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Sonic Retro Home Info Forums Game News Sonic X Shadow Generations Announced Over the last couple days, rumors have been swirling about regarding Sony’s PlayStation State of Play, involving a certain hedgehog. Were we getting a remaster of Sonic Generations ? Would it be something more? Now that the event has aired, we finally have the answer Yes, it’s a remaster, but so much more. Shadow the Hedgehog is back, baby. Continue Reading January 31, 2024 by David The Lurker 1 Comics , Humor SONIC-GRAMS” VOL. 6: KEN PENDERS EXTRA It’s been 13 years since David last thrilled us with his look back at the Archie Sonic the Hedgehog comic’s letter page Sonic Grams” . Like many beloved long dormant franchises, we’re bringing the segment back to pull at your nostalgic heartstrings AND to introduce some long lost Archie Sonic content from the Ken Penders era! David sat down with me on the long-running SEGAbits podcast The Swingin’ Report Show to not only discuss the history of Sonic-Grams, but also debut three long lost newsletters published alongside the comic book which featured writings from Ken Penders covering what was happening in the comics as well as shining the spotlight on fellow writers and artists. The full episode is below, and I’ve also linked the comic pages featuring the PDF scans of the newsletters. But here is the important part : We are missing Volume 1, Number 1! It was released before issue 28, likely in the summer of 1994, but that is all we know. If you own the first newsletter, let us know in the comments and please scan and upload it to the Sonic Retro wiki! Volume 1 #2: Archie Sonic issue 28 Volume 2 #1: Archie Sonic issue 40 Volume 3 #1: Archie Sonic issue 49 January 28, 2024 by Barry the Nomad 0 Community , Site News Sonic Symphony 2023: The Opening Night It’s been a few years since the Sonic Adventure Music Experience and a lot has happened since then. The next major event that Sega did was during The Event of 2020-2021, namely the Sonic 30th Anniversary Symphony in June 2021. While this was incredible to see, it was a shame that due to the nature of the world at that time, the orchestra had to play to no in-person audience. 2 years on from then, and a slightly remixed Sonic Symphony has finally begun, and embarked on a world tour to hundreds of people per venue. Myself and a dozen or so other members of Sonic Retro were present at the opening night at the Barbican in London , and what a night it was. Continue Reading September 24, 2023 by Overlord 2 Miscellaneous 25 Years Ago, Sonic Adventure Was Revealed To The World: A Look Back On a balmy summer morning in Tokyo, Japan, over three thousand people stood outside the Tokyo International Forum waiting for a glimpse of what was claimed to set a new futuristic standard for gaming.” A piece of software that would outpace and outclass anything that had come before. For the last month, the game had been teased online, alluded to in magazines, and was advertised on television, radio, and even the Yamanote train line before a single screenshot had been shown to the public. The hype was building, but the only way to know if this game could live up to such expectation would be to see it in person. What better way than being crammed into a theater with a thousand other die hard Sega fans? Twenty five years ago, in a dark theater, a game that would define the Sega Dreamcast was announced to the world in spectacular fashion. Sonic Team had returned to its namesake, and was ready to finally show everyone what they had been working on: Sonic Adventure . But was it enough? Not just for the Sega faithful, but for those who drifted away during the Saturn era? Could this be the saving grace of Sega on a worldwide scale, and establish the Dreamcast as the cutting edge of the gaming world? Continue Reading August 23, 2023 by David The Lurker 0 Community Sonic Stuff Research Group Reunion Coming To Retro World Expo This August If you’ve been around the Sonic Internet scene, more than likely you’ve heard of the Sonic Stuff Research Group . Affectionally known as SSRG, it has been a hub for discussing and researching the inner workings of the classic Sonic the Hedgehog games, and the techniques in modding Sonic both old and new. What you may not know is that the SSRG has, in one form or another, existed since 1996. Initially a small subsection on Andy Wolan’s gaming-themed website EmulationZone, it grew to house a number of Sonic websites dedicated to uncovering the history of the franchise, the lost content that sparked the imagination of an entire generation. Sonic the Hedgehog Area 51, Tom’s Hacking Station, Simon Wai’s Sonic 2 Beta Page – separately, they told snippets of a hedgehog’s history. Together? They became the foundation of what would come. When Andy stepped away from the project in 2003, it was truly the end of an era. Twenty years later, Andy Wolan, along with three charter members of the SSRG community, are coming together for the Sonic Stuff Research Group Reunion panel. Taking place at the Retro World Expo in Hartford, CT this will be the first time that these four individuals have ever been in the same room together, telling the story of what once was, and how it informs where we are now. Who knows what stories they have to tell? Or what wild things could happen live and in person? Who are the others joining Andy on this trip down memory lane? Rlan – Founder of Sonic Fan Games HQ , Secrets of Sonic Team , and Sonic the Hedgeblog SSNTails – Co-creator of Sonic Robo Blast 2 , the fangame that still keeps on kickin’ Saxman – The original author of the earliest guides to modify the classic Sonic games The expo will take place on August 26th and 27th of this year. A schedule has yet to be set, but the OG crew will be hosting two panels, one for a general talk and historical reflection on SSRG and it’s impact, and another focusing on the technical challenges we faced as we attempted to tear into the classic games for the first time ever to figure out how they worked.” If you plan on being in the area, be sure to check it out. For more information and future updates, be sure to keep an eye on the panel’s dedicated thread on the forums. July 12, 2023 by David The Lurker 0 Game News Oh Look, A New Sonic Game – Sonic Superstars Announced It’s that time of year – Geoff Keighley is back on stage, looking business casual as he hosts the Summer Game Fest . Being a Sonic fan, you never really know if you’ll get anything at these events, yet you can’t resist tuning in anyway. Today, sandwiched between news about Remnant II and Honkai: Star Rail , a certain blue hedgehog suddenly ran onto the screen, with a certain weasel watching from the shadows. Sonic Superstars is coming this fall. It’s a new Sonic game! That’s what we like, right? Continue Reading June 8, 2023 by David The Lurker 11 Fan Works , Hacking Sonic Hacking Contest 2023 Announced, Trophies Listed, New Judges Looking to introduce your Sonic hack or mod to the public at large? Want to put it to the test to see how it stacks among the rest? Wonder no longer as this year’s Sonic Hacking Contest is on track to arrive later this year in late October. This year introduces new guidelines and judges over last year’s event. Make sure to catch up to speed by taking a look at last year’s winning entries and the 2022 trailer showcase. This year introduces upload limits, three per person, to address issues the community had raised over last year’s event and to ensure that judges are given time to address the community’s inevitably large output for this year. Entries will remain unlimited for team entries and non-judged Expo entries. To help tackle this workload, new judges have been introduced for the three entry types; ‘Retro’,’ 2DPC’ and ‘3D’ Entries. This is to also help ensure fairer evaluation for unique fan projects such as Sonic 3 A.I.R. mods that were introduced last year. The judges participating are subject to change before this year’s contest...