as sonic origin The collection moves fast towards the latest consoles and promises to finally give gamers an official way to play Sonic 3 and Knuckles For the first time in 11 years on the Nintendo and PlayStation platforms, my mind often drifts to what I believe to be a true sequel to Mega Drive’s Sonic the Hedgehog release: speed of sound The Game Boy Advance series, and how they — frankly — deserve more love.
to give you some potentially much-needed context, while Sega offers to Sonic the Hedgehog As a multi-platform action game series with experimental Sonic Heroes, an Osaka-based contractor named Dimps was tasked with developing cheaper 2D entries with the original gameplay style for then-upcoming handheld devices like the Game Boy Advance and Nokia NGage .
These new releases (no longer on NGage after the first Sonic N because well…it’s NGage) will interest fans of blue blur on the brand, introduce him to new demographics, and help guide The former console maker avoided bankruptcy with a steady injection of fresh cash that, in theory, could help the struggling company stay afloat.
Rather than following in Nintendo’s footsteps and just porting its beloved 16-bit games to the new handheld, the decision to create a whole new game resulted in a trilogy of some of the best new platformers to grace the Game Boy. While each Sonic Advance entry offers a unique interpretation of the core concepts of the 2D Sonic the Hedgehog adventure, careful consideration is also often given to the level design that maintains risk and reward, as well as the physics- and flow-based platforming concepts found in most games. Top entry in the series. There’s no question that these games are an exercise in continuing the things fans love, but also without relying too much on nostalgia, so things are fresh and interesting for those who stick with the series.
Because of this, Sonic Advance games finally feel like they’ve stepped out of the parallel dimension that Sega has been making Sonic games for Nintendo systems. They feature brand new levels designed around an expanded roster of characters, and everyone plays Super Nintendo-esque music to complete the illusion. The game also boasts graphics showing new character designs, first introduced in the Sega Dreamcast with Sonic Adventure, showing a very different evolution from their predecessors in the era of blast processing.
The original Sonic Advance sold 1.21 million copies in the US alone, making it the 25th most popular game on the Game Boy Advance in the region. It’s popular with fans and definitely sells more than a few systems. Sonic, Nintendo’s system seller? It was difficult to swallow at the time, but undeniably effective. So it’s odd that the game and its sequels are now forgotten.
In many ways, the Sonic Advance trilogy is more ambitious than the critically acclaimed and universally loved return event Sonic Mania, which won’t come out for another 16 years.While Sonic Mania’s unique level remixes and a handful of brand new levels are great — trust me, I’ve had enough — Sonic Advance games are almost New things! Within a year, Mania had sold over a million copies; had an undeniable appetite for 2D Sonic. If Advcance games are readily available in a series, they’ll also be hugely popular — it’s a no-brainer. But they are not. It’s time for a change.
I don’t want it to sound like a re-release is an easy task, however, due to issues beyond Sega’s control, GBA games may no longer be available. At this stage in its career, Sega has accumulated some huge debts. Sega recently left the home console business entirely as development on the Sonic Advance began. In order to sell the game outside of Japan, it needs to find a distribution partner. After some searching and negotiation, it decided to partner with THQ (now THQ Nordic) for the US version and Infogrames (now Atari SA) for the European version.
For a long time, fans believed this complicates future releases, as the Sonic Advance was later ported to Android phones in Japan (the full Sonic Advance trilogy was also ported to the Wii U virtual console in Japan) ), but these games inexplicably never saw a release anywhere else in the world. However, the fully translated ROM file is ready, so what happened? Maybe there are some serious rights issues out there that prevent various publishers from collecting in non-Japanese territories?
In a 2019 AMA chat with THQ’s Reinhard Pollice, a fan asked him if he would consider returning the rights to the game to Sega, to which he replied “they should actually own it.” That only made things even more Mysterious. Maybe the problem lies with Atari SA? I can only imagine the uproar if Sega launched the game in the US and then told Europeans they weren’t allowed to play it. In that case, it might be easier not to release the game in English at all. That way, you can avoid the legal, PR, and branding nightmares that await.
Honestly, it’s surprising that there aren’t any Sonic Advacne re-releases. I just wish we knew exactly the overall copyright situation for the series. In a world where we have extensive and well-simulated series for most of Capcom’s Mega Man and Konami’s Castlevania — on every platform that can run those experiences — Sega just decided to keep its money It’s a little weird on the desktop. These games aren’t like Sonic Heroes, Shadow the Hedgehog, or the dreaded Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)…they’re games that most people really enjoy.
Perhaps Sega delayed these games because they would be the non-Pokémon-shaped jewels in the crown of the upcoming Nintendo Switch Online: Game Boy Advance emulator, which is why the publisher has been keeping its cards on its chest right now. Sega and Nintendo have already teamed up to develop an exclusive app and controller for the Nintendo Switch Online+ expansion pack service, so it’s not unprecedented for them to collaborate on something like this.
With no clear answer as to why the game wasn’t re-released to be found anywhere online, I decided to contact the company directly to ask them what the heck was going on. Unfortunately, Sega didn’t respond to my request for comment on the Sonic Advance’s copyright situation, but if these games do get rid of aging GBA hardware at some point in the future, I’ll be there with my money. I’m sure there will be a large number of fans as well.
