Truly a day to celebrate
Thursday, 23rd June 2011, 6:27am (UTC), 8 Comments


As if anyone needed reminding, our beloved Sonic the Hedgehog franchise is 20 years old today, and with nary a grey hair in sight. Sadly, I have to keep this commemorative post uncharacteristically short and sweet. I had planned a big article, which I have started and may complete soon, but a mix of writers block and just sheer lack of time have stood in the way unfortunately. But still, I wouldn't have felt right letting this momentous occasion pass by with no reference at all.

20 years is a long time for any gaming series to have remained this active, releasing title after title pretty much every year therein. To this, SEGA can attribute something inherently loveable about Sonic's impeccably designed character, his vast, imaginative and varied worlds, and the beautiful physics and level designs that combine so perfectly to create an inimitable experience across all of interactive entertainment. There is nothing in the world like a great Sonic game, and the quest to gather as many as possible is what keeps loyal fans mesmerised where they would otherwise have lost interest. You don't even need a 20th anniversary celebration to know that Sonic the Hedgehog has cemented his place in the history of the medium as one of the most popular characters and franchises ever, to be remembered long after he's gone, if one can even imagine such an event.

Playing a great Sonic level, whether it's running and jumping madly through Green Hill Zone, desperately trying to keep momentum, or dodging obstacles left and right while blazing through Rooftop Run, carries with it an amazingly fulfilling feeling with it. You become engrossed in a world of flowing colour that becomes more and more vivid the more you play it, and the better you know it. Those memorable tunes from your childhood are woven into the fabric of your brain, becoming part of the rhythm of your life. The thrill and wonder you experience when treading new territory in a hidden route you never knew about before, or even more so when seeing a brand new environment for the first time, encountering its traps and hearing its characteristic melodies. The amazing anticipation when you lay your eyes on that new trailer for an upcoming game, and then can't help but watch it again and again. These are among the many things that make being a Sonic fan worth every hardship.

I love Sonic, and I think it's a pretty safe bet that you do too. Today is a day where we should all count ourselves grateful that we have such a great character, story and history to remember and hold dear, and there is so much to love about it. So make sure you do something special today as your own small tribute. SEGA have excitingly given us the perfect celebration: a demo of Sonic Generations which goes live today! Play it. Play Sonic 1. Play your favourite games of the series. Dig out your Sonic comic collection. Play your favourite Sonic soundtrack. Watch an episode or two of your favourite Sonic cartoon. Put your Sonic underpants on. Run like Sonic down the street. Do whatever you need to do to remind you of what SEGA's blue saviour means to you.

Happy Birthday Sonic. You will always be the best.
Comments   8 Comments have been posted.
#1. Comment posted by Andrew on Thursday, 23rd June 2011, 8:39am
Hey, hey, hey, Sonic'll always be the best!! I agree :-D
#2. Comment posted by Hyper_Sonic on Thursday, 23rd June 2011, 8:41am
Happy birthday sonic!

P.s LiQuidShade, you were pretty good at predicting the sonic generations levels, city escape, AND roof top run have been confirmed by SEGA as levels of Sonic generations, let's see if you get any more levels correct.
#3. Comment posted by TheGuyWithTheGames on Thursday, 23rd June 2011, 7:59pm
Amazing. That was just amazing. I have been by Sonic's side since June 23 1991 and even though he has had a bumby ride in the 3d games, he will always be my favorite videogame mascot. Let us hope for another amazing 20 years of sonic. Happy Birthday, Sonic !
#4. Comment posted by ThatRandomDude on Friday, 24th June 2011, 1:21pm
aww... I missed it :'(
#5. Comment posted by Hyper_Sonic on Saturday, 25th June 2011, 1:55am
Is there a downloadable PC version of the sonic generations demo? PLZ answer
#6. Comment posted by Hyper_Sonic on Saturday, 25th June 2011, 1:55am
Is there a downloadable PC version of the sonic generations demo? PLZ answer
#7. Comment posted by LiQuidShade on Saturday, 25th June 2011, 9:02pm
Nope. Sorry!
#8. Comment posted by Hyper_Sonic on Sunday, 26th June 2011, 11:28am
Could one be available via an emulator?
Assault and Battery
Tuesday, 17th May 2011, 9:56pm (UTC), 17 Comments
Update: Flying Battery Zone and Gameplay page added to the Sonic & Knuckles section
Back once again, this time with a double helping of Sonic & Knuckles guide goodness - the general gameplay page and the complete guide to Flying Battery Zone! Admittedly, that Gameplay page is largely the same as Sonic 3's, as you'd probably expect. Few changes to the mechanics and there's no point reinventing the wheel, but I was sure to read through thoroughly and check that any differences were accounted for. At least you finally know how to make Knuckles glide and climb walls. Lord knows what you've been doing all these years without me. It's always an awkward page to put together, that one, because ideally it needs to come early on in the guide updates, but it should contain screenshots from the whole variety of levels. Ideally, I could just take a few from those that I've already grabbed from the level guides but because I haven't done most of them yet, I have to go and get a few just for this purpose.

I'm quite pleased with the Flying battery guide, there's certainly a lot of points to cover. I think the maps are among the clearest too, as the routes are all neatly separated so I didn't have to fill it with blue arrows everywhere, something I'm often anxious about having to over-use. There's also a number of ways in which these maps can be particularly useful, such as indicating exactly what is in each of those animal capsules, individually - difficult to do otherwise. I guess I have quite a strong connection with the zone in general - growing up, similar to the infamous water-rising bit of Chemical Plant Act 2, I would also live in fear of the first death-drop ridden outside bit of Flying Battery Act 1, which was a big jump up in difficulty. Those spiral elevators in Act 2 are no reward for surviving it either. Although the appearance of the background in particular is actually quite bland compared to its neighbouring Mushroom Hill Zone, the music alone makes the whole level a real star for me. Act 2 is officially my favourite piece of Sonic music of all time, which is really saying something, as the number of truly great tunes in the last 20 years of Sonic music is easily in the hundreds. I'd be overjoyed for the level to reappear in Sonic Generations, purely for the chance to be able to hear that tune brought up to date.

In other news, I'll be at Summer of Sonic again this year (at least I assume I will, I managed to register successfully though haven't received tickets yet, I assume they're coming). Whether or not I'll be able to meet any of you, I don't know but I hope so! If Zone: 0 is featured on the website wall again, I'll just stand next to it pointing, for the majority of the time. Unless Sonic Generations is playable of course, in which case I'll probably spend much of it queuing!

Hope to post about something exciting (exciting for me anyway, and very much so!) soon, based on an email I received today. And given that it's almost just one month away until the joyous anniversary day itself (which by all rights should be accepted as a religious holiday in my book), I'll try and see if I can at least come up with some kind of article to mark the occasion. As I've tweeted recently I've been playing sizable portions of most of the games, from the most recent, working backwards, and aiming to finish with Sonic 1 on 23rd June. Hopefully bringing them all together like that might inspire an idea or two. I'm in the darkest era right now (you know the one), but after that it'll be mostly plain sailing!

That'll be all. Next stop, Sandopolis Zone!.. Ack!
Comments   17 Comments have been posted.
#1. Comment posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, 18th May 2011, 1:49am
Thanks for all the hard! I hope you'll enjoy your time at Summer of Sonic ;)

Cheers
#2. Comment posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, 18th May 2011, 1:50am
hard work* :P (sorry it's 5AM)
#3. Comment posted by Andrew on Wednesday, 18th May 2011, 3:56am
Wow, after over a month. I can see that it took a lot of time with a complex level like FBZ.
#4. Comment posted by Mike on Thursday, 19th May 2011, 1:16am
Sandopolis Zone! Ack. I'm with ya brother. :-D Act 2 is pure evil. Especially as poor Knuckles.
#5. Comment posted by Jamie Dawg on Sunday, 22nd May 2011, 9:11pm
Hey, I don't know if you read my last comment but here it is, since you're going to finish the guide and then basically shut down the site, I wanted to make a deal with you; to prevent the site from dying along with your great and hard work (and of the other editors), I'll be hosting a copy of this site in some host I have yet to determine, and attempt to revive it, since I'm a huge fan of the stuff your putting out here and I'd like to put some guides on more recent Sonic games, like Sonic Adventure or Sonic Colo(u)rs, of coarse anyone would be able to help, including yourself, because I feel that Sonic sites lack what this site has. If you're interested, let me know by e-mail.
Cheers.
#6. Comment posted by LiQuidShade on Monday, 23rd May 2011, 7:45pm
Hi Jamie,

Thanks for your offer, I had considered something along these lines, but I won't be handing anything over immediately I'm afraid. For one thing, the site is not dying, it will remain online and I will host it indefinitely - which I mentioned in my original post on the subject - but it's unlikely to receive updates.

Although I like your ambition, I'd been trying for almost two years to get others involved in the writing process of this site, and despite many offers, no one has yet to complete even a quarter of a guide - I am the only editor. So you'll understand if I respond with "I've heard that one before!".

However, if you're serious about this I would suggest you do what I did and just get writing. Long before anything goes online, you should complete a full guide or two in plain text, even if it takes months and years (which it probably will if done properly). At that point, by all means get in touch and show me, and if you can convince me the site is safe in your hands and will be added to competently, I'll be much more willing to consider some sort of hand over :)

Good luck!
#7. Comment posted by CloneWarrior on Tuesday, 24th May 2011, 1:46am
Hey, LiQuidShade.

I love your guides and I'm really going to hate seeing this place basically freeze once the S&K guide ends.

I don't suppose that you might consider still doing blog posts as more Sonic games come out, or even just little things?

I know it's not much, but it almost scares me seeing a website that's just frozen in the past like this one could be.
#8. Comment posted by Silversounds on Wednesday, 25th May 2011, 12:59am

Hi LiQuidShade,

You may already be aware of this but I just wanted to give you a heads up in case it isn't something to do with my computer: the map for act two of Flying Battery Zone seems to be corrupt or something- it's coming out a little wonky.

Thanks for the awesome site!
#9. Comment posted by LiQuidShade on Wednesday, 25th May 2011, 7:47pm
@CloneWarrior
I might be able to post something every now and then, but I can't imagine I'd have the time to make that particularly frequent. You might have to just live with your fear I'm afraid.

@Silversounds
Really? Looks fine to me. Anyone else can confirm or deny?
#10. Comment posted by Silversounds on Friday, 27th May 2011, 1:01pm

Hi again,

Just checked it again and there's no problem now. If you haven't changed anything then I'm guessing it was a bad download that got stuck in my temp net files and kept getting shoved back up when I retested- didn't think of that at the time.

Sorry about that :)
#11. Comment posted by CloneWarrior on Monday, 30th May 2011, 9:29am
Even if you only posted when you played a new Sonic game or something, it'd be infinitely better than never posting again.
#12. Comment posted by CloneWarrior on Saturday, 4th June 2011, 2:06am
Hey, LiQuidShade, what if I was thinking about going about creating a Sonic Adventure (DX) guide?

I'm just about to go into my first homework free summer following high school graduation and will probably have enough free time in my hands to write it up.

If someone else would be able to help with formatting it, would you be willing to put it on the site?
#13. Comment posted by LiQuidShade on Sunday, 5th June 2011, 8:39pm
Maybe, but it has to be good! And also it has to be complete, before I even think of preparing the site to hold it. And you'll need to take your own screen shots, and publish it yourself (though you can use my admin system, so no need for HTML knowledge).. If that's all alright with you then by all means, be my guest. Send me a sample at some point and I'll let you know whether or not it looks promising.

That goes for anyone else too, by the way, if they really really want to contribute, feel free to give it a go, though I won't be reserving games for anyone anymore - first to complete, to a high standard, wins! I'm happy for Zone: 0's legacy to continue, providing I don't have to have any more than a guiding hand in it.
#14. Comment posted by CloneWarrior on Monday, 6th June 2011, 3:22am
Well, I currently have no means of getting screenshots, but I'm on the lookout for someone who could help me with that.

So if there's anyone out there reading this who had the means to take screenshots of Sonic Adventure (DX), I'd love to get some help.

I should get to work by the end of this week, and I'll send you (LiQuidShade) a sample of Sonic's story up through Emerald Coast as soon as I can.
#15. Comment posted by Ricky on Wednesday, 8th June 2011, 4:17pm
Incidentally, sorry about lack of artwork form me, I've been very busy with a job and will be for another few weeks at least :(
But I will be doing Chemical Plant. In it, I'm going to murder Tails. The parasite.

#16. Comment posted by Hyper_Sonic on Friday, 10th June 2011, 10:30am
I found an awesome music website, which has piano solos that replicate mega drive themes, I know this will surely start controversy, but i quite like it's sonic 2 final boss. It doesn't have fbz though :(

http://www.gamemusicthemes.com/megadrivesheetmusic.html

And while I'm at it, I found some good cpz artwork, no offense to Ricky.

http://sanik.hacking-cult.org/inker/data/1220359403sonic-chemical_plant_wall_bbs_final.jpg

#17. Comment posted by pokemega32 on Sunday, 12th June 2011, 10:33pm
Alright, I've got preliminary guides done for Chaos 0 and Emerald Coast. Where do I send them?
The Generation Game (time to predict some levels!)
Wednesday, 27th April 2011, 7:12pm (UTC), 26 Comments
Naturally, I can't resist taking some time out from my next level guide to talk to you about Sonic Generations, the almost dream-like new 20th anniversary major Sonic game whose bombshell was officially dropped last week, followed by the jaws and indeed saliva of many surprised fans I can only imagine. I mean, we all knew that something along these lines was on its way, but I for one was unprepared for just how amazing it would look.



I'm still in awe that it even exists really. a) given how much of a point Sega seemed to make about not putting classic Sonic in Sonic 4, and b) that it really is the kind of game I've often daydreamed about throughout the last ten years. A series of direct nods to specific levels and events in a dazzling blur of nostalgia. During ultra serious plots about government conspiracies and the end of the world, or never-ending grind rails and speed pads, you'd ultimately have to force yourself to snap out of that daydream, as it didn't look like Sega had any intention for such things. Perhaps appropriately enough, after all Sonic himself is supposedly one to never look back. But now, things are different - it seems that the landmark of 20 years and a gradual, arguably fan-lead shift back into more classic stylings has created a large cycle that brings us, remarkably, to that very dream game. Whether it'll be exactly as any of us had ever imagined in our wildest of dreams is to be decided, but the promises look frankly unbelievable - classic levels from three different eras of Sonic history? Hello, that sounds like the perfect place for outrageously bold speculation! My time to shine...

The structure of Sonic Generations..

The fact is, I never really learn. I'm often wrong about game-wide speculations about things like the amount and order, and specific types of levels and how they're divided into smaller stages, whenever I attempt to predict the contents of upcoming games. That's probably not the best way of maintaining your interest in what, as of currently writing, will probably be a sizable article, but still, I'm going to have a crack at it anyway, and it's at least food for thought. So lets go over some sensible assumptions...

Here's what we know: At least two stages per level, one as classic Sonic, the other as modern Sonic. The levels will reflect 20 years of Sonic history, covering three different eras, classic, "adventure", and modern, i.e. the beginning, middle and end. The first level is Green Hill, which, obviously accounts for part of the classic element. I think it can very safely be assumed that pretty much all the levels will be obvious clones of specific previous levels from those eras. That's about it.

Well for starters I suspect, and hope, that there's more than just the two stages/acts, per level/zone. In the above video, in which both Sonic's steam through at a fair old pace, classic Sonic's stage clearly ends at around 1:40, while 'ol green-eyes is still going strong at nearly three minutes, with no end in sight. To maintain balance, I suspect that there is at least a second act for classic Sonic to complete, of a similar length, thus maintaining traditional level division patterns on both sides of the coin. Although having said that, I hope there's even more fun to be had beyond that, even if it has to be through silly little bite-sized acts like in Sonic Colours, but perhaps optional.

Next there's the question of sheer amount of levels, and how they're ordered. Could it be chronologically, or a massive mish-mash of time zones colliding chaotically? Well, this is a big main Sonic game for the 360 and PS3, and if previous examples are anything to go by, I'd say around nine or ten would be the amount to shoot for - specifically nine, it's the magic number of completely individual worlds for both Sonic 06 and Unleashed. I think it's interesting that they've made a point of saying that the levels correspond to three different specific eras of Sonic's life so far. If it were a fairly disorganised series of hops back and forth in time, I wonder if there would have been any point in specifying that there were only three definite eras at all, rather than just more vaguely covering the whole 20 years. It could be to just really make their point clear that they will be covering everything, not just the first few games of the 90's, but my suspicion is that the three eras play a big role in the structure of the game itself and that it isn't just marketing talk. The game is divided into three, and conveniently, we've already decided that we're going to have nine levels. That means three for classic, three for Adventure, three for modern. Bad news I suppose for anyone hoping for a bias toward one era in particular, but you never know, maybe they can squeeze in a tenth. What isn't so clear, however, is exactly how far the boundaries of each era reach. I have my own ideas, and I believe the levels will be played, mostly, in chronological order, so each era will be played in full before the player can progress to the next.

I've been having a good think about these levels for the last week, and I've narrowed down my definitive "dream team", of sorts. I've stuck my neck out and chosen eight specific levels to join Green Hill (or Greenhill as it seems to be called here), evenly distributed across the three eras. It's not an easy decision, if you're being realistic about it. On the one hand, you have to pick truly iconic worlds, all of which will be instantly recognisable to anyone who's played their native game even a little bit. An elected representative ambassador for each game, you could say. In most cases, the truly iconic one is invariably going to be the first level of any game - it's the only one every player is guaranteed to play at all (well, probably), but you can't have a game full of first levels can you? Especially if most of them are tropical paradise/jungle/beach levels. Any game planner worth their salt will try to vary the colours and content of each level as much as possible. I find the most characteristic levels for any game are often those that are most heavily featured in its pre-release media, in exciting trailers and screenshots that we all stare at for months before even playing them. Who knows by what criteria Sonic Team themselves judge a characteristic, memorable, and Sonic Generations-worthy level though.

So, with quite enough introductory waffle, lets get on with it..

The Classic Era

Green Hill Zone - Duh.

Chemical Plant Zone
Chemical Plant Zone

Assuming there's room for a level from Sonic 2, there are many worthy options. Obviously Casino Night Zone screams out to you at the top of its lungs, and I would be happy to see it if I hadn't already seen it so recently in Sonic 4, under the guise of "Casino Street Zone". I'm sure they'd find a way to add something new to it in 3D, much like they have with Green Hill, but nonetheless it would feel like a waste of a crucial slot in the game that another long lost level could fill. Same for Metropolis really, as much as I'd love to hear an updated version of that theme tune. My suggestion? Chemical Plant Zone. Putting a personal case forward, this level is instrumental in forming my childhood, with its terrifying (and yet entirely avoidable, as it turns out) scary-water-rising bit towards the end that gave me nightmares for years. Even the Sonic Team of 2005 thought that was hard enough to warrant making a T-shirt about it. In any case, it's a well known and unique stage, and its speedy paths will be appropriate for modern Sonic too. Thanks to Sonic Colours bringing submersive water to 2.5D, that brilliantly frustrating section can no doubt be brought to life once again!

Mushroom Hill Zone
Mushroom Hill Zone

With only one slot left in the classic era, we've a tough choice to make. Conceivably this could come from Sonic 3, Sonic & Knuckles, or potentially even from Sonic CD, but I'm not so sure about the latter - it would please die hard fans no end I'm sure, but I just don't know if enough people have played Sonic CD for it to be viable. Icecap Zone was my first choice, but then you have to consider the issue about the music. If it does make the cut, it'd be very interesting to see if it comes with its original theme intact, as it would perhaps shed light on whether Sega actually do own the rights to that.. And not Michael Jackson's lawyers. Still, I'm going to assume there's problems there, and go for the alternate choice of my most recently featured level: Mushroom Hill Zone. Absolutely characteristic of Sonic & Knuckles, it's a first level that's worlds apart from Green Hill, set instead in a great forest of fungi. The Hedgehog Engine would render it stunningly rich, especially if they choose to indulge in Mushroom Hill's changing seasons. I think that would be incredible personally.

Mini act? Sky Chase Zone

Well, they managed to do it in both Sonic Adventure and Sonic Unleashed - who's to say they can't tuck in the extra little treat of an aerial battle in the skies that can emulate the Sonic 2 side-scrolling original and even the more fire-powered Sonic Adventure version as well. Imagine a classic Sonic and Tails in the Tornado 1, joined by their modern counterparts in the Tornado 2 as they chase down the Egg Carrier together, crashing through time toward the Adventure era!..

The Adventure Era

Twinkle Park
Twinkle Park

For Sonic Adventure's contribution, I would avoid Emerald Coast as a full stage - I know it's not quite the same as Green Hill, but it is very similar. If Icecap Zone doesn't make it into the classic portion, it could reappear here in Sonic Adventure form very easily, but in this particular list of mine, we don't have a bouncy/pinball style stage yet, which I would argue is more pressing. Casinopolis is too odd to really translate effectively into either game mode, Speed Highway's a bit generic - I would suggest Twinkle Park. Classic Sonic's take on it could borrow many elements from the likes of Spring Yard, Casino Night and Carnival Night to help ease it into this unfamiliar territory, in addition to Twinkle Park features like exploding barrels and bumper cars.

City Escape
City Escape

The thing about Sonic Adventure 2's levels is that, well, they're a bit bland aren't they? Very enjoyable of course, but also really story-lead, and I wouldn't particularly want to find myself in dull corridors of government bases or space stations. Green Forest and Pyramid Cave are much more interesting, but I think the only real option here is City Escape, complete with irresponsible barging of traffic whilst road-boarding and cheerfully cheesy lyrics. Whale fans still mourning about Emerald Coast's rejection could easily be comforted too, as San Fransisco is by the coast, is it not? Surely there's no reason why Sonic(s) couldn't be chased by both a whale and a massive truck in the same level!

Rail Canyon
Rail Canyon

Insert controversy here. I see no reason why Sonic Heroes couldn't find its way into the Adventure era. Regardless of what you think about it, it's an important part of Sonic's history, and it's chronologically closer to the adventures than anything particularly recent. Unlike SA2 as well, its levels are incredibly vibrant and visually interesting so I'd be happy to see any of them really, although perhaps not Seaside Hill, it's had several reincarnations already and is ridiculously similar to Green Hill anyway. The next most iconic level of this game? Well, could be Casino Park, which isn't a complete clone of Casnio Night, but level number 6 is a tad late for a casino level to pop in isn't it? For me, it has to be the unrelenting grind-fest of Rail Canyon, perfect for modern Sonic. What exactly Classic Sonic is supposed to do with all those rails is another matter of course, but we'll find something for him. Perhaps he can spend more time in the more internal areas of Bullet Station, or mess around with some small crane-based puzzles. Quite a good opportunity to try some brand new 2D level features actually.

The Modern Era

Rooftop Run
Rooftop Run

I think this hectic dash through Sonic Unleashed's Spagonia country deserves a place amongst Sonic's best bits, and is among the most characteristic levels in the game that could competently sit at level number 7. Perhaps change the lighting a bit to more of a sunset, just to make it seem like more than just an exact duplicate of the original, whose graphical prowess and attention to detail will be pretty much identical to this one anyway. More minor acts in this level saw a trip through the torch-lit sewers beneath the city, which might be a nice place for classic Sonic to explore.

Kingdom Valley
Kingdom Valley

Sonic 06? Boooo, booo.. BOOOOOO! ..Yep, get over it. This era in general is certainly where I had the most trouble, and I'm not really sure if the likes of Secret Rings, Black Knight or Sonic Colours really quite fit into it. Sonic Colours just seems too recent enough to really have made a mark in the history books by this point, especially when you consider its production will have overlapped slightly with this game. Black Knight I don't think really had an impact on anyone. We could quite easily see something from Secret Rings I suppose, but this process is becoming quite a subjective one by this point, and I've decided to with go with Kingdom Valley. The first Sonic level to begin with the letter K (probably my favourite completely useless Sonic fact!) slots in neatly as a penultimate level, it's not really similar to anything so far, and has a number of interesting, unique features to utilise. I've always been quite excited and intrigued by it, so I'm going to give it another chance.

Eggmanland
Eggmanland

Ooooh, more controversy! Not only have I picked one of the longest and most utterly frustrating final levels ever, I've also gone for two Sonic Unleashed levels!? Hear me out. I believe that if there are only going to be nine levels, Sonic Team will divide them equally between the three eras, and for me, nothing else quite fits into this era, other than three levels from arguably the two major Sonic games of this time (based on budget and general "big-ness" rather than popularity or anything else). Secondly, it is a honking great huge, notorious level, I think the ultimate final level really, especially as Eggman had been going on about building it for an entire decade before finally doing so - makes sense to me. In any case, these are all just mostly visual ideas and templates, how enjoyable any of these levels are in their original forms bear no impact on their level of enjoyment in this game, as they are all very likely to be redesigned entirely from scratch anyway.

What's more, I've had another theory. By including two Sonic Unleashed levels, you're bringing ready-made graphics into your game that most people probably won't mind seeing - you've immediately got all the visuals you need for two full levels, so resources for designing maybe one more are freed up! I think for this reason we could see a tenth full level in this game after all, and it could be anything! How about if there are two final levels? Perhaps only modern Sonic tackles Eggmanland while classic Sonic is brought back to Scrap Brain Zone, providing a kind of neat balanced symmetry to what levels from what games are included. Two from Sonic 1, two from Unleashed sounds pretty fair to me.


..Anyway, those are my official predictions right now. I encourage you all to try and piece together your own, and then probably see how wrong you are, as indeed I will, I'm sure. It's not quite perfect on my list anyway - we've got some opportunities for a few splashes of water here and there but no full on water level as such, and it almost seems wrong to have no casino level in this game that is supposed to cover all of Sonic's most iconic bits, but frankly, there's been so many that not everything will fit. Especially if you want to include any of Sonic's more secondary adventures like the Advance or Rush series. Trying to cram in something from up to fifty-ish games just isn't going to work, is it? Arguably you could shrink down the modern portion to make room, but my personal hunch is that they won't do that. However I do hope that by shamelessly recycling some recent graphics, they will just about be able to make room for some additional material elsewhere. To be honest though, I don't think there are many classic stages or references that they could add that I wouldn't be thrilled to see, this is an incredibly exciting game from virtually any angle, and for me, the months between now and its release cannot pass quickly enough!

WARNING: Spoilers in the comments section below. The full list of levels has been discovered. If, like me, you don't wish to know exactly how wrong or right I am with the above until you actually play the game yourself, ideally, then I wouldn't scroll too far through the comments below if I were you :P
Comments   26 Comments have been posted.
#1. Comment posted by Meph on Wednesday, 27th April 2011, 10:50pm
I was wondering when you'd post about this. :)

Personally, I would have chosen Launch Base Zone for the third zone, because I think it could be tied into the plot.
#2. Comment posted by Mercury on Thursday, 28th April 2011, 7:56am
First: I would be surprised to see too many levels from Unleashed/Colours, seeing as how they are such recent games... on the other hand the reused bosses in Colours make me worry that Sega isn't shy about blatantly recycling content. Though, if C.Sonic gets 'classic-fied' versions of them that might justify their inclusion.

Second: A Sonic game needs a good mix of level tropes: Green, Ruin, Casino, Aquatic, Sky, City, Base, Space, etc. Looking at it that way, each of these could be filled by their most iconic representatives: Green => Green Hill, City => Stardust Speedway, etc. (I don't think Sonic CD is too long of a shot, since Sega's clearly trying to appeal to classic fanboys this time around.)

Third: My only strong level prediction is Death Egg Zone. The Death Egg is symbolic of the classic series and is Classic Eggman's greatest creation. I'd be very surprised (and to a certain extent, disappointed) if Sega didn't resurrect this level - it seems like a shoo in. (They might even borrow SaSASR elements for it, but I hope not - that version of the level didn't really capture the feel, IMO.)
#3. Comment posted by Sonikku-Nation on Thursday, 28th April 2011, 9:58pm
Well, I'd want something like Marble Zone from Sonic 1, Ice Cap and Lava Reef from Sonic and Knuckles, and may Sandopolis, Casino Night from Sonic 2, Carnival Night from Sonic 3, Twinkle Park from Sonic Adventure, Windy Valley from Sonic Adventure, Kingdom Valley and Crisis City from Sonic 06, Toy Kingdom from Sonic Advance 3 and so on.

BTW, I hope you (the creator of this article and many stuff of this site) don't mind me asking, but when will you finish that Flying Battery portion of the Sonic and Knuckles guide?
#4. Comment posted by jingoi on Thursday, 28th April 2011, 10:38pm
My submission is= Frog Forest, Water Palace, Egg Rocket, Levitated Ruin, Crisis City, Dragon Road, Lost World, Bingo Highway, Lava Reef.
#5. Comment posted by LiQuidShade on Saturday, 30th April 2011, 1:39pm
@Sonikku-Nation - I'm about half way through it. It's mapped and the text is finalised, I need to do the screen shots now and wrap it all up, though I am quite busy, so maybe two-three weeks.
#6. Comment posted by Classic gamer on Saturday, 30th April 2011, 11:45pm
My level predictions:

Classic era (6 zones):
- Grenn Hill
- Chemical Plant
- Casino Night
- Hidrocity
- Flying Battery
- Stardust Speedway

Dreamcast era (3 zones):
- Emerald Coast
- Speed Highway
- City Escape

Modern era (3 zones):
- Kingdom Valley
- Asteroid Coaster
- Eggmanland
#7. Comment posted by Sonikku-Nation on Sunday, 1st May 2011, 12:03am
@LiQuidShade: What?! Come on! Why can you not finish it now?

Ha! I'm just kidding around with ya.

Still. 2-3 weeks, I can be very patient enough for that. Just take as much time as you need.
#8. Comment posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, 3rd May 2011, 2:17am
Best case scenario for me would be Star Light, Chemical Plant, Hydrocity, Ice Cap, Flying Battery, and Stardust Speedway. I honestly could care less about anything from the 3d era. Its the 16 bit era that made Sonic who he is, not the 3d. Sonic Adventure was fine, but my childhood was the 16 bit era.
#9. Comment posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, 3rd May 2011, 8:56pm
I was expecting to appear Mushroom Hill Zone, Chemical Plant Zone or Death Egg Zone, and also believed that they include Chasse Sky Zone
#10. Comment posted by Lord of the ideas on Tuesday, 3rd May 2011, 9:15pm
It would be good to revive the levels of Sonic 2: Hidden Palace Zone, or Wood zone ... Do I understand? (Lost zones)
#11. Comment posted by Mr Space on Wednesday, 4th May 2011, 11:45pm
Could revive, but more importantly include the Death Egg
It would also be interesting to see the new version of the music with real instruments.
#12. Comment posted by AquaRuin on Thursday, 5th May 2011, 6:53am
Only nine levels? OH NOES! So many zones I want to see returned that aren't going to make it in. I want Marble, Labyrinth and Scrap Brain to return from Sonic 1 alone. I also want Aquatic Ruin (one my favourite zones ever as you might have guessed from the my name), Casino Night, Mystic Cave and Wing Fortress from Sonic 2, Hydrocity, Marble Garden, Icecap, Launch Base, Hidden Palace, Sky Sanctuary AND The Doomsday. I need 14 slots just for the classic era. But LiQuidShade, you do have very good choices for the classic era. CPZ and MHZ would be great.

Sadly, I have not played the Adventure era, I have played Sonic Heroes however but that game was so full of bottomless pits that it made it rather difficult to progress in the game. I haven't played the game in ages, can't really remember anything about now. Same goes for the Morden era (jeez, where have I been?), I've only played the rather recent Sonic Colours so I can't really say anything about choices from that era.
#13. Comment posted by Hyper_Sonic on Thursday, 5th May 2011, 9:43am
I am a little disapointed that you chose twinkle park. It is not one of my faviourite levels. I think there should be an outer space theme, after all Death Egg is my faviourite zone. There should also be a sky base type zone, winged fortress, sky deck, or final fortress (which I found to be too easy for a last zone) A good old last story would also make a nice addition to the game. I wonder what the special stages will be like, and if there will be a form of super sonic. And lastly, how could a zone like chemical plant be transformed into 3d?
#14. Comment posted by LiQuidShade on Thursday, 5th May 2011, 6:42pm
There's certainly some key Sonic level tropes missing from my list, although I was going under the assumption that each era will be completed consecutively, which doesn't have to be the case at all, it depends on the plot really. Sonic(s) could easily jump back and forth through time as they go, opening up possibilities like Death Egg or Wing fortress, which should really appear at the end of the game I'd say.

What I was really going for here though was a realistic prediction above all else. It's not necessarily my own personal dream list, but I think because this game promises so much (perhaps more than a Sonic game ever has really), it leaves room for a lot of disappointment if you don't get all the levels you were hoping for. It's all very well to list out reams of them you'd like to see, but I think if you're expecting any more than 3 or 4 (maaaybe 5 if you're very very lucky) classic levels, then you're in for a big let down. They only have so much room, and what I think is a clear determination to cover the whole 20 year history, so my advice would be to try and make the most of whatever you're given, otherwise no one's going to be completely happy with this game!
#15. Comment posted by Dan on Monday, 16th May 2011, 9:35am
I think that 12 levels should total (four per era). I like your choices for the latter two, but we should have a bit more. In the modern era, maybe we could see one colors level. In the classic era, I'd ditch chemical plant for something sonic CD, like wacky workbench. It fits the level trope (premature industrial) and is more of a call-out to classic fans. But that leaves one question:which soundtrack to use? As most of you, I'd wanna see the Japanese soundtrack, but there is also one last thing: time zone? I'd find past most fitting, because it's a level from the past in the past! (and it would solve the soundtrack issue). I'd also personally want to see flying battery over wing fortress. It's more iconic and is more likely to be recognized (second level vs. Second-to-last level). But that leaves something to Change from mushroom hill. Maybe casino night?
#16. Comment posted by Beau on Thursday, 19th May 2011, 4:38am
@LiQuidShade

LiQuid, this article is excellent. I've been looking around the net for people's opinions on what the levels will be in Sonic Generations', and none of them are as thoughtful or as realistic as this list. I was hoping someone out there would make a well thought out and likely prediction like this... and you did! Thank you!

I do hope they take a level from Sonic 3 and a level from Sonic and Knuckles respectively. And then perhaps make the final level Death Egg, since it is a stage which has spanned multiple games and even had an alternate incarnation in Space Colony Ark. I think that'd be fitting.
#17. Comment posted by stripedshirts on Tuesday, 24th May 2011, 7:29am
It would be amazing to race side by side with Metal Sonic in HD. Stardust Speedway please!
#18. Comment posted by AquaRuin on Wednesday, 25th May 2011, 7:21am
I have managed to narrow down my oversized list of choices but there probably are people out there that have an even longer list then what I had. Heck, choices and decisions...3, 3, 3? 4, 4, 4? 6, 3, 3? I would honestly go with the unfair 6, 3, 3...well, if some of the zones wanted don't make it in there is still Sonic the Hedgehog 4...right?
#19. Comment posted by LiQuidShade on Tuesday, 7th June 2011, 8:28pm
Two out of two so far! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t68aeAbUu4g&feature=youtu.be (stay with it til the very end, mind!)

It's all coming together, *evil laugh*
#20. Comment posted by Kore on Saturday, 11th June 2011, 1:05am
Ok so I made a list of all the common stage tropes and put my dreamlist together. With a total of 12 levels with 4 in each era, this would be my ideal sonic generations:
Green- Green Hill
Casino- Twinkle Park
Ruin- Kingdom Valley
Ice- Cool Edge
Desert- Pyramid Cave
Factory- Chemical Plant
Water- Hydrocity
Haunted- Hang Castle
Lava- Lava Reef
Space- Asteroid Coaster
Base- EggmanLand
Seriously it would be amazing if these were the choices. Make it happen Sonic Team!
#21. Comment posted by Aerobian-Angel on Saturday, 11th June 2011, 8:29pm
~Genesis~
- Hidden Palace Zone: Now I know that this doesn’t really count as a zone, seeing as it’s one act long and there solely from story purposes, but I love the whole “confrontation with the Guardian” mood. The only letdown is that Knuckles was pathetically easy. Not [just] because he had some bad A.I. programming, but because his moves were limited to the ones that you can do when playing as him. If he could pull off some “HOLYCRAPIDIDNOTSEETHATCOMING” moves, then I’d write him off as one of the best bosses of the game, and Sonic Generations has a big enough chance to do just that.
- Sunset Park Zone: This game gear level felt like an unsual, yet almost instantaneous, classic. The whole place felt all un-Sonic-y in a sense that running to the right wouldn’t get you anywhere fast, except to instant death. Now, while this level did tone down the running, platforming and exploration had heavy emphasis, which reminded me that this wasn’t just a game showing off a speedy little rodent. No, it was about a speedy little rodent that could jump. And, as you probably expected, Act 3′s music was flat out awesome. There. I said it.
- Hill Top Zone: This level has got to be the most underrated level in Sonic 2. Possibly in the whole genesis era. Heck, I like this one better than Chemical Plant zone, which I find to be too heavily praised (much like how I find Sonic 2 just to be Sonic 1 with the addition of a [playable] stalker). Now, before I drive this tangent any further, there’s just something that I find to be enthralling about the lush Blue Hills in the Mountain Tops. While its musical theme was freakin’ weird (in a good way), the stage itself was unique all in its own way. And it had lava. I’d love to see HD lava in a Sonic game.
- Stardust Speedway (Boss): Okay, maybe asking for a boss throwback is pushing it, but darnit I loved this boss. Heck I loved ALL of the bosses in Sonic CD. They weren’t just “How many times can you hit Eggy?” bosses, they were “can you even find out HOW to hit Eggy?” bosses. Except for this one. This one was all about staying alive. But not because Sonic had to wait for Eggman to kill himself (like for many bosses in Sonic 3K), but because Sonic had to pass a trial of only one surviving. To this day, I still feel the adrenaline rush from this boss. In a way that no other boss (in the Genesis Era) has given me.

(I do not have any Sonic 1 levels on here because they already did that for Sonic Colors)

~Dreamcast~
- City Escape: Possibly the MOST memorable Sonic Adventure 2 stage out there (thanks to the demo in the Sonic Adventure 1 casing), City Escape is downright awesome. A lot of us take this stage fro granted, you’ve got so many cars (parked/moving), so many buildings, so many branching, yet inaccessible streets [for practical reasons], and an awesome feel of outrunning the cops in the most ridiculously cool way possible.
- Sky Deck: Everyone remembers Sky Deck. Who doesn’t? As glitchy as this stage may or may not have been in its latter sections, it was still fun to play. I just love the feeling of taking down a carrier at high altitudes, from the inside out. You know, until I found out that all I had to do was push a button under Eggman’s seat to do it. So the feeling died. But that’s not to say that the feeling was never there. Either way, I’d love to return to those amazing heights in stunning HD.
- Metal Harbor: This is one of those levels that makes you realize the true purpose of the “Score” part of the Score-Time-Rings HUD. Now, while you play this level, you’ll notice that doing it in THE FASTEST TIME POSSIBLE, will rank you a C at best. Rather, this level encourages you to do what no other Adventure level had. EXPLORE. Now, this stage is pretty linear and pretty much devoid of alternate routes already, but when you look in the right spots you’ll find some zones to amp up the score. And then there’s the biggest kick-in-the-nuts moment ever. The missile launch section has an extended climbing route. The upper-section really tested your speed and mettle as you had to ring-dash, homing attack, and run as fast as you could to the second handle bar. I wonder how classic Sonic will fair…

~Modern~
- Kingdom Valley: This stage was just beautifully epic, and possibly my favorite in the whole game. Granted, White Acropolis had an unorthodox appeal to it (stealth in a SONIC GAME?), earning it some favoritism, but it just pales in comparison to Kingdom Valley. Crisis City also had its high points as well, and I wouldn’t mind seeing that one again either. On the subject though, Kingdom Valley was so mythical and felt so… RIGHT. It was basically the level that made Sonic ’06 have ANY reason for picking the game back up. You know, besides its unbelievably stellar soundtrack. The point is, the level has so much more potential to build upon from its roots and Generations has a chance to do it justice.
- Pirate Storm: Sonic and Secret Ring’s main and possibly only REAL issue was the auto-run system. But that didn’t keep me from absolutely adoring this level. You see, this level did what so many others these days [and in the classics too] were too humble to do: it destroyed all sense of subtlety. Instead of taking the “Hey look at that, there are some cannons firing in the distance, that’s a nice touch” path, they took a “F**K CANNONS IN THE DISTANCE, I’M RIDING CANNONBALLS!” path. And that brought back that never-a-dull-moment sense from the Adventure days. Heck, even more so than those. Can I have Sonic doing tricks from cannonball to cannonball in a midair free fall? Only generations can bring me that.
- Various Sonic Rivals (2) levels: This game was just epic for me. It was basically the original Sonic 4 (with tag-team in the sequel (like Sonic 2)) that focused on recurring nemeses (like Sonic 3) while fighting off Eggman (like all classic games). Heck it even had side-scrolling gameplay. And the drafting system was a nice touch. Maybe this is an excuse for multiplayer…
- Skyscraper Scamper Daytime: Okay, so this one is basically City escape on steroids, but how awesome would it be to see a 2D rendition? Complete with all of the steep drops and building hopping that Rooftop Runway could only dream of. Get rid of the speed boosts and then you’d have pure, 100% momentum that propels you past the screen. Unlike Chemical Plant Zone and most modern levels today. Since this is already a Unleashed/Colors style, I guess that it would be quite redundant to do this as Modern Sonic, unless it has a whole new perspective.

I probably have more ideas that I haven’t thought of yet, but I would definitely want to see these ones make a return. Maybe Sonic Colors is too recent... maybe not. It did come out LAST year, after all...
#22. Comment posted by xamoel on Thursday, 16th June 2011, 4:29pm
Classic:

s1-Green hill
s2-Chemical Plant
s3-Ice cap
s&k-Sandopolis
sCD-Stardust speedwayy
s4 ep1-Mad gear

Dreamcast:
sa1: Lost word (is not so funny stage, but is very symbolic on sadventure storyline)
sa2: City escape

Modern era:
Sonic heroes: Hanging castle or Bingo highway.

Sonic 06: Crysys city or Kingdom Valley.

Sonic unleashed: Rooftop Run

Sonic Colors: sweet mountain or Starlight carnival. probably gonna be planet wisp.

The next ideas are from non canon sonic games, but can be cool as future DLC ad-ons stages.
knuckles chaotix- Marina Madness
Shadow: Mad Matrix or Lost colony ark.
Secret rings: Lost Palace (the window based floor stage, is really pretty)
Black knight: Molten Mine or that lava stage.
Riders SAGA: Gigan rocks, or megalo station or something like that.



#23. Comment posted by Anonymous on Monday, 4th July 2011, 9:53pm
The level and boss list for HD consoles was leaked from the demo by hackers:

Levels:

Green Hill
Chemical Plant
Sky Sanctuary
Speed Highway
City Escape
Seaside Hill
Crisis City
Rooftop Run
Planet Wisp

Casino Night Zone pinball minigame (DLC)

Bosses:

Metal Sonic
Death Egg
Shadow
Perfect Chaos
Silver
Egg Dragoon

For 3DS version:
Green Hill
Casino Night
Big Arm (Sonic 3's final boss)
#24. Comment posted by Hyper_Sonic on Thursday, 7th July 2011, 8:46am
I just want to see the screenshots of some of those levels, and well, hear the music. :D
#25. Comment posted by Hyper_Sonic on Sunday, 24th July 2011, 8:53am
Screenshots released of chemical plant zone, and stardust speedway, and whats more on SEGA's website!!!
#26. Comment posted by Hyper_Sonic on Thursday, 18th August 2011, 9:54am
LQS DO NOT READ THIS, anyway wowowowowowowowowowowowowow!!! TONES of new videos and screenshots released for sonic generations (including mushroom hill 4 the 3ds) AND Sonic 2 Final boss. cannotwaitcannotwaitcannotwaitcannotwaitcannotwaitcannotwaitcannotwaitcannotwait!!! (all revealed on sega sonic gens home page(seaside hill, rooftop run and more).
The beginning of the end.. Sonic & Knuckles guide locked-on!
Sunday, 27th March 2011, 2:06pm (UTC), 5 Comments
Update: Sonic & Knuckles guide has begun! Mushroom Hill Zone, plus Background Info and Stages and Story pages have been added!
Sonic & Knuckles

The turn of Sonic & Knuckles has arrived! In its guide, you will find the usual initial pages - a full Background Info page, the start of the Stages and Story page, and of course good old Mushroom Hill Zone! *Insert fungai/"fun guy" pun here*.

As you will be aware if you read my previous post, this will be my last guide for the site and sadly no further guides can be guaranteed after this one is complete. Unfortunately, I haven't changed my mind since then and if truth be told I'm looking forward to wrapping it all up as soon as possible really so that I can start to focus on other projects. So hopefully levels will fall into place more quickly than those of Sonic 3 did. Now that there's a light at the end of the tunnel I think I'm more motivated than before, which is somewhat ironic.

I did enjoy these Mushroom Hill Zone maps, it's a level I've always had difficulty picturing in my head, as there are so many hidden areas and options for a first level. I've also always wanted a true multi-season version of the Act 2 map, so that was quite fun to do. That whole idea of multiple seasons is something I'd love to see more often - I can't think of any other place in the whole series where changing seasons are really considered, in fact. If a level has trees they've usually got nice green leaves on them. You never get a level that just happens to be in Autumn or Spring for example. Shame really.

Anyway, hope you like the new pages. Check out Point #8 on Mushroom Hill - I'm not sure how much of a mystery this is for anyone else, in fact I've never really heard anyone else mention it, but that final hidden room with a lightning and fire shield in it had always eluded me. Sometimes you can get in, sometimes you can't, and it was only at the very last moment of publishing that point that the solution actually occurred to me. I think it's quite interesting, check it out. It's amazing how many things I've discovered about these games that I was never even aware of, because of building this site.

I think my plan next is to publish the Gameplay page, as I always leave that one too late, followed by Flying Battery, both within the next couple of months I would hope. Gameplay should be easily, it's basically the same as Sonic 3's. Forgive me if a lot of it is in fact exactly the same!

Let Zone: 0's farewell guide commence!
Comments   5 Comments have been posted.
#1. Comment posted by Traxus on Monday, 28th March 2011, 6:04pm
Too bad that you will stop with the guides, I really like them! I am however looking forward to the sonic and knuckles guides, sonic 3 and knuckles has always been my favourite sonic game.
#2. Comment posted by Leonid on Monday, 28th March 2011, 7:38pm
Exellent! I like this site very much, it helps me when I'm playing... :)And in is really sad that this is the and... :(
#3. Comment posted by Andrew on Tuesday, 29th March 2011, 5:29am
Wow! I thought that S&K would never come up. Anyway, my brother is working on S3&K, just starting fresh. I like Death Egg zone most of all!
#4. Comment posted by Jamie Dawg on Sunday, 24th April 2011, 9:31pm
Hey, since you're going to finish the guide and then basically shut down the site, I wanted to make a deal with you; to prevent the site from dying along with your great and hard work (and of the other editors), I'll be hosting a copy of this site in some host I have yet to determine, and attempt to revive it, since I'm a huge fan of the stuff your putting out here and I'd like to put some guides on more recent Sonic games, like Sonic Adventure or Sonic Colo(u)rs, of coarse anyone would be able to help, including yourself, because I feel that Sonic sites lack what this site has. If you're interested, let me know by e-mail.
Cheers.
#5. Comment posted by Animal Zero on Sunday, 11th September 2011, 10:04pm
Where's Lava Reef Zone? I love that level... *Good Times*
Next Zone: 0 game guide to be my last
Sunday, 6th February 2011, 3:00pm (UTC), 28 Comments
I've been doing a lot of mulling over about this, and there are a number of reasons behind it: desire to do new projects, changes in personal circumstances, and generally a reduced level of enthusiasm to name the most prominent. Ultimately though, I've come to a decision that I'll probably continue to stick to..

Sonic & Knuckles will be my last Zone: 0 guide, and there may or not not be any further guides by other writers featured on this site once that is complete. Zone: 0 will remain in existence for as long as I am capable of hosting it, and will not be taken down, nor will any content be removed, however updates or changes cannot be promised after I have completed the final guide. At the point of transition from activity to inactivity, blog posts will cease and the forum will be closed, however the history of both will be available through an archive. Level artwork by Ricky Earl will continue to be added to relevant pages for as long as he wishes to produce them.

Because some writers have agreed to produce guides for certain games, I will allow these to continue if they so wish, however they are under no obligation to do so. If any writers complete their guides I will cooperate with them in adding them to the site and publishing them with the rest at any point in the future. However, it would be appreciated if they could use the content management system that the site runs on to build and publish the pages themselves as much as possible. There is very little HTML or web programming skill necessary to do this, mostly none at all, and I will continue to work on this system to make sure it's as easy to use and automated as it can be.

From now on however, the hunt for new writers has officially ended and I am no longer looking for new guides to begin. The unfortunate fact is that in over one and a half years since I first announced the hunt for new writers, despite several applications, no one has even come close to completing the guides that they have started. From some people I've seen absolutely nothing, from others I've seen no more than drafts for the first one or two levels, and then nothing for months. I don't particularly mind - things happen and such a voluntary, spare time project naturally has to make way for more important things in people's lives. Or perhaps some simply became less enthusiastic about it over time. Regardless, the lack of success so far in this endeavour is evidence enough that it should also cease at this point. If you're unbelievably passionate about this project and you know that you'll be able to contribute something else worthwhile then by all means send me an email but I can't guarantee cooperation with anything except that with which I've already agreed to cooperate. There are one or two newer writers who currently seem to be progressing well with their guides, and keeping in regular contact, so I won't rule these out, however I don't expect there to be many more than that. If there are, then who knows, maybe the site will be able to run under new management, but personally, I don't expect this to happen.


So that's about the situation. Never say never, I may well change my mind and fire up a new guide one day. But as much as I've enjoyed writing and putting them all together, the fact of the matter is that, for a spare time hobby, it's unbelievably time consuming. The Sonic 3 guide has taken almost one and a half years just to publish - not even including the original time it took me to write it - being fit around my real life, and even at that rate it's sucked out hundreds of hours of my time that, I must admit, could well have been spent on something fresher, and more creative. Zone: 0 is a worthwhile project and I'm immensely proud of it, but it demands nothing but spare time and no real occupation if you want to produce it to a high quality, with regular updates, and have time left over for other personal pursuits. Unfortunately I have a 9-hour-a-day job, and a future family life to think about, on top of other ideas for projects desperate to burst out of the confines of my mind and onto the screen. Some Sonic-based, some not, and some with more financial possibilities, which could be essential to me. Something's got to give, and though it's not an easy decision, that thing is Zone: 0 I'm afraid.

However, I've always said that no matter what, I would complete what I had started, and as the Sonic & Knuckles guide has already been written, I will see it through, and as quickly as I can. So consider this message me handing in my "notice". I did look forward to the day where I would actually be able to sit down and start writing a new guide from scratch - something I haven't done since 2006. Part of me would still rather enjoy it, but it's just not feasible for me anymore really. Besides, I must admit that my enthusiasm for this project has dwindled. Back when I started writing, a good 6 and a half years ago, my excitement (and large amount of free time) drove me to complete drafts for all six Sonic 1 levels in just over a week. At that speed, naturally I would have thought I'd have at least a dozen games covered online by 2011, but a number of things prevented that, my perfectionism for one. I went back on everything two, three, maybe four times to bring it all to a consistent level of detail. The addition of maps and site maintenance all added up to a far longer amount of time than I had first projected, even as a part time hobby. Nevertheless, I was amazed at my own unfaltering enthusiasm for building up the project of my dreams, where other ideas had lost their steam under far less time. I particularly loved refreshing the design and structure of the site completely, a couple of years back. Since then though, once I'd returned to building the guides themselves, I've definitely felt more of a noticeable tedium to it all. I thought it might have been just my slight unfamiliarity with Sonic CD compared to the other four games, which are like childhood friends to me, but no, it persisted through Sonic 3 as well. It was still fun, but just as often it began to feel like a chore. A chore that I now realise I can only do for so much longer.

As I say, there's many factors to this decision though, and my reduced enthusiasm for Zone: 0 seems to correlate with.. well, I suppose it's more of a changing relationship with Sonic as a whole. I can't deny, Sonic pretty much equates to a kind of religion to me, in terms of the amount of time I spend just thinking and internally debating about it. Any other type of game can only be so much fun, and for me, none compare to Sonic at his best. But it's not even the quality of the modern games as much as the sheer amount of resistance to them all over the internet, and most hurtfully, from the most outspoken fans themselves that slowly chips away at my love of Sonic. I feel like I no longer want to be a part of any community that, once united by love of something, is now held together only by constant arguments about what that thing should be, and even more disturbing, a mutual hatred of whatever that thing currently is. I may have had my own criticisms to make now and then, but I genuinely feel things are moving on toward a better level of quality now in terms of the games themselves. It's unmistakable. It may not be perfect yet, but it's all going in the right direction, and to see supposed fans fail to acknowledge this and continually complain over and over again, as if they're beginning to get some enjoyment out of it, depresses me frankly. A lot.

Everyone's entitled to their own opinions, and maybe I'm just a bit too soft, but it's not just in Sonic, there's a worrying trend I'm noticing throughout popular culture. Everyone's a critic and what's more, they love it. Negativity is the new positivity, and I'm so unbelievably sick of it, but for something as close to me as Sonic, it's all too much to take. I'd rather ignore the comments, reviews and debates, (much of them, as they are, over the most trivial of things) entirely and get back to enjoying Sonic as I used to do as a child, and with some degree of wild-eyed innocence. At least then, any gripes I have will be my own, and not those pointed out by others and which honestly wouldn't have really bothered me until they had done so. To some extent, Zone: 0 still kind of connects me to their endless nit-pickings, although I admit it's hardly the central hub of current Sonic affairs. Still, I would feel some degree of relief from it for these reasons, and I do rather want to prove to myself that it's still possible in this day and age to be as big a Sonic fan as ever while having little or no connection or awareness of other fans, online or otherwise. Put simply: I want out of the Sonic community.


Let none of this take away from how proud I am of this site though. I'm genuinely amazed it's even lasted this long, and when I flick through the dozens of pages of info I've produced, I can't believe just how much I've actually done. The project existed for a couple of years before anyone was even aware of it, and during that time I had no idea if it was what people wanted it, but I've genuinely been touched by the many, many messages of support I've received. In general, I haven't really even heard anything spoken against it, so I realise how much of an achievement it is. Because it was born at a time before web 2.0 really emerged, I like to think it has an element about it of the old fashioned way of doing a website. Not a neutral, homogenous wiki made up of content from multiple people, but a highly focused, highly personal creation that cares more about, initially, the details of what it covers than its scope. Sadly, that scope probably won't be enlarged to the degree I had originally hoped for, but regardless, it'll always have a special place in my heart, and as I say, it'll continue to exist for as long as the Internet, myself, civilisation as a whole, and the small amount of money required to keep it hosted, exists too. Those are good odds, I think.

The show's not over yet. We've still got one fifth of the way to go in fact, and I'm going to make sure it's just as good as as the others! Thank you to everyone who has provided some much needed positivity to get this site to where it is now.
Comments   28 Comments have been posted.
#1. Comment posted by Rom on Sunday, 6th February 2011, 3:53pm
This is sad news. The site is the best Sonic site I've ever come across and even though it will continue to exist, it's too bad guides wont continue to be made. You've done an outstanding job and I hope you find everything you want in life.
#2. Comment posted by Tricky E on Sunday, 6th February 2011, 7:04pm
:(
#3. Comment posted by Mercury on Sunday, 6th February 2011, 8:00pm
I'm actually not that disappointed because the five guides that you will have I feel are the most important anyway... and I'm looking forward to whatever project you conquer next.

I find it really sad that you feel that way about the Sonic community. Sometimes it gets on my nerves, too; that's why I stay away from the news threads and join in on the hacking and other fanworks instead. I do wish everybody could pull together and be more constructive - we've accomplished so much so far, but we could do much more if we'd stop taking potshots at each other.

Speaking of constructive, what's the worst/most time consuming part of making the S3&K guide? You never know, Zone: 0 readers might find a way to facilitate it.
#4. Comment posted by MoDaD on Sunday, 6th February 2011, 8:15pm
"Not a neutral, homogenous wiki made up of content from multiple people, but a highly focused, highly personal creation that cares more about, initially, the details of what it covers than its scope."

I think you hit the nail on the head. That's exactly how I feel about some of the projects I've worked on. I'm not disappointed at all, to be honest, as I'd always thought this site seemed more focused on the Genesis/Mega Drive-era games. I'd always thought that was a key element of its charm. I'm incredibly nostalgic about these games in particular, and you've created what I'd just about call a work of art to cater to that.

I'm sorry if you feel disappointed or let down in yourself, but you shouldn't. This is a great accomplishment, and it's become a household name in the Sonic fan communities. I have no doubt that it will continue to be a center of interest for many. Whichever direction you choose to take it in will be great.
#5. Comment posted by JC on Sunday, 6th February 2011, 10:25pm
I literally just discovered this site today, doing research for a uni project on Sonic, and it's without doubt the best Sonic site I've come across. I myself have been a fan of these games since I was old enough to play my old Mega Drive, and I know exactly how you feel about the fanbase. I myself refuse to be a part of any community or forum, because the constant bickering and complaining about the tiniest of details is truly staggering.

"Euugh, Sonic 4 is gonna suck because Sonic has green eyes."

'Nuff said. Some people seem to love complaining and go out of their way to find fault with things, in any fanbase, but with Sonic it's so much more noticable. I attended Summer of Sonic in London last year, and was shocked at how many little digs at the current games and full on debates about how bad recent titles have been, by so-called fans of them. It's like they buy the games fully expecting to hate them, and I can't understand the logic at all. I buy them and I enjoy them, despite any minor nitpicks I may have. It's a series about a fast blue hedgehog fighting an egg-shaped man and his robot army... just enjoy it!

Congratulations on this site, and it's truly sad to see someone so dedicated forced out of the community by the ridiculous amount of negativity.
#6. Comment posted by Dapassified on Monday, 7th February 2011, 3:45am
This is truly sad news, but however, everything must come to an end. I admire your passion and dedication through these years and honestly you have created something truly amazing with your determination. You haven't created just a website, but a safe home and a place of remembrance for Sonic fans, old and new. I've heard of Zone:0 from several people and come here many times not for just guidance in my Sonic trials, but just to reignite my connection with the blue blur.

The devotion you've had for Zone:0 is something that is not common in most with their projects and is quite unique. My love for Sonic has run deep in my veins since 1991, but I still would not be able to tackle a project so large, and for that I applaud you.

I agree with your view on the animosity and negativity that has developed in the world and into the Sonic community and it does create almost a repellent to something that we love so much. I used to love discussing Sonic the Hedgehog with other fans, but now instead of our admiration and enthusiasm being the topic of discussion it is what has become how the Sonic franchise has gone "downhill." Follow that by how the next generation Sonic fans are labeled as "not real fans." It's sad that something so simple and fun has become something that has torn real fans with a common interest apart.

It is upsetting that you must close Zone:0, but not disappointing. It is understandable that such perfection is so time consuming and obvious that you would want to continue with your own personal life. I thank you for all the hard work, persistence, and involvement in the Sonic community and best wishes to any projects you are going to apply yourself to in the future. Thank you for giving me faith and comfort in knowing that there are others like me keeping Sonic the Hedgehog alive. Great job and best wishes.
#7. Comment posted by RS on Monday, 7th February 2011, 7:44am
Long time reader of the site. Enjoy the design and the content. You have your reasons for making the Sonic & Knuckles guide your last--I respect that. My problem arrives when you, ironically enough, criticize the fanbase for criticizing the series. Looking at it from another angle, as someone who is active in another fanbase who casually browses the Sonic fanbase, I see huge flaws in your argument.

Just because someone is a fan does not mean that they should have an undebatable love for everything that revolves around what they are a fan of. Sonic the Hedgehog is such as huge "franchise" that incorporates video games, comics, animations and so forth of different types from different eras. You can collectivize everyone as "Sonic fans" but you're not seeing that "Sonic fans" are composed of "classic fans," "SATAM fans," "modern fans," "Archie fans," etc. Even within these subgroups, there are more divisions. This diversity should be celebrated. Sorry, but it would be awfully boring if everyone everywhere just likes everything Sonic. That's not fandom. That's product worship.

Now while Sonic the Hedgehog 4 did garner negativity from some of the fanbase, it should be of great importance to point out that Sonic Colors was an entirely different game which, for the most part, was released to high praise from most of the fan community. I don't think Sonic fans are simply being negative for the sake of being negative. I think they have high expectations due to the bar being set so high back in the 1990s and that SEGA either drops the ball or at least shows progress.

I think it's comical that people such as Jim Sterling who are highly critical of the fanbase for being, well, critical of Sonic 4 seem to have less than favorable words for Sonic Colors. But that's okay. It's their opinion. Sonic Colors is my favorite third-dimensional Sonic game to date. Not perfect, but it's getting there. People can disagree with me and those people can very well be Sonic fans.

You have your own reasons for ceasing your plans for future updates and like I said, that's your decision and I respect that. You've done an excellent job here. I also completely understand what you mean in your second-to-last paragraph, owning a fansite of my own which is entirely of my own creation. I simply wanted to throw in my two cents in defense of a fan community that gets too much flack for having a diverse range of opinions.
#8. Comment posted by LiQuidShade on Monday, 7th February 2011, 8:03pm
I can only thank you all for your very heartfelt reflections on my work and this news. I'm very touched that this project has had such an astounding effect on what seems to be quite a large number of people. I'm truly amazed!

Rom, thank you very much. :)

Ricky, don't be sad! There's still much to come before I close the doors, and your artwork will always be welcome here.

Mercury, thank you, I agree. I think the thing is, I've pretty much eliminated most of the laborious elements to the whole process. Everything left now is all down to the quality and consistency of the writing, layouts, graphics and maps, and it's something I feel only I can do. I'd say the map making is still quite time consuming (although a fraction of how much time it would take without your own brilliant extractor tools!), but purely because of all of the extra arrows and icons I add. It's the kind of thing that has too many little rules and intricacies that I've built up over time for anyone else to really grasp, I think.

MoDaD - Yes, keeping it to the classics does kind of give it a special kind of charm I must admit. Thank you, I hope it does continue to be used by many long after its last update.

JC, better late than never! You're very welcome here, thank you.

Dapassified, thanks! I can't really believe I've been so devoted to it myself, really. I think if you find something you care that much about though, you can find the desire to produce anything really, no matter how big. And one of the best things about this site has been the amazing reactions to it from people like yourselves and how, for some, there's something about Sonic that just really.. well, gives meaning to life, I suppose!

RS - Thanks a lot, glad to hear understanding from a fellow site owner. You're quite right, I'm painting with broad brush strokes when describing the community as I did there. There are of course many positive fans out there and many good things about the community - these messages alone are testament to that. I didn't wish to begin a debate between anyone about the state of the community, nor do I seek to change it. It's just that to me, there's too much negativity, even if it's not the only thing. Too many people with glass-half-empty expectations, and petty, destructive criticisms. It's not everyone, at all, and I've no idea if it's really even the majority, but they speak with louder voices to me, and there's enough of them for me to no longer enjoy reading the opinions of others about Sonic. They just depress me, and that's all it is really, just a personal reaction.

Many thanks again.
#9. Comment posted by KMetalmind on Monday, 7th February 2011, 9:22pm
It´s a shame. I´m going to tell the truth, I haven´t really read everything is here (after playing all classic Sonic games hundreds of times and finding most of the best hidden secrets of them around the internet, it´s hard to look at an in-depth guide), but anyway, it´s superb content. This could be sold on a guide and most Sonic fans would be buying it like crazy, even knowing the entire games.

I wish you luck in anything else you do, because it´s hard to find so perfect content out there.

And you know, don´t get too serious about *we* Sonic complainers. We have been deceived for years, and we haven´t got still a game as good as the classics. I´ve really enjoyed games like Megaman 9-10 and Castlevania HD, but Sonic it´s still far from becoming a masterpiece again. Anyway, they are really improving :)

Sincerely, good luck in anything you do, because it will be awesome for sure ;)
#10. Comment posted by Eurysilas on Tuesday, 8th February 2011, 5:03am
NOOO! I just found you.... :(

Do you know how hard it is to come by Sonic Guides as good as yours? Why, I'm saving your Sonic 2 guide to my HD as I type this! I understand how discouraging the 'net can be when it comes to "Help Promised vs. Help Received". You've got my absolute sympathy there. But before you turn this place into the Smithsonian...

Could you make a Sonic 3 & Knuckles walkthrough? Pretty please? To me, Sonic 3 & Knuckles was the pinnacle of Sonic gaming, with Sonic 2 being an EXTREMELY close second. You already have the best Sonic 2 guide on the 'net (I say this with complete confidence and utter certainty)- why not go out with a bang? You may be puzzled why I'm requesting something so specific when simply combining the released Sonic 3 guide and as-yet-unreleased Sonic and Knuckles guide would be a huge help already.....Well, as I said; the former and the latter were meant to be played as one game. You know it. I know it. Yuji Naka knows it. EVERYONE knows it, would be the point. So, for the best Sonic game, why not have the best guide? It's commonly known from just cursory research that both games have slight but significant tweaks to their level designs. These differences would not be readily apparent as a tacked on footnote in the individual guides for the two games alone.

Please. You would be providing an invaluable service to us forgotten fans of Sonic's glorious past. There is no one else doing work on par with your guides.
#11. Comment posted by LiQuidShade on Tuesday, 8th February 2011, 7:32pm
Thank you KMetalmind and Eurysilas - an impassioned speech, but I'm afraid I must decline on the joint guide for the two games. It's still a lot of work for something that I don't think is really necessary to be honest. Anything that is specific to S3&K, I have already been including as I go, in the maps and descriptions (and not necessarily just tacked on at the end - wherever relevant), and although they were meant to be the same game - I admittedly more often play them together rather than separately in fact - I still think it makes more sense to keep them separate. That is how they were released, and that is, more often than not, how they're re-released now. It's not just classic Sonic fans that frequent this site but relative newbies too, who may not even know the full score between those games, and I think it's less confusing to keep them separate.

Sorry, nice idea, but no. :)
#12. Comment posted by MNV on Wednesday, 9th February 2011, 9:52am
You have done fine work throughout the years. I'm sure the S&K guide will be just as thorough and enjoyable as the others. Thank you for your contributions to one of my favorite childhood memories.

You're right on the money about a lot of things in this post. Particularly how jaded internet communities have become and how depressing the constant focus on negativity is. This site has always been refreshing to me in that I don't see all the hate that fills the Sonic community here. Way to rise above the standard.

You have done exceedingly well and have gone far beyond the level of commitment most fans would ever be willing to give to something they love. Love is one of the things that makes this site so awesome. The love for the source material has been present in this site from the get-go and in my opinion finishing up the S&K guide would be a great capstone to a very rad project. Anyway, that's enough babbling. Great job, and whatever you find yourself doing in the future, keep on being awesome!
#13. Comment posted by AJ on Wednesday, 9th February 2011, 4:10pm
This is just depresing... I wish i could have helped write something but i have been busy with school. I want you to know i have enjoyed reading your guides and i cant wait for sonic and knuckles. i hope you enjoy life and stuff........ :'{
#14. Comment posted by Andrew on Friday, 11th February 2011, 9:26pm
I hope Ricky Earl will continue with his artwork. The future of this websote seems great! My brother needs a walkthrough for something in Sonic & Knuckles. But he might have found it already.
#15. Comment posted by Traxus on Saturday, 12th February 2011, 3:45pm
:( I love your guides.
#16. Comment posted by Max-Ale on Saturday, 12th February 2011, 10:24pm
I would like to help
#17. Comment posted by Tricky E on Tuesday, 15th February 2011, 12:42pm
I will at LEAST see out Sonic 2, Andrew
I'm glad the website will continue to exist for as long as possible :)
#18. Comment posted by Oobo on Thursday, 24th February 2011, 4:55pm
I serched the internet and NO OTHER GUIDE in the internet (That i can find) is this good! I love your work...I was hoping for a guide for sonic 4 at some point...I get your point though, you have good reasons to stop. I would love it if you got other writers to help and/or write more guides, but if not, oh well. This is still the greatist guide to sonic ever.
P.S. Thank you for all your help with sonic 3, and especially with the @#$% barrels in carnival night!
#19. Comment posted by CJ on Saturday, 12th March 2011, 6:01am
Thats too bad. I like the site. Its clean, very very informative and you can the tlc that went into the details. Your effort is appreciated. Good luck on future endeavors.
#20. Comment posted by SpeedingHedgehog on Sunday, 13th March 2011, 3:44am
Well, I know I'm a little late on the comment-train, but I will like to say thank you for all the guides you have made so far, and wish you good luck with your last one! Finish strong and hard!
#21. Comment posted by murphy341 on Monday, 9th May 2011, 11:24pm
Definately a shame, as a childhood fan of the games I can say this is the best sonic site by far, its so in depth, appreciate all the hard work
#22. Comment posted by Hyper_Sonic on Sunday, 17th July 2011, 12:02pm
I'd imagine that blue spheres wouldn't be THAT time consuming. Consider it, OK, i'm VERY late on the "comment train", but hey, as I said, consider it.
#23. Comment posted by MAR on Monday, 22nd August 2011, 6:53am
I'm very impressed with this site. From the detail and amount of information to allowing anyone to add extra tips and comments, it's refined and set up to incorporate anything you missed.

About your gripes with the community's negativity: most of them are just as nostalgic as you. When they think of their childhood, Sonic is a part of that. I'm one of those who hasn't cared for anything since sonic adventure 2. Some of it is me not owning anything newer than a Dreamcast, but a lot of it is the reviews and information I keep reading. But this shit about him turning into a werewolf and next-gen graphics but horrible playability? I don' care for it. To me it's as if they are shitting on the Sonic universe with half-assed efforts. Now that may be too negative for you, but that's how I'm reacting to their treatment of Sonic. I do think you're too soft in this regard and I honestly have no idea what this "unmistakable" "new direction" they are taking. I guess Sonic 4 was kind of interesting, if it wasn't for the horrible physics. Maybe you mean Generations? Looks the most interesting since anything after SA2, but all this combo crap and automatic attacks/moves (like auto grind rail switching, really, is it that hard to just jump?) really turn me off. Sure, many fans critique a lot, but it's because they hold the original 5 in the highest regard and they hold anything new to the highest standard. Personally, I'd be ecstatic if they did a 16-bit sidescroller, but that's not happening and they already messed up the small effort there was in that direction. I wasn't crazy about moving to 3-d but I found Adventure 1 and 2 had their appeal (despite the beginning of the endless amounts of special gear and auto lock attacks [they could have had you aim at the enemies a bit to make it work instead of auto]. But then things changed. Even SA2 on gamecube was beginning to show me mistakes (the 2 player battle mode was a lot less fun than the cart racing). Maybe I'm just being an old curmudgeon stuck in the past, but there are valid points and you can't deny SEGA is catering to new fans, which means most of it will be dumbed down. So in the end, there will never be another original 5. The amount of talent they had, how much they got perfect from the level design to the music, how each new game was a continuation and logical building upon the last. It just won't happen again, and not just because of 16-bit, but because the demographic has changed and much of gaming has changed as a result. Sonic is still stuck in '94 but that's okay with me. Sure I wish somehow it continued, but I'm immensely grateful we had so much quality output by those development teams and really I shouldn't ask for anything more.

Well, if I offended you, just thought I'd share my view and help you see how your nostalgia is the same as everyone elses. So, let's forget about the present and raise a toast to the glory of yesteryear! Oh Sonic...
#24. Comment posted by David on Thursday, 1st September 2011, 11:01pm
I Could'nt Believe When I Saw This And All I Can Say Is THIS IS WAS AND WILL BE THE BEST SONIC FAN(HECK WITH THIS NON FANS THAT's RIGHT I'M SAYING YOU'RE BETTER AT MAKING GAMEGUIDES FOR SONIC THEN EVEN SEGA AND SONIC TEAM(ORIGINAL AND NON)AND I RESPECT YOUR WISHES SO HAVE A GOOD LIVE(OR LIVES) AND DONT LET ANYTHING(JUST SAYING.....DON't ASK) AND ANYONE TELL YOU OTHERWISE(:
(;
...Oh p.s i Have done Some Sonic Fan Stuff Myself In Sonic CD's Coments And I Know That's Not Even Comparable To YOUR WORK!!!!!GASPS FOR (BREATH) And Really All Sonic Games Are Great Dont Get Me Wrong I Can See What All Of You Mean And And What Kmetalmind Said Is True I Mean Have You Seen Sonic Colors?(Wii)Anyway I'm A Devoted Sonic Fan Myself And You Are A Ture Sonic Fan I Can Tell Seriously And Farewell Fellow Sonic Fan!!!!!!!!!!
#25. Comment posted by Adam on Wednesday, 7th September 2011, 12:09am
In response to those who say Sonic won't be the same again, remember the original Sonic team is practically gone. even the head of current Sonic team was only around since Sonic and Knuckles
#26. Comment posted by ALEXISTH on Tuesday, 20th December 2011, 2:44am
:( I HOPE TO SEE SONIC 4 AND GENERATIONS
#27. Comment posted by Josh on Saturday, 24th December 2011, 11:26pm
Looks like the S&K guide was never finished =/
I had hoped at least that one would have been completed... just the guides for the originals would have made an awesome site in itself.
Still, the content on this site, and well, the entire site, is superb.
#28. Comment posted by Wassapman on Wednesday, 25th January 2012, 2:33am
God since Cybershell's epic reveal of this, (For me anyway), I've loved this site. Sonic and Knuckles should be done soon, Since you're up to Sky Sanctuary. Lets finish this stuff!
Sonic 3 Complete!
Wednesday, 2nd February 2011, 10:37pm (UTC), 5 Comments
Update: Sonic 3 guide now complete! Launch Base Zone, Miscellaneous Notes, and Downloads pages added.
Finally!.. This guide seems to have lasted forever, but Sonic 3 is now complete at last! Feels pretty good, I must say. I've even treated you to a three for one offer - A whole level, a brief info page, and the always popular Downloads page. The latter two only took me the last two or three evenings to pull together, so I thought I'd wait a bit and bundle them all in one update.

As I mentioned in my last post, Launch Base Zone, so vastly different in its Sonic 3 and Sonic 3 & Knuckles versions, gets two maps per act. Thankfully this is the last time I'll have to add water to my maps too, which is always a pain. Miscellaneous contains the usual stuff really, although at the last minute I decided to add a short summary of the whole Michael Jackson debacle and theories behind his involvement in the soundtrack. Some quite interesting things that I thought worth including, although mostly from Sonic Retro, I must admit. And of course, the all important Downloads page - a higher ranker in my page stats for each of the other three guides, so I expect much the same again.

I'll keep things short and sweet. There's been fantastically little going on in Sonic's world lately to discuss anyway, even if I had the inclination to do so right now. Sonic & Knuckles is the next guide, as you'd imagine, and it will be starting soon. I do aim for it to be complete much quicker than Sonic 3 was, mostly for my own personal benefit, but whether it will or not is anybody's guess. Before I do that though, I will post again soon, hopefully this weekend, and unless I change my mind between now and then, it'll be a very very important post. One that you'll want to pay attention to if you care about the future of this site.

That's all I'll say for now. Enjoy the new sections..!
Comments   5 Comments have been posted.
#1. Comment posted by sonictails1189 on Friday, 4th February 2011, 8:47pm
Finally, Launch Base Zone! Been looking forward to this one. There are a lot of hard to reach paths in this place, and the special zone rings are rather hidden, so I hope this can actually help some people out. Not to mention seeing the differences between the two versions of this zone. Should be interesting.

Definitely looking forward to Sonic & Knuckles. I'll keep checking back for your updates (like this weekend) to see what's new.
#2. Comment posted by Andrew on Friday, 4th February 2011, 9:00pm
I kept on looking and hoping for Launch Base zone ever since you mentioned it in the December blog.
My time has come!
#3. Comment posted by TrueDude on Saturday, 5th February 2011, 2:05am
What're you going to do with Blue Sphere? Is it going to share a page with Sonic & Knuckles or be a seperate article on it's own?
#4. Comment posted by LiQuidShade on Saturday, 5th February 2011, 9:20am
Thanks all :)

Blue Sphere will be part of the Sonic & Knuckles guide.
#5. Comment posted by MoDaD on Sunday, 6th February 2011, 2:53am
Thanks for working so hard on all of these great guides. The level of detail, as always, is great and the visual style you use in presenting everything just makes it even better. It's all very professional while still having a fun feel. I think someone else may have mentioned to it, but is it true that if you're Super Sonic while fighting the final boss in Sonic 3 that he can still grab you?
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We've finally done it! The Zone: 0 guides have reached their last big update. Owner LiQuidShade has new projects on the horizon, but this site will always remain in his heart.