The key word used here is 修行 shugyō which has a strong association with Buddhist practices but can have a general meaning of "self discipline" or "training," especially as related to heart and mind. I see it most often associated with the mental training of meditating while standing under a cold waterfall.
More "Sonic Retro before Sonic Retro": https://segaretro.org/index.php?title=File:SegaMagazine_UK_09.pdf&page=16 Knuckles leftovers were found in Sonic 3 before the middle of August 1994. So in a strange, roundabout way, people were playing as "Knuckles" before Sonic & Knuckles was released (outside of competition mode of course).
Satoshi Okano drew something for the #SonicRedraw challenge that the official Sonic Twitter started. He also said that he designed the Eggman icon in Sonic Adventure, and the reason it looks like Classic Eggman was his own fondness for the original design.
In Sonic Rush, the song "Jeh Jeh Rocket" was originally meant for the final level, "Dead Line Zone" before being moved to "Huge Crisis Zone." https://twitter.com/Hideki_Naganuma/status/291819456383025152
I believe there was another UK bank advert (also Midland?) that had Sonic 2’s Death Egg Zone. But this is a vague memory and I haven’t been able to find it. Does anyone know it?
Sonic the Comic #19 IIRC Midland were one of the bigger banks at the time - they got eaten by HSBC around the turn of the millennium. There is one local branch of HSBC that still has the Midland logo, because it was carved into the stone wall next to the entrance. It's fun when that happens.
Nothing much exciting left in the world of Sonic 2 but since I'm here: https://segaretro.org/index.php?title=File:SegaPro_UK_18.pdf&page=84 In this second part of Sega Pro's Sonic 2 walkthrough, the magazine decides to put a screenshot of Hidden Palace Zone in there. No, not the prototype - the garbled mess from the final game. https://segaretro.org/index.php?title=File:SegaPro_UK_18.pdf&page=89 Because yeah they have the action replay code to get there. This issue was printed in March 1993, so the answer to "when did we discover Hidden Palace" is "within five months of launch". Though realistically the answer is probably just days. Though this might have been the first magazine to actually "show" it.
https://twitter.com/tak_br/status/1275682232863203335 To coincide with the Japanese release of the Sonic movie, the 2001-2004 Dash & Spin Chousoku Sonic manga series will be available to read online for a limited time.
The manga is now up: https://corocoro.tameshiyo.me/SONICTHECOMICNO1 https://corocoro.tameshiyo.me/SONICTHECOMICNO2 https://corocoro.tameshiyo.me/SONICTHECOMICNO3 https://corocoro.tameshiyo.me/SONICTHECOMICNO4 etc. https://corocoro.tameshiyo.me/SONICTHECOMICNO19 https://corocoro.jp/tag/ソニック/ They've only linked the first four on the main site so far - hopefully they'll realise that 14 and 16 are the same chapter when they get to posting them officially. They'll be gone by the end of this month, so do with that knowledge what you will. EDIT: The correct chapter 14 is now available.
Yep. There were also some 4-panel gag strips at the back of volume 2 (different from the ones in the Sonic Advance and SA2 guide books, I think). I believe this is the first time they've been available digitally.
Pretty sure the Corocoro Sonic comic has been available online for years, dude. Just dug around and found a copy of it on my HD from CulT,
I should clarify - available digitally from the publisher. True digital versions, from their masters, rather than scans of the printed books.
Good review. I've never played Black Knight but I've been thinking of getting it just to kill some time, and even though Johnny doesn't like it his review makes me curious to check it out.
It's alright. I feel like most of the criticism of the game is the idea of Sonic having a sword. Once you are able to overlook that it's passable.
Did you know that there is a hidden monitor at the beginning of the first level of Sonic Triple Trouble? It's not "hidden" per se, but it's not in a place you'd usually look for. I tried to see if this was mentioned anywhere, but I couldn't find anything, so I made a video about it, and I'm shamelessly posting it here.
I did actually come across that quite recently in a random upload of old Sky adverts (whilst looking for something else) - it's just a quick in-game clip of Sonic dying on Mecha Sonic though. Was trying to find it again to no avail, but I did find this: If anyone remembers Sky One's nightly programme Games World you'll probably remember the intro sequence featuring a character making their way to the studio via subway. The characters features were Mario, Chun-Li, Kid Chameleon and.....Dr Robotnik. Sadly there's no uploads of the Robotnik sequence on YT as of yet, but in the above video, you do see quick glimpses of him from the 3:40 mark!
