Sonic the Hedgehog (2006 video game) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Sonic the Hedgehog |
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| Developer(s) | Sonic Team |
| Publisher(s) | Sega |
| Director(s) | Shun Nakamura |
| Producer(s) | Masahiro Kumono |
| Designer(s) |
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| Programmer(s) |
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| Artist(s) | Akira Mikame |
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| Series | Sonic the Hedgehog |
| Platform(s) | |
| Release date(s) | Xbox 360
PlayStation 3
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| Genre(s) | Platform, action-adventure |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Sonic the Hedgehog (often called Sonic '06) is a video game from 2006. It was made by Sonic Team and released by Sega. This game was created to celebrate the Sonic series' 15th birthday. It was also meant to be a fresh start for new game consoles like the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
In the game, you get to play as Sonic, Shadow, and a new character, Silver. They all team up to fight a super old evil called Solaris, who Doctor Eggman is also after. Each character has their own story and special powers. You need to finish levels, explore big open areas, and fight bosses to move the story forward. There are also multiplayer modes where you can work with a friend to collect Chaos Emeralds or race to the end of a level.
The game's creation started in 2004, led by Sonic co-creator Yuji Naka. Sonic Team wanted to make a game that felt like a superhero film, hoping to make the series more realistic. However, things got tricky when Yuji Naka left to start his own company. The team also split up to work on another game for the Wii, Sonic and the Secret Rings. Because of this, Sonic the Hedgehog was rushed to be ready for the holiday season. It came out for Xbox 360 in November 2006 and for PlayStation 3 in December. Plans for Wii and Windows versions were canceled. Later, in 2007, extra content you could download was released.
Before it came out, many thought Sonic the Hedgehog would bring the series back to its best. But when it was released, it got many bad reviews. People complained about long loading screens, a bad camera, the story, the voice acting, and many glitches. It is often seen as one of the worst Sonic games. This led Sega to rethink the series, and later games ignored its serious tone and most of its characters. In 2010, Sega even stopped selling Sonic the Hedgehog and other Sonic games that had low review scores.
Contents
How to Play the Game
Sonic the Hedgehog is a 3D platformer that also has parts of action-adventure and role-playing games. Like Sonic Adventure, you can explore open areas called hub worlds. Here, you can talk to people and do missions to move the story forward. The main game happens in straight-forward levels that you unlock as you play.
The main characters you play as are three hedgehogs: Sonic, Shadow, and Silver. Each has their own story section, called an "episode." After you finish these three, a bonus "Last Episode" unlocks. In this final part, all three hedgehogs team up to finish the story.
- Sonic's Story: This part is all about speed and jumping, like older Sonic games. In some areas, Sonic runs super fast and has to dodge things or ride a snowboard. Sometimes, you also need to protect Princess Elise, who can create a special shield for Sonic.
- Shadow's Story: Shadow's levels are also fast but focus more on fighting. In some parts, he even gets to drive vehicles.
- Silver's Story: Silver's levels are slower. He uses his telekinesis (mind powers) to beat enemies and solve puzzles.
In some parts of the game, you might switch to other friendly characters, and they each have their own special powers too.
Even though all characters go through the same levels, their unique powers let them reach different parts of each stage. You'll find golden rings scattered around each level. These rings act like your health. If you get hit by an enemy or obstacle, you lose your rings, but you won't lose a life as long as you have at least one ring. If you get hit without any rings, you lose a life. The game ends if you run out of lives. Every few levels, you'll face a boss that you must defeat to continue.
After you finish a level or mission, you get a grade based on how well you did. An "S" rank is the best, and "D" is the lowest. Higher ranks give you more money. You can use this money to buy upgrades for your character. Some upgrades are needed to finish the game.
The game also has two multiplayer modes:
- Tag Mode: Two players work together to clear levels and collect Chaos Emeralds.
- Battle Mode: Two players race against each other to the end of a level.
Game Story
Doctor Eggman kidnaps Princess Elise of Soleanna. He wants to use a dangerous power called the Flames of Disaster, which is hidden inside her. Sonic, with his friends Tails and Knuckles, tries to rescue Elise from Eggman.
Meanwhile, Shadow, his friend Rouge, and Eggman accidentally set free an evil spirit named Mephiles. This spirit sends Shadow and Rouge to a future where a monster called Iblis has destroyed everything. When Mephiles meets survivors Silver and Blaze, he tricks them into thinking Sonic caused all the destruction. He then sends them back to the present to kill Sonic.
Throughout the game, Sonic and his friends travel through the past, present, and future. They try to stop Mephiles and Iblis and keep Elise safe from Doctor Eggman. At first, Silver tries to stop Sonic, but Shadow shows him that Mephiles is the real cause of the future's problems. They go back ten years in time and learn that Mephiles wants to join with Iblis. Iblis was sealed inside Elise when she was a child. Mephiles and Iblis are the two parts of Soleanna's powerful god, Solaris.
Mephiles finally succeeds after killing Sonic, which makes Elise cry and releases Iblis. Mephiles then uses the Chaos Emeralds to join with Iblis and become Solaris. Solaris tries to destroy time itself. The heroes and Elise gather the Chaos Emeralds to bring Sonic back to life. Sonic, Shadow, and Silver then change into their super forms to defeat Solaris. Sonic and Elise go back to the past and put out Solaris's flame, making the god disappear and stopping all the bad events from ever happening. Even so, Sonic and Elise seem to faintly remember their adventure afterward.
How the Game Was Made
After finishing another game in 2003, Sonic Team started planning a new project. They wanted to make a game that looked realistic and had advanced physics. When Sega asked them to make a new Sonic game, they decided to keep the realistic idea.
Sonic the Hedgehog was first planned for older consoles, but Sonic Team realized it would come out around the series' 15th anniversary. So, they decided to make it for newer consoles like the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The game's co-creator, Yuji Naka, wanted the first Sonic game for these new systems to reach many players. He saw how successful superhero films like Batman Begins were and wanted Sonic to be a huge hit like those movies. Development for Sonic the Hedgehog began in late 2004. They used the same name as the very first Sonic the Hedgehog game from 1991 to show it was a big step forward. Many people see this game as an attempt to restart the Sonic series.
The team used the Havok physics engine. This allowed them to create huge levels that weren't possible on older consoles. It also let them try out different ways to play the game. The engine helped them add things like how light works in the game, a day-night system, and new moves for Sonic, like using ropes to jump high. The game's director, Shun Nakamura, showed off this engine at the Tokyo Game Show in 2005.
Because the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 were much more powerful, the designers could create a more realistic world than in past Sonic games. Sonic and Doctor Eggman were even redesigned to fit this new look. Sonic was made taller with longer quills, and Eggman was made thinner and more realistic. The creators thought this would appeal to older players, as the characters would be interacting with more humans.
While the visuals were important, Sonic Team's main goal was to make a game as fun as the original Sonic games. They felt that previous games had gone in different directions and wanted to bring back the series' focus on speed. They also wanted to include multiple paths in levels, like the older games, which the realistic environments helped them do. Sonic Team also tried hard to fix problems with the camera system that players had complained about in earlier games.
Silver the Hedgehog's gameplay style came from wanting to use the Havok engine's realistic physics. The first idea for Silver's character was an orange mink. He only became a hedgehog after more than 50 different designs! For Shadow's gameplay, the creators decided not to use guns like in his previous game. Instead, they focused on combat to make him different from the other characters. Shadow's gameplay also included vehicles, each with its own physics. The animated movies in the game were made by Blur Studio.
As the game was being made, Sonic Team faced big problems. In March 2006, Yuji Naka, the head of Sonic Team, left to start his own company. Many felt that with his departure, the "heart and soul of Sonic" was gone. Sonic the Hedgehog was first planned for all major new consoles and Windows. But Sega got development kits for Nintendo's less powerful Wii console. Sega thought it would take too long to change the game for the Wii. So, they decided to make a different Sonic game for the Wii that used its motion controls.
The team was split in two: one team, led by Nakamura, finished Sonic the Hedgehog for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The other team started working on Sonic and the Secret Rings for the Wii. This split left a very small team to work on Sonic the Hedgehog. Sega pushed the team to finish the game quickly for the 2006 holiday shopping season. With the deadline close, Sonic Team rushed the final parts of development. They even ignored reports about bugs and control problems from Sega's testing department.
Game Sounds and Music
The voice actors from the Sonic X TV show played their characters again for Sonic the Hedgehog. Actress Lacey Chabert voiced the new character, Princess Elise. The music was mainly created by Tomoya Ohtani, along with other composers. This was the first Sonic game where Ohtani was the main sound director.
The main theme song, "His World," was a fantasy-rap song performed by the band Zebrahead. Crush 40 sang Shadow's theme, "All Hail Shadow." Bentley Jones sang Silver's theme, "Dreams of an Absolution." The R&B artist Akon performed a remix of the song "Sweet Sweet Sweet," which was also used in Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (1992). Donna De Lory sang Elise's theme, "My Destiny."
Because Sonic the Hedgehog was the first Sonic game for the new consoles, Ohtani wanted the music to sound "epic" and show that it was a "next-generation title." Two albums with the game's music were released in January 2007. One had seven vocal songs, and the other had all 93 tracks from the game across three discs.
Game Release
Sonic the Hedgehog was first announced at a special event in May 2005. Later that year, at the Tokyo Game Show in September, Yuji Naka revealed the game's title. He said it would be released to celebrate the series' 15th anniversary. A demo version was available to play at E3 2006. Another demo, showing a short part of Sonic's gameplay, was released on Xbox Live in September 2006. Sega also released desktop wallpapers with characters from the game.
The Xbox 360 version came out in North America on November 14, 2006, and in Europe on November 24. Both versions were released in Japan on December 21. The PlayStation 3 version came out in North America on January 30, 2007, and in Europe on March 23. Fans and critics often call the game Sonic 2006 or Sonic '06 because of its release year.
In 2007, Sega released several extra content packs you could download. These added new ways to play the game, like a harder single-player mode and a mode where you fight all the bosses one after another. One download, "Team Attack Amigo" mode, sent players through many levels, changing characters every few levels, and ending with a boss fight. The PlayStation 3 version was delayed so it could launch with this downloadable content already included.
Sonic the Hedgehog was re-released digitally on the Xbox Live Marketplace on April 15, 2010. However, in October of that year, Sega removed many Sonic games with low review scores, including Sonic the Hedgehog, from stores. Sega said this was to avoid confusing customers and to make the Sonic brand seem more valuable. Sonic the Hedgehog was put back on the Xbox 360 Marketplace in some countries on May 24, 2022.
Game's Impact
To celebrate the Sonic series' 20th anniversary in 2011, Sega released Sonic Generations. This game remade parts of older Sonic games. The PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Windows versions of Sonic Generations include a remake of Sonic the Hedgehog's "Crisis City" level. All versions, including the Nintendo 3DS one, have a new version of the boss fight against Silver. Some critics didn't like that Sonic Generations included parts from Sonic the Hedgehog (2006).
In 2015, a group of fans started making a remake of Sonic the Hedgehog for Windows using the Unity engine. A demo was released in January 2017 and was well-received. Another demo came out in late 2017. A second team of fans also started making their own PC remake called Sonic P-06, releasing demos from 2019 onward.
See also
In Spanish: Sonic the Hedgehog (videojuego de 2006) para niños
