The Windows section of the old version of Sonic Channel says that Sonic the Hedgehog The Screen Saver was released on 9th August 1996, the same date as the PC version of Sonic CD. This is the date on the Wiki. The link to the game's page is dead, but the Wayback Machine has 2001 archive, which also mentions a 9th August 1996 release date. Sonic Channel's History section, however, gives it a release date of 14th February 1997, the same date as Sonic & Knuckles Collection. This release date is also given in Sonic Jam's Hall of Fame. (Oddly, the History webpage also gives a March 1997 US and EU release date for the Screen Saver, which didn't get a stand-alone release in those territories, and doesn't mention Sonic & Knuckles Collection's US or EU releases at all. Sonic Jam, on the other hand, gives a 20th March 1997 EU and NA release date for S&KC and mentions that the Screen Saver is also included.) After digging deeper via the Wayback Machine, I found the even older Sega PC webpage. This 24th December 1996 capture has a release date of ????? ("after October"). This 15th February 1997 capture has been updated with system requirements, and a release date of 14th February 1997. These are the most contemporary sources I could find, so I'm inclined to believe that the 14th February 1997 release date is the correct one. So where did the 9th August 1996 release date come from? Did they just get it mixed up with Sonic CD's PC release date? Well, this 24th December 1996 capture of the SONIC CD page says: This is the first time I've even heard of a trial version, but it could be where the date mix-up stems from. Does anyone know anything about this trial version? Is there any physical evidence that it actually released? --- On a related note, Sonic Channel and Sonic Jam give SegaSonic the Hedgehog a release date of June 1993 in Japan and September 1993 in NA/EU. But the history feature of the 2017 Sega-Interactive site gave a release date of October 1993. (I can't seem to get an archived version to load, but I saw it when it was still active, and it's there if you view the source code.) So what's the deal with that? Arcade games are notoriously tricky to pin down a real release date for. Are there any mentions of SegaSonic's release in any magazines? Maybe photos/mentions of it at specific arcades/venues even? I don't recall ever seeing it in any of the Beep! Mega Drive scans on Retro.
I actually was fortunate enough to possess both Sonic CD and Sonic and Knuckles Collection - I recall having Sonic the Screensaver on Sonic and Knuckles Collection but unless it was hidden somewhere there was no Screensaver included with CD.
I remember picking up a 3-pack of Sonic games somewhere around 1999/2000 from an Office Max that contained the U.S Snoic CD, the Sonic & Knuckles Collection, and the PC version of Sonic R. I wish I could recall off the top of my head which one has the screensaver, but boy was I happy as a little wee one discovering that trove of screensaves (and what seemed to a 10 year old me at the time virtually all the Sonic 1 / 2 / 3 &K/ CD music and SFX - which also excited that younger me having just gotten into Sonic fan gaming lol) - I still have all the CDs, maybe I can look and see which one(s) had the screensaver stuff on it.
It's called the "Sonic Action Pack". Includes a Sonic R that has working music tracks! Also I own it. Anyway Sonic & Knuckles: Collection (All US Versions) have the Screen Saver. However the screensaver doesn't work under modern Windows (anything newer than XP).
Thanks, forgot what it was called (being nearly 20 years since I got it ... wow, I feel fucking OLD! XD )
Yeah, that's the one. Have a copy right next to my PC here that I imported to the UK after a holiday in the US - found it in a closing down Circuit City in New York, iirc.
