Difference between revisions of "Sonic X-treme concept art"

Revision as of 01:27, 23 November 2013

Over the course of Sonic X-treme's development cycle, a slew of concept art and other various images were created as the team behind the game brainstormed how best to go about producing Sonic's first appearance on the Sega Saturn. Some of these ideas never went beyond the drawing board, while others evolved into various forms of playable content until X-treme's cancellation.

General Concept Art

By Fei Cheng.
By Fei Cheng.
By Ofer Alon.
Animation test of a simplified title screen.

Storyboards

Storyboard for an animated version of the Sega Technical Institute logo.
The title card to an act of Red Sands Zone, "Giza Speedway.
The last panel of the previous storyboard in full color.
The first page of one possible opening sequence.
Page two.
Page three.
Page four.
Page five. Note the only known design of Professor Gazebo Boobowski.
Page six.
An early attempt at an introductory FMV.

Sonic the Hedgehog

During the early development of X-treme, part of the team's ambitious ideas was to feature numerous playable characters, each with their own individual play style. Chris Senn, the game's lead designer, wanted Sonic to be controlled in an isometric view's similar to what would eventually be seen in Sonic 3D: Flickies' Island, but was convinced otherwise by lead programmer Ofer Alon.

Sonic wearing a strange Santa Claus hat, likely related to the unfinished Christmas level.
A test animation of Sonic running in an isometric, 3/4 view.

Miles "Tails" Prower

Though not demonstrated in the below concept art, Miles "Tails" Prower's game play was envisioned to be that found in most modern 3D games, with a third-person, camera-behind-you perspective. When the game was focused onto just Sonic, the titular character inherited this format of perspective.

Knuckles the Echidna

To keep things fresh, the player was to control Knuckles the Echidna from a top-down view, the camera showing off the maze surrounding their character.

An animated gif of Knuckles' running in various positions.
A test animation of Knuckles playing from an overhead perspective.

Tiara Boobowski

Tiara Boobowski, commonly mistaken for a hedgehog but actually a Minx Kitten, was meant to be the new character introduced in Sonic X-treme. First conceived as a princess, she later become the daughter of a professor, but each time was meant to be a love interest for Sonic. Though later game outlines made her nothing but plot fodder, she was originally meant to be playable, to be controlled in traditional side-scrolling platformer levels.

The initial Tiara sketch.
The base Tiara design.
stick pose concepts.
Tiara's original method of play, the classic side-scrolling view.
The final design of Tiara, revealed to the world in black and white.

Other Characters

Chaz/Gabby

Included within the "PackageX" leak of 2009, a set of sprites for two characters, "Chaz" and "Gabby," were found within. Having never been mentioned before, it is unknown if these were meant to be enemies, new characters, or just test sprites to work things out before they had the final Sonic sprites.

Chazfront.gif

Chaz
Chazside.gif

Chaz
Chazback.gif

Chaz
Gabbyfront.gif

Gabby
Gabbyside.gif

Gabby
Gabbyback.gif

Gabby

Mips

Instead of the usual animal friends found within the Sonic games prior, trapped within the badnik enemies were meant to be beings called Mips. The name, derived from the technical term "Million Instructions Per Second," was thought up by Michael Kosaka, the lead game designer when the project was still known as Sonic Mars. Each level was meant to have their own unique Mips, but such progress was unfinished due to the cancellation of the game.

ChristmasMips.png

A collection of odd characters from the Christmas level, quite possibly meant to be its form of Mips.

Hirokazu Yasuhara Concept Art

Near the tail-end of development for Sonic X-treme on the Saturn, Sega of America called upon veteran Sonic game designer Hirokazu Yasuhara to lend his expertise in the ever-problematic X-treme development cycle. His concepts continued to be used during the "Project Condor" phase of the project, but none were successfully utilized in a complete game.

"The System of Sonic World," laying out the flow of the game.
The flow of Jade Gully Zone.
The flow of Crystal Frost Zone.
The flow of Candy Mountain Zone.
The flow into Red Sands Zone.
The layout to enter the Death Egg Zone.
A drawing of Sonic at the beginning of a zone, possibly Jade Gully.
Zone 1, Act 1, Page 2
Notes to Zone 1, Act 1, Page 2
Zone 1, Act 1, Page 3
First set of notes to Zone 1, Act 1, Page 3
Second set of notes to Zone 1, Act 1, Page 3
Zone 1, Act 1, Page 4
Notes to Zone 1, Act 1, Page 4
Zone 1, Act 1, Page 5
Notes to Zone 1, Act 1, Page 5
Zone 1, Act 2, Page 1
First set of notes to Zone 1, Act 2, Page 1
Second set of notes to Zone 1, Act 2, Page 1
Zone 1, Act 2, Page 2
Notes to Zone 1, Act 2, Page 2
Zone 1, Act 2, Page 3
Notes to Zone 1, Act 2, Page 3
Zone 1, Act 2, Page 4
Notes to Zone 1, Act 2, Page 4
Zone 1, Act 2, Page 5
Notes to Zone 1, Act 2, Page 5
Zone 1, Act 3, Page 1
Notes to Zone 1, Act 3, Page 1
Zone 1, Act 3, Page 2
Notes to Zone 1, Act 3, Page 2
Zone 1, Act 3, Page 3
Notes to Zone 1, Act 3, Page 3
Zone 1, Act 3, Page 4
Notes to Zone 1, Act 3, Page 4
Zone 1, Act 3, Page 5
Notes to Zone 1, Act 3, Page 5
Zone 2, Act 1, Page 1
First set of notes to Zone 2, Act 1, Page 1
Second set of notes to Zone 2, Act 1, Page 1
Zone 2, Act 1, Page 2
Notes to Zone 2, Act 1, Page 2
Zone 2, Act 1, Page 3
First set of notes to Zone 2, Act 1, Page 3
Second set of notes to Zone 2, Act 1, Page 3

Template:SonicXtreme

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-Over the course of ''[[Sonic X-treme|Sonic X-treme's]]'' development cycle, a slew of concept art and other various images were created as the team behind the game brainstormed how best to go about making Sonic's first game on the [[Sega Saturn]]. Some of these ideas never went beyond the drawing board, while others evolved into what made up the game until its cancellation.
+Over the course of ''[[Sonic X-treme|Sonic X-treme's]]'' development cycle, a slew of concept art and other various images were created as the team behind the game brainstormed how best to go about producing Sonic's first appearance on the [[sega:Sega Saturn|Sega Saturn]]. Some of these ideas never went beyond the drawing board, while others evolved into various forms of playable content until ''X-treme's'' cancellation.
 ==General Concept Art==
@@ Line 20: / Line 20: @@
 ==Storyboards==
 <gallery>
-Image:sonicsb.jpg|Storyboard for an animated version of the [[Sega Technical Institute]] logo.
+Image:sonicsb.jpg|Storyboard for an animated version of the [[sega:Sega Technical Institute|Sega Technical Institute]] logo.
 Image:storysgiza.jpg|The title card to an act of Red Sands Zone, "Giza Speedway.
 Image:gizaspeedway.jpg|The last panel of the previous storyboard in full color.
@@ Line 27: / Line 27: @@
 Image:sxc_boards1c.jpg|Page three.
 Image:sxc_boards1d.jpg|Page four.
-Image:sxc_boards1e.jpg|Page five. Note the only known appearence, and design, of Professor Gazebo Boobowski.
+Image:sxc_boards1e.jpg|Page five. Note the only known design of Professor Gazebo Boobowski.
 Image:sxc_boards1f.jpg|Page six.
-Image:sxc_fmv_test.png|An early animation attempt at an introductory FMV.
+Image:sxc_fmv_test.png|An early attempt at an introductory FMV.
 </gallery>
-==[[Sonic the Hedgehog]]==
+==Sonic the Hedgehog==
-Though the only playable character once work got underway on the [[Sega Saturn]], Sonic the Hedgehog was originally meant to be one of many characters available in Sonic X-treme. [[Chris Senn]], the game's lead designer, wanted Sonic's playstyle to be similar to that eventually found in ''[[Sonic 3D: Flickies' Island]]'', but was convinced otherwise by lead programmer Ofer Alon. Opting to focus on one character instead, the others soon fell to the wayside, either being utilized in a story capacity or not at all.
+During the early development of ''X-treme'', part of the team's ambitious ideas was to feature numerous playable characters, each with their own individual play style. [[sega:Chris Senn|Chris Senn]], the game's lead designer, wanted Sonic to be controlled in an isometric view's similar to what would eventually be seen in ''[[Sonic 3D: Flickies' Island]]'', but was convinced otherwise by lead programmer Ofer Alon.
 <gallery>
 Image:sonic_3dviews.jpg
 Image:sonic_download.jpg
-Image:sonic_santa.png|Sonic wearing a strange Santa Claus hat, most likely related to the [[Sonic X-treme levels|unfinished Christmas level]].
+Image:sonic_santa.png|Sonic wearing a strange Santa Claus hat, likely related to the [[Sonic X-treme levels#Christmas Level|unfinished Christmas level]].
 Image:sxc_sonicisometric.png|A test animation of Sonic running in an isometric, 3/4 view.
 </gallery>
-==[[Miles "Tails" Prower]]==
+==Miles "Tails" Prower==
-Originally slated to be a playable character in the game, Miles "Tails" Prower was supposed to have a gamestyle similar to what is found in most modern 3D games, and what Sonic the Hedgehog eventually had in the builds of ''Sonic X-treme'' the public was able to see, with the camera pointed behind the character.
+Though not demonstrated in the below concept art, [[Miles "Tails" Prower]]'s game play was envisioned to be that found in most modern 3D games, with a third-person, camera-behind-you perspective. When the game was focused onto just Sonic, the titular character inherited this format of perspective.
 <gallery>
@@ Line 53: / Line 53: @@
 </gallery>
-==[[Knuckles the Echidna]]==
+==Knuckles the Echidna==
-Also intended to be a playable character during initial brainstorming, Knuckles was meant to have his playstyle be a top-down view, the player being able to see the maze around the character.
+To keep things fresh, the player was to control [[Knuckles the Echidna]] from a top-down view, the camera showing off the maze surrounding their character.
 <gallery>
@@ Line 63: / Line 63: @@
 </gallery>
-==[[Tiara Boobowski]]==
+==Tiara Boobowski==
-Tiara Boobowski, commonly mistaken for a hedgehog but actually a Minx Kitten, was meant to be the new character introduced in ''Sonic X-treme.'' First conceived as a princess, she later become the daughter of a professor, but each time was meant to be a love interest for Sonic. Though she was eventually made a non-playable character, she was originally meant to be playable, controlling in a more traditional sideview platformer.
+[[Tiara Boobowski]], commonly mistaken for a hedgehog but actually a Minx Kitten, was meant to be the new character introduced in ''Sonic X-treme.'' First conceived as a princess, she later become the daughter of a professor, but each time was meant to be a love interest for Sonic. Though later game outlines made her nothing but plot fodder, she was originally meant to be playable, to be controlled in traditional side-scrolling platformer levels.
 <gallery>
@@ Line 82: / Line 82: @@
 Image:sxc_tiara_pineapple.jpg
 Image:sxc_tiara_sequence.jpg
-Image:sxc_side.png|Tiara's original playstyle, the classic sidescroller view.
+Image:sxc_side.png|Tiara's original method of play, the classic side-scrolling view.
 Image:tiara_boobowski.jpg|The final design of Tiara, revealed to the world in black and white.
 </gallery>
@@ Line 103: / Line 103: @@
 ===Mips===
-Instead of the usual [[animals|animal friends]] found within the Sonic games prior, trapped within the [[badnik]] enemies were meant to be beings called Mips. The name, derived from the technical term "Million Instructions Per Second," was thought up by Michael Kosaka, the lead game designer when the project was still known as ''[[Sonic Mars]]''. Each level was meant to have their own unique Mips, but such progress was unfinished due to the cancellation of the game.
+Instead of the usual [[animals|animal friends]] found within the Sonic games prior, trapped within the [[badnik]] enemies were meant to be beings called Mips. The name, derived from the technical term "Million Instructions Per Second," was thought up by [[sega:Michael Kosaka|Michael Kosaka]], the lead game designer when the project was still known as ''[[Sonic Mars]]''. Each level was meant to have their own unique Mips, but such progress was unfinished due to the cancellation of the game.
 <gallery>
-Image:ChristmasMips.png|A collection of odd characters from the [[Sonic X-treme levels|Christmas level]], quite possibly meant to be its form of Mips.
+Image:ChristmasMips.png|A collection of odd characters from the [[Sonic X-treme levels#Christmas Level|Christmas level]], quite possibly meant to be its form of Mips.
 </gallery>
-==[[Hirokazu Yasuhara]] Concept Art==
+==Hirokazu Yasuhara Concept Art==
-Near the tail-end the development of ''Sonic X-treme'' on the Saturn, Sega of America called upon veteran Sonic game designer [[Hirokazu Yasuhara]] to lend his expertise in the ever-problematic ''X-treme'' development cycle. His concepts continued to be used during the "Project Condor" phase of the project, but sadly none were successfully utilized in a complete game brought to retail.
+Near the tail-end of development for ''Sonic X-treme'' on the Saturn, [[sega:Sega|Sega of America]] called upon veteran Sonic game designer [[sega:Hirokazu Yasuhara|Hirokazu Yasuhara]] to lend his expertise in the ever-problematic ''X-treme'' development cycle. His concepts continued to be used during the "Project Condor" phase of the project, but none were successfully utilized in a complete game.
 <gallery>