So I'm putting together a Youtube video about the Sonic R lighting restoration and I've come across a weird informational mismatch about the release date of Sonic R. According to Sonic Retro, Sonic R released on the Sega Saturn like this: USA: November 18th, 1997 JP: December 4th, 1997 UK: December 11th, 1997 But if you head over to Giantbomb.com, their release dates for Sonic R on the Saturn look like this: USA: October 31st, 1997 JP: December 4th, 1997 UK: December 12th, 1997 Mobygames says it's like this: USA: October 31st, 1997 JP: December 4th, 1997 UK: December 21st, 1997 So who do I trust? It's also worth mentioning that Sonic Retro has hard (ish) dates for the PC releases, but GiantBomb merely ascribes a generic "1998" year with no month or date. Mobygames also credits Sonic Retro users, but those dates don't match Sonic Retro.
The Japanese date is correct - all Japanese dates came straight from Sega (and here's a poster). The US and UK ones need references. My gut feeling is October is too early, but I don't know - I'd have to check.
Yeah best I can get is November 1997 for both the US and Europe. I don't know where the precise date comes from.
Hm, I guess when in doubt, I'll just stick to what's currently on Sonic Retro, then. I pinged Jon Burton from Traveler's Tales on twitter about this too, but he's probably too busy to respond.
For what it's worth, the latest Last Modified date of the files in my US Saturn release of Sonic R is 1997-10-30 19:36 GMT, so assuming the dates are accurate it can't have been released before that, and almost certainly not on October 31 either.
I recall a November 1997 UK release date. It might be worth checking Sega Saturn Magazine or Computer & Video Games.
I'd be even funnier if Sega went to the net and just pulled a date from one of the references above. :P
I think it was at least a few weeks before Xmas 97 in the UK. Mainly because I'd just started high school and one of my classmates got beaten up for repeatedly singing the theme tune!
December rings a bell for here in the UK. I distinctly remember seeing the advertisement for it a few weeks before Christmas thinking "Super Sonic Racing" sounded amazing. I think my vague memories of the time were "Finally the Saturn's getting a game that's as good as the shit on PlayStation". It was a graphical showcase for the time too. Everyone I showed Sonic R to was wowed by it.
Haha we are correct: https://segaretro.org/Press_release:_1997-11-17:_The_World%27s_Fastest_Hedgehog_Races_To_The_3D_Winner%27s_Circle_With_%22Sonic_R%22 The US 1997-11-18 release is referenced on Sega Retro, but not Sonic Retro - I will fix that.
That's terrific, and probably the best way to play Sonic R absent Jon Burton leaking the source code. His "director's cut" of 3D Blast may have fallen under the fan-hack umbrella that Sega publicly endorsed, but anything else might be a different matter entirely. Given how high-profile he is -- and thus a money piƱata ripe for the litigation stick -- I'm not holding much hope that he'll risk it. 60fps minimum would be the biggest plus, but the prototype character models would be ideal as well. Moreover, what would be extra-super neato is to expand the content by taking a leaf from Sonic CD and creating cups based on time zones of the preexisting tracks (which in retrospect TT ought've done back then). Just* alter the textures and level geometry, and remix the music, thereby expanding the content two-fold. That would also increase the opportunities for more unlockable characters, if feasible. *Easier said than done, I'm sure.