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Sonic the Hedgehog (Prototype)

Discussion in 'General Sonic Discussion' started by drx, Jan 1, 2021.

  1. MathUser

    MathUser

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    I seen a article from a website that said there was a s monitor that gives you fast speed and invincibility. Is that here?
     
  2. The Joebro64

    The Joebro64

    SAY HELLO TO MY CHOCOLATE BLEND Member
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    The monitor is in Sonic 1 but I don't think it does anything. In Sonic CD, it combines invincibility and speed shoes in one.
     
  3. FollOw

    FollOw

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    I completely agree. That article really didn't give me the deep dive into its discovery I was hoping for. Super disappointed.
     
  4. HEDGESMFG

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    The article tells us the story of how it's found accurately. It's just that no one reasonably knows where it came from before that. Again, we seem to have stumbled upon this by sheer chance. An incredible stroke of luck.

    Fortunately, the more informed video game collectors are about rare artifacts like these being in existence, the more likely they are to turn up IF they still exist at all. That's exactly why we've found what we have in the past 2 years, and I'm grateful for that. Social media helps a ton in this search.

    The only other real chance of finding more now comes down to what Sega themselves may or may not still have locked away somewhere in Japan itself, and the chances of recovering that grow slimmer each day. I'd love to know who the artist behind R2 was someday and find out if any more of their work ever survived. It doesn't look like it, but who knows?

    If this is all we ever get, I'm pretty happy with it.
     
  5. Blugenesi(Jarty)

    Blugenesi(Jarty)

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    I hate to say it, but I just read the Retro Gamer article, and honestly I found it to be pretty... bad.
    If you want the magazine just for the story, do not bother. You won't find out anything crazy about how it was found, or how it happened. It is basically the story you can find online. It is not even a full 2 pages.
     
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  6. Diablohead

    Diablohead

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    Yeah for such a cool release that article is really... generic.

    If one more sonic 1 beta can ever be found I hope it's one between this build and final, i'm more interested in any further revisions that labyrnth had before final, did the goggles work? did they go along with the air pocket idea? stuff like that.
     
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  7. Brainulator

    Brainulator

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    Having read it myself, I do share the sentiment that the article doesn't really go in depth and is really the sort of thing I could summarize here in about two sentences (I won't, just to be on the safe side of Retro's rules). However, I do suspect it might be a more interesting read to those who are less familiar with these sorts of things than we are, particularly any of that magazine's regular readers. And hey, I at least learned how the legitimacy of these things are proven.

    This reminds me of things like the 1910 Frankenstein film and the 1912 film In Nacht und Eis, two films that were assumed lost for years until news of their rarity made it to the people who just so happened to have a copy of their respective films.
     
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  8. Antheraea

    Antheraea

    Bug Hunter Member
    On principle I myself have a problem with the backstory of a ROM being locked behind a paywall too, as it makes putting together the full story of an archived ROM more difficult.
     
  9. Nemesis

    Nemesis

    Tech Member
    In the long term I agree, but I think a monotorium of a few months won't kill us. Magazines have a short shelf life. I'm just glad the prototype itself was made freely available. Just think how frustrating it would be if this proto made its way into the hands of a hoarder, and all we got was a YouTube video, and the knowledge it was slowly rotting away behind plexiglass on his shelf, never to be released.
     
  10. Overlord

    Overlord

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    Basically this. The RG story isn't going anywhere, it can wait for a bit.
     
  11. Blugenesi(Jarty)

    Blugenesi(Jarty)

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    There's not much to the story that isn't online. Guy found it in a lot. I do not thinking its breaking the rules to say that, the rest of the article is written very questionably, as in my opinion anyone buying a magazine called "Retro Gamer" would probably understand a prototype.
     
  12. qwertysonic

    qwertysonic

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    Sure don't upload scans of the magazine, but it's a little offensive to a Sonic Research group to hold information behind a paywall. We share information freely here. It was pretty irking to see someone ask how we got at and the response was "wait for the magazine article". That's not in the spirit of how we do things here. Just saying.
     
  13. Blastfrog

    Blastfrog

    See ya starside. Member
    I agree that it would be nice if we could have at least a basic synopsis here, but we don't have much say here, the staff have the final say. I do not and cannot know all of the internal deliberations, but even if I disagree with some of the decision making I have faith that they're making decisions with careful reasoning. They're probably trying to help support some of the people involved by encouraging people to buy the issue, I imagine.

    I feel that the "spirit" of research you mention has been on the decline for a good while now. It's unfortunate, but nothing ever stays the same and current-day Retro serves other needs and interests as it has evolved. Not that 25 pages in a month is insignificant, but it's nowhere near the amount of excitement, interest and discussion that the release of a Sonic 1 proto would've garnered 15 years ago.

    As for the story about how this proto came about, there's nothing stopping anyone from doing a quick Google search if they really can't wait a few months. Besides, the proto itself was released promptly and that is of far more interest than some backstory.

    EDIT: This was a really dumb post that I did not think through, and I regret it.
     
    Last edited: Feb 18, 2021
  14. NiktheGreek

    NiktheGreek

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    If you bought the issue expecting the story to be more than it was, I apologise. Hopefully you enjoyed the rest of the magazine, which is packed with notable interviewees talking about interesting stuff. However…

    Whatever you guys think of the story, this shit fucking sucks. If you're posting this here literally days after the issue came out, or directing people to search for pirated copies elsewhere, you suck. I don't come into your workplaces and enjoy the fruits of your labour without paying, so how's about waiting a little while and letting me earn a living?

    Right. We're not going to reprint this story, so as soon as the issue is off sale I'm happy for it to be added to the Wiki or whatever.

    That's basically it. Buckaroo gave me the information he was willing to give, and I was hardly going to hook his balls up to a car battery to find out what he wasn't willing to divulge.

    If you'd dealt with my audience as long as I have, you'd know not to make assumptions about their prior knowledge. But you haven't. This has clearly resulted in you taking an express train to Wrongsville, state capital of Wrongington, to take up your position as governor - someone who truly embodies Wrongness. Congratulations on your election victory, by the way.

    Simple fact is, I had to write this for a general audience. Many readers will be familiar with prototypes, but some won't. The vast majority of them will never read beyond that article, so it was important to divulge what was found. The explanation of how drx verified the prototype's authenticity is of value, especially given that our community is known for hoaxes. If I was writing this for Sonic Retro, where I have an invested audience with prior knowledge and no constraints on my word count, I'd have written it differently.
     
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  15. Blastfrog

    Blastfrog

    See ya starside. Member
    I didn't mean to offend you, and I'm sorry if I did. My comment was hyperbolic and not intended to encourage anyone to do anything. What I meant by it was "if you're so impatient, take it somewhere else" not "everybody go pirate the article haha". I should've worded it more carefully, it wasn't meant to be taken literally but I can see how it easily can be.
     
  16. NiktheGreek

    NiktheGreek

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    Cheers, apology accepted.
     
  17. HEDGESMFG

    HEDGESMFG

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    I don't think Buckaroo was hiding anything. I don't think ANYONE actually knows where it came from before that, and I find that annoying, but that's the fault of no one here. It's not like him giving you his social security number would magically solve the mystery, so no worries. I'm grateful it was found no matter what. It's just absurd that it turns up like this by sheer random chance, but it is what it is.
     
  18. RetroJordan91

    RetroJordan91

    The REAL Blue Sphere Guy Member
    Idk if anybody was following on eBay but the actual Sonic 1 prototype cartridge sold for a little over $13K USD.. all I have to say is wow.. I mean the ROM was already dumped on the Internet for all of us but I’m wondering.. why that much?? The history behind it? The fact that it’s the only physical copy that we know of?

    I just hope that person who bought it takes care of it

    4BBC60A5-87A0-4CF1-85E8-F0BE4DE90F4C.jpeg
     
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  19. Antheraea

    Antheraea

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    it was mentioned in the discord so sorry if I'm repeating what Gold Lightning had said there, but I agree with them when I hope that this signals to collectors that their chips don't lose any value by dumping their contents online!
     
  20. Black Squirrel

    Black Squirrel

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    If it hadn't been dumped I reckon it could have gone for two or three times that amount. Maybe more. You're lucky it wasn't labeled properly last time.

    $13K is surprising for a dumped ROM but hey, Sonic is popular.