The Sonic the Hedgehog Continuity Thread of Love and Timelines

I just found your very post in this thread about this.

But what is it? Sonic Channel's profile?
It's not in-game, is it?

 

It's the manual that came with the game.

 

If someone had any doubts about it, the Nocturnus Clan isn't canon.

 

So apparently Ian Flynn in the Encyclo-speed-ia suggested that Sonic CD takes place before Sonic 2.


And in Sonic Advance 3 Eggman split the world into "pockets of reality". This looks like Ian and Sega creating a solution to "why didn't Dark Gaia wake up?"

 

Honestly? I always got the impression that the planet had been split into something like pocket dimensions, even back in 2004. What with the fact Eggman used the Chaos Emeralds to split it, and you seem to use warp rings to travel across the zones. Contrast with Unleashed where you use the Tornado instead.

 

I mean...

Spoiler

*calmly drinks tea*

The only thing about Sonic the Hedgehog CD taking place after Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is the Mecha Sonic line being less advanced than Metal Sonic.

However, I've recently began concluding Metal Sonic stems from future tech from Little Planet's future time zones.

It would explain why Robotnik is using less advanced robots even years later (looking at you, Shadow Androids), why he had to retrieve Metal Sonic during Sonic the Hedgehog 4, even including Chaotix where he had built a replacement body dubbed Metal Sonic Kai, which seems mostly less advanced in capabilities beyond the turbine laser that he never displays later. Even to simply recharge and repair Metal Sonic, he had to construct an entire facility, Mad Gear, for this purpose.

Even later, during Sonic Rivals 2, the only one to build a comparable copy is Nega, the guy similarly from a future time zone.

The Mecha Sonic line is Robotnik trying to get to a point where he can replicate Metal Sonic with present tech, getting up to Mecha Sonic Model No. 29, Rocket Metal as far as could be told.

 

Granted, in 1993, you would indeed be seeing Tails in the "next [mainline] game": Sonic 3 the following year.

The image referring to Sonic 2 would make more sense as a teaser for Sonic 2, in the event that CD had been intended to release before Sonic 2 (which I believe is indeed the case? Might be mis-remembering).

In either case, it seems an odd thing to attach continuity implications onto. Hard to imagine a hidden image of Tails was intended as the character speaking in-universe to Sonic, a character he hadn't yet met.

 

It is indeed quite absurd to think the Tails' image in Sonic CD is a nod to timeline placement of the game. That's why I think Ian used it to suggest the placement as a hook. The thing is, the book is re-re-re-revised by Sega/Sonic Team, so theoretically they had to agree with this. But did they? Or is it like Marine's water powers that "maybe she has, but who knows"?.

 

Some would argue the game takes place after Sonic the Hedgehog 2, due to Mecha Sonic being very much not-as-advanced as Metal Sonic, while being employed to protect the Death Egg, Robotnik's prized weapon.

 

While I do prefer Sonic CD between 1 and 2, and there's the Yamaguchi's statement supporting this, there's also Ken Balough saying that Sega retconned CD to after 3K during Sonic 4's development, and Naoto Ohshima saying Metal Sonic is an evolution of Mecha Sonic.

But I think Mania settled CD between 1 and 2 because it states Mania happens shortly after 3K.

 

And this is where I come in with my speculative BS.

 

In which BS stands for Beautiful Speculation.

 

I just treat CD's placement relative to 2-3K the way I do Advance's placement relative to Adventure 1-2: it could go on either side without any real issue, and neither approach is without some merit, so its precise placement is more a matter of personal preference than anything else.

So much so that I find myself flip-flopping on which I prefer; I'm currently erring on the side of "production order" whenever possible, but previously I've staunchly been in the "1 -> CD -> 2" and "Advance 1 -> Adventure 1" camps. I'll be shocked if I don't hold an entirely different take on the matter a few years from now.

 

"See you next game" is a message from Yasushi Yamaguchi. It doesn't have anything to do with the series continuity.

 

Mm, feel like some people would very much disagree with that

Yeah, but the fact it's been used as evidence in an 'official' work, prepare to see it being used as evidence everywhere else despite not being an actual piece of evidence.

Remember when I said The Legend of Zelda fanbase already faced this with Hyrule Historia and a good chunk elect to ignore it? It's reasons like this as to why.

 

No matter what anybody behind the scenes says this is the one thing I will maintain is canon even if Chronicles itself is not. They just haven't found a way to break out of the Twilight Cage yet.

 

Incidentally, this means Amy is Sonic's oldest companion.

 

Has Amy met Sonic before Sonic CD? I mean, she saw in her magical cards that Sonic was going to be there but, did she know him?

 

I'm pretty sure the implication is that she knew of him thanks to his heroic deeds that are known the land over, she idolized him and wanted to meet her beloved idol. That game was their first actual meeting and they became friends after, though she wanted to be more than just friends ever since (or even perhaps before that).