- Back to: Sonic the Hedgehog CD (Mega-CD prototype; 1992-12-04).
General comparisons
The v0.02 prototype has a Sega screen, complete with the classic jingle. This was removed from the final, likely as the Mega-CD BIOS already does the work in this regard.
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v0.02 prototype
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The title screen was overhauled for the final game. In the v0.02 prototype, "CD Sonic the Hedgehog" uses a 320x224 screen resolution (versus 256x224) and lacks the scaling cloud effects. There is also no introductory animation, just a simple fade in.
In this prototype, the entirety of Sonic - You Can Do Anything plays on the title screen rather than a dedicated title screen theme. The game does not transition to the opening animation until the song has finished playing. Keiko Utoku, who provided the vocals for the song (and was at the time a member of the pop group Mi-Ke), is credited in the bottom-right corner. It is thought this might have been for press purposes, though the text could have been removed because a non-vocalised theme was used on the title screen in the final game).
The version of Sonic - You Can Do Anything that plays appears to be the "Alternate Version" that ended up on a few albums, meaning that it could possibly be an early version of the song.
The animated introduction has a different border, with the text "開発画面" (Kaihatsu Gamen, which literally translates to "development screen"). It also runs slower than the final game.
The Time Attack screen is a very early design compared to later prototypes and the final game, with extremely basic graphics. Only Palmtree Panic Zones 1 and 2 can be selected here, and the Round is referred to as "Salad Plain". The music that plays on this screen is the theme for Collision Chaos instead of the actual Time Attack music.
The scrapped R2 is also listed on this screen. All other known versions of the game skip from R1 (Palmtree Panic) directly to R3 (Collision Chaos).
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510 prototype-v0.70 prototype
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The level select screen is very barebones, listing only the first two Zones of Palmtree Panic and the time warp, opening animation and "Comin' Soon" screen. Its appearance is much like those seen in later prototypes.
Gameplay comparisons
When the timer reaches 9'59"99, it resets back to 9'00"00, essentially meaning there is no time limit. This is similar to the Nick Arcade and Simon Wai prototypes of Sonic the Hedgehog 2.
The Super Peel Out is very weak in this build. It takes a while to charge, and even then the amount of speed Sonic rockets off with is no stronger than his regular running speed. Additionally, he does not have sprites for running at extremely high speeds yet.
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Final game
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Final game
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The "I'm outta here!" Easter egg in this build causes the camera to follow Sonic on his way down and die from a bottomless pit. Rather than end the game, Sonic instead loses a life and restarts the level.
You Say! A likely pun on Yuusei Sega World, signposts do not spin nor make a noise when Sonic passes past them, but the computer does force him to travel right. There is no score tally.
Time travel looks very different to the final game. It also plays an ear-grating noise that would be used in the 510 and 512 prototypes before being changed twice over the game's development.
Graphics comparisons
Sonic uses spring animations similar to the original Sonic the Hedgehog rather than the "spinning" ones seen in the final Sonic CD. They even corrected the missing white stripe from the original sprite.
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v0.02 prototype
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Final game
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The "I'm outta here" Easter egg uses completely different graphics.
Level comparisons
References