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Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball

From Sonic Retro

Revision as of 20:13, 20 March 2019 by Hivebrain (talk | contribs) (Physical scans)
"Sonic Spinball" redirects here. For the 8-bit version, see Sonic Spinball (8-bit).

n/a

Spinball title.png
Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball
SonicSpinball iOS icon.png
System(s): Sega Mega Drive, Virtual Console, iOS, Steam
Publisher: Sega
Developer:
Genre: Action (JP box), Table[1]
Number of players: 1
Release Date RRP Code Rating
Sega Mega Drive
EU
1993-11-15 €? 1537
Sega Mega Drive
UK
1993-11-15 £39.99[2] 1537
Sega Mega Drive
US
1993-11-23 $49.99[3] 1537
Sega Mega Drive
JP
1993-12-10 ¥6,800 G-4112
Sega Mega Drive
AS
1993  ? 1537
Sega Mega Drive
AU
199x $? FSON05SMC
Sega Mega Drive
AU
(Gold)
199x $? FSON05SMC
Sega Mega Drive
BR
1993 R$? 044600
Sega Mega Drive
KR
199x ₩? ?
Wii Virtual Console
JP
2007-03-13[4] 600[5]pts ?
CERO: A
Wii Virtual Console
US
2007-03-12[6] 800[6]pts ?
ESRB: Everyone
Wii Virtual Console
EU
2007-04-06[7][8] 800[7]pts ?
Expression error: Unexpected < operator.ELSPA: 3+ OK
Wii Virtual Console
DE
2007-04-06[7][9] 800[7]pts ?
USK: 0
Steam
EU
2010-09-13[10] €4.49[11] 34313
Steam
UK
2010-09-13[10] £3.99[11] 34313
Steam
US
2010-09-13[10] $4.99[11] 34313
Steam
AU
2010-09-13[10] $6.99[11] 34313
iOS
EU
2010-12-16[12] €2.39[12] ?
4+
iOS
UK
2010-12-16[13] £1.79[13] ?
iOS
US
2010-12-16[14] $2.99[13][14] ?
4+
iOS
JP
2010-12-17[15] ¥350[15][16] ?
4+

Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball (Japanese: ソニック・スピンボール) is a pinball game (using Sonic as a ball) combined with the storyline of the Sonic the Hedgehog. The games title is a pun on pinball and Sonic's famous spin move. It is the only official game to incorporate the characters and setting of SatAM, and one of only two for Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog (the other being Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine).

The plot revolves around the Veg-O-Fortress, Dr. Robotnik's new mass-roboticization facility built in and around the Mt. Mobius volcano. Sonic must use the fortress' special "Pinball Defense System" to his advantage, working his way up from the bottom of the volcano's interior by stealing the Chaos Emeralds that keep the volcano stable, destroying the doctor's boss guardians and, eventually, taking out the massive roboticizer itself, the Veg-O-Machine. The grand finale is at a launch hangar built around the volcano's crater, as Robotnik attempts to escape Mt. Mobius in a rocketship before it erupts.

The game is unique as it was coded entirely in the C programming language when the norm was assembly.[17]

Storyline

Dr. Robotnik has assumed control of Mt. Mobius and turned it into a mechanical base. Utilizing energy produced by the magma flowing under the volcano, this new monstrosity (the Veg-O-Fortress) has the power to transform helpless animals into robot slaves at an astounding rate. Sonic the Hedgehog and Tails fly onto the scene to mount an aerial assault, but Sonic is knocked off the wings of Tails' airplane by a blast from the fortress. He falls into the water, but is rescued and taken to the subterranean levels of the Veg-O-Fortress. The fortress must be destroyed from the inside-out, and the only way to make that happen is to trigger an eruption in the volcano it's built on. Sonic knows this can be done by removing the Chaos Emeralds that keep the volcano stable. Robotnik, however, is also aware of the fragile relationship that exists between the Emeralds and the mountain, and he's set up an elaborate Pinball Defense System to make sure the precious jewels don't go anywhere.

Gameplay

Sonic Spinball is basically a continuation of the pinball themed levels first seen in Spring Yard Zone and Casino Night Zone from the first Sonic games. As with those games you have some control of Sonic while he is being knocked around the pinball themed levels. The D-pad will move him while in ball form and the A, B, and C buttons will cause the flippers to flick. If he happens to land on a flat surface you can move in a similar fashion to the Sonic games and be able to jump and perform the Spin Dash. This does not happen often as there are few platforms to land so platforming is kept to a bare minimum.

The objective of the game is to collect the Chaos Emeralds which are hidden in each level and defeating the levels boss. To do this obstacles must be cleared and levers must be switched. Rings are scattered around the level but do not grant free lives or extra protection from hits (enemies never attack and you are always in ball form when encountering them anyway). However, if all the rings in the level are collected it will open up the opportunity to visit a hidden multi-ball Bonus Stage known as Cluckers Defense.

Unlike traditional Sonic games, you can actually fall outside of the boss arena. The bosses take a lot more hits than normal Sonic bosses, but to compensate it's easy to hit them multiple times in a row.

Versions

There are two versions that were released in the US, each with differences in music. The European and Japanese versions are based on the final US version but with a few different music arrangements and bug fixes. See the Game Development section/Development for more info.

Version history

Sonic Retro emblem.svg Main article: Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball/Changelog
System Version Size Date Comment Ref Icon
iOS
0000020000000000000000000000002.0.0 4.8MB 201211292012-11-29 [18]
iOS
0000010000000000010000000000001.0.1 4MB 201012162010-12-16 [14]

Manuals

Sonic Retro emblem.svg Main article: Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball manuals

Also Released On

Production credits

  • Programming: Polygames, Scott Chandler (SEGA Technical Institute), Jason Plumb (SEGA Technical Institute), Ken Rose (SEGA Technical Institute), Dave Sanner (SEGA Technical Institute), Earl Stratton (SEGA Technical Institute), Steve Woita (SEGA Technical Institute)
  • Game Design: Peter Morawiec, Hoyt Ng
  • Art: Tom Payne, Kurt Peterson, Brenda Ross, Katsuhiko Sato, Craig Stitt
  • Sound and Music Effects: Barry Blum (Sega Multi-Media Studio), Brian Coburn (Sega Multi-Media Studio), Howard Drossin (Sega Technical Institute), OUI Multimedia
  • Director of SEGA Technical Institute: Roger Hector
  • Producer: Yutaka Sugano
  • Art Director: John Duggan
  • Marketing Product Manager: France Tantiado
  • Lead Testers: Joe Cain, Wesley Gittens
  • Testers: Michael Bench, Steve Bourdet, Daniel Dunn, David Forster, Rick Greer, Casey Grimm, Jason Kuo, Simon Lu, Dumot Lyons, Bill Person, Kimberly Rogers, Kirk Rogers
  • Manual: Neil Hanshaw, Carol Ann Hanshaw
  • Special Thanks: Thomas J. Abramson, Alan Ackerman, Dominique Adevereaux, Justin R. Chin, Diane A. Fornasier, David Javelosa, Deborah McCracken, Patrick Meehan, Bert Mauricio, Stephen Patterson, Noel Pulido
  • A Special Bow To: Hirokazu Yasuhara and Yuji Naka, creators of Sonic The Hedgehog
Source: US manual
Development Staff
  • Game Concept: Peter Morawiec
  • Programming: Lee Actor, Dennis Koble, Ken Rose, Steve Woita, Jason Plumb, Earl Stratton, Dave Sanner, Scott Chandler
  • Game Design: Peter Morawiec, Hoyt Ng
  • Art: Katsuhiko Sato, Tom Payne, Craig Stitt, Brenda Ross, Kurt Peterson
  • Music and Sound Effects: Brian Coburn, Barry Blum, Howard Drossin, OUI Multimedia
  • Testers: Joe Cain, Wesley Gittens, Rick Greer, Kirk Rogers, Kimberly Rogers, Daniel Dunn, David Forster, Simon Lu, Steve Bourdet, Casey Grimm, Jason Kuo, Mike Bench, Bill Person, Dermot Lyons
Management Staff

Artwork

Physical scans




Sega Mega Drive
83 Sonic Retro Average
Based on 12 reviews
Publication Score Source
Computer & Video Games (UK) 73 №145, p77
eg 93 №16, p90
GameFan (US) 71 №12, p21/48/49
GamesMaster (UK) 81 №12, p86/87/88
Mega (UK) 83 №15, p34/35
Mega Action (UK) 91 №15, p10/11/12
Mega Machines (UK) 90 №2, p78/79
MegaTech (UK) 86 №24, p36/37/38/39/40/41
Sega Magazine (UK) 82 №1, p125
Sega Power (UK) 90 №49, p95/96
Sega Pro (UK) 79 #26 Pg 28/29
Sonic the Comic (UK) 80 №13, p10
Mega Drive, US
Spinball-box-us.jpg
Cover
Mega Drive, US
(Majesco rerelease)
Sonic Spinball Genesis US ESRB Cardboard Cover.jpg
Cover
Mega Drive, EU
Spinball-box-eu.jpg
Cover
Mega Drive, JP
Spinball-box-jap.jpg
Cover
Mega Drive, AU (alt)
SonicSpinball MD AU alt cover.jpg
Cover
SonicSpinball MD AU Cart.jpg
Cart
Mega Drive, BR
Spinball-box-bra.jpg
Cover
Mega Drive, KR
SonicSpinball MD KR cover.jpg
Cover
Mega Drive, SE (rental)
SonicSpinball MD SE rental cover.jpg
Cover

External links

References


Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball (16-bit)
Spinball title.png

Main page
Comparisons
Maps
Changelog
Credits


Manuals
Promotional material
Magazine articles
Reception


Development
Hidden content
Bugs
Region coding
Bootlegs

Sonic the Hedgehog games for the following systems
iOS
 2007  Sonic the Hedgehog (iPod)     2009  Sonic the Hedgehog (iPhone)     2010  Sonic the Hedgehog 2 | Sonic Spinball | Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games | Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode I | Sonic Comics     2011  Sonic 20th Anniversary | Sonic the Sketchhog | Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing | Sonic the Hedgehog CD     2012  Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode II | Sonic the Hedgehog Skins | Sonic Jump     2013  Sonic Dash | Sonic the Hedgehog | Sonic the Hedgehog 2 | Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed     2014  Sonic Jump Fever     2015  Sonic Runners | Sonic Dash 2: Sonic Boom     2017  Sonic Forces: Speed Battle | Sonic Runners Adventure     2019  Sonic Racing     2020  Sonic at the Olympic Games     2022  Sonic Speed Simulator     2023  Sonic Prime Dash | Sonic Dream Team    
 Unreleased  Sonic Central | Sonic Demo
Steam
 2010  Sonic the Hedgehog | Sonic Spinball | Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine | Sonic 3D: Flickies' Island | Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing     2011  Sonic the Hedgehog 2 | Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles | Sonic Adventure | Sonic Generations     2012  Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode I | Sonic the Hedgehog CD | Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode II | Sonic Adventure 2     2013  Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed     2015  Sonic Lost World     2017  Sonic Mania | Sonic Forces     2019  Team Sonic Racing     2022  Sonic Origins | Sonic Frontiers     2023  Sonic Colours: Ultimate | The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog | Sonic Superstars     2024  Sonic X Shadow Generations    
filler
Wii Virtual Console
WiiWare
 2006  Sonic the Hedgehog | Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine     2007  Sonic the Hedgehog 2 | Sonic the Hedgehog 3 | Sonic Spinball | Sonic 3D: Flickies' Island     2008  Sonic the Hedgehog (8-bit) | Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (8-bit)     2009  Sonic Chaos | Sonic & Knuckles     2010  Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode I    
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