The Supreme Topic of 'Other' Knowledge.

Probably for easier visibility if I had to guess.

 

There is a suggestion that "Sister Sonic" was a cancelled localisation of Popful Mail. Swap out the cast with Sonic characters, and it'll sell better in the West, etc.

That's not quite the case - Sister Sonic (シスターソニック) was actually listed under that name in the Japanese release schedule, seemingly reverting to the Popful Mail name in late 1992.

Popful Mail seems to have had a rough development timeline too, seeing as it didn't ship in Japan until April 1994. The US version was even later - February 1995 - nearly four years after its original release on Japanese home computers.


In short, find a Popful Mail prototype from 1992, and there's a good chance it's called Sister Sonic, though whether it contains Sonic the Hedgehog's sister, I couldn't say. I do know female hedgehogs had been introduced in the manga before this date. It probably pre-dates Amy Rose as a video game character too, if that counts for anything.

 

Both Amy (with her game and manga design) and Tania/Anita (Sonic's sister) debuted at the same time in the manga in 92.

I always got the impression that Sega wanted to do more with the manga cast so perhaps there were early plans for Tania/Anita to star in her own spin off that were dropped as development went on. With only Amy and Charmy being the only manga characters that made it to the games.

 

Satoshi Okano was the guy responsible for kickstarting the modern redesign for Sonic and the one who made this “Kick It Jam!” artwork among others:

Well he just made all new artwork of Sonic in celebration of the Sonic 2 movie:

Spoiler: 2022 New Art

https://xcancel.com/okanotion/status/1515547498785361921

https://archive.ph/bGcVB
Here’s a secondary post he made where it looks like he might want to sell this artwork on T-shirts:

Spoiler: T-shirts

https://xcancel.com/okanotion/status/1515552535271989255

https://archive.ph/HnuFi
If you weren't aware he also made new art in 2020 as a part of the #SonicRedraw challenge from the official social media account of Sonic. The frame that was used for the challenge:

https://xcancel.com/sonic_hedgehog/status/1272560762716696576

https://archive.ph/VyIKg
And here is Okano’s redraw of it. It’s so amazing. He’s still got it:

Spoiler: 2020 Redraw

https://xcancel.com/okanotion/status/1274541893712408576

https://archive.ph/zVM6X
To go even further back he made this artwork of Sonic to celebrate the oncoming approach of the Reiwa era of Japan:

Spoiler: Reiwa Artwork

This was made in 2019 and was deleted sometime later. Luckily I at least archived the post from here:
https://web.archive.org/web/20210606182028/https://ja.whotwi.com/okanotion/tweets/hashtag/reiwa
This one was later repurposed to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Sonic in 2021:

Spoiler: 30th Anniversary

https://xcancel.com/FreakyHS_info/status/1407820305330962432

https://archive.ph/kTM8M
One last thing to mention is the spider character he made which only appeared on posters inside some parts of Sonic Adventure:

https://xcancel.com/okanotion/status/1292606063661862913

https://archive.ph/wQaAI
He has mentioned in the past that he still does have a sketchbook which has sketches of the character. Here are some of the times he has brought it up:
https://web.archive.org/web/20200809095509/https://xcancel.com/okanotion/status/1292398880504438784

https://web.archive.org/web/20200809102119/https://xcancel.com/okanotion/status/1292405492921167873

https://web.archive.org/web/20210728052248/https://xcancel.com/okanotion/status/1420253339124523008

https://xcancel.com/okanotion/status/1398068521309851650

https://archive.ph/o9v2d
More recently it was brought up again as someone asked if he could release artwork of the character and this is what he said:
“ok! I can't move immediately. But I promise certainly!”
https://xcancel.com/okanotion/status/1514405770007175171

https://archive.ph/SDk7R
Twitter post he was responding to:
https://xcancel.com/Itis_Krealsboi/status/1514242841194676225

https://archive.ph/CksCn

Hopefully he will deliver on this but I would also not be upset either if he can’t due to external circumstances.

 

I have a bizarre question for anyone here who has a Mega Drive Mini/Genesis Mini who has added games (Hakchi). I don't really know where to put this and it isn't worth its own thread at all.

I added Sonic 3 Complete (of course) to the mini console along with bunches of other fave games way, way back. I simply am unsure of what to use as box art for it. I know the hack itself is usually coupled with a simple motif of Angel Island graphics in the background and Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles in the foreground but I've always found that wonky. There are some decent fan attempts at full “Sonic 3 & Knuckles” box art that can be found all over Reddit and Google but I am too nitpicky and can find problems with all of them. Plus, Sonic 3 Complete ≠ Sonic 3 & Knuckles, although for the sake of simplicity and name recognition, I can allow it for my own personal mini console. After all, Sonic 3 Complete is the definitive hack of Sonic 3 & Knuckles, for me at least, so why not? Tiddles et al already in the credits.

I should also add that since I live in the U.S., the games have a prominent U.S. box art theme and although that isn't what I'd consider ideal, it takes a lot of effort to change it all. Like, all of them. Of course, many are switched to their Japanese counterparts already built in and other added games when translation patches are available and I certainly do have Japanese box art for many games (Cutie Suzuki no Ringside Angel, etc.) but because I am trying to go with mostly consistency and because many already have the U.S. box art (many... not all... I HAD to changed Gunstar Heroes and Strider and others because the U.S. box art is balls... GH has a fan-made version of the Japanese box art on my Mini but with red-stripe Genesis design), and that includes Sonic 1 and 2, I really don't know what to do with Sonic 3 Complete. I have other hacks, of course, but I try to stick with original artwork usually despite being a hack. DOOM Resurrection 32X comes to mind. I keep it as the standard DOOM 32X box art. Same with Mortal Kombat Arcade Edition by Master Linkuei for what it's worth. Or his equally great Mortal Kombat II Ultimate Edition hack for 32X. I like to have that consistent feel. I have no idea what to do with Sonic 3. Keep the original U.S. box art? I sort of don't like the idea. Totally conflicted.

This is neither here nor there as I've said and didn't even want to put it in this thread but there's no real place I can ask this casually. Not even Reddit where I usually stick to true crime subreddits. I would definitely be open to opinions from some creative-minded peoples. Move of necessary.

Options: maybe I should create my own, which I might do for home display sake, but if anyone has any ideas, I'd love to hear them.

 

Spit-balling ideas:

• Simple route would be to take the S3C title + options screen (where you're going to be spending a while) and add more sky and water to the top and bottom, though that would look really weird amongst a sea of normal boxart.
  Spoiler: this screen

  
• I've had this unreleased Post-Reboot Archie Sonic 3 issue cover as a phone wallpaper in the past, and I adore it. Though again, wouldn't really fit the rest of the library..

Spoiler: Cancelled Archie 291 Variant Cover

• Finally (and probably the best option), since you're presumably only going to have base "3 and Knuckles" on the Mini aliasing under the "Sonic 3" Greg Martin art, you could make 3-Complete take the unused Greg Martin "Sonic and Knuckles" boxart (with coloring done by a fan).
  Spoiler: Unused Sonic and Knuckles US Boxart

  

 

https://xcancel.com/regularpanties/status/1515873094384209925?t=Tr4ihE8HZP87TfBIWy0zgA&s=19

Sonic Origins is rated in Korea, finally, which means we should see it soon

 

Looks like it’s coming sooner rather than later.

 

Before anyone asks, this is official. It was leaked through being hosted on PlayStation Network: https://image.api.playstation.com/vulcan/ap/rnd/202203/1103/cMPUrcoTKvKYEmdXBOtcVHPi.png

https://xcancel.com/Sonic_Frontier/status/1516071819790503947
https://xcancel.com/Sonic_Frontier/status/1516072197785366532

 

I like it at first glance, they've got good poses, but… with Sonic and Metal there, the blue background is overkill. Knuckles' and Sonic's peach-fuzz looks fine… until I see Amy's, and then theirs looks sickly.

Worse, I hate seeing these things and knowing it doesn't actually matter in the long run.

 

I fucking love how it looks kinda SEGA Saturny.

(Also, maybce the Origins thread should be unlocked from now?)

 

Uh, pretty sure Eggman and Metal Sonic are swipes.
http://info.sonicretro.org/File:SonictheScreensaver_PC_JP_Box_Front.jpg
https://info.sonicretro.org/File:Sonic_CD_PC_Clean.png

Still, pretty cool. Even if Eggy's moustache looks a bit weird.

 

They're similar poses, but they're not the same pieces of art. Your don't even have to overlay them to see that they're different.

Also, I'm going to keep saying it but I really hate this thread being a dumping ground for news. If megathreads are locked because they've become cesspools, can we not just have something like a "general news" thread? This topic is supposed to be for fun bits of trivia and whatnot.

 

Hence I said swipes, not copypastes.

Edit:

Sorry. Maybe move the posts there?

 

lol so is like half of Sonic Adventure's art "swipes" then because Uekawa had drawn Classic Sonic in most of the Adventure poses before the full-blown redesign?

 

Do you people know what art swipe is? It refers to producing new art that copies the pose of old art. Simple as that. The Wikipedia page for swiping in comics has the following comparison as an example:

 

For the love of god, somebody please tell me why Microsoft Office has a Sonic monitor in it:



I don't get it. What came first: Sonic's monitor or Microsoft Office's monitor? Who was copying who? Were they even copying each other to begin with?

I can't be the only one that thinks these look uncannily similar: they're both 30x30, they use similar greys, and even the image in the Sonic monitor perfectly matches the size and position of the image in the Office monitor. They're so similar that I can even insert it into Sonic 1 and it works perfectly:

Somebody please help: this has been driving me nuts for the last 7 years.

 

This guy that worked on Sonic CD said that Popful Mail was mistaken for Sister Sonic, and that Sister Sonic became Araiguma Rascal on the Super Famicom

https://xcancel.com/Mazin__/status/657161066380570628
https://xcancel.com/Mazin__/status/62914938900971520
https://xcancel.com/Mazin__/status/81221503139586048
https://xcancel.com/Mazin__/status/1428990176408203270

Edit: all of the tweets that mention Sister Sonic:

https://xcancel.com/Mazin__/status/62914938900971520
https://xcancel.com/Mazin__/status/81221503139586048
https://xcancel.com/Mazin__/status/89190507149926400
https://xcancel.com/Mazin__/status/537104028035854338
https://xcancel.com/Mazin__/status/610668525460529153
https://xcancel.com/Mazin__/status/657161066380570628
https://xcancel.com/Mazin__/status/1042224668101369856
https://xcancel.com/Mazin__/status/1113432776215191552
https://xcancel.com/Mazin__/status/1148480558307000320
https://xcancel.com/Mazin__/status/1306450491669278720
https://xcancel.com/Mazin__/status/1428989142860369922
https://xcancel.com/Mazin__/status/1428990176408203270