#hes just not the classic version of THIS particular modern sonic????

[jorrated]

idk why sonic fans care so much about canon timelines. classic sonic is past sonic or an alternate version sonic? who gives a shit sonic canon is the definition of fuck it we ball have fun with your blue rat

[edgy-ella]

IDW SONIC READERS, PLEASE READ THIS!!!!

I am begging you. On my hands and knees. Begging. More so than anything else I’ve asked of this fandom.

Please please buy the Fang miniseries when it comes out

Don’t just read it. Buy it. I will admit that I’m very guilty of reading through a lot of IDW Sonic through…less than legal means, and I know I’m not alone in that regard. But I think it’s really important that for this miniseries in particular, you actually go out and buy the damn thing. Show your support with your dollar.

Really think about it for a second—they gave Fang his own miniseries. Fang! An underutilized, underrated fan favorite for sure, but hardly a mainstay of the series. I’m sure that this was at least somewhat prompted by Superstars, where Fang is a major antagonist…but Bean and Bark weren’t in that game, and it already received its own online promo comic prior to the game’s release (notably, with Fang as the star).

Classic Sonic stories have also exclusively been relegated to one-shots in IDW, not a full on miniseries like what Fang is getting. Basically all of the IDW Sonic miniseries we’ve gotten so far have been plot relevant side stories to the main IDW comic that focus on side characters with little to no involvement from Sonic himself. Tangle and Whisper, Bad Guys, Impostor Syndrome…the only odd man out besides this Fang miniseries is Scrapnik Island.

Really think about it for a second. FANG is getting his own focus comic BEFORE KNUCKLES.

And that’s why it’s so important that we buy it.

I think Sega is using this comic to test the waters to see if people like Fang and want to see him in more future projects—be it comics, games, or even cartoons. But there’s more to it than just that.

See, Superstars hasn’t been doing that great. I know I said in an earlier post that people seemed to like it, but I retract that statement. It was damned by faint praise at launch, and now most of the discussion I’ve seen surrounding the game revolves around its flaws (chief among them being the middling OST and that the Steam version stealth installs an Epic Games service along with the game). No sales numbers have been projected as of writing, but it’s definitely been beaten out by Mario Wonder and Spider-Man 2.

So, Classic Sonic games aren’t doing too hot right now (I’m sure that many modern fans are jumping for joy at the prospect). But the classic characters are.

People really like the extended classic Sonic cast, just as much as they love the extended modern cast. From my experience, the two fan favorites are Mighty and Fang. Fang stands out to me in particular for a couple reasons: people were really upset that Sega specifically said no to Fang, Bark and Bean coming back after Ian snuck in a reference to them in IDW Sonic #3 (using their old team name from Archie, the Hooligans), and the fanmade 16-bit remake of Triple Trouble, Fang’s debut game, received private praise from many members of Sega and Sonic Team. People like Fang and the media he’s in, and Sega is starting to take notice. That’s why we’re getting this miniseries.

That’s why it’s so important that the miniseries sells well. If the big boys at Sega and Sonic Team see Superstars’ iffy reception but see Fang’s comic sell above expectations, then Sega will want to continue to use Fang (and potentially other “classic” Sonic characters as well) in more narrative driven projects. That means modern Sonic.

“But Sega won’t let any classic Sonic character into a modern Sonic project!” I hear you thinking. And to that I say, so? Sega changes its mind all the time. Remember that whole two worlds nonsense? That was thrown out with in Tailstube. Characters debuting in Boom and the comics were previously barred from the mainline games, but they’ve broken that “rule” in both Speed Battle and Frontiers. Hell, they’ve even been talked out of some of their sillier comic mandates, like characters not being able to wear different clothing.

For all their flaws, Sega does listen, and money speaks louder than anything. If this miniseries fails, Sega will just assume that people aren’t hot on Fang or the extended classic cast anymore and throw them back in the bar. But if the comic sells well, then Sega might take it as a sign that, hey, people like this character (and his two lackeys), we should put him in projects that fans are more interested in. Mighty and Ray probably wouldn’t be too far behind, especially given Mania’s success. Whether that means comics or games, modern or classic, who knows. What’s important is that it sends the right message to Sega, and they will listen to their consumers. That means us. If we don’t support this miniseries now, we might have to wait another thirty years for another chance.

[ninjapotatohead]

What your favourite Sonic moments ?

Assuming you mean moments from the games centered around Sonic himself, there's a lot I can name.

These two in particular spring to mind.

...buuuut, there's not a whole lot I can say that hasn't been said already. I mean, @crusherthedoctor went into detail on why the former is a good moment for Sonic on his blog, and the latter has been praised by many fans (myself included, me not liking Chip very much and my personal sentiments towards Unleashed itself aside), sooooo, Imma list scenes that next-to-nobody talks about:

Sonic Colours

Contrary to what folks would have you believe, Sonic is perfectly capable of being serious when the situation is truly dire. Him being a snarky bastard in the face of adversity is NOT a new concept unique to Colours.

I've gone on and on about how much I like Sonic's concern for Tails' well-being is on full display in this game, and it comes to a head here. Sonic pushing Tails into the elevator to protect him from a giant mecha when the odds are stacked against him... and all Sonic can do is just give his signature thumbs up and smirk.

Oh, and the Hint Mark can't help you here either, meaning you really ARE on your own. Sonic has the odds stacked against him, and he never backs down. What's not to love?

Sonic Generations

I've brought this up in the past too, but one aspect of Generations' story I really like is how much of a "big bro mentor" role he plays towards his Classic counterpart (not unlike his past friendship with Tails back in the days of the Mega Drive).

I may not like time travel stories all that much (thanks, Sonic 06), but I do love when past versions of a character see how much more capable they'll be when they're older. Classic Sonic might be mute, but his excitement is made abundantly clear...

...which is then paid off in the game's ending, as Classic Sonic tries to do that same Air Boost, but doesn't quite get it. Modern Sonic simply applauds the attempt, saying that Classic will always improve. It's endearing. Also, fuck what Sonictubers say, that last line was good.

Sonic Lost World

"Hey, IDWverse! Take notes!"

Sonic endangering Eggman's life. No other comment, that's just funny.

Sonic Forces

I'm a simple man; I see Sonic being the encouraging voice that inspires others, I like!

Hey, the scene is beautiful. What do you want me to say aside from "Bring back Eitaro Toyoda"?

[blazehedgehog]

i remember someone asking you how would you conceptualize a sonic tv show a couple of years ago and you said something about taking the core aspects of the characters and make them play out like with batman TAS. if so, what other ideas do you have about something like that?

Well, first we'd have to identify what the universal ideal of Sonic the Hedgehog is. That's what Batman TAS did -- it took every variant of Batman ever created and distilled them down into their purest essence.

So my first inclination would be to just start over and maybe retell the events of the Genesis games but with new context, but that's not what Batman did. I'm not even sure how long it took Batman TAS to retell Batman's origin story (judging by this list, maybe 26 episodes). It assumes you know who the character is and tells very simple, iconic stories regarding that universe.

So then you have to ask yourself: what does the purest essence of Sonic look like?

Is it Classic Sonic? Modern Sonic? Something in-between? The above two are Tyson Hesse sheets, and I use them because one, I like the way he draws Sonic, and two, he's kind of been the guiding force behind Sonic's appearances in 2D animation in the last decade. The boy draws a good hog.

And in that regard, I believe he drew this as his way of trying to blend Classic Sonic and Modern Sonic design sensibilities:

Short, scruffy, and a little athletic. But still identifiably the way Sonic has always looked.

Unfortunately, I think Eggman changes too much to really blend two aesthetics together -- again, we're not so much looking to create "our version of Eggman", we're looking to create The Ideal Eggman. So we could probably settle with Classic Eggman and leave it at that. It's a more simplistic design, if nothing else.

From there you just start... telling stories. Not necessarily origin stories, like I don't think we really need an episode where we see Eggman build Metal Sonic. Metal Sonic is just already there.

If you do tell an origin story, it has to be in service of focusing on a specific element of what makes that character sing. Like, I mentioned episode 26 of Batman TAS was probably where they finally touched on Batman's origin, but that's because it's an episode about Crime Alley, the place Bruce's parents were killed. It's not a story about Batman's origin.

So if we tell Metal Sonic's origin story, it has to be referenced within something else as a pillar to strengthen the story being told. It cannot be an origin story about Metal Sonic, because you have to assume the audience already knows who Metal Sonic is. Again, you're not here to show how your Metal Sonic is different, you're here to show the perfect, idealized, purest distillation of Metal Sonic. This is every Metal Sonic in one, shaven down and polished to a mirror finish.

So then, what's interesting about Metal Sonic as a character? Well, he knows, on some level, that he's Sonic. He has some awareness that he's a copy, and he both wants to make his creator (Eggman) proud and also become the one true Sonic (by incapacitating or otherwise destroying the actual Sonic). He is also a creation of Eggman, so there's some desire to subjugate and rule the world in there somewhere (to be evil, in other words).

This means we have a villain with confused goals. He is controlled but strives to break free of that control. But he still wants to be evil. Maybe for reasons he doesn't really understand.

So maybe we tell a story where Sonic's out on a run, looking for a Chaos Emerald. No particular reason, just he thought it would be a good idea to collect one or two to have on hand just in case. Make it so nobody could easily have all seven.

As he gets close to where he thinks an emerald is, he gets blindsided by Metal Sonic, and they have a fight. Sonic reaches under the cuff of his glove and pulls out a tiny communicator he uses to radio Tails with, asking if he's heard any movement from Eggman recently. Tails has not. Then why is Metal Sonic out here?

Tails has Sonic lure him close to the workshop, where Tails runs a scan on Metal.

Turns out: Metal Sonic had the same idea as Sonic. Because Metal Sonic is operating on all of Sonic's thoughts and memories (a good aside to establish here), he independently decided to go on a mission to gather up some (or all) of the Chaos Emeralds "just in case" with the idea of giving them to Eggman. Obviously both Metal and Sonic know they're doing the same thing, so there's no easy way to get Metal Sonic to just stop and go away, right?

So, Tails comes up with an idea: a fake emerald, for a fake Sonic. I don't know that we have to reference Sonic Adventure 2 here, but maybe there could be an offhand reference about how Tails has "always had the technology to synthesize a fake Chaos Emerald." The problem now is getting Metal Sonic to believe the fake emerald is real.

Maybe, for the sake of the plot, a real Chaos Emerald has to be within proximity to hide the energy signature of the fake more easily. So now we have our episode finale: Sonic has to let Metal attack him, they have to fight over the fake emerald, but oh no Tails gets dragged in, and there's a mix up. Who has the real emerald, and who has the fake?

Everyone involved knows one of the emeralds is fake, and Tails has a piece of technology that helps him identify the real one, but it's easy to get confused as to who has which one (by design, that's why there's a real Chaos Emerald here).

The episode ends with our heroes (presumably) having the real one. We see Metal Sonic return to Eggman's city (Scrap Brain Zone) and there's a POV shot where it says "Deliver Emerald To The Doctor" like a mission objective. Metal Sonic pauses for a moment, staring in to the Emerald, and we see the objective get minimized for a new one:

"Take The Untold Power For Yourself."

Metal Sonic's hand transforms, or his chest opens up, or something happens where he's going to use the emerald to power himself up. He starts to accept the emerald's energies, everything looks like it's working just fine, but there's an anomaly, the wavelengths go haywire, and the emerald explodes.

Our final shot is a severely damaged Metal Sonic limping into Doctor Eggman's lab, who is completely unaware of what just happened. He dotes on Metal, cursing what Sonic has done to him. And Metal Sonic just silently stares.

Now I'm no Bruce Timm or Paul Dini, but to me, that gestures towards the type of storytelling I think a TAS-style Sonic show would lean towards.

[true-blue-sonic]

♻️, 🤔, 🛠️? :>

♻️A scrapped idea for your current WIP

It's a minor thing, but in the story wherein Silver takes Sonic with him to the future to rectify a mistake in the history books, I'd written a section about Silver's further complaints about other characters: specifically that Amy has a back spike in the book and Espio's spines are green, not black. The joke would then have been that those are their Classic designs, not the Modern ones. But I figured it wouldn't be suitable because obviously the book would indicate that these are the younger versions of these people, which would explain to Silver why they don't look the way he knows them. So I left that part out.

🤔What’s a story you’d love to write but haven’t even started yet?

I don't have any particular idea in my mind right now, I fear. But I gave an answer to it here ^-^

🛠Is there a scene or anything in the WIP you are struggling with right now?

For the story with Silver and Sonic in the future, I want to give Silver's friends in the future more spotlight: right now they're just kind of there with the history book. But I am not sure how to best introduce what the group of people looks like, or to have a discussion going on between them without giving too much detail about their appearances and names and such (because I haven't thought those out yet so much, lol). So that is something I want to look into before I publish that story!

[egg-emperor]

So what are your thoughts on the designs from Sonic Prime for the Council of Eggman

I'm a bit iffy on the designs rn, I wasn't feeling them that much in that leaked concept art either but the execution of them into 3D isn't the most appealing to me right now. the best to me are probably the one with the wig and the grandpa. as you can tell I like it when all alternate versions are still as close in design to the actual Eggman as possible. XD

not sure how I feel about how the other adult one looks, don't know why people are saying he looks gay in particular because have they seen modern Eggman in his usual gay ass leather and spandex outfit lol. he just looks a bit strange to me as the style wouldn't suit regular Eggman but maybe that won't matter much to me eventually once I see more.

also the kid ones have strange design choices, they don't bother me much except for their hair but man those styles really don't suit Eggman at all. partially shaved haircuts don't suit him at any age and crazy hairstyles to match his mustache is odd to me, just because he likes having a huge mustache doesn't mean hair on his head had to be too.

I can at least appreciate how they tried to stick to the base design for the most part and yeah I guess they can get away with the changes that don't work for regular Eggman because they're multiverse versions after all. but I like when alternate versions keep it faithful as possible to still feel like part of that character is still there, like my favorites.

designs and first impressions are important but I'll hold out and wait to see how they're used to see how I feel about them overall as looks aren't everything of course. and we still haven't seen too much of them so maybe I'll get used to it and it'll stop being as prominent to me over time because I'm not mad and I don't hate them rn, just indifferent.

but I can say with full confidence that they ain't gonna be my favorite alternate versions of Eggman to exist. I'm not gonna be as into this whole thing as my modern, classic, Shahryar, Zobotnik, Boom, Vampire AU Egg, and Casino AU Egg multiverse concepts where they're all gay with each other and all look beautiful and sexy to me fjsfndkghsg

[ganymedesclock]

Ooh ooh ooh, how about your version of Sonic for the powers thing?

You see, Sonic is fast, because if he doesn't keep ahead of his problems, he'll have to actually think about them, and then he'll have a crisis.

This is partially a fun opener joke and it's also not. I'll let you decide how much of each it is. In the meantime, I'm going to talk about what my reads of various canons inspire in me, and how that informs Worlds AU, a bit more than talking about Worlds AU itself.

So Sonic in the initial game canon, started out with an extremely simple conceit. You can see this mirrored across all of the non-Amy classic characters: Sonic runs, that's his thing; Tails flies, Knuckles punches, Eggman makes robots and also problems, which sort of condenses into one thing considering the role robots have in the classic games.

(that damn caterkiller has cost me SO many attempts at a chaos emerald...)

This sort of got to be a problem as the games advanced. In particular, the Sonic game I started on was Sonic Adventure 2, which pitted Sonic very prominently off of Shadow. At this point, character concepts are no longer about simple capabilities, and every other member of the cast has grown up. (even Amy... though not too much. sorry Amy). Tails is now building robots to go with how his flight allows him to reach unconventional 'tricky' routes; Knuckles is now more of an adventurer, explorer, and even a mystic given his history and relationship with the emeralds. This earthly pugilist sense grounds him in a more versatile skill-set.

Sonic... basically his gimmick was remaining true to the classic formula- he was still the one going fast, popping those shuttle loops, and tumbling through a chaotic universe. Yes, they absolutely polished this and put flourishes on it- now he's grinding rails and flipping on poles, this sense of street-smart parkour that carries him cheekily through any environment...

But he's played off Shadow, where the thing about Shadow, especially in the first game, is Shadow is a person who suppresses most of his personality for his context. Not in an inorganic or badly written sense, mind- but he outright says to Rouge at one point that it doesn't matter if anything he remembers is fake- in essence, that it's more real than he is, and a dead person's wish is more important than his life.

Shadow is a soldier, is an alien, is a bioweapon, is a teleporter and he shoots lasers. We are beyond the days of simple conceits; if he was conceived in the classic era, he'd have probably been either only a jet-skater or a teleporter, and that one conceit about how he moved through the world would've been through everything.

Sonic picks up the chaos control from Shadow- in direct reaction to Shadow- and this is commented on. In this scene, Sonic not only rejects Shadow's unhealthy obsession with context- that where he came from was everything- but mirrors it with an attitude that, frankly, to me, rings just as unbalanced- Sonic basically denies having a backstory whatsoever.

"What you see is what you get!" he says.

And that flew in the classic era. We didn't really have a consistent or strongly-drawn backstory over why Sonic was fast. Most continuities around that era point it to either an accident or a happenstance synergy with an outside force. But we didn't really need a story over why Tails can fly or why Knuckles had spurs on his fists.

But in the modern era... there's context. Many characters have superpowers. And more and more, there was a sense that those superpowers had context and history, whether the outright spelled, like Shadow (he was engineered to be capable of this; if you look at him, he has most of the abilities you'd expect of a boss fight in Resident Evil, minus the squelchy, infectious sorts and the Black Arms imply he could well have those and just not use them)

...or the simply alluded, such as Blaze's ominous comment that her flames are the reason she was always alone.

Sonic... clearly has powers. He's been reframed to keep up with he setting as it changes. But that exchange between him and Shadow- where Shadow looks at what Sonic is capable of, looks at him, and asks, verbatim, "what are you," and Sonic delivers a non-answer so naked and so certain that there's not really anything to say to that.

To this end, while I think it's highly intuitive that they picked the wind as the motif to spice Sonic up to- with its sense of freedom, and with its association with speed- I think there's also something about air in general that connects to Sonic.

Air is... omnipresent. It has an extremely complex seething system high overhead. Enormous paths and belts and spirals of wind curl over us all the time, pushing clouds the size of entire states around like it's nothing. When you look at the sky, it looks stationary. But wait, squint- it's actually moving. It's actually moving really fast.

One of my absolute favorite characterizing moments of Sonic is in Archie Comics, specifically the post-reboot series. To keep context minimal, Tails confides in Sonic that he's losing his memory of a certain incident that affected both of them, and he's worried; Sonic reassures him, typical hero big brother best friend, and gives him a big hug. The scene is warmly lit.

The very next panel is literally in the shadows, over Tails' shoulder and behind his back. And Sonic's expression is... troubled. Telling. We immediately understand from that alone he just lied, and has no ability to 'just remember for Tails'.

Sonic is not a vacuous person. He's not empty, he's not innocent, and he's certainly not just your same good nostalgic friend who never changed or got complicated so you don't have to reevaluate all of those things- the guy you can always count on, just like the sky is always there- but he sure pretends to be all of those things, and tries to keep the stormy weather as far away from other people as possible.

This is given another heroic-sounding-but-actually-concerning context in Sonic Unleashed, one of several games in which Sonic shows a maybe suspicious but profound aptitude for darkness where he guzzles and serves as a very powerful conduit for the energy of Dark Gaia, who is strongly connoted with rage, despair, denial, and other states considered bad for your health.

Sonic asks Chip- who he's just found out is Dark Gaia's counterpart- if it was his protection that kept him from losing his mind the entire time. Chip denies this, and states instead it's that "you never let the darkness win."

The thing is... anger and sadness are actually pretty important to feel. And it's actually not true that Sonic as a character doesn't feel anger- there's a few rather notable scenes in which he really loses his cool, some of them within Sonic Unleashed itself (he actually scares Eggman at the culmination of the Egg Dragoon fight) and in the game Sonic and the Secret Rings he actually achieves a super form powered by negative emotions- and that game also ends on a surprisingly melancholy note, where Shahra, when leaving Sonic, specifically gives him a bunch of tissues, a nod to how they met, and specifically "So you can cry as much as you need to."

Sonic is a good person. But Sonic is also... kind of a liar. He has this powerful connection to these highly destructive and dangerous entities- Dark Gaia, Chaos- and this is a thing he, pointedly, doesn't wonder about. And it's not arrogance, or an inability to consider the possibilities- in Sonic Colors he is very real with himself that he can't outrun a black hole, but only admits that once Tails is out of earshot on the one safe ride away from it- and while gearing up to try to do so anyway.

Wind is a contradictory thing. In the sky, we consider the possibility of ultimate freedom; flight and wings are often depicted as symbols of enormous power and efficacy because the very notion of being able to go wherever you want to captivates us.

On the other hand, though, a state of freefall is terrifying. In the unparalleled freedom of the sky, absolutely nothing can catch you if you fall.

(you know, except Tails, if you're fighting Eggman in Marble Garden- I'll leave)

We can talk about a bolt from the blue, a sudden storm or a just-as-sudden clear blue sky... the mechanisms of the air around us are often very hard to perceive for their superficial simplicity. And on sunny days when the wind lazes slowly through the leaves, it's hard to think of it as capable of hurricane forces.

I guess the note I want to leave this on is, it's pretty interesting how Sonic genuinely likes running, but he also tends to either outrun or fight anything that stresses him out- and "what he is" and "what he's capable of" is something he really doesn't like talking about even if he's happy to show or compete it.

[appears]

AUDIENCE

It's Ayumi Hamasaki's birthday on October 2 and we're extending the celebration in true ego-maniacal, splashy celebrity fashion, by drawing out the festivities for an entire week! Each day I will briefly discuss a totally random item chosen (not by me) from my Ayu collection. Prepare for praise, disappointment, and controversial opinions backed by love and respect as we take a casual look back in this blurry snapshot of her career. Happy Birthday to our Party Queen, Ayumi Hamasaki!

We have another classic Ayu single here with "AUDIENCE," released in its subsequent vinyl version on Avex’s Rhythm Republic sub-label only a month after the CD maxi-single version. Chronologically, this single came right after the simultaneous drop of the SURREAL maxi-single, and her third original studio album, Duty, two months earlier in the fall of 2000. The song was originally included on said album, but though it may seem like an anomaly for Ayumi to have released a single after its album release, she had actually already done this before when she released both album tracks "kanariya" and "Fly high" as maxi-singles within two months of the release of LOVEppears. All the more for us maxi-single, dance music lovers!

"AUDIENCE" has become a fan favorite since its release, often saved during concert tours for the high-energy back-end of performances. This vinyl version includes three cuts off of the original single: "Keith Litman's Big City Club Mix" on Side A, and the "Dave Ford Mix" on side B, along with the "Sample MadnesS remix" of "SURREAL" by producer Eboman. The Keith Litman version on the vinyl is an original mix exclusive to the format, as the mix on the maxi-single is the shorter "Radio Mix." There is also a longer, extended mix of this included on the EP excerpts from ayu-mi-x III CD005. His remix is quite good, and appropriately "club-y," but doesn't stand out in any particular way.

The mix by Dave Ford is startlingly similar to what we know as the original version of this song, with very subtle, yet hugely impactful, differences. Dave Ford mixed singles and albums for several Avex Trax, and other J-pop, artists (Namie Amuro, Dream, Every Little Thing, Favorite Blue, move, Rina Chinen, T.M.Revolution, my God the list goes on), remix compilations, and other Ayu singles (including mixing the "AUBE Original Mix" of "Boys & Girls," the version that appears on LOVEppears, and tracks on the A maxi-single.).

He is an incredibly, and near criminally, underrated engineer in global pop music and was one of the reasons that Avex Trax artists always sounded incredible, with a knack for bringing out the bustling, maximalist energy of a record and making it as full and warm and just about to blow out of your speakers as it deserved to sound. In my opinion, Dave Ford has helped shape the modern, specifically 90s-early 00s, technical soundscape of Japanese pop music, and certainly that of Avex Trax’s particular brand, nearly as much as Tetsuya Komuro did for style and melody, but he never gets mentioned. In fact, the two often appeared on the same liner notes, with Dave Ford mixing dozens of records, including hitomi and trf, as far back as 1994 (”WOW WAR TONIGHT”? That was him). Here, he brings the fun and richness to a song like "AUDIENCE," a song that with its relentless synths, energetic BPM, and wall-to-wall density imitating the rush and euphoria of being in a crowd seems more like a LOVEppears holdover than something off of the more restrained, cool Duty. It's an incredible song and I'm glad it got its time to shine on its own release. Mostly, I’m glad Dave Ford was a part of it, because it would have been a very different song without him -- you can pick up on t just by the way the energy of it makes you feel it when listening to it side-by-side to the slightly more conservative Duty version). Certainly, his absence has been felt at the same time TK stopped being top dog and the sun set on this particular sonic era.

The value of having large record sleeves really comes in handy with this single: the cover art features dozens of pictures of Ayumi dressed up as different "fans" that comprise an entire audience. No two shots are alike, and it's really neat to see all of the different images clearly without having to use a magnifying glass with the CD sleeve. In terms of jacket sleeves, this is one of her best and showcased just how much effort, time, and thought was put into them back then (the rainbow gradient is not just visually interesting, it’s also deliberate). I've written about a lot of early Ayu releases, but it's worth repeating: this is both a genuinely iconic, great song, and an indispensable piece of her discography. But also: give credit to whom it’s due.

[spinningbuster98]

1, 6, 7, 15 :)

Why did you become interested in Sonic?

Well when I was around 6 years old Sonic X used to always be on TV and I just...happened to watch a lot of its episodes, being particularily hyped about Super Saiyan hedgehogs because I was into my DBZ phase like many others my age.

One day my dad took me to a game shop and I just happened to notice a game that had one of the characters from the show depicted on its cover, that being Shadow

Yes Shadow the Hedgehog of all games was my first Sonic game, soon followed by Heroes, Mega Collection Plus and Gems Collection, though I can't remember the order

2) Favourite game(s)?

My opinions (on anything really) tend to always change but in general:

Sonic 3 & Knuckles is a game I hold dear, although ever since Mania came out I've been put off by it because the Retro Engine's renewed physics have made me notice all the little imperfections in S3K's own physics, plus all the little bugs and stuff like randomly stopping while spindashing up a slope in IceCap act 2

Sonic Adventure 1 is a game I have many nostalgic memories of, but as time passed I've begun to really dislike its repetitive structure and undercooked campaigns

Sonic Adventure 2 on the other hand is a game that I used to not like very much, however in recent years I've begun to appreciate it way more than SA1 for its more compact and streamlined structure, and I've also grown to like its other gameplay styles by mostly judging them on their merits rather than how they may or may not fit into a Sonic game....which is still a valid criticism though, and I in no way will I ever declare SA2 the "best Sonic experience ever"

Sonic Unleashed is a game I haven't played in a long while (alongside Generations) mainly because I haven't been able to use my XBOX 360 in a long while. I have many good memories of this one, and I still really like the Daytime stages despite their linearity,as I really like their length and difficulty level...but the Werehog brings it all down, as while I may appreciate alien gameplay styles in Sonic to some extent like I now do for SA2, the Werehog's stages simply drag on for far too long

Sonic Colors is a game I still quite enjoy when trying to collect everything. Going through these stages like normal is not very fulfilling because of their length and relative simplicity, but when you're going after those Red Rings it really makes the levels much better to me, as it forces you to actually explore them, do extra platforming and use the Wisps in particular ways. True its platforming is often not very Sonic-like, but for the most part I still enjoy it as I don't think it overtakes the speedy portions too much (hell I still like Sonic 1, which is worse in this aspect)

Sonic Generations is another game I haven't played in a while, and I really wish it were longer (and actually did something with its story) because it's got some of the best levels in the series, Seaside Hill act 2 in particular. Ironically I feel that Modern Sonic steals the show completely, to the point that you could take Classic out and the game wouldn't get worse, though he's still enjoyable, albeit not 100% faithful with how he handles in the Classics (and City Escape act 1 is just fun, alongside Speed Highway act 1)

Sonic Mania, which would have been my absolute number 1 had it had way more OG stages and given Knuckles more unique alt paths

7) Favourite vocal themes?

*Inhales

It Doesn't Matter for being a great way of describing Sonic's character in a nutshell (I used to prefer SA2's version, but now I've swung the other way)

Open Your Heart for obvious reasons, although I've noticed just how cheesy some of the lyrics can get (GOTTA OPEN YOUR HEART DUUUUUDE)

Live and Learn, which for the longest time I actually didn't like nearly as much as Open Your Heart for being shorter, but now I REALLY like how much it fits the final battle of the game....if only it were a longer and harder fight (that guitar solo followed by the lyrics with the quiet guitars in the background at the halfway point is the best)

What I'm made of, I just love how the song and especially the lyrics pump you up for a big fight against such a big slithering cowerd as Metal was in Heroes

Endless Possibilities, for reasons more or less similar to It Doesn't Matter, though I guess it's not as descriptive of Sonic's character, but it sure is adventurous! (I'm not the biggest fan of the part about the Werehog, as it kinda...feels out of place with the rest of the song? As if they absolutely had to represent the werehog in some way)

With Me, I just LOVE the back and forth between the two singing voices representing the clashing ideologies of Sonic and Merlina...though I kinda wished the voices were a bit more similar to theirs (I also like the Crush 40 version, but the original is the best)

Infinite's Theme: Which I got cut by just typing about it

I am all of me: OUCH I'M BLEEDING!!

15) Favourite Sonic levels?

Chemical Plant in Sonic 2 because yes

Hydrocity and Icecap from Sonic 3 because you all should know why

Red Mountain in SA1 because I actually really like the aesthetic, and I find it's got a better balance between speed and platforming than Speed Highway (which is still really good, but a bit on the short side I feel). Plus Emerald Coast for being fun and iconic, Windy Valley (though I wished its first act was longer), Speed Highway, Lost World for its great atmosphere, and Final Egg for how...dirty it looks, favourite Eggman base to this day

City Escape, Metal Harbor, Radical Highway, Final Chase, Meteor Herd and Security Hall (yes you read correctly) for SA2

I wanna say Mystic Mansion for Heroes but mainly because I adore the Halloween aesthetic and OST and I wish more games did something like it

Rooftop Run for Unleashed because....c'mon

Green Hill act 2, Chemical Plant act 1, Sky Sanctuary act 2, City Escape (both acts), Speed Highway (both acts), Seaside Hill act 2, Crisis City act 2 and Rooftop Run act 2 (though not as much as the original) from Generations

[foximator-blog]

Actually, I think I have some more sonic related things to share today. How about a:

Mega Headcanon post

Just a big ol post of Sonic headcanons in my personal AU. It might be fun, or it might be lame. You can be the judge. ^^ I'll stick with Team Sonic for now

Sonic

Sonic in my AU has quirks from most versions of Sonic. He's got the floof, extra spiky quills, and the Scarf of boom Sonic. He mostly follows a story similarly to classic/modern Sonic. And he values family and friendship like Movie Sonic. He also tries to set a good example for those younger than him, despite his thrill seeking nature, oddly enough like AoStH Sonic.

The lengths he will go to ensure all his friends are safe is insane. It doesn't matter who it is, but if anyone even remotely close to Sonic is threatened, he is quite literally the first to act, be it Tails, Amy, Knuckles, Big, Elise... anyone.

An Asexual Panromantic. He's big into cuddles, but flirting either goes right over his head or doesn't intrest him much.

Species means nothing on mobius considering they're all bipedal and intelligent humanoids. So Sonic would like to kindly ask you all to stop making fun of the bond he and Elise developed in 06, it's getting old.

Sonic is actually a surprisingly competent cook... and very knowledgeable about the nutritional value and calorie content of most foods. Which comes in handy considering many of his friends don't burn calories as fast as he does.

Only those Majorly involved in the events of 06 remember what happened before reality was altered, so sometimes Sonic will visit Elise in Soleana to check up on her. She's finally able to love a more comfortable life without a big fire monster trapped inside her.

Sonic was 15 years old in the Classic era, in my AU he's currently in his Twenties.

Tails

Tails obviously tinkers and works with machines in his spare time... but he also likes to try developing video games. Sonic loved to play test them.

Tails is secretly friends with his Robotic Rival Tails doll. And sometimes they seem to forget they're rivals.

Tails has... So many crushes. He's a pansexual disaster but doesn't know it yet. This does include Zowie and Cosmo yes, but also some other characters from other series considering I cross over my favorite AUs and fandoms quite a bit.

Tails in my AU is currently fifteen years old.

He does like to chase his tails from time to time, but only when he thinks no one is looking... He is not aware Sonic and Amy know.

He sings what he's listening to when he has ear buds in. Which is embarrassing when he's unironicly listening to meme music.

Tails had tried many times to revive Gamma, but has been unsuccessful... still, having an E-series robot to study makes maintaining and Repairing Omega much easier.

Tails has converted an old Motobug engine into an energy efficient engine for the Tornado, but instead of animals it's powered by rings.

Knuckles

He does still hate big crowds on his island, but doesn't mind having friends over in small parties or one on one.

He has a hat he really likes, but it keeps falling off while gliding long distances so he can't bring it on adventures as much as he'd like.

The hat falls off because his dreadlocks fan out like wings for gliding, and thus lift the hat up enough to push it off or let it get caught by a breeze. Using the string makes the hat slow him down like a weird parachute.

He and Rouge have made a silent agreement to pool their treasure together since the military occasionally tries to take it from her despite her services. They don't invade Angel island, so it's safe there. Not to mention it's now on the same island as the Master emerald, and thus she has no reason to take the Master emerald from the island now.

Now though, she makes jokes about them practically being Married due to how their relationship has changed.

Knuckles has many tribal warrior tattoos and markings in the AU, but they can seem a little messy... He's the last of his kind so he had to paint them himself.

Knuckles does now venture off the island more often than he used to... He still has a weird time in cities, but so long as Tails or Sonic are around to keep him out of trouble he can manage.

He likes to taste different fruit sodas to critique how close to the real fruit they taste like. He's really picky with grape soda in particular since Grapes are his favorite fruit.

His age in the AU is also in his twenties. He's only a year older than Sonic.

Amy and Sonic had to help him learn to read English, but in return he taught Amy and Sonic how to easily decode and translate ancient languages for themselves. Being a treasure hunter himself, he knows a thing or two about the history of Mobius.

[newmusickarl]

Album & EP Recommendations

As there is a HUGE amount to cover this week, I’m trying something a bit different with some slightly snappier reviews and a genre inclusion so you can head straight for the recommendation that matches your musical preference. There’s at least one album from all the key genres this week too, so hopefully a little something for everyone. Without any further ado then, here’s what’s good:

Album of the Week: Comfort To Me by Amyl & The Sniffers (Punk/Rock)

My personal preference from this week is the rip-roaring sophomore album from Australia’s own Amyl & The Sniffers. Although I was already vaguely familiar with the band’s previous work, I was still not prepared for the full throttle, smashmouth, rifftastic contents of this utterly brilliant record. As a result, this one hit me like a lightning bolt, thanks to the furious energy of frontwoman Amy Taylor and the mind-melting guitar work throughout.

From the off, absolutely nothing is held back here, as Taylor’s punk vocals and razor-sharp lyrics hit you in the ear like haymakers. What’s most surprising though is how the shredding guitar riffs that are littered across this record manage to sound so astonishing and impressive, yet at the same time as if the band are not even trying at all. It’s completely hypnotising yet everything is made to sound so easy and natural thanks to the sheer rawness of the music.

This one also already plays out like a greatest hits record too, with Guided By Angels, Security, Hertz, Maggot and Capital five of the best pure punk rock tracks to emerge in the last five years. Concise, in-your-face and no moment spared, this is a rock record the kind of which rarely gets made anymore. Without a doubt, one of the best of the year for its genre.

Listen here

Hey What by Low (Experimental/Alternative)

They may be 13 albums and nearly 30 years into their career at this point, but American experimental rockers Low show no sign of slowing down at this point. Still relatively fresh off the back of their hugely acclaimed album Double Negative, which was widely seen as the Album of the Year in 2018, Low are back yet again with another sonic trip into the weird and wonderful.

Now I must admit although a lot of people adored Double Negative, I personally was always a bit indifferent towards it. I appreciated the sonic textures and the heartfelt moments, but it never completely resonated with me like I know it did for others – one that fell into the “easy to admire, hard to love” category. That is not the case with this new album however, as with Hey What they seem to have further refined what they started on that record, creating an album that’s just as impressive but possibly more accessible than its predecessor.

Opener White Horses picks up pretty much where they left off under a tidal wave of soaring vocals and stunning yet unsettling distortion. From there you’ll once again be checking your audio equipment hasn’t broken, as Low playfully mess around with musical conventions and gargantuan glitchy soundscapes to great effect. This also allows the slightly sparser tracks like All Night, Don’t Walk Away and particularly Days Like These, to emerge out of this masterfully produced cacophony as some of the most haunting and stirring moments.

They may not have won me over with the last one, but they certainly have now – an outstanding album that leaves a lasting impression.

Listen here

Star-crossed by Kacey Musgraves (Country/Pop)

Golden Hour was another hit with the critics in 2018 that, much like the Low album, didn’t quite capture me. But again, just like Low, I prefer this latest work from country-turned-pop singer, Kacey Musgraves. With Star-crossed, Musgraves aims to craft her own Shakespearean tragedy, with all the theatre and the drama that goes with it.

The title track opener perfectly sets the stage as the gentle plucking of the acoustic guitar is suddenly surrounded by soaring, multi-layered instrumentation. It is all hugely cinematic and from there on in, Musgraves weaves her tale of heartbreak with plenty of catchy hooks, polished production and solid, heartfelt songwriting. However, the best moments are arguably when Musgraves keeps it raw, such as on camera roll where she takes something as simple as finding old photos of a lost lover on a phone and relaying back to the listener the pain that moment can bring.

In a year that’s already seen some brilliant pop albums, Musgraves stakes her claim with a well-crafted record built on a tried and tested concept. It’s a successful outing with more than enough great tunes and interesting instrumentation (see the jazz flute on there is a light in particular) to keep you interested from beginning to end.

Listen here

Enjoy The View by We Were Promised Jetpacks (Alternative)

Scottish indie rockers We Were Promised Jetpacks also released their stunning fifth album this week. This one pulls at the heartstrings from the get-go as the gentle waltz of reflective opener that’s Not Me Anymore immediately locks you into the record and refuses to loosen its grip until the very last note. There’s plenty of spine-tingling moments throughout too, such as the melancholic riffs of All That Glittered, the haunting sparseness of What I Know Now and the uplifting melody of I Wish You Well.

Listen here

Back In Love City by The Vaccines (Indie)

A band well adept at writing killer hooks at this point, indie rockers The Vaccines have also returned with their fun fifth album this week. Not too much to say about this one other than if you are a fan of their previous efforts the chances are you’ll adore this one too, as their music continues to deliver big riffs and anthemic choruses aplenty, but with more refinement and polished craftmanship at this veteran stage in their career. Highlights include the ultra-catchy title-track and the galloping, Western-stylings of Paranormal Romance, which comes across a bit like their own version of Muse’s Knights of Cydonia.

Listen here

Mother by Cleo Sol (R&B/Soul)

Fresh off her high-profile collaborations with Little Simz and Sault, singer-songwriter Cleo Sol has once again stepped out on her own, this time exploring themes of motherhood. Gracious, compassionate and quite moving, it’s a stirring soul record where Cleo’s soft yet powerful vocals take centre stage against a backdrop of minimal instrumentation. If you need something peaceful and easy listening, you won’t go wrong with this one as Don’t Let Me Fall, Promises and We Need You offer up the most beautiful moments here.

Listen here

The Melodic Blue by Baby Keem (Hip Hop/Rap)

There is a lot of pressure that comes with being Kendrick Lamar’s cousin, however you wouldn’t know it listening to Baby Keem’s assured debut album. Although it is admittedly quite hit and miss (first two tracks trademark usa and pink panties ironically leave a lot to be desired), there are enough high points here to make this record worth your time. The collaborations with Kendrick (range brothers and family ties) both strike a chord while the Don Toliver (cocoa) and Travis Scott (durag activity) featuring tracks also dazzle. That said Keem is arguably at his best when he’s riding solo, such as on the heartfelt issues and the Kanye West Love Lockdown sampling, scars.

Listen here

I’ve Been Trying To Tell You by Saint Etienne (Ambient/Electronic)

Crafted over lockdown, this tenth studio album from the London trio is a gloriously understated dive into modern British history, 1997-2001 to be precise. By using evocative imagery and samples from the turn of the millennium, where R&B and bubblegum pop dominated the musical landscape, they have forged quite a dreamy ambient record. Wonderfully creative and a fairly chill listen, it’s a fascinating reflection on a time when the world seemed a lot less complex than it does today.

Listen here

The Blacklist by Metallica (Metal/Various)

And lastly on the albums front this week, I have been promoting the various Metallica covers released as part of the The Blacklist project for several weeks now, but now finally the full album has been revealed along with all the covers yet to be shared as individual releases.

At 53 songs long, the tribute to Metallica’s classic Black Album is certainly not one to run through in a single sitting, however there is plenty of fun covers here to dip into and explore. In case you haven’t seen, amongst those offering their own versions of these classic tracks are: Miley Cyrus & Elton John, Phoebe Bridgers, Dermot Kennedy, Weezer, Biffy Clyro, St. Vincent, Rina Sawayama, Sam Fender, Flatbush Zombies, Portugal The Man, IDLES, Cherry Glazerr and many, many more.

Listen here

Tracks of the Week

Beautiful James by Placebo

I’m also over the moon to say Placebo finally released their new single this week, their first since 2016’s Jesus’ Son. Beautiful James shows that Brian Molko and Stefan Olsdal haven’t missed a step in their five-year hiatus, with this one centred on a typically instant chorus and some neon-soaked synths. A big welcome back to one of my all-time favourites!

Listen here

I Don’t Live Here Anymore by The War On Drugs

Although the first single from their forthcoming new album may have been more understated than normal, on this title track Adam Granduciel & Co. return to the soaring stadium-sized rock for which they are known. Undoubtedly one of their finest tracks to date, you’ll want to stick this one on repeat just so you can keep getting lost in those wonderfully atmospheric guitar riffs.

Listen here

Arcadia by Lana Del Rey

And finally, Lana continues the build towards her second album of 2021, Blue Banisters, with this latest single seeing her on typically vintage form as the song sounds as if it was pulled from another time. With distant horns and a gentle piano, it’s as stunning as any of her best recent work.

Listen here

[passionate-reply]

Do you “fucking love” science? Have you ever been blinded by it? Well, it doesn’t really matter, because that goofy little number isn’t really supposed to be on Thomas Dolby’s debut album in the first place. Find out about all the awesome OTHER stuff that’s actually meant to be here, in this new installment of Great Albums! Transcript below the break.

Welcome to Passionate Reply, and welcome to Great Albums! Today, I’ll be talking about a stellar album by one of those artists who have gone down in history as “one hit wonders,” despite producing a deep catalogue that’s often more impressive than that one song they end up known for: it’s The Golden Age of Wireless, the debut LP of Thomas Dolby. Chances are pretty good you’ve heard his big hit, “She Blinded Me With Science,” before...at least, if you’re American.

Music: “She Blinded Me With Science”

Like I said, if you’re American, you’ve heard this one before. If anything, it’s oversaturated! But if you’re from elsewhere in the world, you might not know it. Growing up in the US, I went through the whole gauntlet of alleged “one hit wonders” of 80s synth-pop, and a great many of them turned out to be British artists who had perfectly respectable careers in their native UK: Gary Numan, Soft Cell, and OMD, for example. Thomas Dolby is also British, but he’s apparently more famous here than he is across the pond--which is still not that famous.

He really ought to be, though, because The Golden Age of Wireless is a true masterpiece. Or, at least it WAS, in its original form. It’s actually a tough album to talk about, insofar as it’s hard to pin down what exactly constitutes “The Golden Age of Wireless.” It’s had quite a few different pressings, and a variety of different track listings. And the original version of it does NOT include “She Blinded Me With Science.” While I’d never argue that it’s a bad song, since it is insanely fun, and catchy to the point of being irresistible, it really does not belong on this album. I’m sure it helped them move copies of it, but its inclusion kind of ruins the vibe, to be honest. Its in-your-face and flamboyant hooks make it feel like a very unwarranted intrusion on an otherwise fairly serious and contemplative LP, which seems to have been intended as a fairly tight and thoughtful concept album.

Aside from that glaring issue, there are a few other tracks that have appeared on later versions of the album that weren’t there from the start, namely, the two tracks from Dolby’s first ever-release, a double A-side of “Urges” and “Leipzig,” as well as “One of Our Submarines,” the B-side of some versions of “She Blinded Me With Science.” All of these tracks are excellent, and mesh with the thematic and sonic character of the album quite well. “One of Our Submarines” in particular is often considered one of the best tracks of Dolby’s career--melancholy, claustrophobic, and stinging in its poignant sense of tragedy. It captures the misery and futility of modern war, as well as the sunset of the British Empire after the Second World War...and there’s a sample of a dolphin, too. It’s easily the track that I most wish had been included from the very start.

Music: “One of Our Submarines”

But now that that’s over with, I’d like to drill down and talk about how the album operates in its original form, as the artist intended. Like I said earlier, The Golden Age of Wireless is best understood as a concept album, and I think of it in a similar league as classics like the Buggles’ The Age of Plastic, OMD’s Dazzle Ships, or even Kate Bush’s Hounds of Love. The original track listing opens with “Flying North,” a stellar introduction to one of the most prominent themes of the album: freedom!

Music: “Flying North”

“Flying North” is an exultant anthem of self-determination, and one clearly mediated by “metal birds”--aeroplanes, that is. It’s a celebration of the independence allowed by technology, and a rather winsome one, in which this almost macho image of a heroic pilot takes center stage. The final track of the album, “Cloudburst At Shingle Street,” is a bit more esoteric, but seems to be aiming for a pretty similar idea overall, and I’d argue that the two of them form thematic “bookends.”

Music: “Cloudburst At Shingle Street”

“Cloudburst At Shingle Street” leads us through the technological evolution of mankind, from swinging from trees to paving concrete beaches--but the spacey synth warbles beneath those lines give them an ominous bent. The assertion that we might be heading into a cloudburst “mindless,” “naked,” or “blindly” is unnervingly cynical, but, we’re told, “there’s no escaping it.” Despite all of these signs that our better judgment should be resisting the temptation of this miraculous cloudburst...this triumphant, rising coda, with its powerful choir encouraging us onwards, seems to muddle the whole thing. The untethered, free-roaming nature of modern life isn’t always this sexy and exuberant, though--consider the track “Weightless,” as a counterpoint.

Music: “Weightless”

“Weightless” certainly seems to be about modern transients of some sort--in this case, traveling by car--but never lionizes them or makes them too terribly enviable. Instead, the focus is on the image of the draining fuel tank: the constant emptiness and craving for meaning, validation, and genuine love. No matter the allure of this very American, Route 66-like setting, the gas stations, cinemas, and decadent diner meals along the way are never any real substitute for an emotionally authentic life. That setting is, of course, a wistfully backward-looking Midcentury one. Nostalgia and childhood naivete are also among the album’s major themes, and are expressed the most clearly on “Europa and the Pirate Twins.”

Music: “Europa and the Pirate Twins”

Narratively, “Europa and the Pirate Twins” is a bittersweet story of childhood playmates who never quite re-unite, despite promising to be together again someday. The really interesting wrinkle is the fact that the narrator’s beloved Europa has become a famous celebrity as an adult, and the narrator is essentially a fan of her despite their real-world relationship. It’s an uncanny, confused parasocial relationship dynamic that feels extremely contemporary, despite the fact that it’s ultimately more of a commentary on the rise of teenager-oriented marketing during the Midcentury than anything else. The strange, often unhealthy relationships between young people and mass media, particularly radio, are another one of the major sources of tension on The Golden Age of Wireless. “Europa and the Pirate Twins” is also one of the more interesting tracks, instrumentally, featuring a prominent harmonica part, performed by Andy Partridge of XTC. Given how much the album strives to be about the future and past simultaneously, steeped in nostalgia and utopian visions alike, it makes sense to hear Dolby blend elements of traditional folk or popular music with forward-thinking synth-pop sensibilities. Listen also for a flute on “Windpower,” and a substantial amount of guitar on “Commercial Breakup,” a song that proves Dolby certainly can rock, if he feels like it.

Music: “Commercial Breakup”

The cover art for The Golden Age of Wireless isn’t exactly the most iconic, but I’ve always thought it was very beautiful. You’ve got this very eye-catching, lurid, pulp magazine style illustration of Dolby as a diligent, yet glamourous engineer, radiating with the complementary colour palette of orange and blue, the perfect picture of retro cool. But it’s framed and inset, to give us a conscious sense of observing something that’s coming to us from another time, an artifact preserved. That patina and sense of the antique is amplified by this dull-coloured background, which actually shows a marble sculpture gallery in a museum, though that’s tough to make out unless you have it right in front of you. The numerous shades of irony operating here are another thing that make the album feel strikingly contemporary.

I’m also a huge fan of the album’s title. “Wireless,” if you weren’t aware, is an old-fashioned term for radio. Radio itself is a strong theme on the album, most obviously on the track “Radio Silence,” but the use of the term “wireless” isn’t just another piece of retro nostalgia--I think it’s also evocative of that sense of free-flying, untethered independence I talked about earlier. The first half, i.e., “golden age,” is perhaps even more important. “Golden age” is an extremely loaded term that brings a number of rich associations to the table. “Golden ages” are simultaneously longed for, but not fully believed in. They’re bygone eras that usually felt like nothing special to the people who actually lived through them, despite their greatness being palpable to anyone reflecting on them in hindsight. In every golden age, there’s a poetic tragedy.

I think that even if someone did buy this record just to get their hands on “She Blinded Me With Science,” they’d probably be at least a little bit disappointed in what they got. The album does have some decent pop singles, chiefly “Radio Silence” and “Europa and the Pirate Twins,” but they’re still humming with nostalgia and unease, and not without some substantial experimental DNA.

Music: “Radio Silence”

While they cut the single weirdest track on the album, “The Wreck of the Fairchild,” they still retained some fairly ambitious tracks, such as “Windpower”--clearly an ode to Kraftwerk’s “Radioactivity.” It’s hard to be angry with an electronic musician for trying to rip off Kraftwerk, since they all do it one way or another, and in this case it invites a natural comparison between two great concept albums focused on the theme of radio.

Music: “Windpower”

Overall, though, The Golden Age of Wireless is still a reasonably accessible album on the whole. Possibly not what you expected, and certainly, a work that’s more sentimental and affecting than good for the dance floor, but as far as poignant, ballady, diesel-punk odes to the tragic techno-optimism of the Midcentury go, I’d say it’s not all that hard to get into! Dolby does have a pop core, as an artist, that he’s quite capable of selling to us if he chooses to. For proof of that point, look no further than the single “Hyperactive!” which he followed this up with a few years later:

Music: “Hyperactive!”

When discussing an ostensible one-hit wonder, there’s a distinct temptation to resort to “they deserved better” style rhetoric. On one hand, yes, I do think more people should hear Thomas Dolby’s music, and that it has a lot to say to us. I’m all about obscure music finding new life and being appreciated. That said, in the case of Dolby, I think he basically got what he wanted, in the end. He’s always been more keenly interested in music’s many behind-the-scenes roles than he has in chasing pop stardom himself--he’s produced music, and scored a number of films and video games over the decades. It feels kind of wrong to tell someone who’s successful at one thing that they “deserve” to be successful at something different, just because we may want to hear him do it, or because we esteem one skillset more highly than the other. Ultimately, The Golden Age of Wireless is a Great Album on its own terms, whether Dolby ever decides to grace us with another synth-pop release under his own name again--which he did in 2011, with A Map of the Floating City. But it’s his decision, as an artist, and the fact that he can choose to or not is a luxury that allows him integrity. I think that’s the way it ought to be.

My overall top track on this album has got to be “Airwaves,” a song in which the narrator dies, tragically and suddenly, in an automobile accident. It’s not the sexy, “Warm Leatherette” sort of car accident, but rather a dismally realistic one, that shows quite frankly how undignified death can be. Sometimes, we aren’t so much doomed heroes as we are frightened, sickly children, defeated by our own fickle bodies. The last thought our narrator gets is “I itch all over, let me sleep”; their honour perishes just moments before they do. Meanwhile, the radio is a constant presence throughout, and serves as both something to anchor the scene in the droll and quotidian, as well as ultimately becoming something transcendent. The promise of “airwaves” is not only the human interconnectedness made possible by technology, but also a hint at the ultimate destiny of human souls, a kind of ethereal afterlife in the sky. The meandering lulls of the verses contrast sharply with the song’s eerily soaring refrain, which enhances that feeling that those “airwaves” occupy some sort of higher plane. On that surprisingly heavy note, that’s all I’ve got for today, so thanks for listening!

Music: “Airwaves”

[crusherthedoctor]

Jungles may commonly appear earlier than other environments on the sliding scale of video game geography, and Viridonia is no exception to that cliche. But in this case, I purposefully used a jungle as the setting for Zone 2 to make a point.

Jungle levels are full of greenery, just like with Green Hill-esque levels, which means if done poorly, they can risk ending up blending together despite the different climate. By going all out with Tricky Tropics however, and giving it its own distinct qualities, the different (yet still upbeat) atmosphere compared to Gleaming Meadows would further my point about how you can breathe new life into any level trope if you know what you're doing. And if these two zones can feel unique when compared to each other, despite all that green between them, it sets a good precedent for the potential it suggests for later zones...

Creating Zone 2: Tricky Tropics

2-1: Luscious Jungle

When comparing Luscious Jungle to previous jungles and other foresty areas in the franchise, one of the two biggest inspirations was the very first of its kind: Jungle Zone from the Master System version of Sonic 1. Specifically, how the green REALLY pops out, and gives off a warm and inviting atmosphere despite the dangers present.

The other main inspiration being, as you'll already know from reading the fic, Frog Forest from Sonic Heroes, what with taking the idea of using fruit as a gimmick for obstacles and platforming, and heavily expanding on it. Unlike in Frog Forest however, they don’t require giant frogs to activate them. They’ll help or hinder you by their lonesome.

Though I suppose the wildlife hanging around in all shapes and sizes means there's a slight touch of Dinosaur Jungle in there as well, at least in spirit... if you replaced the dinosaurs with elephants, tigers, zebras, and all the rest.

Aside from the oversized fruit, as well as the deep brown trails of soil on the ground, additional flowers and other plant life help round off all the green, with the flowers in particular taking a page or two from the most striking ones in the Amazon rainforest. This doesn't just apply to the gimmick-related flowers either, it applies to the ones that are just part of the scenery as well.

Viridonia does not half-ass its vegetation. What motivation is there to saving the place from Eggman’s insidious influence if it doesn’t look as aesthetically pleasing as possible?

And obviously, the savannah area would be considerably more yellow, though its appearance and gimmicks would prevent it from feeling like a repeat of Yellow Hills from the previous zone. The beaming sunlight peeking through the clouds mixed in with the sprawling landscape may go as far as to bring back nostalgic memories of... LEGO Racers 2?

Um, sure, okay.

And before you ask, this isn't Trudy's family either.

First Section (jungle): Jungle Classic Tiny Temple (Crash Nitro Kart)

Second Section (savannah): Rock Star (Kirby 64) Jungle Falls (Diddy Kong Racing)

2-2: Temple Village

Remember the echidna village from the ancient past, before Chaos activated his trap card and sent them all to the Shadow Realm? Violently?

Well, we've got a similar schtick here, but different at the same time. The Mayan influence remains, as evidenced with the blocky pyramids sprinkled around, but you also have huge idol structures keeping them company, not unlike the ones you see in Idol Springs from Spyro 2.

The camp site and its explorer NPCs also help to liven up the place. But then, so do the Badniks, for a certain definition of “liven up”. (By which I mean, the intention to do the exact opposite of that.)

Then you have the wooded blockades, which are similar to those in Sonic '06, but with much more colorful paint markings, despite the rust accumulated over the years. They're also less prone to making the Havok physics engine shit itself. So they wouldn't make it into Tracy Yardley's good graces.

Meanwhile, up in the trees, the process of going through carved paths within the trees may bring Honeycomb Highway from Sonic Lost World to mind. But there's plenty of wooden walkways as well, and rope bridges of varying rickety quality, with all that risk that implies. Whoever designed them may not have the most advanced skills, but they’re still more qualified than Bioware.

And going inside the pyramids themselves will cause another bout of cultural whiplash, as instead of keeping up the Mayan feel, it's more reminiscent of the Ajanta Caves in India, gold lighting and all.

Perfect for somewhere so mysterious and potentially deadly, yet still early on in the adventure, and thus nowhere near as oppressive in sheer tone as Eggman's factories or what have you.

First Section (outside): Planet Wisp (Team Sonic Racing) Golden City (Bug Bunny & Taz: Time Busters)

Second Section (inside): Leading Lights (Sonic Adventure) Deku Palace (The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask)

2-3: Gloomy Bog

Gloomy Bog's rivers have been corrupted by Mega Mack. I assume you know what Mega Mack is; it's purple, it's unhealthy, and it gets a No from Trudy.

Despite this setback, the swamp otherwise has a laidback mood. The vegetation may be a darker green than two acts ago, comparable to the dark green present in the original Dreamcast version of Mystic Ruins...

...but that's to be expected for a swamp. And even so, the blue and white flowers still add some complimentary brightness and - say it with me, boys and girls - contrast.

As does the omnipresent white glow in the air, which even reflects off of some of the plants as well. It brings cloud forests to mind, except in this case, it's not actually fog.

Shining and hovering over the Mega Mack-infected rivers, it almost seems like there’s meaning to it, as if the swamp itself knows that despite its current predicament, the light will overcome and ultimately vanquish the dark. Very George Lucas as far as visual metaphors go, but whatever works, right?

As for the boardwalks, they were inspired by this concept art for Sonic Saturn, AKA one of the many decapitated heads of the video game hydra that was Sonic X-Treme(ly doomed to fail).

Fortunately for Sonic, his nose wouldn't be mutilated this time.

First Section (walkways): Misty Bog (Spyro 1) DK Jungle (Mario Kart 7)

Second Section (lake): Salad Plain (Sonic CD) The Great Boggly Tree (Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door)

2-4: Hornet’s Nest

In the fic proper, I compared the exterior of the giant mecha bee hive with Great Megalith from Sonic and the Black Knight. This is because it shares similar thorny fortifications on the outside, albeit in a more modern and industrial form, as you'd expect from man who will conquer the world with his tools.

Even comes with the flags and banners! Though they too have been given the Eggman flavor. (Maybe he's getting revenge for not being in that game?)

As for what's inside... well, what do you expect the inside of a giant bee hive to look like, mechanical or no? Since Donkey Kong has probably one of the most famous examples in a video game, we'll turn to his franchise again to get the gist.

It wouldn't be all yellow though. Remember, this is the plant that's producing all that Mega Mack, so among all the honey and honey-associated gimmicks, there's some purple contrast as well.

And the area outside the hive entirely? There's still a bit of honey (and Mega Mack) here and there, and though the white glow from the previous act has largely disappeared, the blue flowers and dark green plants and trees remain. So in that regard, you could say it's akin to Honey Marsh from Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly.

Less buggy, though.

Probably.

First Section (outside): Mushroom Hill Act 1 (NicoCW) Wizard Peak (Spyro 1)

Second Section (inside): Minty Mines (Spyro 2: Season of Flame) Zip Line Shrine (Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze)

[modernwizard]

Reasons I love Dhawan Master #23: He invents steampunk!

In no particular order, here is an illustrated list of reasons I love Sacha Dhawan’s Master, most of which boil down to the way that Sacha Dhawan so expertly embodies the Master to such a degree that we can look into this character’s mind as we never have before.

H/t  to @ventingbouto​ and the Little Things That the Master Does That I Just Love series, which inspired this.

#23: He invents steampunk!

We know that the Master in this form appreciates “a classic,” as he calls the tissue compression eliminator in Spyfall 1, and so much of his self-presentation is deliberately old-fashioned. His fetishization of the past even leads him to invent the entire steampunk aesthetic!

First of all, let’s define his aesthetic by looking at his most cherished gadget: the tissue compression eliminator or TCE. Mentioned in Spyfall 1, it only appears in Spyfall 2 when the Master crashes into the exhibition hall in 1834 with his “Incredible Shrinking Device.” It’s hard to get a good look at the TCE since he’s waving it around so much, but here’s a shot.

It’s a small rectangular solid with a metal case and a ring on one outer upper corner [like a grenade?]. The top center also has a projecting, cylindrical light bulb on top of it where the shrink ray comes out. It’s hard to tell, but it appears to be at least partly made of brass. Brass ‘n’ glass, heavy and handheld -- yeah, that’s steampunk, baby.

Second of all, let’s examine the scene in the exhibition room more closely. It collects people demonstrating their scientific novelties: a ball-bearing machine gun, a diving bell, a magneto, and a home defensive grenade.

Now this is supposedly 1834. Let’s look at that machine gun, shall we?

This is a hand-cranked four-muzzle machine gun. It recalls the famous Gatling gun [which, incidentally, required four people to operate it], a rapid-repeating weapon that wasn’t used until the U.S. Civil War in 1862. This is a machine ahead of its time.

The next two items referred to, diving bells and magnetos, are historically accurate. Diving bells have been around since the 4th century C.E. Magnetos [the electric shock machine] were invented just a few years earlier [1831/1832]. No problems there.

As for grenades, they’ve been around in some form or another since the 7th century C.E. But let’s zoom in for a close-up on the one in this scene...

This is a small, compact incendiary device, activated by pulling a pin. In size and use of a pin, it recalls the Mills bomb, the first modern fragmentation grenade. The Mills bomb was patented in 1915. Whoops. It’s another anachronism.

What the hell is wrong with 1834? Or, more precisely, what the hell is wrong with this version of 1834? Answer: It’s got the Master in it. Who knows how long he’s been hanging around in the 1830s? Well, it’s obviously long enough for him to acquire a fashionably bespoke suit with the requisite top hat.

Even if he’s been in the 1830s for a short period, we all know how much mischief Time Dorks can perpetrate in a short period. Look at Thirteen making a sonic mostly from spoons! It makes sense that the Master has been altering the timeline -- in weapons-related capacities, of course, since he likes strife and conflict. While he has been perfecting his own classic TCE, he’s also been either inventing or inducing people to invent Gatling guns and Mills bombs. Why? Because they’re classic weapons, good, old-fashioned pieces with some heft to them, you know? And the Master likes classics. He even reinvents his own. Of course he wants to remake the world in his aesthetic.

Conclusion: While it’s not stated outright, it’s strongly implied from the anachronistic machine gun and grenade that someone has been fucking with this timeline. Given that the anachronisms are war-related, that someone was probably the Master, who arrived before the Doctor and thus had the short time necessary to accelerate British weapons development.��

Corollary: The Master totally invented steampunk during the actual steam era.

Further corollary: Since absolutely no one remarks on the anachronisms, we can assume that the Doctor probably fixed the timeline, possibly by mindwiping Ada.

So...clearly...the Master invented steampunk in the steam era, but the Doctor, being a spoilsport, squashed it. And that is why we don’t have airships or goggles on all our top hats. Hmph.

[cutegirlmayra]

Thank you for answering my question about Amy's crush on Sonic. I agree with your explanation on why her crush is a key part of her character. I noticed that your post mentioned a scene possibly not being delivered well in the English version. Do you think there is some type of values dissonance going on between Japan and the West when it comes to how Amy's crush is written overall? I've heard that Amy's crush and her character in general has a more positive reception in Japan than in the West.

Mmmm… Yeah.

Also, you’re very welcome :) my pleasure!

It all started with Sonic X’s English script.

Honestly, in Japan, Amy is seen as a normal girl common to her anime trope. She’s also widely loved and stated to be ‘Endearing’ in the japan’s culture, especially with her Japanese values such as loyalty.

 Originally, America branded her to be a ‘comedy’ character which has since backfired. (Sadly, a lot of their direction has been to popular tropes of that era, instead of developing characters further beyond.)

SEGA’s standard is to keep moving towards the future, stay with the times, when they should be thinking about timelessness, and staying ahead of the game.

In conclusion, my personal, humble opinion is that they dated themselves to where they’re ‘iconic personalities’ don’t work well in our modern society anymore.

Amy went from this:

Japan: A devoted lover who is overjoyed to see her hero after so long and being worried sick about him while he was fighting the good fight.

To this:

America: Overly dramatic, clingy lover who just wants to be noticed by the man she craves, still loyal and true, but with a comedic sense that has been mostly lost to our time and modern era. Now we interpret this as “Stalkerish” or “Codependent”. Which are definitely more negative than “hopelessly in love with the main hero” or “Desperately longing for main hero.” Grease and other classics like It’s A Wonderful Life or Princess Bride. But these movies have an edge in classic timelessness in that they don’t treat their supporting leads as simply ‘Comedic’ and instead, the girls have full arcs that end up ending with getting the guy in the end.

What makes other game companies pretty successful is there sense of having timeless characters that grow as audiences do as well.

Sonic’s primary audience should be the young adults that have grown up with him, and through those young adults then the younger generation will follow in pursuit. (A.k.a How Nintendo now markets is a good example of knowing ones brand, and advertising to your target market well.) However, as I see how Sonic’s marketing team runs things, I’m afraid they continue to try and pull younger audiences, and this could work if the material was taken more seriously with professionalism. But we’re reduced to memes which will date the product even further back then it already was.

Their catering to a particular side of the fandom as well helped somewhat in their small success with Sonic Forces, but it’s the young adults they should really consider and hiring those who understand the modern medium. They were going for, “Yeah! Kids love angst!” but they didn’t seem to grasp what the modern concept of ‘Angst’ was. It was like your grandfather trying to re-envision and explain modern kid culture when he clearly has no idea where the century is. They don’t understand where to go, and I hope they’ve found some solutions with younger blood in the talent pool such as Sonic Mania creators, new Animation team that worked on Sonic Mania Adventures and the Team Sonic Racing shorts. These new talents are not only huge fans, but understand perfectly the Sonic recipe which the corporation has been failing to grasp and been falling on their outdated degrees.

I know this sounds kinda harsh, please don’t see it that way. This is something I have observed and looked into. I’m sure many have different research results and/or perspectives, so please find your own information and decide what you feel has or hasn’t happened.

As for me, the Sonic branch has a good start with Sonic Mania and Sonic Forces. It’s trying to emulate the same tactics as Nintendo but aren’t true rivals anymore (and just aren’t Nintendo either. That brand doesn’t work with their formula), so I would suggest to their stockholders to stop trying to make fast money like Hollywood tends to push but to allow true creative geniuses to approach with on-brand ideas that can help bring a modern format that also respects and keeps the traditional Sonic alive and kicking once more, take the professional advice from the original Sonic Team who are the true masters of this brand and name, and give up pride for reinvention and dedicate their time to fresh ideas that blend the already established Sonic into a beautiful fusion that resonates with Fans faithfully and remains strong to modern audiences as well.

Don’t abandon what you did right, or the lore of the whole of Sonic’s universe, but simply allow real Sonic fans with real talents and creative minds to come in, train them, but let them also go off to give Sonic a real resurrection in the mode and format he was made to be in. Sonic’s a punk of the 1990s, it’s time to make him smooth rebel in defense of the ‘save the planet’ type formula with a rocker’s attitude. And for gameplay? Let those who actually know how to make a Sonic game make them. Sonic Team needs support again.

Anyway, this is long. Yes, Amy is mistranslated to where America has rebranded her. Japan hasn’t really done enough to correct this, but a good example of how lost Japan is to what America has done is when a Fan asked her creator– “Why did you design Classic Amy in the clothes she was wearing? Was it to make her a tomboy and tough?” which is what America tried to re-re-rebrand her as.

Then he famously (to me, anyway) laughed in the microphone and answered in Japanese, “I thought she was cute. Isn’t she cute?” to which the audience seemed confused.

Then he went on to explain Amy’s true character, which was the most honest reaction to not understanding why the audience was so iffy in their reaction.

This scene was honestly heartbreaking to me, seeing her own creator feeling the need to explain his character because of poor translation errors, not just between cultures, but because Writers completely went off the original material.

He went on to say Amy was designed as a love interest for Sonic, but as her mind is always on Sonic, his mind is always on what’s next, the adventure. So he created someone who would work for Sonic’s lifestyle, always happily chasing after him as he happily chases after the next challenge or danger to his world.

He asked, “Now isn’t that more interesting?” to which the audience continued to be confused.

I have the video somewhere in my favorites list, hold on one moment please.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nzxRoIX4QU&t=1561s - THIS TOOK FOREVER TO FIND. Go to 38:40 or so, and I’d also like to state that Sonic Boom 2013 Q&A is a really good panel to watch overall. There are a lot of good Q&A’s and I like them because the creators answer you directly, you know?

This is also just one of the videos with him being interviewed, there are many others, like the one about the clothes and whatnot. But they’re so old and I had such a hard time finding this one again that I’ll let you do your own digging on those ones XD

It’s sad cause you can hear a fan go, “Why are there so many Amy questions?” And the boy with the camera say, “Oh, cause he’s the guy who created her.” It’s really sad to hear that, you know?

Anyway, enjoy the video ;)b

[latin-dr-robotnik]

What went wrong with Classic Sonic’s music in Sonic Forces? (ft. beevean)

The following is a project I’ve been cooking for some weeks, trying to find out some reasons behind the general lackluster feeling that surrounds Classic Sonic’s music in Sonic Forces. As you may have spotted already, this is not a solo project, since I’ve had the opportunity to talk about this very same topic with @beevean and she raised quite a couple of interesting points that I’m going to bring up as we go through. 

Also, Spanish speakers: you can catch the Spanish version of this post here, it’s probably a more polished experience with additional text.

Long post below, so, bring up a ladder and a boombox, I’ll explain along the way. (there’s also a tl;dr at the bottom if you are that type of person)

Sonic Forces stands as a divisive point in the Sonic fandom, that much we all know, and we are not going to discuss the game’s general quality at all on this post. But we are going to take a solid look at Classic Sonic and, most importantly, its music, since I consider that’s the most clear symptom of a bigger problem with Classic Sonic in general, in this post-Generations Modern Sonic world.

A quick look at Classic Sonic

When Classic Sonic debuted in Sonic Generations (2011) as this new-but-also-old Sonic, gaming as a whole was still being bombarded with this “retro-revival movement” that brought back many classic franchises (like classic Mega Man with MM9 and 10 after a decade since MM8), and SEGA itself was in the middle of that train with the recently released Sonic 4: Episode 1 (2010). While Sonic 4 tried to marry Sonic’s current style with classic level tropes and even Genesis-inspired music in a seamless way (showing Sonic’s physical transition from his Sonic 3 days to Sonic Adventure as a smooth one), this new “Classic Sonic” guy in Generations suffered from a mixed message about his origins: is he Sonic from the past, from an alternate universe, or both? Is his music supposed to sound like arrangements of his classic 16-bits tunes or just modern-sounding remixes like the rest of the soundtrack? The fandom still debates about it to this day.

This all led to the introduction of a character that, although considered a “Sonic” like the other “Modern” one, could not establish his own identity beyond Generations’ anniversary-title plot threads. No unique music style, no unique traits, he was just a simpler Sonic.

Major manifestation of the Classic problem.

Fast-forward some years to November 2017, Sonic Forces’ release date. Besides gameplay, story and character criticisms, the music of Forces turned out to be quite controversial for a part of the fandom. Although I personally consider the Avatar songs as top-tier Sonic music, I share similar concerns as the rest about the rest of the game’s music, specially the Classic Sonic level themes. 

With Forces, it seems the composers managed to solve some of Gens’ Classic Sonic music problems, as this time there was a better and more consistent attempt at making Classic’s music sound more at home with the “Genesis days” tunes, but even then the composers fell into other traps that ended up being more damaging to the final product.

Years later after the game’s release, I finally brought up this very same topic during a conversation with beevean (I encourage you that, if you find the following snippets interesting, read the entire conversation), and she had the following thoughts to share as to why Classic Sonic’s music was so... underwhelming:

the classic music in forces is the weakest part of the ost, some tracks are okay while others suck, and the main reason for this is that they hired the wrong people for the job

Okay, that wasn’t a fair cut on my part. She talks a lot more about each and every aspect behind the music, and about the people that composed it, she had the following to say:

Okay, about Forces’ music. First of all, the Classic tracks were handled by two people: Tomoya Ohtani, who also composed pretty much 90% of the OST and has been working solo since 2013 (relevant later), and Naofumi Hataya, one of the two geniuses behind Sonic 2 8-bit’s and Sonic CD’s OSTs (plus some miscellaneous work in Heroes, Colors, Generations, etc.). If you loved tracks like Sky High, Palmtree Panic or Stardust Speedway, you have to thank him.

This is already a reason as to why the Classic music in Forces doesn’t resemble the music in the Genesis games. While I can understand that it would have been impossible to hire Masato Nakamura again, Jun Senoue would have been good for the job, having composed music for Sonic 3 and most importantly Sonic 3D Blast. But apparently Senoue was MIA until 2019, so who knows.

I’d like to point out that Naofumi Hataya’s involvement will play a bigger role later in this post, as we keep searching for what went wrong and we look for a potential solution when adressing Classic Sonic.

Beevean continued with:

There are mainly two problems here:

1) some of the tracks just don’t fit their stage. I already mentioned that Ghost Town sounds way too happy for a city under attack by giant robots. Death Prison sounds vaguely Egyptian and the difference with the original, bass-heavy composition is staggering. Chemical Flow is the most generic thing and would fit everything and nothing, and again comparing it with the original iconic track is just sad. I think the reason Casino Forest and Iron Fortress are my favorite Classic tracks is that they go very well with their respective stages. This is a problem Adventure 2 had as well, associating a particular style to a particular character, and while I think Forces did it better, for me the priority should be fitting a level.

2) Ohtani was once a very versatile composer (the guy could go in one game from Wave Ocean to Crisis City, for example), but since Lost World, the first game in which he had the responsibility of an entire soundtrack, his style quickly became “anime”. Runners’ tracks? “This sounds like an anime opening!”. How do you recognize his only track in TSR? It’s the one that sounds like an anime opening and uses a synth.

And look, I love Ohtani, he has nothing but my respect, and he made some of my absolute favorite tracks in the series. But I do think they’re making him work too much - he’s the best when he can work with at least another person, and has the chance to span a little. I also think his style is incompatible with the Classic music, which was never anime: even at its mellowest in Sonic 1 it always had a little jazzy/new jack swing touch. Basically the only thing they got right in this game is having a wicked bassline :P

It ain’t *only* the composers’ fault

Following beevean’s words, I’d like to add my own take on the problem. You see, I do agree that the composers maybe weren’t up to the task of nailing the classic Genesis tunes’ vibe (Hataya got real close, though), but at the same time I do think they weren’t properly oriented or didn’t have enough time to keep reiterating on the frameworks they were working with. Like beevean said, some of the tracks improve quite a bit after leaving behind that mixed as hell “almost Genesis but not quite” soundfont.

The composers will work on what they were told to make and I have a strong, albeith unconfirmed, feeling that the Classic Sonic composers where asked to “make it sound retro” by someone higher up on the project management chain, and after checking on their progress, simply said “meh, it’s retro enough, no one will notice”.

The “make it sound retro” argument, in my opinion, opens up a big discussion about Sonic music, because there is no easy way to make it “retro” with Sonic. You just can’t pump out a few nostalgic chiptunes and call it a day. Sonic music may have originated back in the 16-bit days of the Sega Genesis, but his identity is so much more than just that Genesis FM sound. I personally believe, similar to another thing beevean point out, that Forces focused too much on sounding “retro enough” instead of fitting each track better to each level theme or even tap into what really made Sonic appealing on the classic days. 

This last point is something that SEGA struggled a lot during the past decade, they introduced Classic Sonic as an entity separated from the current Sonic, yet they simply don’t give Classic Sonic enough development as it’s own character. He’s there because he’s there and we don’t know what to expect from him beyond “he represents the good old days”. But not even SEGA itself knows what that means.

So, what really makes up Classic Sonic’s identity?

For me this is the true heart of the post. Knowing full well what makes Classic Sonic should be the key to every project that features him. 

There are lots of points to make about Classic Sonic’s identity and how to establish him should he return once again on a 3D Sonic title (not even using the “modern” anymore, and I personally wouldn’t like to see him again on a 3D title for another decade, if ever), but seeing as the main topic of this post has been music, I’m going to focus on what music style makes Classic Sonic shine.

I already said that throwing some generic chiptunes won’t work, but I DO think that Genesis-inspired tunes can still work, should they stick to what made the classics so great.

And what is that? Well, you have several options here: you can choose from more J-Pop and jazzy tunes to some sick R&B and New Jack Swing beats, all the way through to late 80′s Acid House and wacky 90′s Dance music, even cinematic-like scores and ambient sounds.

Personally, I think the heavy R&B (with its fair share of New Jack Swing) influences are a constant throughout Sonic’s first years, and that kind of sound is one that goes well with his cool attitude™. Spring Yard Zone has always been referred to as “16-bit Every Little Step”, while Sonic CD... well, and Sonic 3... well... JAM. Even Masa’s demos of Sonic 2 feature some sick basses that aren’t all that different from what I was thinking (Chemical Plant and Metropolis come to mind). Sonic CD (JP, also the work of Naofumi Hataya and Masafumi Ogata) in particular springs up to my mind as the purest representation on everything that Sonic was about on his old days, but “pure” doesn’t necessarily mean “refined”, so I think the Sonic CD style coupled with some more smooth Pop for emotional moments (straight from Nakamura’s school of smoothness) and harder 90′s raves for boss fights (think how iconic Stardust Speedway Bad Future has become) could make up the perfect blend for Classic Sonic to follow in terms of style points, but also considering the general themes of each zone (Wacky Workbench being this Dance-heavy zone was a stroke of genius if you ask me, the same with Spring Yard being a jazzy urbanscape.)

Sonic is a product of the late 80′s and 90′s pop culture, he has the moves of MC Hammer, Bobby Brown, and of course, Michael Jackson (also his shoes). As such, no generic “retro nostalgic” tune will fit with him, unlike many other gaming franchises. By embracing Classic Sonic’s wacky nature gems like Sonic Mania happened, and just like I pointed it out to beevean, if you were there the week that game was first announced, you probably saw how much people were gushing about Studiopolis Act 1 sounding so much like Sonic CD with that funky beat. People instantly knew that was the Classic Sonic music they wanted to hear.

And just to make this section even better, I recently asked beevean about her thoughts on what makes Classic Sonic’s music identity. I now urge you to go and read her full analysis because it’s so deep yet very accessible, as I’ll be collecting just a few parts of her response for this post. Trust me, that post is so useful, go and reblog it now, I’ll wait here.

About Classic Sonic’s music styles, beevean says:

So… which is the style that fits Classic Sonic better?

The big love letter to the Classic series that is Mania used CD as an inspiration, and while Mania’s OST is excellent and one of my favorites… I don’t automatically associate New Jazz Swing with Classic Sonic. Before Mania, it was only in one game, the odd one in the bunch too.

3D Blast is my favorite Genesis soundtrack, and as I said it combines the best of two worlds (plus it’s just full of bangers), but it influenced the next era more than the Classic one. The same could be said for the American OST of CD - and besides, tracks like this are nothing like Sonic anyway.

Sonic 1 is the first one and all, but that mellow style fits that particular game more than Classic as a whole, I think the closest OST to this style was Advance 1, actually - another slow-paced, simple game.

So the choice is narrowed down to the ultra-popular Sonic 2 and the refined Sonic 3 & Knuckles. And I’ll be honest, while I think S3&K has higher “highs” compared to S2… my brain immediately jumps to the latter. When I think of Classic Sonic, I think of Genesis brass (the real deal, not that fake synth they used in Forces), twang basses, a swingy rhythm (too many to choose lol), and tons of energy.

Only one Classic track in Forces came close to this description. The others sound more like either a pale imitation of Sonic 1 or modern tracks with a bad soundfont, and that’s when they’re not a complete insult (no i won’t link to it you know what i’m talking about :V).

Author’s note: it’s been, like, two months and she still refuses to talk about Faded Hills, lol

Author’s note: sorry, beev.

(TL;DR) Closing thoughts.

So, what did go wrong with Classic Sonic’s music in Sonic Forces?

A lack of definition on what Classic Sonic even is about, carried from Generations, made the task of defining his style more difficult.

The composers weren’t up to the task, or they were simply asked to make Classic Sonic “sound retro”, generic sound be damned. 

This also means management of the project wasn’t that interested in the Classic portion, or they ran out of time to make it better. This is something that the entire game seemed to have a problem with as well.

The music didn’t fit the stages, and even if it did, Classic’s identity was all over the place. He was there just to be there, and his music suffered from that (compare it to Mania).

Tomoya Ohtani (often credited as the maker of the arguably worst tracks of Classic Sonic in the game) has experienced a shift on his musical style over the last few years that led to his tracks start sounding very similar to each other, this, coupled with the fact he was working on the other 2/3rds of the game’s OST, caused his Classic tracks in particular to suffer.

Classic Sonic’s tracks didn’t take from the 90′s Pop and R&B influences that plagued the old games, and as such, the current Classic Sonic doesn’t have an identity as strong as the original 90′s Sonic. Beevean’s take on this point involves Classic Sonic tracks that feature strong, legit Genesis brass, with twang basses, swingy rhythm and tons of energy.

Once again, I’d like to thank beevean for providing such insightful information and opinions (you can clearly see we both tend to have different takes on what made Sonic back in the 90′s, but in the end agreed to a similar set of requirements to make good Classic music, like basslines and lots of energy), which helped this post a lot more than you can imagine. I wanted to post this back in late January, but the extra time allowed me to keep thinking, searching and listening, while also opened the door to ask beev again about her opinions. This is probably the first “big” article I’ve written this year, and I hope to return soon enough with more.