don't click here

Play Game: The Strange little Sega TV Show With It's Own Sonic 'Game'

Discussion in 'General Sonic Discussion' started by MrMechanic, Jul 11, 2020.

  1. MrMechanic

    MrMechanic

    Member
    266
    290
    63
    I meant to post a while ago only, been on a bit of a major break due to health reasons. Which I also ask you to forgive me, this won't be to my usual research topic, I kinda don't wanna be on the computer for too long at the moment.

    Anyway, this got mentioned a while back in the Other Knowledge Topic but didn't seem to gain much traction outside of a "lol Eggman costume!" because the video gained notoriety for this

    [​IMG]
    Yeah the 4000 Pontos Eggman mascot, this in itself is pretty cool since from what I can see it's the only time a classic Eggman mascot costume has ever been made in an official capacity.

    However, there's something else in this show which people seem to overlook, that being... it had it's own unique Sonic game.

    Now I use the term 'game' very loosely, it's more of a navigation hub/menu. Here is a brief rundown of how it worked.

    [​IMG]
    See those joysticks? The game was controlled by those things, and from what I found in my research, it seems this wasn't a tv trick, the contestants really were controlling Sonic, and apparently it was a very common problem for contestants to control Sonic after a round ended, so the studio had to control Sonic back to where he was when he landed on a specific node.

    And here is what the game looked like!

    [​IMG]

    Apologies for the youtube crop but, like I said at the start, taking a health break right now so... that's the image.

    Anyway, Sonic starts in these descending tree like nodes, there are two themes, space and desert.

    [​IMG]

    The contestants move Sonic to a different node which prompts well... this to happen.
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    There's a few other ones such as a question mark, a chicken thing and a flying shoe.

    Some effort actually went into this 'game', Sonic does have a running/walking animation and there's even a foot tapping "I'm waiting" animation, a rocket ship flies around and the stars 'twinkle'. I'm unsure if the motobug and Eggman face are in the game itself or digitally imposed by the tv studio, since when the camera cuts to the studio view these animations vanish.

    So this thing is pretty much just a navigation type menu in which Sonic lands on different nodes that prompt either a question or challenge from the host, however, for any die hard Sonic fans... This is the first 'hub world' in a Sonic game (lolz).

    Well if anyone would like to know more about this or see the game in action.

    A few further reading.

    The only Episode online anywhere: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=480589812586021

    Why the Facebook link? Well the video is on YouTube... only it's region restricted and my VPN is currently not in subscription and... I can't find it anymore... So... it's a facebook link, but if you can find it it's somewhre on Channel SBT's youtube channel.

    I recently did a small documentary type video on the show as a whole with some more wider research. So if you're curious about the show and just want to see the game segments in one spot that might be the easier shout.



    Skip to 7:00 for the greatest Sonic 2 player in history.

    Any questions I'll try to answer as best I can since I'll be on mobile then.
     
    Last edited: Jul 11, 2020
    • Informative Informative x 5
    • Like Like x 4
    • Useful Useful x 2
    • List
  2. BlackHole

    BlackHole

    You're going to need MORE than help. Member
    5,645
    771
    93
    England
    Complaining
    It looks like it's just using the sprites from Sonic the Hedgehog on Master System.

    [​IMG]
    If I'm not mistaken, the Master System is still one of the most popular consoles in Brazil, right?
     
  3. LockOnRommy11

    LockOnRommy11

    Member
    2,708
    225
    43
    I did read this before - it’s very interesting and cool that they made a specific ‘game’ for the show, though really that term is a stretch - it was more of an interactive board that just borrowed some sprite work.

    Also, I think the notion of the SMS being a popular console in Brazil today is a bit of a fallacy. I read up on this some time ago after being intrigued by this ‘internet fact’. I don’t know much about Brazil but I do know that I used to play constantly with Brazilians on Mario Kart Wii online, leading me to believe that they're not as technologically behind as the internet likes to make out. The SMS being one of the most popular consoles there is a fact that is thrown around and leads people to believe that it’s still a leading console there when really it doesn’t seem like it is.

    Effectively the Tec-Toy offerings are moderately priced low-end consoles that Brazilians view the same way that we view Atgames consoles, and they’re likely bought by the same demographic - I.e parents and grandparents as gifts, or younger children. They’re not serious consoles there anymore and likely haven’t been for a while. It’s still cool that they’re still out there though, even if they’re basically cheap compilations on a chip nowadays.

    Brazil have had a sketchy history with video games due to import taxes and other issues, but since the late 2000’s their market has grown largely and they’re now the 13th biggest VG market in the world according to Wikipedia.
     
    Last edited: Jul 11, 2020
    • Informative Informative x 1
    • List
  4. TecToy did develop several Master System games of their own back in the day, so I wouldn't be surprised if they quickly put together a functional ROM specifically for this TV show.

    That's exactly it. The Master System kept going strong throughout the 90's as a cheaper option for young children and people who couldn't afford newer consoles, but by the 2000's it definitely wasn't one of the top sellers anymore. The idea that "the Master System is still popular in Brazil to this day" comes from the fact that TecToy never stopped releasing hardware using that name, but the current offerings are all crappy compilations running on systems-on-a-chip or even emulators, and they're not "popular" by any stretch of the imagination.
     
    • Like Like x 1
    • Agree Agree x 1
    • List
  5. BlackHole

    BlackHole

    You're going to need MORE than help. Member
    5,645
    771
    93
    England
    Complaining
    Sorry, I meant in the sense that the PS2 is still one of the most popular consoles in the USA: it sold a ton there and is still ranked amongst the best sellers. That's my bad wording.
     
  6. LockOnRommy11

    LockOnRommy11

    Member
    2,708
    225
    43
    No need to apologise, it’s not a problem :) Even if you did think that, no one could blame you - it’s perpetuated all over the internet. Earlier I watched a Youtuber discuss consoles “that refuse to die” and they mentioned the SMS there like it was cold, hard fact.
     
  7. Aesculapius Piranha

    Aesculapius Piranha

    つづく Oldbie
    4,534
    143
    43
    Unknown
    Diva
    That Eggman is nightmare fuel.
     
  8. wow, first time logging into my account in 5 years and i come across this
    yeah i always thought the sonic game show was really interesting, i once saw a video about it

    i find it quite intriguing that fact there was a game built specifically for this game show
     
  9. XCubed

    XCubed

    Will Someday Own a Rent-A-Center Oldbie
    Yikes! The host of the show, Gugu Liberato, had a gruesome death from falling off his roof in November 2019. He lived in Orlando, FL, Just a couple hours down the road from me....

    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gugu_Liberato