Looking for S1 Proto Scans from Sega Megadrive/Genesis: Collected Works

There is one thing you should do differently (at least, in my opinion, but I'm not a moderator), please add "looking for" in the topic title to clarify that you're looking for those pictures, otherwise people might be clickbaited to open this topic hoping that you're offering them.

 

I got jebaited

 

I've got that book. I don't have a scanner, but I'll look into options. Took me four days to remember my password for this site!

 

Here's the two big artworks toward the back. There's a handful of smaller images toward the front: a couple of the simple Ohshima drawings, Robotnik in pajamas, and the only one that may be unique, a draft of the Sonic 2 promo artwork (Greg Martin).

I don't mess with the wiki; y'all can update it if needed.

https://imgur.com/a/fYD4sPH

 

The book doesn't contain that "band" image, nor any images like it. There are some Ohshima design doc sketches toward the back but they show gameplay and intro/outro concepts, and they're reeeeeally tiny images. I don't see a mention of the band throughout the book, though I admit I did not reread it in its entirity. :P

 

They're on pages 182-183.

 

OH!

OK, yeah, those postage-stamp size Ohshima sketches do show the band at the end sequence of the game. I'll try to get those pages scanned in the next day or two.

 

I feel like a fool; I've had this book for years and never really paid attention to these sketches (probably because they were so small); there's so many neat details in it, like the early idea for the wrecking ball boss, the concept for the animal capsule, and even that the ending had hints of Sonic 2's ending in its concept.

The imgur link has a 75% reduction of the scans; if Beamer wants to PM me I'll send them a Google Drive link to the full 1200 DPI scans. Unfortunately it looks like the lower right of page 182 is a bit mucky but not much I an do about it for now.

https://imgur.com/a/ZIP03Ty

 

That’s not Sonic 2’s ending you’re seeing, that’s an alternative take of Sonic defeating Robotnik as he flees in Sonic 1.

In the panels you can see Robotnik escaping in his vintage style plane / pod (which clearly becomes his eggmobile that keeps certain design traits such as the wings with a metal screw plate type look) and as he’s leaving the island Sonic hits him, sending him off exploding in a comical fashion.

This type of ending is actually used in Sonic 1 Master System, and Sonic 1 MegaDrive has sprites in the ROM that went unused showing him blowing up in the distance, so it likely got reasonably far in until they scrapped that altogether, instead opting for the player choosing to hit him as he leaves Scrap Brain Zone - in my opinion the superior choice which gives the player a real sense of satisfaction.

Taking a closer look at the boss fight panels themselves they are actually very similar to how the Master System boss fight operates. I imagine a lot of the concept of Sonic 1 was shared between the two versions until the 16-Bit version progressed, leaving the 8-Bit Master System version with older concepts that seemed more suited to the 8-Bit architecture.

 

I was seeing the "Sonic falling but caught by a flying thing and safely taken to the ending" bit and figuring it was a concept revisited in Sonic 2 - was definitely clear this was early Sonic 1 work.

 

The boss concept also has the crushing pistons of the Mega Drive version (the arrows denote direction of movement). It's interesting how it was essentially split into two bosses over the two versions of the game. I wonder if it was co-ordinated, or just happenstance. The fight also looks to take place in some kind of "sky base".

Sonic appearing by the Sega logo is used in the Game Gear version, though in a different manner. Eggman and the Sonic Band running across the screen is reused in Sonic 2's Sega logo, but with Sonic himself.

 

The 8-bit version also has unused turret graphics for the Sky Base Zone boss, implying it was indeed going to implement the final boss from the concept sketches:


Really makes you what other remnants of early MD concepts are present in the 8-bit version.

 

Dont' forget the concept map for Angel Island was quite similar too, since they reworked the stuff they planned to do on previous games. You know, like West Side island is a patch to the discarded South island for Sonic 2, and Angel Island is South Island 2.0 with everything West Side island never was.