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:''This article is for the Sega Saturn version of "Sonic Jam". For the Game.com version of the same title, see [[Sonic Jam (Game.com)]].''
+
{{OtherPage|desc=the Game.com version of the same title|page=Sonic Jam (Game.com)|desc2=the unlicensed [[Sega Mega Drive]] game|page2=Sonic Jam 6}}
 
{{Bob
 
{{Bob
 
| bobscreen=Sonic Jam title.png
 
| bobscreen=Sonic Jam title.png
 +
| bobscreen2=SonicJam Saturn JP Title.png
 +
| bobscreen3=SonicJam Saturn EU Title.png
 +
| tab1=NTSC-U
 +
| tab2=NTSC-J
 +
| tab3=PAL
 
| publisher=[[Sega]]
 
| publisher=[[Sega]]
 
| developer=[[Sonic Team]]
 
| developer=[[Sonic Team]]
| originalpublishers=[[Sega]]
 
| originaldevelopers=<br>[[Sonic Team]], [[Sega Technical Institute]]
 
 
| system=[[Sega Saturn]]
 
| system=[[Sega Saturn]]
| gamecount=4 (7 including lock-on)
+
| sounddriver=SCSP (1 track)
| consolescompilation=[[Sega Mega Drive]]
+
| peripherals=[[3D Control Pad]]
| releases=
+
| players=1-2
{{release|Sat|JP|1997-06-20|¥4,800|GS-9147}}
+
| genre=Compilation, Action{{fileref|Sjam sat back cover.jpg}}{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20200330225358/https://sega.jp/history/hard/segasaturn/software.html}}
{{release|Sat|US|1997-08-22||81079}}
+
| gamecount=4
{{release|Sat|EU|1997-08|£34.99 {{fileref|CVG UK 190.pdf|page=66}}|MK81079-50}}
+
| originalsystem=[[Sega Mega Drive]]
{{release|Sat|JP (Satakore)|1998-07-23|¥2,800|GS-9200}}
+
| releases={{releasesSat
| esrb=ka|elspa=3|cero=free
+
| sat_date_jp=1997-06-20{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20200330225358/https://sega.jp/history/hard/segasaturn/software.html}}
 +
| sat_code_jp=GS-9147
 +
| sat_rrp_jp=4,800
 +
| sat_rating_jp=all
 +
| sat_date_jp_s=1998-07-23
 +
| sat_code_jp_s=GS-9200
 +
| sat_rrp_jp_s=2,800
 +
| sat_rating_jp_s=all
 +
| sat_date_us=1997-08-22{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/19990221172240/http://riehlspot.simplenet.com/vgame/new/saturn.html}}
 +
| sat_code_us=81079
 +
| sat_rating_us=ka
 +
| sat_rrp_us=39.99{{intref|sega:Press release: 1997-06-19: SONIC’S BACK!}}
 +
| sat_date_eu=1997-08-28{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/19970715062600/http://www.sega-europe.com/SATURNL.HTML}}
 +
| sat_code_eu=MK81079-50
 +
| sat_rating_eu=3
 +
| sat_date_uk=1997-08-28{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/19970715062600/http://www.sega-europe.com/SATURNL.HTML}}
 +
| sat_code_uk=MK81079-50
 +
| sat_rating_uk=3
 +
| sat_rrp_uk=39.99{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/19970715062600/http://www.sega-europe.com/SATURNL.HTML}}<!--34.99{{magref|cvg|190|66}}-->
 +
| sat_date_pt=199x
 +
| sat_date_pl=1997
 +
| sat_rrp_pl=239
 +
| sat_code_pt=STJSE0681
 
}}
 
}}
 +
}}
 +
'''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' {{Japanese|ソニックジャム|Sonikku Jamu}} is a 1997 [[Sega Saturn]] game. Primarily it is a compilation containing the four [[Sega Mega Drive]] ''Sonic'' platform games - ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog (16-bit)|Sonic the Hedgehog]]'', ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (16-bit)|Sonic the Hedgehog 2]]'', ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog 3]]'', and ''[[Sonic & Knuckles]]'', however it also contains bonus content in the form of [[Sonic World (level)|Sonic World]] and a number of different gameplay options.
 +
 +
==Gameplay==
 +
Unlike later compilations, ''Sonic Jam'' does not emulate Mega Drive hardware - the games have been re-written for the Saturn, though behave almost identically to their original counterparts. It is especially beneficial to PAL users, as the games have been optimised for 50Hz refresh rates (the original PAL versions perform 17.5% slower than their NTSC counterparts and contain borders, as little optimisation work was done between the two versions).
 +
 +
Each of the games benefit from the [[Lock-On Technology]] introduced in the ''Sonic & Knuckles'' cartridge. This means ''[[Blue Sphere]]'', ''[[Knuckles the Echidna in Sonic the Hedgehog 2]]'' and ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles]]'' are also playable. The North American and Japanese instruction manuals for each of the games are also included in a digitised form. The game also sports Time Attack modes, and an option to play each [[Special Stage]] in succession for each game. It is also possible to disable Time Overs and allow the player to spend more than 10 minutes in a level.
 +
 +
===[[Sonic World (level)|Sonic World]]===
 +
Another addition to ''Sonic Jam'' is "Sonic World", which is accessed at the title screen menu. A 3D adventure world with many buildings containing art, history, music, movies and character profiles is contained within, plus the mission mode where the player must complete certain missions in the quickest time. At the time of ''Sonic Jam''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s release, this game was a selling point as gamers were eager to see Sonic in 3D for the first time.
  
'''''Sonic Jam''''' (ソニック ジャム) is a 1997 [[Sega Saturn]] game. Primarily it is a compilation containing the four [[Sega Mega Drive]] ''Sonic'' platform games - ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog (16-bit)|Sonic the Hedgehog]]'', ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (16-bit)|Sonic the Hedgehog 2]]'', ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog 3]]'', and ''[[Sonic & Knuckles]]'', however it also contains bonus content in the form of [[Sonic World (level)|Sonic World]] and a number of different gameplay options.
+
Sonic World is said to have been the basis for ''[[Sonic Adventure]]''.
  
Unlike later compilations, ''Sonic Jam'' does not emulate Mega Drive hardware - the games have been re-written for the Saturn, though behave almost identically to their original counterparts. It is especially benficial to PAL users, as the games have been optimised for 50Hz refresh rates (the original PAL versions perform 17.5% slower than their NTSC counterparts and contain borders, as little optimisation work was done between the two versions).
+
===Easy and Normal modes===
 +
[[Image:Sonic Jam easy.png|thumb|right|200px|''Sonic the Hedgehog'' on Easy mode]]
 +
Unique to ''Sonic Jam'' are the additions of "Easy" and "Normal" difficulty options (in addition to an "Original" mode which plays identically to the Mega Drive originals), both of which change the placement of obstacles and fix numerous bugs present in the original versions. The Easy mode dramatically reduces the difficulty across the four Mega Drive titles so as to help less experienced players. In this mode, many levels are skipped, any encountered bosses only take three hits, and much of the level design is tweaked for easier play, be it the removal of obstacles, or the addition of more helpful objects such as [[monitor]]s.
  
Each of the games benefit from the [[Lock-On Technology|Lock-On]] technology introduced in the ''Sonic & Knuckles'' cartridge. This means ''[[Blue Sphere]]'', ''[[Knuckles in Sonic 2]]'' and ''[[Sonic 3 & Knuckles]]'' are also playable. The English and Japanese instruction manuals for each of the games are also included in a digitised form. The game also sports time attack modes, and an option to play each special stage in order for each game.
+
It is not known how much thought was originally given to the chosen Zones in Easy mode; while one might expect Easy mode to stick with the first Acts, if not just because these lack bosses, a mixture of Acts 1, 2 and where applicable, 3 are used. A notable omission includes [[Wing Fortress Zone]] which is missing entirely in Easy ''Sonic 2''.
  
Customized versions of the games, with redesigned levels and varying levels of difficulty are included. When played in "Original" mode, the games are identical to their original Mega Drive releases. "Normal" difficulty adds extra rings and alters other aspects of the design to remove some of the challenge (these versions of the levels are used when playing Sonic Jam's Time Attack feature). "Easy" difficulty removes certain stages entirely, making each level only 1 act long as well as adjusting the level design. Special stages are also easier in this mode. Sonic 1's Easy mode inspired a [[Sonic 1 Easy mode|ROM Hack]] by [[LOst]].
+
''Knuckles the Echidna in Sonic the Hedgehog 2'' and ''Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles'' use the same Easy levels as ''Sonic the Hedgehog 2'' and ''Sonic the Hedgehog 3''/''Sonic & Knuckles'', respectively. Skipped levels were not made easier for this mode, so if the player attempts to access one through a level select code, they will just get the Normal mode layout (and rules).
  
==[[Sonic World (level)|Sonic World]]==
+
<div style="display:inline-block;">
Another addition to ''Sonic Jam'' is "Sonic World", which is accessed at the title screen menu. A 3D adventure world with many buildings containing art, history, music, movies and character profiles is contained within, plus the mission mode where you must complete certain missions in the quickest time. At the time of ''Sonic Jam''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s release this game was a selling point as gamers were eager to see Sonic in 3D for the first time.
+
{|
 +
!colspan="2" style="text-align:center; vertical-align:top;"|''Sonic the Hedgehog''
 +
|-
 +
!Level
 +
!Zone
 +
|-
 +
|1||[[Green Hill Zone]] Act 1
 +
|-
 +
|2||[[Marble Zone]] Act 1
 +
|-
 +
|3||[[Spring Yard Zone]] Act 2
 +
|-
 +
|4||[[Labyrinth Zone]] Act 3
 +
|-
 +
|5||[[Star Light Zone]] Act 2
 +
|-
 +
|6||[[Scrap Brain Zone]] Act 1
 +
|-
 +
|7||[[Final Zone]]
 +
|}
 +
</div>
 +
<div style="display:inline-block; vertical-align:top;">
 +
{|
 +
!colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|''Sonic the Hedgehog 2''
 +
|-
 +
!Level
 +
!Zone
 +
|-
 +
|1||[[Emerald Hill Zone]] Act 2
 +
|-
 +
|2||[[Chemical Plant Zone]] Act 1
 +
|-
 +
|3||[[Aquatic Ruin Zone]] Act 1
 +
|-
 +
|4||[[Casino Night Zone]] Act 1
 +
|-
 +
|5||[[Hill Top Zone]] Act 1
 +
|-
 +
|6||[[Mystic Cave Zone]] Act 1
 +
|-
 +
|7||[[Oil Ocean Zone]] Act 2
 +
|-
 +
|8||[[Metropolis Zone]] Act 1
 +
|-
 +
|9||[[Sky Chase Zone]]
 +
|-
 +
|10||[[Death Egg Zone]]
 +
|}
 +
</div>
 +
<div style="display:inline-block; vertical-align:top;">
 +
{|
 +
!colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|''Sonic the Hedgehog 3''
 +
|-
 +
!Level
 +
!Zone
 +
|-
 +
|1||[[Angel Island Zone]] Act 1
 +
|-
 +
|2||[[Hydrocity Zone]] Act 2
 +
|-
 +
|3||[[Marble Garden Zone]] Act 2
 +
|-
 +
|4||[[Carnival Night Zone]] Act 2
 +
|-
 +
|5||[[IceCap Zone]] Act 2
 +
|-
 +
|6||[[Launch Base Zone]] Act 2
 +
|}
 +
</div>
 +
<div style="display:inline-block; vertical-align:top;">
 +
{|
 +
!colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|''Sonic & Knuckles''
 +
|-
 +
!Level
 +
!Zone
 +
|-
 +
|1||[[Mushroom Hill Zone]] Act 1
 +
|-
 +
|2||[[Flying Battery Zone]] Act 2
 +
|-
 +
|3||[[Sandopolis Zone]] Act 2
 +
|-
 +
|4||[[Lava Reef Zone]] Act 1
 +
|-
 +
|5||[[Hidden Palace Zone (Sonic & Knuckles)|Hidden Palace Zone]]
 +
|-
 +
|6||[[Sky Sanctuary Zone]]
 +
|-
 +
|7||[[Death Egg Zone (Sonic & Knuckles)|Death Egg Zone]] Act 2
 +
|-
 +
|8||[[The Doomsday Zone]]
 +
|}
 +
</div>
  
Sonic World is said to have been the basis for ''[[Sonic Adventure]]''.
+
"Normal" Acts as essentially a bug-fixed version of the original game, though some layout changes were made to address concerns with the original releases. As an example, more platforms were added in ''Sonic 2''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s [[Chemical Plant Zone]] to reduce the chances of the player drowning in the level's second Act - it means on the whole, "Normal" is easier than "Original", but harder than "Easy".
 +
 
 +
==Differences from Mega Drive games==
 +
{{mainArticle|{{PAGENAME}}/Comparisons}}
 +
Some of the audio in ''Sonic Jam'' is different from the original Mega Drive versions, with most music tracks having a slight delay before playing (likely due to CD loading times). This is particularly noticeable when collecting [[Power Sneakers]], as rather than speed up the music already playing, a different, faster version of the tune is swapped in (and subsequently swapped out), with the track restarting each time (it can also cause results screen music to start playing for a second time if an extra life is obtained).
 +
 
 +
Many sound effects have been sampled at a lower quality (or seemingly replaced, as is the case with many explosions), while others are missing, such as the sound for transforming into [[Super Sonic]]. While players can still charge [[Spin Dash]]es, the pitch of spin noise no longer rises when doing so.
 +
 
 +
The ability for music to fade in and out is also removed in ''Sonic Jam'', however as there is no longer a need to share audio channels, sound effects cannot interfere with music playback.
 +
 
 +
===''Sonic the Hedgehog''===
 +
The original ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' sees the most obvious changes in its transition to the Saturn, being built on the later REV01 revision of the game, complete with extra scrolling with the clouds in [[Green Hill Zone (Sonic the Hedgehog 16-bit)|Green Hill Zone]] and extra water effects in [[Labyrinth Zone]]. An option to toggle the [[Spin Dash]] ability (which is absent from the Mega Drive release) was added, and like later games, clouds of dust are created when Sonic skids to a halt.
 +
 
 +
The notorious "[[Spike damage behavior|spike bug]]" is fixed in ''Sonic Jam'', however some sound effects are missing, most notably the noise of the waterfalls in Green Hill Zone.
 +
 
 +
===''Sonic the Hedgehog 2''===
 +
''Sonic Jam''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s port of ''Sonic 2'' uses the invincibility tune from the original ''Sonic the Hedgehog'', presumably by accident as the ''Sonic 2'' track in on the CD and used in the two player versus mode. Thanks to the increased processor overhead, the versus mode also lags less often than in the Mega Drive version of the game.
 +
 
 +
In the original ''Sonic 2'', the "SEGA" jingle plays at a slightly higher pitch than its siblings. This is fixed in the ''Sonic Jam'' release.
 +
 
 +
[[Wing Fortress Zone]] has the distinction of being the only Zone completely skipped in any of ''Sonic Jam''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s Easy mode games. No attempt was made to finish this seemingly incomplete stage - there are still no sound effects for the boss battle for example, though extra platforms were added in Normal mode to reduce the chances of falling off.
 +
 
 +
This version of ''Sonic 2'' is based off REV02, seen elsewhere in [[Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (arcade game)|''Sonic 2'' for Mega Play]], ''[[Knuckles the Echidna in Sonic the Hedgehog 2|Knuckles in Sonic 2]]'', and ''[[Sonic Classics]]''.
 +
 
 +
===''Sonic the Hedgehog 3''/''Sonic & Knuckles''===
 +
Being effectively two halves of the same game, ''Sonic 3'' and ''Sonic & Knuckles'' share many changes, though aside from different sounds for collecting blue spheres, most of the improvements involve fixing bugs and exploits which are far more common than in the two earlier ''Sonic'' titles.
 +
 
 +
Issues known to have given the developers grief, such as [[Knuckles]]' green socks in ''Sonic 3'', are not addressed in ''Sonic Jam'', and are sometimes complemented with new palette errors.
  
==Differences from Mega Drive and Sonic Jam Versions==
+
The infamous spinning barrel in [[Carnival Night Zone]] (which forces the player to learn it can be controlled with {{up}} and {{down}}) is completely removed from the non-Original versions of ''Sonic 3''.
[[Image:Sonic Jam easy.png|thumb|right|200px|''Sonic the Hedgehog'' on easy mode]]
 
There are a number of changes between the Sonic Jam and Mega Drive versions of the included ''Sonic'' games, including enhanced sound and various bugfixes. ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' for example, adds an option to toggle the [[Spin Dash]] ability (which is absent from the Mega Drive release). The version of ''Sonic 1'' used is based on the later revision of the game (not released in the west), and so sees extra scrolling with the clouds in [[Green Hill Zone]] and extra water effects in [[Labyrinth Zone]]. Also while Sonic halts to a stop while running, he leaves behind skid marks in ''Sonic 1'', just like in later games.
 
  
Some of the audio in the game is different from the original Mega Drive versions, with most music tracks having a slight delay before playing (likely due to CD loading times). The version of ''Sonic 2'' in this compilation uses the invincibility tune from the original ''Sonic the Hedgehog'', presumably by accident as the ''Sonic 2'' track in on the CD and used in the two player versus mode. ''Sonic 2''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s versus mode lags less often than in the Mega Drive version of the game.
+
Despite ''[[Sonic & Knuckles Collection]]'' (released around the same time period) skirting around what are thought to be music tracks produced by [[Michael Jackson]], ''Sonic Jam'' makes no significant changes to ''Sonic 3''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s audio, save for changes mentioned above which affect all the Mega Drive games.
  
However ''Sonic 3'' and ''Sonic & Knuckles'' by far contain the most changes, though many are simply bugfixes. The sound effect for explosions (from monitors and enemies) is completely different, as are things such as collecting a blue sphere, or breaking a wall.
+
==Production credits==
 +
{{creditstable|
 +
{{multicol|
 +
*'''Executive Producer:''' [[Hayao Nakayama]]
 +
*'''Project Manager:''' [[Youji Ishii]]
 +
*'''Producer:''' [[Yuji Naka]]
 +
*'''Director:''' [[Takashi Iizuka]]
 +
*'''Game Designer:''' [[Daisuke Mori]]
 +
*'''Main Programmer:''' [[Takahiro Hamano]]
 +
*'''Programmers:''' Haruhisa Udagawa, [[Tetsu Katano]], [[Yasuhiro Takahashi]], [[Atsutomo Nakagawa]], [[Kazuhiko Hattori]]
 +
*'''Artists:''' [[Kazuyuki Hoshino]], [[Yuji Uekawa]], [[Nobuhiko Honda]], [[Shinichi Higashi]], [[You Nishiyama]], [[Sachiko Kawamura]], [[Satoshi Okano]]
 +
*'''CG Movie Artist:''' Shigemitsu Nobuhara
 +
*'''Supervisor:''' [[Naoto Ohshima]]
 +
*'''Sound Director:''' [[Tatsuya Kousaki|Tatsuya Kouzaki]]
 +
*'''Compose & Arrange:''' [[Masaru Setsumaru]], [[Kenichi Tokoi]]
 +
*'''Visual Material Editors:''' [[Ikuo Ishizaka]], Hidehiro Kumagai, [[Yuji Sawairi]], Sega Digital Studio
 +
*'''Executive Management:''' [[Shoichiro Irimajiri]]
 +
*'''Executive Coordination:''' [[Makoto Oshitani]], [[Jin Shimazaki]], [[Yukifumi Makino]]
 +
*'''Promotion Management:''' [[Hideki Okamura]], Masanobu Tsukamoto
 +
*'''Promotion:''' Hirokazu Kanno, Masatoshi Kawaguchi, Takafumi Ueoro, Hiroshi Masuda
 +
*'''Public Relations:''' Hiroto Kikuchi, [[Tadashi Takezaki]], Tomoyuki Nagumo, Kazuhiro Hanaya, Miki Morimoto
 +
*'''Manual:''' Hiroyuki Mitsui, Osamu Nakazato, [[Youichi Takahashi]]
 +
{{creditsheader|Sonic Theme Song '93}}
 +
*'''Lyrics by:''' Casey Rankin
 +
*'''Music by:''' [[Naofumi Hataya]], [[Masafumi Ogata]]
 +
*'''Vocal:''' [[Keiko Utoku]]
 +
*'''Producer:''' Daikou Nagato (Being Co. Ltd.)
 +
*'''Director:''' Ryo Watabe (Being Co. Ltd.)
 +
{{creditsheader|Sonic the Hedgehog 2 CF}}
 +
*'''Music Composer:''' [[Masato Nakamura]] (©1992 Dreams Come True)
 +
*'''Special Thanks:''' Kazuhiro Takase, [[sega:Mitsuteru Iwaki|Mitsuteru Iwaki]], [[Ryoichi Hasegawa]], [[Tetsuya Mizuguchi]], [[sega:Mie Kumagai|Mie Kumagai]], Seijiro Sannabe, Akinori Ohno, Nobuhiko Shimizu, Shigeru Tateishi, Hitoshi Okuno, Akihiro Kubo, Hiroko Egi, Shozo Hirano, Tadashi Ihoroi, Takayuki Suzuki, [[Akinori Nishiyama]]
 +
*'''Presented by:''' [[Sega]]
 +
}}
 +
}}
  
 
==Manuals==
 
==Manuals==
 +
{{main|Sonic Jam/Manuals}}
 +
 +
==Artwork==
 +
{{main|Artwork from Sonic Jam}}
 
<gallery>
 
<gallery>
Sonic Jam Sega Saturn US Manual.pdf|Saturn, US
+
Sonic Jam JP Logo.png
SonicJam Sat EU manual.pdf|Saturn, EU
+
ProjectSonic logo.png
SonicJam Sat JP manual.pdf|Saturn, JP
+
ProjectSonic LogoBlack.png
 +
SonicJam ArtPromotional.png
 +
Sonic Jam Trio.png
 +
Sonic Jam Sonic Run.png
 +
SonicSaturn Christmas STWebsite.png
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
 +
===Wallpaper===
 +
{{mainArticle|{{PAGENAME}}/Hidden content#PC content}}
  
==Saving Data==
+
==Promotional material==
The game makes use of the Saturn's internal battery back-up as well as the [[Sega Saturn Back-Up Ram Cart]] to save data for all of the games as well as progress through the challenges in Sonic World.
+
<gallery>
 +
SonicJam PromotionalPoster.jpg
 +
</gallery>
  
{|class="prettytable"
+
===Jam===
      |+ {{PAGENAME}} Save Data
+
<gallery>
      |-
+
SonicJam JP Jam.jpg
      ! Name
+
SonicJam JP Jam Sonic.jpg
      ! Comment
+
SonicJam JP Jam Tails.jpg
      ! File Size
+
SonicJam JP Jam Knuckles.jpg
      |-
+
</gallery>
      | SONICJAM_##
 
      | SAVE_DATA
 
      | 23
 
      |}
 
 
 
==Production Credits==
 
{{Multicol|
 
Executive Producer: [[Hayao Nakayama]]<br/>
 
Project Manager: [[Youji Ishii]]<br/>
 
Producer: [[Yuji Naka]]<br/>
 
Director: [[Takashi Iizuka]]<br/>
 
Game Designer: [[Daisuke Mori]]<br/>
 
Main Programmer: [[Takahiro Hamano]]<br/>
 
Programmers: Haruhisa Udagawa, [[Tetsu Katano]], [[Yasuhiro Takahashi]], [[Atsutomo Nakagawa]], [[Kazuhiko Hattori]]<br/>
 
Artists: [[Kazuyuki Hoshino]], [[Yuji Uekawa]], [[Nobuhiko Honda]], [[Shinichi Higashi]], [[You Nishiyama]], [[Sachiko Kawamura]], [[Satoshi Okano]]<br/>
 
CG Movie Artist: Shigemitsu Nobuhara<br/>
 
Supervisor: [[Naoto Ohshima]]<br/>
 
Sound Director: [[Tatsuya Kousaki|Tatsuya Kouzaki]]<br/>
 
Compose & Arrange: [[Masaru Setsumaru]], [[Kenichi Tokoi]]<br/>
 
Visual Material Editors: [[Ikuo Ishizaka]], Hidehiro Kumagai, [[Yuji Sawairi]], Sega Digital Studio<br/>
 
Executive Management: [[Shoichiro Irimajiri]]<br>
 
Executive Coordination: [[Makoto Oshitani]], [[Jin Shimazaki]], [[Yukifumi Makino]]<br/>
 
Promotion Management: [[Hideki Okamura]], Masanobu Tsukamoto<br/>
 
Promotion: Hirokazu Kanno, Masatoshi Kawaguchi, Takafumi Ueoro, Hiroshi Masuda<br/>
 
Public Relations: Hiroto Kikuchi, [[Tadashi Takezaki]], Tomoyuki Nagumo, Kazuhiro Hanaya, Miki Morimoto<br/>
 
Manual: Hiroyuki Mitsui, Osamu Nakazato, [[Youichi Takahashi]]<br/>
 
: '''Sonic Theme Song '93'''
 
Lyrics by: Casey Rankin<br/>
 
Music by: [[Naofumi Hataya]], [[Masafumi Ogata]]<br/>
 
Vocal: [[Keiko Utoku]]<br/>
 
Producer: Daikou Nagato (Being Co. Ltd.)<br/>
 
Director: Ryo Watabe (Being Co. Ltd.)<br/>
 
: '''Sonic the Hedgehog 2 CF'''
 
Music Composer: [[Masato Nakamura]] (©1992 Dreams Come True)<br/><br/>
 
Special Thanks: Kazuhiro Takase, [[sega:Mitsuteru Iwaki|Mitsuteru Iwaki]], [[Ryoichi Hasegawa]], [[Tetsuya Mizuguchi]], [[sega:Mie Kumagai|Mie Kumagai]], Seijiro Sannabe, Akinori Ohno, Nobuhiko Shimizu, Shigeru Tateishi, Hitoshi Okuno, Akihiro Kubo, Hiroko Egi, Shozo Hirano, Tadashi Ihoroi, Takayuki Suzuki, [[Akinori Nishiyama]]<br/>
 
Presented by: [[Sega]]
 
}}
 
  
==Resources==
+
==Physical scans==
===Original Sound Version Recordings===
 
See [[Sonic Jam OSV]] for a download page.
 
 
 
===Physical Scans===
 
 
{{ratings
 
{{ratings
 
| icon=SAT
 
| icon=SAT
| cvg=80
 
| cvg_source={{num|190|page=66/67/68}}
 
| gamepro=90
 
| gamepro_source={{num|110|page=153}}
 
 
| gamesmaster=88
 
| gamesmaster=88
 
| gamesmaster_source={{num|58|page=36/37}}
 
| gamesmaster_source={{num|58|page=36/37}}
| sega16=100
 
| sega16_source=''[http://www.sega-16.com/2008/03/hands-on-sonic-jam-saturn/ March 25, 2008]''
 
| ugameplayers=90
 
| ugameplayers_source={{num|103}}
 
| videogamecritic=91
 
| videogamecritic_source=''[http://videogamecritic.com/satss.htm?e=25333#rev2929 2000/6/27]''
 
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{Scanbox
 
{{Scanbox
| console=Saturn
 
| region=US
 
| front=Sonic_Jam_Saturn_US_Cover_Front.jpg
 
| back=Sonic_Jam_Saturn_US_Cover_Back.jpg
 
| spinemissing=yes
 
| disc=sjam us cd.jpg
 
| manual=Sonic_Jam_Sega_Saturn_US_Manual.pdf
 
}}{{Scanbox
 
| console=Saturn
 
| region=EU
 
| front=Sjam-box-eu.jpg
 
| disc=Sonic Jam (E) disc.png
 
| manual=SonicJam Sat EU manual.pdf
 
}}{{Scanbox
 
 
| console=Saturn
 
| console=Saturn
 
| region=JP
 
| region=JP
Line 145: Line 279:
 
| manual=
 
| manual=
 
| square=yes
 
| square=yes
 +
}}{{Scanbox
 +
| console=Saturn
 +
| region=US
 +
| front=Sonic_Jam_Saturn_US_Cover_Front.jpg
 +
| back=Sonic_Jam_Saturn_US_Cover_Back.jpg
 +
| disc=sjam us cd.jpg
 +
| manual=Sonic_Jam_Sega_Saturn_US_Manual.pdf
 +
}}{{Scanbox
 +
| console=Saturn
 +
| region=EU
 +
| cover=Sjam-box-eu.jpg
 +
| disc=Sonic Jam (E) disc.png
 +
| manual=SonicJam Sat EU manual.pdf
 +
}}{{Scanbox
 +
| console=Saturn
 +
| region=PT
 +
| cover=SonicJam Sat PT cover.jpg
 +
}}{{Scanbox
 +
| console=Saturn
 +
| region=EU (promo)
 +
| cover=SonicJam Sat promo cover.jpg
 
}}
 
}}
  
==Promotional Material==
+
==Technical information==
<gallery>Sonic_Jam_Poster.jpeg</gallery>
+
===Save data===
 +
The game makes use of the Saturn's internal battery back-up as well as the [[Sega Saturn Back-Up Ram Cart]] to save data for all of the games as well as progress through the challenges in Sonic World.
 +
 
 +
{|class="prettytable"
 +
      |+ {{PAGENAME}} Save Data
 +
      |-
 +
      ! Name
 +
      ! Comment
 +
      ! File Size
 +
      |-
 +
      | SONICJAM_##
 +
      | SAVE_DATA
 +
      | 23
 +
      |}
  
 
==References==
 
==References==

Revision as of 16:10, 2 April 2023

For the Game.com version of the same title, see Sonic Jam (Game.com). For the unlicensed Sega Mega Drive game, see Sonic Jam 6.

n/a

show;hide
  • NTSC-U
  • NTSC-J
  • PAL
Sonic Jam title.png
SonicJam Saturn JP Title.png
SonicJam Saturn EU Title.png
Sonic Jam
System(s): Sega Saturn
Publisher: Sega
Developer:
Game total: 4
Sound driver: SCSP (1 track)
Peripherals supported: 3D Control Pad
Genre: Compilation, Action[1][2]
Number of players: 1-2
Release Date RRP Code Rating
Sega Saturn
JP
1997-06-20[2] ¥4,800 GS-9147
Sega Rating: All Ages
Sega Saturn
JP
(Satakore)
1998-07-23 ¥2,800 GS-9200
Sega Rating: All Ages
Sega Saturn
US
1997-08-22[3] $39.99[4] 81079
ESRB: Kids to Adults
Sega Saturn
EU
1997-08-28[5] €? MK81079-50
ELSPA: 3+ OK
Sega Saturn
UK
1997-08-28[5] £39.99[5] MK81079-50
ELSPA: 3+ OK
Sega Saturn
PT
199x  ? STJSE0681
Sega Saturn
PL
1997 239 ?

Sonic Jam (Japanese: ソニックジャム) is a 1997 Sega Saturn game. Primarily it is a compilation containing the four Sega Mega Drive Sonic platform games - Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic the Hedgehog 3, and Sonic & Knuckles, however it also contains bonus content in the form of Sonic World and a number of different gameplay options.

Gameplay

Unlike later compilations, Sonic Jam does not emulate Mega Drive hardware - the games have been re-written for the Saturn, though behave almost identically to their original counterparts. It is especially beneficial to PAL users, as the games have been optimised for 50Hz refresh rates (the original PAL versions perform 17.5% slower than their NTSC counterparts and contain borders, as little optimisation work was done between the two versions).

Each of the games benefit from the Lock-On Technology introduced in the Sonic & Knuckles cartridge. This means Blue Sphere, Knuckles the Echidna in Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles are also playable. The North American and Japanese instruction manuals for each of the games are also included in a digitised form. The game also sports Time Attack modes, and an option to play each Special Stage in succession for each game. It is also possible to disable Time Overs and allow the player to spend more than 10 minutes in a level.

Sonic World

Another addition to Sonic Jam is "Sonic World", which is accessed at the title screen menu. A 3D adventure world with many buildings containing art, history, music, movies and character profiles is contained within, plus the mission mode where the player must complete certain missions in the quickest time. At the time of Sonic Jam's release, this game was a selling point as gamers were eager to see Sonic in 3D for the first time.

Sonic World is said to have been the basis for Sonic Adventure.

Easy and Normal modes

Sonic the Hedgehog on Easy mode

Unique to Sonic Jam are the additions of "Easy" and "Normal" difficulty options (in addition to an "Original" mode which plays identically to the Mega Drive originals), both of which change the placement of obstacles and fix numerous bugs present in the original versions. The Easy mode dramatically reduces the difficulty across the four Mega Drive titles so as to help less experienced players. In this mode, many levels are skipped, any encountered bosses only take three hits, and much of the level design is tweaked for easier play, be it the removal of obstacles, or the addition of more helpful objects such as monitors.

It is not known how much thought was originally given to the chosen Zones in Easy mode; while one might expect Easy mode to stick with the first Acts, if not just because these lack bosses, a mixture of Acts 1, 2 and where applicable, 3 are used. A notable omission includes Wing Fortress Zone which is missing entirely in Easy Sonic 2.

Knuckles the Echidna in Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles use the same Easy levels as Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Sonic the Hedgehog 3/Sonic & Knuckles, respectively. Skipped levels were not made easier for this mode, so if the player attempts to access one through a level select code, they will just get the Normal mode layout (and rules).

Sonic the Hedgehog
Level Zone
1 Green Hill Zone Act 1
2 Marble Zone Act 1
3 Spring Yard Zone Act 2
4 Labyrinth Zone Act 3
5 Star Light Zone Act 2
6 Scrap Brain Zone Act 1
7 Final Zone
Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Level Zone
1 Emerald Hill Zone Act 2
2 Chemical Plant Zone Act 1
3 Aquatic Ruin Zone Act 1
4 Casino Night Zone Act 1
5 Hill Top Zone Act 1
6 Mystic Cave Zone Act 1
7 Oil Ocean Zone Act 2
8 Metropolis Zone Act 1
9 Sky Chase Zone
10 Death Egg Zone
Sonic the Hedgehog 3
Level Zone
1 Angel Island Zone Act 1
2 Hydrocity Zone Act 2
3 Marble Garden Zone Act 2
4 Carnival Night Zone Act 2
5 IceCap Zone Act 2
6 Launch Base Zone Act 2

"Normal" Acts as essentially a bug-fixed version of the original game, though some layout changes were made to address concerns with the original releases. As an example, more platforms were added in Sonic 2's Chemical Plant Zone to reduce the chances of the player drowning in the level's second Act - it means on the whole, "Normal" is easier than "Original", but harder than "Easy".

Differences from Mega Drive games

Sonic Retro emblem.svg Main article: Sonic Jam/Comparisons

Some of the audio in Sonic Jam is different from the original Mega Drive versions, with most music tracks having a slight delay before playing (likely due to CD loading times). This is particularly noticeable when collecting Power Sneakers, as rather than speed up the music already playing, a different, faster version of the tune is swapped in (and subsequently swapped out), with the track restarting each time (it can also cause results screen music to start playing for a second time if an extra life is obtained).

Many sound effects have been sampled at a lower quality (or seemingly replaced, as is the case with many explosions), while others are missing, such as the sound for transforming into Super Sonic. While players can still charge Spin Dashes, the pitch of spin noise no longer rises when doing so.

The ability for music to fade in and out is also removed in Sonic Jam, however as there is no longer a need to share audio channels, sound effects cannot interfere with music playback.

Sonic the Hedgehog

The original Sonic the Hedgehog sees the most obvious changes in its transition to the Saturn, being built on the later REV01 revision of the game, complete with extra scrolling with the clouds in Green Hill Zone and extra water effects in Labyrinth Zone. An option to toggle the Spin Dash ability (which is absent from the Mega Drive release) was added, and like later games, clouds of dust are created when Sonic skids to a halt.

The notorious "spike bug" is fixed in Sonic Jam, however some sound effects are missing, most notably the noise of the waterfalls in Green Hill Zone.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2

Sonic Jam's port of Sonic 2 uses the invincibility tune from the original Sonic the Hedgehog, presumably by accident as the Sonic 2 track in on the CD and used in the two player versus mode. Thanks to the increased processor overhead, the versus mode also lags less often than in the Mega Drive version of the game.

In the original Sonic 2, the "SEGA" jingle plays at a slightly higher pitch than its siblings. This is fixed in the Sonic Jam release.

Wing Fortress Zone has the distinction of being the only Zone completely skipped in any of Sonic Jam's Easy mode games. No attempt was made to finish this seemingly incomplete stage - there are still no sound effects for the boss battle for example, though extra platforms were added in Normal mode to reduce the chances of falling off.

This version of Sonic 2 is based off REV02, seen elsewhere in Sonic 2 for Mega Play, Knuckles in Sonic 2, and Sonic Classics.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3/Sonic & Knuckles

Being effectively two halves of the same game, Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles share many changes, though aside from different sounds for collecting blue spheres, most of the improvements involve fixing bugs and exploits which are far more common than in the two earlier Sonic titles.

Issues known to have given the developers grief, such as Knuckles' green socks in Sonic 3, are not addressed in Sonic Jam, and are sometimes complemented with new palette errors.

The infamous spinning barrel in Carnival Night Zone (which forces the player to learn it can be controlled with Up and Down) is completely removed from the non-Original versions of Sonic 3.

Despite Sonic & Knuckles Collection (released around the same time period) skirting around what are thought to be music tracks produced by Michael Jackson, Sonic Jam makes no significant changes to Sonic 3's audio, save for changes mentioned above which affect all the Mega Drive games.

Production credits

Sonic Theme Song '93
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 CF

Manuals

Sonic Retro emblem.svg Main article: Sonic Jam/Manuals

Artwork

Sonic Retro emblem.svg Main article: Artwork from Sonic Jam

Wallpaper

Sonic Retro emblem.svg Main article: Sonic Jam/Hidden content#PC content

Promotional material

Jam

Physical scans




Sega Saturn
88 Sonic Retro Average
Based on 1 review
Publication Score Source
GamesMaster (UK) 88 №58, p36/37
Saturn, JP
Sjam sat back cover.jpgSjam-box-jap.jpg
Cover
Saturn, JP (Satakore)
SonicJam Saturn JP Box Back Satakore.jpgNospine-small.pngSonicJam Saturn JP Box Front Satakore.jpg
Cover
Saturn, US
Sonic Jam Saturn US Cover Back.jpgSonic Jam Saturn US Cover Front.jpg
Cover
Saturn, EU
Sjam-box-eu.jpg
Cover
Saturn, PT
SonicJam Sat PT cover.jpg
Cover
Saturn, EU (promo)
SonicJam Sat promo cover.jpg
Cover

Technical information

Save data

The game makes use of the Saturn's internal battery back-up as well as the Sega Saturn Back-Up Ram Cart to save data for all of the games as well as progress through the challenges in Sonic World.

Sonic Jam Save Data
Name Comment File Size
SONICJAM_## SAVE_DATA 23

References


Sonic Jam
Sonic Jam title.png

Main page
Comparisons
Maps


Manuals
Promotional material
Magazine articles
Video coverage
Reception


Development
Hidden content
Bugs


History of Sonic the Hedgehog

Sonic the Hedgehog games for the following systems
Sega Saturn
 1996  Sonic 3D: Flickies' Island     1997  Sonic Jam | Sonic R    
 Unreleased  Sonic X-treme | Sonic Saturn