Cancelled Sonic Game Receives Fan Driven PC Port

[StewShearerOld]

Cancelled Sonic Game Receives Fan Driven PC Port


The previously cancelled Sonic X-Treme has been given a second chance thanks to a group of dedicated fans.

If there's one thing most people can agree on, it's that we probably don't need many more <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/game-theory/9324-How-Fast-is-Sonic-the-Hedgehog>Sonic games. Don't me wrong, I love that blue anthropomorphic hedgehog just as much as the next guy. The thing is, his games have been hit or miss for years now, and "miss" seems to happen far more often than "hit." That being the case, one group of Sonic fans has been working hard to breathe new life into one of the franchise's long lost titles. And their work has just recently paid off.

Posting to the Sonic Retro Forums, a group of fan developers has announced the release of a new, unofficial PC port of the cancelled <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/123439-Fan-Auctioning-Off-Rare-Sega-Saturn-Prototype>Sega Saturn game <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonic_X-treme>Sonic X-Treme. While the current version is still an early build and only contains a single level, it still represents the first time the game has been available to gamers in a playable form.

Originally created by <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/tag/view/sega>Sega of America and intended for release back in 1996, X-Treme would have been the first fully 3D game in the Hedgehog's library. Unfortunately, while the game would be shown off at E3 that year, its troubled development and the unexpected departure of key programmers due to illness, eventually forced Sega to shut down it down.

Looking at the game personally, I'll admit that it doesn't look like something I'd be interested in playing. Just watching its release trailer, the camera looks like something that would frustrate me the heck out of me. That being the case, it's still really neat to have a playable version of what, previously, had only been a sad foot note in the history of Sonic. If you're interested in trying the PC version of Sonic X-Treme, a download link and other pertinent information <a href=http://forums.sonicretro.org/index.php?showtopic=34038&st=0>can be found here.

Source: <a href=http://forums.sonicretro.org/index.php?showtopic=34038&st=0>Sonic Retro Forums


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[Aerith]

Huh.

*watches trailer*

Huh.

Yeah, that's gonna be a solid "no". With an added: "Please take it behind the shed and Old Yeller it".

 

[Arqus_Zed]

...I'm getting a weird Kula World vibe off of this thing.

Also, whatever happened to that "lost" Sonic game with the weird fisheye camera lens?

 

[Infernai]

...I'm getting a weird Kula World vibe off of this thing.

Also, whatever happened to that "lost" Sonic game with the weird fisheye camera lens?

HOLY SHIT! Kula World! Someone else ACTUALLY knows about that game?

I had a PS1 demo disk with it on it and played the hell out of it when I was a kid.

 

[The White Hunter]

This game always looked shit, never got the fascination with it myself

 

[thewatergamer]

I'm a little confused...
What's the appeal of yet another unfinished sonic game?

Well whatever go crazy if that's your thing, and if you ever manage to finish it, well I guess great!

 

[zidine100]

...I'm getting a weird Kula World vibe off of this thing.

Also, whatever happened to that "lost" Sonic game with the weird fisheye camera lens?

HOLY SHIT! Kula World! Someone else ACTUALLY knows about that game?

I had a PS1 demo disk with it on it and played the hell out of it when I was a kid.

Ive been trying to remember the name of that game for ages!

Anyway, this looks kinda unplayably bad, but then again the sonic xtreme didn't look that fun to begin with.

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

...I'm getting a weird Kula World vibe off of this thing.

Also, whatever happened to that "lost" Sonic game with the weird fisheye camera lens?

You're looking at an early version of it. They also have the source code for a version that has the fisheye effect, but it's going to take more work to get that ready for release.

Also, having played the demo they released: It could have been really good, or really bad. The movement is nice and fluid even in the ridiculously early state that this is in, but the camera controls are non-existent. I'm actually looking forward to any fan projects that use the code base, assuming Sega doesn't shut the whole thing down before it gets to that point. RIP Sonic Fan Remix, the fan game Sega shut down because it was making Sonic 4 look bad

 

[RealRT]

...I'm getting a weird Kula World vibe off of this thing.

Also, whatever happened to that "lost" Sonic game with the weird fisheye camera lens?

You're looking at an early version of it. They also have the source code for a version that has the fisheye effect, but it's going to take more work to get that ready for release.

Also, having played the demo they released: It could have been really good, or really bad. The movement is nice and fluid even in the ridiculously early state that this is in, but the camera controls are non-existent. I'm actually looking forward to any fan projects that use the code base, assuming Sega doesn't shut the whole thing down before it gets to that point. RIP Sonic Fan Remix, the fan game Sega shut down because it was making Sonic 4 look bad

It wasn't actually. The work on it died down by itself, as it's often the case with these fan projects.

 

[RandV80]

Whether it's good or bad, the Sega Saturn controller didn't have an analogue stick so you're looking at 8-directional movement. Obviously it's not going to be a Mario 64.

And for the record I loved the Saturn controller, great for those of us that like having fingers on the buttons instead of thumbs.

 

[hentropy]

So we get this but not Shenmue III.

There really is no justice in the world.

 

[Staskala]

Also, whatever happened to that "lost" Sonic game with the weird fisheye camera lens?

That's the game right here, Sonic X-treme. This is just a tech demo, they'll supposedly add the fisheye lens in a later build. No doubt in an effort to further prove why this game was abandoned in the first place.

 

[smithy_2045]

Sonic fans are creepily obsessive considering how shit almost every Sonic game for the past 20 years.

 

[Rad Party God]

On the one hand, this is pretty neat just out of curiosity alone, just to try it once and entirely forget you ever played it.

But on the other hand... yeah, this game's development was doomed from the start and honestly it doesn't look fun at all, this game spawned Sonic 3D Blast and, for better or worse, Sonic Adventure. I think the world doesn't need the existance of another shitty Sonic game.

Want a better fan made Sonic game entirely made on the Doom engine?, check this out:
(jump to the 6:11 minute mark for actual gameplay)

 

[Steve the Pocket]

So, how did they get ahold of this, anyway? Surely they're not literally just porting the free demo, or planning to design and build all the remaining levels themselves, or this might as well just be a 100% original fan game, which probably would have taken less effort.

 

[Hairless Mammoth]

Meh, I'm one of the fans who grew up with Genesis Sonic and wanted a Sonic even after going to the PS1, and I still think X-Treme should just be laid to rest. I've read about the turmoil and hardships the dev team went through, with engine changes, executives liking something and then throwing out things that have had months of work done on it, and Yuji Naka not liking them using his Nights engine for one build, necessitating another engine change. Plus, the multiple fan attempts to get this thing going are adding up. It's just a cursed title. Any fan wishing to make a Sonic game should start from scratch or build off of a more successful existing game.

I have heard Chris Senn is a forum member on Sonic Retro. I wonder if the fan-devs are working off of material that's leaked over the years or if he is involved in some way. Over the years he's talked tons about the game. For him, it might just be that one project in your life you can not let go, and I don't really blame him for that.

Whether you hate what you saw in that video or not, everyone should still check out some videos on Youtube or articles somewhere about the story behind the development. This [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6v-_nC2CZZhetZnyLvxnGLzRzWiouEc7] series of videos that I watched a few months ago told me even more than Gamesradar and Sonic Retro ever covered on it.

Edit: fixed some typos.

 

[Silentpony_v1legacy]

I'm sorry, but that game looks awful. I'll put it this way: in the grand scheme of things, people thought it was a better option to release Sonic Boom than this game. That should mean something.

 

[Canadamus Prime]

From the look of that trailer, I'm think it would be better off staying lost.

 

[Evil Smurf]

That video made me feel nauseous, love yourselves devs, don't do this.

 

[RedDeadFred]

Aren't Sonic games supposed to be about speed? That looked like a really slow platformer with one gravity gimmick that has been done to death.

I don't get the hype.