Regarding plans for Sonic Fan-girl Chronicles, + My Love for Video Games

It is just as I feared.  I have become ambitious in trying to finish My Sonic Fan-girl Chronicles and just didn’t get back to putting up new chapters for quite some time.


As I may have said before, pursuing this My Sonic Fan-girl Chronicles project was a way for me to heal after I watched that video about the Sonic.exe computer game.  I wanted to rebuild my appreciation of Sonic—not that I didn’t have it already but, just to strengthen it I guess.  I had chapters of different points in my life where I first played a new Sonic game, and I looked forward to updating Cyborg Haven with these posts.  But lately this project didn’t seem so important to me.  I hate to say that.  And what’s worse:

I haven’t played a console Sonic game in months. Not even Sonic Rivals 2 on the PSP.

This year, new priorities came up that are related to my new career, and for that my Sonic writing project suffered. I still want to continue writing it.  I really want to write about how I got interested in Shadow the Hedgehog and what I thought was so cool about him back then, in 2001.  Shadow still deserves a special post about him from me because though I love all three hedgehogs to pieces—Sonic, Shadow and Silver—Shadow is ultimately my favorite.  I at least want to do that before I stop writing more chapters.

Maybe it won’t necessarily be part of the project, but since I haven’t been playing any other video games lately, then from time to time I would be writing mostly about my memories playing Sonic games.   I still have games like Prince of Persia (2008) and Devil May Cry 4 that I can return to playing and write about when I do.  And I can’t forget NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams, because  I love NiGHTS as well and still vow to someday get the NiGHTS into Dreams HD on Steam (I don’t have a Steam account; I plan to get one after being a little more financially established).

Perhaps along the way I can also share links to YouTube videos that contain content from video games I’ve enjoyed, or soundtrack songs from games I appreciate the music from.  Sonic Unleashed has plenty of that. I love the soundtrack to Sonic Adventure 2 as well, especially Shadow’s stages, Knuckles’ stages, and even the music for Rouge’s stages too.  OMG, I can’t forget Final Fantasy VII too!!  Maybe also I might share links to music tracks from video games I haven’t played but have heard some of the music and appreciate the musical score, like from Journey or Assassin’s Creed.  And of course, if there is news about any new video games coming up such as Final Fantasy XV, Kingdom Hearts 3, or a new Sonic game (or even the Sonic Boom cartoon, y'all!), I'll write my thoughts on those too.

No question I still appreciate video games. Even though I am not playing them as much as I used to before I changed my career, I want to share the joy video games give me with their gameplay, their stories, their music and their characters.

SONIC’S 23rd ON THE 23rd OF JUNE!!!!

Wow, so it’s Sonic’s 23^rd on the 23^rd of June!  How does that happen?!  It’s happening.  As I’m writing this I am listening to Sonic Radio on iTunes.  As long as I am home on the 23^rd of June, each time I will celebrate part of the day by listening to Sonic Radio on iTunes to some favorite remixes, favorite OST tracks, and new ones I’ve never heard before that make the experience such a treat.  I get so many smiles from this pastime.

I did this last year too.  Last year it was an event called Project 24, where several SEGA online radio stations were scheduled to host a radio show each hour playing specifically remixes of music from Sonic video games.  I was able to listen to a lot of Sonic music remixes that I’ve never heard before.  It was an amazing experience, so amazing that I tried to find some Sonic-related podcasts that contained a lot of those remixes.  I was on a crazy search for really cool Sonic remixes.

I am still collecting remixes. Mostly from iTunes podcasts, OC Remix and the Sonic Stadium Music Depository of remix albums.

Lately I’ve been distracted with another fandom: Transformers.  I have been neglecting my Sonic games for the last few months.  But seeing as it is Sonic’s 23^rd, I am brought back to appreciating my favorite childhood video game character again.  Sonic the Hedgehog has been a big part of my childhood and I don’t want him to stop being a part of my life.

Last year I was playing Sonic Rivals 2 at least two times a week.  I always played as either the three hedgehogs Sonic, Shadow and Silver, or Espio the Chameleon.  It is a nice escape.  But I haven’t touched my PSP for quite a few months now.

Ah…!   Gamma E102's theme song is playing now!!! Yay!!!

Sorry, I had to say that.  I love that robot.

I’ve tried to get back to Sonic Unleashed.  I didn’t earn any new medals for daytime or nighttime.  I played “Dragon Road—Day” a few times and had fun, but didn’t improve score by too much.  The music track for this Day Stage always makes me smile through my fails.  Hah hah. 

I’m listening to Sonic Radio now, and then I’ve got other things to do, then later in the day I’ll log in and listen to it again.  And I may visit some of the Sonic websites to see what other people say about Sonic’s 23^rd.

Oh, "Symphonic Ruin" is playing now!!  This is the remix that made me want to collect more Sonic remixes!! (see post here to read more...)

Well Sonic, it’s your 23^rd birthday/anniversary today, so Happy Birthday, I love you, and keep on runnin’!

After thought: a link to the post about my first true encounter with the Sonic the Hedgehog video game.

1991—Sonic the Hedgehog
http://cyborghaven.blogspot.com/2013/09/my-sonic-fan-girl-chronicles-chapter-1.html

My Sonic Fan-Girl Chronicles, Bonus Chapter: Favorite Stages of Sonic the Hedgehog Games I’ve Played

 
• Sonic the Hedgehog (1991): Green Hill Zone
• Sonic the Hedgehog 2: TIE: Oil Ocean Zone and Metropolis Zone
• Sonic  the Hedgehog 3: TIE: Hydrocity and Ice Cap Zone
• Sonic & Knuckles: Lava Reef Zone for both Knuckles and Sonic
• Sonic 3D Blast: Diamond Dust Zone (the music makes me smile)
• Sonic Adventure: NiGHTS Pinball Game!!! (I know, it’s not a stage, but…it’s NiGHTS!)
• Sonic Adventure 2: TIE: Green Forest for Sonic; White Jungle for Shadow
• Sonic Unleashed: Dragon Road-Day (sometimes frustrating but the song makes me happy J)
• Sonic Rivals 2: TIE: Mystic Haunt Zone Acts 1 and 3 (and Act 2 is my favorite Battle stage in this game because I like the music; I often have Sonic, Shadow and Silver fight there.) And the Chaotic Inferno Zone because I like the level design and music there too.
• Sonic Generations:  Green Hill Zone Act 2 (gotta go fass!)

 

The next bonus chapter may be about my least favorite stages from Sonic games I've played.

Does anyone have a favorite Sonic stage they want to share and why?

An article about reflection on Sonic the Hedgehog, from Videogameologists.com

I’ve got another treat for you Sonic fans out there—I’m not the only who reminisce (and still is reminiscing) about my experience/thoughts/memories on playing Sonic the Hedgehog video games!  The other day I came across this article by Videogameologists.com writer Erik G. about the 21 years that Sonic has been around (the article was written in 2012, but I still find it relevant).  Maybe it was because I am also doing my own reminiscing of Sonic games on Cyborg Haven, but I was so spazzed to read this article and it made me smile.

The article is titled, "Looking Back at 21 Years of Sonic And What Made Him Great".  I have to highlight one of Erik’s sentences in this post.  It made me nod my head for some seconds because it is sooo true!

 

“Sonic games aren’t about speed, but flow. Yes Sonic runs fast, but you aren’t running fast when you run into an enemy or get poked by a spike trap. Instead, you get through the stages the fastest by knowing where thing are ahead of time and knowing what to do.”

 

Yes!  Trial and error, baby!  An excellent learning tool when playing video games! In order to get the best rating I can (so I can get an S rating and/or a medal), I need to play the stage once through and then subsequent times afterward while the layout is still very fresh in my mind.  If I’m lucky if I haven’t played the game for a while, I’d know the lay out of the stage better because I had Sonic run through it enough times to know when to jump or turn or activate a Boost.

 

Anyway, in his article Erik goes through his thoughts on Sonic’s 21 (then) years in the video game universe, mainly the console games (SEGA Genesis, SEGA Dreamcast, the Nintendo Wii, and Playstation 3).  It’s a nice read and made me feel good about being a Sonic fan.   If you read it and like his article, I suggest you share it with other fans of Sonic as well, those who love him and especially those who need to re-appreciate the Sonic video game franchise for what it was, what it is now and what it will become.  Maybe there will be less Sonic-haters out there…?

 

http://www.videogameologists.com/2012/06/23/looking-back-at-21-years-of-sonic-and-what-made-him-great/

 

BONUS BIT:  I really like that I am not alone with Sonic Adventure 2 being my favorite game for the SEGA Dreamcast.  For me, it’s all because of Shadow—it was just so interesting that there was another hedgehog for Sonic to get to know besides that Amy Rose, let alone another male hedgehog.  He was new and mysterious and perpetually frowning.  Nyawww, so cute (there goes my fan-girl self, going all gaga). 

 

I want to write a separate Bonus Chapter for my thoughts/memories on Shadow the Hedgehog, because I love him so much.  :3  He deserves a post or two from me.  (Did you see my list near the bottom right of Cyborg Haven?  I cried after I beat Sonic Adventure 2.  Because Shadow.)

 

I guess I’m not playing Sonic: Lost World for the Wii-U

I’m not even totally devastated that Sonic: Lost World is only for Nintendo consoles.  I mean, it’s still a downer for me cuz I’m not getting a Wii-U, but I don’t know of any titles I’d be interested in getting for it anyway.  I’m still digging away at Sonic Generations (the Act 1 and Act 2 challenges).  I could go to the third BOSS but I feel like I have to complete most of the challenges first, plus to unlock goodies like music and art.  And in Sonic Unleashed it’s the same thing; there are stage challenges and even Stages to still visit there too.  So yeah, I’ve got enough Sonic the Hedgehog video game stuff that I can play in the meanwhile.  And Sonic Rivals 2!!! I have so much fun with that game and I play it at least once each week.

            Sorta makes me think about getting the first Sonic Rivals.

Getting Sonic Generations for the Holidays, plus Sonic Unleashed

As it turned out, I got Sonic Generations for the holidays.  And look at me, I haven’t even finished Sonic Unleashed, or even played any of Sonic Colors, for that matter (I don’t have that one).

That been said, after having played with NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams for a little while, I switched to Sonic Unleashed to revisit the game that I haven’t resumed since October 29, 2009.  I had to get used to the controls of the game again because all these weeks I’ve only been playing either Final Fantasy Dissidia or Dissidia Duodecim.

I left off when Sonic needed to return to Adabat to complete a few Night Stages.  This was the one with the whirlpools that moved wooden platforms around that Sonic kept missing and falling into water he can’t swim in.  After a few more fails and losing a bunch of lives until I had maybe three left, I realized that when Sonic grabs onto the green poles, he doesn’t need to jump…he just has to drop down onto the platform (raft?), provided I time the move right.

It was the first time I tried Sonic Unleashed on the HDTV set.  Sonic Unleashed was a little too HD for me at this point considering that the Nintendo Wii was a next gen video game console (now a current gen console) that would go great with an HDTV.  But this game has really beautiful colors and animations.

This is Your Year, Sonic!

I can’t believe it’s been 20 years since Sonic the Hedgehog made his debut in the United States.

And now he is going to get his own new (updated) parade balloon for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade!!     :3  

Twenty years. That means I was at least six years old when I found out he existed, and it changed my world.  The Nintendo games and Super Mario Brothers weren’t enough anymore.  I had to play the video game with the cool blue hedgehog that runs fast and bounces off robots.  SEGA Genesis provided video games—especially the Sonic the Hedgehog ones—that were more colorful and ran faster than Mario ever could.  My Sega Genesis lasted longer than the NES.  I guess what I meant to say was that I was playing on the SEGA Genesis longer than I’ve played on the NES. I spent more time playing Sonic 2, Sonic 3, Sonic and Knuckles, Sonic 3 and Knuckles, and Sonic 3D Blast than any other video game I would play on the NES or others on the SEGA Genesis.

Now that Sonic Generations is released, my appreciation for this video game character is renewed.  I don’t know when I’ll get it and play it.  I don’t even have Sonic Colors (the latest one I DO have is Sonic Unleashed, with is about 3 years old? now).  I’m sure Sonic Colors is a good game.  There seems to be a lot of hype about Sonic Generations, and so far it is looking good.  I am trying to stay away from trailers or websites that are too revealing about the game.  I didn’t know there was going to be a Nintendo 3DS version of SG, although it doesn’t apply to me because I know I won’t need a Nintendo 3DS. The PSP 3000 is already my handheld console of choice.

I suppose that eventually I will have to have a go with Sonic Generations. It is something I feel I shouldn’t miss out on. I am still busy with the Dissidia FFs, and really should get back to Sonic Unleashed, since it is the most HD Sonic game I have. I haven’t even tried this game on the HD TV set yet (it’s been nearly two years since I touched that vide game).  I’ll bet it’s going to look so good.

I still read the Sonic the Hedgehog comic books from Archie Comics.  I am about seven issues behind, though--alot of other things have been getting in the way--but I am looking forward to reading them when they celebrate Sonic's 20th.

So, Sonic…this year is for you. <3  Your 20th anniversary, new video game, ongoing comic books,  new parade balloon...and most important of all, old fans and new fans of the most way past cool blue hedgehog in the video game universe.

Finally Returned to Sonic Unleashed

I forgot what I enjoyed about Sonic Unleashed until I returned to this game on Friday the 16th.  The time was from 10:30pm to 12:45am.
      I don't make a big deal out of failing in a light misson.  For example, if the ones where Sonic is supposed to do a task correctly (like avoid breaking items or collect 270 rings in 1 minute 30 secs) doesn't go so well (I fall in the water, in some cases), Sonic shouts "NNOOO!!" and then I am given a choice to Retry or Quit the mission.  But here is what I think is hilarious; the theme song of the game is playing, but it plays in a way that sounds like all the musicians in the orchestra are terrible at getting the right notes.  Kind of a la "Silent Night" in the middle of the comedy Bad Santa.  The first time I failed at a light mission and this happened, I could not stop myself from laughing because I can figure out when the notes are flat or sharp (in other words, the notes are totally wrong).  :p  It makes me feel better about screwing up in the game.  I wonder if the game developers at SEGA thought it would affect other gamers the same way so that we can keep on loving this game.
     I also love that Sonic wipes his nose if you get a "B" grade or higher in the daytime missions (he certainly wouldn't do such an adorable thing as the Were-hog).  So cute.  Gotta love that Sonic.

     Anyway, (light spoilers next?) I had Sonic leave off at the continent of Adabat, and it started out at the nighttime levels.  I hardly got through the first one; I lost all nine of my lives...eight of them just by falling into the water...and Sonic cannot swim.  Of course, I tried again, with two lives to spare.  The nighttime missions in Adabat are difficult; so each new continent has harder nighttime missions.  They test my patience. I am stuck now at the second nighttime mission because again I lost many lives just by falling in the water...or rather, jumping into the water when I meant to land on a moving platform.  So then I just tried to improve my score on some of the earlier daytime  "Reach for the Goal" missions in Chun-nan and Holoska to calm down.  I'll get back to the hard level when I can begin with it.
     I like how Were-Sonic can climb and grap onto some ledges.  My favorite thing about Were-Sonic is how he can run on all fours like a wolf.  It's pretty handy when he comes across a large gap he needs to jump over.