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System: Arcade, Master System Year: 1988 Gameplay Info: A wacky side-scrolling action game. Players control either Bin or Pin, a pair of colorful ducks punching, kicking, and bombing their way through a series of levels in order to save their cute owner, Lucy from a big ugly king freak. In the Master System version, there is no Pin and Bin seems to be Lucy's boyfriend who was transformed into a duck by the big ugly king freak who nabbed Lucy. Oookay... Relation to Sonic: Bean the Dynamite, the bomb-hurling lunatic duck who first appeared in AM2's Sonic the Fighters, was directly inspired by the characters in this game. Infact, Bean's alternate "costume" in AM2's Fighters Megamix is the original Bin.
System: Genesis/Mega Drive Year: 1991 Gameplay Info: Players control Flicky, a bluebird out to free all his feathery friends whilst avoiding a bunch of nasty housecats. I get the feeling that Sonic 3D Blast and Chu-Chu Rocket both owe their existence to Flicky and the gang. Relation to Sonic: Although Flicky never obtained his own mascothood, the Flicky species has gone on to play a major role in the Sonic series. System: Arcade Year: 1991 Gameplay Info: An early Sega arcade racing title. Relation to Sonic: There's a Sonic ornament hanging from the rear-view mirror, making this Sonic's first ever cameo appearance. System: Genesis/Mega Drive Year: Around 1993 Gameplay Info: It's up to Centy, a 14-year old boy, to save the world from the hands of darkness. An action-RPG...actually, it's a shameless Zelda rip-off. But at least it was a good one. Unique to the game was the "animal pal" system, whereby players befriended a number of animals throughout the journey, each with their own special abilities to lend to Centy. Players can mix & match up to two animals at once. Relation to Sonic: Down one particular beach, players are pleasantly surprised to the sight of their favorite hedgehog tanning himself on a lounge chair! Talk to Sonic and he says: "Tsk, tsk. I'm a gallant hedgehog. Don't mess or you'll get burned." I don't think anyone ever actually figured out what that's supposed to mean, but at least he talked... System: Sega CD/Mega CD Year: 1993 Gameplay Info: A side-scrolling action-RPG, from the creators of the Ys series (and pretty much identical in gameplay). Players control Mail, a supersexy female elf bounty hunter; Tatto, a young & polite wizard-in-training; and Gaw, a big-mouthed baby dragon, through numerous levels of puzzles & action. Relation to Sonic: In a cutscene early in the game, there's bulletin board with a small child's drawing of Sonic tacked up. Actually, it's colored pink, so it's probably Amy or something, I dunno... System: Arcade/Saturn Year: 1994 Gameplay Info: A new standard in classic arcade racing, and the second game to utilize Sega's Model 2 board. Had great music, too... Relation to Sonic: Perhaps the greatest tribute to the blue blur that has ever been. In the Three-Seven Speedway track, one point had racers passing by a large mountain. Carved right into the side of said mountain was none other than Sonic the Hedgehog. Immortalized in stone...well, polygon stone. Somewhat disturbingly, the recently-released Daytona USA 2: Battle on the Edge is devoid of said hedgehog landmark, even though the same course (Three-Seven Speedway) is present. System: Sega CD Year: 1994 Gameplay Info: Marvel's web-slinging superhero makes yet another trip into GameLand. Relation to Sonic: In the game's FMV ending, a carving of Sonic's head can be spotted on a cave in the background. System: Game Gear Year: 1994 Gameplay Info: Wacky platformer hijinks starring America's favorite cat & mouse duo, the irrepressible Tom and Jerry. As the title might suggest, this game was released right on the heels of the lame-ass movie. Relation to Sonic: As depicted in the screenshot below, an ad for Sonic appears on the windows of a bookstore in the background. (Sonic in a bookstore?)
 System: Sega CD Year: 1994 Gameplay Info: An F1 racing simulator. Relation to Sonic: Sonic and Tails' heads can be spotted on billboards on certain tracks. System: Genesis/Mega Drive Year: Around 1994 Gameplay Info: One of those fruity "art" titles. Like similar games, players draw pictures, color them in, and add various effects. Relation to Sonic: Sonic and Tails grace the game's cover, and are also present within as "paste" items.
System: Saturn Year: 1995 Gameplay Info: The evil Queen Cadavra has laid the snatch on Bug's family! Now he must rescue them! Actually, it's just a movie and Bug is the star. In what can possibly be considered the world's true first 3D platformer, players are given the added luxuries of moving in and out as well as left and right. However, the game is still played entirely on tracks, and introduces nothing really new to the genre. Relation to Sonic: One of the game's numerous bonus stages has our pal Bug racing against a very familiar blue hedgehog! System: 32X Year: 1995 Gameplay Info: Players take control of Metal Head, the ultimate cyborg warrior, patrolling the urban remains of the great war...a job made more difficult by the fact that a mecha-force is gunning for him. A 3D shooter. Relation to Sonic: Sonic appears on a billboard in the scenery. System: Arcade/Saturn Year: 1995 Gameplay Info: The fighter that redefined the genre and wrote the book on 3D fighting design. Realistic fighting styles introduce a new depth, and one which has only been surpassed by Virtua Fighter 3. Relation to Sonic: I'm not sure if this was in the arcade version, but in the Saturn version, when you played Jacky Bryant against Sarah Bryant (or vice versa), you get a hidden stage called "Chicago." Looks like a city back alley. Anyway, there's a brick wall in the background with grafitti all over it...and you can about guess the rest from there. Wow, from an expertly-carved stone mountain to sloppily spray-painted grafitti. That can't be a good sign... System: Saturn Year: 1996 Gameplay Info: Sir Tongara de Pepperouchau III (or just "Pepper" for short) returns to save the playroom once again in glorious 2D platforming action. Armed with nothing but a key for a weapon, Pepper's got until morning to rescue Clockwork Princess Chelsea from her mysterious captor. Without Chelsea's magical voice to awaken them, the toys will fall into an eternal state of slumber. Relation to Sonic: In one of the hidden movies, a Sonic toy of some sort can be seen sitting on a shelf. System: Saturn Year: 1996 Gameplay Info: A completely re-vamped version of the arcade original. Improved graphics & control, remixed music, and two new tracks. Relation to Sonic: That same Sonic mountain, of course! System: Arcade/Saturn Year: 1996 Gameplay Info: From the creators of the legendary Virtua Fighter series comes a rougher, more brutal, and faster-paced brawler. Relation to Sonic: I don't know about the arcade, but in the Saturn intro, in Sanman's pile of toys you can see a model of the airship Tails built to reach the Death Egg II in Sonic the Fighters. System: Arcade Year: 1996 Gameplay Info: One of the first titles to utilize Model 3 technology (the obvious successor to Model 2). Almost identical to Daytona USA, except with weirder courses and without the official Daytona license. Relation to Sonic: Although not quite as grand as being carved into the side of a polygon mountain, the hedgehog with an attitude does appear on a polygon billboard down the Beginner track. It's better than nothing. System: Genesis/Mega Drive Year: 1997 Gameplay Info: A collection of six classic Genesis titles all stuffed into one cartridge. Includes: Golden Axe, Sonic the Hedgehog, Columns, Revenge of Shinobi, Streets of Rage, and Super Hang-On. Relation to Sonic: The original Sonic 1 is included in the collection.
System: Saturn Year: 1997 Gameplay Info: A fighting fan's dream, Virtua Fighter characters going up against Fighting Vipers characters in the same game. Aside from AM2's two key fighting series, many cameos from their older arcade games were sprinkled in. Guests included: Bark the Polarbear & Bean the Dynamite (from Sonic the Fighters), Janet Marshall (from Virtua Cop), Siba (a rejected VF character), Kids Akira & Kids Sarah (from Virtua Fighter Kids), Rent-A-Hero (from Rent-A-Hero, an early Genesis RPG), and even the Hornet (from Daytona USA). Relation to Sonic: The presence of Bark and Bean, as well as the South Island and Aurora Icefield arenas from AM2's Sonic the Fighters. System: Arcade, Saturn Year: 1997 Gameplay Info: AM3 takes a shot at AM2's crown: 3D fighting. It's no Virtua Fighter, but the weapons-based Last Bronx successfully combines intense fighting gameplay, brilliant character design, great music, crisp graphics, and a remarkably original story into a more than worthy competitor. Relation to Sonic: In Tommy's stage (Cross Street), you can see a poster of Sonic on one of the buildings in the background. Also, it's difficult to notice, but there is a sticker of Sonic on Tommy's outfit. System: Arcade Year: 1997 Gameplay Info: One of the last games made for the Model 2 board, although it never came home. As the name might imply, it's a Jet Ski racing game and that's all I know. Relation to Sonic: Sonic graces the back of the racer's lifejacket. System: Arcade Year: 1997 Gameplay Info: Sequel to the popular Virtua Striker, arcade soccer at its finest. Among the first slew of games to utilize the Model 3 board. Relation to Sonic: Through a secret code, players can access a special team consisting of a cast of totally whacked-out characters. One of these is none other than our very own Bean the Dynamite! Now that's one explosive game of soccer...
 
System: Saturn Year: 1998 Gameplay Info: It's like a Bandai Tamagotchi, except you can do all sorts of other stuff, like take your Tamagotchi to a theme park, or even have it fall in love. I don't know too much about this game (which wasn't released outside of Japan)...I don't even think "Saturn Tamagotchi" was the actual title. Relation to Sonic: Treat your Tamagotchi just right, and it grows up intooo...the super secret Sonagotchi (pictured below)! Kawaii! 
System: Arcade Year: 1998 Gameplay Info: The classic side-scrolling multi-player brawler is finally brought to the current generation. Up to four players at once control fighters Spike, White, Linda, or Tenshin through numerous stages of mean street brawling. Relation to Sonic: Sonic Team's flagship creation makes yet another stop in AM2 offices for cameo work. Look for Sonic standing near an elevator in one of the levels.  System: Arcade Year: 1998 Gameplay Info: Based on the real-life 24-hour endurance race in France. Relation to Sonic: Via a secret code, Sonic becomes playable in a unique off-road vehicle. Pull into the pit, however, and he's switched for a strange dog character... 
System: PC Year: 1998 Gameplay Info: A classics collection containing: Sonic 3 & Knuckles, Garfield: Caught in the Act, and Baku-Baku. Sonic and Garfield in the same game...can you smell the attitude? Relation to Sonic: Sonic 3 & Knuckles is included in the collection. 
System: PC Year: 1999 Gameplay Info: A classics collection containing: Altered Beast, Columns, Golden Axe, Outrun, Phantasy Star 2, Sonic Spinball, Super Shinobi and Vectorman. Relation to Sonic: Sonic Spinball is included in the collection. 
System: PC Year: 1999 Gameplay Info: A classics collection containing: Columns III, Lose Your Marbles, and Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine. Relation to Sonic: Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine is included in the collection. 
System: Dreamcast Year: 1999 Gameplay Info: Man the Hot Wheels and stoke the Lego cannons, it's grand-scale war...in a playroom. A clever combat sim with a playroom theme...just like those games of "war" you used to play when you were a kid, only without the mess to clean up afterward! Relation to Sonic: In some stages, the background sports a Sonic calendar (reading March 1999, for whatever that's worth). System: Dreamcast Year: 1999 Gameplay Info: Take on the role of Ryo Hazuki in his quest to discover the truth behind his father's death in the most realistic videogame ever created. Yu Suzuki's magnum opus, Shenmue delivers a flawless virtual city that is a living, breathing world all its own. Completely unlike any other videogame before it, the big-budgeted Shenmue busts genres like no other gaming revolution. Relation to Sonic: You'll find vending machines in which you can win a number of Sonic toys. The toys are based on the Sonic the Fighters character models, and include: Sonic (two models), Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Fang, Espio, Bark, Bean, Metal Sonic, Robotnik, and Super Sonic. (Can you say "time paradox?" Shenmue takes place in the 1980's. Sonic, of course, wasn't created until 1990.) There's also a NiGHTS figure (two models), as well as a Chao & Nightopian set. Allegedly, the Super Sonic figure is devilishly difficult to obtain. 
Information compiled and arranged by Jared "Green Gibbon!" Matte. Make no mistake, this site is a part of SonicNEXT. All Sonic related materials are copyright Sega Enterprises. SonicNEXT is created by Zifei Wu. Space provided by VGHQ.com. Did you guys know that I made a cameo in Sonic R? No, I swear! Have a second player control as Tails and he takes on a greenish hue. Guess who? |