15 replies to this topic

[Hogfather]

So this was brought to my attention recently and I thought it was pretty cool so I thought I'd mention it here to.

Over at retro theres a rather interesting topic right now called "Sonic 1 prototype images." To save time explaining, someone found a bunch of new Sonic 1 proto screenshots from a japanese magazine called 'Beep' and put them in the topic. This is from the 1990 build of the game, incidentally at SOS last year, this was the one that Yuji Naka said they wanted to include into Sonic Mega Collection, but the build is lost somewhere in Sega.

Now we're all familiar with this image right?



Suggesting that at some point madonna was actually in a build of a game, even if it was just as a sprite/title screen image.

Now... are we also all familiar with this image?



It's one of the oldest concept art images around, there has been no footage or screenshots showing any of these designs in a game, other than Madonna...

Until now. Take a look at this.



See the image on the left? That blue blur thing just to the left of Sonic? What is that? Well... over at Retro, Azukara did this...



It's the purple monster guy!

Still not convinced? Check out Sonicgenesis89's enhancement/enlargement of that screenshot and see for yourself.

As someone there dubbed him, "Mr Monster Guy" actually made it into one of the earliest builds of the game! Now as cool as a discovery as this is, it also adds a bit of a new question... what else from that concept art made it into the game? We might never ever know the answer to this since as Naka says, the prototype is 'lost.' But it does go to show that some magazines out there might actually have undiscovered screens that have additional secrets inside.

The full topic is here if you fancy a read of it.



Edit: Oh yeah I should also say, the image of Mr Monster Guy is from a camera, not a scanned image or a screencap. Meaning that if someone has the original magazine, we could get a much clearer image if someone can scan it.

However since this magazine is Japanese, chances are it's not that common, does anyone have this magazine or know anyone who might have it who would be willing to scan?

Edited by Hogfather, 20 February 2012 - 11:01 PM.

[Jake Bird]

That's pretty cool. Though I'm glad it never made it to the game, cool as that concept art is, the monsters are a little too generic "weird plat former villain"

That said, I'd love to see more, the big ghost guy and bumble bee eggman especially

[Chaos Walker]

Well... this is going to become a hack now....

[Gabe]

Huh......never knew that he actually made it in as a later scrapped badnik. Very interesting.

[Reggie Fils-Aime]

I was expecting something related to Sonic the Werehog. Curse you Light Gaiaaaaa!

[Jake Bird]

It's weird to think that we came so close to a game that's so different to the finished product. Makes you wonder how the series would have progressed

[Barry the Nomad]

Cool find! Purple Monster Guy reminds me of an Unleashed Gaia enemy:



Fat, bluish-purple, underbite, fangs.

[goku262002]

Right now those screens are just from digital camera quality. were waiting on actual, clear scans to get a better idea of how the monster dude looked. but its a pretty cool discovery none the less.

This is the kind of thing we should show to Yuji Naka but its too bad we spent that on that idiot hoax this year.

[Azookara]

Thanks for making this topic, Hogfather! I'm glad somebody did.

Anywho, more info..

Re: Palette..

[snippet of screenshot]
[snippet of picture of the baddie]

You guys do realise, using the Ending palette for the purple flowers, that Palette Line 0 uses blue and red (as in the screenshot), and Palette Line 1 uses purple and yellow (as in that concept art)?

EDIT: Palette for reference:

This further supports the factor that this badnik-before-badniks was here; because although you could just dismiss that picture of that blue area as a motion blur or blob, having the red and blue right beside the purple and yellow (the colors of the baddie in the original picture) in the ending GHZ's palette line confirms this baddie's existence.

It also confirms that these monsters came in multiple colors, much like the Koopa Troopas in Super Mario Bros...!

Aaaaand thanks to ICEKnight of Retro, we have custom-made sprites (using said palette lines) that give us enough of an idea as to what these little cretins really did look like:



Not perfect, but they do a dang good job.

Edited by Azukara, 22 February 2012 - 05:54 PM.

[DuraV]

Cool find! The little guy reminds me of a troggle with arms, myself.

[Tylky]

What an interesting find. I was just reading that forum on Sonic Retro and I do believe that this is quite correct. As stated, the palette colours prove this is the early badnik and the basic pencil drawn outline seconds this.

I wonder what else would have been included? Would that one-handed bat-like creature feature in Marble Zone? Seems to have the colour for it.

I wish there was a legit video for that 1990 Sega tech demo.

[Dr. Crusher]

Very nice stuff. But I'm glad they used Badniks instead.

[Gammy-kins]

Nice....hmm..didn't they use the concept with Sonic OVA. With Sara, but making her a catgirl?

[goku262002]

Scans are here!:
http://megadrive.me/...ly-sonic-scans/

Retro guessed how he looked right down to the letter!! amazing.

[FFWF]

I was going to say "I'm not sure how I feel about Sonic vs. monsters," but then I remembered.

[Mono]

Real interesting find. Thanks for this.