I recently came across this Sega promotional video. It was bundled with the April 1993 issue of the Spanish gaming magazine "Hobby Consolas". There's tons of game footage in there, but the interesting part is the Sonic Spinball footage, at about 5 minutes, 32 seconds in. There are some major differences between the version shown in the video and the version we got. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EL7hI24WZks#t=05m32s[/youtube] Obvious differences include: - Cutscene of Robotnik looking at his monitor as Sonic advances through the game, a la SegaSonic Arcade - Mobius loop in the Toxic Caves minecart - Different sprites on the wall of the steam room in Lava Powerhouse - Robo-boiler boss layout slightly different, background very different. It looks almost like it was originally going to be in The Machine Zone. - Different scoreboard graphics in the bonus stages And there are probably other differences that I didn't notice. Start video dissection immediately!
Like a time capsule from the early internet. Regarding the footage, make sure to compare it with the existant Sonic Spinball proto rather than the final version. There's stuff in there like the non-Flicky bluebirds, that is present in the known proto.
Oh man, I remember visiting your site well before I joined Sonic CulT. I thought parts of the footage looked familiar, but I knew I hadn't see any prototype videos other than the earliest one (the one showcased along side the SatAM game). Good to know I saw 'em at ICE's site.
It also shows a different lifebar in Aladdin. More impressively, it still renders fine in all browsers (pixel perfect even). That's some pretty complex shit you got there. and the banners at the bottom, holy shit.
Glad you guys like my prehistoric site! I've just noticed that I still have the minigames that I made for the most relevant updates, maybe I should resurrect them from hell... Now going back on topic... Besides the different bonus table that may be actually a non-playable animation rendered on an Amiga (judging by the framerate, among other things), is this build the same as the earliest proto we have? Also, and while we're on the subject of Spanish promotional videotapes, has the Shinobi III proto footage been captured yet? I remember that another one of these videos showed the infamous tigers inside the caves.
Dude! I remember fussing over that Buzz Bomber mini-game just to see those Sonic 2 sketches. So much clicking, but so rewarding. People should do that more. =)
