Sonic 25th Anniversary Questionnaire Event-THE END!

[a bean]

Alrighty, I like my question stuff! Time for round 1...of one. 

 

1. How long have you been a Sonic fan?

1992/1993 was my start, so for about 24-25 years. I wasn't with Sonic between 1995 and 2002 formally though. 

2. What was your first Sonic game?

Sonic 2, as long as I can remember. Literally considering my first memory of it is the Mega Drive being out in my sister's room and sitting down to play the 2P mode as usual with her.

3. What initially attracted you to the Sonic the Hedgehog series?

Technically I don't know (see 2 again), but from what I consciously remember I liked it because I found Tails cute and I liked the environments. 

4. How many Sonic games do you currently have? Feel free to count duplicates!

Uh...a lot. It's easier to count how many I don't own at this point (like SegaSonic the Hedgehog or any other arcade-exclusive). I'm even getting different versions of games I own, so I own Sonic CD on the Mega CD, Gems Collection and in the form of the Taxman port, the Japanese and European versions of Chaotix etc. I'm even getting games where Sonic stuff makes a substancial cameo like Shenmue and Fighters Mega Mix.

5. Are you more of a Classic or Modern Sonic fan?

As someone who grew up with the classic era, I'm more of a modern fan.

...Hmm, not usually how it works. But while I do find the old era fascinating to research because it's so unknown to us, I just enjoy the modern stuff more (doesn't help that I only really like 3 of the classic games). 

6. Who is your favorite Sonic character and why?

Gotta go with the obvious two, because they’re on equal footing. 

Vector is a defiance of the usual collection of power-type tropes. While he is greedy, goofy and does care about how he comes across (as in tough and/or cool), he is also generous, intelligent and acts as a skilled leader. Something which used to be often overlooked, but since about Colours that contrast has been made more forefront after being subdued since after Shadow (the game). 

Espio, meanwhile, is a light-hearted take on the tropes of more serious characters. He’s very skilled in ninjutsu and getting intel, but not so much on solving cases. He’s the voice of reason, but he gets to suffer with his teammates. He also occasionally shows a more mischievous streak not present in the likes of Shadow (the character), and the ninjutsu stuff is played way over the top.  

Of course, the very best aspect of them is how they manage to act as foils to each other, resulting in some really good and dynamic character moments. 

7. What is your favorite continuity? (SEGA, Archie, SatAM, OVA etc.)

The games by a country mile. I dunno, I think the characters are more striking in the games, and their adventures are just more memorable overall. You could argue that’s not fair as it has far more time to tell its stories than a TV show or comic would...but on the other hand, a lot of other media have stock plots I’ve seen so many times in other shows. 

8. What is your favorite Sonic quote? This can come from any character.

“Who’s this broad?” ~ Vector

I’m glad this one is getting a bit more attention recently. It’s a case of the localisers trying to give the game more English slang and ending up with something rather...questionable. In Sonic Heroes of all places. 

9. What is your favorite story in the Sonic franchise?

Probably that of Mario and Sonic at the Winter Olympic Games (DS)

...Not a conventional choice, but it had Mario and Sonic wandering around, interacting with lots of characters, in a mission to save the Snow Spirits, basically it was a mish-mash of an RPG and a typical format for a Sonic or Mario game. T’was fun. 

Mario and Sonic London 3DS and Mario and Soni Rio 3DS didn’t have bad stories either, but I think they were a bit more limited. Although Vector got to shine more and more as each one came along.

10. What is your favorite Sonic cartoon?

Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog by far. It’s not a technical masterpiece, but the team behind it knew that it wouldn’t be, so they worked with what they had and capitalised on the points as they could. What you get is something ridiculous but with memorable characters and fun scenarios. 

11. What is your favorite cutscene from a Sonic game?

Well, over time, I think this particular one has stood out as one of my faves for completely biased reasons. 

There’s not really too much to it; The Chaotix are trying to get into a computer, Shadow comes along and karate chops it to work, he and Espio go in. However, it does show off the Chaotix pretty well.  

-Charmy wants things to get moving, even if in an immature manner. 
-Espio is comedically inept at actually hacking and knows it. 
-Vector points out to Espio about how long he’s taking, but shows his discontent at Charmy’s hyperactivity, scolds him for just staring at the entrance due to said time constraints (translated to something entirely different in English that makes less sense) and shows support to Espio when he embarks for the digital realm. 
-Shadow does what Shadow does.

It’s even better in Japanese. :>

12. What is your favorite Sonic game?

While it’s still a very close-fought thing, Sonic 2 still slightly edges out Sonic Heroes for me. It’s great in all its elements and is the ultimate pick-up-and-play experience. Just great if you want to chill out and just play something to pass the time. 

13. What is your favorite Sonic track both vocal and non-vocal?

Vocal is still Team Chaotix. Aside from the obvious bias, it’s cheesy as hell, suits the actual team to a tee and is great to listen to. With Me is worth mentioning for being the best of the final boss themes. 

Non-Vocal...there’s been a lot of contenders. Between stellar soundtracks contained in Sonic 2, Sonic Heroes, SA1 and SA2, Generations, Unleashed, Chaotix, and various other games, Sonic has been highly consistent with this. I still think the one I love the most is Speed Slider’s level theme. I just love how it has the slow build up to a beautiful little chorus so smoothly. 

14. What is your favorite move from Sonic or any other playable character?

I will always love flying in video games, it’s just so fun and feels almost entirely free of restrictions. While Tails and Cream are both the most well known for flying, nothing beats Charmy’s infinite flight in Chaotix. Seriously, you can just fly wherever you want and completely cheese it if you so wanted, and with very little drawback (who needs hindered attack when you can fly around the danger)!

15. What is your favorite Sonic soundtrack?

I genuinely think Sonic Heroes and Sonic 2 both have this area cornered as well, but out of the two of them Heroes comes on top this time. I think that’s both because there’s more of it and I prefer the genre Heroes dabbles in over Sonic 2 by a bit. 

Special mention to Unleashed for also having a really strong soundtrack.
 

16. What is your favorite image from the series? Please post it here and mention the source.

That’s a hard one since it tends to change over time. For now, let’s just say…this particular shot of Botanic Base. In fact, have four versions of it [spoilered because they're gifs). 

Spoiler

Morning

Spoiler

Day

Spoiler

Evening

Spoiler

Night

If you want my absolute favourite of them, it's the evening palette because it's gorgeous, but they all show just how the developers really wanted to push the graphical presentation and made some beautiful stuff. Heck, it's not even limited to these assets; the zone changes over time as you complete more acts, so by act 5 this place gets entirely overrun by shrubbery. It's a lovely subtle touch, and it's part of why I love the art direction much more than Sonic CD (aside from Sonic CD mostly being eye sores in palette, while Chaotix is a lot better with it).  

Image sources: Me, Myself, I and Moi

17. Which is your favorite voice acting cast?

I...don’t particularly care too much as long as the characters sound good. I don’t have allegiance to one cast over another. Like, SA1 and SA2 had generally meh voice acting but I did like David Humphrey as Shadow the best, Mark Biagi was great but Bill Corkery really didn’t fit the direction they wanted for Espio in hindsight, I got used to most of the 4Kids cast but Jimmy Zoppi was just…not good (and I guess either SEGA caught onto that or he got busy so Dan Green was drafted in), and while I’m okay with most of the current cast, Roger still seems a bit weird and the direction they’re giving for Kirk Thornton as Shadow is daft (not that Thornton is bad himself, I mean his Orbot is great). 

If I had to choose to save my life...ah, 4kids, barely.  

18. What is your main/favorite Sonic head-canon?

My favourite headcanon is the one about the backstories of the Chaotix, and how the team came to form. Pretty simple breakdown really;
-Vector spent much of his life on the streets, and when he was older he was getting money by doing part-time or odd jobs. He didn’t have a certain future plan for a lot of it, but he did already love detective stories and murder mysteries. 
-Espio’s parents were killed in action when he was young, but he was taken under wing for Ninjutsu training by another dojo. Closer to the present time, he’d been forced into criminal activity (and hated it because of his instilled passion for justice), and on particularly scummy jobs he’d silently sabotage the work (there was nothing like murder, just things like intel gathering and theft). 
-After scrounging enough money to rent out a place, Vector decides to actually start doing detective work as there’s no-one around doing similar at the time. He’s alone for a bit. 
-On one mission, he runs into Espio and sees him off the job, practising and honing his art of invisibility. He’s impressed, and approaches him to form a team. Espio decides to go along with it, if just to get a chance to dish out some retribution. 
-Vector actually susses out the biggest underground ring Espio had been coerced into, and two manage to bring them to justice. Vector fully wins over Espio, and he dedicates himself to the cause.
-Before they formalise the team, they manage to come across Charmy on a mission. Knowing what it’s like to be in his position (and knowing how bees are, figure he’s good for the more drudging work since they prefer to do the cooler and more dangerous parts), they bring him along, and all three end up founding the Chaotix Detective Agency. 

Spoiler

If you want a shipping headcanon, Vector and Espio will cuddle up under a blanket together for warmth because they’re too cheap to afford heating every night. Bonus if they have hot coco and chocolatey sencha. :3c 

19. What is your favorite recurring level theme (e.g. green forest, space stations, lava ruins)?

It’s easy enough to say “Oh, it’s casino levels”, but I think my actual favourite is a bit more specific than that (even though it’s more than just casino levels). I tend to be drawn to levels that are really colourful and playful while also being artificial constructions, because that gives you variety that nature levels don’t have for me. So this includes your typical casino stuff (Casino Night, Casino Park, Casino Paradise, Casinopolis, Neon Palace), but also includes carnivals and amusement parks (Carnival Night, Night...Carnival [uh, did they not notice how similar those are?], White Park), and the other weird ones like Spring Yard, Toy Kingdom and Music Plant. 

20. What is your favorite level from the Sonic games?

Hmm...I think nowadays my favourite level in the franchise is actually the Generations version of City Escape (Act 2 specifically). You have the references, you have the nice, wide open spaces to explore, you have great gameplay and a nice backing track. Plus I enjoyed the original version of it a lot to begin with. Seaside Hill (either version), BINGO Highway and Casinopolis are also in the running. 

21. What was your most memorable year in the franchise for you?

By far it has to be 2010. It wasn’t the year I first got into the franchise, nor is it the year I came back into it, but it was definitely a year of change for me. I won’t go into it in detail, but I did a lot of changing as a person that year, and essentially led to being the person I am today in regards to many aspects of the franchise. It was also a change for the franchise as well, what with Colours being announced that year. I also have some fond memories on activities and people I knew that year. So yeah, big year for me. 

22. What is your one favorite thing in the entire Sonic the Hedgehog series?

At this point, my absolute favourite thing is probably the characters in the franchise. They’re (for the most part) distinct and memorable, they (for the most part) have fun personalities and it’s fun to see them interact with each other. It’s why it edges out something like Super Mario, I’m just far more invested in the Sonic cast than I am their cast. 

23. What is your favorite trailer for Sonic games revealed?

Definitely the Sonic Generations reveal trailer. 

It was one of those strange overcast days where it just felt like something was going to happen. Later that day, we got this trailer, and it got hype from pretty much everyone right away. It’s simple, but it gets across the feel of the game and the new feature that they wanted people to be excited. It did its job of making the atmosphere electric. 

24. There are many versions of the iconic Sonic the Hedgehog in the quarter century he has existed across various forms of media. Which one is your favorite version of Sonic and why?

This one’s actually kind of hard because I’m not drawn to Sonic’s character all that much. I guess the one that I gelled with the most was actually something like Heroes Sonic or Unleashed Sonic, so still with the attitude but balanced with a lot more qualities that I guess come across as noble. 

25. More than a quarter of a century and the Blue Blur is still running! What keeps you around at this point?

Pretty much what’s been keeping me around for the time I’ve been around before. I still look forward to pretty much every game, I still like to research around it, I still like to speculate on story and events, and I like to think about Vector and Espio. A lot. Hopefully that won’t change any time soon. 

 

And that's that for the questionnaire. Took a bit to write it though. 

[ChaosSupremeSonic]

Okay, let's finish this up!

13. What is your favorite Sonic track both vocal and non-vocal?

...well this is a ball-buster. Let's go with another top 3 for each one.

For vocal, that would be 1) Open Your Heart, 2) Live and Learn, and 3) What I'm Made Of

Open Your Heart I feel is a very eclectic piece (and I love anything that's eclectic and works) in the sense that it's practically a story in itself, and one which tells it in a intense, rapid way in the feel the guitars give the piece which perfectly matches the flair that SA1 was going for when it came out. Live and Learn, by contrast, is intense, but not as rapid, instead giving a more life-gripping feel (the "Live" part of the title, lol) with a clash of ideals one could struggle to go through (the "Learn" part, lol), and it matches the world-ending or world-saving flair that was the game's theme in either saving or conquering the planet between the two playable sides. Now What I'm Made Of is another intense piece, but this one is filled with a lot more wrath and resentment, all while at the same time wanting to prove something as a result--which thematically is what Metal Sonic was doing in Heroes, which is a shame how lacking and disjointed that game's plot when you realize that.

Now, for non-vocal, that would be 1) Egg Dragoon 2) Chun-nan Hub Day and Night (mainly Night) and 3) S3&K Main Boss theme

Egg Dragoon's theme really matched the mood of Unleashed's penultimate fight between Sonic and Eggman, as if the music itself is telling you that Eggman is really trying to kill you so you don't stop his plans; it also has this perilous feel to it, as if showing Eggman's desperation/determination, as well as the fitting the free-fall toward the center of the Earth. Chun-nan I like because I'm a fan of Chinese instrumentals, but the night version is soooo soothing that it'll put you to sleep (I sometimes play it when I'm napping). The Boss theme of S3&K is another intense piece, one that gets the blood pumping as you take on Eggman in the game.

14. What is your favorite move from Sonic or any other playable character?

Shadow's Chaos Spear. It's a nice move to help differentiate Shadow from Sonic, and it looks and sounds cool. I think Sonic 06 had the right idea making it available as a regular ability for him, and it would be nice to see it again with Shadow being playable.

15. What is your favorite Sonic soundtrack?

You just really love to give headaches, don'cha Kiah?

It's a choice between SA2, Unleashed, and S3&K, and no I'm not picking just one of them! The main draw of these soundtracks is their diversity, SA2 with genre diversity for it's characters, Unleashed with cultural diversity for it's different countries, and S3&K for it's background music diversity, with each one having tunes that matches the levels just right.

16. What is your favorite image from the series? Please post it here and mention the source.

This one...

So I can't pick a quote to save my life since this franchise isn't too known for that, but I have to find an image out of millions that this franchise is known for?

Okay, well on a more serious note, I guess this would be a good favorite:

So, more like a series of images. There's too many to pick from as it is, but the reason I chose this one is because this shows that Eggman, for all his silliness, is not someone to underestimate or dismiss as a threat. This is from Archie 175, a whole issue that is essentially Eggman winning against Sonic 1 on 1, and reminding us that this silly madman is a dangerous, lethal threat not to take lightly. When a bad guy loses too many times, he/she risks looking ineffectual later down the line, so it's nice and refreshing to see competence and extreme danger from the big bad.

17. Which is your favorite voice acting cast?

I don't really have one. As long as the voice acting is decent, I like it. That said, I do want them to stop changing the cast, but it looks like the current one is here to stay for a while...maybe.

I will say that while Mike Pollack is an EXCELLENT voice for Eggman, I really liked Deen Bristow's performance in giving the good doctor an air of menace and a booming voice. Mike does a great job in making Eggman's bombastic personality come off as affable despite him being evil.

18. What is your main/favorite Sonic head-canon?

I have a dozen. To name a few, one of which is the Instashield being a defense Chaos Power of Sonic. Another is the usual GUN framed Sonic to cover up their creation of Shadow, and one I've liked to entertain is the idea that Prof Gerald and Prof Pickle used to be collegues and friends that worked together, Pickle taking Gerald around the world in his archeological trips which is where Gerald encounters Emerl and learns about the 4th Great Civilization, as well as getting the idea to build the Cannon's Core based off the Emerald's Shrine from his visits on Angel Island after he and Pickle encountered a lost, dying tribe of echidnas that would soon leave Knuckles to be the last of his kind.

And now that I've said that, I know somewhere down the line these are all gonna be an actual thing.

19. What is your favorite recurring level theme (e.g. green forest, space stations, lava ruins)?

It's a tie between Space Stations and Fortresses, because nothing says "this is it, the final push" like those themes!

20. What is your favorite level from the Sonic games?

For some reason, I find myself drawn to Lava Reef Zone of S3&K fame. It's got a nice contrast of going from a hellish, fiery mine, to cooling down to a serene, crystal cavern in one level as I traverse to the climax of the game. The music really sells it too, going from Act 1's dark and bouncy theme, to Act 2's soft and serene lull.

21. What was your most memorable year in the franchise for you?

Hmmm...I guess that would be 2008 when Unleashed was released. For all the flaws that game had, it had a lot of craft and care put into it, and I can see that work in the end product. A shame we won't likely get something like this for a while.

22. What is your one favorite thing in the entire Sonic the Hedgehog series?

The lore. Mainly the comic lore, but partially the games to, which the comics make full use of in its own lore. It's something I would love to see get pieced together instead of being too disconnected that you don't know if they're on the same overall setting or not (what with the whole "Two Worlds" thing from the folks in charge)

23. What is your favorite trailer for Sonic games revealed?

Well, hard to say, but I do think that this trailer really did a good job hooking folks into Unleashed, even with the slow paced Werehog

24. There are many versions of the iconic Sonic the Hedgehog in the quarter century he has existed across various forms of media. Which one is your favorite version of Sonic and why?

Archie Sonic. He's playfully snarky, he hits hard, he takes even bigger wallops than Sega Sonic both physically, mentally, and emotionally, his whole setting is diverse and well connected, and best of all he knows full well he can't do everything on his own even tho he'll still try and throw himself into the jaws of death so that his friends don't have to...not that they'll let him. 

Plus, he's not perfect, and can't solve everything on his own. Sure he can fight, but he can't build, he can't fly, and he sucks at diplomacy (hence why he has Sally take care of that). And I like that kind of awareness and weakness in both the character, his friends, and his settings.

25. More than a quarter of a century and the Blue Blur is still running! What keeps you around at this point?

Conquering Storm. *shot*

Okay, for real? Well, partly the comics, but also the fact that Sonic has been something I've been fond of my whole life. I stuck around during ShTH and I stuck around during Sonic 06, and while I may have breaks every now and then, I find it difficult to just quit for good or ill. Usually when things get bad, I just see it as something for Sonic to do better and learn from the next time he wants to try the stunt he failed at. Really, it's kind of amazing how throughout all his troubles, Sonic himself, as a character and as a franchise, just doesn't quit, which in itself is inspiring--if he's not gonna quit running after a quarter century, then why the hell should I?

We've all had good and bad times, haven't we? What's important is how we learn and deal with them. And that I think is a good lesson to learn, so even if I have my disappointments in what's going on with him, I'll still stick around unless something really pulls me apart from him.

[TCB]

Gonna knock them all out now, in case I forget to finish them off before the deadline. 

Spoiler

11. What is your favorite cutscene from a Sonic game?

I'm sure many will agree, but it has got to be the opening to Unleashed. The spectacle, the action, the visuals; that embodies what I like about Sonic as a character.

12. What is your favorite Sonic game?

Sonic Heroes, if that was any obvious.

13. What is your favorite Sonic track both vocal and non-vocal?

Too difficult to pinpoint on exactly one...but for vocal Cosmic Eternity ~Believe In Yourself~. I feel that encapsulated early 90's Sonic well. As for non-vocal...again that is even more difficult. Since I adore Heroes' OST though, one track that I really like is the System Screen: Select theme. It may actually be my all-time favorite menu theme of any kind in the series.

14. What is your favorite move from Sonic or any other playable character?

Shadow's Chaos Control, hands down. 

15. What is your favorite Sonic soundtrack?

Already said it basically; Heroes.

16. What is your favorite image from the series? Please post it here and mention the source. 

If I can cheat just a bit, instead of showing an image; how about a couple gifs instead?

That's on the tip of the iceberg; but this showed 'cool' to me.

17. Which is your favorite voice acting cast?

I grew up on the 4Kids era, so I have a soft-spot for them. Plus; outside of like, Sonic, Tails and Eggman mostly we at least heard most of the other voice acting cast regularly between 2004-2009. :U

18. What is your main/favorite Sonic head-canon?

Hmm...never gave much thought in-depth on Sonic head-canon. I guess it's just the world-building aspect I like to create in my head; centered around Unleashed/Heroes/and what the classics established I guess.

19. What is your favorite recurring level theme (e.g. green forest, space stations, lava ruins)?

I adore the sunny vistas, tropical hills of Sonic lore. Jungle Joyride, Green Hill, Seaside Hill, Sunset Hill (my all time favorite setting, ever).BUT...urban theme is my favorite. Empire City, Grand Metropolis, Crisis City (Generations), Stardust Speedway..ya know, those. 

20. What is your favorite level from the Sonic games?

Egg Fleet/Final Fortress. 

21. What was your most memorable year in the franchise for you? 

2011. The Generations hype was truly a special time. Plus I joined this site on the release date. Second would be 2014, for the sole fact I got to attend Sonic Boom 2014 and meet one of my good friends @Kiah there. 

22. What is your one favorite thing in the entire Sonic the Hedgehog series?

The music. No matter how...unfavorable the game can be, one thing is for certain is that 98 percent of the time its music will be the saving grace.

23. What is your favorite trailer for Sonic games revealed?

I would say the Generations trailer. I wasn't around for Unleashed's; didn't have a PS3 then I think? Dunno.

24. There are many versions of the iconic Sonic the Hedgehog in the quarter century he has existed across various forms of media. Which one is your favorite version of Sonic and why?

If we're talking design purely; then it has to the Modern design. And by 'Modern' I mean the design we got from Unleashed onwards. It resonates with me the most ,especially when Marza has done such beautiful work on said design through their animations. If we're talking as a character...Archie Sonic post-reboot. His characterization is a blessing that can be snarky but heroic without the latter being too cookie-cutter for my tastes.

25. More than a quarter of a century and the Blue Blur is still running! What keeps you around at this point?

That's a good question. I still have a liking for the series, but being here for a few years have made me a lot more lax towards the series in general. Apathetic in some ways yes, passive in others. It wasn't my first big video game series I got into (credit goes to Pokemon for that), but it's one of the few that I quickly grown attached to. Even with that said, I guess it's more of the people I've met that keeps me around too. 

 

 

[blueblur98]

1. How long have you been a Sonic fan?

since 2008, so around 9 years.

2. What was your first Sonic game?

sonic mega collection plus! so many memories. i also got shadow the hedgehog on the same day.

3. What initially attracted you to the Sonic the Hedgehog series?

sonic x and sonic unleashed trailers

4. How many Sonic games do you currently have? Feel free to count duplicates!

sonic mega collection plus

shadow the hedgehog

sonic heroes

sonic unleashed PS2

sonic riders

mario and sonic at the winter olympic games

sonic colors wii

sonic adventure 2

sonic 1 remastered

sonic unleashed PS3

5. Are you more of a Classic or Modern Sonic fan?

modern, but classic is wonderful as well!

6. Who is your favorite Sonic character and why?

hmm... i don't know but i'll play it safe and say knuckles. he's just really cool and does a lot of cool stuff.

7. What is your favorite continuity? (SEGA, Archie, SatAM, OVA etc.)

i'll just say SEGA because i'm not really familiar with anything else lol

8. What is your favorite Sonic quote? This can come from any character.

'even without wings, i can still fly!' it's just so cheesy and i love it.

9. What is your favorite story in the Sonic franchise?

sonic unleashed's story. it had the perfect balance between serious and silly. not too serious, not too silly.

10. What is your favorite Sonic cartoon?

unpopular opinion alert!!! i'd definitely give that honor to sonic boom. it has solid humor and great action sequences!

11. What is your favorite cutscene from a Sonic game?

sonic unleashed's opening, like literally everyone else. not that that's a bad thing.

12. What is your favorite Sonic game?

sonic unleashed PS3 and sonic colors wii. i won't be able to decide until i revisit colors after finishing unleashed.

13. What is your favorite Sonic track both vocal and non-vocal?

vocal: open your heart

non-vocal: jungle joyride night

14. What is your favorite move from Sonic or any other playable character?

chaos control! seriously, it can FREEZE TIME and whisk you to the goal ring. IN ONE MOVE.

15. What is your favorite Sonic soundtrack?

sonic unleashed's OST was very well done and very diverse.

16. What is your favorite image from the series? Please post it here and mention the source. 

any variation of this. (source: fanpop)

17. Which is your favorite voice acting cast?

a tie between the 4kids cast and the new cast. 4kids cast is timeless, but the new cast just gives a better performance.

18. What is your main/favorite Sonic head-canon?

i don't normally read headcanons, but...

this is just way too meta

19. What is your favorite recurring level theme (e.g. green forest, space stations, lava ruins)?

the classic city zone. i just like city theming.

20. What is your favorite level from the Sonic games?

adabat. it's just absolutely gorgeous.

21. What was your most memorable year in the franchise for you? 

last year, probably. milestone anniversary and 2 new games!

22. What is your one favorite thing in the entire Sonic the Hedgehog series?

the speedy gameplay that keeps me coming back for more.

23. What is your favorite trailer for Sonic games revealed?

the recent pre-order trailer for sonic mania. the animation, the music, EVERYTHING was just sublime.

24. There are many versions of the iconic Sonic the Hedgehog in the quarter century he has existed across various forms of media. Which one is your favorite version of Sonic and why?

modern sonic, because it's a good evolution of the old sonic design. different, but not too different and still instantly recognizable.

25. More than a quarter of a century and the Blue Blur is still running! What keeps you around at this point?

the fun gameplay, the feel of the franchise, and the amazing fan creations are just a few reasons i have stuck with this series for most of a decade.

[MadmanRB]

1. How long have you been a Sonic fan?

Since the Beginning

2. What was your first Sonic game?

Sonic the Hedgehog 1, Genesis baby!

3. What initially attracted you to the Sonic the Hedgehog series?

Sonics looks and game play, ever since the earliest Sonic Genesis commercial I was attracted to him.

4. How many Sonic games do you currently have? Feel free to count duplicates!

No physical disks any more but my steam library and emulators are clogged with them
 

5. Are you more of a Classic or Modern Sonic fan?

Classic Sonic all the way!

6. Who is your favorite Sonic character and why?

I shall be covering not just the games here so:

Games: Tails as he is so lovable and cute and you can fly with him in sonic 3

TV: Bunnie Rabbot as she is half rabbit half robot and totally awesome.

7. What is your favorite continuity? (SEGA, Archie, SatAM, OVA etc.)

SatAM

8. What is your favorite Sonic quote? This can come from any character.

Thats no good

9. What is your favorite story in the Sonic franchise?

Mecha Madness

10. What is your favorite Sonic cartoon?

SatAM though Boom has grown on me

11. What is your favorite cutscene from a Sonic game?

The opening to Sonic CD

12. What is your favorite Sonic game?

Sonic 2 hands down

13. What is your favorite Sonic track both vocal and non-vocal?

The SatAM opening theme, the theme to Scrap Brain Zone

14. What is your favorite move from Sonic or any other playable character?

I like the super dash attack introduced in sonic 2, cant beat a classic.

15. What is your favorite Sonic soundtrack?

Sonic CD (US)

16. What is your favorite image from the series? Please post it here and mention the source.

Sonic crying in Sonic SatAM, in the episode “Ultra Sonic” Sonic tries in vain to help free his roboticized Uncle and is saddened that it was not possible at the time.

Really sonic crying may not be evertyones ideal of Sonic but it shows that not always he has feelings too and not always an arrogant jerk.

17. Which is your favorite voice acting cast?

SatAM again

18. What is your main/favorite Sonic head-canon?

My own I call the amalgamverse where the best of sonic is picked up leaving out the stupid crap like making Sonic a werewolf.

19. What is your favorite recurring level theme (e.g. green forest, space stations, lava ruins)?

I like green forest mainly but I also like the big mean metal bases the games used to have when Robotnik was called Robotnik and not a total moron.

20. What is your favorite level from the Sonic games?

Green Hill due to it bringing us into Sonics universe.

21. What was your most memorable year in the franchise for you?

1993, good time to be a gamer

22. What is your one favorite thing in the entire Sonic the Hedgehog series?

The older games before 3d came in

23. What is your favorite trailer for Sonic games revealed?

Recently you mean? The one for Sonic forces seemed very promising.

24. There are many versions of the iconic Sonic the Hedgehog in the quarter century he has existed across various forms of media. Which one is your favorite version of Sonic and why?

Again the SatAM version as he had fears, feelings and while yes he was arroggant he still had a more “human” side to him that modern Sonic lacks.

25. More than a quarter of a century and the Blue Blur is still running! What keeps you around at this point?

The promise of a better future.

Edited June 14, 2017 by Kiah
SAVE!

[Kiah]

I was supposed to post Sonic Boom Sonic to wrap up the countdown as he was at #1 as well my final round of questions and having some words of importance before wrapping things up but that won't be happening. At least not tonight anyway.

As much as I wanted to stick to the whole "25" thing as much as possible-even with the length of the event-I received a significant amount of messages in line with the remaining time among other concerns and I made a decision to give all that need it some more time. Instead of this questionnaire event ending at midnight on Friday, June 9th it will end at midnight on Wednesday June 14th. That's a 5 day extension (including a weekend!) which hopefully will give everyone time to complete their questionnaires that were started or even for more new participants to join in!  

So as of now instead of 1 day left we now have 6! I'll be back between now and then with my original intent as I wanted the focus of this post to be in regards to the announcement of the event being extended. Let's get to it if you haven't gotten everything done already! 

Boom Sonic ended up showing up in this post anyway 

[Blue Swallow]

I'm here with part 2, I was going to say just in time, but I see it's been extended. 

 

13. What is your favorite Sonic track both vocal and non-vocal?

Non-vocal: Blue Spheres 

 

The catchiest song in the entire series, I can't tell how many times this has been stuck in my head.

Vocal: It Doesn't Matter (original SA1 version)

 

Great guitars and excellent vocals, and I love the lyrics, I think they fit sonic so well.

Honorable mentions:

Non-vocal: Quartz Quadrant (JP) , lava reef act 1, icecap Sonic 3 Genesis (both acts) Sonic 3 mini boss, and Sonic 1 special stage

Vocal: look-alike, Livin' in the City, Work it out, Diamond in the sky, and Cosmic eternity.

 

14. What is your favorite move from Sonic or any other playable character?

I think I'd have to with Tails' flight ability. Like I mentioned In the favorite character question, it's very unconventional, but cool. Of course Sonic's spin attack and spin dash are great too, and I also like Amy's running hammer jump from Adventure.

 

15. What is your favorite Sonic soundtrack?

This is another incredibly tough question. I think I have to go with SONIC 3 & KNUCKLES, though SONIC CD (JP), SONIC 1 (MD) and SONIC R are close. and the OVA too.

 

16. What is your favorite image from the series? Please post it here and mention the source. 

I'm having trouble finding my favorite image, I'm starting to think it doesn't exist, so here's my second. 

I like that he's waiting for a bus, even though he could get to where ever he's going on foot, in no time flat. Since he has a suitcase, I assume he's going on a trip, so he must be taking the bus so he can sightsee, because that's hard to do moving at sonic speed. I also think it's cute how he's sitting on his suitcase.

 

17. Which is your favorite voice acting cast?

As far the games are concerned, there's good and bad in each cast, so can't choose between them, so my choice is for SaTAM. Jaleel White's Sonic may seem cheesy, but I  love it, and everyone else's voices are great. It's also my favorite Tails voice. Oh and I prefer Rotor's first VA over the second. 

 

18. What is your main/favorite Sonic head-canon?

I don't have too many head-cannons, and I'm not really sure I have a favorite, so I'll just list them.

I like to think Amy enjoys cooking. Not a very interesting one, but I like it.

I think Sonic is a pan-theist, pan sexual, polyamorous, anarchist, I don't have to much say about it, it's just what I like to think, but I do think it works for him, especially since he's usually described as being a free spirit.

And lastly, I don't care if it was just an "artists error", Rotor is gay, and attracted to Razor, who is bi, and they were flirting. And speaking of Razor, while he is somewhat attracted to Rotor, he's in love with Coral. She's also in love with Razor, but their both too afraid to admit it. I suppose the Razor x Coral isn't really a head-cannon tho, as that seems to be what Ian's going for.

 

19. What is your favorite recurring level theme (e.g. green forest, space stations, lava ruins)? 

I'd have to go with Beach levels, I love the beach, and Sonic's beaches don't disappoint. I also like Eggman base levels, especially of the non space variety.

 

20. What is your favorite level from the Sonic games?

This may be the toughest question yet. Launch Base Zone. It goes along with one of my favorite level themes, the Eggman base, and it's tricky without being annoying. You also get ride in an egg mobile, so that's a plus. I also like Big arms, it's a fun boss.

 

21. What was your most memorable year in the franchise for you? 

I wanna say some of the mid nineties years, simply because of family memories, but I also want to say 1999. I got the OVA, which I love, and SONIC ADVENTURE, which I also love. 2002 is up there as well, SONIC ADVENTURE 2 BATTLE came out then, and MEGA  COLLECTION, which made for a nice revisiting, as I don't think I'd been playing them (or the Genesis at all) as much at the time.

 

22. What is your one favorite thing in the entire Sonic the Hedgehog series?

I've give Been giving a lot of multiple answers, so I'm going to try to give one single answer for this. And that would be, The music. 

The majority of the games in the series, despite their problems in other areas, have had great music. The only thing that could make the music better, is some EUROBEAT, make it happen sega.

 

23. What is your favorite trailer for Sonic games revealed?

I think I'd have to say Mania, it's hard for me to even express how happy and surprised I was to see a new classic game. And watching it live with people here on Motobug, made it even better.

 

24. There are many versions of the iconic Sonic the Hedgehog in the quarter century he has existed across various forms of media. Which one is your favorite version of Sonic and why? 

I'd have to go with Archie Sonic, and specifically pre boot Flynn Archie, for a few reasons. 

1. He displays a wide variety of emotions, Sonic in the games, at least starting with Heroes, tends to be rather one note when it comes to emotions, in my opinion, but with Archie, he cracks jokes, he cries, he gets angry, he shows love, it's nice.

2. His sarcasm is written well. In other mediums, his sarcasm tends to be of the unfunny and/or jerkish variety, but I think Archie Sonic (when written by Flynn), has more witty sarcasm, which I think is a better fit for Sonic.

3. Archie Sonic does it best when it comes to relationships with the other characters.

 

25. More than a quarter of a century and the Blue Blur is still running! What keeps you around at this point? 

It's hard to believe Sonic is 25 years old.

When it comes to entertainment, I don't lose interest in the things I love to easily. And even though there hasn't really been a game that's wowed me in a while, I've always held a little hope that I'd get one that would, and Mania looks to be the first start, it's certainly wowed me. Of course the comics help too. And even though I'm not on here much, this site, and all the wonderful people here, help me stick around. And really, I've  been with the series for over twenty years, if I haven't left before, I don't see myself doing it now.

 

once again, thank you @Kiah! This was a lot of fun, and you picked some tough, but very fun, to answer, questions. 

[Zaysho]

Part III: The Black Knight & Knuckles

11. What is your favorite cutscene from a Sonic game?

Sonic facing the Dark Queen

This is probably my favorite scene because of its portrayal of Sonic. He confronts Merlina, who at this point has abused the power of Excalibur’s scabbard to try to create a never-ending world. While her reasoning is that she knows what happens to the kingdom and is trying to prevent it, she seems to care more that the kingdom’s end upsets her and disregards the effects the scabbard are having on her and the rest of the kingdom. Sonic can’t take this and rushes headfirst swinging Caliburn, only to get beaten down and break his sword. Through sheer determination, Sonic keeps getting back up against the pleas of Gawain, Lancelot and Percival (in the images of Knuckles, Shadow, and Blaze, respectively) to run away and states that he doesn’t care about chivalry or whatever code the knights of Arthur’s world live by. “I just gotta do what I’ve gotta do. That’s all!” What really seals this for me is the surprise insert of “It Doesn’t Matter” right as he says this. I lost it the first time I heard this and it’s what makes this scene so memorable.

Another that came to mind is from Knuckles's story in Sonic Adventure right after the Sonic mini-boss fight:

Partially I just find it funny that upon realizing he's been tricked, Knuckles immediately goes on the defensive and pushes this onto Sonic. But he just as quickly attempts to rectify this mistake by stepping up and fighting Chaos 4 himself. Generally speaking, I like a lot of Knuckles's dialogue in the English dub version of Sonic Adventure. It just has so much character, and even the corny tough guy one liners like "Put 'em up!" and "I'll make 'im eat dirt!" are delivered with a sort of sincerity that I can't possibly imagine Knuckles any other way. I can only dream of a Sonic game being localized like this again.

12. What is your favorite Sonic game?

So many! Sonic 2 (GEN), Sonic 3 & Knuckles, Sonic R, Sonic Adventure, Sonic Adventure 2, Shadow the Hedgehog, Sonic Advance, and Sonic and the Black Knight all immediately jump to mind for one reason or another. All these titles I’ve revisited multiple times over the last twenty-plus years and have a good time or I can find something interesting about that in spite of whatever problems they have.

From this list, I would most likely put Sonic 3 & Knuckles and Sonic Adventure closest to the top.

Sonic 3 & Knuckles is a huge part of my childhood, and over two decades later, it still feels fresh as ever. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve become more taken with the game’s visuals, its scope, and the setting of Angel Island in general. As a kid it presented a lot of mystery and intrigue, and Knuckles was my favorite character. Being able to explore Angel Island using his unique abilities and finding new and hidden paths is a lot of fun. It’s also one of the best looking games of its era, and its visuals still stand very well. I often find myself in awe at the layers of detail put into the environments or looking at color choices and little abstractions in the background that give it the depth it has, or foreground details that hint at where to go or give me something to interact with that takes me somewhere I wouldn’t expect.

I love Sonic Adventure for its roster of playable characters, all of which play under a mostly unified style but with their own personal objectives and unique abilities. I understand this is a bit hit and miss with some, but I personally feel SA1 provides the best baseline to build a better 3D Sonic game and actually make use of the damn characters. And I love the story as well, especially for exploring Knuckles’s background and the history of the Chaos Emeralds. And the English script is easily the best this series has ever gotten. It might be a bit dated in parts, but the characterizations and interactions are so much fun and I find myself regularly replaying just to rewatch these scenes and they always get me pumped to continue. And the character recaps are such a charming idea to get into their heads and actually get a sense of how they might tell a story or their thoughts on what’s happening. Sonic Adventure has a lot of little touches that I feel make it so easy to get invested in what’s going and keep the player moving forward.

13. What is your favorite Sonic track both vocal and non-vocal?

This is tough because of how massive the Sonic music library is!

But vocal… probably “It Doesn’t Matter.” Either version is good, but I lean toward the SA1 version. To me, this song IS Sonic. And it was a pleasant surprise to hear it get called back to in Black Knight in the scene I mentioned earlier!

Runners up would probably be "Work It Out," "Unknown from M.E. (SA1)," “Live and Learn,” “Live Life,” “With Me,” and “Endless Possibility”.

Non-vocal… there’s so many, I don’t even know what to pick! I think I’ll just rattle off a a track from each of my favorite games I listed earlier with some links. Aquatic Ruin, Lava Reef Act 1, “Dilapidated Way,” “Won’t Stop, Just Go!,” Ice Mountain Act 2, GUN Fortress, and Misty Lake. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. I’m sure I could pull several tunes from almost every Sonic game (I'm pretty sure there's another event for that :P), but then I don't think I'd ever finish this segment!

14. What is your favorite move from Sonic or any other playable character?

I have to go with Knuckles’s moveset. When I was a kid playing Sonic 3 & Knuckles, I loved using his gliding and climbing abilities to get around the levels and I always wanted to see just how far I could go with them. Sometimes I’d go out of my way to try to get Knuckles to reach spots only Sonic could go to (like Ice Cap Zone’s snowboarding segment—I honestly thought I could make it up that mountain!).

He was also the most fun for me to play with in Sonic Adventure. I never get tired of soaring around levels like Speed Highway (At Dawn), Red Mountain, or Casinopolis, with his signature abilities and using his punching attacks to break obstacles and defeat enemies. It was a great extension to his moveset as defined in his debut game.

15. What is your favorite Sonic soundtrack?

You’re killing me, Kiah.

I kind of hold Sonic and the Black Knight’s “Tales of Knighthood” album is pretty high regard. Partially because it’s one of the few game soundtracks I own and also because it feels like this great tribute to that early 2000s era of Sonic, right down to the vocals as well as its various callback tracks and remixes. One of my favorite tracks is actually the remix of the SA2 version of “It Doesn’t Matter,” which is this neat acoustic version that plays in the fan art gallery of the game. It’s such a relaxing tune and it makes me happy they managed to fit both versions of the song into the game’s soundtrack in some fashion. Also points to Jun Senoue for developing an original theme for Blaze. If she ever returns and as a role beyond “cheerleader,” that should be extended into a proper track.

I’d also probably say Sonic Adventure and Sonic Unleashed have some of the best soundtracks in the series with their mix of rock and jazz, and I have a huge soft spot for Sonic R’s pop music, cheesy lyrics and all.

EDIT: Updated with music links!

[Sonictrainer]

My Turn!

1. How long have you been a Sonic fan?
23 Years

2. What was your first Sonic game?

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 on the Sega Genesis

3. What initially attracted you to the Sonic the Hedgehog series?
-he’s blue
-his character design
-his attitude
-his world
-his friends
-his enemies

4. How many Sonic games do you currently have? Feel free to count duplicates!
At least 72

 

5. Are you more of a Classic or Modern Sonic fan?

"Why pick one when you can enjoy using both?"

I’m an All Around Sonic fan. I can’t pick one over the other because
-they literally are the same character but from different points in time
-I’ve enjoyed both of the their adventures 

6. Who is your favorite Sonic character and why? 
Sonic himself. Watching him rush through Zones, save the world, and destroy robots is fun and never gets old for me.

7. What is your favorite continuity? (SEGA, Archie, SatAM, OVA etc.) 

Archie

Although I wish we didn't have to lose certain characters and plotlines in the Post Reboot and I hope that the comic doesn't get cancelled... 

8. What is your favorite Sonic quote? This can come from any character. 
“Aw, yeah this is happening!” (Sonic in Sonic Adventure)

“A giant planet sized jigsaw puzzle? What a great excuse to see the world.” (Sonic in Sonic Unleashed after restoring the first Chaos Emerald)

9. What is your favorite story in the Sonic franchise? 
Sonic Unleashed

10. What is your favorite Sonic cartoon? 

Sonic Boom

11. What is your favorite cutscene from a Sonic game? 
My #1 favorite cutscene out of all the currently available Sonic games is the first cutscene of Sonic Unleashed.

12. What is your favorite Sonic game? 

Sonic Unleashed on Xbox 360

13. What is your favorite Sonic track both vocal and non-vocal? 
Knight of Wind (Sonic and the Black Knight)

Big Arm (Sonic Generations)

14. What is your favorite move from Sonic or any other playable character? 
The Wall Jump in Sonic Unleashed. Being able wall jump from any surface when in 2D is awesome!

15. What is your favorite Sonic soundtrack? 
Sonic Unleashed

16. What is your favorite image from the series? Please post it here and mention the source.

This one from Sonic Generations. Seeing both Sonics and Tails running in their perspective planes in Green Hill Zone is awesome.

17. Which is your favorite voice acting cast? 
I really enjoy our current cast of voice actors.

18. What is your main/favorite Sonic head-canon? 
Sonic isn’t really afraid of water, he just doesn’t really know how to stay above water when not moving and controlling his buoyancy. His quadruple jump we see in Sonic Colors is his way around this.

19. What is your favorite recurring level theme (e.g. green forest, space stations, lava ruins)? 

As the guy who does the Sonic Level Theme topics every once in a while, I have to say my #1 favorite Level Theme in Sonic Games are the bouncy and pinball inspired Amusement Park Zones. Starting out as a prototype with the Spring Yard Zone, becoming refined and iconic in the Casino Night Zone, and switching it up with Carnival Night Zone, the Amusement Park Zones are some of the most fun, colorful, and memorable levels in the Sonic Game universe.

20. What is your favorite level from the Sonic games? 
Jungle Joyride Day (PS3/Xbox 360)

21. What was your most memorable year in the franchise for you? 
It's a tie between 2011, the Generations hype year, and this year, with Sonic Mania, Forces, and other things.

22. What is your one favorite thing in the entire Sonic the Hedgehog series? 

Watching Sonic run

23. What is your favorite trailer for Sonic games revealed? 

Originally it was going to be the Sonic Mania Announcement Trailer, but then Preorder Trailer happened.

24. There are many versions of the iconic Sonic the Hedgehog in the quarter century he has existed across various forms of media. Which one is your favorite version of Sonic and why? 
Sonic in Secret Rings, Unleashed, and Black Knight

Those games really show off Sonic's good samaritian qualities along with his other personality traits.

25. More than a quarter of a century and the Blue Blur is still running! What keeps you around at this point?
The Archie Comics and certain Sonic Communities (GameSpot, SEGA Forums, Sonic Stadium, etc). Despite all the crap we’ve dealt with over the years, we can still come together and discuss things we like, dislike, and are unsure in our community. If there wasn’t a community to enjoy Sonic with, I’m not sure how long Sonic would have lasted.

[Spring]

1. How long have you been a Sonic fan?

Since the beginning!

2. What was your first Sonic game?

Sonic 1

3. What initially attracted you to the Sonic the Hedgehog series?

Chance. One day at school, for whatever reason, a video game console was set up. I got to play it - briefly - and it was this interesting game that I remember rolling down a hill and flying up off of it in a blue ball. I since figured out it was Sonic The Hedgehog on the Master System.

4. How many Sonic games do you currently have? Feel free to count duplicates!

Not many as I have sold quite a few of my old possessions. I still have Sonic Generations Collectors Edition and I've pre-ordered Sonic Mania Collectors Edition as well.

5. Are you more of a Classic or Modern Sonic fan?

I am pretty much exclusively just a Classic fan. I never got into Modern.

6. Who is your favorite Sonic character and why?

It has to be the original himself, Sonic.

7. What is your favorite continuity? (SEGA, Archie, SatAM, OVA etc.)

I used to like the UK Sonic the Comic as a child.

8. What is your favorite Sonic quote? This can come from any character.

As a Classic fan, I don't have one.

9. What is your favorite story in the Sonic franchise?

I just enjoy the story in the Classic games, so probably Sonic 3 and Knuckles since this is the game that has a continuous story.

10. What is your favorite Sonic cartoon?

Whatever it was that aired in the UK in the 90's. But I always felt they didn't quite get the essence of the game in any of the cartoons back then. I haven't watched any that came later so couldn't comment about those.

11. What is your favorite cutscene from a Sonic game?

As a Classic fan just any from S3&K I guess. I do quite like when Knuckles joins forces with Sonic and Tails in Hidden Palace Zone.

12. What is your favorite Sonic game?

Tough question. I guess I'll go with Sonic 3 & Knuckles. I hope and actually think its possible that Sonic Mania competes for the crown though!

13. What is your favorite Sonic track both vocal and non-vocal?

I love many of the classic tracks. Starlight Zone stands out. Green Hill is a classic. I like a lot of it, even the 2P music. Music is one area that I don't actually mind Modern. Crush 40 are pretty cool. I got to see them perform at Summer of Sonic '12.

14. What is your favorite move from Sonic or any other playable character?

I'll go for the plain old spin into a ball!

15. What is your favorite Sonic soundtrack?

I love the soundtrack for all the Classic games from 1 to 3&K.

16. What is your favorite image from the series? Please post it here and mention the source. 

I like to see Green Hill Zone - the lush palm trees and greenery are iconic and what started it all. Everyone knows how it looks so I won't post an image. :-)
Honourable mention to the very cool pose that Super Sonic does when jumping off the plane at the end of Sonic 2.

17. Which is your favorite voice acting cast?

As a Classic fan, I don't have one. I also think Sonic is better without a voice.

18. What is your main/favorite Sonic head-canon?

I'm not sure what this is.

19. What is your favorite recurring level theme (e.g. green forest, space stations, lava ruins)?

Green forest. Original and best! The zones with tonnes of bumpers and springs are always fun though.

20. What is your favorite level from the Sonic games?

Hard to answer. Green Hill Zone is iconic and probably can't be topped. But there are plenty of amazing, masterpiece quality, level design in all of those Classic games.

21. What was your most memorable year in the franchise for you? 

1992

22. What is your one favorite thing in the entire Sonic the Hedgehog series?

The speed

23. What is your favorite trailer for Sonic games revealed?

Sonic Mania!

24. There are many versions of the iconic Sonic the Hedgehog in the quarter century he has existed across various forms of media. Which one is your favorite version of Sonic and why?

Classic. I think they nailed it on day one in Sonic 1. But the Sonic 2 and 3&K versions are equally as good, too. I quite like the Modern redesign around Sonic Adventure, but Modern past this point doesn't do it for me.

25. More than a quarter of a century and the Blue Blur is still running! What keeps you around at this point?

A love of the Classic games and the impact they had on my life. I was obsessed with them as a child. I spent many an hour exploring those zones. It also helps that I got my nephew into Sonic as well - he also has gone on to love it, and he also played the Modern games. Sonic Generations pulled me back in somewhat as it featured Classic. Sonic 4 pulled me in as well, but turned out to be a disappointment. I think at this point I'd have fell out of the loop again, but Sonic Mania is keeping me here and I think it'll deliver. I can't wait!

[Cheawn]

And the last of the questions crawls over the finish line! Thanks for the extension Kiah so I could finish this!

6. Who is your favorite Sonic character and why?

Tails, because of his brother like relationship with Sonic. It's really charming and never fails to make me smile.

9. What is your favorite story in the Sonic franchise?

Sonic Unleashed, even though I've only watched it. All of the one shot characters in it are wonderful, especially Chip and his interactions with Sonic.Dark Gaia was an interesting enemy for Sonic to fend off, and discovering Chip's past was an interesting twist. Oh, and the world tour elements really tie the entire package together..

11. What is your favorite cutscene from a Sonic game?

Team Rose vs Team Chaotix from Sonic Heroes, just because of how ridiculously fast both teams ended up hating each other after they just met.

16. What is your favorite image from the series? Please post it here and mention the source. 

This promotional image from Sonic Runners. It feels fast despite the lack of movement and it references a multitude of past Sonic games. I still can't get over the hilarity of having the Death Egg of all things helping out Sonic.

21. What was your most memorable year in the franchise for you?

This year, actually. Not one but two Sonic games coming out, being on a Sonic forum for the first time, and watching The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog for the first time. I don't think I can have a better Sonic related year!

23. What is your favorite trailer for Sonic games revealed?

24. There are many versions of the iconic Sonic the Hedgehog in the quarter century he has existed across various forms of media. Which one is your favorite version of Sonic and why?

The one that started it all, SEGA's Sonic. I can't really put my finger on why though.

[Tara]

Quote

1. How long have you been a Sonic fan?

I’ve been a Sonic fan for as long as I can remember.  I’ve mentioned this in the past, but one of the very first memories I have of even being alive was watching Sonic SatAM as a barely sentient child.  I believe it was episode 25, because something about that episode to this day gives me a sense of deja vu.  Basically, I feel like my attachment to Sonic stems largely from the circumstantial nature surrounding his existence.  He’s literally always been there, and it feels weird to imagine living a life where I would be exposed to Sonic at a more mature state.

Spoiler

2. What was your first Sonic game?

My first game was Sonic 3D Blast on the Sega Genesis.  It’s not a particularly amazing game, but being an impressionable child in the 90’s, I liked it almost entirely because it had that cute hedgehog from the cartoon I remembered watching.  At the time, I was under the impression that the game was based on the cartoon, not the other way around.

Spoiler

3. What initially attracted you to the Sonic the Hedgehog series?

As I said, familiarity was probably the core reason I continued to pursue the series.  But I don’t think I would consider myself a fan until I played the Dreamcast demo of Sonic Adventure when it first came out.  I was simply blown away by the bright and colorful characters, the fast-paced spectacle, the voice acting, and of course the music.  Even more so than any track in 3D Blast’s OST, Azure Blue World gives me a really nostalgic tug every time I hear it.

Quote

4. How many Sonic games do you currently have? Feel free to count duplicates!

*grabs an abacus*

Let’s see here... carry the three…

41.  Too many!!

Funny thing is that I went and counted expecting there to be more. But I’m already running out of space on my shelf, so it’s probably a good thing!

Quote

 

5. Are you more of a Classic or Modern Sonic fan?

 

I’d probably consider myself a bigger fan of classic Sonic, but I don’t like restricting myself to either the label of classic or modern, because I like them both.  I consider myself an overall Sonic fan, not just of one particular aspect.

But what I love about classic Sonic is probably the cute and creative aesthetic.  I love the checkerboard maps, I love the surreal special stages, I love the Disney-inspired designs.  It’s all so cute and pretty to me!

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6. Who is your favorite Sonic character and why?

 

Probably Sonic himself, simply because I can’t decide.  But I admire his boldness and dedication to doing what he feels is right.  Failing that, it would probably be Tails simply because he’s so adorable.

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7. What is your favorite continuity? (SEGA, Archie, SatAM, OVA etc.)

 

I think the very early Archie comics were probably the best in terms of telling a consistent story that was a pretty decent mix of serious and lighthearted for my tastes.  I still enjoy reading those from time to time. 

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8. What is your favorite Sonic quote? This can come from any character.

 

It’s cheesy, it’s kind of haphazardly-written, but I really am fond of Amy’s little speech towards the end of Sonic Adventure 2.

“I know that people fight over the most trivial things.  Some people may be selfish, like the professor said.  But they’re basically good, if they try their best and never give up on their wishes.  They always have a reason to be happy, and that’s why you should help them out.”

I feel like if this were done in a better scenario, this would be a really powerful sentiment.  I think everyone can relate to feeling apathy for the world, for feeling like the world is too cold and unforgiving for you to tolerate.  And I think there’s a lot of power, no matter how petty it may seem, in being able to look at yourself and others and say with confidence, “I know the world has its problems, but I’m going to choose to forgive them, no matter how I may have been hurt in the past.”

It’s not a great quote, but I think it’s very well-meaning all the same.

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9. What is your favorite story in the Sonic franchise?

 

Probably Sonic Adventure.  I really liked that the tonality was relatively light but still managed to be pretty thoroughly engaging.  Plus, I really absolutely love the idea of having separate, interconnected stories and differing perspectives.  It hasn’t aged particularly well, but I still quite like the concept and think it has great potential.

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10. What is your favorite Sonic cartoon?

 

I give SatAM an honorable mention due to the copious amounts of nostalgia attached to it and because even if it’s not aged particularly well, it’s still a highly enjoyable cartoon.  Failing that, I really liked the first two episodes of Sonic Boom.  I liked that it had a slice of life angle that also emphasized action in a way that felt integrated into the main story.  The series would later disappoint me when it decidedly failed to continue in that direction, but for the first two episodes it was pretty magical.  As cynical as this place can be, it really did my heart good to see so many people enjoying something from the franchise for a change.

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11. What is your favorite cutscene from a Sonic game?

This is a tough one as I think every game has that one cutscene that just blows me away with how well crafted it is.

It’s aged so poorly that I laugh at it these days, but I have perhaps the most fondness for the final scene of Sonic Adventure 2, where Shadow falls to his death.  There’s such an outpouring of emotion that I couldn’t help but tear up a little (a lot) when I was a kid.  I really like that the cheesy sad music that plays in the background, and it was just really odd seeing this side of the characters.  Even someone as cold as (Bristow era) Eggman was humbled by Shadow’s sacrifice.  It was an interesting spectacle for the time.

Failing that, I can’t help but love the infamous “mountain of handkerchiefs” scene from Secret Rings.  It’s the kind of corny/sweet mix that I just adore.

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12. What is your favorite Sonic game?

 

Sonic 3 & Knuckles, probably.  I feel like Sonic 1 and 2, while good games, were still in the stage of conceptualizing the characters and universe.  Sonic 3 is when things felt like they could finally put those concepts into practice, and the efforts really paid off.  The level design to this day is incredibly solid, what they managed to achieve in terms of storytelling for its time is still fairly impressive given the technology, and it’s probably got one of my all time favorite Sonic soundtracks.  Combine having three characters (technically four if you include Sonic and Tails together as one) to play as, the ability to actually save the game, it’s good Sonic fun from beginning to end.

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13. What is your favorite Sonic track both vocal and non-vocal?

Vocal: “Un-Gravitify” by Cashell (from Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity)
I’m a sucker for these types of songs that are really fast-paced but have relatively mellow vocal tracks.  Like most Sonic lyrics, it’s sort of nonsensical, but there’s calming yet freeing sensation that it evokes that I just love.  It’s extremely dramatic too, with the grungy rasp of the vocals, the gentle humming of the high strings in contrast to the fierceness of the bass, drums, and rhythm guitars.  It’s a beautiful track.

(Others that I like about just as much but couldn’t think of nearly as much to talk about: “It Doesn’t Matter” (SA1 version), “Believe in Myself” (SA1 version), “My Sweet Passion,” (from SA1 and 2) “Fly into the Freedom,” (from SA2) “Follow Me,” (from Sonic Heroes) “Broken” (unused from ShTH), “My Destiny” (from Sonic ‘06))

Non-Vocal: This is a really tough question to answer, so instead of listing an absolute favorite, I’ll list the first one that comes to my mind.  That would probably be Lava Reef Zone, Act 1 from Sonic 3.  It gives off the feeling of a Depeche Mode song.  It has a sense of forboding and evolves into something with such a dance-able melody I can’t resit.  If I had one thing to say about it is that I do wish it were just a little bit longer.  It’s 30 seconds of bliss, but it is still 30 seconds, so having to hear that over and over in-game gets a little daunting.

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14. What is your favorite move from Sonic or any other playable character?

I always found something strangely charming about Tails’ ability to fly by using his tails as a makeshift helicopter propeller.  I imagine non-Sonic fans look at this and say to themselves, “What the fuck is this dumb shit?” but it’s amazingly clever in a comedic sort of way.  I just kind of wish the games were maybe a little more self-aware of how silly but also incredibly useful it is.

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15. What is your favorite Sonic soundtrack?

Probably Sonic Adventure.  So many good tracks, vocal and non-vocal.  I love the light atmosphere, even in the heavier songs and just the diversity of instrumentation.  Like, this is what I mean when I say stylistic consistency.  Azure Blue World immediately evokes imagery of the beach when you listen to it, but it also has a hard rock edge that meshes and flows with the spirit of the level.

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16. What is your favorite image from the series? Please post it here and mention the source.

 

This is from Sonic the Screensaver.  Honestly, if I could I would just post every image from Sonic the Screensaver.  It has everything I love.  Beautiful, watercolor-esque painting and a lighthearted tonality that is cute and fun.  This is what my ideal Sonic game would look like.

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17. Which is your favorite voice acting cast?

I’m not as blindly nostalgic for them as I used to be, but I still think the original cast of Ryan Drummond and pals delivers the most consistent performance and, awkward line readings aside, have the most fitting timbre for each of the characters.  I just have a hard time picture Jason Griffith, even in his best performances, actually sounding right for Sonic anymore than Tommy Wiseau sounds right for (well, anybody, bur especially not) Morgan Freeman.

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18. What is your main/favorite Sonic head-canon?

It took me some time to actually think of any Sonic headcanon, because I normally don’t think about them too often.  But one that I could finally remember after a few minutes of thinking...

While it’s outlined a bit more in the Archie comics, the games leave the relationship between Sonic and humans a little bit ambiguous.  In some ways, this is good, because most attempts to delve into this topic are hamfisted at best, and if I had to choose, I’d prefer we just go with a similar approach to Looney Tunes, Doraemon, etc. and just accept that humans have no quarrel with a three-foot tall, talking animal.

But naturally, my mind wants to fill in the gap somehow, so I like to think that Sonic’s humanized traits are… shall we say… exaggerated for the sake of the audience.  We need to relate to the character, so giving him a certain amount of humanity is necessary.  So when I picture creatures like Sonic in their natural habitat, I imagine they live their lives not too dissimilar to how an ordinary creatures of their types might.  This is also why the woodland creatures that you get from defeating enemies or destroying capsules appear to be less evolved.  Not because they actually are, but because they’re of lesser importance and therefore don’t need to be given nearly as much development.

So basically my Sonic headcanon is that Sonic and his friends… are fucking animals.  Wow, real imaginative, right?  But really, aside from the powers and unique abilities that they have, I prefer to think of Sonic not as a human-like animal or a highly advanced form of animal, but just normal animals in the context of their world.

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19. What is your favorite recurring level theme (e.g. green forest, space stations, lava ruins)?

 

I dislike water levels, but quite like beach levels, paradoxically enough.  They’re always the more beautiful levels, in my opinion, and I’m always happy to see the whales and the dolphins popping out the water.  Winter being my favorite season, I’m also fond of ice levels because of all the beautiful snow, and I am always interested in exploring Eggman’s base.

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20. What is your favorite level from the Sonic games?

Probably Final Egg from Sonic Adventure 1.  I think the sense of progression you get as traverse through the inner clockwork of the base and eventually wind up in familiar territory is something that’s lost in most games.  And there’s so many cute little touches, like those crudely-stitched dolls of Sonic and friends.  It’s my favorite version of Eggman’s base, I think.

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21. What was your most memorable year in the franchise for you?

 

There are so many memorable years for me that it’s really hard for me to pinpoint one that stands out more than the others.  Even though it didn’t turn out quite as expected, I think 2014 and the announcement of Boom probably stands out to me the most at the moment.  It was a rare sight, seeing people actually excited about Sonic news for the first time in years.  For a fleeting period of time, it reminded me of how fun it can be to a fan of this series.

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22. What is your one favorite thing in the entire Sonic the Hedgehog series?

 

I guess it would be the friends I talk about it with.  Perhaps what has coerced me to keep buying Sonic games, beyond my better judgment, is just that I like analyzing them, scrutinizing every little detail, and exchanging thoughts with friends.  For me, the Sonic community has been as much a part of my investment as the actual franchise.

This perhaps describes my relationship with video games in general.

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23. What is your favorite trailer for Sonic games revealed?

 

So the game turned out to be awful, but I have a lot of fondness for Sonic ‘06’s reveal trailer.  I mean, it just blew me away at the time, and I was so hyped to play it.  I was forgiving of Eggman’s… odd design, and even the darker tone or Final Fantasy-esque humans didn’t bother me, because the trailer did such a good job making me amped for the game.

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24. There are many versions of the iconic Sonic the Hedgehog in the quarter century he has existed across various forms of media. Which one is your favorite version of Sonic and why?

 

Classic Sonic as he was in Europe and Japan in the 90’s.  I just really love the simplistic, yet clearly Disney-inspired feel that it had.  There was so much charm in the designs of the characters and the world.  It’s something I’m glad to see they’re trying to re-capture, even if it’s not necessarily capturing it very well.

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25. More than a quarter of a century and the Blue Blur is still running! What keeps you around at this point?

 

I suppose it would be a mix between emotional attachment to the series and the community.  As I said, I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t a Sonic fan, so stopping now just feels too weird to me.  I’ll probably continue to follow Sonic through all the good and…  not so good times.

Beyond that, I suppose I just love the friends I’ve made from the series too much to give up on the central thing that brought us together.  When I was in my late teens, I used to think ill of the stereotypes levied at Sonic fans by the greater gaming community, but as of late, I’ve grown disenfranchised with the fandom and, while not fully agreeing, can see how these stereotypes came to be.  That being said, I’m still here, and Sonic continues to be the cornerstone of my online social life.  As long as that continues to be the case, I don’t think I’ll be putting my gloves away anytime soon.

Seriously, I love you guys.  Please take good care of yourselves.  And stop getting so upset over stupid hedgehogs. <3

Thank you, @Kiah, for giving us an extension on this.  I’ve been really tied up these past few days and my mind and heart have been in other places, so I really appreciate you giving myself and others another chance to participate.  And of course, thank you for organizing and managing the event.  I appreciate the effort you put into making SSMB a fun place, even when it’s sometimes easier to get lost in all the negativity.  You the best, Mod Mama!

[Monkey Destruction Switch]

11. What is your favorite cutscene from a Sonic game?

 

The normal ending from Sonic the Hedgehog 2. A subtly poignant and beautifully simple image of the friendship between Sonic and Tails. I love that Sonic's animal friends appear too.

19. What is your favorite recurring level theme (e.g. green forest, space stations, lava ruins)?

I'm going to go for ruins. For one thing, it's extremely versatile, encompassing everything from Sonic 2's Aquatic Ruin to Sonic 3D Blast's Rusty Ruin to Sonic Rush Adventure's Sky Babylon and so much more.

  

Secondly, I absolutely love the way it gives the sense of Sonic's world having a history, past civilizations, and a complex lore, even if we may never know most of it. It's fun to speculate about the pasts of all these zones. It's especially special when there's some kind of statues or artwork around.

 

For the runners-up, I choose snow/ice due to its zones being exceptionally beautiful and distinctive with such a unique look compared to other zones. I think Ice Cap Zone is one of the nicest-looking zones in the series.

20. What is your favorite level from the Sonic games?

This answer will certainly seem extremely similar to my answer to the favorite instrumental track question! Yup, it's Chemical Plant Zone, and just as with its track, the series may have lots of great zones, but Chemical Plant Zone is just all things considered a cut above the rest to me.

On an aesthetic level, there's tons to love. For one, the amazing music that I've already praised previously. As for the visuals, I love how it's an unusual, clever, and intimidating (but not to the extent of feeling like it should be the final level) take on the Eggman's factory trope, using the unique idea of that toxic chemical Mega Mack that has become iconic with its bright fuchsia hue and its deadly nature in gameplay terms. As far as the main factory goes, I love how grey and mechanical it is but with accents of bold primary colors. And then there's the red and green city in the background looking to be brightly lit but in the evening that adds that special touch to the atmosphere. There's so many different elements that work together so well!

And yet, even though I just went on and on about the aesthetics, they're not even the best part of the level by a longshot. Rather, it's the way it plays that makes CPZ utterly iconic and engaging. Chemical Plant almost has a dual nature - it can be challenging and deadly, especially at first, and yet its incredibly good use of slopes and speed can make it freeing, exhilarating and euphoric. It's just the perfect marriage of the two things that make Sonic gameplay so great: pure, blistering speed and fun, challenging platforming. To me, Chemical Plant also represents one of the most fun and important parts of playing classic Sonic games - getting better at the levels over time. At first, CPZ can be a huge stumper that can completely stop you in your tracks, but after getting more skilled, it may eventually feel like a breeze!

Overall, Chemical Plant Zone is just a fantastic example of Sonic games at their best and everything a Sonic level can be.

21. What was your most memorable year in the franchise for you?

I guess it's technically too early to tell, but probably this year, 2017, due to the excitement for Mania! I wasn't even born when the classic games came out, and now I have the opportunity to anticipate a new one...very exciting!

25. More than a quarter of a century and the Blue Blur is still running! What keeps you around at this point?

Mostly the fact that I don't feel like I've come close to exploring all there is to explore about the series so far, rather than interest in the future. For one thing, I oddly don't play video games that much at all in the grand scheme of things, so there are very few Sonic games I've finished even though I've been a fan for over ten years! It's weird in some ways, but it definitely has an upside in that I'm simply nowhere close to being tired of the awesome old games and it will probably be many more years until I even get close to that point. Not only that, but I just feel like there's always more to explore in terms of learning more about the game's lore and development and "interpreting" the series.

As far as the actual future goes, I'm mostly interested in Mania and the promise it holds that more games will come out that "get" Sonic the way it does. And also Archie Sonic...assuming it will keep going that is!!

EDIT: Let's blast through with Sonic speed and finish off the rest of the questions!!

4. How many Sonic games do you currently have? Feel free to count duplicates!

Compilations can make things confusing, so I'm not going to count compilations as their own games, but will count the games within them. I'm not going to count 8-bit games earned in SADX because I don't remember which ones I've earned or not and am too lazy to check. I also won't count Steam games that I haven't got around to downloading yet. I also probably made some errors tbh.
 

Spoiler

 

Genesis games:
Sonic the Hedgehog x4
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 x4
Sonic CD x2
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 x5
Sonic & Knuckles x5
Sonic Spinball x3
Sonic 3D Blast x3
Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine x3
Total (with duplicates): 29
Total (without duplicates): 8

8-bit games:
Sonic the Hedgehog
Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Sonic Chaos x2
Sonic Triple Trouble x2
Sonic Blast x2
Sonic Spinball x2
Sonic Drift
Sonic Drift 2
Tails Adventure
Tails Skypatrol
Total (with duplicates): 14
Total (without duplicates): 10

Misc. classic:
Sonic R x2
Sonic the Fighters
Total (with duplicates): 3
Total (without duplicates): 2

Modern:
Sonic Adventure DX x2
Sonic Adventure 2: Battle
Sonic Heroes x2
Sonic Riders
Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity
Sonic Rush Adventure
Sonic Unleashed
Sonic Colors
Sonic 4 Epsiode I
Total (with duplicates): 11
Total (without duplicates): 9

 

Overall total (with duplicates): 57
Overall total (without duplicates): 31

7. What is your favorite continuity? (SEGA, Archie, SatAM, OVA etc.)

As opposed to just giving on answer, I'm going to take a look at what are the major candidates for me.

Sega games up to and including Adventure: Obviously, the games universe for Sonic is the "basis" for the series and thus very important. They're definitely the source of a lot of my interest in the series and one of the most interesting things to look at for me. However, even as far as this continuity goes, I'm afraid I can't really say that "the entire thing" is even in the running for one of my favorite canons since it just lacks direction and tends to be all over the place too much, and it constantly forgets a lot of the great stuff in its past - hence, why I'm specifying "up to and including Adventure". Don't get me wrong, I do like and care about the rest, it's just not close to my favorite.

Archie Comics post-reboot: This continuity is fantastic at remembering interesting pieces from Sonic's past, even from all different continuities, and giving them new life, as well as adding more depth, development, and coherence to Sonic's world, which is extremely important to me. That being said, it does have a few flaws - I deeply appreciate including so many different characters from Sonic's history, but the number of characters can still seem overkill sometimes. I'm the kind of person who would really be happier if it was just Sonic and Tails running around and just interacting with the other characters as they go, as opposed to trying to focus on all of them, if that makes sense. What makes it worse is that this continuity is intent on introducing not just a few, but TONS of brand new characters in addition to the ones that already exist. (Some of these characters are really cool, though, and they do a pretty rad job with character designs generally.) The other issue I have is that sometimes the characters come across as a bit low on flaws. Overall, though, it's an extremely cool and promising canon that at its best is some of the best Sonic media out there, honestly, and I really hope its life isn't cut short!

Fleetway Sonic the Comic: I've only gotten into these recently, but I absolutely LOVE the way they take the world of the classic games and expand upon it in a meaningful way as opposed to straying very far away from the source material, which was sadly the norm for many classic adaptions (SatAM, Archie, etc.) Since I care so badly about the classic games' world, this is immensely valuable to me. The comics also have a great tone for Sonic - there are serious stakes but they're handled in a fun and humorous manner (from what I've seen, I haven't gotten very far yet). This actually may be approaching my favorite continuity at this point, though I may have to read more to be positive.

8. What is your favorite Sonic quote? This can come from any character.

"Oh no" - Knuckles, Sonic Adventure

Sorry, it's what came to mind x)

9. What is your favorite story in the Sonic franchise?

Archie Sonic the Hedgehog #175. In this story, Sonic is utterly humiliated and defeated by Eggman. It looks like he's going to lose everything he's ever fought for. It's really brutal, because for once, it seems like Eggman truly has all the cards. For once, it's Eggman who's taunting Sonic and not the other way around. Even in SatAM, when he's already conquered the entire world and roboticized most of its population, he's always very frustrated and upset at Sonic, who's clearly very good at stopping his plans and getting under his skin. Here, Eggman isn't even phased. This time, he's toying with a desperate Sonic instead of the other way around. I know ChaosSupremeSonic/Conquering Storm's Servant alluded to this issue himself in his post, so if you want to learn more, look at that x)

And yet, even after all this...

Sonic doesn't give up. And that's what I admire most about him.

15. What is your favorite Sonic soundtrack?

It's probably one of the CD soundtracks, but I haven't played that game very much, so I think I'm just going to go with Sonic 3 & Knuckles because it has a lot of fantastic tracks, such as Ice Cap, Lava Reef, and Hidden Palace.

16. What is your favorite image from the series? Please post it here and mention the source.

Ugghh, this is HARD! xD I'm not even sure if this is my absolute favorite, but it's at least a contender:

The cover for the Japanese version of the Sonic & Knuckles Collection for PC.

17. What is your favorite voice acting cast?

Did I already answer this? Ah, well. It's the Adventures one. The voices all just seem really fitting.

18. What is your main/favorite Sonic head-canon?

Probably the headcanon I've held the longest is that rings exist in-universe almost exactly as they appear in gameplay. When someone "collects" a ring, its energy flows into them and the physical form of the ring is unable to maintain itself, so it collapses in a cloud of sparkly dust. However, it's possible for rings to re-take physical form due to the fact that there's "ring dust" in the air of Mobius at all times, so someone can voluntarily eject rings from their body if desired (such as to pay for something) and rings will reform, though in a very unstable state, when they are forcefully expelled from one's body through damage.

22. What is your one favorite thing in the entire Sonic the Hedgehog series?

I think it's kind of the world of Sonic that exists (especially in the classic era), and the feel it gives off. I absolutely love thinking about this world that exists, because it's so gloriously simple yet has so much potential for lore and depth. I just love every little thing, from the characters to the emeralds and other magical objects to the badniks to the zones. And I love how this world and its feel is portrayed in everything from spritework to user manuals to adaptations to gameplay. It just seems to have infinite potential and I could spend so long just investigating every nook and cranny and making deductions and headcanons based on all of it.

24. There are many versions of the iconic Sonic the Hedgehog in the quarter century he has existed across various forms of media. Which one is your favorite version of Sonic and why?

I think I'll just say classic games Sonic. Even though he doesn't have much of an opportunity to communicate a ton about himself in game, you get a great idea of his character from the little bits that are there, his facial expressions and gestures, the character design, the marketing, etc. A cool dude with an attitude who cares about his friends (whether the small animals or his sidekick Tails), likes showing up Robotnik, and feels empowering and fun to play! Even though I love the adaptations trying to develop on his personality more, it's clear that this basis is what makes it all happen, and at the end of the day, it's also all that you really need. In addition, he has a ridiculously good character design.

~

OK, and with that, I am done! I want to say a HUGE thank you to @Kiah for this extremely fun event. For a while, I was honestly feeling disinterested and put off from Sonic discussion just due to being worn down by too many things. But talking about my favorite parts of the series is just so immensely fun and reminded me of why I love this hedgehog and his franchise in the first place, and warmed me back up to the idea that discussing it can be a really enjoyable activity. It's also been awesome looking at others' responses and seeing all the diversity in the Sonic fandom and all the different things we love. I'll probably be reading over this topic for a long time to come, especially since I haven't nearly gone through everyone's posts yet! So thank you, both to Kiah and to all the other responders, for participating in a really fun and positive time surrounding one of my favorite franchises ever.

[Zavok the SpinningSilver]

1. How long have you been a Sonic fan?

I’ve been a fan since around 2003. A lot of things occurred around that year that introduced me to Sonic, and it got me interested in the series. The point where I knew enough that Smol Spinning Silver decided to call himself a fan was two years later. The latter wouldn’t have happened without the former though, so all together...fourteen years as of now.

2. What was your first Sonic game?

Speaking of 2003… Sonic Advance 1. Alright, that one came out in 2002 but you get the idea. It was a present for my 6th birthday, along with a Pink GBA. Ah, good times.

 

3. What initially attracted you to the Sonic the Hedgehog series?

A lot of things seemed to click at once when I first got into Sonic. I liked how cool the characters looked, and Advance was a lot of fun to play. In terms of really being hooked though? The storylines. Yeah! Whether it was through the games, Sonic X or even the Archie comics, Sonic’s adventures had this cool factor I embraced as a kid. TMNT had it, and it was my favourite thing ever until the Blue Blur stole the show. A tale for another time...

 

4. How many Sonic games do you currently have? Feel free to count duplicates!

 

Let’s see...for the sake of my own sanity, I’ll go by system. [I’ve rewritten this section almost five times now, and I’ve lost track each time.]

Via my Pink GBA and Red GBA SP: Sonic Advance 1 - 3, Sonic Genesis (sadly), and Sonic X Vol. 1 (which probably doesn’t count, but I’m happy I still have it).

Via my Silver DS lite: Sonic Rush and Sonic Rush Adventure, Sonic Colours, the Classic Collection (1, 2, 3K, 3 and K separately and 2 w/Knuckles), and Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood.

Via my Cosmo Black 3DS [soon to be -New- 3DS]: Sonic Triple Trouble (digital), Sonic Generations (physical, to my mild chagrin) and Sonic Lost World (physical).

Via my PS3: Sonic 1 (digital and physical, thanks to Generations), Sonic 2 (digital), Sonic CD (digital), Sonic 4 (Episodes 1, 2 and by extension Metal), Sonic Adventure 1 and 2 (digital), Sonic Unleashed (physical), and Sonic Generations (physical).

Via my Kindle: Sonic CD and Sonic Dash.

Via Steam: Sonic Lost World and Sonic & All Stars Racing Transformed.

..and finally, I still have my 3 install discs for Sonic Riders on PC. Never got them to work properly on my potato of an old PC though, and I likely never will. They’re as scratched as a Kid Koala record now. All together I count 31, lumping all episodes of 4 together and not including the GBA Video.

 

5. Are you more of a Classic or Modern Sonic fan?

Modern. I like them both, but I have more attachment to the Green Eyes and Nike Smile. Blame it on nostalgia.

 

6. Who is your favorite Sonic character and why?

At the risk of sounding a bit boring… Sonic himself. There’s a balance to him that I really get a kick out of. He has such a large amount of charisma, but he doesn’t let it (completely) get to his head. His wit is razor sharp, and it flows like a well timed maneuver. He’s got a great sense of humor, but you can depend on him to get serious when the chips are down. His speed is top notch, and he’s got power to boot! He loves exploring and having adventures, but he stops to help those who need it.

All with that ever lovable grin on his face. It’s inspiring, and definitely fun to see play out.

 

7. What is your favorite continuity? (SEGA, Archie, SatAM, OVA etc.)

It’s a toss up for me, held between the games and the Archie Comics. If I had to pick one though, it would have to be the latter. I’m a sucker for past lore and extended histories, and my experience with comics is to thank for that. When I first got into Sonic, I was pretty familiar with most of the cast (as of Heroes). When I picked up my first issue in an airport mall, I was thrown into a universe where I understood almost nothing. I mean, this was the issue in question, good ol’ #152:

I had several questions, such as: “What was a playa? Who was this ‘Sally’ and why do they want revenge? Why did Sonic just kiss this rabbit with a cowboy hat? Do they know each other?” Everyone except for Amy, Rouge, and our eponymous hero here was a fresh face. And you know what? I liked it that way. New friends to have fun with! New enemies to keep Sonic on his toes! An entire multiverse full of strange kingdoms to explore and a timeline to follow. Seeing Sonic adapt to a world “unique and beyond what I knew from the games,” launching what felt like an actual high stakes war against the Eggman Empire...it was glorious. As convoluted, nonsensical and dare I say stupid as Knuckles’ expanded slice of history became, I was intrigued with where it went. I even managed to get sucked into the romance for pete’s sake! And whether it was intended to do so or not, the world was flexible enough to introduce the new scenarios Sega came up with. Numerous blemishes within the Archie continuity aside, I appreciated the attempt at making the world feel organic. While the games told a lot a great stories that I love with characters I adored, Archie’s take on the franchise made me feel as if I was part of an actual universe. Mobius was a fun place to tell stories in, for my money anyway.

 

8. What is your favorite Sonic quote? This can come from any character.

Actually, this ties in well with the last two questions. From Sonic the Hedgehog #177, there was one quip from Sonic I’ve always liked. After having to take so many L’s from Eggman, Sonic got to make his own comeback speech. Line after line, you see Eggman getting cut down to size. Sonic’s swag was on a roll, and it got a send off of striking proportions:

“You said all of this was a game to you. We’ve chosen to continue. Game on, Ro-butt-nik.”

It’s short, it’s sweet, but it feels so good to hear. It’s meta, but not memetastically immersion breaking. I love a lot of Sonic’s lines so I don’t have an explicit favourite. Out of the numerous that I hold dear, this is one of them.

 

9. What is your favorite story in the Sonic franchise?

Alrighty, I’ll give the comics a rest. Favourite story is another toss up, this time between Sonic Unleashed and Sonic and the Black Knight. Both had some great writing and a sense of worldly atmosphere. The cast did a pretty great job with the scripts they got too. Generally though, I give the Cool Edge to Unleashed. Seeing “the spirit of the world” get to go on a World Adventure led by Sonic and co was a pretty heartwarming sight to see, and the stakes involved were legendary. An entire planet was split into pieces! The world was in peril thanks to an eternal force of darkness! And the cherry on top? Eggman finally got to build Eggmanland after so many years.

Black Knight may have given me a fantastic twist, but I actually shed tears by the end of Unleashed. That hasn’t happened to me with any other Sonic game, and I value that. Black Knight came close though, what with hearing Live Life for the first time.

 

10. What is your favorite Sonic cartoon?

Sonic SATAM is still generally my favourite, but I haven’t watched it in so long. I’ll need to give it a rewatch sometime to see if it still holds up. I have more memories with Sonic X anyway, so... meh. I’ve already made a larger post regarding that story, so moving on.

 

11. What is your favorite cutscene from a Sonic game?

 

This. ALLLLLL of this. This glorious intro. It’s just...so beautiful! Everything from the music to the pacing is such a joy to experience. In fact, it’s usually one of the first things I look at when I get a new device. Great way to judge picture quality. The fact that the same studio behind this CG is responsible for the animation of the Sonic movie gives me hope for it's quality.

 

12. What is your favorite Sonic game?

I’ll be brief this time: Sonic Unleashed. I’ve gushed about the story already (both here and on numerous occasions), but it’s just one facet of a game full of passion. It feels like Sonic Team was really eager to make this one, and it shows in every aspect of its presentation. The Daytime Stages are some of the best thrill rides I’ve had with the franchise, while the Nighttime Stages have given me plenty of memories for all the reasons. And the Planetary Pieces OST is...well, I’ll mention it in a bit, but it’s definitely a highlight.

Oh boy, we’re getting into the music now. So many good choices for these next few, feels like I have to choose a favourite child...

 

13. What is your favorite Sonic track both vocal and non-vocal?

Vocal: Live Life by Crush 40. I’m not sure how much love this track gets in general, but I love it to pieces. I’m not used to hearing Crush 40 do softer work like this, and it’s a great change of pace.

Non Vocal: Rooftop Run ~ Day. ALL. OF. THEM. The high octane goodness of the original, the dance inspiring Classic remix, and the stringtastic Modern update. While I have the most memories with the first, every rendition of this song makes me want to move, to run, to live like I’ve never lived before. Is that extreme? Absolutely. So is this song.

 

14. What is your favorite move from Sonic or any other playable character?

...hmm. Thinking about it now… probably the Homing Attack. It’s convenient, it’s flashy, and it’s lickedy-split. But it wasn’t Sonic’s rendition that made it my favourite. That honour goes to Gamma. It’s not exactly the same as Sonic’s, but its multi-targeting properties made me think about the potential. Being able to pick your targets for chains and power combos was a lot of fun in Adventure, and I was pleased to see the spirit alive with the Mechs in Adventure 2. I just wish Sonic would get that kind of expanded treatment, being able to set his HA chains up like trickshots. Lost World kind of went in that direction, but it’s not quite there.  

 

15. What is your favorite Sonic soundtrack?

And now is where I mention Planetary Pieces. This OST man… Hearing Endless Possibilities for the first time prompted 12 year old me to do something unspeakable: ask my parents for a CD copy. In the age of iPod Shuffles, I wanted a CD? Well, I wasn’t going to get the actual CD’s, but Dad downloaded the discs and gave ‘em to me to sync up. S’all good. So many composers brought their A - Game this go round! Tomoya Ohtani was killing it already with tracks like Rooftop Run Day and Savannah Citadel Day, but then we have Fumie Kumatani with the Night renditions of Windmill Isle and Skyscraper Scamper! Hideaki Kobayashi takes the stage with the Boss Battle tracks, and Takahito Eguchi strutting his stuff in the cutscenes! Kenichi Tokoi kicking the doors down Day and Night with Dragon Road and Eggmanland! Not to mention the guest vocalists we got for the OP and ED, and the wonderful Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra…

I could gush about this soundtrack all day.

 

16. What is your favorite image from the series? Please post it here and mention the source.

Some BG Music for context:

This piece of concept art was from the DS version of Sonic Colours. I had a really hard time picking an image as a favourite, as there are so many good resources! I love the concept art for this franchise in general, so narrowing it down to one game seems almost criminal! But this image is special to me because I had to earn it. S Ranking everything and collecting all of the Red Rings was no easy feat, and it gave me quite a few sleepless nights. But it was worth it.

 

17. Which is your favorite voice acting cast?

The 4kids cast, without a doubt for me. Is it due to nostalgia? A big part of it is indeed. But performance wise, their later voice work is some of my all time favourites in the franchise. The stuff from Secret Rings to Black Knight are always things I can go back to and crack a smile, or sip a nice cup of chai tea.

 

18. What is your main/favorite Sonic head-canon?

My current head-canon is simple. Somewhere, somehow, Sonic has his own house. Everyone seems to get the impression that Sonic is “the world’s fastest hobo,” but I believe that there’s some place Sonic always heads back to on his own that has all of his stuff. The SOAP shoes, Chip’s bracelet, his Air Gear and his DJing equipment are all in one place. We may never see it, but it exists.

...it should be noted that I wrote all of this several days before Iizuka enforced how “Sonic is a vagrant.” Way to shatter those dreams man. Doesn’t matter. Still don’t care. I refuse to believe that he would just discard Chip’s bracelet like a cheap toy. Maybe that silo from Sonic 4 Episode 1 where he inexplicably got that rocket is where he stores everything? Who knows. Whatever. Next question.

 

19. What is your favorite recurring level theme (e.g. green forest, space stations, lava ruins)?

Space. Spaceships, Space Stations, Outer Space, Alien Worlds in Space… I just can’t get enough. It's one reason that I got so sucked into Sonic Colours when it first came out. I love themes of Outer Space in Video Games in general, and Sonic has some of the best in the business. A lot of my favourite levels are climatic races through Eggman’s Death Egg / Space Stations. Getting to see a view of the Earth from far away or gazing at the stars is a treat. I can't even fully hate Mad Space from Adventure 2 because I love the atmosphere!

Playing Sonic Advance 1 for the first time was magical for a lot of reasons, and one of the all time best moments came at the climax of Egg Rocket Zone. When the aforementioned rocket broke the atmosphere and entered the stars, I was ecstatic! The world looked so beautiful from up there, and seeing Sonic blast up the corridor in space blew my mind. Not a lot of feelings compare to that astonishment I get from a good Space Level.

 

20. What is your favorite level from the Sonic games?

Rooftop Run ~ Day. Again. This time it’s an even toss up between the Original and Modern Variations. I was ecstatic to see this level come back in Generations, especially after initially seeing that it was meant to be a “Best Of” selection of Sonic Stages. I once more lean closer to the original due to my heavy nostalgia for it, but the bells and whistles Modern adds are things I utterly adore.

 

21. What was your most memorable year in the franchise for you?

I shed a tear as I write this one, but 2013. A lot of things were happening at the time: I was right in the middle of my best year in Highschool, more time was on my hands than I had before, and I was more aware of the Sonic fanbase than I ever was before. Just like with Sonic Colours and Generations beforehand, I was always on the hunt for new trailers and articles. Sonic Lost World was no exception, though this year marked a big difference: I was a pretty frequent lurker here at SSMB toward the tail end of 2012, and I finally bit the bullet in August 2013. I joined the party briefly as Spinning Silver, before donning the moniker of Zavok for the rest of it. Following the hype cycle for Lost World (especially with the Spoiler livestream we first had), meeting you all and just hanging out in discussions are moments that I hold pretty dear to me. Looking back on my old posts from back then, I remember just how fun it was to engage in the festivities. The Art Contest and Pumpkin Hill Collab were definite highlights, but it was the Holiday Gaming Event that really brought it home. Not only was 2013 the year that I got to follow a new Sonic game to its release with other fans, it was also the year where I somehow got the Best Ending to a slew of Classic games! It’s been a dream of mine to do ever since I got the Classic Collection, but to actually be able to do with games I hadn’t even played before…

So yeah! 2013 rests pleasantly in my memories thanks to Sonic Lost World and you all.

 

22. What is your one favorite thing in the entire Sonic the Hedgehog series?

The music. Without a doubt, the strongest thing that I take from this franchise is this. Perhaps more than anything else, the music is always something I look forward to when we get new games. I’m kind of jumping the gun here, but it’s an element of the franchise that keeps me coming back.

Allow me for a brief moment to go on a tangent. Does anyone else here remember Sonic Central? I spent a lot of time in Elementary School going on that website. I checked pretty frequently to play games, get wallpapers and look at Archie Sonic covers. Whenever a new Sonic game was announced, it would link to a new mini-website with loads of information and screenshots. But the best part about them to me was that they all had a little mini-radio. I jammed hard to Sonic Heroes and This Machine snippets on their info pages. Hearing the transition from I Am (All of Me) to the Main Menu to Westopolis was epic when I was ten. Playing Breakout to the tune of Crisis City was addicting! Little experiences like that are tied to certain songs, and that’s just what was on the website!

Artistic inspiration struck me upside the head in highschool when I first heard Misty Lake. It introduced me to Celtic music in general, which led me to discovering Fairy Tail when it was new. Riding the bus home from school consisted of a playlist featuring “Into the Wind” by Crush 40 at the top. I’ve even broken the ice a couple times in college by just humming Escape from the City and singing Endless Possibilities to myself. Other people that I never would have guessed to be Sonic fans join in on the fun.

A solid chunk of my iTunes / Computer Music Library is Sonic music, both Official and Fan-made mixes. While it may inspire confusion for a lot of people that I know, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

 

23. What is your favorite trailer for Sonic games revealed?

There are quite a few that I hold pretty close. The E3 Trailer for Sonic Unleashed always hypes me up to play it, and Sonic Colours’ Announcement Trailer  put the stupidest grin on my face back in 7th grade. I can even recall most of my initial thoughts as follows: “The music sounds so happy! The exotic greenery of the alien landscape is amazing. Where is this place? Just what were those creatures? That one with the curl on its head looked mysterious. And just what kind of name was ‘Sonic Colours’?” [And for that matter, why was I, as an American, using the European spelling of color?]

But if I have to pick a favourite? Only one comes to mind the clearest: the Sonic Lost World TGS Trailer.

Never before in a trailer had I heard someone more excited for a Sonic game! The narrator’s sweeping voice paired with the orchestral music got me super stoked. Getting so much new info all at once about the game was overwhelming, from the new Wisps to Eggman’s Energy Drainer. I’m still bummed that no one made a transcript of exactly what the guy was saying (unless I’m mistaken, in which case I’d love to be directed to it), but it was thrilling regardless. It seemed like the stakes were going to be high, and that the story was hiding more that what was expected! Whether or not it met those expectations was irrelevant at the time, and still is when I look at the trailer now. It still feels fresh hearing the Dr Eggman Showdown music kick in, despite how many times I’ve listened to that song. Hopefully Sonic Forces gets a trailer like this if it goes to TGS.

 

24. There are many versions of the iconic Sonic the Hedgehog in the quarter century he has existed across various forms of media. Which one is your favorite version of Sonic and why?

Ah. Another open ended question! Alrighty.

If we're talking pure design here, then I'd go with the Unleashed model onward:

It strikes a nice balance between that "maturer" look Sonic 06 was trying to do, and the sensibilities that came before. It's sleek, has a nice fur texture, and doesn't have too heavy of an emphasis on lip definition. He's a lot of fun to draw, if a bit perplexing. Those spines man...

As for interpretation? My favourite version of Sonic is that of what I grew up with. The one that I found on the Mobius Character Bios that had all the Wind based special abilities. The stand up guy that cared enough about a lonely rich kid to indulge their delusions. The hero that would get enraged at the sight of injustice. The Gentleman in Arms that had allies all over the world. The Legendary Master of the Genie of the Ring. The One and True King Arthur. The World Adventurer that they said changes when the sun goes down. The sportsman that was willing to ride hoverboards and race in cars to beat people at their own game. The snarker that knew when to crack a smile. The Element of Chaos. The Blue Speed Cone that can tear through an Italian city level like it’s nothing.

In other words, the amalgamation of Sonic from 2003 to 2009. Many call it the Dark Age. I’ll call it the “Griffith Era.”

Is it a cop out? In a sense, but not entirely. Despite all of the different canons that I just rattled off, the essence of what kind of character Sonic was is present in all of them. No matter what Sonic Team tries to say nowadays, I still believe that Classic Sonic = Dreamcast Sonic = Modern Sonic. They are all the same character, in different stages of life so to speak. As such, the central interpretation of the character has changed somewhat over the years. It’s easy for me to mark said changes as voices did the same. I feel that there was a bit of a tone shift for the franchise when Sonic X came along. Sonic was still an energetic adventurer, but he wasn’t as amped up as before. Ryan Drummond’s take was full of this in-your-face coolness that was prevalent in the games he stared in. Stylish. Hip, happening and now. Classic Rock flavoured. But as Jason Griffith started to get more exposure to the character, it felt as if he made Sonic a little...sentimental? I’m not quite sure what the word for it is, but the dynamic of the character felt slightly more mature. Still full of vim and vigor, but with a somewhat softer edge.

Now what does that have to do with every other interpretation of the character in this so-called Griffith Era? Well, a lot. I’m speaking in broad strokes here, but think of it like this: We traded in an emphasis on pure rock and techno to more of an orchestral backing. Stories ended up going to darker (too dark in some cases) and more experimental places. Level design was changing to become increasingly more cinematic. We got more characters that bonded with Sonic such as Blaze and Chip. Heck, even the Archie comics ended up going through major shake-ups of the foundation in this span. It all felt like the spirit of this different take could be felt throughout the franchise, which is why I feel alright in lumping so many of them together.

No matter what incarnation, he was still a noble character that had a fantastic sense of humor. All the things that I liked about Sonic as a character were present and accounted for.

The character’s direction definitely felt as if it changed a bit once Roger took over. Snark came back to the forefront, but it was now tinged with a stench of faux - self - awareness that I couldn’t ignore. He goofed more, slacked a bit, had more of an attitude that could come off as slightly narcissistic. Is it bad? Of course not. This “Roger Era” is still recognisable as Sonic. It’s just different. It feels distinct enough from how I remember the character, which is probably how people felt when Griffith took over from Drummond. It’s not exactly what drew me into the franchise, so I miss it a bit.

  

25. More than a quarter of a century and the Blue Blur is still running! What keeps you around at this point?

I’ve stopped and asked that question myself sometimes, as my reasoning crumbles with time. But why would that be? Well...

I was hoping that after Sonic X, we would get a new anime of some sort that told side stories for the game characters. Something like how Sonic Universe had made mini-arcs supposedly showing off the various adventures they’d go on outside of the games. We never did end up getting that sort of show. I wanted something new to sink my teeth into, maybe have some favourite scenes to breakdown as an animator. Instead, we got Sonic Boom. I can somewhat do that here, as I can praise the rendering and expressiveness.  It seems likely that this is all we’ll get for a little while in terms of original animation...unless the movie does well. Not to insult anyone that likes watching the show, I’ve certainly gotten a lot of laughs myself from this Season. This... just isn’t my kind of show. I like sitcoms, but I want to primarily see Sonic in an action cartoon that just so happens to be funny. I know the reality of that situation, and my stance has been addressed through others when this show first came out.

I’m not going to kid myself and assume that I can immediately buy every Sonic game at launch. I’m 20 years old at time of writing this answer (originally was 19, so Happy Birthday to me). I study animation over in college, going into my third year in September. My funds are something I have to stretch at the moment, and I’m in no position to make commission pieces yet. It’s the only reason I won’t pre-order the Collector’s Edition of Mania or pick up that F4F Statue. As much as I love the concept and idea of the Nintendo Switch, I can’t afford one right now. When I buy games, I usually have to wait for a sale on Steam or hope it comes out on a system I own already. I could skate before on the PS3 and 3DS, but those systems are relatively dead now. Sega and Sonic Team have moved onto greener pastures in the next generation, and rightfully so. The PS4 looks fantastic, and the Switch is the ideal portable console for my lifestyle at present. It’s just...a bit bittersweet having to follow something you’re really excited for and knowing you won’t get to experience it until much later. This applies to me following video games in general, but this especially hits home whenever the next Sonic game is announced. As usual, that just leaves me with watching a highly entertaining Somecallmejohnny review and a playthrough for context. So if I can’t play the games when they come out and have something to experience on my own, I have more time to focus on the stories themselves.

...If only the story mechanics for this franchise as if late weren’t an absolute mess. The stories starting with Colours haven’t really left me with much, but that’s another matter. We all know Sonic’s had issues regarding canon. There are characters that have been retconned to Hang Castle and back, yet are still confusing. And I know I’m not the first person to complain about the recent Revelations from this new Sonic Bible. There seems to be some attempt at unifying everything, but it feels as whoever is managing the lore is shoving their foot in their mouths. It raises more questions than answers, if the answers to questions themselves weren’t exactly satisfactory. But I never took that much of an issue with it because I had the Archie continuity to fall back on. Even with the reboot, the world was given a solid backdrop for stories to be told. Through all the supposed character mandates and cancelled plot lines, there always would be a place where Sonic wasn’t so confusing to follow and had a balanced tone. Then the hiatus happened.

I feel like I’m grasping at straws for this franchise sometimes. But it’s never quite enough to get me to leave. Nostalgia has me in a vice grip anyhow, so I can’t really go unless the franchise itself dies out. The music and art direction is still very good, so there’s always something new to experience.

But the primary reason? The fandom. This place here. The Youtubers that cover the hedgehog. The artists that still give us amazing content. For as much as this franchise as a whole values friendship, it’s totally different seeing everything in action. As long as there are people to talk with about this series, I suppose I’ll always be here in some form.

...

Leave it to my 20th Anniversary of being alive for finally finishing a 25th Anniversary Sonic post.

Thanks for extending this questionnaire! My sincerest thanks to anyone that actually read through this behemoth as it went along. The ten pages of the original Google Drive speaks for itself.

- FIN -

[Kiah]

It is midnight EST on my end so that means there are 24 hours or 1 DAY LEFT per Boom Sonic in the countdown for this questionnaire event! 

I'm going to edit this post with my final round of questions of the questionnaire as I don't want that to interfere with the next post I make here if you know what I mean as it's way past time to be showing you a certain something. Yeah that badge thing .

And here's the EDIT/FINAL PART OF THE QUESTIONNAIRE:

21. What was your most memorable year in the franchise for you? 

2010-the year I got back into Sonic after a 15 year hiatus. It was surreal to learn that my favorite character of my childhood was still relevant and had expanded way beyond what I knew with the Genesis games, AoStH and SatAM and I relished in soaking up all that information with the decade and a half of Sonic I was totally unaware of. Not only did I learn about things such as the game cast and Archie, this was the year I discovered Sonic Unleashed, which I believe I have made clear is not only my favorite Sonic game but my favorite video game of all time

This year was also when Sonic 4 Episode 1 and my second all time favorite video game-Sonic Colors-came out so the hype I had-especially in regards to the latter was really high on top of everything else I was discovering regarding Sonic. I was completely overjoyed and I felt like a kid again and that passion of mine hasn't waned in the slightest some 7 years later with me currently being 33 years old. It was a really good year to make a comeback-even if it was totally unintended on my end

22. What is your one favorite thing in the entire Sonic the Hedgehog series?

Sonic and Tails' friendship with the brotherly bond between the best friends despite the 7 year age gap in between them. They are very amicable with one another and even rib each other as well as being very protective of one another and willing to put their own life on the line in addition to always being together. Seeing the "big brother" in Sonic and the "little brother" Tails best friends in action is absolutely beautiful and heart-warming to see. I absolutely love it .

23. What is your favorite trailer for Sonic games revealed?

The debut trailer for Sonic Mania from the 25th Anniversary party. Total surprise of a Classic Sonic game being announced aside everything-the introduction, the music, the pace, the overall presentation-about it was perfect. Bonus points for it showing clips of other Sonic games including Sonic Colors . I was simply gasping in amazement after all was said and done and I had tears of joy in my eyes. I lost count of how many times I have watched it between then and now. And this is coming from someone that isn't really a Classic Sonic fan at all. The pre-order trailer for Sonic Mania wasn't a disappointment by any means and I would definitely say it is a very close second place with all the awesomeness it contained.

24. There are many versions of the iconic Sonic the Hedgehog in the quarter century he has existed across various forms of media. Which one is your favorite version of Sonic and why?

When it comes to my favorite portrayal of Sonic, I have to go with SatAM Sonic. An unpopular opinion but it's my choice of my favorite portrayal of Sonic without a doubt.

Sure SatAM Sonic is obnoxious, reckless, immature, loud, vain, impatient, cocky and corny among other things but SatAM Sonic has a lot of positive qualities that causes me to deeply admire this incarnation of him. Qualities such as being cool, confident, fair, courteous, playful, helpful, sympathetic, friendly and kind for starters. 

SatAM Sonic displayed an assortment of realistic qualities and tendencies, even if they weren't exactly favorable such as showing jealously and being very critical of himself whenever he made a mistake. Then SatAM Sonic would have his serious and stern moments along with showing his generosity.

Two things about SatAM Sonic that really stands out to me. Especially since they seem to be lacking in other portrayals of Sonic in various degrees. First thing was Sonic having an emotional side which even had Sonic shedding tears on occasion. In regards to that, as well as me being an empathetic and sympathetic person being a factor but seeing Sonic make a complete 180 from his jovial, cocky and even obnoxious personality had a profound effect on me at that moment I saw Sonic crying. I can definitely say that was my "trigger point" that got me attached to the series and Sonic himself. 

Then there was the thing of SatAM Sonic being friends to his friends, and actually showing it while deeply caring for them. If there is one thing I have adamantly complained about regarding the Sonic series aside from Sonic's friends getting the shaft, it's the fact that he hardly interacts with his friends when they are around bar Sonic Boom. But that wasn't the case for SatAM Sonic. Sonic was very respectful towards his friends and was often very apologetic. I also loved how Sonic comforted his friends when they were crying, Those kind gestures really touched me. Sonic also complemented his friends and had cool handshakes with them.

There's much more where that came from but I have said more than enough at this point . It was SatAM Sonic that got me extremely attached to the character as well as the series in Sonic's beginning years due to all I mentioned and more. These things really caused me to really appreciate and adore Sonic as a character with his SatAM interpretation being my absolute favorite. SatAM Sonic's realistic, emotional display and actual, heartfelt, genuine interaction with this friends causes this portrayal to win out as it really left a deep impression and admiration of Sonic for me still in tact some 25+ years later  

25. More than a quarter of a century and the Blue Blur is still running! What keeps you around at this point?

Even amid disappointment and frustration at times there are many things that still causes me to really admire the Sonic series...

• The gameplay. Issues aside, speeding from Point A to Point B, I also enjoy the homing attacks, grinding, exploring and platforming. Simply put, playing the games is fun for the most part. Although Sega and Sonic Team don't always implement the gameplay ideas and executions correctly, I commend them for trying something new, at least.
• The level design. Majority of the levels are bright, colorful, well-detailed and downright beautiful. More times than none I am amazed and impressed with what I see among the various levels in Sonic games.
• The music. Overall the music in Sonic games are fantastic. Not too many tunes I hear in the games that aren't simply catchy and memorable. Really makes the game more enjoyable to play while listening to some great music.
• The cutscenes. Whether they have Sonic cracking a joke or displaying fine characterization of him, as well as featuring other characters, I find the cutscenes highly entertaining and worth watching again and again. I find the cutscenes as a nice bonus in the games to help develop the story, which is something I always look forward to in the games.
• Sonic's friends. I really like them and they all have charm to them. While they don't do much of anything nowadays, I am happy to see them make at least a cameo appearance, as minor as it may be.
• The fanbase. The positive aspect of it, anyway. From the amazing artwork to the outstanding musical remixes made, the talent, dedication and passion of Sonic's fanbase is just incredible. It is a true delight to see fans so passionate about Sonic and to even be friends and even good friends with some of them.
• Sonic himself. This is the main draw for me with his personality as it was what had drawn me to Sonic in the first place some 25 years ago and Sonic's personality was the same exact thing that got me back in the series after leaving it for 15 years (which had nothing to do with being fed up with or disappointed in anything Sonic). Not only is he my favorite video game character, Sonic is my favorite character of anything period. He is a hero with a big heart, willing to help any and all in need and having no tolerance for evil among other aspects to his interesting personality including his flaws. This is shown time and time again as Sonic aims to stop Dr. Eggman or whoever the villain may be in the games. So it truly delights me to see this awesome character doing his thing and be able to see Sonic's character being developed while playing his games for more than a quarter of a century now and definitely looking forward to seeing more of it .

The FINALE of this event participation-wise upon us! Now's the time to wrap things up or join in if you like as this is it!

[Zaysho]

Part IV: Last Episode

16. What is your favorite image from the series? Please post it here and mention the source. 

Last year, Sonic Channel was creating these comic strips for every character on the roster. I’ve enjoyed just about all of them, even though they can be silly, they’re often very in character. It gave this little glimmer that Sonic Team does care about the cast and understands them, though it also baffles me that they can’t stick the landing at all in their actual games.

Shadow’s comic was a little different than most, and the mood of the story and sweet moment from his past—remembering how he got his name and what it means—really put a smile on my face. Hey, SEGA, can you hire THIS writer?

17. Which is your favorite voice acting cast?

The current one, probably. I was ecstatic hearing the new voices when the Free Riders clips had come out (especially hearing Kirk Thornton as Shadow). It's unfortunate they don't see much use due to the supporting characters getting sidelined, but there's still hope for the future.

18. What is your main/favorite Sonic head-canon?

One I’ve sort of toyed with is that Eggman embraced the Eggman name because of his respect for his grandfather and not really wanting his legacy being associated with what are decidedly less noble deeds of his grandson.

I also don’t think Gerald really messed with Shadow’s memory, at least not in a way that led Shadow to do what he did in SA2. All of Shadow’s actions are done out of being too angry and too shellshocked to really think straight and understand it isn’t what Maria would want. He only comes to this realization when he’s finally at peace because he fulfilled his original objective (revenge) and Amy’s speech stirs something in his memory. As for Gerald? I think it’s as Shadow the Hedgehog (the game) implied, he erased the memory of the Black Arms and Black Doom so he wouldn’t be influenced to help them when the Black Comet returned. And in SA2, I think Gerald is actually referring to the Biolizard as "Shadow" in his diaries, and may have secretly had some way of programming it remotely to ensure the colony would destroy Earth when the Chaos Emeralds were gathered.

Of course, both games have their share of messy writing, and I don’t think this even begins to clear that all up. Much as I enjoy the actual plots and general ideas, the execution always left something to be desired.

19. What is your favorite recurring level theme (e.g. green forest, space stations, lava ruins)?

I really like urban/city levels. For me these types of levels seem the most lively and interesting. I can only imagine having Sonic’s speed and powers and just roaming around a big city like that—speeding through the streets, jumping from rooftop to rooftop, etc. I really liked City Escape in Generations for this, for example, because it felt and played a little more open and had big squares I can just check out before boosting forward. I’m wondering if we can see something like this with the upcoming Sonic Forces?

20. What is your favorite level from the Sonic games?

Probably Lava Reef Zone. It’s always been one of my favorites to explore in Sonic 3 & Knuckles, and one that I always default to playing through at least once when I boot that game up. A big part of that is definitely the music, but I also like all the gadgets and machines (that aren’t Eggman’s) give it a sense of history. A history we will probably never know, and one Knuckles probably doesn’t even fully understand himself. And the actual background is really fascinating to look at, especially in the second act. It’s really eerie seeing the Death Egg loom overhead as you approach the Hidden Palace with Sonic.

21. What was your most memorable year in the franchise for you? 

2001. I was following the news on Sonic Adventure 2 so intently the whole year. I managed to pick up the game a day early at a local Toys ‘R’ Us and was so excited to play it, and it was Summer, so I dove right into it. I was hooked from the moment Sonic jumped out of that helicopter, sporting his SOAP shoes and that cocky grin of his.

22. What is your one favorite thing in the entire Sonic the Hedgehog series?

This is such a broad question as there’s so many little facets to every little iteration of the franchise. I think I’d have to go with the world (no, not that two world nonsense xP) and how every level, every zone, every game adds something new to it and I’m always fascinated by how it fits together and what the characters can potentially do in it. I especially love the current iteration in the Archie comics, that stitches it all together into one, cohesive whole. It lends to a much more interesting setting when everything is unified.

23. What is your favorite trailer for Sonic games revealed?

While not strictly a Sonic game, I think special mention needs to go to the Sonic reveal trailer for Super Smash Bros. Brawl. For me he was the most exciting reveal and every little detail, pose, animation just so perfectly encapsulated what makes him such an awesome character and a worthy addition to Smash’s roster. The use of "Live and Learn" was an especially nice touch.

If I had to think of a Sonic game, though, I would definitely say the E3 trailer for Sonic Unleashed is one of my favorites. I never get tired of hearing “Endless Possibility” and the way the whole thing was edited together, with a mix of scenes from the CGI opening mixed with gameplay footage, made it look like one of the most exciting entries in the series. I hope to see energy like this out of SEGA and Sonic Team again one day.

24. There are many versions of the iconic Sonic the Hedgehog in the quarter century he has existed across various forms of media. Which one is your favorite version of Sonic and why?

I think I have to go with the pre-reboot Archie Sonic, oddly enough. Especially under Ian Flynn’s pen, I love how he can at one moment be hotheaded and cocky, but when he gets into a tight spot he can always turn to his friends to help him with things he can't and in turn always puts them first.

25. More than a quarter of a century and the Blue Blur is still running! What keeps you around at this point?

I think the series will always just be interesting to me. I love the characters and the ideas. The Archie comic was a major reason I continued to stay on-board despite my dissatisfaction with the games. And the series, especially the comic, inspired me to become an artist, and I think because of that I will always carry this series with me. Despite my gripes in recent years, there's still good times to be had with this series, and while I may grow distant from this place and this fandom, this questionnaire has reminded me of those good times I've had and why I still love this series.

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

6. Who is your favorite Sonic character and why?

Sonic the Hedgehog and how much I can identify him with as being confident, quick on my feet, snarky, but friendly to those in need!

7. What is your favorite continuity? (SEGA, Archie, SatAM, OVA etc.)

Main one, and the Boom one.

8. What is your favorite Sonic quote? This can come from any character.

 

"NO COPYRIGHT LAW IN THE UNIVERSE IS GONNA STOP ME!" Goldness!

9. What is your favorite story in the Sonic franchise?

Sonic and the Black Knight, the plots of the Adventure games and Sonic Colors' plots make up my favorites from the reservoir of tales inn the franchise!

10. What is your favorite Sonic cartoon?

Sonic Boom, Sonic Underground, Sonic SatAm......and yes, Sonic X (kinda bordering on guilty pleasure territory there!)

11. What is your favorite cutscene from a Sonic game?

 

The lead-up to the finale duel between Sonic and Shadow in Adventure 2!

12. What is your favorite Sonic game?

Sonic Colors, Sonic 3 & Knuckles, Black Knight and the Adventure games so far.

13. What is your favorite Sonic track both vocal and non-vocal?

Vocal: "Sonic Youth" & :"All Hail Shadow" (Crush 40 version)

Non-vocal: "Rooftop Run"

14. What is your favorite move from Sonic or any other playable character?

The super peel-out move! Looks oh so cool!

15. What is your favorite Sonic soundtrack?

Sonic Generations

16. What is your favorite image from the series? Please post it here and mention the source. 

This right here man! The scene from SOnic COlors' intro that nails right in, that feeling of "HECK YA! THIS IS HAPPENING!"

17. Which is your favorite voice acting cast?

The current one for sure! Roger Craig Smith especially and Mike Pollock!

18. What is your main/favorite Sonic head-canon?

That Knuckles carries the Master Emerald around with him being shrunk, like in Adventure 2!

19. What is your favorite recurring level theme (e.g. green forest, space stations, lava ruins)?

City themes are my groove, I'll admit. Running up and down and all around throughout a glamorous roller-coaster of a city is always fun!

20. What is your favorite level from the Sonic games?

Rooftop Run in both Generations and Unleashed, Empire City, City Escape and Flying Battery Zone.

21. What was your most memorable year in the franchise for you? 

2013. The year I started getting to know other SOnic fans online, and came to be here at SSMB!

22. What is your one favorite thing in the entire Sonic the Hedgehog series?

The constant presence of speed to his platforming ventures! They make for great spectacle!

23. What is your favorite trailer for Sonic games revealed?

The most recent trailer of Sonic Forces! The one revealing a band of returning villains!

24. There are many versions of the iconic Sonic the Hedgehog in the quarter century he has existed across various forms of media. Which one is your favorite version of Sonic and why?

Sonic Boom! I like he's more of an everyman that we can root for! And how he actually is quite humble at times and doesn't hog all ze spotlight! He's a pretty good stand-up guy and plays a fantastic straightman to the many antics that occur on the show! And we see so many layers to him as well!

25. More than a quarter of a century and the Blue Blur is still running! What keeps you around at this point?

I've throughly enjoyed the series to what I feel, is its optimum value of enjoyment! Yes, they aren't all perfect, but sans 06 and Free Riders, I've found that they each and all have many fun factors that keep me coming back! And I'm sure as all heck looking forward to Forces!

[Kiah]

At this time this Sonic 25th Anniversary Questionnaire Event is over as far as the questionnaire is concerned. A huge THANK YOU to everyone that participated! And there will be more where that comes from when I make my final and closing post. In addition to making the announcement of the event's end, I also want to bring your attention to the badge for fully participating in this event. Or should I say badgeS? 

Remember question number 5 of this questionnaire: Are you more of a Classic or Modern Sonic fan? Curiosity aside, I actually asked this question for an additional reason. Depending on your answer, I wanted to give you a badge to coincide with your answer as I made both a Classic Sonic and a Modern Sonic Badge:

The Classic Sonic badge includes the title ring with a Sonic 1 sprite. The "25" is made with the gold bordering the blue like some of the titles of the early Classic Sonic games

The Modern Sonic badge includes the title ring with a Sonic 4 sprite. The "25" is made with the blue bordering the gold like the titles of the Modern Sonic games (and yes, I'm aware some of the Classic Sonic games had this too ).

I changed the badge design SIX times before I settled with these. I hope you like them! Let's say that my first experience with Photoshop was definitely an interesting one... 

Now because I'm silly and actually didn't tally who preferred whom as far as Sonic is concerned that means I need to go back and read all the answers again to find out who gets which badge. That also means that will not be awarding badges shortly after this post like I had intended to and for that I apologize. As for those that didn't give a distinct answer between the two Sonics, I am going to have to flip a coin as I have to give you something badge-wise! . Expect me to get this done in the next day or two.

So until then if you like feel free to give final thoughts, opinions, observations, feedback or whatever you like as we are about to wrap this thing up for good. I'll be back soon with the final post with my final thoughts, observations and stats and the like so stay tuned!

[Scritch the Cat]

Aw, fuck!  I should have answered this earlier and linked my vitriolic rants from my thread, so I could get a badge. 

Thing is, I'm getting the feeling that neither Modern or Classic Sonic appeal much to me in terms of which games they mean.  The height of my fandom was the era that began with true 3D Sonic and lasted until the introduction of built-in boost.  To be fair, I haven't played any of the 3D boost games yet; I did buy Sonic Colors, though, so we'll see.  But whenever I watch videos of those games, they look like a bore.

[ThatSoni]

It's always a pleasant time to just talk about something fun and postive about Sonic that isn't just about Mania for once (and Boom in my special case). These kinds of events are a safe haven, where I just talk about what aspects/iterations of Sonic I enjoy and why I enjoy them. While it is always interesting to hear the opposite side, it can be quite heated at times very quickly and that's when I don't want to add fuel to the fire IfuelitonTwiiterHEYO 

But no really, we could use more events like these. I like these, these are a good. Thanks for the effort, Kiah! Always appreciated! 

[NikoS]

Before i forget i'd like to thank @Kiah for putting this event up, i had a lot of fun sitting down and answering all the questions, and reading everyone else's answers too.

Thanks everyone!! Here's to another 25 years (and beyond)!!!

 

[Inkling Cooper]

Might as well post my thoughts on this event while I still can.

Anyway, thank you @Kiah for doing this and for offering the chance for participate (And of course, thanks for  offering the chance to earn a badge) The questions you asked were very interesting to answer, and even the harder questions which required more thought (Like your favorite Sonic image) and reading replies from others. Again, thank you for the offer to participate in this. 

 

 

 

 

 

[Kiah]

Okay SSMB, the time has finally come: the official end of the Sonic 25th Anniversary Questionnaire Event. I'm letting you know right now that this is going to be a long final post...to the absolute surprise to no one

I knew from prior experience how challenging just being a sponsor and moderator in charge of a SSMB event is on top of being a participant. This was the first time I ever hosted an event here and it is hard work and time-consuming! And that is on top of the moderating duties AND participating! To everyone that has hosted, is hosting or will host an SSMB event you definitely have my respect and admiration with the dedication and hard work put into these things-all at the expense of your energy, talents and free time for the sake of doing something fun for the community. I've always appreciated members doing this sort of thing but after experiencing it for myself that appreciation has increased dramatically. 

As for my overall thoughts of the event, I was very pleased with how smoothly everything went. I honestly did not to expect to see so much effort and passion put in to replies-especially when only a sentence or two were required bar an image needing to be posted for one of the questions. A lot of you went above and beyond what was necessary to accomplish the questionnaire and that just makes me very happy to see that-especially for a Sonic-related event. As for questions that were considered tough to answer my apologies as that was not what I was going for! But see what happens when there are so many great things to choose from in the Sonic series? It was really enjoyable to for me to read many of the the entries here to see everyone's favorites and what they love about this series.

SSMB events tend to have a spreadsheet accompanied with them for tallying purposes. This event was no different as per usual I would like to show a sample of what the spreadsheet for this event looked like:

 

The colors do mean several things in regards to participation, statuses and the like. Since there are so few colors I actually will explain the significance of them:

Orange: Absolutely nothing It's my favorite color and I just wanted it to be color of the header

Yellow/Gold: This color signifies not only completion of the questionnaire but satisfactory completion and participants with this status WILL earn a badge I picked this color due to Super Sonic and him usually appearing after the collection of all the Chaos Emeralds is complete

Speaking of completion, all of the basic black "X"'s signifies a question satisfactorily completed.

You may have noticed that the "X"'s for Question 5 are all in bold. I indicated previously that this question was of additional significance, as the answer given would determine which badge would be awarded:
    Black X in Bold: Classic Sonic because of black eyes
    Green X in Bold: Modern Sonic because of green eyes
    Blue X in Bold: Those undecided between the two. I picked blue because Sonic is blue in both Classic and Modern form I'll explain the meaning of the codes in parentheses later on.

Also if you have been a part of a SSMB event that I have sponsored you may recall that I like to share some statistics in regards to the participants and I will do that here as well:

While there is no way to determine this unless I asked and got an answer from everyone if this was their first event on the SSMB or not but 22 participants will be getting their very first badge! Congrats!

Number of participants in this event: 64. Hope you all enjoyed yourselves!

Number of participants that completed the questionnaire (not unnecessarily satisfactorily): 63. That is a an impressive 98.4%! Great job everyone!

Number of Modern Sonic fans among participants: 30

Number of Classic Sonic fans among participants: 24

Number of undecided: 9
    To determine which badge would be awarded to the undecided participants between the two Sonics, a coin flip was performed. Which coin did I use? A Sonic 25th Anniversary coin, of course! 
  
    Not my actual coin that I was fortunate to find on eBay with the rest of the 25th Anniversary Sonic swag but just wanted to show you what it looks like

    The facing with Sonic was Heads which represented Classic and the 25th Anniversary logo was Tails representing Modern respectively. 

    Per the coin flips for the undecided participants, it was determined that 6 would receive the Classic Sonic badge (Code "FLIP=C") while 3 would receive the Modern Sonic Badge (Code "FLIP=M"). Both of these codes are among the BLUE notes in Column F/Question 5.

Number of arguments and debates: 0. That's right, absolutely none!  

Seriously, thank you all very much as that is commendable to have NONE of that in a Sonic topic around here!

I had wanted to find out some more statistics among the questions of the questionnaire but amid a lack of time there were so many different answers, which is a very good thing. That means there are a lot of good and various things within the Sonic franchise that we all collectively enjoy

In addition to thanking you all for your cooperation I have to thank fellow moderators @Nepenthe, @Zaysho, @Celestia, @Monkey Destruction Switch and @Tara for serving as an extra set of eyes on the event while participating in it at 100% as well as your encouragement as I was doubtful that I could actually do this, but you all assured me I could and I can't thank you enough for that. Fortunately everyone was well behaved so there was no need for us to get into "moderator mode" at all . Also it's no secret that things have been extremely busy on the SSMB in regards to Sonic Forces, Sonic Mania and E3 for us Staff so I really appreciate you taking the time to participate. Extra thanks to Zaysho for your additional assistance with the editing and sizing of the badges as I definitely did not know what I was doing at times being a first-timer with this sort of thing!

Again, I wish to thank each and every one of you participants not only for your support with my event but also contributing to its fun and success. It's undeniable that for more than a quarter of a century Sonic has had some good times and bad times and up and downs-even currently as we speak with Sonic Mania and Sonic Forces on the horizon. I had wanted to focus on the positive elements of the Sonic franchise to take a break as it were from the dominant negativity as of late as well as making an event of it-hence this questionnaire and it was nice and fun for a month to be surrounded with positivity involving Sonic with fellow Sonic fans as there is so much to enjoy here per the diversity of the answers here. And as a moderator, trust me when I say I really appreciate a topic where there are no derailments or disturbance of any kind.

While working a full-time job that leaves me very little free time I cannot tell you how much sleep I lost in doing all of this as I was up at odd hours of the night reading, tallying and sending PMs while creating my own lengthy answers and having many losing battles with Photoshop in the creation of the badges, but I have no regrets as it was nice to be able to do something nice for the community here, for you guys, and having fun while doing so to celebrate such a significant milestone for Sonic and I hope you had fun as well. Not to mention it's been a while since we had an open event here at the SSMB and I felt it was definitely overdue to do that as well as provide an opportunity for members to earn badges whether it was for the first time or the first time in a long time.

Sonic has been my favorite character of all time and the series has been my favorite for more than 25 years now providing plenty of wonderful things and memories along the way. While I hope for the best and for things to improve, I am just thankful and happy that Sonic is still running as I would of never imagined Sonic still being around at this point in my life let alone still be a passionate fan of his. And the SSMB provides proof that I'm not the only one . May the Blue Blur run for many more years to come .

Provided I don't run into any technical issues, I will award the badges immediately after this post.

And that's a wrap ladies and gentlemen! Thank you so much for participating in the SSMB Sonic 25th Anniversary Questionnaire Event!