remember being so enamoured by it because i wasn't a big fan of, see, the art direction they were taken for Sonic Heroes, Shadow the Hedgehog, where it was all that kind of shoddy. shiny model stuff so when I saw that it was really realistic and everything I was like oh my god this looks so cool and it was loading it every five minutes there was like a second or something it was so slow but I saw remember they were supposed to have a day and night cycle yes Yeah, that's what I was watching, being like, oh my god, this is so cool, it's the future. And then the reviews came out, and we got the infamous Sonico 6 for the 15th
Sonic Forces vs. Sonic Mania
00:22:16
Speaker
anniversary. Now, both of you correct me if I'm wrong, but was it not because this was the 15th anniversary that they really decided to push this game to come out when it did? Yes. I think it was twofold. I think not only was it the 15th anniversary, but like you said, there was a bit of a race to go ahead and get the new generation of consoles out. And specifically, I think it was PS3 that they were wanting for it to be a launch title for. And it just ended up being a bit that was just really, really rushed. And I think it's just really unfortunate because the game had so much potential. Well, my understanding was that they did want to rush this game out for the 15th anniversary, but also since the PS3 was notoriously difficult to develop for, they brokered deal with Microsoft, but that ended up wasting even more resources and they were not given any opportunity to delay the game. So they just had to release it as it was. then That's a shame. Yeah. Oh no, absolutely. And I mean, we've talked about Sonic 06 ad nauseum on the podcast. Shadow, you and I, one of our first episodes together, other than the interview episode, was about Sonic 06. And for the longest time, it was actually one of the longest episodes of Sonic 06. That's how extensive this topic is, you know. There's yeah so much that could have gone right with this, there's so much that went wrong with it. And it's a weird thing because you think, alright, Sonic 06 is the big game, of course, that was supposed to come out in that era, and it's probably what signalled the kind of peak of the quote-unquote dark age of Sonic at the time, where everyone just gave up on it there were dogpiling on the series, which I'm not a big fan of in hindsight and of course we not only got sonico 6 but we got a port for the first game for the game boy advance any of you remember that one oh i remember that one i don't remember it like i said i am a certified he-man 2d side scroller hater so that's not on my radar how dare you i know listen it like i said we have our appointment to fist fight we'll get to that later it's like hating the original star wars trilogy how is it even possible oh you'd be surprised no i know i know but like it's certainly not a popular opinion believe me i'm aware i'm like literally like the image of flynn rider with all those swords pointed at him just looking really smug that's you know i know my opinion shit but i stand on it i have some shit opinions about sonic but even i can't feel that but yeah i think Yeah.
00:25:04
Speaker
Riders also came out at this time. See the lineup for 2006? It is stacked, you know. We've got Sonic 06, we've got Sonic the Hedgehog for the Game Boy Advance, we've got Sonic Riders, we've got Sonic Rivals for the PSP. For anyone who doesn't know, the PSP was a very obscure Sony console that nobody bought. Excuse you.
00:25:25
Speaker
i mean, who bought the PSP? I
Sonic's Product Placement History
00:25:29
Speaker
did! Again, I say, excuse the hell out of you! I bought the superior DS. I had a DS and a PSP. What? Fight me and Denny's. Oh, here we go. It's a three-parter. Now let's go. Yep. Yep. For legal reasons, that's a joke, please. But what we also got, because i think Sonic 6 was also supposed to come out for PC e and because of everything. Because of everything. everything and never came out no but they also announced sonic wildfire oh yes which is an amazing name but of course it became sonic and the secret rings and i think that was partly the reason they didn't come out until 2007 but i think that was partly the reason why production was so strained on sonic 06 because they just yeah they split the team right in half They had a lot of fingies and a lot of different pies
Sonic Symphony and Community Impact
00:26:23
Speaker
there. Yeah, I mean, a big part of that was Yuji Naka left in the middle of development of 06. So he already took some staff. So they were already short staffed. And then when they wanted to make a Wii version of Sonic 06 and they realized that's not going to happen, the Wii is not powerful enough. They were like, well, we'll just split off and make a completely original game for it. Can you imagine though, Sonico 6 on the Wii, how many house fires there would be? Yeah, yeah. How many Wiis would burst out crying. They were like, please, please, I can't breathe! Mother, father, help! My Wiis on fire!
00:26:59
Speaker
Someone somewhere just roasting marshmallows on their Wii while they're trying to play Sonic 06. Yeah. You know that scene out of Ghostbusters where Signori Weaver opens our fridge? Yes. And there's like Zool in there. Do you think that's it? They open up their Wii and it's just long-quilled Sonic waiting for them.
00:27:19
Speaker
Just open it up to hell itself. Yeah, just Mephiles waiting with the move that killed Sonic. Which, I've brought this up in so many episodes and have to bring it up again. cannot believe that the move that killed Sonic has its own Wikipedia page. Did you know this? Yes, I did. Yep. It's incredible. More people need to hear that. The move that killed Sonic is literally a beam of light. Does it have a cool name or anything? No, no. Just the move that killed Sonic. The move that killed Sonic. Yeah. It doesn't need name. It's too cool. Yeah, which is apt because that was nearly the game that killed the franchise. Yes, true. Two for one. There's a lot I genuinely
Sonic Frontiers, Origins, and Future Hopes
00:27:53
Speaker
love about Sonic 06, but I'm sorry, objectively, I can understand why was such a mess and everything. Oh, yeah. There's not a lot I love about Sonic 06. I'm sorry. Yeah. That's okay. You're allowed to be wrong. I will say, I will at least say the soundtrack is so good. It's a shame it has to be associated with Sonic 06. Because the thing is, is like, I'm pretty sure it No, it wasn't 06. It was Unleashed where Otani took over. Yeah. But. Sonic 06 did something revolutionary for Sonic soundtracks in the way that it was just, oh, the soundtrack itself was so good. We had like a new sound for Sonic.
00:28:30
Speaker
Sonic evolved into almost this epic orchestral sort of feel. Even his world had a grandiose feel to it when you first heard it. And the fact that they sprinkled his world through the entirety of the game, like it was just a motif that followed Sonic. through his journey as well as the other theme songs for the other two hedgehogs that were frontlining that as well Sonic 06 just the music for Sonic 06 was just so good and then of course to come to the climax of Solaris phase 2 and orchestral his world oh it's so good I will say the music is very good but that's pretty much the only positive thing I can really say about 06 come on don't be more disheadow no Okay, fine. It's the only even remotely positive thing I can say about Sonic 06.
00:29:17
Speaker
Listen, I will say that, yes, Sonic 06 back in the day was a heap of shit, especially since I played the PS3 version of it. Same. Which was, oh yeah, that already tells you how it went. But I still thoroughly enjoyed the gameplay. And I was also one of those weirdos that actually really liked the Mach Speed Zones. They were easily some of my favorite parts of the levels. I genuinely don't know how to respond to this. Yeah, I could hear you breaking in the background there, Shadow. So here's the question now, Shadow. Now that I've brought this forward, have we upgraded from a Denny's to a Waffle House? I think so.
00:29:54
Speaker
I'm fully prepared for a Waffle House. Okay, that's enough. My first my first experience...
00:30:03
Speaker
but I think we killed Sasuke. Yeah, I think you guys fight it in IHOP. I'll be over here. No, IHOP. No, no, no, no, no. IHOP, we don't fight at IHOP. Why don't you fight at IHOP? It's a sacred land, yeah okay?
00:30:16
Speaker
IHOP is not in the same tier as Denny's or Waffle House. Why is it not? Well, because it sells Sonic pancakes. Yes! You know what? I answered my own question.
00:30:28
Speaker
oh Anyway, moving on before we have another first fight at Daniel's. Yeah, no, continue, continue, Shadow. My man my first experience with Sonic 06 was friend's house because he had an Xbox 360 and I didn't. So he was like, hey, you want to play the new Sonic game? And of course I wanted to. And we played the like co-op and he made me play Silver. And I went, oh my God, this is
Concluding Reflections on Sonic Anniversaries
00:30:52
Speaker
miserable. Oh, that was your first mistake. I mean, at that point, even after he was like, okay, fine, you can play Sonic or someone. I still was like, this is not fun. I didn't enjoy it. And that immediately killed off any, because before I had played it, I was like, maybe I should get an Xbox in Sonic 06. I want to play that game. And then after that, it was like, no, I'm not getting an Xbox. good, actually. Yeah, yeah. But it started out like that, and then as time went on and I saw more and more of how the game actually plays, i became so jaded. Now, counterpoint to this, Shadow. Sonic 06 is the only Sonic game to ever be featured in the hit Netflix series Breaking Bad. Now, are you telling me that Breaking Bad would sully themselves with a bad Sonic game? No!
00:31:41
Speaker
Apparently. No, no, I don't believe that, Shadow. Immediately it's gone from a zero out ten to a ten out of ten. Science, bitch!
00:31:53
Speaker
It went to a ten out of ten if and only if you're talking about it being a two-second clip of gameplay. Moving on. That's all we need. That's all we need. Anything else, it goes right back to a zero. No, I mean, then again, they also reference Resident Evil 4, which I will not have any slander on the podcast about Resident Evil 4. That game is loaded, of course. Didn't they also do Left 4 Dead 2? Did they? I might be mixing it up with a different show. Next week, we're going to be talking about all the games on Breaking Bad. A deep dive into the cameos of Breaking Bad. Honestly, though, that would make for a fun episode talking about all the different times video games have been featured in other media. Yeah, because I always hate it, see, when they don't have the license to a video game. And then it's like, I've nearly got the high score. And it's like, high score for what? Who you playing against? Yeah. This is the 90s, you're playing Pac-Man for God's sake. Recently, there's a long-running soap opera called Days of Our Lives. Is that still going? Yes. Yeah, it's still going. Very recently, they had an episode where a teenage boy or whatever was inviting in a girl into his like apartment and he goes like, hey, I've got Xenoblade on the Switch, you want to come play with me? And she goes like, yeah, okay, sure. And the Xenoblade fandom went absolutely crazy because they're like, oh my God, somebody talked about Xenoblade in a TV series. But it's so funny because Xenoblade isn't a multiplayer game. What would she be doing? and She would just be sitting there watching him. Yeah. Or it would be one of those things like, you know, the movie Ghost, where you have the pottery scene from the movie Ghost. It's that, but he's helping her play Xenoblade. Yeah.
00:33:27
Speaker
Oh, my love. Sorry. hey Yeah, you see Satsu gets it. This is really scary because I watched that film yesterday. and I'm in your wall, Satsu. Elite Ball Knowledge right here. Genuinely, it's actually a really good film, Shadow. It is really good. I'm sure. i was genuinely surprised. I know this isn't the ghost variety hour, but genuinely, it's actually a really good film.
00:33:49
Speaker
Is that what you do for Halloween, spook tsunami? Pretty much. What, you mean just make pottery on my own? Yeah, pretty much. and Nothing scarier. Yeah. On to the 20th anniversary where we had the absolutely saucy Sonic Generations, which I'm going to be honest, I love it for the gameplay. I hate it for the story. Thoughts?
00:34:11
Speaker
All I'm going to say for Sonic Generations is classic Sonic levels can go straight to hell. yeah Yeah, they're not that good. They made me so irate. Also, for that matter, specifically, Sky Sanctuary. yeah Be gone from me. That made me irate. I hated Sky Sanctuary so much. But for the actual experience, for the music and then playing modern Sonic, sort of going through this, going back through like a retroactive sort of look back through the games was actually a lot of fun. I did thoroughly enjoy Sonic Generations. when it first came out. Yeah, when it first came out, I i also despite it despite it i despised the 2D sections because they really didn't control like classic Sonic and they were just really janky and weird. I find them tolerable nowadays, but they're still not all that fun to go through. But I did have a lot of fun just seeing all the different levels reimagined in a more modern style. The story, it was okay for me. It was like, it's just an excuse to hook these stages together. Yeah, it did feel like that, that they said, okay, here's all the levels from the past. Yeah, here's this time monster, blah, blah, blah. Yay, Sonic, he's in chemical plant zone now. Yay, Sonic! Again, not the strongest story, but in terms of gameplay, I did think it was really good. And of course we got, when was it we got Sonic X Shadow Generations? It was 24, wasn't it? Was it 24?
00:35:36
Speaker
four wasn't it was it twin tu and were year two twenty twenty four Yeah, What year is it? I will say, if it was from 2004, I would have been happy. Oh, same. But yeah, no. 2024, I think it was. And gonna lie, bought it just for the Shadow section. It didn't play Sonic Generations. I just keep playing the Shadow segment. I can't lie. Wow. I mean, you're not wrong. is a bit of a downgrade when you go back from the Shadow sections to the Sonic ones. are You're like, wow. Because like yeah like the shadow story, at the shadow gameplay, peak. Yes. I remember, Satsu, you were in my DMs going, Moth, have you fought the final boss yet? I'm like, no, not yet. Why? He says, do it.
00:36:20
Speaker
I have something to send you. And was like, OK, that scares me a little bit, but that's fine. Moth, I'm at your window. Play the boss, Moth. to play the boss model. And no, and I actually thoroughly, like once I actually did fight the boss, I think one thing I'm really thankful about is the fact that I streamed my first experience playing the Shadow story because just the sheer joy that came from so many moments of that game just immediately. I'm so happy I managed to catch those because I don't think I have ever fangirled harder because Shadow is still my favorite character in the entire series. Seconded, well, it's a close second. Blaze is a close second but I have one shadow.
00:36:59
Speaker
It's a good thing we didn't bring up Blaze during the 06 stuff because I would have probably angered you quite a good deal, Moth. I would just been flat out just straight murder. I'm prepared to defend my position on that. it's like I will just straight up take your life. Yeah. yeah So what you're saying is your metal band's gonna be called Murder of Denny's. Yeah. Or at Waffle House. Or at Waffle House. Listen, if we keep going like this, it's going to escalate to a Walmart parking lot and we don't want to go to the Walmart parking lot. True. If we go to the Walmart parking lot, one of us isn't leaving alive. Yeah, yeah.
00:37:30
Speaker
Sonicic Shadow, I actually really did enjoy because I played through the Shadow section first, obviously. I did enjoy how they fit it into the Sonic Generation story and, you know, seeing all the different interactions with Maria and Gerald and Shadow. But it is funny because I went back to up Sonic Generations and I went, wow, this controls incredibly differently. Shadow Generations is basically just Shadow Frontiers. Oh, 100%. It's amazing how they upscaled the gameplay and everything in that game, and it was just so fun to play. And then it's like, oh, we're back to boost. Oh, hold right to one. Oh. Yeah. Oh, no.
00:38:08
Speaker
I'm like, yay! Yay, my favourite game. And speaking of boosting right to win, yeah, we've got the 25th anniversary, which is... Hmm. Why the hell did they release Sonic Boom Fire and Ice this year?
00:38:23
Speaker
ah Because we live in the darkest timeline, Satsu. I mean, true. It is true. It's true, but that was the only my game that came out in the same year as the 25th anniversary, and it wouldn't be until the year after, and I don't know why if it's because they needed time to cook it, which I have to say they didn't cook it well enough where we got Sonic Mania and Sonic Forces in 2017.
00:38:44
Speaker
seventeen Sonic Mania, although I'm with you Moth, I'm not as good at the 2D games, but I can recognise it's a fantastic adaptation of a 2D Sonic game, absolutely incredible work. Eh, Sonic Forces is Sonic Forces. We'll probably spend more time talking about Sonic Forces than it does to just play Sonic Forces. True, true. Yeah, and honestly, it's such a shame because I think Infinite was such a wasted potential for a villain and the whole Phantom Ruby thing is just like, it just got discarded so quickly. I think Sonic Forces, and again, for me, it was just how sort of casually they breezed through certain aspects of the game. Like, oh yeah, Sonic's been captured. He's been tortured for six months and all of that sort of thing, you're right? And just like, oh dang, this is going to be some real emotional stakes for Sonic. I can't wait to see where this goes. We free Sonic. He's like, haha, as usual. And I'm like, okay, so we're just not going to talk about that. All right, cool. now He's faster than Sonic. and Eggman taking over the world is just through a black on white screen. Yeah, the fact that all all of the important things happened off screen and we just had a map. We had a little ball for us to look and be like, these are the places we need to go deal with Eggman's insurgents. And it's just kind of like, okay, but I've always a firm believer in certain media. And I feel like a lot of things nowadays have sort of lost the art of show, don't tell. Yeah, I think also what frustrates me is they clearly wanted to do something more serious and dramatic, but they didn't understand what actually makes something serious and dramatic. So they threw a lot of elements that sound like they would be serious and dramatic, like but they really aren't when they actually and there was no payoff. Yeah, yeah. Having Eggman take over the world and having to fight back, that sounds dramatic, but it's really not represented in any way. It's just here's another level. And this is a situation where I wish they would have shown more. i wish they would have told us more. I wish that we would have gotten so much more show rather than It's like, oh, yeah, these things happened. OK, cool. I believe you. Can I see some of it, please? Yeah.
00:40:40
Speaker
I think. also what's frustrating for me is like when you said that they didn't cook it correctly it's not even just that they didn't cook it correctly they didn't have anything to cook with I feel they had like sugar and then they just threw it in the oven and like kept it on 100 for five seconds and then was like okay here you go But you know what's really sad about that whole thing, right? Because like i said, Infinite to me is wasted potential for a villain. But one thing I will say is, don't get me wrong, the Sonic Forces soundtrack is by no means my favorite. There's a lot of hit and miss with the Sonic Forces soundtrack, but Infinite's theme goes hard. Yeah. Oh my god. I'll laugh to and disagree with you there. I will start sucking at Shadow. i'm Sorry. I don't like Infinite's theme. It's way too tryhardy for my tastes. See, I like the tryhardy though, because at least it's something. I mean, true. At least it's not fist bump again. Oh my God. I'm so tired. Like people's like, oh, fist bump goes on. No, it does not. but No, it does not. i will die on this hill. It's a good song, but God, they use it for everything. It's like the speed up sequences. You hear fist bump. Invincibility, you hear fist bump. And was like, could you not compose anything else? So, Shadow, what you're saying is that together we can do what the world can do. You're next to me and I'm next to you. Pushing on through. Yes. I'll let you have that one. Go for it, bud. I will step inside. Until the battle's won.
00:41:59
Speaker
Da-da-da-da. Sorry. Oh lord. I just, every time I hear hear that song, do you know what level I think of? It's see the one where you go, I can't even remember, it's some arsenal where you go into the pyramid, and it's see when you do the double boost, and it's Sonic and your OC that clap together, it's like, we can power through with the power of teamwork, and it's like all the people who have failed it, and they'll stop.
00:42:23
Speaker
They go really, really slowly. You're like, oh, oh, God. Yeah, honestly, there's so much to talk about with that failure of a game. I think, see, without Sonic Mania, I genuinely think we would potentially be, maybe not to the same extent, but nearing levels of Sonic 06 Infamy because I think it's a competent enough game to play. But again, it's serviceable and that is not a good thing to say about a Sonic game. It should be, you know, fun, energetic. It shouldn't be, Yeah, can play it. Yeah. They picked the boxes and we're done with it. Yeah, exactly. It does feel like it checked a lot of the boxes that a lot of Sonic haters look for, you know? And that's unfortunate. Because do you know what we actually got as well in the 25th anniversary? We got a Honda Civic. Sonic themed. I thought you were going to say Sonic Mania. That's exactly what we wanted was a Sonic themed Honda Civic because nothing makes me think of Sonic the Hedgehog quite like product placement. True. I mean, Sonic and a car. Well, to be fair, Sonic does have plenty of product placement with soap shoes and whatnot. Oh no, that's what I'm saying. It's just like, it's just right on brand, isn't it? Well, see, during the 15th anniversary, 10 years previously, think he was in a, I don't know what company, it's Progressive or something. I don't know if that's an insurance company or a... Yeah. Yeah, he was in the advert for that. And obviously he wasn't in it here because we don't have it in the UK, but I remember seeing that online being like, right, so you're an adult and you're like, hmm, I don't know about this insurance. And then you see Sonic the Hedgehog and you go, whoa, shit. Sonic the Hedgehog. Sign me up. 100% APR.
00:44:01
Speaker
yeah To be fair, they would have got my ass. I can't lie. Same. No, move we would all fall for it. Let's not beat around the bush here. We would fall for it. But still. Book, line, and sinker. They would have had me.
00:44:12
Speaker
As long as they threw in a Sonic toaster. true Please! I would love nothing more. Listen, than I want the Sonic toaster and the Shadow Waffle Maker. Please! Oh, dude, the Shadow Waffle Maker is my number one. Look under your chair, Shadow. Oh, that's just lint. Oh, man. but Where the hell's the Waffle Maker? After that mixed anniversary, we've got the final a one, obviously, before this year's one. Hold on, hold on. Can I just interject before we get on to that anniversary? Sonic Mania is amazing and it makes me so happy and I think it is so much more deserving of the anniversary title than Sonic Forces is. It's just is so weird that neither of them came out in 2016. They were both 2017 releases. It kind of baffles me, but maybe they learned a mistake from Sonic 06 and said, yeah, let's push it back, yeah. Yeah, I think that, and also, I think they were planning on Mania coming out in 2016 and then Forces 2017, and then they had to delay Mania for whatever reason, so it just happened that they both missed the anniversary. Yeah, and I mean, it's a great anniversary, but I suppose 25? don't know. i mean, quarter century, you know? Oh, God, that's depressing. We won't be around for the 100th anniversary. it Says you. That's true. I've got poor life choices. I get murdered in a Denny's in five years. Listen, I fully plan going to put myself on ice, you know, cryogenic. What, the shadow pod? Yes, I'm putting myself in the shadow pod and I will emerge for 100 years of Sonic. What if you wake up and there's just a bat woman just looking at you like, oh my God, who is this? No, listen, that case, I would have been isekai'd. would have been like one of those Korean comic tropes where i fall asleep and I wake up in the media I've been consuming. If I wake up a shadow of the hedgehog, oh, I'm going ham. No, what happens is you wake up in a tube and you see a a very elderly scientist and a a floating alien. No, no, shadow, that's no way to talk about Maria. Come on.
00:46:15
Speaker
but um but Me just pressing my nose to the glass. Are you proud of me, Pop? Am I a real hedgehog? i simultaneously hate and love Black Doom.
00:46:28
Speaker
I love imitating his voice just because it's so... It's so fun, isn't it? It's murder on my throat, but it's so fun. Save. Shadow. Shadow. You must go.
00:46:38
Speaker
Commence the ritual. Collect the chaos and move. Shadow. Yeah. We can take turns, it's fine. You guys are doing the actual impressions and I'm just hung up over here on Snapcube like, hey!
00:46:51
Speaker
What's up? It's the devil. It's But speaking kick of the devil. From the Bibble? From the Bibble, yes. The Bibble trigger? The Bibble trigger.
00:47:03
Speaker
yeah As I said, after the mixed reception to the 25th anniversary, we have quite a relatively good track record here. We've got Sonic Colors Ultimate, which granted, from what I've heard, I haven't played it personally, but I've heard that it wasn't great when it was released. Got better, but yeah, it wasn't great. To my understanding, a lot of people said it was horribly broken, but it was really just because they were running it on an emulator, which is not fully representative of how the product actually is. But it still had problems. No, it's true. Because I can't even remember what else it was like. Between texture glitches and things like that, it just it did not come out optimized, which doesn't sound like something Sonic Team would do. What? What? No, never. no But I mean, the year after, and again, we've got a Sonic Forces situation here. The year after we got Sonic Frontiers, which came out in 2022, and Sonic Origins, as well as the very first Sonic Symphony, which I don't know about you guys, but I lost it. See, when I was listening to Sonic Symphony. I love Sonic Symphony. I never got to go and it makes me so sad. oh I'm sad for you because it was so fun. One day i they'll bring it back. I'm huffing my copium right now but they will bring it back. I'm sure they will. Because I mean I never went to it but I watched the live stream for it and I remember I was playing games with friends and I was like okay I'm not gonna be like oh I'm gonna go and watch the Sonic Symphony so had it on in the background. can't remember if i messaged one of you, but I was really disappointed because they didn't have Love and Learn on it. And then at the very end, I was like, get ready.
00:48:42
Speaker
turned du du And then they played it I was like, oh my God. You know, as I said, I was on a voice call to people and I was like, do not react. just here but they're playing live and learn and oh it was incredible i went to the sonic symphony in san diego and it was a blast and they saved live and learn for the end and then they went we usually save this as the last song but there was a song that the particular composer i think who was there really wanted to play and so they did this very calm acapella version of one way dream and it was a very weird note to and on but I mean, it was good. it was just it was so weird because everyone was so energized after live and learn. And then One Way Dream was such a calm and chill song that everyone just kind of left with very weird energy, you know? They're like, okay, we got everybody hyped up. Now we got to bring them down. Yeah. Yeah, honestly, it's probably better that way. So that way people didn't leave the theater and destroy everything. But was just weird. There would have been chaos in the streets. Live and learn. Live and learn. Live and learn. You know, like the riots that happen after the 20 sports team wins their game. Yeah. It would have been that, but Sonic fans climbing the street lamps and that sort of thing. Yeah, sliding down all rails they usually see. Spin dashing in the streets. Yeah. Yeah, it's been chaos. Pure chaos. Chaos blast! Exactly! Exactly! Oh, the scenes.
00:50:09
Speaker
Anyway, that's why Moth and I haven't been to Sonic Symphony. Yeah. Well, I recommend it. No, no, it's for their protection, not ours, you know. See, one day it'll happen. i have to make sure that I'm right with my probation officer first. Fair. to The Sega appointed one, or... Yeah, exactly. That guy specifically. Yeah. The one who runs the Sega vault, of course. Yeah, exactly. The Sega Ninja. You guys don't realise it, but there's a guy with a wisp and rifle constantly watching me. I see the colours. Sonic Symphony and Moth's criminal record aside here... Oh, you can do it again.
00:50:43
Speaker
i'll do it Say in all seriousness, would either of you say that Sonic Frontiers and Sonic Origins counts as an anniversary game? ah That's a bit tricky because on one hand, my heart wants to count Sonic Frontiers because I thoroughly enjoyed Sonic Frontiers. Yeah, same. I thought it was fantastic. And I thought it breathed a fresh new life into the series. And I know it's a bit of a controversial take, but I would have taken Sonic Frontiers without the cyberspace levels and just had open world exploration with stages built into the world. I think that would have been such a neat direction to take it, but I did thoroughly enjoy the open world exploration for it. I enjoyed the cyberspace levels because they were relatively short. They didn't feel like they were that big an imposition for me. That's not the compliment you think it is. Thank God it's short. It's really not. It's really not. That and the fact that like quite literally there is one that is to the mechanic, to the layout, just city escape, copy and pasted, but put cyberspace over it. Yeah. I did that stage by muscle memory and I was bored to tears.
00:51:53
Speaker
I don't know. The reason I cite as being a good thing, though, is Sonic especially has a tendency lately to make stages that are really long and they can be fun at the start, but they really, really start to drag. And so I appreciated that the cyberspace levels didn't get that way because I was like, OK, finally, Sonic Team are realizing that a huge level isn't necessarily more fun, you know? Do you know what is actually the equivalent of, thinking back to your Sonic Symphony example, it's like, you know how you fight the Titans and everything, and you're in this grand world? That's like their live and learn moment, and then at the end with the acapella, that's like the cyberspace levels where it's like, okay, we're gonna calm you all down. It's like, all right, we're going to take a break from all the epic stuff by having a little bit of a here we're going to put you in the playpen for a little while. You can calm down. Honestly, I think that's a good thing, though. Downtime is important in terms of pacing. See, but I wish that we could have had downtime in the way of, like, side quests in the world. More side quests.
00:52:52
Speaker
I think that would have been really funny, where you just have these little one-off adventures, maybe tied to some of the puzzles. I think that would have been really fun. Well, like Penbow. Oh. No. No. And again, i emphasize, no. Sorry, can I just interject here and say, I love how Moth and I had the exact same experience seeing the pinball minigame in this game. We went through utter hell, and then I text you, Shadow, and you're like, I don't see what the problem is. I got through it in one go, and it's like, how? Oh, well, lucky for you. Oh, good for you. Good for you. Shadow! Me and Satsu suffering in the trenches and Shadow's like, don't know, don't think it's that bad.
00:53:36
Speaker
I don't know. I mean, if I was able to get through it without thinking much of it, and I'm not an elite gamer, it doesn't strike me as the sort of thing to make a huge deal about. No, at this point, I think that like that pinball level is like my version of the Mach Speed Zone thing. I like the Mach Speed Zone thing and everybody judges me for it. I judge you for thinking the pinball section wasn't that bad. It's not that bad. yeah I reiterate, it's okay to be wrong. Now, I don't want to be dramatic here, right? No, i'll do it. Pop off, King. But it was my personal Vietnam PTSD flashback where I was just like, every time I saw a pinball table, I was like, no.
00:54:10
Speaker
No. Not again. No, I'm sorry. No. See, but the thing is, previous Sonic games have trained me. know what it's like to cover janky pinball. No, don't you sorry, Sonic Adventure. No, not just Sonic Adventure. I'm talking like Sonic Heroes. I'm talking about... No, no, no, no, no. Sonic Heroes pinball was Pete. It was not. No, no, no. I'm a shadow. No, no. It was! It was so good!
00:54:38
Speaker
I had that shit down to a sign! Well, good for No, get Bingo Highway out of here! No! No, absolutely! You take Bingo Highway's name out of your mouth!
00:54:54
Speaker
And this is why we don't do these episodes in person. It would just be fisticuffs. Netflix, if you're listening, and if you want to find the rights or other. Yeah. And that chaotic note, that of course brings us to this year, 2026, with the 35th anniversary, which I have to say, in terms of games, we're not really eating well are we there is the announcement of sonic frontiers definitive edition which i'm not overly psyched about i'm gonna be quite honest um yeah i mean what can they add on top of it i don't know and the only other things we've really got is there's like a sonic gold it's not even a coin i don't know what it is it's like a piece of gold for sonic there's that there's crocs there's figures there's clothing that kind a thing, but gaming wise, there's nothing really coming, is there? At least that's of this episode. I mean, honestly, I'm gonna go on a limb and say this, I'm kind of okay with that. Really? agree. Yeah, i'm I'm kind of okay with that, and simply because these last two years specifically, they have fed us good. Yeah, yeah we've had some good Nami Nami's these last two years. And if they do have something cooking, i would rather them let it cook, let it finish in the oven, let them do their thing, bring it out when it's ready. i will eat it and I will eat it with gusto. Yeah, I would agree. I think if they're prioritizing quality over quantity, I'm OK with that. To be honest, I think by the time we get a new Sonic game coming out, whether it's like a AAA one, whether it's a spin-off, I'll probably get my limited run collector's edition by then. Oh, true. That whole thing has been a bit of a thing, hasn't it? An omni-shambles, yeah. It's been terrible. I'm still waiting on my copy. Really? Yeah. but I got the PS4 version though. They didn't put Sonic x Shadow on PS4 physically in North America except if you ordered the Limited Run Games Collector's Edition.
00:56:54
Speaker
Hot damn. Yeah. they not doing very well, are they? No, but they already shipped out the game itself. They just haven't shipped out all of the Collector's Edition contents. Yeah, I'm still waiting for, you know, the wonky statue and everything. Yeah. Well, they did say they were going to like rework it, so we'll see how that comes out. Yeah, that'll be interesting. The previous CEO, who I did not like very much, said that he was stepping down, so we'll see. We shall see. But on a kind of final note, because we're saying that we've still got to hear news about the 35th anniversary and everything, so going to you first, Moth, what do you think is in store for Sonic's Is there anything you're actually hoping for that they announce or you just alright with it Honestly, I'm gonna let them cook. I'm not one who likes to speculate on things unless there's an intended sort of clue. It's like, oh yeah, they're dropping breadcrumbs for us to sort of figure out what's coming next, right? But at the moment, it seems like they're keeping a lot to their chest about what's happening and that could either mean that they don't want to create hype too soon about it, which I think is a very sensible approach, But at the same token, it could also mean that they're not planning anything at all. and What we've got is what we've got. But I am on the optimistic side of things where they aren't going to let... Well, I mean, they have a bit of history for like letting anniversary stuff come like a year after. And if that's what it takes, that's what it takes, right? I'm just going to let them do what they're going to do. And any news that we get, great. We'll take it. No, fair. What about you, Shadow? Personally, I'm a little bit worried because they had thrown around the idea of remaking Sonic Adventure and to me that's just not gonna be what I want them to do nor is ah a good idea, at least in my opinion, so I'd rather them do something new, like a Frontiers 2 or even something completely unique rather than just a remake of something. But otherwise, I think so far, I mean, I have no reason to believe that it's going to be bad except for the fact that it's Sonic Team. I mean, Sonic Team have never led us astray, have they? Oh, never. oh
00:58:54
Speaker
the Citation needed. mean, honestly, i don't think I would mind if they did a remake as like a little shadow drop situation. They work on the big new thing and then almost has like a little bit of an extra treat. They go, oh, by the way, we remade this. Here, have it. It depends on what you mean by remake to me, though, because... I think remakes and stuff are important on the overall perception of a game, and if they mess it up, I'll be very, very sad. But if it's just a simple, hey, we're just polishing up the port version and bringing it to modern consoles, I guess I'd be okay with that. But if it was a full-blown, we're just making the game again from the ground up, I wouldn't be as enthused. See, I don't think I'd be as enthused for Sonic Adventure specifically, but if they were going to remake Sonic Adventure 2, sign me up. I would not be enthused really for either. I just don't trust that they understand what people love about those games. See, again, I'm going to go on the benefit of the doubt here. And I think that especially with Sonic Frontiers and the way they handled Sonic Frontiers gives me hope that they're starting to be more in touch with the community. So we'll see. I get that. But also for me, they need more than just one game to really start earning my trust back. You know, gotta start somewhere. True, true. And I think it's a solid start. i mean, to be clear, if they do do it right, I'll be happy. yeah I'm just not holding my breath about it. No, that's fair. One day, we'll get the game we deserve. One day. yeah One day, our patience will be rewarded. But it is not this day. This day we suffer. This day we must suffer. Only to taste the fruits of the labor later on down the line. And for those of us who come after.
01:00:26
Speaker
Moth, why'd you have to pull out the expedition there to do like nothing? know what I did! I know! what i did Oh, and I'm not depressing, no. No, in all seriousness, I'm interested to see what they'll bring out for the 35th anniversary, but yeah, again, I'm not holding my breath overly, as you both said. Hopefully they pull out something absolutely goated and amazing, but time will tell. We'll see. We'll absolutely see. But on that note, honestly, I've got to say it. Thank you so much for joining me in this episode, talking about all things Sonic Anniversary. Yeah, thank you for having me. Likewise, thank you for having me back. It's been great to yap with you guys. Yeah, definitely. Even if it almost came to blows a couple of times, I still adore talking to you guys. I was going to say, and I look forward to meeting you in the Waffle House parking lot. We shall have our Honorable Duel. It shall be done. yeah And by Honorable Duel, I mean I'm going full on street rules. Prepare. And before we make the fated crusade to Waffle House, first of all, Shadow, where can the amazing Pandalorians at home find your contents? You can find me on Twitch.tv as SuperShadow271 as well as YouTube and I have a blue sky under the same name and a a Discord. And Moth, turning it on you, where can the amazing Pandalorians find your content? As I said before you, go to beat down Shadow at a Waffle House. But you know what? I'm on the same platform. So I'm also on Twitch.tv at Wisteria Moth and also places like TikTok and Blue Sky and Discord as well. All with the same name with the same spelling. I don't like how you said that she's going to be beating me up because it willll be the opposite will We'll see. Just both of you coming over with the knuckles, box and gloves. Yeah. No, ah listen. Baseball bat with a nail through it. No, remember, I walk with a crutch. I come built with a weapon. Absolute weapon. Like I said, you stay ready. You ain't got to get ready.
01:02:23
Speaker
You got to play your cards, right, Shadow? I have range, too. I have range, too. Yeah, you've got to play your cards, right, Shadow, if you're going to be able to play the definitive edition of Sonic Frontiers. Yeah, well, don't worry. I'm pretty ah large, so I've got a lot of padding to me. I can handle few blows. Yeah, but I'm also roughly kneecap level, so just putting that out there. Yeah, well... I have fin guards, it's fine. And if you want to place your bets, you can the indeed check us out on our website, chatsandhaffy.com, as well as all good podcast apps. For legal reasons, that's a joke. Check out our episodes there. Not betting advice. I want to give a huge shout out to our Pandalorian patrons, Robotic Battle Toaster, Ghostate and Cryptic 1991. Thank you so, so much for supporting the show. And if you would like early access to episodes, exclusive episodes, bonus content, and all the juicy extra content, many can check us out our Patreon page, patreon.com forward slash chat tsunami. This podcast is a proud member of the PodPack Collective. For more information, check us out at our Twitter slash x page at podpackcollect. But until next time, thank you all so, so much for listening.
01:03:28
Speaker
Stay safe, stay awesome, stay hydrated, and most importantly, don't go to Waffle House. You don't want to see what's going down. Just don't go. up You'll read about it in the newspaper the next day anyway. Yeah, we're going to be a headline. Don't worry about it. True, true. Bye, guys. Goodbye.