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'''''Sonic the Hedgehog 2 CD''''', also frequently referred to as '''''Super Sonic''''', was a planned version of ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (16-bit)|Sonic the Hedgehog 2]]'' for the [[Sega Mega-CD]].
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'''''Sonic the Hedgehog 2 CD''''', also frequently referred to as '''''Super Sonic''''', and at one point reportedly subtitled '''''Sonic the Hedgehog 2: Escape from Ring Zone'''''{{fileref|EGM US 029.pdf|page=32}}{{fileref|ElectricBrain UK 25.pdf|page=22}}{{fileref|Supergame BR 07.pdf|page=38}}, was a planned version of ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (16-bit)|Sonic the Hedgehog 2]]'' for the [[Sega Mega-CD]].
  
The [[Sega Mega Drive]] version of ''Sonic the Hedgehog 2'' and ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog CD]]'' are thought to have at one point been the same thing, likely separating at an early point in development when a disgruntled [[Yuji Naka]] and several members of the original [[Sonic Team]] migrated from [[Sega of Japan]]'s offices in Tokyo to [[Sega of America]] (or specifically, the [[Sega Technical Institute]]) in California - travelling to where ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' was actually popular, as opposed to staying in Japan where the reception had been more lukewarm.
+
==History==
 +
The [[Sega Mega Drive]] version of ''Sonic the Hedgehog 2'' and ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog CD]]'' are thought to have at one point been the same thing, likely separating at an early point in development when a disgruntled [[Yuji Naka]] and several members of the original [[Sonic Team]] migrated from [[sega:Sega|Sega of Japan]]'s offices in Tokyo to [[Sega of America]] (or specifically, the [[Sega Technical Institute]]) in California - travelling to where ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' was actually popular, as opposed to staying in Japan where the reception had been more lukewarm.
  
 
The entirety of the story is unclear, and many former developers seem unaware of the situation, however Sega spent a large part of 1992 promoting ''four'' different versions of ''Sonic 2'' - the Sega Mega Drive, [[Sega Master System]] and [[Sega Game Gear]] ports, all of which shipped, and a Sega Mega-CD version which did not. Development on ''Sonic 2 CD'' is thought to have began with an aim of launching after the aforementioned versions, however the project was axed, potentially as a response to Japanese ''Sonic 2'' sales, and became an entirely separate game, ''Sonic CD''.
 
The entirety of the story is unclear, and many former developers seem unaware of the situation, however Sega spent a large part of 1992 promoting ''four'' different versions of ''Sonic 2'' - the Sega Mega Drive, [[Sega Master System]] and [[Sega Game Gear]] ports, all of which shipped, and a Sega Mega-CD version which did not. Development on ''Sonic 2 CD'' is thought to have began with an aim of launching after the aforementioned versions, however the project was axed, potentially as a response to Japanese ''Sonic 2'' sales, and became an entirely separate game, ''Sonic CD''.
  
Slightly enhanced Mega-CD ports of Mega Drive games were not uncommon during the early 1990s, and ''Sonic 2 CD'' appears to have followed a similar pattern - the addition of CD quality audio, cutscenes between levels and the potential for more stages were all announced by various sources, though very little seems to have been demonstrated and may relate soley to the Japanese-led ''Sonic CD'' project.
+
[[File:SegaMultiMediaDemo MCD Sonic.png|thumb|right|200px|[[Sonic the Hedgehog|Sonic]]'s appearance in the ''[[sega:Sega MultiMedia Studio (demo)|Sega MultiMedia Studio]]'' demo disc, which was mistaken for ''Sonic 2 CD'' footage.]]
 
+
Slightly enhanced Mega-CD ports of Mega Drive games were not uncommon during the early 1990s, and ''Sonic 2 CD'' appears to have followed a similar pattern - the addition of CD quality audio, cutscenes between levels and the potential for more stages were all announced by various sources, though very little seems to have been demonstrated and may relate soley to the Japanese-led ''Sonic CD'' project. An [[Sonic the Hedgehog (Mega-CD)|enhanced port]] of the original ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog (16-bit)|Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' was also announced around this time before being canned.
An [[Sonic the Hedgehog (Mega-CD)|enhanced port]] of the original ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog (16-bit)|Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' was also announced around this time before being canned.
 
 
 
==Screenshots==
 
No gameplay of ''Sonic 2 CD'' was ever demonstrated, however during mid-1992 members of the gaming press appear to have been given access to some sort of unconventional prototype or rolling demo. The footage bears very little resemblence to what is found in ''Sonic 2'' - it may have been intended for loading screens, or to act as a simple test for Mega-CD hardware.
 
<gallery>
 
Sonic2DLoading2.jpg|Sonic standing on a CD ROM.
 
Sonic2DLoading3.jpg|Occasionally he brings out another CD which a small Eggman attempts to steal.
 
Sonic2DLoading1.jpg|Sometimes this CD becomes a spinning ring too, and the background scrolls from a cityscape...
 
Egm Issue39 October1992 Page54.JPG|... to an ancient Roman-looking area.
 
MEGAforce Issue10 - Page10 October1992 cropped.JPG|Same image, different source.
 
Sonic2DLoading5.jpg|Eggman tries to steal the CD again...
 
Sonic2DLoading4.jpg|... and eventually an Angel with a blackboard appear in the background.
 
</gallery>
 
  
 +
No known screenshots or footage of ''Sonic the Hedgehog 2 CD'' has ever been released, however several publications mistook a [[sega:Sega MultiMedia Studio (demo)|demonstration CD by Sega Multimedia Studio]] as ''Sonic 2 CD'' footage. The demo, shown at [[sega:Summer CES 1992|Summer CES 1992]], sees Sonic standing on (and holding) a compact disc, but is merely a demonstration of the Mega-CD technology, not a game.
  
 
==Magazine articles==
 
==Magazine articles==
{{magtable|
+
{{main|sega:Sonic the Hedgehog 2 CD/Magazine articles}}
{{magrow
+
{{segaretro}}
| file=Megazone AU 23.pdf
 
| page=12
 
| cover=
 
| date=1992-08
 
| source=''Megazone'' #23
 
| type=News
 
| title=''Sonic II''
 
| comment=Brief mention of a Mega-CD version of ''Sonic 2'', scheduled for an Australian release in early 1993.
 
| writer=
 
}}
 
{{magrow
 
| file=SegaVisions US 09.pdf
 
| page=23
 
| cover=
 
| date=1992-09
 
| source=''[[sega:Sega Visions|Sega Visions]]'' #9
 
| type=
 
| title=Sega Interview
 
| comment=After an interview with [[Yuji Naka]], ''Sega Visions'' claims that a Sega Mega-CD version of ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog 2]]'' is coming, with extra levels and "special bonus rounds" between zones.
 
| writer=
 
}}
 
{{magrow
 
| file=Joypad FR 012.pdf
 
| page=31
 
| cover=
 
| date=1992-09
 
| source=''Joypad'' #12
 
| type=Preview
 
| title=Preview: ''Sonic the Hedgehog 2'' - ''Sonic II'' Sur Mega CD
 
| comment=
 
}}
 
{{magrow
 
| file=MeanMachinesSega01UK.pdf
 
| page=101
 
| cover=
 
| date=1992-10
 
| source=''[[sega:Mean Machines Sega|Mean Machines Sega]]'' #1
 
| type=Preview
 
| title=Mega CD Sonic Update
 
| comment=Short article describing the game as an enhanced version of ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog 2]]'' called "''[[Sonic the Hedgehog 2 CD|Super Sonic]]''".
 
| writer=
 
}}
 
{{magrow
 
| file=Mega UK 01.pdf
 
| page=76
 
| cover=
 
| date=1992-10
 
| source=''[[sega:Mega|Mega]]'' #1
 
| type=
 
| title=Top 100: ''Sonic the Hedgehog''
 
| comment=While ''Mega'' explains its decision to rate the original ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog (16-bit)|Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' as the third best Mega Drive game available in the UK, it briefly alludes to ''Sonic the Hedgehog 2'' and a Mega-CD game, ''Super Sonic''.
 
| writer=
 
}}
 
{{magrow
 
| file=Mega UK 01.pdf
 
| page=90
 
| cover=
 
| date=1992-10
 
| source=''[[sega:Mega|Mega]]'' #1
 
| type=
 
| title=Mega Mouth
 
| comment=Later in the issue, ''Mega'' briefly predicts a Mega-CD port of ''Sonic 2'', but is likely speculating at this point.
 
| writer=
 
}}
 
{{magrow
 
| file=SegaForce US 1992-11.pdf
 
| page=61
 
| cover=
 
| date=1992-11
 
| source=''Electronic Gaming Monthly'' #40 ([[sega:Sega Force (US)|''Sega Force'']])
 
| type=
 
| title=CD ROM Showcase: ''Sonic the Hedgehog 2''
 
| comment=
 
| writer=
 
| score=
 
}}
 
{{magrow
 
| file=EGM US 041.pdf
 
| page=183
 
| cover=
 
| date=1992-12
 
| source=''Electronic Gaming Monthly'' #41
 
| type=Preview
 
| title=''Sonic the Hedgehog 2''
 
| comment=A brief mention at the back of this ''Sonic 2'' preview, suggesting ''Sonic 2 CD'' exists.
 
| writer=
 
| score=
 
}}
 
{{magrow
 
| file=Mega UK 04.pdf
 
| page=22
 
| cover=
 
| date=1993-01
 
| source=''[[sega:Mega|Mega]]'' #4
 
| type=News
 
| title=''Super Sonic''
 
| comment=''Mega'' reminds its readers of ''Super Sonic''. The magazine pairs this with a screenshot of the original ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog (16-bit)|Sonic the Hedgehog]]'', though does not otherwise suggest the two games are linked. The publication merely confirms "high quality" music is on the cards.
 
| writer=
 
}}
 
{{magrow
 
| file=MeanMachinesSega05UK.pdf
 
| page=11
 
| cover=
 
| date=1993-02
 
| source=''[[sega:Mean Machines Sega|Mean Machines Sega]]'' #5
 
| type=News
 
| title=Sonic Speaks!
 
| comment=Short article about the game, still called "''Super Sonic''" at this point, and how voice acting will be included.
 
| writer=
 
}}
 
{{magrow
 
| file=SegaForce UK 16.pdf
 
| page=12
 
| cover=
 
| date=1993-04
 
| source=''[[sega:Sega Force (UK)|Sega Force]]'' #16
 
| type=News
 
| title=Gutter Talk!: ''Sonic CD'' Slips Up
 
| comment=UK magazine ''Sega Force'' reports that sales of ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog 2]]'' in Japan have fallen below expectations, leading to a rethink in ''Sonic CD''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s development. No longer will it be an enhanced version of the Mega Drive game.
 
| writer=
 
}}
 
{{magrow
 
| file=CVG UK 139.pdf
 
| page=122
 
| cover=
 
| date=1993-06
 
| source=''Computer and Video Games'' #139
 
| type=News
 
| title=Super Sonic
 
| comment=Brief mention of the game, still referred to here as "''Super Sonic''", said to be released in Japan "any week now".
 
| writer=Steve Keen
 
}}
 
}}
 
 
 
===Dated Issues===
 
*[[Game Preview - Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Supergame, February 1992)|Supergame (February 1992)]] - Name mentioned as ''Super Sonic 2: Escape From Ring Zone''.
 
*[[:Image:(segapro-april1992)sonic2cd.jpg|SegaPro (April 1992)]] - Confirmation of ''Sonic 2'' port.
 
*[[:Image:EGMAugust1992Page 04.jpg|EGM (August 1992)]] - ''Sonic 2 CD'' shown at Summer CES in Chicago.
 
*[[:Image:Segavisionssep1992naka2.jpg|Sega Visions (September 1992)]] - Additional zones mentioned.
 
*[[:Image:MegazoneSeptember92-1.jpg|MegaZone (September 1992)]] - ''Sonic 2'' will be released on MegaCD.
 
*[[:Image:S2 vgce 01.jpg|Video Games & Computer Entertainment (October 1992)]] - Mega CD port confirmed.
 
*[[:Image:MegatechS2-4.jpg|Mean Machines (November 1992)]] - ''Super Sonic'' will have CD soundtrack and extra levels.
 
 
 
 
===Undated Issues===
 
===Undated Issues===
 
*[[:Image:Sgmakingof1.jpg|GamePlayers Sega Guide]] - Sega CD port confirmed.
 
*[[:Image:Sgmakingof1.jpg|GamePlayers Sega Guide]] - Sega CD port confirmed.
*[[:Image:SegaZoneIssue61.jpg|SegaZone]] - Mega CD port of ''Sonic 2'' with time travel mentioned.
+
 
*[[:Image:Sonic2CDMEGATECHarticle4GB.jpg|MegaTech]] - This article confirms that the Sega CD Sonic game isn't a port of ''Sonic 2''.
+
==References==
 +
<references/>
  
 
{{SonicGenesisGames}}
 
{{SonicGenesisGames}}
 
{{ScrappedGames}}
 
{{ScrappedGames}}

Latest revision as of 10:01, 12 October 2023

Notavailable.svg
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 CD
System(s): Sega Mega-CD
Publisher: Sega
Genre: Action

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 CD, also frequently referred to as Super Sonic, and at one point reportedly subtitled Sonic the Hedgehog 2: Escape from Ring Zone[1][2][3], was a planned version of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 for the Sega Mega-CD.

History

The Sega Mega Drive version of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Sonic the Hedgehog CD are thought to have at one point been the same thing, likely separating at an early point in development when a disgruntled Yuji Naka and several members of the original Sonic Team migrated from Sega of Japan's offices in Tokyo to Sega of America (or specifically, the Sega Technical Institute) in California - travelling to where Sonic the Hedgehog was actually popular, as opposed to staying in Japan where the reception had been more lukewarm.

The entirety of the story is unclear, and many former developers seem unaware of the situation, however Sega spent a large part of 1992 promoting four different versions of Sonic 2 - the Sega Mega Drive, Sega Master System and Sega Game Gear ports, all of which shipped, and a Sega Mega-CD version which did not. Development on Sonic 2 CD is thought to have began with an aim of launching after the aforementioned versions, however the project was axed, potentially as a response to Japanese Sonic 2 sales, and became an entirely separate game, Sonic CD.

Sonic's appearance in the Sega MultiMedia Studio demo disc, which was mistaken for Sonic 2 CD footage.

Slightly enhanced Mega-CD ports of Mega Drive games were not uncommon during the early 1990s, and Sonic 2 CD appears to have followed a similar pattern - the addition of CD quality audio, cutscenes between levels and the potential for more stages were all announced by various sources, though very little seems to have been demonstrated and may relate soley to the Japanese-led Sonic CD project. An enhanced port of the original Sonic the Hedgehog was also announced around this time before being canned.

No known screenshots or footage of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 CD has ever been released, however several publications mistook a demonstration CD by Sega Multimedia Studio as Sonic 2 CD footage. The demo, shown at Summer CES 1992, sees Sonic standing on (and holding) a compact disc, but is merely a demonstration of the Mega-CD technology, not a game.

Magazine articles

Sonic Retro emblem.svg Main article: sega:Sonic the Hedgehog 2 CD/Magazine articles
Segaretro-round.svg It has been suggested that this page be moved over to Sega Retro as to be in accordance with both sites' policies.
Please see the talk page for relevant discussion and export procedure.

Undated Issues

References


Sonic the Hedgehog games for the following systems
Sega Mega Drive

Sega Mega-CD
Sega 32X
 1991  Sonic the Hedgehog | Sonic Eraser     1992  Sonic the Hedgehog 2     1993  Sonic the Hedgehog CD | Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine | Sonic Spinball     1994  Sonic the Hedgehog 3 | Sonic & Knuckles     1995  Chaotix | Sonic Classics     1996  Sonic 3D: Flickies' Island    
Unreleased Sonic the Hedgehog games
Sega Master System
Sonic's Edusoft | Sonic the Hedgehog (home computers) |
Sega Mega-CD
Sonic the Hedgehog |
Sega Mega-CD
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 CD |
Arcade
SegaSonic Bros. |
Sega Mega-CD
Sister Sonic |
Sega Mega Drive
Treasure Tails |
Arcade
Pre-May 1993 Sonic arcade games |
Sega Mega Drive
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Limited Edition |
Sega 32X
Sonic Sports |
Arcade
Sonic Ride |
Sega Saturn
Sonic Saturn |
Game Boy Advance
Sonic X: Chaos Emerald Chaos |
Nintendo DS
Sonic DS |
Xbox
Sonic the Hedgehog Extreme |
Game Boy Advance
Sonic Riders | Sonic the Hedgehog: Awakening |
Google Android OS
iOS
Sonic Central |
Google Android OS
iOS
Sonic Demo
Sonic X-treme incarnations
Sega 32X
Sonic Mars |
Sega Saturn
Sonic X-treme (Point Of View | Project Condor | SonicPC)