Sonic 4 in 2019: A Case Study by HyperSonicXdA, literature
Literature
Sonic 4 in 2019: A Case Study
Sonic Mania has been out for two years (exactly, at the time of writing) and it has been accepted as an excellent return to the 2D Sonic formula of old, despite a lot of personal issues people may have with it (I do too). And because it's so good, a lot of people don't remember Sega's first attempt at revitalizing 2D Sonic: Sonic the Hedgehog 4. An episodic release of two games, Episode 1 in 2010 and Episode 2 in 2012, with an Episode 3 planned but never actually finished (unfortunately). Are these games still worthwhile now that Mania is a thing? The answer may surprise you.
For the record, throughout the rest of this piece, I'll be referri
In Defense of the Boost: A Case Study by HyperSonicXdA, literature
Literature
In Defense of the Boost: A Case Study
Two gameplay styles have dominated Sonic's 3D platforming career: the Adventure formula he started with in 1998 and the Boost formula that took over in 2008. Two very different styles of play, with very different emphases and mechanics, and both of which are as of yet (to my knowledge) unique to Sonic. And as fanbases do, they can't help but compare the two and try to see which one's the better of the two. After the release of Forces and its subsequent disappointment, I started considering why the Boost was ever a solid gameplay style to begin with, and why I was a fan. Conversely I tried to see what made the Adventure formula superior to the
Sonic Forces Me to Write: A Case Study by HyperSonicXdA, literature
Literature
Sonic Forces Me to Write: A Case Study
Sonic Forces has been released and it's not as good as it could've been or should've been, that's well known. But now that the game's had some time to sink into the fanbase's minds, its plot has done a few things that are...tough to explain. Like bring back Classic Sonic, but the characters give a different viewpoint on him. Or fail to adequately explain the Phantom Ruby and what it does. And so, as I do, I try to make sense of a few things in this game's story.
A Classic Conundrum
The biggest issue with Classic Sonic in Forces (aside from the fact that he doesn't do anything of worth) is how they refer to where he's from. As I'm sure we re
Sonic Boom Season 2: A Case Study by HyperSonicXdA, literature
Literature
Sonic Boom Season 2: A Case Study
Sonic Boom. A name that, like Sonic '06, has become synonymous with Sonic's failures. But people often forget to specify that when they say that, they often mean the Wii U game, Rise of Lyric, and just throw everything associated with it on the same pile. The cartoon isn't something I'd clump with it, though. I previously reviewed Season 1, quite positively all things considered, because once you accepted the mindset that this was not the Sonic you once knew, it was quite appreciable.
And, regardless of quality, it did well enough to warrant a Season 2 (I mean, consistently a million viewers on the Saturday 7 AM death slot, has to count for
Sonic 4 in 2019: A Case Study by HyperSonicXdA, literature
Literature
Sonic 4 in 2019: A Case Study
Sonic Mania has been out for two years (exactly, at the time of writing) and it has been accepted as an excellent return to the 2D Sonic formula of old, despite a lot of personal issues people may have with it (I do too). And because it's so good, a lot of people don't remember Sega's first attempt at revitalizing 2D Sonic: Sonic the Hedgehog 4. An episodic release of two games, Episode 1 in 2010 and Episode 2 in 2012, with an Episode 3 planned but never actually finished (unfortunately). Are these games still worthwhile now that Mania is a thing? The answer may surprise you.
For the record, throughout the rest of this piece, I'll be referri
In Defense of the Boost: A Case Study by HyperSonicXdA, literature
Literature
In Defense of the Boost: A Case Study
Two gameplay styles have dominated Sonic's 3D platforming career: the Adventure formula he started with in 1998 and the Boost formula that took over in 2008. Two very different styles of play, with very different emphases and mechanics, and both of which are as of yet (to my knowledge) unique to Sonic. And as fanbases do, they can't help but compare the two and try to see which one's the better of the two. After the release of Forces and its subsequent disappointment, I started considering why the Boost was ever a solid gameplay style to begin with, and why I was a fan. Conversely I tried to see what made the Adventure formula superior to the
Sonic Forces Me to Write: A Case Study by HyperSonicXdA, literature
Literature
Sonic Forces Me to Write: A Case Study
Sonic Forces has been released and it's not as good as it could've been or should've been, that's well known. But now that the game's had some time to sink into the fanbase's minds, its plot has done a few things that are...tough to explain. Like bring back Classic Sonic, but the characters give a different viewpoint on him. Or fail to adequately explain the Phantom Ruby and what it does. And so, as I do, I try to make sense of a few things in this game's story.
A Classic Conundrum
The biggest issue with Classic Sonic in Forces (aside from the fact that he doesn't do anything of worth) is how they refer to where he's from. As I'm sure we re
Sonic Boom Season 2: A Case Study by HyperSonicXdA, literature
Literature
Sonic Boom Season 2: A Case Study
Sonic Boom. A name that, like Sonic '06, has become synonymous with Sonic's failures. But people often forget to specify that when they say that, they often mean the Wii U game, Rise of Lyric, and just throw everything associated with it on the same pile. The cartoon isn't something I'd clump with it, though. I previously reviewed Season 1, quite positively all things considered, because once you accepted the mindset that this was not the Sonic you once knew, it was quite appreciable.
And, regardless of quality, it did well enough to warrant a Season 2 (I mean, consistently a million viewers on the Saturday 7 AM death slot, has to count for
Sonic X: A Case Study by HyperSonicXdA, literature
Literature
Sonic X: A Case Study
Before Sonic Boom, there was Sonic X. A Japanese-developed anime endorsed by Sega (unlike the DiC cartoons), that aired from 2003 to 2006, so during a fairly eventful time in Sonic history. The show, while by far the most loyal to the main series of the games, still stands quite separate from it, featuring a healthy assortment of human characters alongside the characters we know from the games at this time. The show has a very developed way of explaining the semi-realistic setting of Sonic Adventure and Sonic Adventure 2. According to the show, Sonic’s world (Mobius?) and the human world exist in two separate universes, and the dimensio
Sonic Voice Actors: My Selection by HyperSonicXdA, literature
Literature
Sonic Voice Actors: My Selection
Disclaimer: Yes, I know this is a matter of personal opinion, but I've been wanting to do this for a while. Please don't rage in the comments, and if you have criticism, please try to find reasoning for it other than 'he/she is just better.' Only for Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Eggman, Shadow, Rouge, Silver, Blaze and the Chaotix. I either don't care about the voices of the rest or they've only had one voice. Also, I only consider the games' voice actors (which includes their performances in X and Boom).
Sonic the Hedgehog
1. Ryan Drummond (SA-Heroes) - Jason Griffith (X-SATBK) - Roger Craig Smith (Colors- )
Yeah, that's right, I have no pr
Huge (Timeline) Crisis: A Case Study by HyperSonicXdA, literature
Literature
Huge (Timeline) Crisis: A Case Study
All of you good people will probably remember the timeline I composed a few months back:
Well, so far, I have made a few minor corrections that can be read in the description of the page, and which can be taken one way or another. But my trusty friend ~ChaosRiderV3X (https://www.deviantart.com/chaosriderv3x) has brought up a bigger change that does require quite a bit of explaining. It concerns the placement of Sonic Rush in this timeline. So yeah, the credit for this goes to him mostly, I'm just doing the writing. This theory is also interesting because it adds some extra order to a big cluster that I was uncertain of previously, in a rather unexpected place: Adventures 1 and 2
The Moon and Eggmanland: Double Case Study by HyperSonicXdA, literature
Literature
The Moon and Eggmanland: Double Case Study
The Moon
Many have speculated about what the break-up of the Moon in SA2 would have done for the planet Sonic lives on. While I previously theorized why we can't see the crater in later games, I haven't touched upon that subject yet. In order to actually figure out what it would do to the planet, we would first have to figure what it would do to the Moon itself. And so, assuming the SA2 Moon has the same physical and orbital properties as our own, I went ahead and calculated some of the Moon's characteristics after the break-up. Very roughly, I admit, but we're talking planetary scales here, so a few million or even billion tons off doesn't h
Chaos Powers: A Case Study by HyperSonicXdA, literature
Literature
Chaos Powers: A Case Study
The Chaos Emeralds have been a staple in the Sonic franchise since they first appeared as optional collectibles in Sonic 1, where they didn't do anything aside from giving you the good ending. Since then they've appeared as plot McGuffins in a lot of the titles, often having the plot focus on the collecting them all. With them, they've brought a variety of powers and plot devices that have been known to be inconsistent at times. So in my usual fashion, I will try to make sense of it all. Which with Sonic is of course pointless and is best replaced by: 'It's a video game!', but I hope you'll enjoy it nonetheless. Do note that I only discuss th
The Lands of Ice and Fire: Beyond the Map by HyperSonicXdA, literature
Literature
The Lands of Ice and Fire: Beyond the Map
2011 might have been THE year for A Song of Ice & Fire, what with Game of Thrones premiering and A Dance with Dragons (book 5) being released, but 2012 was important in its own way. It was the year we were first unveiled the full map of the known world of Westeros and Essos, including Vaes Dothrak (although it was shown before the in the TV intro), Qarth, the Summer Isles and more. But there's a problem. The map doesn't depict the entire planet. If we assume what the people who did this amazing geological reconstruction of Westeros (http://www.stanford.edu/group/anthropocene/cgi-bin/wordpress/game-of-thrones-geology/) did, which is that t
Call me crazy, but...what's the problem with Eclipse? It's different, yes, but aside from that? Everyone just says they hate it, but every argument I've seen I've either not agreed with or is something you can just get used to (like it being hard to navigate? After two days I had no more issues with trying to find anything). I like the look of it, I think it looks slick, and there's only one real gripe I still have after all the tweaking has been done; that being the lack of a way to remove something from your deviations while looking at the art. Am I actually alone in this? I've been using this site for nine years and I've had VERY little trouble transitioning. I really don't see the problem everyone has with this.
I just received word from a facebook group that my favorite author, Clive Cussler, has passed away at 88. He's been a huge influence on my own writing style, particularly in action, and I loved all his books. But he lived his life to the fullest, so I can take solace in that.
You will be fondly remembered, mr. Cussler. Thank you for your wonderful adventures.
RIP Clive Cussler
July 15, 1931 - February 24, 2020
But it's Splatoon related, and since that's not the focus of the account I won't post it.
I'll just put the link down here because I'm still pretty proud of it.
https://archiveofourown.org/works/22716172?view_full_work=true