The early Sonic books

[Badnik Mechanic]

So I've finished it... And... Well... it certainly wasn't what I expected.

Final thoughts

* It should be re-titled. Sonic Vs Street Fighter.

* Theres a potential origin of Froggy.

Here is a brief synopsis of what happens.

Robotniks has discovered away to trap people inside computers and bring things created by the computer into the real world, be it a virus or a videogame character. During a race around the world, Robotnik is able to trap all of Sonic's friends inside his giant computer network. Sonic and Tails explore mobius to try and find out where their friends are when they discover that one of the old TV ring monitors has turned on displaying a strange message. Tails touches the keyboard and is trapped inside the computer.

Sonic is able to talk with tails by using a stick to type, Tails decides to explore the computer to try and find their fiends, he discovers that Sonic needs to find something called an 'Output Device.' Sonic decides to search mobius for the device.

Whilst exploring the computer Tails triggers a number of traps which are based off videogames, such as Tetris and Pac-Man. Eventually Tails is seen as a virus, so the computer sends Anti-Virus badniks after him. Meanwhile Sonic discovers a mouse from the Mystic Cave Zone named Iggy that wants to help him. They follow a bunch of badniks to the crash site of the Wing Forces battleship where they discover an output device. Sonic and Iggy attempt to build the device when Sonic is captured by Robotnik. When it looks like Sonic will be defeated, Iggy completes the device and is able to rescue Tails and the other mobians from the computer. They escape the Wing Forces and Sonic thinks the battle is over.

However, a few days later Johnny Lightfoot and a Flicky begin to turn into Super Mario, Iggy thinks they've been infected with a computer virus, the only solution is to get everyone back into the computer as soon as possible. With Sonics friends back in the computer Sonic heads back to the Wing Forces zone to find an anti-virus. Sonic is captured by Robotnik again who activates the wing forces self destruct. Sonic escapes but is chased by Chin-Lie (Chun-Li from Street Fighter 2). Sonic escapes into the computer where he meets Psyche who is a ghost (The ghost in the machine) she agrees to help him find a way out and the anti-virus.

Sonic and Tails meet up, Sonic and Iggy attempt to escape the computer through Robotniks Games Room. Inside they have to navigate stages from Frogger and even the original Sonic game where they meet a 16bit Sonic who agrees to help them.

Sonic finds the anti-virus and is able to free his friends and injects them with the anti-virus. However, he accidentally injects Froggy (frogger) who then escapes into the world. Robotnik appears with one more trick. He summons several fighters from his favourite videogame (Street Fighter 2) Sonic then has to fight several characters who resemble, M-Bison, Chun-Lie, Zangief, Vega, Dhalsim and Balrog. It semes hopless but then the computer Sonic appears with Ryu, Ken and Blanka. They fight and are able to defeat Robotnik and his computer enemies.

Robotnik escapes, Sonic and Tails go and eat pizza.

The end.

[Vertekins]

My cousin has a trippy Sonic gamebook called "Sonic vs Zonic". I borrowed it once for a bit and read it all and confess myself lightly entertained but bewildered. To my memory, it even starts with Sonic playing his own MegaDrive until bunnies throw coconuts at him, accusing him of attacking them. Cue an utterly bizzare adventure which includes a giant Grabber, a Sonic-hypnotizing pinball board and a very stinky skunk Mobian.

There's even a Sonic stat called "Good looks" amongst other stats, which gets increased or depleted depending on the path you take. Interestingly, the book also pokes at Sonic's distaste for water and inability to swim when he comes across a river.