Four undocumented Sonic games

https://books.google.com/books?id=Lx2mOwNM924C&lpg=RA1-PA37&ots=WtwnT0NwiY&dq=Sonic%20Head%20On%20motorola%20-sonicrider&pg=RA1-PA37#v=onepage&q=Sonic%20Head%20On%20motorola%20-sonicrider&f=false

Motorola i3000 plus?

Also has a better description of two games.

Gamespot blurb
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/cell-phone-java-games-from-sega/1100-2585038/

Slightly better CNET article with details.
https://www.cnet.com/news/short-take-sega-to-develop-games-for-motorola-phones/

Right before the Dreamcast was discontinued, they made deals to distribute games through cell phones using iDEN and the first game is supposed to be a game called Borkov on the Motorola i90c.

http://www.mobilemag.com/2001/12/07/motorola-introduces-the-new-small-stylish-and-powerful-i90c/

The only mention of Borkov on Sega Retro was a press release.
https://segaretro.org/Press_release:_2001-08-30:_Sega_and_Synovial_Partner_to_Bring_Sega_Content_to_Various_Handheld_Devices

 

This reminds me. I own two Panasonic VS7 cell phones with the full Sonic game on it and I do believe it's different than the already dumped J2ME version. No idea how to get it from the phone though as access to the protected data of the phone hasn't been cracked yet (and I doubt it ever will).

 

There's another picture of a Sonic game not too dissimilar to Sonic J but for colour phones. I have it in issue 21 of ODM UK. It's featured in a huge magazine review of Sonic Adventure 2. Strangely enough, this same article has a brief snippet about Sonic Advance and another brief section talking about Sonic Crackers and Xtreme. Also featured is a section with Yuji Naka and a competiton too. There's also an article about a Sonic Swatch.

As a post note. One of the writers for the magazine was Ed Lomas who once claimed to own a Sonic 1 prototype from when he worked on a Sega-affiliated magazine in '91. Last I heard he moved to Australia and went silent.

 

Oh shit, I had that issue! It was how I found out about Sonic Advance and the Drift games. I guess Sonic J drifted into obscurity along with a lot of Japanese mobile games. It's a shame too.

 

I still have that issue. But the magazine was first purchased when I was 8 which means it's not in the best quality. (There's a crease in the cover and the crossword was defaced many years ago). Regardless, I also noticed that the cover is not on the Sega Retro wiki. If someone would be willing to scan the cover and maybe the articles and other noteworthy items, I'd be happy to find the mag up again and lend them the magazine, as long I get the magazine back again.

 

Sonic J, huh? Think it has any relation to "Ulala's Channel J"?

Was Sega making some kind of "J" series for mobile devices at the time?

 

Sonic J: one of several little-known prequels to Sonic R :specialed:

 

I didn't understand what was meant by undocumented and almost created articles for these games. Since they are actually released I'll let someone else make the articles. Here's the gamefaqs pages.

http://www.gamefaqs.com/mobile/938323-sonic-logic Sonic Logic
http://www.gamefaqs.com/mobile/938339-sonics-bomb-squad Sonic's Bomb Squad
http://www.gamefaqs.com/mobile/938332-sonics-head-on Sonic's Head On
http://www.gamefaqs.com/mobile/938318-sonic-j/data Sonic J

I made a snapshot of the Popular Science article linked earlier. Feel free to use this on the wiki.


Here's a couple pics I cropped from the first article:




Those pics I cropped I identified what games they were for. There was another Sonic game I couldn't figure out which one it was.

 

"A primitive Pac-Man clone called Sonic Head-on."

Head On, the Pac-Man clone that was released before Pac-Man! :v:

 

Yes! That's the one! Although the screenshot in the magazine isn't on the wiki. I'll have to scan the web to see if I can find a pic.

I have the magazine at my Dad's place. From what I can recall, there was strange triangles on the ground which I could only guess were bumpers. They were pretty much miniaturised bumpers from Casino Night in Sonic 2

 

Upscaled sprite from Sonic 1, check. Sharp edgy smile characteristic from Sonic Adventure, check. Spine design from Sonic Adventure, check. Shoe buckle design from Sonic Adventure, check. It all checks out! Now I'm wondering if the full colored art has green eyes as well

 

I wouldn't say "upscaled". That's a totally different sprite done in a similar style.

 

I'd love to see that sprite cleaned up and in color.

 

I think this sprite looks really cute! <3 I love the expression and the longer quills. All he's missing is his soap shoes from Sonic Adventure 2.

 

Bumping with a file I just found that was called "sonic.wireless", which was this image:

Modified File date: Tuesday, ?August ?6, ?2002, ??10:56:06 PM
Holy shit I never delete anything...

EDIT: Oh that's interesting. Compared to the image on the first page, this image shows rings as floor tiles. Possibly indicating how you would progress through the level?

 

The images on the left could be the loading screens for Sonic J. I wonder if it has the "SEGA" chant or ring sounds from the Genesis games, it would be nice if the phone has PCM sample sounds instead of just beeps. Because many older phones are only cable of PC speaker like sound, music and only monophonic ringtones. The first post image has four screenshots, the first is most likely Sonic Head on, a golf like game, second Sonic's Bomb Squad, a strategy game, probably a Bomber man clone , the third Sonic Logic, a maze like game and Finally Sonic J. A running Platformer game. The "J" could stand for Java or Jump. Correct me if I'm wrong.

EDIT: According to the Magazine Article, could the online service be earlier idea of the Japan only mobile phone service Sonic Cafe? Because the First game on the service was released in 2001 and "Sonic J" looks like a test version of it.

An image of the 2001 Sonic Cafe game from Sonic Retro: