Weird Sonic '06 beta footage.

almeda · Oct 3, 2021

So a couple years back, I came across this video titled "Silver's voice revealed PS3 version". I was curious because the upload date was before the game's release, so, intrigued, I opened it.

I was curious..where did the footage come from? There's a plethora of differences here like the Homing Attack and Action Gauge being just like the XBL demo, but the difference between this video and the demo is that the HUD isn't aligned to the edge, the Life icon switches when playing with a different character, and the title screen has the final His World theme. My friend at the time, Jeracyclo Gaming, and I both reuploaded this footage and tried asking OP where they got the footage and if we could get our hands on the build, but, as expected, no answer. The video was a decade old and the uploader had gone MIA.

After a good while, I didn't think much of it and thought that maybe it was some released footage from somewhere (although I still wanted to know from where). But then today I came across this.

Now things are getting weird. Where were these people getting their hands on these builds? Maybe this is a game store video we're looking at since there's another screen next to the one the person's recording showing Sonic's, but I'm not exactly sure.

This looks to be the same build as the XBL demo (cornered HUD, Sonic Life icon is universal, etc), but there's some differences I noticed. Most jarringly, Shadow's going through a complete different version of Kingdom Valley. It's basically Sonic's third section but with different enemy placements, and the version seems to be for PS3. Also, the Action Gauge power-up doesn't completely fill up his meter, interestingly enough. It has glitches similar to the demo as well. I reposted it to YouTube so that more people would see it, and I explained the differences there.

My question is, however, where did these videos come from? And how were these builds and demos being distributed? I'm just shocked because I've never seen anyone talk about this. If game stores at the time were showing previews, why hasn't anyone mentioned that before? Please, if anyone has any sort of explanation or answers, those would be appreciated. And I'd love if we'd be able to get our hands on a beta build.

EDIT: so I think we all can tell that the second video is definitely the TGS 2006 demo. the first video still remains a mystery.

shilz · Oct 4, 2021

Sounds like what would be considered a kiosk demo.

Doing a very quick Google search with a couple key words brings up a couple results of people's accounts of playing 06 in such a way.
From the comments here:

And one with a more direct location noted, that being Toys R Us, in a reply to this thread here:

Doesn't explain why there's clean footage, however, especially since someone notes that they really wanted to try out Silver. Maybe the footage was posted in a SEGA resource that's lost to time.

almeda · Oct 4, 2021

shilz said:

Doesn't explain why there's clean footage, however, especially since someone notes that they really wanted to try out Silver. Maybe the footage was posted in a SEGA resource that's lost to time.
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That’s the thing, like, where did that captured footage come from? And if they are kiosk demos, would they even be acquirable?

shilz · Oct 4, 2021

Depends on the distribution methods they used and if any of that survived and wasn't just dumped into a landfill somewhere.

David The Lurker · Oct 4, 2021

When it comes to the second video, my assumption would be that it's footage someone captured at the Tokyo Game Show from 2006. The upload is from October 8th, only a couple weeks after the event was held. The text on screen is in Japanese, and there's someone pointing at the screen, perhaps someone who is a representative of Sega explaining the game to whoever is playing it.

As an aside, it looks like someone has actually reinserted the enemy layout in that video into the final version of the game. Guessing someone found some left over files.

As for the first video, who knows. There were a lot of game sites back then that don't exist now, and the ones that still do aren't the best at maintaining that media in a way that is easily viewable. The description in the video, "the latest Sonic and Silver gameplay video and during Silver's gameplay he talks in the stage he's in," makes me believe that it's a reupload from somewhere. Whoever recorded the original footage didn't bother to watermark it, so it would take a bit more digging to place it's exact origin. I would be surprised if it was footage recorded by the person who owns that YouTube account.

While it would be neat to get a hold of this or any early version of Sonic 06, the people who uploaded these videos likely aren't the ones who can help there. Stranger things have happened, of course. But I'd assume we'd have to look elsewhere.

big smile · Oct 4, 2021

About the Kiosk demo: I got to play it (or at least a version of it) when it came to the UK.

At the time, I didn’t have a 360 and so assumed that kiosk demo was exactly the same as the Xbox Live demo that was out at the time (as although the game hadn't been released yet, Sega had put an early demo on Xbox Live).

However, later on, I got my hands on the Xbox Live demo and found the kiosk one was completely different.

The kiosk one seems to be from an earlier build, as the controls were super twitchy (which were fixed in the Xbox Live demo and final game).

One interesting feature about the kiosk version is that Shadow is very different. He has a floating ability, so he can hover out of bottomless pits (which makes the game less annoying).

The day after I played the kiosk demo, I posted my thoughts on The GHZ, so I have a record that is free of mis-remembering:

Mon Oct 23, 2006
I was at Trafford Centre yesterday and was able to play the demo.

Perhaps the biggest surprise about the demo was that I was actually able to play it. Sunday is the centre's busiest day and hordes of people gravitated to the tour area, which only contained two Sonic machines. Although people were excited to see Sonic, Shadow and 'Super Sonic' (the colloquial term for Silver), they only spent 2 minutes playing. Hence, I was able to occupy a machine for 15 minutes, which wasn't possible on the other games.

The control system is too sensitive and was probably the reason for the short play sessions. It felt like playing a hyper-speed version Sonic World with the Saturn's digital d-pad. The level design only aggravates this, as the paths are too narrow making it easy to fall. In the 2 minute sessions that most people played, it was common to see Sonic dying 3 to 5 times.

The Sonic demo seemed to be identical to X-Box live version (although not owning an Xbox I couldn't say for sure) and my impressions are the same as those posted earlier. Aside from the controls and the level design, a key problem is that many of the set pieces have been recycled from previous games making the level feel tired and overly familiar.

Silver's game was more interesting. The control system is very easy to use: Pressing the shoulder button picks up objects which can then be thrown with the X button. Silver moves at slower pace and the level design accommodates for this by using many lock-and-key sections. Often the 'key' consists of robot that needs to be destroyed and the player has a variety of ways to achieve this. In one instance, there was a giant mech that blocked the entrance to the door. Silver could deflect its bullets back to it, throw rubble from the area, or search for a crate of explosives to use as a projectile.

Silver's powers can also access areas that Sonic cannot, much like Knuckles' wall breaking abilities in Sonic & Knuckles. For example, at the start, there were bars to bend that led to a unique area. The biggest problem with Silver's game, however, is that level is too linear with the game dictating exactly when to use the physic powers. It would have worked better in an open-ended environment where the player has the freedom to construct their own unique path through the level. There wasn't much variety in the demo either, and so the experience quickly became repetitive.

Surprisingly, the Shadow demo did not feature any weapons and vehicles. Shadow's controls were less sensitive compared to the Sonic demo, making him easier to control. However, his jumping system was more frustrating. Press the jumping button once causes him to rise up as if he is about to perform a Chaos blast. Holding down the button allows him to float around, while pressing it again will perform the homing attack. The Chaos Blast-like pose makes it difficult to judge when to press the button for homing attack, making it harder to aim. The floating ability, however, makes it easier to avoid the bottomless pits.

On the hi-res screens, the demo looked beautiful. I was originally concerned that the graphics were too realistic for a Sonic game, but the use of springs and speedway-like areas help to create the same blend between the surreal and real that was present in Sonic Adventure.

Technically the demo was very weak. Each character level took over a minute to load and, as many players weren't accustomed to pre-release code, they took this to be a weakness of the console. The frustration of the bottomless pits was increased by the fact that Shadow and Silver would not always die immediately and could spend a minute falling through empty space before the game would reload.

It's hard to see why Sega has chosen to demo the game. The Sonic brand clearly possesses enough appeal to sell the game on its own and this demo only serves to disappoint players instead of encouraging them. Of course, a 15 minute play session in a crowded shopping centre isn't the best way to sample a new game. But surely that should give Sega even more motive to minimise frustrations.
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almeda · Oct 4, 2021

big smile said:

About the Kiosk demo: I got to play it when it came to the UK.

At the time, I didn’t have a 360 and so assumed that kiosk demo was exactly the same as the Xbox Live demo that was out at the time (as although the game hadn't been released yet, Sega had put an early demo on Xbox Live).

However, later on, I got my hands on the Xbox Live demo and found the kiosk one was completely different.

The kiosk one seems to be from an earlier build, as the controls were super twitchy (which were fixed in the Xbox Live demo and final game).

One interesting feature about the kiosk version is that Shadow is very different. He has a floating ability, so he can hover out of bottomless pits (which makes the game less annoying). Although, it's buggy because it's possible to get trapped in a pit, where you end up being too low down to float out, but too high up to trigger death.

The day after I played the kiosk demo, I posted my thoughts on The GHZ, so I have a record that is free of mis-remembering:

Mon Oct 23, 2006
I was at Trafford Centre yesterday and was able to play the demo.

Perhaps the biggest surprise about the demo was that I was actually able to play it. Sunday is the centre's busiest day and hordes of people gravitated to the tour area, which only contained two Sonic machines. Although people were excited to see Sonic, Shadow and 'Super Sonic' (the colloquial term for Silver), they only spent 2 minutes playing. Hence, I was able to occupy a machine for 15 minutes, which wasn't possible on the other games.

The control system is too sensitive and was probably the reason for the short play sessions. It felt like playing a hyper-speed version Sonic World with the Saturn's digital d-pad. The level design only aggravates this, as the paths are too narrow making it easy to fall. In the 2 minute sessions that most people played, it was common to see Sonic dying 3 to 5 times.

The Sonic demo seemed to be identical to X-Box live version (although not owning an Xbox I couldn't say for sure) and my impressions are the same as those posted earlier. Aside from the controls and the level design, a key problem is that many of the set pieces have been recycled from previous games making the level feel tired and overly familiar.

Silver's game was more interesting. The control system is very easy to use: Pressing the shoulder button picks up objects which can then be thrown with the X button. Silver moves at slower pace and the level design accommodates for this by using many lock-and-key sections. Often the 'key' consists of robot that needs to be destroyed and the player has a variety of ways to achieve this. In one instance, there was a giant mech that blocked the entrance to the door. Silver could deflect its bullets back to it, throw rubble from the area, or search for a crate of explosives to use as a projectile.

Silver's powers can also access areas that Sonic cannot, much like Knuckles' wall breaking abilities in Sonic & Knuckles. For example, at the start, there were bars to bend that led to a unique area. The biggest problem with Silver's game, however, is that level is too linear with the game dictating exactly when to use the physic powers. It would have worked better in an open-ended environment where the player has the freedom to construct their own unique path through the level. There wasn't much variety in the demo either, and so the experience quickly became repetitive.

Surprisingly, the Shadow demo did not feature any weapons and vehicles. Shadow's controls were less sensitive compared to the Sonic demo, making him easier to control. However, his jumping system was more frustrating. Press the jumping button once causes him to rise up as if he is about to perform a Chaos blast. Holding down the button allows him to float around, while pressing it again will perform the homing attack. The Chaos Blast-like pose makes it difficult to judge when to press the button for homing attack, making it harder to aim. The floating ability, however, makes it easier to avoid the bottomless pits.

On the hi-res screens, the demo looked beautiful. I was originally concerned that the graphics were too realistic for a Sonic game, but the use of springs and speedway-like areas help to create the same blend between the surreal and real that was present in Sonic Adventure.

Technically the demo was very weak. Each character level took over a minute to load and, as many players weren't accustomed to pre-release code, they took this to be a weakness of the console. The frustration of the bottomless pits was increased by the fact that Shadow and Silver would not always die immediately and could spend a minute falling through empty space before the game would reload.

It's hard to see why Sega has chosen to demo the game. The Sonic brand clearly possesses enough appeal to sell the game on its own and this demo only serves to disappoint players instead of encouraging them. Of course, a 15 minute play session in a crowded shopping centre isn't the best way to sample a new game. But surely that should give Sega even more motive to minimise frustrations.
Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Wow that’s so cool! I doubt these stores even have these demos anymore but at least now we have an idea of where they were being held. That floating ability you mentioned sounds real interesting.

You wouldn’t happen to remember how the HUD looked, would you?

big smile · Oct 4, 2021

almeda said:

You wouldn’t happen to remember how the HUD looked, would you?
Click to expand...

No, sorry. Back then I only had a basic phone that didn’t have a camera. And I didn’t know the demo was going to be at the shopping centre. If I had known, I would have definitely brought a camera along and taken some clips.

The kiosk was actually part of a tour that was going on in the UK. So it was there for one day only. Then they dismantled everything at the end of the day and took it to the next location. There were at least 20 of these units. So I'm hoping the demo discs might surface one day.

JaxTH · Oct 4, 2021

big smile said:

One interesting feature about the kiosk version is that Shadow is very different. He has a floating ability, so he can hover out of bottomless pits (which makes the game less annoying).
Click to expand...

I thought this was in the final game but I'm probably mis-remembering E3 footage of the game.

almeda · Oct 4, 2021

I just realised that I've been so MIA from the Sonic '06 beta discussion that I either completely forgot that the TGS 2006 demo even existed or I just completely didn't know.

Plorpus · Oct 5, 2021

The second video is definitely from the TGS demo I played, probably the PS3 version since that’s the one they were demoing on the big screen. I have footage somewhere, but it’s from a shitty 2006 video camera and recorded from farther away in line, so it’s probably not really worth uploading.

almeda · Oct 6, 2021

Hitlersaurus Christ said:

The second video is definitely from the TGS demo I played, probably the PS3 version since that’s the one they were demoing on the big screen. I have footage somewhere, but it’s from a shitty 2006 video camera and recorded from farther away in line, so it’s probably not really worth uploading.
Click to expand...

Yes it definitely is. I just discovered yesterday using the Sonic '06 mod manager that the TGS 2006 demo is accessible by turning on the menu. I played through Shadow's demo but I wasn't sure if the demo was in the files of the game or if it was just modded in? And how would they know the layout? I feel like I'm missing something that's already been found lol.

The first video still remains a mystery however.

Weird Sonic '06 beta footage.

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