Sonic 2sDay: A Retrospective on Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and its Worldwide Launch on November 24, 1992!

On November 24th, 1992, the greatest 16-Bit game of all time was let out into the world, along with a marketing strategy that still exists today. (Chapter Markers and more below…)
Episode information
GTV 141 “Sonic 2’s Day" Season 7 Episode 19
Original Airdate: November 16, 2022
Produced October 18-November 14, 2022
Recorded at Butsudan Studios and edited on my 14” MacBook M1 Pro! Edited and produced with Adobe Photoshop, Final Cut Pro and Topaz Video AI, all while riding the train to work and home, back and forth, day after day. Oh, and lunch breaks too!
0:00 Eggman Cares!
0:02 GTV ID: Are You Up 2 It?
0:11 Prologue: 2 Impossible
1:15 Title Screen
1:27 Act: 1 From Worst 2 First
5:05 CM 1: Sonic 2 is Coming! (Japan, 1992)
5:39 Act 2: 2 Fast, 2 Cool!
15:48 CM 2: Hedgehog Hospital (U.K., 1992)
16:10 Act 3: ‘Till 2sDay
25:51 CM 3: Vive una Aventura (Spain, 1992)
26:04 Act 4: 2sDay’s Child
31:57 CM 4: Free Sonic 2! (U.S., 1993)
32:30 Epilogue: A Day 2 Remember
36:25 Credits & Extra Scenes
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A Sonic Adventure • Sega's ORIGINAL Sonic ...
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Some of the images were captured by BluGenesi. Big thanks to you! / blugenesi His sonic 2 video that features elements that I captured for him will be released on Nov. 24th, so please do watch it.
Other images come from the best preserverators of film and video:
9th key pattern / @shertz43
Grooveraider / grooveraider
Saving the video game / savesgaming
Sega 16 / melf00
RGTV / rgtvchannel
Video Game Commercials / @gamecommercials
Vini 64 / @vini64
The Sonic 2sDay live footage was brought to my attention by Melodies Zone / melodieszone
The footage is watermarked, yet I was able to have clean footage with no watermark. Hmm... Well, its like they say, life is full of gambles, but you have to have the cash to play.
Music by:
Plasma3Music / plasma3music
Maxi Loto / maxiloto
DJ Mykah / djmykah
Partial transcript
In January 1992, the dust had settled from the ’91 Christmas Shopping Season. Millions of game fans across America returned to school or work having made the choice between the Sega Genesis or the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Only one stood as the winner: Beginning in 1992, Sega started a multi year run as the Market Leader of the Video Game Industry in the United States. Just a few years prior, this scenario would have been treated as a piece of laughable fiction.
But Sega took the opportunity to knock Nintendo from its throne. Rather than fight for Nintendo’s share of the proverbial pie, they expanded it and made one of their own. Sega released the Genesis two years before Nintendo’s Super NES. Sega targeted older, more sophisticated game players. Sega recruited celebrities and athletes to give their games relevance to the culture.
Sega openly mocked Nintendo in advertising, while touting the power of the Genesis.
Then in 1991, Sega released Sonic The Hedgehog. The game became the company’s flagship title. The Sonic character became the face of Sega. Sonic was positioned as a faster, cooler alternative to Mario. The Coup de Grace came in July 1991. Sega reduced the price of the Genesis and included Sonic for free with each new unit sold.
The end result was 2.8 million Genesis sets sold in 1991, while the Super NES only sold 2 million.
The sales tally justified Sega’s hard work, while Nintendo was left stunned, relegated to second place status.
1991, was just the first battle of that long drawn out war between Sega and Nintendo.
1992 would be just as competitive as the year before.
Another 1-2 punch was needed, to keep Sega on top and Nintendo on guard. A sequel to Sonic. One bigger, faster and better than the original.

[@GTV-Japan]

Q: When is the Japanese holiday Labor Thanksgiving Day? (In Japanese, "Rodo Kansha No Hi")

[@johnbonhamsinger]

November 23rd

[@Tubewings]

November 23rd.

[@dorklymorkly3290]

The twenty third day of November.

[@crithitjace]

11/23 of course

[@only1gameguru]

Year.11.23

[@Waifu4Life]

Thank you for this. God this channel is underrated 😭

[@knghtbrd]

Have you seen his coverage of Phantasy Star? 😮

[@GTV-Japan]

There will be more PS coming in the near future.

[@soundwavexp]

Seriously, they deserve a lot more views

[@o0Azure0o]

I watch several of his videos multiple times. From nostalgic looks back at the older games and those neat commercials, to finding out about cool games like Cosmic Fantasy and Parodius, I enjoy watching GTV!

[@JamesChessman]

@@o0Azure0o I enjoy this channel more than you do

[@Larry]

Most excellent video Sir!!! I remember Sonic 2sDay very well, managed to get the day off school and had my mum take me to my local Woolworth's to pick up a copy, no queuing, and remember reading the manual on the bus ride home!

[@c5cha7]

Reading game manuals in the back of the car on the way home, such an odd but wonderful nostalgia! Or if you had a pre-owned game there'd be a chance of cheats or tips or even someone's save wrote down, or if you're super lucky, giant dongs!

[@GTV-Japan]

Wow really? Did you reserve? I was only able to rent it but of course could get it soon after.

[@Larry]

@@c5cha7 The holy grail is finding a map of the game someone has drawn! :D

[@Larry]

@@GTV-Japan Nooo, I didn't know anything about pre-ordering back then. I don't believed I pre-ordered anything until the release of the PS1. (Tell a lie Wonder Boy III - but then found it a day before release in another store, and had to cancel) They had loads of copies on the shelves, I just walked in and picked one up. This was about 10am-ish though.

[@GTV-Japan]

In the live video from 92 they keep saying preorder but it’s not clear if that’s the shops order that hasn’t gone on sale yet or individual reservations

[@mightyfilm]

The second game totally gave the Sonic franchise the quick rise to stardom. It was followed by a long running comic book series and two concurrently running cartoon shows. With certain game franchises, it's always the "looks like we made it" moment.

[@GTV-Japan]

In my opinion it’s the peak. Sonic 1 was good but 2 is a whole other level. The later games are good but just not the same. But the graphic of s3k are amazing too 🦊🦔

[@jamesborlan2850]

To be fair sonic isn't the only franchise where the second game became the quick rise to stardom Mega man 2 did the same to mega man the same way sonic 2 did to sonic, plus mega man had a tv appearance the same year mega man 2 was released in the US Then again sonic and mega man have a few similarities with each other

[@GTV-Japan]

@jamesborlan2850 final fantasy 2 too! You’re right. Lotsa 2s were the one !

[@Adamtendo_player_1]

@@GTV-JapanSonic 2 is overrated to me and much prefer Sonic 3 & Knuckles but I can understand why the majority favour Sonic 2 but for me looking back, Sonic 2 is too similar to the original game just improved but it still a lot of the flaws of the original game with cheap enemy placements in Metropolis Zone for example, Sonic 3 & Knuckles for me at least is the peak of Sonic but for me Mario is better than Sonic these days and Sega has become a mediocre company.

[@thecunninlynguist]

Sonic 2s day and Mortal Monday are forever immortalized.

[@GTV-Japan]

And Football Friday!

[@greenkoopa]

@@GTV-Japan only American football though 😏🐢🐢

[@JPD2587]

@@GTV-Japanand 9/9/99!

[@GTV-Japan]

The day Final Fantasy VIII came out in America. Sony’s big counter move!

[@Pupppeteer]

Man all this old as school footage is beautiful to see it always shows the effort in research you put or that you were there and that's what makes this channel so special. A level of authenticity you only get here.

[@GTV-Japan]

Thanks old friend! I recently invested in an au upscaler and nearly all the video is run through that especially the love stuff. The raw video looked awful and now not so bad. Considering it’s 30 years betacam that was digitized long ago. It’s much better 🦊🦔

[@Pupppeteer]

@@GTV-Japan wow no wonder it looks like it was a BBC archive! The content was beautiful I was thinking you had the original recordings or something but didn't know you could do that with old motion pictures.

[@GTV-Japan]

Some stuff in act 4 was from bbc archive but not the interview stuff

[@sonicmario64]

I was only six years old when this game came out in 1992, but I wasn't actually able to play it until a few years later, and it has become one of my all-time favorite Sonic games that I love to play, especially since it was also the very first one I was able to beat on my own despite me having played the first one shortly after it came out. Happy 30th Anniversary to one of the greatest video game sequels ever made, and here's to another 30 years of fun and enjoyment as well! ^^

[@GTV-Japan]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and memories! I was in high school so I forget how it must be to be younger and have to wait 🦊🦔

[@richiebee1984]

I WAS 8 YEARS OLD WHEN SONIC 2 CAME OUT IN 1992 BUT I DIDN'T GET TO PLAY IT UNTIL 1995 WHEN MY MOTHER(RIP) GOT ME AND MY BROTHER THE GENESIS 2 PACKAGE THAT CAME WITH SONIC 2 FOR CHRISTMAS!! BY THE WAY WE DIDN'T GET GENESIS IN 1992 BECAUSE OUR MOTHER GOT US SUPER NINTENDO FOR CHRISTMAS 1991!!

[@GTV-Japan]

Good things come to those who wait.

[@thewingedavenger1007]

What an excellent documentary - some of your very best work. It's shows like this that makes me tell people that KZbin is better than cable TV.

[@GTV-Japan]

I appreciate the high praise! Thanks🦔🦊

[@Mr.Peanut1986]

Yes! Another GTV exclusive! What a great morning! Thank you GTV.

[@GTV-Japan]

You got it!🦊🦔

[@soundwavexp]

Please never stop making these type of videos, this channel is a hidden gem

[@GTV-Japan]

I won’t stop for now. But if I ever run out of ideas or don’t find satisfying anymore I’ll hang it up rather than keep going for the sake of it. I’ll also make a big finale of some sort toe d on a high note. But I can’t see that anytime soon 🦊🦔

[@have_a_good_day420]

@@GTV-Japan why not continue the channel but change the content to a different passion of yours??

[@GTV-Japan]

No. Whenever it is that I’m Done I’ll hang it up for good and that’ll be that.

[@shipwreckedonapopulatedisland]

I was 10 and i can vividly recall going to the shops with my Nan and at the local K-mart they had about 10 Sonic 2's setup with a deep line of kids at each waiting to play it. Crazy scenes for Australia at the time. This one hits the nostalgia hard. Thanks for the great video.

[@GTV-Japan]

You’re welcome ! I wanted to include Australia but it seems like the game was not sold on the 24th there, starting a few days later. Can you confirm this? Either way I found no video of it or mentions by Sega in interviews either

[@shipwreckedonapopulatedisland]

@@GTV-Japan I couldn't tell you the date but judging by the fact i wasn't in school and neither was a large amount of other kids i would say it was a Saturday, as i recall it being early morning. Also being a smaller market and the time zone difference (tuesday release was actually Wednesday here) and the logistics of getting things shipped here then, a few days after the worldwide release is perfectly feasible for 1992.

[@GTV-Japan]

I see. That makes sense then.

[@vitacilina555]

As someone born in 1978 those last comments at the end almost made me tear up. No end in sight indeed! Keep up the great content.

[@GTV-Japan]

My brother!!

[@GTV-Japan]

I always try to put mentions of being a child of the 70s so we can be represented more on here. Everything seems to be run from the mindset of gen Ys who have some skewed nostalgia for the 80s even though they have little memory of it. While at the same time ignoring the 90s which truly was the greatest decade, which was our teen and young adult years. But you don’t see a lot of older guys like me running channels but a promise till I’m dead in the ground this will always be a place for a gen x point of view!

[@vitacilina555]

@@GTV-Japan and likewise, I promise I’ll be a viewer for life!

[@Brian-bw9fh]

What a high quality documentary. Incredible attention to detail, especially including all the footage from Japan - never seen any of that before. Thanks!

[@GTV-Japan]

Thanks for watching B!🦔🦊

[@ShapeyFiend]

I wasn't aware of Sonic 2sDay at the time, I don't think I knew what was out till it was in the shop unless it was an arcade port, but I think my older brother happened to be in the city that day and picked me up a copy. I was so hyped about it.

[@GTV-Japan]

Sounds like a great time 🦔🦊

[@crithitjace]

Another quality documentary. Videos like this are why I love this channel. Keep up the good work!

[@GTV-Japan]

Thanks! I’ll try 🦊🦔

[@perschbacher]

Extremely well made, my friend! Loved every moment.

[@GTV-Japan]

Thanks for watching to the end! Just wait for sonic 3!! 🦔🦊

[@lunatechdesignsmedia]

30 Years of Sonic 2! What an awesome video! :D

[@GTV-Japan]

Thanks for watching 🦔🦊

[@RamuneRabbit]

As a kid, I KNEW Sonic 2 was coming. My friend next door was hyped, the kids at school were hyped, and there was even an abandoned building, suddenly plastered with Sonic 2 "Are you up 2 it?" posters on the bottom half of its structure. And if your classroom was on the right side, you could quickly look out the window and see that building reminding you that "Yes, Sonic 2 was on its way"! Got my Genesis (after a long campaign of pestering my Parents and dropping hints) with Sonic 1 the Christmas of '91, and sometime in 92, a little after Sonic 2s day, my Mother finally allowed me to pick out a game at a random Toy Works visit. The choice was simple. I picked Sonic 2 (and my Younger Brother chose Super Mario Land 2). And for a time, Sonic 2 kept my Younger Bro and me thoroughly entertained, as we didn't get another game outside of game rentals at the local video store. I eventually beat it, which was quite the feat at the time (I was spooked by the lasers in Wing Fortress Zone and didn't realize I could jump on the platform until I had to start all over a 2nd time, haha!) We still dove back in and treated it as a 2-dimensional playground, playing with the physics and making our own stories of Sonic and Tails' adventures. A simpler but magical time that was!

[@GTV-Japan]

What an awesome story! I love hearing this kind of stuff 🦊🦔

[@jjinc1957]

I’ve watched from time to time, but dang I have realized just how freaking good your work is. I didn’t play any Sonic game until I was in my 20’s at the turn of the century, but I remember so much of this content. Thank you for what you do!

[@GTV-Japan]

Thanks I’m glad you like this one!🦔🦊

[@wherewhoandwhyisgamora]

Absolutely underrated video, love the editing and detail In here and the pacing was great. Great job!

[@GTV-Japan]

Thanks I appreciate that! Maybe it’s underrated but it’s only been out 14 hours. Let’s give it some time and see where it goes.🦊🦔

[@adoseofpain]

Another great video GTV! Thanks!

[@GTV-Japan]

You’re welcome 🦔🦊

[@Leahi84]

I love this channel so much! Thank you!

[@GTV-Japan]

You’re welcome 🦔🦊

[@Blugenesi]

I finally had time to sit down and watch the video, and I have to say, you did a great job!

[@blackflame4506]

Just stumble upon this channel and this is pretty good stuff. Love me some video game retrospective/documentary styled videos. Keep up the great work

[@GTV-Japan]

Thanks! Glad you came! I’ll be taking a break until March but there’s lots to catch up on. See ya again 🍻

[@braselthegamer]

Man, been watching a lot of your stuff lately. Loving it. Has kind of made me want to get back into the video making game. Keep up the amazing work!

[@GTV-Japan]

Hey Brasel the gamer! What’s been going on? I’d say get back into it!🦔🦊

[@Beorn567]

The work you put into this really shines through, it’s impressive.

[@GTV-Japan]

Thanks I appreciate the support 🦊🦊

[@BlueMageWithSoulEdge]

Seriously, you stay one of, if not the, best retrospective channel on KZbin. I remember Sonic 2'sDay but as a 7 yr old kid, I didn't think it was so important. And what you stated about Gen-X and Sonic makes a lot of sense. It actually explains a lot about Sonic as a character-- it is almost like he was tailor made for Gen-X. Whether if that is true I leave for the debaters, but your insight does scope the position of not only Sonic but video games as a whole.

[@GTV-Japan]

He certainly fit the times. Thanks for the support as always 🦔🦊

[@Midori_Hoshi]

What a great video. Really takes me back.

[@B33FY2011]

Wow, what a video. Thank you for this.

[@GTV-Japan]

I’m glad you liked it! Thanks for watching 🦊 🦔

[@Michael.Hunt.14-52]

Just in time. Your production is unreal so its always a treat

[@ColeFam]

Great video! I wasn't old enough to really be aware of literally anything, so I didn't know there was such a fun story behind this.

[@GTV-Japan]

Really? Well now you know 🦔🦊

[@pcgenjin1]

Eloquent and thoughtful video. Love it.

[@GTV-Japan]

Thanks for watching 🦔🦊

[@ABasedTohan]

Great video the nostalgia was hitting crazy for me on this one subbed

[@GTV-Japan]

Great I’m glad you liked it! Now that your onboard the GTV train why not try out one of the other 140 videos and see what you like? Talk to you soon🦔🦊

[@A_Muzik]

I enjoyed this video so much that I go back to watch even a segment of the video throughout my weeks.

[@GTV-Japan]

Hey all right! Much appreciated! Oop. I better get to work on sonic 3 soon!

[@Retro-Fez]

I was super stoked for sonic 2 and boy did it deliver, what an amazing era to live through. Hard to believe its been 30 FRIGGIN years 😮

[@denishasegawa4518]

The epilogue in this video is a masterpiece. Congratulations! Sonic 2 is my favorite Sonic game of all time and this video explains a lot the reason for that.

[@GTV-Japan]

I’m glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for watching! 🦔 🦊

[@thehumbleone1983]

This video brings back a lot of great memories as a kid I still remember getting Sonic and when my mum got me Sonic 2 loved it one of my favourite Mega Drive games 👍 Great video 👍

[@geoffgero6081]

This was fantastic to see! I didn't know of all the events and hype surrounding Sonic 2 at the time, I was too young. But I will never forget playing it shortly after launch and being completely blown away.

[@GTV-Japan]

Oh yeah it was a big deal! Thanks for watching! 🦊🦔

[@skeletankmcgraw7343]

I had recently turned 10 when this came out, though at the time I had no knowledge of not just Sonic 2, but I hadn't even heard of the first game. I was still so absorbed in my NES I don't even know that I really don't think I even knew what Sega was at all. Even so, around a year later I was introduced to Sonic from the cartoon that aired on the Saturday Morning Cartoon block and that is what put Genesis/Sonic 2 on my radar. The Sonic cartoon and Sonic 2 commercials on TV had such an affect on my that I chose to get a Genesis instead of SNES for Xmas '93, which was a big deal since I had been begging for an SNES since it came out up until that point. That year for Xmas I got the model 2 Genesis/Sonic 2 bundle and a copy of Mortal Kombat! That was probably my favorite Xmas of all time.

[@MelodiesZone]

When I found that footage on the producers library back in 2018 I couldn't believe it wasn't on KZbin anywhere. Obviously all I did was upload that footage but I’m happy to see great KZbinrs like yourself make videos about the launch of Sonic 2. What a great moment in gaming history!

[@GTV-Japan]

Oh hey! Thanks making me aware of that footage! The AI upscaler really cleans things up!

[@MelodiesZone]

@@GTV-Japan Yeah it looks great!

[@dynastymusou8906]

Great retrospective on a timeless game. A lot of love and care goes into these videos and it truly shows. I was nearing 4 years of age when Sonic the Hedgehog 2 came out so I don't remember anything of it, but I can see from the footage that it must have been a blast (processing) to be part of it. And hey, Dustin Diamond could be seen in the video. Didn't know he was a Sonic fan. May he rest in peace...

[@GTV-Japan]

That footage is some great stuff. Unfortunately the parts where he was talking weren’t so clear. You could see him fumbling with a clip on mic but it’s funny to think how having these actors show up at a store for a day was huge deal. The one other actor I don’t know his name was playing to the camera losing the game on purpose it was funny. Thanks for watching 🦔🦊

[@RazorFoxDV]

I reserved my copy weeks in advance at the Electronics Boutique store at West Oaks Mall in Houston which scored you a free Sonic 2sday T-shirt and I waited until the day of to wear it to school. As soon as I got home that afternoon, I got one of my parents to drive me to the mall and pick up the game, and to respond to the video's bit about remembering where you were when you first ran through that corkscrew, I absolutely do. To this day, hearing the opening notes of the Emerald Hill Zone theme puts a big smile on my face as I remember how magical that moment was!

[@GTV-Japan]

That is awesome! Thanks for that great story! Love hearing this kind of thing! 🦔 🦊

[@afriend9428]

*great video sir! Love this game and Knuckles in Sonic 2 too!* ⭐️

[@nio107]

Excellent video, as always.

[@GTV-Japan]

Nio! My old friend long time no see! Hope you’re well!🦊🦔

[@JustJulyo]

The editing is top notch!

[@Naedlus]

I want to say the PS1 also had a big announce launch day. I remember seeing "ENOS" (with a red E) standing for "Ready Ninth of September" on ads for the system and launch games.

[@GTV-Japan]

That’s right! Enos lives!

[@Rationalific]

Another fantastic retrospective! And Sonic 2 is definitely one of my favorite games of all time!

[@GTV-Japan]

Hey old friend! Happy Sonic 2sDay!🦔🦊

[@Rationalific]

@@GTV-Japan Thank you! Happy Sonic 2sDay to you as well! 🔵🟠

[@GimblyGFR]

Man, what a great episode. Your content is really top-notch, and I'm delighted every time a notification pops up for a video of yours. Sonic 2 is an amazing game, and the Sonic 2'sDay event is, certainly, a milestone in video game marketing. Even in my neck of the woods (in South America) the launch of Sonic 2 was a really, really big thing. The Sega Genesis was the most popular console in my country (heck, it still sells today) and Sonic 2 and Streets of Rage 2 were the games that started it all for a lot of people. I have to confess, however, that Sonic 2 is my least favorite game of the original Sega Genesis trilogy. The first game was a revelation to me, and you know what they say about first impressions. And then, Sonic 3 blew me away with its graphics, music and gameplay. But that's just me. Sonic 2 is a masterful game and I can see why it is the favorite of most Sega Genesis/Mega Drive fans. Again, another excellent video. Thank you.

[@GTV-Japan]

Thanks I’m glad you liked it! I wish I could have found more video especially Brazil but from what I found it looks like it was not released on the 24th but a few days after. Same with Australia where Sega was also super popular. It seems the GG and SMS sonic 2 also were not out until December except for Japan only. But I’m sure it was a huge deal when it did come out! Thanks for sharing your story 🦊🦔

[@GimblyGFR]

@@GTV-Japan Brazil was, by far, the biggest market for Sega in South America. It is quite possible that the game was launched around the same time as the rest of the world. I live in Argentina, and since I don't have clear recollections of when the game was released here, I started searching in some old local magazines. In a November 1992 issue, the game was announced as "soon to be released" in the country. The first review of the game was published in March 1993, so it is safe to assume that Sega started selling the game around that time.

[@GTV-Japan]

Sorry I thought you were from Brazil because you did it was so popular there. I’ve heard Sega was big in other places too. But it does seem that the second manufacturing order from Japan went to the rest of the world in December. I have seen some commercials that use master system gameplay for some reason. That’s always been weird and funny to me.

[@GimblyGFR]

@@GTV-Japan No problem, man. The Genny/Mega Drive was incredibly popular here, but most of the consoles and cartridges sold were bootlegs. The same with the NES/Famicom before. Brazil was the largest market in South America where you could find and buy original consoles and cartridges licensed by Sega through TecToys. The advantage of the rampant piracy here, in the South of the continent, was that we had access to software from all regions easily. And not only on the Genny, but also on NES and SNES. The hardware was, also, not region locked. Not only that, but you could also get tons of ROM hacks, unreleased games and beta versions of some carts. To give you some examples: I played Mario 4, 5, 6 and many, many more Mario games during the NES era. All of them were ROM hacks of other games, like Tiny Toons Adventures or The Flintstones. Later, I played Tecmo Cup Football Game for the Mega Drive, that was never released, but was sold everywhere in here (great game, probably the best version of Tecmo's Captain Tsubasa engine).

[@GTV-Japan]

Ah I see. I thought that was the case

[@nameless646]

That was one of my favorite Christmas mornings with my dad.

[@ritaandrunt5767]

I love how I've watched so many different videos going over sonic 2s history delvopetment and overall impact that it left on the franchise as a whole

[@GTV-Japan]

Cool! How many are there out there?

[@LuxuryNoCap]

Very well done video. Good job

[@themarcosoma]

Holidays are just the best moment, still one more week off, so of course I had 2 get updated on GTV. People should talk more of how awesome your videos are, and all the wordplay and how you always use the GTV logo and use the style of the game in the video. Happy Holidays, and thank you for all your videos! If I can't see another video, Happy New year and hope 2023 will be awesome! Filled with GTV, Beers and Chicken Wings!!!

[@GTV-Japan]

I hope you had a god Christmas 🎄! Happy new year coming up Marco!

[@themarcosoma]

@@GTV-Japan Igualmente. ¡Gracias amigo!

[@tuffasgong]

Your writing is impressive for these shows you put together. I always enjoy the random commercials as well.

[@GTV-Japan]

Thanks for the support! For this video the first draft was 8000 words but got trimmed down to 5500. 🦊🦔

[@tuffasgong]

@@GTV-Japan Sometimes editing down is the hardest part. You want to keep it all, but, you see what the run time would be.

[@GTV-Japan]

Yeah. If it’s too long too repetitive people tune out. They miss the ending!

[@GarlicMonoxide]

The upgraded version of the music at about 16:35 reminds me of the bar scene in Total recall. EDIT: just found your channel today. Great content, editing and narration. Take my sub!

[@GTV-Japan]

Thank you! Now that you’re on the GTV train, take some time and catch up on the other 140 videos you haven’t seen yet and comment on what you like 🦔🦊

[@renerios7319]

This channel is too good!!

[@GTV-Japan]

Thanks🦔🦊

[@dukkemonterier3429]

God, I love this channel. It educates me well about the stuffs that happened back that time. I am waiting for the Phantasy Star IV anniversary video, by the way.

[@GTV-Japan]

Thanks. I’m going to whip up a promo for ps4 in December. Your patience is appreciated

[@dukkemonterier3429]

@@GTV-Japan Nice!

[@jamesgoss1860]

For years I thought that the Sonic & Knuckles cartridge modified Sonic 2 to run with Knuckles. It blew my mind when I learned that the Sonic & Knuckles cartridge actually contained the nearly complete S2+K modified ROM already, and merely checked for the Sonic 2 cartridge and pulled a few pieces of sound code from it to run.

[@GTV-Japan]

Lock on technology was amazing!

[@pferreira1983]

Thank you for this video. Sonic 2 was always a very special game that took the original but made it more epic in scope. That's why it remains my second favourite game of all time. 😊

[@GTV-Japan]

No problem it was a joy to make!

[@gospyro]

Awesome story telling!!! I was an artist on Sonic 2 (Hidden Palace and Oil Ocean) and clearly remember being at the big Sonic 2sDay event!! Another fun memory, I was one of the people who took the original ROM set to Japan!! (Although it was my understanding that the other person who was flown over, Rick Macaraeg, had the box art and not the ROM?!)? That was a truly incredible time to be in the game industry!!!

[@GTV-Japan]

What?! No way! That’s awesome!! I’d love to hear more of your story! I wish I could hear it earlier but please tell me all you remember!!🦔🦊

[@chrismyghostwriter]

Great video as always! Love your content. I do remember Sonic 2sday and it was quite the 1-day spectacle, but I'd argue that, at least in North America, the build up to Super Mario Bros. 3 was bigger. Since it came out in Japan so early in 1988, it was talked about in North America for over a year before launching here in 1990, with people paying to watch The Wizard in theaters two months before the game released just to SEE it in action. All this for an 8-bit game that was competing with not one but two 16-bit systems at the time.

[@GTV-Japan]

Yeah. If you were paying attention closely! I think Nintendo had the opportunity to do what sonic 2sday was and just passed on it

[@chrismyghostwriter]

@@GTV-Japan I think they could have too (which would have been crazy), but hard to second guess them when they sold 8 million copies in 1990 alone. I still hear people talk about that game to this day and the impact it had on them (especially today's game developers). I just feel like while Sonic 2 was memorable and quite the deal back in the day, Super Mario Bros 3 was the game that propelled the video game market to where it is today. Sonic 2 built on that, sure, but Mario 3 laid that foundation and is the standard by which games are still judged by today.

[@michaelmanning9028]

Thank you so much for the video! sonic was my childhood, I still remember the 1st time I played At a store called venture in a kiosk They had set up, From then on I begged 3 years for a said yeah finally got 1 in 96 lol better late than never I suppose thank you again for all the hard work you put into these videos they are so entertaining!!

[@GTV-Japan]

Perseverance pays off! 🦔🦊

[@jaimerodriguez1550]

Sonic 2 intro was just magical. Hearing it is literally euphoric and preps my mind for never ending satisfyingly gameplay

[@GTV-Japan]

It has saved many lives.

[@airem5861]

Excellent Video! This video made me sad that the future of gaming is preloading the game and just waiting in your house for the clock to hit midnight. The memories of those launch date games are very awesome, waiting in line for that anticipated game to be released. Those memories with friends and newcomers will be lost in time like years in the rain.

[@GTV-Japan]

That’s almost like a song! Thanks for watching 🦔🦊

[@SPac316]

I remember looking at a magazine stand at a gas station one time and seeing the cover of EGM issue 37 with Sonic 2 on it. My mom bought that EGM and I still have it to this day. That was my first time hearing about it. Then on Christmas of that year, My brother and I not only got our own Sega Genesis w/Sonic 1, but also a copy of Sonic 2 as well.

[@GTV-Japan]

Great to hear everything went according to plan!🦔🦊

[@irmaosver]

If I could leave more than one like I would. Very well done !

[@GTV-Japan]

Make a new account! Just kidding 🦊🦔

[@creativecatproductions]

Man the timing for this excellent video couldn’t be better/worse with Yuji Naka being arrested for insider trading in Japan. Great video dude! 😎

[@GTV-Japan]

Yeah who knew?! Oh well. I’m sure he’ll pay the fine.

[@creativecatproductions]

@@GTV-Japans it possible that Naka was attempting to leverage some control over that new Dragon Quest title? My understanding is that he’s been embroiled in a vicious feud with Square Enix and accusations of insider trading might be a way of dealing with him?

[@GTV-Japan]

I have no idea but the more I red into him the more he comes off as, well, not a nice guy.

[@RetroJordan91]

This was a fantastic watch.. you cannot go wrong with classic Sonic, especially 2, 3&K, and Mania 😊 Please GTV can you do a Sonic 3 video? 😁

[@GTV-Japan]

yes. i promise you will see videos on sonic cd, sonic 3 and sonic and knuckles in the future. it will be a very sega heavy year in 23!

[@gamingnubs7628]

Thank you so much for this! I thought you werent going to do it.

[@GTV-Japan]

Why not? Promises made, promises kept!

[@gamingnubs7628]

@@GTV-Japan I honestly dont know why I thought you wouldnt, just had a feeling. Glad to see I was proven wrong though! Excellent video!

[@GTV-Japan]

Cheers! I was able to get it done in about 2-3 weeks while working and sick. So it wasn’t so bad and anything is possible if you try hard enough

[@A_Muzik]

I was only 2 years old on Sonic 2sDay. So I didn’t really get to experience that day. However, I got to play the game and I have been hooked ever since.

[@That_Wrestling_Fan]

Mad that this game is 30 years old , I remember seeing the posters and asking my mum all December i needed this for Xmas, seeing that big 2 pop on Xmas morning was a memory and a half

[@GTV-Japan]

Thanks for sharing your story!🦊🦔

[@Die4WiNG]

FANTASTIC VID!

[@davidmatthews2983]

I was born 87, dad had a Commodore 64 home computer, with “hardisks” that were floppy. That was mind blowing as a kid. Others had nes systems, but one Xmas, We then had the megadrive from Santa back in 94 I think. We got the multi cartridge which contained revenge of shinobi, golden axe, streets of rage and others. Sonic 2 was picked up, and games like mortal kombat 2, God that was a time to be alive. Playing computer games back then, stigma was you were a geek or a nerd, but everyone seemed to have a sega or a Nintendo. Great video. Much respect from Australia

[@GTV-Japan]

Hey! Thanks for sharing your story! I was jealous of computer kids because the c64 had lemonade stand. That was a fun game 🍋

[@davidmatthews2983]

@@GTV-Japan we didn’t have that, but we had TMNT and ghost and goblins, and gauntlet. Great times. Your video took me back to the early 90’s a lot of the marketing and the vibe can’t be conveyed but if you were there, there is a certain nostalgia I got from that well crafted documentary. Thanks again, got a subscriber here

[@GTV-Japan]

Cool!

[@MagillanicaLouM]

Good ol blue blue history. Always nice being reminded how much gaming was hyped even back then

[@GTV-Japan]

Oh yah. Gotta have a buzz to be popular 🦔🦊

[@The_Boctor]

Kudos for mentioning that "Blast Processing" had true origins in a VDP feature, even though it was muddled by advertising.

[@GTV-Japan]

Of course! Actually the picture of Scott Bayless comes from a print advertisement that tried to explain it in a serious manner!🦊🦔

[@JohnnyUndaunted]

What unfortunate (or maybe not) timing for the debut of this video, considering Yuji Naka just got arrested.

[@Mr.Peanut1986]

What for?

[@Gamentropy]

@@Mr.Peanut1986 Insider trading. Square Enix shares and a Dragon Quest announcement.

[@GTV-Japan]

Crazy! Well I finished the video 4 days ago so I had no idea. But hey innocent until proven guilty.

[@segajukebox]

That magazine which gave an 8/10 for the music 😂🤦🏼‍♂️ anyway, thanks for the great video! Sonic forever!

[@GTV-Japan]

Yeah I know! What were they drinking?

[@gigachadarmstrong5817]

Damn, who let them make another game documentary lol. Instant sub!

[@GTV-Japan]

Welcome aboard! 🍻🦔🦊

[@gigachadarmstrong5817]

@@GTV-Japan 🦔🦊

[@tratlewis]

Subbed because of this video! I remember that time! I was one of the kids that had a Nintendo first and my parents took it back to the store because it was like my Gameboy.....I remember when I got the genesis and played sonic it was mind blowing 🤯🤯🤯

[@GTV-Japan]

Awesome good to hear! Now that you’re subbed up take some time to watch the older videos and tell me what you like 🦔🦊

[@dodgykebaab]

Everything this channel does is golden

[@GTV-Japan]

Thanks for the support! 🟨

[@dodgykebaab]

@@GTV-Japan Thank you for the fantastic content

[@jadstudiosofficial]

I know right?

[@themblan]

Masterpiece. Still my favorite Sonic-game.

[@tosenstardom2316]

I still remember the buildup for this game for being hyped up and exciting at the same time and still have kept some of those old magazines promoting it all. We didn't purchase this game straight away unlike the original, so my older brother hired it out instead and on first try had gotten close to the end boss and labelled it as a bit ordinary but luckily my birthday was due soon and I was delighted to go and pick up a copy and we all got into it heavily and enjoyed the game for what it was. Happily, the 2 players option came in handy so we could enjoy it even furthermore.

[@GTV-Japan]

What a great story!🦊🦔

[@The-Warm-voice1359]

I remember these days it was good days and good times after i finish from play i watch Home alone movie and i was playing SONIC 1 2 Micheal jackson moon walker Batman return donald duck quick shot These was my favorite games in that times and still ..well Really wonderful vid thx 4 coverage Cheers🍺

[@noemedmedia]

Fantastic, as always!

[@GTV-Japan]

Thanks for stopping by on day one!🦊🦔

[@noemedmedia]

@@GTV-Japan Are you kidding? #1 KZbin channel, rght? :)

[@noemedmedia]

Now that I have *actually* watched it, I have to say thanks!! I did not know I would learn so much about the S2 launch that I did not already know. Yes, I lived in a walled guarden called Nintendo at the time, To so many it was 2esday, for me it was tuesday. German b-language in the first lesson.

[@GTV-Japan]

Today is the 30th anniversary for japan! And tomorrow is 2sday!

[@TerryKashat]

Great job. This is a Business Case Study. 🙌🏻

[@GTV-Japan]

That would be cool if this video somehow got shown in a business or marketing class!

[@GTV-Japan]

Oops, hit return too soon, also thanks for watching!!

[@Unquestionable]

Still remember the hype behind this. While I wasn't a Genesis owner I still remember playing the first two games a ton, with the two player mode in 2 being a fun way to kill an afternoon. Eight year old me was never that skilled at it but was still struck by the spectacle of it all. I might have preferred the slower paced exploration of Mario but Sonic held the appeal of a roller coaster, fast and flashy where I felt I was getting a thrill jammed down my throat.

[@GTV-Japan]

That’s a good way to put it!🦊🦔

[@T-Bag13]

19, 65, 09, 17 start, a+start, 4, 1, 2, 6, 1, 9, 9, 2, 1, 1, 2, 4 a+start on the level you want. *BOOM, THERE YOU GO*

[@gokux75]

Loved the video. I was too young to understand all the hype and cultural impact went along with the NES, SNES, and Genesis games. Back then Sonic 2 was just a new Sonic game I played. The amount of details you give along with the old footage really make it feel like we traveled back in time while watching your videos. In regards to there never being something as big a Sonic 2's Day again because pre release events are normal I would say you are right and today a game would have to do that opposite. Just imagine if Value randomly put Half Life 3 on Steam one day. Now that would be a huge event. You wake up one morning and when you pick up your phone most likely there would be some notification from some website, youtube video, or message from a person telling you that Half Life 3 just came out. Can't wait for your Sonic CD, Sonic 3, and Sonic and Knuckles videos.

[@GTV-Japan]

I can tell you that in Japan, the day one, overnight lineup and wait has disappeared. Its very sad. Just get it delivered at 9 am to your house, or download it, or just walk in an get one of the 10,000 copies they made. Who sucked out the feeling?

[@gokux75]

@@GTV-Japan Yeah I live in Japan too and know all about that. The day Lets Go Pikachu came out I got up early and rode my bike to the nearest depart store and they had plenty. When Monster Hunter Rise came out the first Bic Camera was sold out by the next one a few blocks away had a stack on the back counter. I think it's a combination of digital, more copies of games being printed, online shopping and more choice compared to the 80's and 90's. Back then if you wanted the newest Mario, Sonic, or Zelda game on launch day you had no choice but to go buy it at a store. In 2019 though it was awesome to see all the Dragon Quest XI S displays prior that the games release.

[@GTV-Japan]

That’s cool! Where do you live? The last big pre release I remember was for the ps3 and Wii. Lines were crazy and many went home empty handed. But by ps vita and Wii U there was no wait despite them still selling out for the weekend

[@gokux75]

@@GTV-Japan I live somewhere in Aichi. Although based on your posts and videos you have been here a lot longer then me lol.

[@GTV-Japan]

Almost 20 years now! I’ve never been to Aichi though

[@Indalord.]

Another fantastic monograph, I liked seeing an ad from Spain in 25:51 :)

[@GTV-Japan]

Sorry I found no live coverage from there.

[@Indalord.]

@@GTV-Japan I think that at that time, there were only 3 television channels, 2 of them public, so it is understandable that it is difficult to find related material, but in no way detracts from the video

[@GTV-Japan]

I think the video from around the world was commissioned by Sega. There were a few transitions that showed the scenes zooming in and out of a world map. So there could potentially be more out there to that video. This is all I could find.

[@GTV-Japan]

Oh and the French sonic 2 commercial was just gameplay. So boring. Hard pass from the start!

[@mekman4]

Great Stuff!

[@darktetsuya]

this was a great retrospective! Sonic 2 is easily in my top 5 Genesis games of all time, without question. (3&knuckles is definitely in there somewhere as well but I'm sure that's a story for another time) shout-out to them making 1992-11-24 part of the sound test cheat codes though!

[@GTV-Japan]

I liked that code! There’s also a code that lets you change tails name to miles if you want! UUU DDD U and start!

[@darktetsuya]

@@GTV-Japan wow! I think I forgot about that one, how cool. yeah all the game mags I read back then definitely had all the codes for sonic 2, haha.

[@GTV-Japan]

There’s also yuji’s birthday but I can’t remember any others

[@darktetsuya]

@@GTV-Japan 1965-09-17!

[@GTV-Japan]

Oh yeah!

[@jonathanmeyer8921]

It was so amazing plugging Sonic 2 into Sonic & Knuckles for the first time! Getting to explore the game with Knuckles indeed made it feel almost like a brand new game.

[@GTV-Japan]

I know! I really liked that feature!🦔🦔

[@robbyrobot3303]

Sonic looks so beautiful and colorful. There were so many lazy devs on the Genesis who didn't tweak their SNES or arcade ports after downgrading to the smaller color palette. And it always bears repeating this is the best channel on KZbin, the amount of primary sources and archival footage always impresses!

[@GTV-Japan]

Yeah I noticed that too. I guess they just didn’t care. 🦊🦔

[@antenant9294]

I remember the day well. Got the game in the morning, rushed home from school and completed it that evening. I had to- I ran the school games club. That Saturday, I hosted a Sonic 2 tournament day in a local hall. Good memories.

[@GTV-Japan]

And Sonic it is still around! Nothing but good memories!!

[@dhawkes5096]

Really fantastic video as always. I do look forward to when you put out a new one. Seeing the old UK footage really takes me back. Useless little bit of trivia the face of Sega in UK adverts was played by Steven O'Donnell in a series of adverts. He worked quite often with Rik Mayall, in shows such as Bottom and how to be a little sod. Amusingly Rik would be the face of Nintendo for their UK based ads around the same time.

[@GTV-Japan]

That’s funny! Like they pulled a joke on us by sponsoring rivals and taking all the money 😂 thanks for the tidbit

[@dhawkes5096]

@@GTV-Japan I've never seen anyone else mention that weird co-incidence. Rik is a far more well known actor here. Rik famously called his house "Nintendo Towers" as he bought it with the advertising money. But here's a brief clip of Sega and Nintendo at a party in Bottom :) kzbin.info/www/bejne/pHTde6F_l89pjcU

[@MikeChimeri]

Another great video. I honestly didn't know about the Sonic 2sDay promotion until I got into video game channels and videos in the mid 2010s. November 24, 1992, was just another Tuesday for me, primarily spent in Mr. Pompei's 6th grade class at Atkinson School in Freeport, New York. It was my parents' 15th wedding anniversary, which means the 30th anniversary of Sonic 2sDay will be their 45th. I played Sonic 1 and 2 at friends' houses until getting a model 2 Genesis of my own, the Sega Sports set (with seat cushion), on August 6, 1994.

[@MikeChimeri]

Incidentally, did you AI upscale some clips?

[@GTV-Japan]

All of the live clips of sonic 2sday were upscaled and cleaned up. The originals were not so great. The sonic 2 is coming was also upscaled but in a different method to make it sharper because the original file was low quality but the video itself is shaky and is supposed to look erratic and intense. So I tried to make it look as clear as possible. A few other things were cleaned up but I forget offhand. I’ll be using it more and more hoping to have better cleaner footage. Totally worth the investment

[@GTV-Japan]

That’s a cool story though! Yeah I think we were all in school. Usually a half day or that Wednesday was a half day.

[@MikeChimeri]

@@GTV-Japan The last day of school usually the only half day for me, until the era of midterms and final exams starting in middle school. (I entered middle school just as that name replaced "junior high school.") Speaking of Japan's Labor Day Thanksgiving, I was watching "Garfield's Thanksgiving" on DVD yesterday and Jon included that designation in his stalling-for-time lecture to Liz and Odie while Garfield helped Grandma in her stealth Thanksgiving cooking. (Jon failed in his attempt to cook dinner.) "Garfield's Thanksgiving" premiered on CBS a mere five days after "The Little Mermaid" debuted in theaters. Pat Carroll, the voice of Grandma in this special and "A Garfield Christmas," was the voice of Ursula in "The Little Mermaid." Her two characters were polar opposites.

[@GTV-Japan]

What a coincidence

[@Daniel_Karhunen]

Great retrospective!

[@GTV-Japan]

Thanks for watching 🦔🦊

[@Daniel_Karhunen]

@@GTV-Japan , you're welcome.

[@jaycenteno8385]

Oh man, a nostalgia blast right before the holidays! Are you trying to make me miss the old days? lol

[@GTV-Japan]

Yes!🦊🦔

[@drryanmorris]

These video games docos are sick!

[@NAFEDUDE]

Should be noted that the Sonic Origins version of Sonic 2 is based off the 2013 Mobile Phone remaster, so a decent amount of new features (better framerate, widescreen, Hidden Palace) come from that version; only Sonic 3 & Knuckles was not based on a previous remaster

[@GTV-Japan]

Duly noted.

[@NAFEDUDE]

@@GTV-Japan my apologies if I came off as a know-it-all; I actually found the video very interesting and well-researched. The historical footage from around the world was a highlight and I always enjoy the contemporary ads you put in the videos as well.

[@GTV-Japan]

No I appreciate that I didn’t know much about the iOS version because many games get repudiated or just disappear they aren’t set in stone like older games

[@MrBee223]

This video is brilliant. All the feels. 1981 born SEGA and Sonic was epic. Shout out to the gawd Tom Kalinske too.

[@GTV-Japan]

He was the man!

[@Chipmunkboy]

Great video! You even managed to find some things I didn't know! But: 21:44 this could be further from the truth, the only level that is actually beatable is Emerald Hill, which isn't even named yet, it takes up the slot of Star Light, so its labeled that way in the level select, since the music and new sound engine hasn't been implemented yet, all levels use the same music as whatever level ID they take up from the last game. Level designs are vastly different, although the only layouts that have been implemented is Chemical Plant, Emerald Hill, Hill Top and Hidden Palace. With only Hidden Palace and Emerald Hill having enemies. Oh and... Green Hill is still present too, although the collision is all sorts of messed up and so are the enemy graphics. Also, 30:11 This is just the mobile version of the game from 2013 ported to other platfroms.. sloppily... with new bugs....

[@GTV-Japan]

Thanks for like the video. I admit I cut some corners in explanations. The first draft was 8000+ words and the final was 5500! Mentioning these details over and over just became a drag and to keep the video snappy a lot of technical info like these was left out