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Sonic the Fighters/Development

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While likely not intentional, Sonic the Fighters started its development during the creation of Fighting Vipers. During his spare time, an unknown AM2 developer added crude, but playable versions of Sonic and Tails to the Fighting Vipers codebase. Neither were finished and cannot be selected during normal play, but it was enough to attract AM2 head Yu Suzuki, who delivered the Sonic the Fighters concept to Hiroshi Kataoka.[1]

At first, Kataoka was worried that Sonic characters beating each other up wouldn't be approved by Yuji Naka, however Naka was actually very receptive to the concept. A decision was then made to continue working with the Fighting Vipers engine, modifying it to better represent the world of Sonic, and simplifying the gameplay. Sonic the Fighters remains very close to Fighting Vipers in terms of style, with one of several unused characters even resembling Honey from the aforementioned game.

Sonic the Fighters was the first game to render Sonic the Hedgehog as a 3D polygonal model in real time. Many teams at Sega struggled at the time to convert what was then a predominantly 2D character into the third dimension, and AM2 were initially no exception, however Sonic is unique for having been partially designed in 3D from the outset. A physical 3D model of Sonic, used by the artists of the original Sonic the Hedgehog to better understand how the character should aniamte, was reportedly given by Naka to the team for reference.

First screenshots

Sonic the Fighters stems from Sega AM2's previous arcade fighting game, Fighting Vipers. Simple models for Sonic and Tails can be found within in Fighting Vipers but are unplayable through normal means. When Sonic the Fighters was first announced, they finally had a time to shine.

In-game screenshots

A different build was used to demonstrate Sonic and Tails fighting each other. All of these screenshots are believed to have come straight from Sega, and depict a different South Island with a textured floor and barriers similar to Flying Carpet (with palm trees as the corners).

Knuckles

Knuckles the Echidna was announced as a playable character, alongside the Casino Night stage. A set of screenshots were released showing him facing Sonic from different angles.

Amy

Next to be shown off was Amy Rose, and the Flying Carpet stage.

AOU Show 1996

A build of Sonic the Fighters was playable at AOU Show 1996 in February 1996. It is not entirely clear how much of the game was accessible at this point, though screenshots suggest Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and Amy were playable (presumably in two-player fights). Aurora Icefield, Mushroom Hill and Death Egg's Eye make an appearance.

Fang, Espio, Bean and Bark

AM2 chose to make less of a fuss about the remaining four playable characters. Fang and Espio were announced first, followed by Bean and Bark, though gameplay showing any of them did not emerge until after the AOU show.

References


Sonic the Fighters
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