There was a time when The Green Hill Zone was the ultimate destination for all things Sonic the Hedgehog. At least, all things involving the Sonic games. Well, up to about Sonic Heroes. But who needs to know about what’s come since, right?
Let’s rewind.
Back in 1997, Jared “Green Gibbon!” Matte started a website called The Green Hill Zone. It was slightly unusual, considering the time it was made. Instead of focusing on the Archie comic, or the Saturday morning series, or trying to cover every single aspect of the Sonic franchise, it’s focus was singular - to talk about the games. Green Gibbon! was a Sonic fan, but he was also a Sonic Team fan. NiGHTS, Burning Rangers? They deserved just as much coverage as Sonic the Hedgehog 2. It was an era when Sonic Team could do no wrong. Each game they had worked on was a critical and commercial hit, even if the Sega Saturn wasn’t as successful as one would have hoped.
As the Internet grew, it wasn’t long before Sonic fans from around the world could talk to each other at a moment’s notice. From this exchange of information, it soon became clear that Sonic, as a character, was not presented in the same way in every region the games were sold. Sure, he was meant to be that cool blue dude, but the details varied. In Japan, the storyline was very different than the one presented in the west. There was no Princess Sally, no Freedom Fighters. There wasn’t even an R.O.C.C., and Robotnik was never the kindly Dr. Ovi Kintobor. Heck, he wasn’t even Robotnik! HIs name was Dr. Eggman, an evil genius with the temperament of a child who had been fighting with Sonic long before the events of the original Sonic the Hedgehog. Learning about these discrepancies, Green Gibbon! wanted his site to not only focus on the games, but the lore the original developers had created.
The core of The GHZ was The Museum, each page dedicated to one of the many games in the Sonic franchise. Giving himself the task to write so much, it would have been easy for GG! to just type out some dry prose, presenting the facts like a dusty encyclopedia. But he wanted to have a bit of fun with this project. The site was a personal passion, so he injected his unique wit and charm into every write-up. Loaded to the brim with Sonic minutia, the GG! style is what drew in his audience. Visitors would come to the site every day, not only to see the most recent updates, but also read his daily musings, and take part in weekly polls.
A veritable cast of characters started to frequent the site, posting on the message board, becoming friends with the Sonic enthusiast. Bo Bayles, Pepperidge, Segaholic2, Delphine, Popcorn, Michael Sterns. They defined the site nearly as much as its administrator. Even as the critical acclaim of the series downturned in the 2000’s, the community remained active. Somehow, becoming cynical allowed the site to endure, and was still one of the top resources for learning about the gaming world of Sonic the Hedgehog.
Those who visited the site regularly were rewarded, the community forming its own inside jokes that only those paying attention would get. Talk about the “Dark Lord Naka,” or making a plate of Drano Cookies (please don’t try them at home) were things frequently referenced. Tails Doll became a meme on the site long before it was cool. A handful of these were even referenced in the pages of the Archie Sonic comic book when Jon “WB” Gray became an artist on the book. The legacy of the site was immortalized in print, with a select few able to wink back.
As of February 2020, the site still exists. There’s still a forum, though it is nowhere near as active as it once was. The front page of the site stopped updating in 2012, the once flourishing newsboard last had a headline in 2016, and Green Gibbon? He went quiet years ago. When he started the site, he was someone barely a teenager, with more free time than they knew what to do with. As the years went on, he went to school, got a job, moved to a different country. Though Sonic surely still holds some special place in his heart, he no longer had either the time or the energy to continue writing for the site. After all, unlike the Sonic sites that continue to exist, The GHZ was defined by his personality. For anyone else to write the museum pages of the latest Sonic game, it would feel wrong.
As of March 2020, www.theghz.com is currently unable to handle this request. HTTP ERROR 500. Welp.
As of April 2020, the site returned. Crisis averted?
Below is a small archive of the history of the site, its features, and the people who made it special. I should make clear that this archive is not maintained by Green Gibbon!, or anyone who ran the site. Just a lurker who’d post from time to time, and whose formative years of the Internet were filled with joy and entertainment because of the antics of this humble Sonic resource.
