Sonic R's Unexpected Development - Game History Secrets

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Today on Game History Secrets, Liam talks about his journey uncovering the development of Sonic R, a Sonic game made by Traveller's Tales and overseen by the usual developers of Sonic the Hedghog games, Sonic Team, for the Sega Saturn.
Liam Robertson is a video game researcher and archiver. In his spare time, Liam creates videos and articles for various outlets, and will also be contributing to the Did You Know Gaming channel.
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Sources/Further Reading:
info.sonicretro.org/Sonic_R/D...
/ @gamehut
hiddenpalace.org/Sonic_R_(Sep...)
• "Sonic R" All Prototyp...
• Amazing Sonic R HD Cou...
• Sonic R's F1 Roots Rev...
• IT'S WORKING! Sonic R ...
• SONIC R - very early v...
• SONIC R - very early v...
• Sonic R: 100% Playthro...
www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm1290...
www.eurogamer.net/why-the-fou...
www.terredejeux.net/2020/05/in...
archive.org/details/cdrom-nex...
GameInformer Magazine issue #124, p113
SEGA Saturn Magazine (JP) - June 1997 issue, P40
SEGA Saturn Magazine (UK) - August 1997 issue, p19
SEGA Saturn Magazine (UK) - October 1997 issue, p21
Tips & Tricks Magazine - September 1997 issue (031), p47
Electronics Boutique Christmas 1997 Catalog, p85
#sonic #sonicr #sonicthehedgehog #sega

[@michaeljones7620]

As someone who 100%'ed this game as a kid, the music is honestly the best thing about it. Iconic. Even though it's kinda weird and a little "off brand" for Sonic as a whole, I can see why everyone ended up so taken with it.

[@blackdressbess195]

I find it surprising so many think R's soundtrack is odd or out of place. It's definitely different from the Adventure era's rock focus, but considering that Sonic CD (the only other Sonic game with a CD soundtrack at the time) also had a very 90s City Pop vibe going on, it lines up quite perfectly.

[@tannertadlock7741]

It’s only odd in hindsight, but it’s very of it’s time and fits the game fairly well

[@eat-lc5rx]

Probably because lots didn't see the Sonic OVA from that era. Totally fit that vibe.

[@mattwo7]

I grew up in the 90s, I didn't find it out of place at all. I mean I never really cared for Back In Time, Diamond in the Sky or... CAN YOU FEEL THE SUNSHINE DOESN'T IT BRIGHT UP YOUR DAY DON'T YOU FEEL THAT SOMETIMES WE JUST NEED TO RUN AWAY! Er but they're not bad or unfitting songs and definitely are a product of their time and the rest of the soundtrack is an absolute jam.

[@ThePlasticBowl]

It's just out of place for a Sonic the Hedgehog racing game. Listening to it, they come off as lyrics to love songs.

[@ToshisGarden]

@@ThePlasticBowl Maybe, but that's entirely where combining the other elements of the experience helps to fit the narrative that Sonic R's soundtrack fits the specific vibe it's going for.

[@mdh0422]

There’s something oddly cozy about Sonic R, a vibe that feels low key yet very inviting. No wonder it’s probably the “bad” Sonic game most people have a soft spot for.

[@LJdaentertainer]

"low key yet very inviting" 😂

[@mdh0422]

In my defense, I was very sleep deprived when I typed this lol, meant to put in an “and”.

[@CodeXCDM]

Conceptually, I think this sort of racing game should be revisited. I liked how the character skills opened up new paths to close the speed gap against the likes of Sonic.

[@ScarfKat]

The Sonic Riders games actually do that sorta thing too. I've played them only just recently but they're a very unique take on a racing game. I really like 'em

[@jaye4521]

They did something similar with Sonic Rivals on the PSP.

[@johnpett1955]

Plus to me it's kinda daunting seeing sonic characters driving cars in their racing games when they are clearly able to go fast without them.

[@Carbonific]

I was surprised to hear Sonic R was so negatively received as an adult, because I loved the game as a kid. I had a lot of fun finding all the collectibles and unlocking all the bonus characters.

[@JustButton]

Same! Once i learned you could cut corners tighter with the shoulder buttons, it actually felt pretty good to control.

[@AtlanticCanadianGamer]

Dude same! I had this game on PC and I killed this game as a kid.

[@giannilyanicks1718]

the game has unplayable controls. not enough of stages, repetitive stuff.... that game has really aged badly quickly

[@JustButton]

@@giannilyanicks1718 Thanks. Your youtube comment has shown me the error of my ways. I will now stop liking this game I played as a child. You have done a great service to me, to humanity, and most importantly to yourself. All the best to you.

[@giannilyanicks1718]

@@JustButton you're wasting your time with your trolling. go away, boomer.

[@formula091]

Calling Sonic R rough is an understatement but I fucking love playing this game

[@RebeccaGunn]

Some of the features that didn't make the saturn release did turn up in the PC version that was released a few years later and became the common base version used for re-releases. They day/night cycle was restored with each stage having a day/dawn/night version and weather was also added with rain and snow randomly showing up. Snow will freeze over any bodies of water which makes skipping half the race pretty easy too. I think the PC version also added little introductory blurbs from TJ for each track as well.

[@KeebeThePlush]

This was not only the closest we got to a tire 3D sonic Saturn game, but the one where racing on foot made the most sense

[@JeskidoYT]

Amy drove in a car

[@generallyunimportant]

god now i understand that one guy's comment about you being everywhere. i've seen you on TWO recent videos in a row.

[@jeremyabbott4537]

Sonic Jam's Sonic World is the closest, as that engine eventually became Sonic Adventure's

[@AquaBlueTea]

Racing on foot makes no sense since Sonic would win every single race.

[@danyo5786]

@@AquaBlueTea and yet all of sonic's little slow friends can easily keep up with him whenever the games need them to do so. Who cares if this canonically doesn't make sense, eggman wouldn't be here if it was lol.

[@daniel1991]

I LOVED Sonic R as a kid. I'd play for hours just for the soundtrack and to play as Sonic in 3D

[@animezilla4486]

What's your favorite song from the soundtrack

[@StraightOuttaJarhois]

I've never even played it, but I have also spent hours listening to the soundtrack.

[@daniel1991]

@Animezilla 44 between can you feel the sunshine or living in the city. There are some really good remixes online, too. What's yours?

[@daniel1991]

@Bort of the Boreal Valley It's notorious for the bad controls but despite that, it's a ton of fun. Especially at the time it was released.

[@tylerloan6604]

I had it on sonic gems and I remember making it my goal to 100% every save slot which I think there were 10 or at least that's as far as I got, I don't know why I liked this game so much

[@mightyfilm]

"Robotnik's hands are missing from his victory pose" is a great deal funnier than it should be. Look at him waving his sleeves in the air.

[@TheOverachiever7]

agreed. Just wonder why, that seems like such a specific part of the model to not be rendered.

[@AlfredoAVA]

I actually chatted with TJ Davis (the vocalist) some years ago, and came ridiculously close to redesigning her website. It wound up not happening, but either way, she was VERY kind and an absolute joy to talk to 😊 Say what you want about this game, but the soundtrack rules ass 🤘

[@KarlMonsos]

wow, im hecka jealous, that's really awesome!

[@AlfredoAVA]

@@KarlMonsos Thanks! It was years ago and I haven't talked to her since, but she was awesome :)

[@monstersociety3360]

I feel like that's true for a lot of Sonic games - even when the gameplay sucks, the soundtrack & by the way also the graphics are pretty good. Take Sonic Adventure 2 - I'm personally fine with never playing that thing again, though some people love it, but I'm nostalgic as heck for the soundtrack. Not to mention it has some of the better graphics on the Dreamcast. And then there's Sonic '06, which is undeniably awful, but that opening cutscene is still very pretty, and a fistful of other bright spots.

[@dionlackey798]

I absolutely love TJ Davis.

[@dunndorr5651]

THE SUN IS SHINING ON MEEEEEEE

[@NanaKyoto]

The Sonic Gems Collection containing Sonic R was the primary reason why I got that game, but I am curious how the game could have been like if the game had more development time (as well as the Sega Saturn hardware not being so complicated). An on-foot Sonic racing game is definitely something that has potential, and I would love to see that concept be revisited someday.

[@Jazzy_Waffles]

Sonic R is un-ironically one of my favorite games. I won't lie, it's mostly due to nostalgia, as I have many hours clocked into the PC version. But I have so many memories in the 90s playing this, and placing the CD in a player and listening to the soundtrack. Thank you for this upload!

[@giannilyanicks1718]

stupid old fanboy.

[@caseycu]

“A heated disagreement with Yuji Naka” … shocking. I’ve not heard one person who worked with Naka compliment his “leadership”.

[@KirbyVolt]

The most interesting and kind of depressing bit was definitely the lead director getting cut out of the credits in the initial release. From how it's worded, it's hard to determine if he himself didn't want to be in the credits or if someone else was removing him intentionally. Glad it was fixed for the PC version though. (I played that one as a youngster)

[@vincey2390]

Soundtrack had no reason to be as good as it was! Work it out always puts me in the mood when I’m in the gym.

[@LarvalGhoul]

I used to play this game every day with my mom as a kid. The soundtrack fills me with so much nostalgia and I would love a sequel to this little gem.

[@Lachrymogenic]

Sonic R was a game that was brutally and unfairly criticized. The music slapped, the controls were fine (if you hold the bumpers and the stick in the same direction at the same time), had alternate paths to go down in every stage and memorizing where the character coins and emeralds were gave the game extra replayability and made it actually quite fun. I've played and completed the game more than twice, and is one of my go-to games when I pick up the Sonic Gems Collection. I feel like a lot of KZbinrs made fun of Sonic Fighters and Sonic R unfairly, and even people who I've talked to just dismiss it outright and get surprised that I completed the game 100%, claiming that I must be some sort of god for having to withstand such a horrible game. There aren't many levels, but they're all fun and great and I feel like Sonic R was the only racing game that makes sense in the Sonic Franchise and I wish there was a sequel that didn't emancipate the characters and their abilities by shoving them all into cars. In an alternate universe, maybe, we'll have a Sonic R2, with more maps, more characters and more banging TJ Davis tracks, and perhaps with slightly better controls.

[@Anonymous-oh4xw]

Just recently I’ve seen people saying this game doesn’t deserve a remake because it sucked, yet they beg for a remake of games that were worse. I get the game is not any good (and the soundtracks might be the only thing saving Sonic R) but at least it’s no Carmageddon 64, or racing games the based on a franchise for children.

[@KouD3Graw]

The one Sonic game I would love for them to make a second attempt at. This has a great formula for a possible Sonic party game.

[@yuvi3000]

I would love a remake of this game similar to what they did with Crash Team Racing. Modernising the actual existing content is already something I'd want to buy, but potentially adding new characters, tracks, unlockables, game modes, etc sounds like a definite win to me. I'd definitely be happy if they made the characters more equal in racing ability as well, or the option to change that before starting a race, at least. They could have have fun with that too, maybe by having Sonic say something like "All right, all right, I'll slow down and play fair" if he's chosen, or whatever.

[@ashthedragon]

Great video!! Sonic R stays as one of the most loved games in the franchise by the fanbase, despite it mixed reviews back in the day. It is always interesting to know more of how it was made. Thanks for your amazing work, Liam!

[@Tomaszheat]

I bought this game on the PC at Big Lots when I was a kid. I thought it was wild to play a Sonic game on the computer. I loved how glitchy it was, gave it a charm. The song “Can You Feel The Sunshine” still holds a place in my heart.

[@taylorusedtoxic]

The only thing not mentioned for me is that within the game's manual (PAL version), it's mentioned that Knuckles can climb walls as an ability... Unfortunately, he cannot.

[@ren7a8ero]

The game is very limited, too short, I can understand why Yuji Naka wanted to put more content on it, the game always felt a bit too arcadish for me. While I love this too, these were already times where games were already showing content for hours of gameplay, and no matter how much Sega was a master in arcade games, that was a home release. But there is a good polishment where they applied. Jon Burton and all Travellers Tales staff did a great job there. And there's something in the style, visual and sound, that screams "SEGA" and that feeling of good times.

[@ClassicSonicSatAm]

It's really the only real issue with the game, you can 100% in less then a hour and compared to Mario Kart 64 it really needed more content to stand a real chance.

[@bartdude82]

My dad and I played this from time to time as a kid and both Sonic R and the Sega Saturn is forever etched in my memories. Seeing Sonic and friends in 3D, the awesome racing and level design, the SOUNDTRACK: it all felt so magical. It was literally the one reason why I bought Sonic Gems Collection just so I could relive my childhood again with this game

[@kezisthename]

Had this on PC as a small kid, have always enjoyed it despite the way people like to crap on it through a modern lens. Also yes, the soundtrack does indeed slap

[@BR-jw7pm]

John Burton has his own youtube channels (GameHut and Coding Secrets) where he discusses the games he worked on. It’s a shame a fair amount of his projects were rushed/ruined by exec meddling since TT has the prowess for coding wizardry!

[@officialFredDurstfanclub]

It’s actually really crazy at the amount of code wizardry present. Like on the surface the game is whatever but when you look under the hood, there’s all these insane coding tricks and workarounds. It’s really impressive

[@BR-jw7pm]

@@officialFredDurstfanclub agreed. He had a video showcasing how he was able to create gradual fading environments (cuz draw-distance) on the Saturn when even Sega couldn’t!

[@DefinitiveDubs]

Reports from fellow TT developers when Jon left said Jon was a massive prick and a slavedriver who encouraged crunch culture. So that might not be so accurate.

[@BR-jw7pm]

@@DefinitiveDubs I never heard about that! If that’s true, then YIKES!

[@thefool3424]

​@@DefinitiveDubs Please provide verified and credible 1st hand sources before smearing someone's name.

[@01Zipang]

Jacque and TJ Davis would also work on some music for the soundtrack for MSR on the Dreamcast. I really recommend people check out that soundtrack, Lot of bangers on it and some tracks feel like a sonic R side B.

[@JoeCole_social]

Graphics look great for the time. Early 3d was rough but this gives us an idea of what a sonic platformer could have looked like. Very cool!

[@uncledot1868]

If SEGA does indeed make a Saturn Mini, they should definitely include this.

[@TheOutsideBox2]

The soundtrack of this game is so amazing

[@UlanSays]

For realllll

[@rickydo6572]

Can't go wrong with Sonic music. If there's one thing that's consistently good is the freaking soundtracks in these terrible games.

[@LARKXHIN]

The entire soundtrack is saved on my phone to this day

[@GamingintheAM0801]

Props to Kats for not backing down, and standing up for the developers when Yuji Naka tried to get them to crunch and add more content just for the sake of it, even if it cost him his job. Regardless of how you feel about the final game, dev studios need more people like that.

[@KarlMonsos]

I mean dam it would be nice if this game had more content, but fair enough.

[@JetWolfEX]

@@KarlMonsos Considering how late R came out and the status of the saturn at the time losing relevance, delaying the game would likely have lead to it missing the Saturn completely and being cancelled. The Sonic extreme team couldn't push back with Yuji Naka and some of the other Sega higher ups demands and all the delays and restarts caused it to never come out.

[@goranisacson2502]

Props indeed. Here I was thinking it was nice that, even if development was troubled, there seemed to be no foul play involved... but little did I suspect they were saving Yuji Naka being Yuji Naka for last.

[@GamingintheAM0801]

​@@KarlMonsos A lot of the "extra content" ended up being included in the PC release, such as changing weather effects and an overhaul to some of the Time Attack modes.

[@it4040]

Great work as always Liam! I'm guessing that Jon Burton has a lot more unreleased content and info on development materials that weren't shared on his channel. It'd be great if you two could collaborate on more videos like this.

[@AllahDoesNotExist]

He's a hardcore Christian. Best to ignore him.

[@Smarties.]

​@@AllahDoesNotExisthe seems like a really cool dude from all the videos about Travelers tales I've seen that mention him what does his religion have to do with anything?

[@aprofondir]

@@AllahDoesNotExist like half the planet is christian

[@joemamr710]

Lol so what? He is a talented genius programmer and a genuinely cool and smart guy. This idea that people’s religions automatically make them friend or foes needs to die off, that kind of religious warfare is ending.

[@legoboy1214studios]

For real, I’d love to see videos on their Pixar tie in games or Haven, Jon’s passion project.

[@TFSned]

7:00 Creepy floating flickering Sonics in a protoype game? The creepypastas write themselves

[@MrCalverino]

this game has one of my favorite soundtracks of all time

[@UlanSays]

Ditto, One of the best!!!!!

[@bradennix7823]

I absolutely loved this game as a kid! My friends and I still will sing the soundtrack to each other sometimes too lol

[@LycanLink]

Thanks to Game Grumps, I can't hear, "Super Sonic Racing," without wanting to follow it with, "Stop making love to my dad!" 😂

[@florpflop6364]

The game plays great, the tracks are surprisingly expansive and the soundtrack is amazing. Given more time I’m sure the team could’ve added so much more content allowing players understand the mechanics better. Underrated game

[@CarbonRollerCaco]

It's too bad that there was a dearth of new home Sonic and that the Saturn was suffering in the West due to that and it being overpriced; otherwise Naka and TT might've been granted the time. Maybe a home port of Sonic The Fighters could've bought said time?

[@florpflop6364]

@@CarbonRollerCaco I could see that tbh especially if they changed some of the mechanics in it lol

[@charlessmith3756]

I'm baffled that absolutely nowhere in development did anyone consider changing how the characters controlled...

[@Oag1992]

Sonic R is one of my favorite Sonic games. I have so many fond memories of it and playing with friends and the soundtrack is still a banger.

[@DesignFrameCaseStudies]

Amazing work Liam! This was absolutely fascinating. I loved this game as a kid.

[@daniredux]

My experience with Sonic R was minimal at best, but I always thought it was an unique little game. Thanks for your work on this video!

[@SnakeFox87]

Absolutely loved this game when I was a kid. The soundtrack is classic! Great video, really informative. Brilliant to see all the beta stuff laid out in order like that. It would've been interesting to hear a bit about the creation of Puppet Tails and Mecha Knuckles, every other character came from a previous Sonic game, but those two were created solely for Sonic R, and they never reappeared in any subsequent Sonic game either.

[@LiamRproductions]

There isn’t any beta material in this video. The word you’re looking for is prototype.

[@SnakeFox87]

@@LiamRproductions Interesting distinction. I always thought anything pre-final was considered a prototype, with alpha, beta etc being stages of prototype completion (e.g. calling the initial blue course an alpha build would've made sense to me). Happy to learn though! If that's wrong, what is the difference?

[@LiamRproductions]

@@SnakeFox87 Sure. Beta is commonly misused so I am happy to explain. A real beta is basically very close to final - so close that a lot of developers don't even bother making that distinction. The game is content complete by that point and QA is still smoothing out bugs. Alpha (much earlier) and beta (very close to final) are stages to distinguish prototypes. Any build taken before the final is a prototype, so it's safer to just say "prototype" when talking about earlier builds. Alpha and beta are increasingly just used as marketing terms nowadays. Fewer and fewer developers use that language nowadays in my experience.

[@zakuronakashima]

I Woulda never played R or Fighters if Sega didn't release the Gems Collection. Im glad they did. Cuz it definitely led me to more of their other Saturn titles later down the line. I adore the soundtrack for Sonic R and wish TJ Davis would actually do a collab or return for a future title still... Thanks for your hard work in putting together this video as well.

[@BlazeHeartPanther]

Whie its soundtrack may not make a whole lot of sense in the terms of what we consider "Sonic Music" but there is no doubt how catchy, fun, upbeat, inspiring, mesmerizing, and dance induing it is.

[@yuvi3000]

This was one of my favourite Sonic games and one of my favourite multiplayer games overall! I still go back to it sometimes!

[@RushStar93]

The beta 3D models were actually reused on the Sonic Gems Collection version of Sonic R. It is most noticeable on Knuckles' dreads and Tails has his whiskers and hair again. I noticied almost no one mentions this detail.

[@LiamRproductions]

They’re not beta models. They’re prototype models.

[@RushStar93]

@@LiamRproductions Ok, that may be so, yes. But still they ended up using them on the PC version and Sonic Gems Collection.

[@tenchifan72]

Honestly, I've always really liked this game. Yes the graphic are basic, by modern standards, and the running drifts are a bit tricky, but the game can be a blast. Finding new paths and secrets is some much fun. the soundtrack is up there as one of the best in all of gaming. I'd honestly play this over most sonic games of the last twenty years. The one thing I wished they had done was balance out the characters better. You usually end up as Knuckles or Tails, as the rest of characters are just too slow, especially Amy and Robotnic. Honestly, this could use a remaster or remake, but that will never happen. Game is worth a look for the soundtrack alone.

[@aweiz6265]

One of my favorite games of all time, love learning more about its development here

[@AltimeterAlligator]

Fantastic work! I'm surprised to hear about Sato's involvement, as I only played the original release back in the day.

[@bloodblues85]

It's been forever since I've heard about Tips & Tricks. I loved that one! My favorite video game magazine. Great art and art direction, interesting info, and fun articles. The cover was always really nice too.

[@Mankey619]

Interesting to think that it went from making a 3-D platformer for Sonic, to becoming a racing game. This is the closest we get for a 3-D Sonic game on Saturn. Until Sonic Adventure came on Dreamcast in 1999.

[@bahamutdragons]

Sonic R is a great game, but even as a kid I was always disappointed that there were so few tracks, even if they were way more interactable than other games. I understand that it's a lot of extra work, but Mario Kart had 20 tracks, F-Zero and Stunt Race FX had 15, only having 5 was a huge deal breaker. Never mind the fact that Sega thought shipping full priced games with only 2-3 tracks was ok, like Daytona and Virtua Racing.

[@TheCartoonGamer8000]

Great work, Liam! Fascinating look into such a weird little game.

[@canUsaythis]

This game is a guilty pleasure of mine. I was at a mates house in 97 *I would have been 10 years old at the time and his older brother had a Saturn since I grew up with the Mega Drive I had to try the Saturn....it was this, Sonic 3D *Saturn Port* and Virtual On Cyber Troopers blew my mind and I will always love this game and its OST. I do wish there was like 2 more levels *a Ice Cap Theme and a Mushroom Hill theme* would have made this better but oh well *if only Fan Made Projects of this game would make it happen*

[@AliFOJ5]

Sonic R was a true Sonic racing games unless what we see now a days. I loved this game. It wasn’t an amazing Sonic game but it was good and very unique. I loved the level designs and the music in the game. Truly this concept has so much potential for a Sonic game.

[@twilightvulpine]

It's pretty funny that they had to change the BG of the first stage because of the "Can you feel the sunshine" song

[@Linkmstr]

Ooo, a new Game History Secrets. Been a while.

[@LeeAdamsMusic89]

Not a video I was expecting but a video I’m very excited for! 💙

[@spongebobfan78]

1:37 If you think about it, Sonic Rivals might've been a realization of that idea. A racing game that is similar to the 2 player modes of Sonic 2 and 3.

[@AutZentus]

Jontron: "What was going on over at Sonic team headquarters at the time?" This Video: *Explains the development of the game*

[@IronicSonic83]

I just loved Sonic R, from Graphics, Music and till gameplay. I consider it a Saturn must, endlessly replayable

[@seanmckelvey6618]

Sonic R has a pretty bad reputation it seems, and I get it to a degree. The controls are bit wack and there's not a whole lot of content but there's something about it that I just enjoy so much. The soundtrack is magnificent despite the cheese level & I just find the low poly models charming and kind of cute in their own way. Absolute graphical marvel for the Saturn as well, Travelers Tales worked some serious magic there.

[@virtuapanzer]

Love the game, love the video! Very detailed and thorough!

[@dontecrosland1883]

Some of the best music in gaming history

[@Shojikinaai]

Sonic R is one of my major guilty pleasures, running through that game while vibing to the immaculate soundtrack is a surreal experience

[@GameDomain]

Another great video topic as always! Interested to learn more about Sonic R

[@Kermitable]

Loved the video subject, thanks for putting it together dykg :-)

[@xanthony1000x]

I loved Sonic R & Sonic Jam on the sega Saturn when I was younger :) enjoyed this video a lot, especially seeing a game I fondly remember :)

[@Midori_Hoshi]

The music is the best part. I still listen to it after all this time.

[@nakenmil]

It's baffling to me that the visuals were the ones to get positive ratings, since trying to read those tracks visually is a fucking nightmare. Sometimes tracks just... end, and there's a default water texture just randomly there. Plus there's so many random details it really makes the visual field overly busy.

[@chamillitary8707]

The first time I ever played this game was on the computer. It came in a three pack of sonic ported games sonic CD, sonic and knuckles and sonic R and I quickly became absolutely obsessed with this game, beating it and the soundtrack i love specially the soundtrack which I still own and listen to till this day and now I’m 35

[@thomasjohnston9795]

I'm surprised no one asked the developers where tails doll came from, who's idea was it in the team? Which just makes me think no one made tails doll, it's just appeared like a haunted nightmare

[@waggieentertainment9387]

You want me to tell you where he came from, or leave it as a creepy mystery?

[@thomasjohnston9795]

@@waggieentertainment9387 I would genuinely like to know, having mecha knuckles makes sense alongside the robot characters so why a floating doll for tails counterpart? I tried looking into it before but never found anything

[@waggieentertainment9387]

@@thomasjohnston9795 ok so basically Sonic Adventure was in development around this game’s development. Specifically the Egg-robo shooter segment where you can shoot Knuckles and Tails dummy dolls. Well those said dolls were apparently so endearing that someone took one, edited its model to make it mobile, and put it in Sonic R!

[@thomasjohnston9795]

@@waggieentertainment9387 aw brilliant thanks so much. So it's more the team made something intentionally strange and creepy

[@waggieentertainment9387]

@@thomasjohnston9795 honestly I wonder how the model became so creepy in its conversion. The original Tails dummy was pretty benign

[@MatchaFoxx]

Amazing episode! So happy that you decided to cover this. Sonic R is one of my favorite games. I had it as a kid and always adored the soundtrack, visuals, and uniqueness of it all. It also has such an interesting development history and is a really impressive technical showpiece for the hardware as it achieves many things the Saturn shouldn’t be able to do such as the transparent Radiant Emerald track or the fade in instead of pop in. And I’d also like to say that the controls really AREN’T that bad, and if you just practice with the L and R buttons you can turn pretty smoothly, besides 180 turns during the “story” of the game.

[@FoxMcCloudFF7]

The thing I love the most about this game is that bangin' soundtrack!!!

[@PKGangsta18]

Say what you will about the game itself. But the development team really knew how to code and get the best out of this nightmare hardware Also...I thought Sonic Team was busy with Project Sonic...which would later become Sonic Adventure on Dreamcast; recycling their Saturn assets made into Sonic Jam as a bonus? 🤔

[@mandatorial]

The music of this game is top tier

[@Compucles]

Hey, the concept of Sonic and some of the others are actually racing on foot is one of the best things about the game! It never made sense for Sonic to be driving a car he could just outrun in "Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing." While it wouldn't have worked with the vehicle transformations in the "Transformed" sequel, I've always thought the first game would've been better if Sonic could race on foot, even if it was just an unlockable bonus mode.

[@MilkshakeSkunkette]

ill always love sonic R

[@SuborbitalSays]

Rewarding Sonic R content with engagement

[@mainsmain]

the prototype models looked wayyyyyyyyy better than the final version

[@sonicguyver7445]

I had so much fun with that game when I was a teen. My younger brother had gotten a Saturn for Christmas because the system had just been cancelled and the hardware and games were all available for cheap. Sonic R was one of the games he got for it the same day. But as soon as gift opening was done we had to pack up and drive several states away to visit family. That was when we found out the game discs were also audio discs. And we discovered the wonderfully cheesy soundtrack. Like many Sonic fans of the 90s I wrote ridiculous fanfics about my original characters (do not steal) but always tried to work songs from this game into them. Usually mentioning lyrics someone would hear in the background.

[@red5robb1]

i feel the sunshine, and it brightens up my day

[@DaveDynamite1]

I played this game so much as a kid on my Windows 98. Loved the music!

[@Camad]

Jon Burtons channel GameHut is amazing, so much behind the scenes information we might’ve never known. Shame it seems to be done now.

[@GamerFunOriginallyAarush]

Nice stuff!

[@mambosanimation8985]

Hello Bro, I would like to make a custom animation for you, how can I contact you?

[@iponce2]

played the hell out of this game as a kid. used to get super frustrated at the metal knuckles race to unlock him cause I thought the map was hard and he was really fast.

[@jonathana6429]

It’s a shame that we don’t have that demo track of Super Sonic Racing. Could it be considered lost media?

[@justinr1094]

While we're talking about Sega, please cover an Ecco the Dolphin game or the series as a whole next!

[@1BlueYoshi]

I think on-foot racing games is an underexplored genre. The only ones I can think of off of the top of my head are Sonic R and Rayman Arena, both of which I like a lot. I think a modern take on Sonic R with more maps, characters, and game modes could be really great, especially if the soundtrack goes just as hard

[@Glitch177]

Mad Dash for Xbox original. Man I want this game to have a remaster.

[@SchnappM]

"However, I do admit that the base concept of Sonic R, in which the player 'drives' running characters, is not great."

[@DerangedWhale]

Love the music in this game

[@Max25670]

they really need to make a Sonic R sequel.

[@SuperPerry1000]

Sonic R was always one of the wierder Sonic games. Sort of a black sheep of the early days. Wonky physics, weird rubber-banding, useless characters compared to others, Tails Doll, that soundtrack...but it's clear a lot of effort went into it, and it is a charming game despite its flaws. I'm glad Sega seems to look back on it vaguely fondly, at least compared to a lot of, shall we say, later games we're all aware of. Still remember that baller remix of Super Sonic Racing they did for Generations.

[@LARKXHIN]

My favorite Sonic game.

[@TheBlur182]

Awesome video

[@bananachild1936]

I don't know about you guys, but I enjoyed the gameplay of Sonic R on the PC. This particular port didn't have the cheesy background music, but I still had a good time with it.

[@Zrorro]

I never got to play the Saturn version since I didn't own a Saturn (was a PS1 & N64 kid). I did eventually get the play it with the PC release that came with Sonic 3 and Sonic CD as well. But I remember loving the game on PC after I managed to set it up to work correctly with a controller. It may have not been the best on it game but I did have fun working my way through it to unlock Super Sonic and metal Sonic. That Tails Doll will still haunt me lol.

[@Anthonystuff1]

When I put the disk of this game into my pc as a kid, it made everything zoomed in after exiting the game. After that, my mom broke the disk in half and threw it away

[@jennasloan396]

It's like Team Sonic Racing with substantially less polygons