Dr. Crusher Presents: The 30 Days of Sonic the Hedgehog Mk.II (Daft and Tolerating It)-PAGE 72, FIN

[Dr. Crusher]

Bonjourno.

 

It's June the 1st (at my part). It's the beginning of a new month. The Summer time is starting. And, least of all, I have to post some random questions about the gargantuan franchise that this forum revolves around every day within said month, all out of a sense of good fun and whatnot. As the late Bubsy Bobcat once famously said, "I think this might have a chance of going wrong", but if I could do it once, then I guess I might sort of hopefully be able to do it again. Dunno, fingers crossed. (Only with one hand though, two is bad luck.)

 

Those of you who were familiar with the previous version of this event will already know what the idea is, but I'll explain for those who weren't: With each day in June, I ask the folks on SSMB a question about something or other regarding Sonic the Hedgehog's games, world, characters, and thensome, and your goal is to answer said question at some point within the twenty four hour period that follows with each query. Not the most complicated setup around, but it doesn't really need to be.

 

Of course, making up simple questions about anthropomorphic eye tests is thirsty work, so I won't be making up all thirty of them. You gave me your own questions, so now I better use some of those ones as well. But which ones? And how many of them? Who knows. (I do.) To reiterate what I said in the topic asking for them, if your own question(s) didn't make it in, please don't take it personally, as it is merely a matter of which questions I would see working best for the how the event itself works. As in, would everyone participating be able to have an answer for this (eg: not everyone would be able to answer a question purely about the Archie comics, as not everyone here reads them), does the question have enough in it to merit more than a one-sentence response (eg: "I like this specific rolling animation the best"), and so on.

 

And like with last time, there will indeed be badges for this event, which one(s) you get once again depending on how many questions you answer overall.  However, as a consequence of the server wipe's after effects, the badges themselves might not show up until a fair bit later on during or after the event. If this is so, then I apologise for this unfortunate matter in advance.

 

But before we head on in, there's still a few little notes that you might want to observe...

 

A Few Rules (That You Probably Won't Read But You Should Do So Anyway Because You'll Have a Good Chance of Shooting Yourself in the Foot Down the Line Otherwise):

 

-Try to add enough into your answers.

Or to put it in another way, don't just say what your answer is and then disappear again into the Batcave. It would be preferable if you were to explain your reasons for WHY such and such is your favourite such and such. It doesn't have to be super lengthy (because if that were the case, I'd probably have trouble answering half of these myself), it just has to have enough for it to look less like a lazy drive-by comment.

 

-Probably an obvious one, but don't answer questions purely by going "What *insert member* said", or quoting someone else's post and adding nothing more than "This".

Because that's even lazier. I may not be asking for novels, but you need to put a little more effort into your posts than that, Frederico.

 

-You CAN make up for questions that you missed out on, but the total amount of time you have to make up for them is THREE days after the time of when the missed question in... er, question, was asked.

Seeing how some folk at this time of the year might be busy with things like vacations and so on, I felt that maybe it would seem a little unfair for the initial twenty four hour period to be your absolute only chance of answering whichever question(s). At the same time though, there still has to be some sort of time limit regarding when you can answer. You know, motivation fuel and all that. Therefore, I have decided that if you missed out on a question, then you can still provide an answer for it, as long as the time in which you answer is less than or up to three days afterwards.

 

-Related to the above, if you're answering a question(s) that you previously missed out on, it would be better for you to do so in the same post in which you're answering the current question.

Makes things a little easier to keep track of that way.

 

And finally, while it's not a legitimate rule since I'd like to think I'm not draconian about it, as I asked for the questions themselves, please try to keep the general mood of the event relatively light and upbeat. I'm aware that I might be sounding heavy handed about this particular aspect of the event, but it's only because I'm rather serious about keeping things enjoyable when talking about the various parts of the Sonic franchise. All I ask is that this topic doesn't go down the route as many topics before it, if you catch my drift. ^^;;

 

Right then, I believe that's all I have to mention for the time being, so let's not waste anymore time. Let us all hold hands, as we dive into...

 

~~~The 30 Days of Sonic the Hedgehog Mk.II: Crusher's Second Crack At Revenge Returns and Strikes Back Again Once More in Another Chapter That is Still to Come in Future Installments~~~

 

Are you offended by how lengthy the subtitle is?

 

...

 

...

 

...

 

Good.

 

Right, well I better begin then.

 

Question #1: Which game has your top favourite boxart?

 

I stared into Alcoholic Wily, and Alcoholic Wily stared back.

 

Well this should be a relatively easy one to start with. A game's boxart might not seem all that important compared to things like gameplay, sound, and graphics, but it can still make it's own mark in regards to how the game sells itself to you, good or bad. Sonic, rebel that he is, is no exception to this. Whether everything's happening on the cover, nothing's happening on the cover, or a slight bit but not much is happening on the cover, it can in it's own way add a surprising amount to what the game already has to offer, or at the very least it can give you something to remember. We should never underestimate how effective boxart can be, so with that said, which of Sonic's gaming covers would you say tickles your fancy the most, and for what reason?

 

Crusher's Thoughts: My own opinions on this are constantly changing due to how I actually like quite a number of them for various reasons, but at this moment in time, I think I'll go with the cover for Sonic & Knuckles. I love a good crazy cover as much as the next person - the European cover for Crash Bandicoot 3 and the Ripto's Rage cover for Spyro 2 being some of my favourite examples - but I also appreciate minimalism when I feel it's done well, and I would say that the cover for Sonic & Knuckles does exactly that. By being as mostly pitch black as it is, it would certainly make it stand out on the shelves compared to the more gung-ho covers of the games surrounding it, so with that in mind, I think it succeeded in the job it was likely made for.

 

Runner up would probably go to the US cover for Sonic the Hedgehog 2, if only for Ivo No-Eyes looking as though him having to slam down the giant 2 is the very thing that's made him so angry.

 

So with that out of the way, you may now post awaaaaaayyyy!~

[Cyrus]

Day 1: Which game has your top favourite boxart?

 

[Kaze no Klonoa]

Day 1: Which game has your top favorite boxart?

 

Video Game Box Arts can really determine first impressions on people, so what was the Sonic game to me that had a box art that stands out among the others (At least in my opinion)?

 

Well, it's hard to really decide in terms of the Sonic games, but I would have to go with Sonic Generations:

 

 

How is it not cool seeing both a Classic and Modern rendition of Sonic in one cover? One thing that I've always liked about Generation was it's use of the color White. In undefeated hub worlds for Generations, the worlds would be covered in white, as if they were stuck in a limbo. The background of the boxart is basically Green Hill Zone with the use of white on it. It's not the best, but it still gives it a sense of emptiness that's yet to be filled by two speedy hedgehogs, fitting the overall concept of restoring time and space. The overall design of the box is cool too, the white borders on the top and bottom are given a Sonic 2 JP like style, with vibrant shapes and patterns. It's a really cool design that's definitely grabbed my attention on my day one pre-order of the game.

[Gabz Girl]

DAY 1: Favourite box art!

 

 

 

 

Simple, stylish, cool and it doesn't feature the Americanised Sonic! I've always liked the icon of Sonic and Knuckles' faces against a black backdrop because it's not only an eye catcher, but it makes the game look far more serious than it actually is. XD But hey, that's fine. Sonic games deserve cool boxart, always!

[Forte-Metallix]

Day 1: My Favorite Boxart

 

I'll go with the one that started it all: Sonic 1 (US Version)

 

 

 

I agree with you, Doc. Sometimes simplicity pays off. This cover was the perfect introduction to the Blue Blur. No distractions, no co-stars, just a teenage rodent wagging his finger and smirking at the viewer as if to say, "You wanna have a blast? I'm your guy!" And that gorgeous Green Hill background is perfect for a first glimpse into the vast, beautiful world of Mobi- I mean, Sonic's World!

[Nepenthe]

Yay, it's that time of year again! 8D

 

Question #1: Which game has your top favourite boxart?

 

After refreshing myself on what the box arts of the games are with a trip through Google, I think my favorite is and always has been the western Sonic 3 box art:

 

 

Western artistic quirks aside, I like how it's one of the more narratively-driven box arts we have. For one, you've got Eggman in the background dishing out fiery damage to the environment that's actually in the game. And just as well, I've always liked Knuckles hiding over in the corner there like the sneaky little bastard he was at the time. Even if you knew what he looked like, it adds a level of intrigue and mystery to the piece as a whole, and just as well plays on his wishy-washy moral alignment. It's honestly those two elements that always made me want to play the game the most.

[Klinsy]

Aw yeah, time to rock and roll!

Question #1: Which game has your top favourite boxart?

 

Hmm, this is a tough one indeed, but I have two candidates for my favorite:

This is one of the first Sonic games I played and it's the boxart I remember the most for awhile, the artwork for this game is pretty good so they showed some of it at it's best here.

 

You get sense of "battle" with this boxart  with each rivals being side by side and striking  dynamic poses that go with each other.

 

The logo is great, it gives a good indication of the "Hero story" and "Dark story" with Sonic and Shadow's quills making it up.

 

This boxart does it's job of making you know what the game is like quite well.

 

On the other hand, it has a good competitor:

The colors here are just beautiful, with each Wisp giving a neat line of light following it.

 

Sonic's cocky smile and punching pose gives a sense that you're going on a grand adventure and our hero is going get through it without a doubt.

 

The surrounding scenery is gorgeous, giving anybody who wants a peak into a game a good look at the first level, the image of Sonic's world is absolutely outstanding  and makes anyone know this game is going take place in the reaches of space, and that Egg Ferris Wheel gets the theme park setting set up, "Enjoy" indeed.

 

Of the two, I'm going with Colors' boxart due to being the more unique of the two, don't get me wrong, A2Battle stands out but Color is simply grand.

 

[Ryannumber1gamer]

Day 1: What is your favourite boxart?

 

Sonic wise, my favourite boxart has to be Sonic Adventure 2 Battle.

 

 

I just love how much this expanded on the original Sonic Adventure 2 cover. A cover which by presenting both Sonic & Shadow, introduced the core concept of the game, opposites, and good vs bad. But the Battle cover expanded that out ten fold. We got all 6 stars of the game, along with what side they stand on (Sonic, Tails, Knuckles for good, Shadow, Eggman, Rouge for evil).

 

But it also gives us a little insight in the characters. For example, Sonic is looking happy go lucky and striking a pose that just screams of adventure, Shadow looks angry and ready to fight, Tails is charging towards Eggman, while Eggman has a smile that just screams ''This isn't a threat'', while Knuckles and Rouge play it off more as a challenge rather than right out battle. The added chaos as well is nice as it shows that even the Chao Garden is getting some representation here. It's a cover that's nicely drawn and shows all the characters at their best.

[RosaRosaRosalina]

AND LET'S DO THE TIME WARP AGAIN

 

DAY ONE: FAVORITE BOXART

 

Being personally honest, I've never really had much of a personal taste on box art for the games. I mean, they look nice, but they weren't a total concern for me. Aside from that, some of them do stand out from some others. One of those being:

 

 

Sonic 3's. Say all you want about the "American Assface" Sonic, I think this is one of the coolest box arts the series has. There's sooo much going on and I really like it. It has this weird sense of adventure and mystery going on, since Sonic's never been here before, but Robotn- I mean, Eggman's causing trouble burning down the forest, and since this is the third game, you pretty much know what Sonic's gonna do to him. 

 

...After he's done posing.

 

And who's that guy in the bush? Is he a good guy or a bad guy? Well, we all already know who's in the bush by now, but when I first saw this, I never had a clue who it was. The same probably goes to several others who picked up the game around the time of release.

 

Honorable mentions go to Sonic Generations, Sonic Lost World and Sonic Heroes.

[Your Vest Friend]

Day 1: Which game has your top favorite boxart?

 

I'm gonna jump straight to the classic era for this one.

 

 

There's primarily two reasons for this one;

 

1. The composition is striking. Sonic and Tails in the foreground stand out against the background shenanigans, while also closely matching the colours of the floor and the 2.

2. Tails is adorable. I think this is what puts it at an edge over its Japanese counterpart. There's something about his snout in that one that seems a bit awkward, but here it's shortened and looks much cuter (while not looking like its cartoon incarnation). It's a localisation change done right, and I especially like the additional detail of some back head fur. 

 

So yeah, this boxart is famous (I'd almost go as far as saying that it's iconic) and deserves to be so.

 

Honourable mention is Sonic Heroes JP.

[Lisbon]

Day 1: What game has your favorite boxart?

 

I'd have to say Unleashed, actually. 

 

spoiler'd cuz huge

 

 

[Cyrus]

Western artistic quirks aside, I like how it's one of the more narratively-driven box arts we have. For one, you've got Eggman in the background dishing out fiery damage to the environment that's actually in the game.

[Agie]

Sonic Adventure's box art kinda tickles my fancy. It's just an image of Sonic against some...odd background while he stands in this pose.

 

Said pose shows his character very well. It's eye catching, and it's simple. I don't know how to properly convey my thoughts, but it certainly stuck with me quite some time after seeing it.

 

It gives the impression that you're in for a treat. Which you are.

 

It's very nostalgic, despite that I have yet to play the original Dreamcast version.

[Osmium]

Day Un: Favourite box art

My favourite Sonic boxart has to be the European Sonic CD SEGA PC box.

It just looks awesome. Sonic and Metal Sonic are on the move with that background which I think really adds to the action with that blur effect. The background is just right as it adds to the scene, but isn't too detailed. I like the brown ground with that Cyan sky which makes it look like it's happening at dusk. The palm trees help too, but anything with palm trees is a plus in my book.

Both Sonic and Metal Sonic look really crisp and good, and ready to go. I also really like the slightly pale colour of the art for some reason.

It just makes you want to jump in and fight Metal Sonic!

[Mr. Taxi]

Question #1: Which game has your top favourite boxart?

 

 

 

I was going to put Sonic the Hedgehog for Master System's box art here and argue that all Master System box art is beautiful. But turns out this might be a reason for it not to be my favourite, since, well, it's Master System so of course it's beautiful. Sonic CD's European box art takes the cake here because even though there are other ones that are prettier, like Sonic 8-bits, or more stylish, like Sonic & Knuckles', this one just makes me want to play the game. It tells me what the game is about without much information and what really matters, which is Sonic, is on the front. It catches my eye and my eye stays there, something most Mega Drive box arts can't do because there's just so much going on.

[Ryannumber1gamer]

all Master System box art is beautiful. 

[Wraith]

This series doesn't really have striking boxart to me like other series do, but I'll give credit when credit's due: 

 

 

 

   

 

I really dig Riders 1's artstyle when it came to the offical and in game artwork, so naturally this one's a favorite of mine. I ususally prefer simpler, stylish art over the more complicated stuff.

 

  

 

 

Also gotta talk about the original Classic Sonic art. They have a really simplistic style but like I said that's what I prefer. I also like that they pretty much all have the same style unlike the later games which are kind of all over the place. There's also some silly stuff in there like the cheesy quotes(DON'T MAKE THE SUN LAUGH AT YOU) and the fact that Sonic 2's logo is on the boxart 2 times for no real reason. It all just adds to the charm.

[Aero]

yay, reasons for me to post again! 8D

 

Day 1: What game has your favorite boxart?

 

Out of all the great pictures that have been placed on the covers of Sonic games as there are, I can't help but have a tie between these two:

 

 

There's something about the JPN SatBK boxart that gives a sense of class. I absolutely love the red patterned background and how Sonic simply stands out against it while holding Caliburn.

 

I also love the Adventure artwork. Just looking at it makes my brain scream nostalgia(despite me having never played it until like 3 years ago...maybe it was that ad I saw back in 2003). The colors are nice, the sky and sea meeting in the background is cool, and Sonic's pose is unique.

[Brad]

 

The classic games still stand in a league of their own in terms of box arts for me. The superior aesthetic of them all really shines - the simple white background accompanied by eye catching shapes, colours and layouts which really are fantastic. On top of it all, these box arts use the superior Japanese art style of Sonic on them which immediately boosts their quality. The greatest of these designs goes to Sonic Spinball for me though - though the actual game quality doesn't match that of the classic trilogy, this box art's quality is extremely good. The composition of the Sonic art with colours curving around him, his neon coloured after images fading behind him, and the use of the jagged lines and arrows really promote an eye catching piece of work which I'd certainly be impressed with seeing on the shelf. I also feel this look really suits the Sonic franchise with sharp arrow like objects and jagged lines which promote movement and direction.

[C4k3]

Question #1: Which game has your top favourite boxart?

 

 

 

While I don't really have a favourite per se, I do have a soft spot of Secret Rings' cover. Despite the awkward looking Sonic render on the front, I liked the use of Fire, Wind and Dark elements being shown as they're the main powers you can wield during the game.

 

Now the cover really starts to shine when you head to the back.

 

"THE LAND OF MYSTERY MEETS THE LEGEND OF SPEED"

 

And already, this game has grabbed my attention. Can't beat a cheesy tagline to get you excited to play. But seriously, I have to say that the yellow and purple colours blend really well together.

[Inkling Cooper]

30 Days of Sonic Act 2 Day 1: Favorite Box Arts

 

Right, here we go. It's here. Box Arts can be a very subjective matter from person to person. Anyway, enough of that gibberish, my favorite Box Art is as a lot of members have already already said, the japan Classic Sonic box arts because they are clean, simple and have one consistent art style across all three games. And done!

 

Day 1 Complete!

[azoo]

Day 1: Favorite Box Art

 

A lot of Sonic games have amazing box art, and the best I think comes from the Japanese covers in the classic era. They have so much style, their abstract bizzareness fits hand-in-hand with the abstract, but cool and well-designed Sonic games they were put with.

 

But even out of all of them, there's only one that holds the top. Only one. And it's not even near being the most remembered one of the bunch.

 

 

 

 

Sonic CD: PC Version (Japanese).

 

I mean, look at it.

 

I already loved the original cover for Sonic CD's JP version an extreme amount, but the PC version takes the cake. I don't know who did the artwork, but I want to hug them, kiss them on the forehead and tell them that they did a beautiful job and should be very proud of that illustration, I mean really. Wow.

 

It's so dramatic and well spaced out. Sonic is cutesy and determined, Amy's adorable, Metal Sonic's position in the picture is super rad, and Eggman holding that super-detailed mechanized Miracle Planet by the chain is so freaking cool.

 

And don't even get me started on that background.. it's primitive, but it looks cool and so inviting. Plus, they mixed a ring with a clock! That's awesome! And that logo.. that logo. I adore that logo and that quote so much:

 

"To live a life of power, you must have faith in what you believe is right, even if others tell you you're wrong. The first thing you must do to live a life of power is to find courage. You must be ready to reach beyond the boundaries of Time itself. And to do that, all you need is the will to take that first step..."

 

It's cheesy, it's Engrishy, and it doesn't make much sense, yes. But it's also for some reason really genuine and motivational. It and the other quotes placed in the classic Sonic game boxes all give me that vibe and I love it, fdhjsafhj.

 

Idk man, I just really love this cover. It's really, really really awesome, and I can't get enough of that illustration.

 

---

 

Runner ups go to: Sonic Spinball (JP), Sonic Adventure, Sonic World Adventure (JP, obviously), Sonic Rush Adventure.

[Multikaris]

Question 1: Favorite Box Art?

 

Captures all the edge of the series with no butt-brow, slasher grin, or hotdog nose. Sonic's silhouette is on-model and menacing, similar to Knuckles's. The stark blackness of the background makes the logo also stand out. It's also symbolic: Sonic being part of the darkness implies dark is good, and Knuckles surrounded by darkness shows his incoming redemption.

[Shaddy Zaphod]

Question #1: Which game has your top favourite boxart?

 

Well, that's an easy one.

Pizzazz.

Everything here just pops so well. Sonic is drawn better than on the previous boxarts (barring maybe SCD above like azookara said), there's color and big exploding text everywhere, there's a lot of jagged lines (As someone born in 1999, this is how I imagine the 90s were), and oh! Who is this guy? He looks kinda like Sonic! Is he evil Sonic? Is he a new playable character? He's got spiky hands!

 

With Sonic 3K (or rather, Sonic and Knuckles "collection" in the most technical sense possible on the PC) being the first 2D Sonic game I owned and beat (the first being Sonic 2 on my mom's friend's daughter's former house's former owner's genesis), the only box art I got was this:

That's bland. That's a black background with Sonic 1 art that looks out-of-place next to S3 knux. So when I saw the actual box art years later, I was much more impressed.

[Sonictrainer]

Question #1: Which game has your top favourite boxart?