Jump to: Curiousity #01, Curiousity #02, Curiousity #03, Curiousity #04, Curiousity #05 Curiousity #01 Updated: 11/05/00, 12:12 AM EST Subject: Early LunarNet Sonic Adventure Video Video in Question: Sonadven.mpg (Size: 7.5 Meg) Ahh, you remember it, don't you? That time we were struggling for the latest, greatest movie file with footage from the long-awaited game, Sonic Adventure. After it's release (in Japan anyway, and soon America), many of us took those movie files for granted. Some threw 'em away, others left them to rot on their harddrive. Well, here's a Moogle who's gotten to play Sonic Adventure through (twice, although I rushed the second time). And as I sat thinking about it one day, something occured to me: Knuckles never had an uppercut. So I dug through my harddrive, and found that many of the movie files have elements I never saw when playing through! The next several curiousities (nine in a row, in fact) deal with movie files that have situations not found (or found in rarity) in Sonic Adventure. However, at times I might get one or two minor details wrong, so take all information with a grain of salt. I will also be supplying clips and screenshots shortly (thank you, VCRs ^.^) to prove some of the more questionable ones. (Interesting note: Old paragraph. ^_^ And... er... I had so many problems with my Miro capture card I gave up for the most part, and instead will be using my Elsa Gladiac with Video In/Out Module. O_o Unfortunately, thanks to my difficulties, I lost a lot of "exclusive" info that I could've had a lot earlier than many sites thanks to my rental. A shame, but no sense lingering.) First up: An extremely early MPG by the now-defunct LunarNet. This is possibly one of the earliest videos, showing the most footage I disagree with. I suggest you download it and take a look for yourself, but here are some highlights: Okay, cheap shot, but I had to start somewhere, and the title screen seemed right. ^.^ The title screen is different from the final version's. The infamous "Choose Your Buddy" screen never made it into the final Sonic Adventure! It was replaced by a rotating wheel selections screen that displays realtime actions of the characters (running, and then their victory pose when chosen, except for Super Sonic, who's icon looks like a golden question mark (spinning). Okay, _you_ figure out where Tails is! It looks like Windy Valley, but that location is most definately not found in the area! In fact, from the many beta shots I've seen, Windy Valley looks to be the level that received the most reconstruction... What's wrong with this picture? It's the Tornado 2...untransformed! And it seems to have landed normally (the Tornado 2 transformed to catch up with the Egg Carrier. There is no point either "normal" Tornado lands on the Carrier, especially during the "stormy" setting near the end of the game. A scene which I'll go into more later, the Tornado Transforming. The Sonic and Tails models are _especially_ downgraded compared to the final revision of Sonic Adventure. I'll go into this one in more detail later as well, Big walking around what looks like Windy Valley, following Frog. You'll see a better shot of this later: early polygon models of Big had him with _white_ eyes, not yellow. This is somehow amazing and interesting. Early error, or pointing toward a cut circumstance? For those curious what I mean, what you're seeing is actually easier to see as Sonic. Start down the level, I think to beside the second laser barrier. Turn around, and if you're away far enough, the "wall" that was behind you when you started has clipped away, showing a ramp! No, you can't dash back in time to get into it (it's a clipping error, not "opening and closing", but pick up a second controller, Tails can run back to it, and all the way up the ramp! Even more interestingly, if you walk toward the wall enough to make it reappear, Tails can't get back OUT. O_o The actual wall (not some invisible barrier) is what's blocking you from entering the ramp area. This glitch is begging for a Game Shark code which, at this rate, will probably never be made. :P) Another thing you might note about this video, it's one of the few that actually DOES show meters, which include a Ring symbol for counting rings, and an unexplained "Level" counter above it. Curiousity #02 Updated: 11/05/00, 12:12 AM EST Subject: Early Video from ECT Video in Question: Sonicect.mov (Size: 5.1 Meg) I actually don't recall the _exact_ origin of this video, but I do believe I remember how it came about. At one point, there was a bootleg of a video of Sonic Adventure released. It turned out later on to be partial footage of a promo in production, and this was an unrefined copy, with sound effects and all. "Whoops!" says Sega, so they release the "official" video preview in a hurry. This is either the official, or another version of the bootleg (there were three similar videos around that time.) Uhmn... O.o The place reminds me of Speed Highway, but most of Tails's version is flying, and I don't remember this area at all. (Still don't, looks kind of neat, though...) Beating out Windy Valley, I nominate this area "Most Blatantly Cut Out of Sonic Adventure". I don't remember this scene at all, I don't remember Amy _ever_ visiting something similar, and I think you'll agree it's a pretty memorable spot. X.X (It was probably an arena for Amy to fight Zero in as her final boss fight, but the idea was changed to a different location.) Someone tell Tails he heads nowhere near the downtown area of Speed Highway. (Normally. There is a glitch to do so with the Jet Anklet, but Sega wouldn't show off a glitch, so HAH! >:D This concludes the revision for people that nagged me about the "nowhere near" statement. ^_^) I'm not sure if this camera motion appears in the Tornado 2 fight, but something was bothering me about this picture until I figured it out. Stormy clouds? And that camera motion doesn't appear in Sky Chase Act 1? That's supposed to be the Tornado 2 in that place, and it's supposed to be _Blue_! Whee, aren't rushed videos fun? ;> (New Addition: On a clear day you can see forever... *hums*) No screenshot available, but the scene where Sonic is sucked up by a Tornado has two major flaws: The textures are those of the prerelease Windy Valley (although this one is debatable, but there's a distinct coloration difference, even accounting for the fun with gamma movies usually have). However, later on in the movie, the same area is shown shortly beforehand, and matches many of the features found in other screenshots/movies. It's broad daylight. Conditions are very stormy when Sonic's sucked up in the final. I've also read from other sources that the snowboarding part in this and many other videos has several differences (particularly the trees), but I'm unsure of this one, so I've yet to post it. Curiousity #03 Updated: 11/05/00, 12:12 AM EST Subject: Sega of America Promotional Video Video in Question: Soasonic.avi (Size: 14 Meg [11 Meg Zipped]) ...S...S...Sega...of America actually did something right? X.X Wow... (They've done several things right since then. Still had a few problems, but Sega of America's gained back a lot of my respect since then.) This 14 Meg monster is actually quite wonderful, it was the clearest (and largest) Sonic Adventure video released. And clear shots means clear betas. ^.^ Yes, a clearer shot of the toned-down transformation scene. You're gonna see this again once more, later. ;> And...er...a sillouette shot showing the downgraded models. O_o At least agree with me it's a wicked picture nonetheless. (And this isn't that "Once More" from above, BTW. ;>) This is a scene in Red Mountain. Originally I thought it wasn't accessible. However, I checked Sonic's game, and I did see it there, so it might be accessable in Knuckles's game, sorry (note: I didn't see it though when I originally played Knuckles through.) However, in my defense, something _is_ wrong with the picture, details have changed or moved. Something's off about it (not counting the lack of meters and emerald locator icons). (Perhaps the background (or lack thereof) and/or clouds? I still don't know, but I don't want to axe it...) It looks like a major level of Big's was lost when Windy Valley was redesigned. After all, we've already seen him walking around in it, following Frog, now, in a similar scene, he stands by a pool of water! (Not found in the final Windy Valley.) (This same pool of water has been seen several videos, such as sonicbeach.mpg.) Ahh, yes, we all remember Knuckles' three punch combo using the attack button... Ahh yes, and three uppercuts would come out. Wait...uppercuts? Yup, Sonic fans, Knuckles' three punches look completely different. They aren't uppercuts. He punches left (straight out, little elec ball), he punches right (straight out, little elec ball), then punches right again (sliding, "shield" around him). This shows the attack was originally planned as uppercuts! And just where the heck is he, anyway? It resembles a back corner of Station Square, but I'm not so sure... (A bit of later irony: the uppercut has been put in as a "new move" for Knuckles, the "Spiral Upper" for Sonic Adventure 2. As for Knuckles' location, who knows, looks like a rooftop in the area opposite the train station in Station Square, or just an area before Station Square had some changes.) Just to reiterate, Big's eyes were blatantly white. ...I really hate posting hunches, but I can't specify exactly what's wrong with this picture. However, something keeps kicking me about it, so I thought I should still post it, in case anyone else can pinpoint it. I could just be loony, and this entire situation might exist in SA, but better to be safe than neglect something, ne? As mentioned below in the "Knuckles Commercial" Curiousity (which was actually written before this part), Knuckles does not go into this room. Normally. (Yes, through the magic of glitching, he can run the boulder chase, glide through the waterfalls, admire the warnings of doom, all of the things it seems like he should've done, instead of being crammed in the "Puzzle Room" and look for stupid shards. >.<) Curious note, if you do glitch into this room, there's an Egg Container still in there, and if you hop on it, you can beat the level's C, B, and Time Trial (but not "A") requirements. This was actually done by a few people to get pretty good times on the "Knuckles in Lost World" World Ranking. (Although even those times were beaten out by people who just stuck in Game Shark codes and/or hacked their save files. >.<) Curiousity #04 Updated: 11/05/00, 12:12 AM EST Subject: Japanese SA Commercial (Sonic) Video in Question: Cf1_soni.mpg (Size: 2.6 Meg) This is the first of seven themed commercials released in Japan in promotion of Sonic Adventure. They are very polished, but one or two details snuck through... The infamous "Whale smashes the docks" scene in Emerald Coast. Two things to note: altered camera angle (instead of straight on), and more importantly, no speed boosters. It's just pure Sonic. ^_^ ...Alright, I think his mouth usually does get that big in the final game, it's just a terrible shot. ;D There IS something in this sequence, and the "Jail Cell/Birdie" one in Amy's, though: the joints of the characters are glitchy in these scenes. Thankfully fixed for the final, but they look bad in these two scenes. ^_^ Curiousity #05 Updated: 11/05/00, 12:12 AM EST Subject: Japanese SA Commercial (Tails) Video in Question: Cf1_tail.mpg (Size: 2.6 Meg) A clearer picture this time of the wrong version of the Tornado 2 parked on Sky Deck. An extremely clear picture of the degraded models (compared to the release version). This video also shows the entire "beta" transformation. The final's looks much better. It's scary. Thankfully the rumors got straightened out later on, but for a while many took this scene to be confirmation that there were 14 emeralds in the game, including 7 super! While everyone is entitled to their own opinions and theories, I always thought it was kind of obviously it was the same set doubled for artistic effect. -.-; Want to know something embaressing? I used a similar screenshot for one of my Webring links a while ago, and didn't suspect it for the longest time. ^_^ Big problem with it? Right, doesn't exist. The location resembles the stylization of the early version of Windy Valley. (There's a "famous" SA screenshot that's similar to this, just with Tails walking and the screen zoomed out a little more.) This looks like the ending of Tails' "Speed Highway" level, but... shouldn't a rocket be there? O_o Or a platform? (This scene might exist at some other part of the race in the final, but looks strongly like the ending, leaving me to be confused. I will check on this one in trial mode...) To Next Page -> -Kulock Last Updated: 11/5/00