Thoughts on SOPA/PIPA

UPDATE 01/19/2012 @ 2:30AM: And the blog has been restored. Hope this post was useful in some way.

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The "blacked out" banner used on 01/18/2012

I'm not much of a protester, I suppose it's not in my nature. But I feel like in a gesture of solidarity, as well as the fact that SOPA is every a bit of a threat to me (and not just because I run a Sonic fan-blog), I should do my part no matter how small it may be. So today, I've "removed" Sonic from the header. I'm also going to temporarily remove all viewable posts for the day. I don't know what it can do, but I feel like I should at least do something.

The protest from major websites like Google, Wikipedia, deviantArt, Mozilla, Reddit, The Sonic Stadium, Sonic Retro, and so many others (the last two are major communities for both fans and SEGA) will hopefully send a very clear and powerful message that SOPA and PIPA should not go through. For more information on the bills, Google has a great petition page that one can sign and read up on SOPA/PIPA and why they are such threats to the Internet. Sign it, read it, spread it around.

There are many other pages that people can get information, such as information to contact their representatives. I'm not as articulate as I'd like to be, so I don't think they'll be getting any e-mails/phone calls from me, but I highly recommend looking into it if you feel like voicing your opinion to someone who can effect some change.

For more information on SOPA and PIPA, go here: http://sopastrike.com/. Thank you. The blog will be restored early tomorrow.

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While I'm on the subject about this, I figured now would be as good a time as any to comment on something SOPA related that SEGA did last week. It concerns a fan who wrote to SEGA asking about their individual stance when the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) supports SOPA. Unfortunately, SEGA had given an automated response. SEGA soon caught their mistake and hilarity ensues.







I'm certainly glad SEGA caught their mistake, but this doesn't seem any more appropriate than the bot response. The video, while funny, was just a poor attempt at sweeping the real issue under the rug. I think it would be more professional and respectable of SEGA to just say that they can't publicly speak about it, rather than just let their community people dick around in front of a camera for a minute. That's just my two cents though. You can call it "crowd control," but it doesn't address the problem at all, and that's why it bugs me.

Sonic Generations: Impressions

"The only thing better than Sonic... is two Sonics!" ~Recent TV spot

I'd be lying if I said I was totally excited for Sonic Generations. After the initial announcements and Iizuka's lame reasons for stating why a Wii version was not in the works, I tried to soften the blow of missing out on Sonic's 20th anniversary celebration (and tried to keep my annoyance in check when people constantly told me "just buy a new console and shut up."). I certainly had high hopes that the game would be satisfactory for those that played it, and like Colors from last year, would please the critics and further elevate Sonic's stature back to being respected... even if this meant dipping a little too far into the nostalgia well to win back those "fans" that had claimed to have "given up" (yet they hang around and complain even when they don't play the games...).

Then a shining light appeared... or at least a rumor at the time. The year's worst kept secret, one that kept "accidentally" spilling out on online retailers the world over (or at least in Europe), that a PC version might be in the works. Eventually SEGA fessed up and made a formal announcement, though I've always wondered why they didn't just come out and announce it immediately instead of letting the rumor mill spin a while? Well, whatever the reason, it got me a little hyped up... I own a PC after all, and hopefully it'll run the game...? I remember double, triple and quadruple checking my system specs on my five-year old PC hoping I at least met the minimum requirements and, thankfully, I did.

After a wait that felt like forever just to get the game installed, a lot of swearing and headaches getting it to launch, I eventually got to just sit down and play the game. 

20 Years...

20 years ago, my family and I lived in a small apartment in Brooklyn. My earliest memories are of this place. When I was really young my mother says I enjoyed playing "Shoot the Duck" on Nintendo (aka Duck Hunt). The NES was my sister's system, and we both got quite a bit of mileage out of it. We played a ton of games on there together: Ducktales, Mickey Mouscapade, The Bugs Bunny Birthday Blowout, the Super Mario Bros. series, etc. Quite frankly, I can hardly remember them all anymore, save for the Mario series and a bit of Ducktales (probably because my sister just has to remind me of the embarrassing songs I made up to go with the game's BGM... I was three, dammit!).

Childhood fandom: Not for resale.

So by the time I was introduced to Sonic the Hedgehog, I was no stranger to the world of video games. I don't remember the timing, I think I was in kindergarten when I discovered Sonic, the cool blue dude who has continued to be a part of my life nearly two decades. It was at a cousin's birthday part, he showed me and my sister Sonic the Hedgehog 2 on his SEGA Genesis, and immediately I was hooked. He punched in the codes for level select and debug so we could play as Super Sonic. It was a blast. I think Chemical Plant Zone was the first Sonic level I vividly remember, and it's still one of my favorites (that music!) I don't really remember much else, but later that year, I got my own Genesis with Sonic 2 packed in for Christmas and so began one nerd's lifelong obsession.

At present, I'm a 22 year old college graduate trying to mentally prepare myself for the next stage of my life. I'm not really going anywhere at the moment, which is probably the only reason I'm finding time to write a blog post celebrating a fictional character's birthday.

Sonic Generations Announced!

So, for the most part, I've been out of the loop on Sonic related news over the past few weeks. I did manage to catch the Facebook exclusive teaser that featured both the modern and classic Sonic designs running alongside each other. But now, as everyone else on the Internet is already well aware of, Sonic's 20th Anniversary game, Sonic Generations has been officially revealed by SEGA.

Check the trailer:

For the sake of my own sanity, I'm not going to look at the comments. I don't want to relapse to what happened with Sonic 4's announcement.

Together at last! Happy now, fanboys?

So far what I've seen looks promising. It's consistent with SEGA's attempts to merge both the gameplay of the classic Sonic titles, while also establishing a formula for a modern-styled game. But now SEGA's gone a step further, adding the option to play as Sonic in either his classic or modern appearances. What's really interesting is the fact that each version has gameplay totally unique to them; classic Sonic seems to lean towards side-scrolling 2D gameplay, using Sonic's classic moveset while modern Sonic opts for the Unleashed formula, with a mix of 3D and 2D sections and a moveset reflecting what Sonic's used in more recent games. The first level shown in the gameplay trailer is Green Hill, and it seems that Sonic Team is looking to take gamers on a trip down memory lane, going through a variety of levels from across Sonic's 20 year history (uh, do us a favor and leave anything connected to Soleanna out of it though, would you SEGA?).

It'll be interesting to see how Generations develops along the way. The only thing I'm displeased with right now is the lack of a Wii version (I don't own a 360 or PS3), but hopefully Wii owners won't get left out in the cold in the end (no, the new Mario and Sonic doesn't count!). I can't really keep up with the news as frequently as I'd like at the moment, but I'll keep an eye on things.

In the mean time, I'd recommend keeping up with the news at more frequently updated sites, like the Sonic Stadium. Here's some screenshots to whet your appetites.

Also for a random bit of commentary, I'm really digging the design of the Generations logo. It actually looks to take a few cues from the old Sonic box art used in Japan for the Genesis/Megadrive games. It's thankfully less busy than those boxes, but it's a nice little callback to those beginnings.

Shout Out to the Old Earth...!

I don't know if I've ever made it particularly clear, what with my several failed attempts to actually maintain this thing, but I generally love the music that has been produced for the franchise over the last 20 years. While I do think there are a few soundtracks that are either forgettable or don't really "sound" like a real Sonic soundtrack, I don't want to make that post right now... maybe in a year or so when the feeling to write again has possessed me. I kid, I kid. It might only be a few months. Maybe.

Right now, I want to focus on the positive for a bit and talk about one of my favorite soundtracks: Sonic Adventure. Now I'm usually the first to admit that Sonic Adventure is a game that the years have not been kind to, and I honestly think it's a bit overrated these days. Not quite as overrated as Sonic CD, but it's up there. I've found that it's certainly a more enjoyable experience by comparison at least, and the game is not without its merits, but all the same the game just hasn't aged well. The soundtrack, on the other hand, is a different story.

"Tails" of Archie: A Brief History of Solo Stories, Spinoffs and Adaptations

I'm running late with this (big surprise), but here we are!

The original intention was to do an issue-by-issue summary and commentary for the Tails Adventure arc of Sonic Universe. However, as I began writing this post, I started getting knee-deep into some of the Archie comic history about adaptations and Tails' earlier solo outings. Instead of trimming it down and getting to what I was supposed to write about... I decided to go in this direction and talk a bit of history instead. Just thank your lucky stars I'm not covering Knuckles... yet.

Anyway, without further delay, hit the jump and let's get things rolling!

Happy (Belated) Birthday, Sonic! IIZ Turns One!

(If you can't tell by the title, I've been watching one too many episodes of DBZ lately...)

Art by MRi of Deviant Art.

So, technically, I'm three days late. But on the other hand I'm also about a month early. Why? Because on July 26th, 1991 Sonic sped his way into Japanese homes with the release of Sonic the Hedgehog for the SEGA Mega Drive (aka the Genesis)! Yes, Western gamers, we got Sonic first! So happy belated/early birthday, Sonic!

Truth be told, outside of silently acknowledging the day, I didn't really go out of my way to celebrate. In fact, I didn't even boot up one of the old Genesis games until today (Sonic 3 & Knuckles, in case you were wondering).

However, SEGA appears to be celebrating in style, by giving fans a chance to win a trip to Tokyo. Check out the details here.

Since I don't have much else to say, and with E3 finally complete, it's time to get back to the grind. If you want some kind of retrospective, hit the archives and check out what I wrote the day the blog launched (June 23, 2009) and then check out the superior Gametap retrospective posted on the same day. Also, Rave joined just hours after everything was posted and launched. So, happy belated anniversary to the IIZ! Hopefully we can keep this going for another year (and for that matter, we can continue beyond that). With many of the changes already underway and a new design already in place, we haven't anything new to really spring on you, the readers, at this time. However, be sure to check back next week for the very first comic review!

Until next time, later!