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miloscat · 3 months ago

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[Review] Sonic Heroes (GCN)

The Sonic series reinvents itself again, and I like it!

I just found out about Sonic Team USA, an America-based (but Japanese-staffed) division of Sonic Team set up at first to localise Sonic Adventure, who went on to develop Adventure 2 themselves. Heroes then is their second game, and marks a course correction that the fanbase seems unhappy with but which I reckon is a step in the right direction after the messy SA2.

Eggman is up to no good again, making threats about an ultimate weapon and even worse, kidnapping Froggy. Sonic and his pals Tails and Knuckles set out to see what's up; meanwhile Amy teams up with Big and new cute bunny character Cream (created for this game although she had an advance debut in Advance 2). Rouge, sporting a new armoured super-spy look with bigger wings, is surprised to find Shadow not dead after all but in stasis and amnesiac, as well as the other new character Omega the trigger-happy robot. Finally, the Chaotix (Vector, Espio, and Charmy) are dusted off from their 32X game to re-debut in the modern series and take on the role of detectives to get to the bottom of the scheme.

Ultimately Metal Sonic is revealed to be at the centre of things with a wicked cool new design; this is the only time he has a speaking voice and also the only time he ever really does anything important in the plot of any Sonic media, so it's good for him to get a moment in the sun. The other additions to the roster stick around as core cast members, and even though the plot is thin it has moments that satisfyingly follow up Shadow's story in SA2. Amy's still in her stalker phase but these bits are over quickly. Mainly I just like how it balances a large cast by splitting them up.

The four teams act as separate stories that can be tackled in any order, and whose events play out simultaneously before coming together in the Last Story. My biggest disappointment was that each team plays through the same levels with the same layouts, fighting the same bosses. It makes for a lot of repetition between stories and feels low-effort (and even within levels there are reused chunks). They do try to vary it by tweaking things; Team Rose is sort of an easy mode, with shorter truncated levels and fewer enemies. Team Sonic is the normal mode with full levels including some bombastic setpieces. Team Chaotix is also shorter but has different kinds of objectives, like scavenger hunts or stealth missions which is a more fun and creative way to remix the content. The "hard mode" Team Dark chucks in more enemies (a fun way of increasing difficulty) but I think reduces the number of checkpoints (an unfun way).

As with SA2 we have a linear sequence of levels with no hub in between, but this structure is a better match for the more balanced pace and action-oriented design here. The streamlining doesn't make it feel dumbed down though, as the team dynamic adds some complexity. Each team has a speed, power, and flight character, and swapping who you're directly controlling (the current "leader") changes your abilities, for example the flight character stacks up the others and carries them, or the power character picks up their buddies to throw them. Each configuration has uses in and out of combat, often telegraphed by obtrusive signage. I found controlling all three at once a fun novelty and it's a great way to integrate a wide array of characters in playable form.

The three team members feel distinct, and swapping between them is immediate with the push of a button (all four face buttons finally have a unique use as of this game). Between teams the characters who fill those roles play basically the same with a tweak here and there, which contributes more to the samey feeling of replaying levels. There's also a level up mechanic where beating enemies and finding orbs incrementally powers up one of the three for the duration of the level, or until you die. It feels harsh to reset this when it's still easy to die from a platforming slip, but oh well.

Speaking of the platforming, Heroes has a fast pace. I've been told it's built on the same framework from SA2 but at the last minute they doubled the acceleration value... while the deceleration is unchanged. I did like the zippiness of the speed, but it can feel very slippery and skittish to control. Some speed characters still have a kind of spin dash move but it's not useful at all. Grind rails have a larger role in this game and despite some jankiness at times they have a good showing, with an effective railhopping mechanic and Jet Set Radio Future-like tricking to increase your speed.

Between normal levels are boss fights. Some just throw waves of enemies at you, another low-effort solution but I didn't mind it in the sense of it stretching the game's combat system and forcing you to engage with it. Others are battles against the other playable teams, which are extremely chaotic; whether it was my foes constantly stunlocking me or flinging themselves out of the arena for an instant defeat, I never felt in purposeful control of the flow of these messy bouts. The "proper" boss fights are few in number (there's a hoverplane, an expanded rematch with the same, and then an Eggman mech, plus the final giant Metal Sonic fight) and janky, but in a fun way. They have multiple targets to hit and incorporate chase sequences that are preferable to the design of simply waiting for your turn to deal damage. The problem is it's easily possible to die in the pursuit by falling into the game's ever-present death pits, thus starting the fight over again.

To unlock the final story requires gathering the Chaos Emeralds between all the stories, which means the return of special stages to the series. Vaguely inspired by Sonic 2's example, these have you running through a tube collecting orbs to catch up to the gem. Except only Act 2 of each zone actually has a chance for an emerald, Act 1's stages are just for earning more lives. And specific emeralds are locked to specific zones. And for some reason the third one is way harder than the others. Hrm. The physics and controls in these are also quite clumsy, especially if you try to flip around the ceiling of the tube. I was playing this game on Dolphin, and made use of savestates to make sure I didn't have to replay whole levels to clear these. My advice is to ignore the suggestion of the orb formations and just use the speed characters. I do have to give the special stages credit though for essentially inventing the boost system. It's no surprise that Dimps has reused and riffed on this specific stage type over their games, as they built on this mechanic to bring boosting to the main games with Rush.

The aesthetics of the game are interesting; they go for a colourful chunky look that more or less set a standard for Sonic's world going forward, including the introduction of the goofy Egg Pawns as Eggman's standard footsoldiers. It generally looks good, although character models both in and out of cutscenes are excessively shiny for some reason. It looks like everyone is either made of plastic or smeared with oil! It's honestly distracting, and a very odd choice.

Aurally the game's tunes are upbeat and inoffensive. Each team gets a vocal theme song that only plays during the credits; Team Sonic's super lame track gives a poor first impression and there's some Crush 40 dreck in there too, but Teams Rose and Chaotix have standout songs that are well worth a listen. Character voice acting is a little better than previous efforts, but there's a lot of repeated barks during gameplay on top of which the team members essentially have replaced Omochao with an overabundance of intrusive advice. I must also mention that once again Tails is voiced by an actual child and is at his most stilted; the manual actually states that he's 8 years old and I guess they wanted to drive that home? Why did they feel the need to give these funny animal cartoon characters definitive ages anyway?? Why is Rouge a sultry spy at 17 and Charmy a detective at 6???

Maybe it was the use of savestates saving me from too much pain (I tried to be sparing), but I'm coming out of this game with positive feelings. I think they made some good decisions when course-correcting from SA2, making a streamlined and breezy platformer with propulsive gimmicks, a fun team dynamic, and decent combat mechanics. It's still a 3D Sonic game so it's got a hefty share of jank, but it seemed solid enough to me to not cause undue frustration. My main problem was the repetition of content between stories, but I love the attempt at integrating a large cast in playable roles, something which disappeared completely from the 3D games immediately after this (until Dream Team I guess?) and only sporadically featured in 2D instalments. Now I just need to play Shadow and I'm finally ready for the recent games!

#sonic #sonic the hedgehog #sonic heroes #sonic team usa #review #gcn

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numbug1234 · 5 years ago

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Sonic the Hedgehog: Timeline

You’ve ever wondered about the chronology of a mascot platforming series with many self-contained entries? No? Well I did, and I combed through the lore as much as possible in order to find any definitive points to order things around in, and now I feel that I have the definitive timeline for you all.

(Notes and their sources appear at the end of the document – all notes listed before all sources)

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Timeline 1

Circa 1998000 BCE (likely earlier) [note 1] Light Gaia, Dark Gaia, and the planet itself came into being. The two incarnations of light and darkness (respectively) would periodically clash every few tens of thousands of years, with Dark Gaia destroying the planet and Light Gaia repairing it.

Circa 18000 BCE (likely earlier) -Light Gaia and Dark Gaia have their most recent clash over the fate of the planet. Result of this conflict is unknown. -As part of the aftermath of the battle, the denizens of the time created the Gaia Manuscripts -Earliest known appearance of the Chaos Emeralds

Unknown time period (likely after the above events) -Ancient Babylonians crash-landed onto the planet -Ended up integrating their technology with the local planet's resources

Circa 2000 BCE [note 2] -The Gizoid was created by the Fourth Great Civilisation, but ended up destroying it.

Circa 1000 BCE (possibly earlier) [note 2-1] -The Knuckles Clan was wiped out by Chaos. -Tikal stopped Chaos from wiping out the planet by sealing herself and Chaos within the Master Emerald. -Earliest known appearance of the Master Emerald.

Circa 1 BCE (possibly earlier) -Black Doom's earliest known interaction on Earth, where he hid a Black Arms fleet within a desert.

959 CE -Master Zik was born [note 3-1].

1847 -Zavok was born [note 3-1].

1862 -Zomom was born [note 3-1].

1868 -Zazz was born [note 3-1].

1875 -Zeena was born [note 3-1].

1883 Zor was born [note 3-1].

Circa 1950 CE (possibly earlier) -Professor Gerald Robotnik was hired by the United Federations military G.U.N. to create the Ultimate Life Form on-board the Space Colony: ARK. -Gerald agreed in order to develop a cure for his ill granddaughter, Maria. -On the side, Gerald stumbled across the Gizoid and another dimension where a terrible monster was in. To buy time, Gerald ended up handing the Gizoid to the military, only for it to destroy part of the ARK. -Gerald was only able to complete the Ultimate Life Form thanks to a deal with Black Doom, who happened to be passing by about then. Gerald came to regret this deal, and prepared a method to wipe the Black Arms out upon their return. -GUN became weary of the military project, and stormed the ARK in order to violently shut down the project. Gerald was the only survivor of the shutdown (including his granddaughter), and was forced to finish his research. Gerald slowly went insane, and implanted some additional coding into some of his creations, in order to get revenge on the Earth one day. He was implied to have been executed by firing squad.

1975 [note 3-2] [note 4] -Vector the Crocodile is born.

1976 CE -Bark the Polar Bear is born [note 3-3]. -Storm the Albatross is born [note 3].

1977 CE -Mighty the Armadillo is born [note 3-2]. -Big the Cat is born [note 3]. -Rouge the Bat is born [note 3]. -Wave the Swallow is born [note 3].

Circa 1978 CE (likely earlier) Dynamite Düx [note 5] -This entry is listed here because at this point Bin wasn't mentioned as having any kind of son, making it likely that he had his one adventure prior to this incident.

1978 CE -Bean the Dynamite is born, his father is Bin from Dynamite Düx [note 3-3] [note 5]. -Princess Elise the Third is born [note 3].

1979 CE -Knuckles the Echidna was born [note 3]. -Espio the Chameleon was born [note 3-2] [note 4].

1980 CE -Sonic the Hedgehog was born on Christmas Island [note 3-4].

1981 CE -Blaze the Cat was born in an alternate dimension [note 3]. -Jet the Hawk was born [note 3].

1983 CE -Amy Rose was born [note 3].

1985 CE -The Duke of Solleanna was researching the flame of hope in order to discover a method of time travel. -An experiment ended up failing violently, as the flame ended up splitting into two beings, Ible and Mephiles. -Before his death, the Duke ended up sealing Iblis within his daughter, Princess Elise the Third. -The fate of Mephiles the Dark is unknown.

1987 CE Miles “Tails” Prower is born [note 3].

1988 CE (another universe) Marine the Raccoon is born [note 3].

1989 CE [note 4] Charmy Bee is born [note 3-2]. Cream the Rabbit is born [note 3].

1993 CE Sonic the Hedgehog (SEGA Genesis/SEGA Megadrive) [note 6] -The introduction of both Sonic the Hedgehog and Dr. Ivo Robotnik (who will later be known as Eggman).

Sonic the Hedgehog (SEGA Master System, SEGA Game Gear) [note 6]

Tails Adventures [note 6] -Specifically noted as taking place before Tails meets Sonic for the first time.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (SEGA Genesis/SEGA Megadrive) [note 6] [note 7] -Sonic and Tails meet for the first time shortly before the events of this entry.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 [note 6] [note 7] [note 8] -While not happening back to back, this entry immediately follows the events of the previous entry [note 4]. -Introduction of Knuckles the Echidna.

Sonic & Knuckles [note 6] [note 7] [note 8] -Sonic's story takes place before Knuckles' story.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (SEGA Master System, SEGA Game Gear) [note 6] [note 7]

SegaSonic the Hedgehog [note 6] [note 7] -Introduction of Mighty the Armadillo and Ray the Flying Squirrel.

Sonic Chaos [note 6] [note 7]

Sonic Triple Trouble [note 6] [note 7] -Introduction of Fang the Sniper, and earliest chronological appearance of Metal Sonic [note 4].

Knuckles' Chaotix [note 6] [note 9] -Metal Sonic needed to have fought and be defeated by Sonic before these events take place

Sonic the Fighters [note 6] [note 9] -Introduction of Bark the Polar Bear, Bean the Dynamite, and Amy Rose.

Sonic R [note 6]

Before Sonic the Hedgehog CD [note 6] -On the last month of the year, Little Planet appears as usual. -Dr. Robotnik finds Little Planet and the immense time travel capabilities that it stores.

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Timeline 1+ [note 9]

Before Sonic CD -This divergent timeline's beginning point is unknown, or even if it diverged at all yet. If it is a new timeline, the events leading up to Sonic CD are unaltered, except for the following: -Dr. Robotnik places robot generators all over Little Planet's past, alongside holograms of Metal Sonic terrorising the local animals, and then puts Little Planet in a metal shell, chained up to a mountain near Never Lake.

1993 CE [note 9] Sonic the Hedgehog CD -It is canon that Sonic had gotten the Bad Ending. -This is the last time Metal Sonic can appear until Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode Metal, and is also the character's debut.

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Timeline 8+ [note 9]

1993 CE Sonic the Hedgehog CD. -Dr. Robotnik utilises the Time Stones to undo Sonic's victory on Little Planet, leaving it chained up and captured. -It is said that Little Planet appears on the last month of every year, meaning that after it disappears, a new year begins.

1994 CE Tails' Skypatrol

Sonic Labyrinth [note 6]

Sonic 3D Blast: Flickes' Island. [note 6]

Sonic Blast [note 6]

Sonic Pocket Adventure -Dr. Robotnik starts swapping between his classic outfit and his modern outfit, and Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles gain their modern eye colours while keeping their classic proportions, firmly establishing this entry as the in-between point between Classic and Modern.

Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1

Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode Metal -Metal Sonic's revival after being abandoned on Little Planet

Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 2 -Little Planet makes its appearance over Never Lake, which happens on the last month of the year.

1995 CE

Sonic Pinball Party (potential placement) [note 10]

Sonic Adventure -First time Dr. Robotnik gets referred to by the name of 'Eggman'. -Big the Cat, Chaos, and E-102 Gamma are introduced, and while not introduced Cream the Rabbit can be seen flying in the city in the remakes.

Sonic Shuffle

Sonic Adventure 2 -Shadow the Hedgehog and Rouge the Bat are introduced. The former is believed dead after the events of this entry.

Sonic Advance

Sonic Advance 2 -Introduction of Cream the Rabbit.

Sonic Pinball Party (potential placement) [note 10]

Sonic Heroes [note 11] -Introduction of E-123 Omega, and the re-introduction of Vector, Espio, and Charmy.

Shadow the Hedgehog [note 11]

Sonic Battle [note 2] [note 11]

Sonic Advance 3

Sonic the Hedgehog (Xbox 360/Playstation 3) [note 12] -Introduction of Princess Elise the 3rd. -After Sonic rescues Elise from Eggman, he threatens all of Soleanna in order for the princess to turn herself over. Eggman's ship crashes before Sonic can reach them, killing Elise and unleashing Iblis across the world. -Mephiles the Dark finds a Chaos Emerald, and likely manages to copy Shadow's shadow and send him (and Rouge) into the future.

Circa 2181 CE (likely later) -Silver the Hedgehog is born.

Circa 2195 CE (likely later) -Blaze the Cat is present through unknown means. -Shadow and Rouge wander the ruined city, uncovering an abandoned Omega. -Mephiles the Dark meets up with Silver and Blaze, offering them a chance to save the future by travelling back in time to assassinate the “Iblis Trigger”, who he claims is Sonic. Silver and Blaze agree, and are sent back in time.

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Timeline 9+

1995 CE Sonic the Hedgehog (Xbox 360/Playstation 3) -Silver, Blaze, and Mephiles are all separated during the time travel, leaving each of them alone. Silver meets up with Amy Rose and attempts to assassinate Sonic. While unsuccessful, this does lead to Eggman kidnapping Elise early, forcing Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles to travel to Eggman's base, where they get sent to a random time period. -After Amy abandons him, Silver meets back up with Blaze, and the two investigate Eggman's base, finding a Chaos Emerald his drone had brought. -Elise dies.

Circa 2195 CE (likely later) -In the future, Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Shadow, and Rouge team up in order to find two Chaos Emeralds to go back in time with. After fighting Iblis, they find two and go back in time using them, however Shadow stays behind upon seeing Mephiles' presence.

Timeline 10+

1995 CE Sonic the Hedgehog (Xbox 360/Playstation 3) -Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Rouge all end up back in the present day. Sonic immediately goes to rescue Elise, only to be stopped by Silver, and presumably killed. -Rouge, meanwhile, seeks out Omega, and gives her Chaos Emerald to it, giving it precise orders to wait for Shadow and deliver it. -Elise dies.

Circa 2195 CE (likely later) -Shadow fights Mephiles, and is losing just before Omega shows up, who manages to save Shadow. Mephiles retreats through time travel, and both Shadow and Omega follow through the time portal.

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Timeline 11+

1995 CE Sonic the Hedgehog (Xbox 360/Playstation 3) -Shadow, upon returning, seeks out Eggman for answers. Right after that, he happens to spot Silver attacking Sonic, and jumps in to save Sonic's life, although Elise does get captured again. After a fight between the two, they accidentally trigger a time travelling portal with their Chaos Emeralds, and they break the fight to decide to go back in time to seek answers (thanks to Shadow's intel from Eggman, somehow?).

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Timeline 12+

1985 CE -Shadow and Silver travel back, with Silver learning that the Iblis Trigger is in fact Elise, and that her dying would do the opposite of sealing it, while Shadow goes and seals Mephiles, setting up one half of a time loop. The two then head back to the present, with Silver leaving behind a Chaos Emerald for Elise.

1995 CE Sonic the Hedgehog (Xbox 360/Playstation 3) -It is unknown exactly how the extra Chaos Emerald effected the events leading up to this date. -The non-time travelling Sonic is given Elise's Chaos Emerald, and even uses it to barter Elise back just before being sent to the future (and returning). -The non-time travelling Shadow accidentally releases Mephiles, and Mephiles sends him and Rouge to the future in retaliation. -The time travelling Shadow and Silver return, with Shadow helping Omega out with Mephiles, before the three of them attempt to seal Mephiles again, while Sonic, Silver, and Blaze give chase after Eggman's ship to save Elise one last time. The ship crashes, and Elise dies, but Silver and Sonic induce one last time portal in order to Sonic to go back in time to save her.

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Timeline 13+

Unknown -Solaris of the past starts consuming time here, but as present and future Solaris still exist, the future still exists to be consumed.

1995 CE Sonic the Hedgehog (Xbox 360/Playstation 3) -Sonic manages to save Elise for good this time, before being killed by Mephiles. The grief Elise feels at this causes Iblis to be unleashed, and Mephiles fuses with Iblis to turn into Solaris, who exists at three separate points in time simultaneously. Present-version Solaris starts consuming time from this point, but as future Solaris still exists, the future still exists to be consumed.

Circa 2195 (likely later) -Silver and Blaze seal Iblis within Blaze, before sending her to another universe. -Solaris of the future starts consuming time here.

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Timeline 14+

ERROR! TIME PERIOD NOT FOUND! Sonic the Hedgehog (Xbox 360/Playstation 3) -Tails, Knuckles, Shadow, Rouge, Omega, Silver, Amy, Elise, Eggman, and a deceased Sonic all happen to survive in a pocket of space-time. This bubble is temporary, but the 9 of them hatch a plan to snatch the 7 Chaos Emeralds, revive Sonic, and turn him, Shadow, and Silver super in order to stop Solaris.

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Timeline 15+ 1985 -Sonic and Elise arrive from the future, and wipe out the flame of hope prematurely.

1995 Sonic the Hedgehog (Xbox 360/Playstation 3) -Eggman does not attack the ceremony, and a non-time travelling Sonic and Elise have vague, unexplained knowledge of each other...

Circa 2195 (likely later) -Eggman Nega travels back in time

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Timeline 16+

1995

Sonic Rush [note 13] -Re-introduction of Blaze the Cat, Introduction of Dr. Eggman Nega.

Sonic Riders -Introduction of Jet the Hawk, Wave the Swallow, and Storm the Albatross.

Sonic Rush Adventure [note 13] -Introduction of Marine the Raccoon.

Sonic Rivals [note 13] -Eggman Nega turns the world into a card, or some other disaster?

Circa 2195 (likely later) -Silver the Hedgehog travels back in time to stop Eggman Nega.

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Timeline 17+ 1995 Sonic Rivals [note 13] -Re-Introduction of Silver the Hedgehog. -Sonic, Shadow, Silver, and Knuckles stop Eggman Nega's plan. Silver takes Eggman Nega back to the future.

Sonic & the Secret Rings

Circa 2195 (likely later) -Eggman Nega travels back in time again.

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Timeline 18+ 1995 Sonic Rivals 2 [note 13] -Eggman Nega destroys the world with the Ifrit

Circa 2195 (likely later) -Silver travels back in time to stop Eggman Nega.

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Timeline 19+ 1995 Sonic Rivals 2 [note 13] -Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Rouge, Shadow, Metal Sonic, Silver, and Espio stop Eggman Nega from unleashing the Ifrit, with Eggman Nega left behind in the Ifrit's dimension.

Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity

Sonic Unleashed

Sonic & the Black Knight

Sonic Free Riders

Sonic Colo(u)rs -Silver is absent

Circa 2195 (likely later) -Silver's time is happy and peaceful. Absolutely nothing would get wrecked if Silver went back in time.

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Timeline 20+ 1995 -Silver is present

Sonic Generations -Sonic has a birthday here. -Eggman finds a time erasing creature, and erases time en-mass. Due to the specifics of what gets wiped and what gets restored changing, a 100% accurate measurement is impossible.

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Timeline 21-48+ 1995 -Introduction of the Classic universe. -Sonic restores his friends and many locations from being erased, and defeats Eggman. -This is also where the cameo that we're using our dating system for comes from.

Sonic Lost World -Introduction of Zavok, Zazz, Zomom, Zik, Zeena, and Zor.

1996 Sonic Runners -Sonic has another birthday here.

Sonic Runners Adventure

Sonic Mania (another dimension) -The events of Mania Mode unfold. -The events of Encore Mode unfold [note 14].

Sonic Forces (digital comic series) -The events of Issue 4 take place

Sonic Forces: Episode Shadow

Sonic Forces (video game) (Prologue)

Sonic Forces (digital comic series) -The events of Issue 1 take place

1996 (likely 1997)

Sonic Forces (video game) -Silver is absent, the crew end up losing.

Circa 2195 (likely later) -Silver the Hedgehog travels back in time

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Timeline 22-49+ 1996

Sonic Forces (digital comic) -The events of Issue 2 take place

Sonic Forces: Episode Shadow [note 14]

Sonic Forces (videogame) (Prologue)

Sonic Forces (digital comic series) -The events of Issue 1 take place.

1996 (likely 1997) Sonic Forces -Silver is present, Sonic and crew succeed this time.

Sonic Mania Adventures (another dimension) -Most episodes take place

Sonic Mania Adventures (another dimension) -Christmas themed episode takes place

Team Sonic Racing -An invitation is sent out for Silver the Hedgehog

Circa 2195 (likely later) -Silver the Hedgehog recieves the invitation, and travels back in time to compete.

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Timeline 23-50+ 1997 (possibly 1998) Team Sonic Racing -Silver arrives from the future to compete in the competition.

2008 [note 15] Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games [note 15]

2010 [note 2] [note 15] Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games

2012 [note 15] Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games

2014 [note 15] Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games

2016 [note 15] Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games

OK K.O: Let's Meet Sonic! [note 15]

2020 [note 15] Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020

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Note 1: The dating system uses a cameo appearance in Sonic Generations as a point of reference, and is otherwise completely arbitrary. Note 2: Sonic Chronicles: the Dark Brotherhood is non-canon, and thus all information provided by that entry will be promptly ignored. Note 2-1: The timeframe given for the Knuckles Clan was NOT used in Sonic Chronicles, but was instead in the Japanese manual for Sonic Adventure. Note 3: All character ages have been listed in relation to their Modern era debut, unless they lack such an appearance. In such case, their debut is used as a reference point instead. All ages are listed on their Sonic Channel profiles with the following exceptions: Note 3-1: The Deadly Six's ages come from promotional material for Sonic Lost World which provided various tidbits of information on them. Note 3-2: The Chaotix (and Mighty) were provided ages in Knuckles Chaotix, however all of them (with the exception of Mighty) were retconned when they were given a modern appearance in Sonic Heroes, and thus use their now-current ages instead. Note 3-3: Their ages were listed in the Japanese version of Fighters Megamix Official Guide. Note 3-4: Sonic's age is listed on his Sonic Channel profile, however his origin of Christmas Island actually originated in the Sonic the Hedgehog Technical Files (also known as the Original Story), and has been backed up as canon by SEGA. Note 4: The Chaotix have been described as being re-imagined in Sonic Heroes, although there is currently no elaboration on if this was referring to a full reboot, or merely their appearance and personality. If it is a full reboot, their classic appearances are non-canon. Note 5: In the Japanese version of Fighters Megamix Official Guide, it is listed that Bin from Dynamite Düx is Bean's father, therefore also confirming Dynamite Düx into the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise. Note 6: There were different canons present during the creation and release of Sonic the Hedgehog titles between 1991 and 1997, and from 1998 onwards the Japanese canon was used, with only minor details carrying over. Whenever possible, the Japanese version of Sonic the Hedgehog entries released during this time period will be used as reference. Although if non-conflicting information is present in western manuals, that information will be considered as a possible minor detail that carried over. Note 7: In the Japanese manual, Sonic met Tails shortly before the events of this game, and the Japanese manual for Sonic 3 (which includes Tails) mentions that Sonic had used Super Sonic in his last adventure, meaning that Sonic 2, Sonic 3, and Sonic & Knuckles must happen side-by-side, and that any other game featuring Tails or Knuckles must take place after this game (with exceptions). Note 8: It is unknown whether the combined version of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic & Knuckles (known as Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles) is the canonical version or not, or if the true canon is a mixture of both. Note 9: Due to the nature of the time travel being in gameplay, it is unknown exactly how many times Sonic the Hedgehog had actually travelled through time, although it is a minimum of 6 times. In addition, it is unknown if Dr. Robotnik travelled backwards in time to place the robot generators to begin with, nor is it known if Sonic and Amy travelled back in time after the end of Sonic CD. All that is known for certain is that Stardust Speedway was failed to be saved, and by extension all of Little Planet. Note 10: Sonic Pinball's exact placement cannot be pinned down without some adjustments due to details present within the entry being inconsistent from a chronological perspective. Possibility 1 is to treat Shadow's name in the tournament as being non-canonical, or referring to another person with the same first name. Possibility 2 is to assume that Station Square (or specifically Casinopolis) has been repaired after the events of Sonic Adventure. Note 11: Despite being released before Sonic Heroes, Shadow the Hedgehog is depicted without amnesia in Sonic Battle, therefore placing it after Shadow the Hedgehog. Note 12: Due to Silver and Blaze meeting for the first time both in Sonic the Hedgehog (Xbox 360/Playstation 3) and in Sonic Rivals and Sonic Rush respectively, Sonic the Hedgehog (Xbox 360/Playstation 3) must happen first, as the details of that event end up wiping those meetings from time. Note 13: in Sonic Rush and Sonic Rush Adventure, Eggman Nega is an alternate universe counterpart, working alongside Eggman. In Sonic Rivals and Sonic Rivals 2, Eggman Nega is Eggman's descendent, and is working against Eggman. The only way to make both of these work is if the Rivals games both take place after the Rush games. Note 14: Sonic Mania's Encore Mode was deliberately designed to have its opening ambiguous over whether Sonic Forces happened or not. Sonic Mania Adventures, meanwhile, explicitly takes place after Sonic Forces, locking that entry's placement down. In addition, it helps explain why Classic Sonic and the Phantom Ruby arrive at different points in time. Note 15: The Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games series are generally considered non-canon for good reason. The only reason I'm even entertaining the idea at all is because of a once-off mention by K.O. in a crossover episode with his show, OK K.O.: Let's Be Heroes!. Feel free to ignore these entirely.

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Sources Note 1: https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/sonic/images/1/10/MightyRayHiRes.png/revision/latest?cb=20160105195952

Note 2: https://board.sonicstadium.org/topic/19847-segas-secret-sonic-bible-that-well-probably-never-see-to-mars/page/10/?tab=comments#comment-964735

Note 3: https://info.sonicretro.org/images/3/39/SonicLostWorld_Zik_Profile.jpg https://sonic.fandom.com/wiki/File:Zavokprofile.jpg https://sonic.fandom.com/wiki/File:SLW_Zomom_bio_profile.jpg https://sonic.fandom.com/wiki/File:SLW_Zazz_Profile.jpg https://sonic.fandom.com/wiki/File:Zeenaprofile.jpg https://sonic.fandom.com/wiki/File:Zor_Profile.jpg http://sonic.sega.jp/SonicChannel/character/vector.html https://sonic.fandom.com/wiki/Special:BookSources/9784797302127 https://66.media.tumblr.com/68567667b614725ddfd890b135b3db71/tumblr_ochiw8xMM71vue5nao1_1280.jpg http://sonic.sega.jp/SonicChannel/character/storm.html http://info.sonicretro.org/Chaotix_manuals http://sonic.sega.jp/SonicChannel/character/big.html http://sonic.sega.jp/SonicChannel/character/rouge.html http://sonic.sega.jp/SonicChannel/character/wave.html https://66.media.tumblr.com/e8ce5230068fb1508711f35b35a88c93/tumblr_ochiw8xMM71vue5nao2_1280.jpg http://www.x-cult.org/games/39/Sonic_the_Hedgehog/1244/Game_Script/ http://sonic.sega.jp/SonicChannel/character/knuckles.html http://sonic.sega.jp/SonicChannel/character/espio.html http://sonic.sega.jp/SonicChannel/character/sonic.html http://web.archive.org/web/20021227013107/http://www.tastescity.net/sonicdimension/top/sonic-museum/story-hall/story_legend1.html http://sonic.sega.jp/SonicChannel/character/blaze.html http://sonic.sega.jp/SonicChannel/character/jet.html http://sonic.sega.jp/SonicChannel/character/amy.html http://sonic.sega.jp/SonicChannel/character/tails.html http://sonic.sega.jp/SonicChannel/character/marine.html http://sonic.sega.jp/SonicChannel/character/charmy.html http://sonic.sega.jp/SonicChannel/character/cream.html

Note 4: https://web.archive.org/web/20040330042803/http://www.egmmag.com/article2/0,2053,1507899,00.asp

Note 5: https://sonic.fandom.com/wiki/Special:BookSources/9784797302127 https://66.media.tumblr.com/e8ce5230068fb1508711f35b35a88c93/tumblr_ochiw8xMM71vue5nao2_1280.jpg

Note 6: http://info.sonicretro.org/Sonic_the_Hedgehog_(16-bit)_manuals http://info.sonicretro.org/Sonic_the_Hedgehog_(8-bit)_manuals http://info.sonicretro.org/Tails_Adventures_manuals http://info.sonicretro.org/Sonic_the_Hedgehog_2_(16-bit)_manuals http://info.sonicretro.org/Sonic_the_Hedgehog_3_manuals http://info.sonicretro.org/Sonic_%26_Knuckles_manuals http://info.sonicretro.org/Sonic_the_Hedgehog_2_(8-bit)_manuals http://info.sonicretro.org/Sonic_Chaos_manuals http://info.sonicretro.org/Sonic_the_Hedgehog_Triple_Trouble_manuals http://info.sonicretro.org/Chaotix_manuals http://info.sonicretro.org/Sonic_R_manuals http://info.sonicretro.org/Sonic_the_Hedgehog_CD_manuals http://info.sonicretro.org/Sonic_Labyrinth_manuals http://info.sonicretro.org/Sonic_3D:_Flickies%27_Island_manuals http://info.sonicretro.org/Sonic_Blast_manuals

Note 7: http://info.sonicretro.org/Sonic_the_Hedgehog_2_(16-bit)_manuals http://info.sonicretro.org/Sonic_the_Hedgehog_3_manuals http://info.sonicretro.org/Sonic_%26_Knuckles_manuals

Note 8: http://info.sonicretro.org/Sonic_the_Hedgehog_3_manuals http://info.sonicretro.org/Sonic_%26_Knuckles_manuals

Note 9: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpZ3YZVfc20

Note 10: https://youtu.be/MTcwG4MDqAw?t=48

Note 11: https://youtu.be/qZ4aUW-ZBMk?t=52 https://youtu.be/68mOgiyjXYI?t=107 https://youtu.be/b8JdnOD55QI?t=1142 https://youtu.be/BaTKL2XL-4I?t=438

Note 12: https://youtu.be/Kr0RfvnuVqg?t=232 https://youtu.be/Kr0RfvnuVqg?t=1535 https://youtu.be/nOiWwvYDnn4?t=34 https://youtu.be/xAwfzYvYYXc?t=58

Note 13: https://www.sonicstadium.org/2012/07/sonic-boom-live-blog/ https://youtu.be/ok8fsnSp5Jk?t=126

Note 14: https://youtu.be/JZNgOx-Gbr4?t=377 https://youtu.be/FA574k9BUI8?t=80 https://readcomiconline.to/Comic/Sonic-Forces-Moment-of-Truth/Issue-4?id=124766 https://youtu.be/mnkjIK6FuVs?t=416 https://youtu.be/mnkjIK6FuVs?t=5074 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYvO8eaWJNc

Note 15: https://youtu.be/wfvDvEZbQOU?t=294

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