Cheers, man! I don't remember if I donated anything back in the day for the big prototype dump back in 2008, but this time I've dropped $20 your way! Thanks again for everything you do!
I can remember seeing these particular NGPC prototype cartridges floating about when I've searched around for stuff. I kept thinking what I'd give to have one from Sonic Pocket Adventure dumped because I can remember the earliest screenshots of this game being different. My wish came true. Well done drx
Hey drx take a look http://forums.sonicretro.org/index.php?showtopic=29461 Also, do you accept Paypal? />
Man I -drooled- over previews and screenshots of Chaotix in GamePro back in the day. I was like 10 at the time, and when the 32x went on clearance for 20 bucks like a year later, I got the system and Chaotix and loved. every. moment. of. it. It has some flaws, for sure, but I refuse to acknowledge people who say it's terrible just because they can't even play it successfully. It requires patience and a nuanced approach, neither of which are often found in adolescent gamers :P I knew the game like the back of my hand at one point, and spotted a ton of differences when I finally scoped out the prototypes when they showed up, but god damn it's just too time consuming to sit and outline all that stuff.
It doesn't look like the puzzle pieces (in Pocket Adventure you could collect puzzle pieces in all the levels to unlock pixelated versions of Yuji Uekawa's Sonic Adventure artwork) are in that prototype of the game. And the sprite work in this version resembles the Mega drive and 8-Bit games more than in the final release. And yes - that includes no green eyes. So I guess the connections to the "real" Sonic Adventure must have been made later in development, which is kind of puzzling considering that this was already 1999, and Sonic Adventure had been released as a DC lauch title in Japan in 1998? Also, some of the level graphics in two of the screenshots appear to be used for a Metropolis/Scrap Brain-type level, that I don't remember being in the final game. Definitely interesting stuff!
Sonic's Special Stage sprites already have green eyes, so the adventure-ization process had already been started by then.
