- Back to: Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Simon Wai prototype).
General comparisons
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| Sonic 2 Simon Wai prototype
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The Sega screen doesn't load when you first start the game, but will appear if you leave the demo rolling or beat Emerald Hill Zone (Green Hill Zone in this prototype). It is the same screen as in the original Sonic the Hedgehog.
All early versions of Sonic 2 use a different title screen. Sonic and Tails are not animated, and the background is borrowed from Emerald Hill Zone, scrolling to the left in a similar manner to the original Sonic the Hedgehog. No menu system has been implemented by this point.
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| Sonic 2 Simon Wai prototype
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| Sonic the Hedgehog (REV01)
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The level select screen is a great deal bigger than it was in the Nick Arcade build, and uses Sonic 2 names. It's still a far cry from the final game though, and lists a number of strange levels in the wrong order. Still missing are Sky Chase Zone and Wing Fortress Zone. This screen also comes with its own theme now, rather than the silence heard in the Nick Arcade build and Sonic 1.
Gameplay comparisons
There are no title cards in this prototype for each of the Zones. Instead, the game just fades from black, in a similar manner to the original Sonic the Hedgehog (which incidentally means fade in the red, then the green, then the blue, and don't touch Sonic (and Tails)).
Likewise, there are no score tallies when completing a level, just a jingle.
The infamous "spike bug" from Sonic 1 still exists. Land on spikes twice in succession and you will die instantly. In the final game, a grace period occurs, where Sonic and Tails will flash while standing on the set of spikes.
Sonic and Tails share a ring counter. This means, in addition to being able to pick up rings on Sonic's behalf, Tails can lose them.
The AI script powering Tails is in an incomplete stage. For now, Tails behaves exactly like Sonic, just with a slight delay. It's a convincing effect for the first few seconds, but typically leads to computer-controlled Tails getting stuck or lost. Tails also cannot fly, so if he wanders too far from view, he'll be abruptly dropped in from the top of the screen. In the final game, Tails attempts to follow Sonic, and while still often unsuccessful, he's not a liability like in these early prototypes.
In the case of the rolling demos, it is thought a second player was controlling Tails to ensure the results were aesthetically pleasing.
The spin dash cannot be "charged" in this prototype, meaning Sonic and Tails are always released at a set velocity. If spin dashing on a falling platform, the character will remain in the air rather than fall.
The full Blue Sphere game is unlocked when Sonic & Knuckles is locked on because both this and the Nick Arcade prototype use Sonic 1's serial number.
Sonic may only pass the signpost in 2 player mode.
Sonic and Tails both share the same life and ring counters in 2 player mode.
Sonic and Tails still have to defeat the boss in Emerald Hill in 2 player mode.
There is no countdown for Tails after Sonic passes the signpost.
If the 2P controller isn't used, Tails' AI will still follow and copy Sonic.
Even though the 2 player level music exists, 2 player mode's playlist is not yet implemented and thus the levels play their single player music.
Loading any Zone other then Green Hill (Emerald Hill in the final), Dust Hill (Mystic Cave), and Casino Night will result in a very strange looking mess of glitchy art tiles, as well as Tails' camera using very broken scroll data. This is due to 2 player mode's levels requiring more data than the normal 1 player levels, which means that Zones not set up for 2 player mode will use garbage data instead of the necessary 2 player data. This behavior is also in the final game. However, in the final release, these Zones can only be played in 2 player through cheating or hacking.
Graphical comparisons
Tails has no balancing sprites, instead he uses a tail-less slowly animated version of his waiting sprites.
If Tails dies, he will come back on-screen still in his death sprite, and will spin in whatever direction Sonic is facing in as soon as he hits the ground. This is because Tails can't fly yet.
Genocide City and Death Egg, although empty, use the Emerald Hill palette.
Tails uses slightly different jumping and rolling sprites.
Sonic's sprites use the same palette as the final, but are Sonic 1 style.
There is a bug where Sonic's pushing animations are used instead of his running animation.
Audio comparisons
Level comparisons
References
