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Summer of Sonic 2013

Discussion in 'General Sonic Discussion' started by Overlord, Jun 20, 2013.

  1. Sploit

    Sploit

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    I never even or heard about this until seeing this thread...it's kind of of a shame for them though I think.

    Meeting them is something I imagine most would love the opportunity to do, I am very grateful that I got the chance.

    First time I've met any of my games related heroes aside from jun senoue in 2010 and 2011 when I was stuck outside.

    I've been fortunate enough to meet people from some classic bands though, guns n roses members both past and present (my favourite band - got meet and greets for some and met others after small gigs), members of love/hate, the singer from Hanoi rocks, members of ash, erm black stone cherry -cant think of any others right now.
     
  2. GeneHF

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    Thing is, Senoue is usually always at these fan events, so it's not really hard to track him down. Iizuka is also rather frequent. Throwing a hissy fit about missing either of them is silly (though the idea of a 20+ man throwing a tantrum like a child in public is hilarious.)

    Hoshino, however, this is his first time at one of these for the West. He's a more interesting signature target, moreso if you're into character designing (and I know a fair few of you are.)

    The "biggest" one, and I could understand being upset if you missed it, was having Naka, Oshima, and Yasuhara all together. That's basically the holy trinity in Sonic. Throw in Nakamura and you have every key figure in Sonic you'll ever need to concern yourself over.
     
  3. Sploit

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    I'd love to meet oshima and any of the other character designers. Oshima would be incredible due to the fact that his character concept/design basically started it all. Personally it would also be a huge honour to meet yuda as he created knuckles (my favourite character from the series, I also think mighty is awesome so meeting kusunoki would be epic (dunno who created ray, but ray is great too and in my opinion they both need to make a return in some form :D )! Meeting uekawa would be interesting and I think a q&a with him would be interesting since he could be asked more about his process of redesigning sonic and co.

    UK fans did not get the chance to meet oshima or yasuhara I don't think.

    I missed out on meeting naka as I could not get into so SoS 11...

    I have naka's autograph though as I bought a signed knuckles plush of a collectors website. And I got iizuka's on the colours (or colors) game from the SEGA play for Japan auctions.

    EDIT: appears kusunoki designed ray too, awesome!
     
  4. Pengi

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    Is there a transcript or video of the Q&As?
     
  5. Sploit

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    I dunno I hope so. I have a small clip of Hoshino answering a question regarding the tails doll from sonic r. Which was quite interesting.

    (He is not the creator of the tails doll and apparently it was originally meant to be a level gimmick on one of the tracks, and the aim would've been to shoot it, the designer of tails doll, is the lead background artist on lost world!)

    But I never saw the Iizuka q&a so some footage would be cool, will upload my short snippet clip from the Hoshino q&a if people are interested.
     
  6. Overlord

    Overlord

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    My understanding is there's recordings of the Iizuka & Hoshino sessions (I know for a fact I was next to someone shooting them, if they want to reveal themselves =P), so we can get transcriptions of those if need be.

    Really good weekend, enjoyed it (though as is usual for Retro, we dodged most of the show events in favour of the signings & Q&As). Pubbage with board members is always welcome. =)

    Again, too tired for a full writeup right now, but look forward to my customary summary piece in the next few days on the front page, plus the dev interviews & Lost World impressions courtesy of the other staff & members who were there.
     
  7. Jen

    Jen

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    Hello ;) Orenge is going to upload the videos to his youtube at some point soon.

    I really enjoyed the event this year. I'll write about it properly tomorrow once I've gotten some sleep, but basically the event itself was good fun and the barcade runs were awesome (as always) :D
     
  8. Overlord

    Overlord

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    News coverage begins!

    http://www.sonicretro.org/2013/08/sos-2013-the-metal-sonic-edition/

    Can I ask everyone who went to SoS and wants to add to the writeup piece for Sonic Lost World to get their text to me by the end of tonight, as discussed? Either PM me the text here on Retro or get hold of me on IRC to discuss a delivery method. I'd like to get this up and published some time Tuesday so that Nik has the rest of the week for his interview pieces.
     
  9. Sploit

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    Do you just want different people's opinions or first impressions of it? Like a few comments about it? I only played the 3DS version of it, but can send you a few comments if it would be of any help.
     
  10. Overlord

    Overlord

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    Sure, I'm happy to take a few comments about it - just what you thought of the game from what you played, really.
     
  11. Sploit

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    I sent you a bit of text, sorry if it feels a bit ramble-y, I am pretty tired, but I tried to get across mainly a few small critiques, I went on a bit, but yeah.

    Also sorry for any grammar/spelling issues, as I am typing on my iPad mini lol.

    Hope it's helpful anyway.
     
  12. Sir_mihael

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    Well. It's been three-odd days, and I still can't think of anything sensible to write that hasn't been mentioned already.

    First of all. (I'll get the soppy stuff out the way). Although I only saw you guys on-and-off for a few minutes at a time, it was still awesome seeing you all. More than anything, it's just nice to see actual human beings in an otherwise obsessive event. I definitely regret not going with you all for food/pints afterwards. I was going to attempt hopping between groups of friends in post-SoS celebrations, but then I remembered LONDON IS BIG. So that didn't happen. Either way, it was still a pleasure.

    But I somehow did manage to end up in a sleazy 24 hour hotel bar with Svend, some chap from Glasgow who was head of SoS security, and someone running a late-night podcast, of which we were all drunkenly rambling about the entire event. Not where I was seeing myself that evening, but it was certainly an experience...

    ANYWAY. SUMMER OF SONIC. IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER.

    • First of all Nova's tweets were actually amazing. Made waiting in the Jun signing que an absolute joy. No joke.
    • I too, got cut-off from the Jun singing que. Sadly didn't see said man on the floor crying, but that sounds amazing. Instead me and my friend waited about five seconds after he left the signing table, and just walked up to him with one of the permanent markers. NO QUEUING NECESSARY.
    • 'Jam with Jun' was pretty standard. I appreciated the SA1 medley (especially the Eggman theme, which I always felt was a tad underrated). Escape from the City was there. Not much else to say apart from that he resisted the temptation of Live and Learn this time round, which could've been another easy five minute filler.
    • Robotnik's Tea Party. That happened, didn't it?
    • Nigel Kitching didn't enjoy the fact that I commented on our shirts being totally identical (they totally were).
    • A bit of a shame that Senoue's singing was the same time as Hoshino's Q & A, but whatever. Not the end of the world.
    • Lost Worlds 3DS actually looks decent. Feels like a step-up in quality compared to 3DS Generations, but that's just my first impressions.

    (Random musing. Was it just me, or did the small kid in the full Sonic costume actually look better than the 'official' Sonic suit they brought onto stage this year?)
     
  13. Nova

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    Thank you, thank you. :v:
    Not sure if you were aware but it's not a huge deal - next time, just stop Jun in a hallway or outside or wherever. He's more than happy to sign anything whenever. :)
     
  14. Jen

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    It was an amazing weekend, Orenge and I had a fantastic time :D

    We arrived in London on Friday evening and had time for a couple of hours in the pub with a few of our friends from here on Retro, before we headed back to our hotel.

    Then on Saturday, Summer of Sonic was loads of fun. It was nice to see everyone again - not just from Retro, but people we know from other parts of the internet stopped to say hello to us as well. I even met someone who claimed to be a fan of my deviantArt page, which is a first! As with the Friday evening, we spent the day hanging around with the usual Retro UK people.

    I was amazed when we received this year's goody bags - the printed Sonic the Comic. That was an awesome moment.

    Upon arrival into the venue we all headed straight over to Sonic Lost World - I've sent my brief review to Overlord, so anyone who's interested will be able to read it soon. I really enjoyed the game, in a nutshell. Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to play the 3DS version though, as the area was being shut off at the first opportunity I had to go and play it later in the day.

    Once we'd all played it we headed over to the merchandise stand. I managed to snag some nice stuff - the twin-pack of Sonic and Blaze figures that comes with a Sonic Universe comic, a set of four coasters (featuring classic Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and Robotnik) and a set of four classic Sonic badges. I also bought some charity raffle tickets. I didn't win, but I was happy in the knowledge that my money went to a really good cause :)

    The signing sessions happened at different intervals during the day. I've gotten a shitload of stuff signed by Jun in previous years, so I just went to Iizuka and Hoshino's signing sessions this time around. Unfortunately this means that I missed THAT moment with the screaming guy =P I got Iizuka to sign my Sonic Adventure which Jun signed at a previous SoS. For Hoshino, I had my original copy of Sonic CD that I've had since I was a kid - for that reason, it meant an awful lot to me to get it signed. I also managed to get a photo with both of them; the SoS website had originally said photos weren't allowed, but a SEGA rep was offering to take pictures for people, so we could only assume that this rule was reversed at the last minute. This did however slow down the signing sessions slightly - and this wasn't helped by the fact that the queue wasn't regulated as well as it was last year.

    The Q&A sessions yielded some interesting answers too, and I was glad that a couple of my questions were asked yet again (I seem to be making this a habit now); I was a bit distracted by the hilarious brony trolling that was going on in the steam during the first Q&A though... =P

    I enjoyed Jun's performance at the end of the day. It was nice to hear so much Sonic Adventure music, in particular some tunes which I've never heard live before. It's a shame about the group of total morons who decided to sing the unfunny "Seaside Denied" song during Seaside Hill though. Mind you, it wouldn't be Summer of Sonic without at least a handful of fans being embarrassing ;P

    After the event we all went to the pub for the evening. The Sunday was then one of our usual barcade runs, which was so much fun, as it always is. I was really upset when we had to leave for the train in the evening - the weekend flew by, way too quickly.
     
  15. Overlord

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    That it did, alright.

    And here's what we all thought of Sonic Lost World: http://www.sonicretro.org/2013/08/sos-2013-sonic-lost-world-impressions/
     
  16. Sploit

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    Yeah people in front of me got pics taken during the Hoshino signing, so I asked the same woman to take a pic for me too...it turned out great I was so happy with it.

    To be honest though, I don't think it is photos that are the issue, the issue is simply that an hour is not enough for a signing session for people who are so prolific/important and are heroes to such a big fan base. Everyone is going to want to meet them.

    I didn't go to Jun's signing this time either, I already have his signature and had met him twice before, so I decided not to go to it, as I wanted to see some of the Hoshino Q&A before leaving it early to ensure I got a good spot for his signing session.
     
  17. Orengefox

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    Jen pretty much summed up my reactions to this years Pre-Summer of Sonic/Summer of Sonic/Sonic Retro UK Barcade Run (Summer) :)

    I'll be posting the usual pictures of those events sometime tomorrow. In the meantime...

    And here they are! Enjoy!

    [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuMEtO8ysbM[/youtube]

    Summer of Sonic '13 - Kazuyuki Hoshino Q&A Part 2

    Summer of Sonic '13 - Kazuyuki Hoshino Q&A Part 3

    [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYVXDoqpDY4[/youtube]

    Summer of Sonic '13 - Takashi Iizuka Q&A Part 2

    Summer of Sonic '13 - Takashi Iizuka Q&A Part 3

    Note: I apologize if the camera was moving around at times. The recording at one point during the Kazuyuki Hoshino Q&A session gets cut off which I also apologize for. I didn't realize my camera stopped recording at one point (and it was during one of the really good questions at that). At least it wasn't cut off to point that you couldn't understand Hoshino-san's answer. All vital parts of that answer was still intact. Hopefully the Summer of Sonic staff or whoever else will upload a better recording of both Q&A sessions at some point.
     
  18. Blanche Hodapp

    Blanche Hodapp

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    Not to sound rude or anything but I genuinely don't remember meeting you.

    Anyway, handful of photos coming when I actually get some decent laptop time
     
  19. Sir_mihael

    Sir_mihael

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    Funnily enough, that's pretty much what happened in the end. He seems like the kinda guy who's just happy to be there chilling with his fans, more than anything. It's pretty heart-warming when I think about it. Thankfully I think I'm pretty full up on Senoue sigs now. (Unless I really get the urge to get Black Knight autographed...)


    Ha ha, well I wouldn't worry too much. To be fair, I was very much in the background/running off at every opportunity. It was mostly in the opening line, the Iizuka signing que, and at the very end of the evening that I managed to chime in with anyone. (partially) embarrassingly, I've spent more time currently speaking to Retro members IRL at Summer of Sonic than actually on the forum, so my ability to link faces with forum names is wonderfully crap at the moment. Here's hoping that'll improve. Maybe. Someday.
     
  20. Orengefox

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    Look forward to seeing what you have to say Blanche =P

    As for me. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you my photos and captions...

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    Welcome to Summer of Sonic 2013. The games, the merchandise, the entertainment, the developers, the musicians, the artists, the sponsors and the fans. Oh and let's not forget that gut feeling you get you when go to a Sonic convention - things going tits-up. To save ourselves from insanity, we made a little hideout in the cafe [Here].


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    Things like this were quite prominent throughout the day but fucking hilarious no less. Shout outs to Nova & Skyler.


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    The official Sonic merchandise booth with a decapitated head of scary Sonic from last years SoS looming in the background. Before you start panicking kids, the real Sonic was perfectly fine [Here].


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    The man obsessed with aliens, Takashi Iizuka. Here's a photo of someone cosplaying as Segata Sanshiro getting his Sega Saturn signed [Here]. Here's a photo of my wife (Jen) getting her Sonic Adventure signed [Here].

    As for me, I got Iizuka-san to sign the cover sheet to my Sonic Adventure AutoDemo of all things [Here]. Iizuka-san asked "is that the Japanese one?". I replied "it is". Then he asked "where did you get it from?". I replied "I got it from a fellow in Japan". Iizuka-san then nodded with a smile and signed it. We suspect he didn't know what it really was. It's like that scene in "Indiana Jones: The Last Crusade" where Indy is confronted by Adolf Hitler who then signs his father diary, not realizing the importance of that book [Link].


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    The Q&A session for Kazuyuki Hoshino was going all too well up until the question was asked if Hoshino-san knew the fan drivel behind the Tails Doll.


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    The Q&A session for Takashi Iizuka didn't follow the same embarrassing path as the one for Kazuyuki Hoshino. The questions regarding Sonic's shitty friends and Sonic Lost World being inspired by Sonic Xtreme were asked but in a very sly manner =P


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    The legendary man himself, Kazuyuki Hoshino. Jen and I decided to go only to the signing sessions for Takashi Iizuka & Kazuyuki Hoshino. We regret not going to the signing session for Jun Senoue in the end; if only to see who the basement dweller was that was throwing a fit. Here's a photo of my wife (Jen) getting her Sonic CD signed [Here]. Here's a photo of myself getting my Sonic CD signed [Here].


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    The "rare" Sonic Merchandise cabinet. We were pretty limited this time around on what we could take pictures of because some of the stuff (mainly the upcoming games and merchandise) was still in development. SEGA isn't taking any chances now when it comes to copyrights. It's bad enough that someone decided to steal something that was already developed and made it their own original-creation-do-not-steal *cough*Ken*cough*.


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    After a nice moment with Dreadknux, the SoS staff and SEGA developers ([Picture 1] & [Picture 2]), everyone moved on to the final event, jamming with Jun Senoue. Right, I'm not even going flower this up. The people that were singing "Seaside Denied" while Jun was playing Seaside Hill was fucking disrespectful to his work and offensive to my ears. The girl who sang with Jun by the way was alright. Can't say the same for the chap who also sang with Jun. I think Yoko Ono had a better chance. So that was SoS in a nutshell.


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    Moving onto the Sonic Retro UK Barcade Run (Sunday). We went to the usual places. Once again, not much changed in the ol' London Trocadero. Everyone had a go at some games. Nova was determined to play every single Guitar Hero that was there as you can see [Here].


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    Right, we thought Blanche had finally thrown the towel the last time he played "Key Master"; sworn to never to play it again. The fire in his eyes told otherwise. Still determined as ever to win that prize as you see in [Picture 1] & [Picture 2].


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    The Doctor has his TARDIS, I have my HATSD (Highly Advance Touchscreen Soda Dispenser) though that doesn't seem to roll off the tongue as nice as the word "TARDIS".


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    Last but not least, a group photo of our ugly mugs. Congrats to everyone who survived yet another Summer of Sonic. Until next time.

    As always, here's a link to the entire Summer of Sonic '13/Sonic Retro UK Barcade Run (Summer '13) picture gallery: http://s54.photobucket.com/user/Orengefox/library/SoS2013

    Enjoy!