Shaping Canon: Where does Sonic CD fit in the timeline?

[Nepenthe]

Episode 1's hint at Metal Sonic was enough to cause people to actually speculate about CD hints the next episode; Lo and behold those suspicions turned out to be true. In hindsight, it wasn't a hard thing to decipher anyway; take into account that S4 is just as much a homage to the older games, if not more so, as it is its own standalone thing, so allowing for CD connections in Episode 2 seems about as in line with what Ep.1 did with Sonic 1 and 2. It makes plenty of sense to me.

[AM2]

Reposting this from my topic because I didn't know there was discussion already. That's what I get for not being here, my first topic gets locked.

So, after buying and playing the awesomeness that is the re-release of Sonic CD with playable Tails, I started wondering, "Well what if Tails was meant to be playable originally playable on the Sega CD release but got cut because of time constraints and was put back and worked into the game again?" If it was completely new and done by the re-release's staff go ahead and tell me. But because of 4 Episode 2's adverrtised connection with Sonic CD, what would be the new timeline for the Genesis games?

Originally I thought this was it (before Sonic 4)

Sonic 1

Sonic CD

2

3 & Knuckles

Now it seems like Sega is going for:

1

2

3 & Knuckles

Sonic CD

Sonic 4

2 and 3&K have to stay that way because Sonic 3 starts RIGHT AFTER 2's ending cutscene. I originally thought CD was before 2 because lack of Tails and reused Sonic 1 sprite made it seem like a prequel of sorts to 2. But now the re-release and Sonic 4 have changed that.

Thoughts? Opinions? Wanna get on me for not being on here for so darn long?

Edited April 10, 2012 by AM2

[Indigo Rush]

Well, taking everything into account, and from considerable support from fellow members, it appears that Sonic CD takes place between Sonic 1 and Sonic 2 due to:

-Tails' absence, and the implications that he'll appear in the next game as seen in an easter egg

-Sonic 2 and CD being developed simultaneously, and Sonic CD was originally intended to be a remake of Sonic 1, making its roots closer to Sonic 1

-The time between Sonic CD and Sonic 4 could possibly be a year at the very least, which is the longest time it takes for the Little Planet to make its cycle back to Sonic's world

Sonic CD is a prologue to Sonic 4 in the sense that Metal Sonic and the Little Planet are featured, however this does not mean that it takes place directly before Sonic 4.

That's pretty much what I'm going with.

Edited April 10, 2012 by Indigo Rush

[Phos]

That Sonic CD takes place after games that weren't made yet is very unlikely.

Only Sonic 1 was finished at that point and Sonic 2 was in development on the other side of the planet.

Therefore Sonic CD takes place after 1 or 2 with 1 being much more likely.

[AM2]

That Sonic CD takes place after games that weren't made yet is very unlikely.

Only Sonic 1 was finished at that point and Sonic 2 was in development on the other side of the planet.

Therefore Sonic CD takes place after 1 or 2 with 1 being much more likely.

Okay so it would stay the same like I thought it has been before Sonic 4.

[Chaos Rush]

I believe there is no sure way to tell where Sonic CD fits into the timeline, as it was made during a time when Sonic didn't really have a continuity at all (and his Japanese and Western setting differed greatly).

Also because at one point, Sonic 2 and Sonic CD was originally one project called Sonic 2. But according to Sonic Retro, some team wanted to do time travel and more Sonic 1-slower game play, while another team wanted to do faster gameplay, so it split into two projects: the Sonic 2 we know on MegaDrive/Genesis, and Sonic CD.

And if I were to make it fit into the timeline, I wouldn't even care about what Sonic 4 says because that's just a joke fangame by Dimps.

[Marcello]

I believe there is no sure way to tell where Sonic CD fits into the timeline, as it was made during a time when Sonic didn't really have a continuity at all (and his Japanese and Western setting differed greatly).

[JezMM]

And if I were to make it fit into the timeline, I wouldn't even care about what Sonic 4 says because that's just a joke fangame by Dimps.

Kind of a cop-out answer. So what, only good games are now canon?

[Rexeljet]

I've not visited this thread in a while, but...

That would make sense, if sonic drift was actually released right after CD. which it didn't.

Sonic 2: Nov 24, 1992

Sonic CD release: Sept 23 , 1993

Sonic 3: Feb 2, 1994 (Hedgehog day!)

Sonic&Knuckles: Oct 18, 1994

Sonic Drift: March 18.1994

So, there goes that little theory.

Sonic 3's Japanese release date wasn't until May, which was after Sonic Drift's release date. If we're going to mention Western release dates we should go all the way and say that Sonic Drift was released in 2004.

[shinCD]

this argument is just like the arguments with the zelda "timeline" they are both "compelling" and they both have to do with the timelines of historic game franchises anyway i feel that CD in the storyline did not happen as the time travelling mechanic of the game and getting a "Good Future" by destroying the robot transporters prevents the game's story from ever happening as touching the "past" time post will take you to the "past" version of the stage and thus messing with the past and causing a paradox which will in turn erase the story from the storyline. i'm willing to believe what ever crackpot theory that is brought up in this thread as long as the argument gets to a close. for now i believed sega's theory until i saw this thread.

[jon93]

I know I'm just replying to this topic, but think about this: CD occurs soon after 1, and during the year little Planet was away, the events of the Death Egg Saga occurred. Eggman took the idea of Metal Sonic, and combined both the designs of Silver and Metal Sonic to create Mecha Sonic, or Silver Sonic MkII.