Sega Sonic the Hedgehog Arcade

-- General Info --

Title: Sega Sonic the Hedgehog Arcade
System: Arcade
Developer: Sega of Japan
Genre: Action
Rating: n/a

-- Release Info --

Japan: June, 1993 (Sega Sonic the Hedgehog Arcade)
USA: September, 1993 (Sega Sonic the Hedgehog Arcade)
Europe: September, 1993 (Sega Sonic the Hedgehog Arcade)

-- Media --

· Control deck
· Old GameFan screenshots

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-- Sega Sonic the Hedgehog Arcade -- Do not attempt to adjust your computer monitor. I control the tint. I control the horizontal and the vertical. You are now entering another dimension. A dimension of squirrels and armadillos. A dimension of track balls and three-player action. (Yes, I am aware of how dirty that last sentence sounds.) You are now entering: the Sonic Arcade zone! Do-do-do-do-do-do... Submitted for your approval: the bigfoot of the Sonic world. A game so rare, not even I, the omniscient, all-knowing guru of everything Sonic, have played it. The entity that is Sega Sonic the Hedgehog Arcade...

-- Story -- Dr. Robotnik's next shot at world domination comes in the form of his new island base, Eggman Island. When Sonic and his new buddies Ray the Squirrel and Mighty the Armadillo drop in uninvited, Robotnik catches them by surprise with a huge machine. After finding themselves imprisoned in a tower, the trio break free onto the island, and decide that some major property damage must be done...

-- Gameplay Info -- Well now, how can I describe a game I've never played? Uh...well, this is what I know: the game is played from an isometric perspective (ala Sonic 3D Blast), and seems to be something of a cross between traditional Sonic gameplay and a Streets of Rage-style brawler. Up to three people can play at once (as Sonic the Hedgehog, Mighty the Armadillo, or Ray the Flying Squirrel), and characters are controlled using a rolling sphere ("Track Ball") rather than a standard arcade joystick. (They say the track ball's more of a pain than it's worth, as the player's arms are apt to get tired very quickly.) There are seven levels in total, and they are as follows:

Volcanic Vault Zone
Ice Cave Zone
Desert Dodge Zone
Metropolis Trance Zone
???
???
Final Zone

It's also interesting to note that Arcade was the first Sonic game to sport a fully-animated intro, complete with voice-overs. Here's a brief description of the cinema, courtesy of Randy Guy: "It consisted of a close up of a big steel fortress, then front view of Sonic running towards the screen looking panicked. Eggman drives up behind him in a big tank type thing with teeth and actually captures Sonic. Eggman drives past the screen and then turns around and heads back to his fortress with Sonic in a cage in the back, and both are yelling stuff in Japanese."

-- Screenshots --

-- Behind the Screens -- Sonic's first (but not last) stop in arcades, Sonic Arcade apparently got a fair distribution in Japanese arcades, but was extremely minimally received in Western markets. It seems odd the game didn't get a wider release coming right on the heels of Sonic 2 and the beginning of Sonicmania...and especially after it received such a positive response at the 1993 Consumer Electronics Show.

Eye-witness reports claim that Sonic Arcade machines can still be found at a handfull of well-established Sega Gameworks, most notably the one in London. I'm looking for pictures of the machine as well as any more gameplay info you can provide, and if you help me, you'll be my bestest friend forever and ever! This position, of course, entitles you to your own manor at Castle Gibbon complete with a harem full of cute anime girls and all the Drano Cookies you can stomach. Unless, of course, you happen to be an attractive female, which is even better -- you get to stay with me!

Screenshots thanks to Michael "G. Silver" Stearns. Additional info thanks to Gabriel Guevremont and Randy Guy. Information written and compiled 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. I just know there's a way to use the word "trackball" in dirty context...