Sonic 3D - Collect-A-Thons Were Always a Divisive Genre (A Friend Recalls)
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A retrospective review of Sonic 3D, the game that prepped Sonic to enter a new dimension he may not have been ready for. A short retrospective essay on why this game deserves to be remembered.
Chapters:
0:00 Introduction
0:49 Challenges of the Next Generation
1:45 Rise of the 3D Collect-A-Thon
3:22 Sonic Team Were Already There
4:52 A Brand Tarnished
5:55 Momentum
8:29 Conclusion
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This is part of a video series providing retrospective analysis of popular culture (video games, books, comics, movies), trying to understand how our taste in entertainment has changed over the last few decades. In these videos look at topics such as the history behind their creation, the cultural impact they had on the wider world or just celebrate high watermarks - experiences that deserve to be celebrated. In 2018 video gaming became the worlds single most popular form of entertainment however that does not mean other forms are dead or deserve to be forgotten. We have been fortunate enough to reap the benefits of an evolving industry that learns from both it's successes and mistakes - and I've been learning as a consumer. This series is designed to celebrate and share important milestones and significant releases; be they good or bad.
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From Wikipedia:
Sonic 3D Blast, known in Europe as Sonic 3D: Flickies' Island, is a 1996 platform game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series for the Sega Genesis and Sega Saturn. As Sonic the Hedgehog, the player embarks on a journey to save the Flickies, birds enslaved by Doctor Robotnik. The player must guide Sonic through a series of themed levels to collect Flickies and defeat Robotnik. Though it retains game mechanics from prior Sonic games, Sonic 3D Blast is differentiated by its isometric perspective, with pre-rendered 3D models converted into sprites.
The concept for Sonic 3D Blast originated during the development of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (1994). Most of the programming was outsourced to the British studio Traveller's Tales, as the Japanese Sonic Team staff was preoccupied with Nights into Dreams (1996). Development lasted eight months, and the team drew inspiration from Donkey Kong Country (1994) and Sonic Labyrinth (1995). Sonic 3D Blast was developed alongside the Saturn game Sonic X-treme. When X-treme was canceled, Sega commissioned a port of 3D Blast featuring improved graphics for the Saturn.
Both versions were published by Sega in November 1996, with a Windows port released the following year. Sonic 3D Blast was the final Sonic game for the Genesis, and has been rereleased through Sonic compilations and digital distribution platforms. Though commercially successful, it received mixed reviews. Criticism was directed at its isometric gameplay, controls, and pace, although the visuals and soundtrack were praised. Journalists retrospectively consider the game one of the series' worst. An unofficial director's cut version, featuring adjusted gameplay elements and improved controls, was released by the Genesis version's lead programmer, Jon Burton, in 2017.
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All pictures are from gameplay recorded on the Nintendo Switch, Mega Drive Collection, published by SEGA. Incidental music is from the game soundtrack.