Difference between revisions of "Main Page"
From Sonic Retro
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| − | ==== What is Sonic 2 Beta? ==== | + | ==== <div style="color: white;">What is Sonic 2 Beta?</div> ==== |
:Sonic 2 Beta is an unfinished, prototype version of Sonic 2. Sega sent these out to magazine companies for preview before the final version was out. | :Sonic 2 Beta is an unfinished, prototype version of Sonic 2. Sega sent these out to magazine companies for preview before the final version was out. | ||
| − | ==== What's the big deal about an unfinished prototype version? ==== | + | ==== <div style="color: white;">What's the big deal about an unfinished prototype version?</div> ==== |
:Some "lost" levels can be found in the beta version. Lost levels are zones that were originally planned to be included in the final release of Sonic 2, but were missing in the final version. The lost levels include a [[Dust Hill Zone|desert level]], [[S2Beta:Prototype Zones/Wood|Wood Zone]], [[S2Beta:Prototype Zones/Hidden Palace|Hidden Palace Zone]] and [[S2Beta:Prototype Zones/Genocide City|Genocide City Zone]]. Some existing zones have special features that are not available in the final version, such as the wooden balls in [[S2Beta:Prototype Zones/Oil Ocean|Oil Ocean Zone]]. | :Some "lost" levels can be found in the beta version. Lost levels are zones that were originally planned to be included in the final release of Sonic 2, but were missing in the final version. The lost levels include a [[Dust Hill Zone|desert level]], [[S2Beta:Prototype Zones/Wood|Wood Zone]], [[S2Beta:Prototype Zones/Hidden Palace|Hidden Palace Zone]] and [[S2Beta:Prototype Zones/Genocide City|Genocide City Zone]]. Some existing zones have special features that are not available in the final version, such as the wooden balls in [[S2Beta:Prototype Zones/Oil Ocean|Oil Ocean Zone]]. | ||
| − | ==== Why were some levels canned? ==== | + | ==== <div style="color: white;">Why were some levels canned?</div> ==== |
:Although there's a general "consensus" that time seemed to be the largest limiting factor into why levels were canned, the precise reasons behind many of the levels are still unknown, and are therefore open questions in the Sonic Retro community for further refinement. | :Although there's a general "consensus" that time seemed to be the largest limiting factor into why levels were canned, the precise reasons behind many of the levels are still unknown, and are therefore open questions in the Sonic Retro community for further refinement. | ||
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| title= Respective Prototype Levels | | title= Respective Prototype Levels | ||
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'''Nick Arcade Prototype:''' [[S2Beta:Prototype Zones/Emerald Hill|Starlight]] | [[S2Beta:Prototype Zones/Green Hill|Green Hill]] | [[S2Beta:Prototype Zones/Chemical Plant|Marble]] | [[S2Beta:Prototype Zones/Hidden Palace|Spring Yard]] | [[S2Beta:Prototype Zones/Labyrinth|Labyrinth]] | [[S2Beta:Prototype Zones/Hill Top|Scrap Brain]] | '''Nick Arcade Prototype:''' [[S2Beta:Prototype Zones/Emerald Hill|Starlight]] | [[S2Beta:Prototype Zones/Green Hill|Green Hill]] | [[S2Beta:Prototype Zones/Chemical Plant|Marble]] | [[S2Beta:Prototype Zones/Hidden Palace|Spring Yard]] | [[S2Beta:Prototype Zones/Labyrinth|Labyrinth]] | [[S2Beta:Prototype Zones/Hill Top|Scrap Brain]] | ||
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[[S2Beta:Music|Music]] | [[S2Beta:Concept Art Sketches|Concept Art Sketches]] | [[S2Beta:Magazine Previews|Magazine Previews]] | [[S2Beta:Video Previews|Video Previews]] | [[S2Beta:Timeline|Timeline]] | [[S2Beta:Lost Sprites and Tiles|Lost Sprites and Tiles]] | [[S2Beta:Savestates|Savestates]] | [[S2Beta:False Alarms|False Alarms]] | [[S2Beta:Summary|Summary]] | [[S2Beta:Sonic 2 Algorithms & Specs Patents|Sonic 2 Algorithms & Specs Patents]] | [[S2Beta:Music|Music]] | [[S2Beta:Concept Art Sketches|Concept Art Sketches]] | [[S2Beta:Magazine Previews|Magazine Previews]] | [[S2Beta:Video Previews|Video Previews]] | [[S2Beta:Timeline|Timeline]] | [[S2Beta:Lost Sprites and Tiles|Lost Sprites and Tiles]] | [[S2Beta:Savestates|Savestates]] | [[S2Beta:False Alarms|False Alarms]] | [[S2Beta:Summary|Summary]] | [[S2Beta:Sonic 2 Algorithms & Specs Patents|Sonic 2 Algorithms & Specs Patents]] | ||
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[[Category:The Sonic 2 Beta Wiki| ]] | [[Category:The Sonic 2 Beta Wiki| ]] | ||
Revision as of 00:45, 6 March 2010
Template:Box-header Welcome to The Sonic 2 Beta Wiki. This project is the updatable version of The Sonic 2 Beta Page, the site dedicated to the archival and research of prototype versions of SEGA's video game Sonic the Hedgehog 2 made for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis. Much like a movie, a video game undergoes heavy "editing" before shipping, and significant amount of data is stripped due to time or space constraints. In the case of Sonic 2, several zones were completely cut from the final version. For years, questions have been asked regarding the staggering discrepancies between Sonic 2 and old magazine preview screenshots. Gamers could only dream of being able to play the lost levels first-hand ― until the binary image of Sonic 2 Beta surfaced on the Internet in late 1998...
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What is Sonic 2 Beta?
- Sonic 2 Beta is an unfinished, prototype version of Sonic 2. Sega sent these out to magazine companies for preview before the final version was out.
What's the big deal about an unfinished prototype version?
- Some "lost" levels can be found in the beta version. Lost levels are zones that were originally planned to be included in the final release of Sonic 2, but were missing in the final version. The lost levels include a desert level, Wood Zone, Hidden Palace Zone and Genocide City Zone. Some existing zones have special features that are not available in the final version, such as the wooden balls in Oil Ocean Zone.
Why were some levels canned?
- Although there's a general "consensus" that time seemed to be the largest limiting factor into why levels were canned, the precise reasons behind many of the levels are still unknown, and are therefore open questions in the Sonic Retro community for further refinement.
- However, as alluded to earlier, general factors exist which prevented many of the levels from being playable. Time, although one of them, was not necessarily the only reason. Technical limitations at the time and even company politics could have played a large role in the cancellation of many levels. Regardless, detailed explanations for cancellations aren't known.
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The following are all downloads of the various beta versions of the games presented in chronological order with the dates of discovery:
- Sonic the Hedgehog 2 Simon Wai Prototype (info) (625 kB) (December 1998)
- Sonic the Hedgehog 2 drx Prototype (info) (519 kB) (November 2006)
- Beta 4 (info) (713 kB) (February 2008)
- Beta 5 (info) (727 kB) (February 2008)
- Beta 6-1 (info) (730 kB) (February 2008)
- Beta 6-2 (info) (730 kB) (February 2008)
- Beta 7 (info) (730 kB) (February 2008)
- Beta 8 (info) (732 kB) (February 2008)
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Nick Arcade Prototype: Starlight | Green Hill | Marble | Spring Yard | Labyrinth | Scrap Brain
Simon Wai Prototype: Neo Green Hill | Chemical Plant | Hill Top | Green Hill | Wood | Metropolis | Hidden Palace | Oil Ocean | Dust Hill | Casino Night | Genocide City | Death Egg