S2Beta:Magazine Preview Scans
From Sonic Retro
Magazine Previews
Before Sonic 2 went gold, many preview pictures of Sonic 2 appeared in magazines. Here we'll examine some of those pictures and see if there's any discrepancy with the final Sonic 2 or the prototype we have.
Each picture is examined and then declared as mock-up, earlier prototype, or newer prototype. Screenshots that appear to be from the same prototype as the one we have are not listed here because they're not particularly interesting.
Click on a thumbnail for a detail analysis.
| # | Screenshot | Description | Conclusion |
|---|---|---|---|
| M01 | 
| A Hidden Palace picture that showed up on various magazines. | Mock-up |
| M02 | 
| Another Hidden Palace picture, this time showing Sonic zipping through a green tube. | Newer Prototype |
| M03 | 
| The only picture featuring a desert level in Sonic 2. | Mock-up |
| M04 | 
| An off-centered Sonic in Emerald Hill. | Mock-up |
| M05 | 
| Mystic Cave Zone. | Newer Prototype |
| M06 | 
| Sonic and Tails spindashing up a slope in Casino Night Zone. | Newer Prototype |
| M07 | 
| Sonic and Tails in a later Hidden Palace | Newer Prototype |
| M08 | 
| Prototype title screen right in your Sonic 2 manual. | Beta 4 |
| M09 | 
| Hill Top Zone featuring green balls on the seesaws. | Nick Arcade Prototype |
| M10 | 
| Level select with some zones added and removed. | Beta 4 |
| M11 | 
| Sonic lying down in Wood Zone. | Newer Prototype |
| M12 | 
| Neo Green H-something Zone. | Newer Prototype |
| M13 | 
| A newer Hidden Palace. | Newer Prototype |
| M14 | 
| Two-player split-screen in Emerald Hill. Tails has hybrid icon. | Newer Prototype |
| M15 | 
| Boss landing straight down as Tails flies. From the same prototype as above. | Newer Prototype |
| M16 | 
| Sonic displaying final ledge animation. From the same prototype as above. | Newer Prototype |
| M17 | 
| Sonic displaying final running animation. From the same prototype as above. | Newer Prototype |
| M18 | 
| Newer Aquatic Ruins Zone. | Newer Prototype |
| M19 | 
| Prototype Special Stage. | Newer Prototype |
| M20 | 
| Title screen for the GamePro prototype. | Newer Prototype |
| M21 | 
| 2P mode of the GamePro prototype, showing Tails having Sonic's icon. | Newer Prototype |
| M22 | 
| Sonic in a spinning net. | Newer Prototype |
| M23 | 
| Exploding prototype EHZ boss. | Newer Prototype |
| M24 | 
| Final Sonic sprites in the GamePro prototype. | Newer Prototype |
| M25 | 
| Extra score counters and linked ring counts in manual shot. | Newer Prototype |
Putting all the little pieces together, we can construct a timeline showing which prototypes come first.
