The Story of Sonic & Knuckles, Lock-On Technology and The End of The Golden Age of 16-Bit Gaming!!!

The Story of Sonic & Knuckles, Lock-On Technology and The End of The Golden Age of 16-Bit Gaming!!!

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In 1994, Sega continued their winning streak  over Nintendo, thanks to the company’s breakout   superstar, Sonic The Hedgehog!! The year was  a long plateau, bookended by two Sonic games,   that when combined, made one of the largest video  games ever seen! All while the 16-Bit Era was   reaching its limit, thanks in part to Sega’s  drive, as well as Nintendo playing catch up. It’s the beginning of the end of the Golden  Age. One of the greatest times to be a gamer!! This is The Story of Sonic & Knuckles! On October 18th, 1994, Sega released one of their  most memorable video games Sonic & Knuckles. A   technical marvel, the game wasn’t quite Sonic the  Hedgehog 4 though not the exact game as Sonic 3,   Sonic & Knuckles gave Sega a unique way to expand  on existing games, while offering a whole new,   separate adventure at the same time. Selling  a game cartridge that can connect with other   cartridges, unlocking characters, and parts of  levels that could never be done so, otherwise. While October 1994 was far from the end of the  16-Bit Era, the time is often remembered as when   the very best games were released alongside  the backdrop of the looming Next Generation.

It had been a 4 year rollercoaster  for Sega in America, ever since Sonic   the Hedgehog was first released for  the Sega Genesis on June 23rd, 1991.   The character and game stole the spotlight  from the debut of the Nintendo’s Super NES,   and in the end turned Sega into  the Market Leader in the U.S.A. Sega released a sequel the next year and  while Sonic 2 was a great game on its own,   the marketing behind it set the stage for how  game releases are done today. November 24th,   1992 … “Sonic 2sDay” put the second Sonic on sale   around the world on the same day - just  before Christmas - to maximize sales! The idea worked so well that Sega  did it again in 1993! Only this time,   Sega released three games at once.  Sonic CD, Spinball and Chaos,   with the Sonic Mania Day event! When  that year’s shopping season had ended,   the Sega Genesis was in more in American homes  than the Super NES: 13.5 million to 11 point 3.

When the calendar turned to 1994, Sonic The  Hedgehog 3 was ready to roll! In the tradition   of prior Sonic games, a publicity event was  scheduled! On February 2nd, 1994 Sega set up   shop in the town of Punxatawney, Pennsylvania,  a town made world famous only a year before,   thanks to the movie Groundhog Day, directed  by Harold Ramis and starring Bill Murray.   The festivities that day were gigantic for such a  small town. The schools had no class for the day,   but kept the doors open for the public to  come by and try out the new game. People   travelled from around the country to line up  and be the very first in the world to pick up   Sonic 3! Sega re-christened the longstanding  holiday Groundhog Day, into Hedgehog Day! The early release date ran counter  to what everyone was expecting. The   timing worked to Sega’s advantage in several ways: With Christmas already in the rearview mirror,  Sega fans could get the next game in the series   now! No waiting for the end of the year! Sega could keep up with the heavy demand,   by manufacturing cartridges during the “slow”   season, building up a large reserve for  later, when sales were expected to be high.

This also helped alleviate  shortages around the world,   as Sonic 3 was released outside of the U.S.  in the weeks and months after Hedgehog Day. Reviews for Sonic 3 were great! Not a  single score from major publications   were less than 90% Some scores were  perfect! Talks of “Game of the Year”   were already being thrown around,  just as the year was getting started. It all gave Sega a money making  opportunity that lasted the whole year! But what those who went home with Sonic the  Hedgehog 3 on February 2nd didn’t know, was that   this new game was only one piece of the puzzle.  A second “Sonic 3” would soon be on the way!

It was a little strange that Sega  released its biggest game of 1994   in the dead of Winter. Despite  the perfect marketing opportunity,   behind the scenes there were hurdles  that gave way to this decision. Sonic 2 was developed in a newly created  division within Sega of America - STI:   The Sega Technical Institute.  The concept brought in some of   the best veteran Japanese talent who trained  young, new American artists and programmers,   working together to create games that  American audiences could appreciate.

Things rarely ran smoothly. Sonic 2 was produced  in a rush. While it certainly doesn’t look like   it, the game was completed in only nine months.  The cross cultural collaboration took its toll   on Yuji Naka, who strongly shaped the direction  of the game. With regards to potential Sonic 3,  

he refused to work on the game if any  Americans were involved with him directly. Sega and STI conceded to this demand. Hirokazu Yasuhara, AKA Carol  Yas was brought in direct,   marking the third time in a row  he collaborated with Yuji Naka.  Takashi Iizuka would join as a newcomer to  the series, as a designer. The team worked  

separately from the Americans at STI,  who spent 1993 making Sonic Spinball. Sonic 3 lost not only one, but two composers!  Masato Nakamura of the band Dreams Come True   parted ways with Sega, amicably. His newfound  fame and touring schedule didn’t allow much in   the way of side work. Sega moved forward with an  even bigger name penciled in for the soundtrack:   Michael Jackson! While no public announcement  was ever made, nor any contracts signed,   those who worked at Sega and with Michael  during this time have commented about the   secretive story. The music heard in  Sonic 3 has traces of Michael’s style:   Carnival Night Zone sounds very similar  to “Jam” from the Dangerous album. Long before the game was ever finished,  the collaboration ended without a clear   reason. Michael was never credited in  Sonic 3 and never commented about his  

involvement with the game. Some may point  to Sega wishing to distance themselves   from legal troubles Michael Jackson had in  1993, though that doesn’t line up against   Michael’s involvement in Scramble Training,  an arcade “Ride Game” released that year. Eventually, Tokuhiko Uwabo, AKA “Bo” and Jun  Senoue were given the task. Bo had collaborated   with Yuji Naka on many older Sega games,  While Sonic 3 would be the first of many   Sonic compositions for newcomer Jun. From the onset, Sonic 3 was created with the  goal of going above and beyond Sonic 2. That   meant designing more levels, longer levels, and  creating graphical touches that had yet to be seen   in 16-Bit games. A new character, Knuckles  was born, an adversary to Sonic and Tails.

New features, such as three types  of shields that can help Sonic move   through stages were added. As well  all of the features from past games,   such as the split screen multiplayer  mode and Super Sonic had to return All of it lead to a game that  would surpass 32 Megabits,   a memory size that was unheard of in 1993. The larger memory size would mean  a higher cost at retail. As well,  

the game had so many unfinished ideas that  Sonic 3 would not be ready for Christmas 1993. Sega took a gamble on its greatest franchise.  Taking the game splitting it into two parts,   Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic & Knuckles,  released at the opposite ends of 1994. Two games   that when put together would give fans access to  the complete vision that Sega and STI intended! How that happened was something never before seen   in home gaming, something some might  call…magic! With the release of Sonic The Hedgehog  3 on February 2nd, 1994, Sega had the   first part of its year long strategy in place. Half of the game was completed, on sale,   and in homes. It was easy for STI to take  the elements that were unfinished and mold  

that into Sonic & Knuckles…at least…  with the help of a little contraption. While STI was working on Sonic 3, the Sega  home offices in Japan were constantly updated   on the progress made in California. When the  tipping point was reached - that Sonic 3 could   potentially be two games - the hardware division  in Japan offered a solution. A cartridge that   could accept other cartridges and combine  the game codes of both. The concept began a   few years before, when Sega partnered with Galoob  and Codemasters for the Game Genie enhancement   device. The partnership gave Sega their own  ideas about how to create a similar product.

With that, the existing code from  Sonic 3 could be altered and re-used in   Sonic & Knuckles. Connecting two cartridges  would mix both games together. Since Sonic   3 was similar code-wise to Sonic 2,  that game could be expanded as well!  Mixing and matching cartridge  combinations had a lot of potential. Separating Sonic & Knuckles into its  own game all begins with the story,   taking place concurrently with,  and continuing after Sonic 3. At the end of Sonic 2, West Side Island  was liberated from the evil Dr. Robotnik,  

with Sonic retrieving the seven Chaos   Emeralds and knocking Robotnik’s space  station, the Death Egg, out of orbit. The space station crashed to Earth,  landing on the mysterious, floating,   Angel Island. The collision forced the island  to sink back into the ocean, causing a tidal   wave that reached the home of Sonic, prompting him  and Tails to leave in the Tornado to investigate. Angel Island is home to Knuckles the  Echidna. The last of his kind with   the sworn duty to protect the Chaos  Emerald Altars that dot the island.

Not long after, Robotnik meets Knuckles.  Pretending to be a friendly scientist,   he earns the trust of the echidna,  claiming that the recent disruptions   were the cause of Sonic and Tails, who must  be stopped to save the Angel Island Emeralds. With the choice of Sonic or Knuckles as your  character, the game breaks into two stories. With Sonic, The Death Egg crash-lands on  Angel Island once more. While retrieving   the missing Chaos Emeralds, Sonic passes  through a Super Ring to the Hidden Palace   Zone to discovers the Master Emerald, which  keeps Angel Island floating in the sky. Here,   Sonic fights Knuckles one-on-one. During the  battle, Robotnik steals the Master Emerald!  

When Knuckles tries to stop him, Robotnik  electrocutes the echidna and escapes. Knuckles realizes he had been lied to the  entire time and joins forces with Sonic! Knuckles’s Story takes place after  Sonic destroys the Death Egg once   and for all. Mecha Sonic returns to Earth with  Egg-Robo in tow, stealing the Master Emerald,   which gives it powers that equal Super Sonic.  It’s up to Knuckles to save the day and rid   Angel Island of the troubles Robotnik  has brought here once and for all! The format of Sonic & Knuckles is similar to that  of Sonic 3, featuring seven Zones, usually with   two Acts each, designed to be seamless - meaning  that the gameplay is continuous! There are no   breaks between these stages, like in past games.  Don’t forget that Sonic stages are never linear,   and oftentimes, slowing down to explore has it  benefits. Knuckles is able to climb up walls   and fly for a short time, which gives gameplay  in his half of the game a different approach.

Backgrounds and foregrounds are fully animated,  often changing as the Zone progresses! Each of   the Acts have amazing graphical detail  and rarely repeat the same color,   offering eye popping visuals from  start to end that make you wonder   how these graphics are handled while Sonic  or Knuckles move along at an amazing speed. The forests of Mushroom Hill Zone,   the heat of Lava Reef Zone and the winds  of Sky Sanctuary Zone offer a varied and   colorful game that follows the style of Sonic  3 without repeating any of those elements! The Chaos Emeralds are retrievable in Special  Stages, like always. In Sonic & Knuckles   these areas are accessible through giant  rings that appear in several places,   without any requirements. Sonic  navigates a rotating 3-D globe,   with red and blue spheres scattered about.  Sonic must collect all of the blue spheres,   as the speed increases. But, touch a red one and  

you’re out! There are also rings to collect and  bumpers that push back, adding to the challenge. Bonus Stages are accessible through Star  Posts. Passing through while holding 20-34   rings unlocks the Slot Machine. Almost like  a combination of Casino Night Zone and the   original Sonic 1 Bonus Stage. The Rotating  bumpers push Sonic or Knuckles around,   while landing in the center offered up a chance  at extra rings, but be careful because you   can also lose all of your rings as well! Holding 35 or more rings will unlock the   Glowing Spheres. Giant pulsing balls of energy  push Sonic or Knuckles around the stage. Here,  

you can collect different colored gum  balls that grant 1-Ups, shields or rings. While Sonic & Knuckles has  a lot packed into the game,   there were several things from  Sonic 3 that were left out. There is no option to play as Tails in the  game! You can only choose Sonic or Knuckles,   that’s it! The split-screen  2-player mode is also absent,   and most glaring omission - Sonic & Knuckles has  no save feature!! You have to finish the game in   one session! The reasoning behind these choices  is that when combined together with Sonic 3,   the game can access all of these, leaving  them out saves space on the Sonic & Knuckles   cartridge. With Sonic 3 coming out first, one  can assume that fans at home already have the  

game. And if not, it serves as a selling  point to encourage customers to go get it. All of these decisions, for better or worse,  were made under tight and stressful deadlines   at STI. To reach the end goal, Yuji Naka  and his rule that Americans stay out,   was overruled. Sonic & Knuckles was not a  full collaborative effort, but programmers,   designers and play testers from the Western side  of STI were finally involved in a mainline Sonic.   One more addition to the team was made. Hollywood  composer Howard Drossin, signed on to contribute   extra music tracks. All of it was overseen  by Roger Hector, who called the shots at STI.

Weighing in at 18 Megabits, a rather  unusual number when the standard was 16,   Sonic & Knuckles on its own, was a fine  continuation to the legacy Sonic had built. When combined with Sonic 3, it became the largest  16-Bit video game Sega had ever made. In the Summer of 1994, STI handed the game  code off to the Sega home offices for mass   production. From here, Tom Kalinske  and his marketing team stepped up to   make sure the public was aware of this new  Sonic game, and understood how it works. Back in the ‘90s, the main event for technology  and game was the Consumer Electronics Show,   then, held twice a year. Sega, had an impressive  Winter ‘94 show, when Sonic 3 made its surprising  

reveal. Many wondered what Sega could  have left in the tank for the Summer show. Rather than wait for the Summer CES,  where Nintendo, and other competitors,   will show off their best, new  works, Sega did an end-run with   a special event - Sega Gamer’s Day  - held three weeks before the CES!! The event showed off dozens of games Sega would  release in the second half of 1994 and some in   ’95! Sonic & Knuckles was the marquee Genesis  game on display. But what really stole the show   was a new device that would upgrade the Genesis  into a 32-Bit machine, for only $150! The Sega   32X!! At a time where the Next Generation  felt years away, and possibly two or three   times as expensive as 16-Bit, the 32X offered an  affordable option to transition into the future. And since the 32X was an add-on, standard  Genesis games would still work! Including   Sonic & Knuckles. A standalone game that no  one was expecting, with its own upgradability.

It’s a concept that had been around  for some time in PC gaming space:   Expansion Packs. Where new levels and items  could be added to an existing game. However   due to the nature of home gaming, with a  lack of hard drives and rewritable media,   they idea never found a way to catch  on, until now. Sega trademarked a   clever name for the interface that made  all this possible. Lock-On Technology™ Sonic & Knuckles was excellent on its own. Add  Sonic 3 and give it an upgrade! Add Sonic 2 and  

make Knuckles a playable character, giving the  game some new life by re-playing those older   levels with Knuckles’s move set. Add Sonic  1 and you’ll get a message saying NO WAY!  Don’t worry, its just a joke. Push A, B  and C when you see this screen to access   a mind blowing 134,217,728 playable  levels of the Blue Spheres Bonus Game. Add any other Genesis game and just one of these  millions of stages will randomly load, making the   deep cuts of your gaming library worth dusting  off. It was something never thought possible.   Games no longer had to be set in stone forever  and could freely change and evolve over time.

The was an ulterior motive for holding  Sega Gamers’ Day. It allowed the gaming   media to report on these events in gaming  magazines one issue before CES coverage,   stealing the thunder, potentially of  whatever Nintendo or anyone else would   announce. All of the excitement could be  captured by Sega before CES ever happened,   with a second showing at CES to further  push the competition out of the headlines. With the revelations made at Sega Gamers’  Day, the media and fans at home went away   with some big surprises and a look at the  future of games, with some of these ideas   coming to pass. With Sega having established  big November releases with Sonic 2 and CD,   most everyone expected Sonic & Knuckles to  arrive about one month before Christmas.

At the ‘94 Summer CES, Nintendo finally stood up  to Sega and punched back. A new game that had been   worked on for years behind the scenes went public:  Donkey Kong Country. The game featured rendered 3D   graphics, looking more advanced than any game that  had ever come before. A “Next Generation" game on   current hardware! More importantly, the game was  produced without add-on chips or upgrades of any   kind. A massive ad campaign followed, showing  a different side of the Big N, full of edge   ‘90s attitude while touting that all you needed  to get the Next-Gen today was a $99 Super NES! Nintendo took one more swing at Sega, planting  their flag on the date Sega had already claimed.  

The Tuesday before Thanksgiving. In  1994, that day was November 21st! Everything that Sega had built up all year long  was instantly wiped out. Sega went ahead and   announced its schedule for 1994. The 32X would be  released on the same day as Donkey Kong Country,  

November 21st! While Sonic & Knuckles was slated  for October 18th! The plan gave Sega a slight   head start sales wise, while allowing the 32X  to go head to head with Donkey Kong Country. Following the CES, Sega’s fall promotional  campaign went into full swing! Lock-On   Technology™ quickly became a new buzzword  as advertisements, on TV and in print went   live! Fans at home defended their side of the  “Console Wars,” while attacking the other! For Sega, three main tracks of  promotions ran concurrently. First,   the release date of October 18 was  heralded once again as simultaneous   worldwide release. Commercials in every  region remarked that the world would   Lock-On™ to Sonic & Knuckles in unison. While  this had been done before with Sonic 2sDay,  

that didn’t actually happen all in one day,  as Sonic 2 was released in different regions   a few days apart then choreographed on  videotape to appear as a 24 hour event. With Sonic & Knuckles the claim can truthfully be   made that this was the first game to go on  sale everywhere on Earth at the same time! Second, Sega teamed up with Blockbuster Video  to promote Sonic & Knuckles as an exclusive   rental! Sure nothing could stop a mom and pop  video store from renting out the game as well,   but the move gave Sonic 2 and 3 owners  a chance to “try before you buy.” This arrangement contrasted with Nintendo who  opposed game rentals, even going as far as   taking store owners to court for renting out  video games. It was one of many partnerships   Sega fostered in the 1990s wherein the other  party received hostile actions from Nintendo. Lastly, Sega signed on with MTV for the main  event of the pre-release hype: a contest known as   “Rock the Rock!” To start the campaign,  short video blurbs began appearing on   MTV that claimed Knuckles was missing,  asking the viewer at home to find him! It all gave way to a massive contest. The  first round of which was held at Hard Rock   Café locations in the U.S., Japan, Mexico, Brazil  and elsewhere around the world in early October. 

Customers could try out the game  pre-release and compete with each   other. The winners from the opening round  were flown to San Francisco California,   where the infamous maximum security prison,  Alcatraz, aka “The Rock” is located. There, each participant was “booked” and sent  to a cell! In the next round, the goal was to   collect as many rings as possible in Mushroom Hill  Zone in 3 minutes! The top two scorers went to   the final round, competing head to head grabbing  rings in Launch Base Zone. The winner, Chris Tang   was awarded $25,000, every Sega game released for  the next two years, and left Alcatraz a free man! The contest aired on MTV one day before  release. The contest was only a part of   the special broadcast- the remainder  was filled with interviews from STI   staff discussing how Sonic & knuckles came to be,   as well as general thoughts on game design and  how Sega does business behind the scenes.

The next day, October 18th, 1994  Sonic & Knuckles would go on sale   around the world! Sega VS. Nintendo:  Round 4 was officially underway!! When Sonic & Knuckles hit the  store shelves on October 18th,   1994, thousands of copies quickly went  off to happy homes! You would have been   hard pressed to find a extra copy still  hanging around by the end of the day! The field was already overcrowded  with great games. Mortal Kombat II,   and NBA Jam were just two of many games  on both the Genesis and Super NES not to   mention the exclusives on each side already on  sale, or coming soon, that were all fighting   for someone’s hard earned $60! But many had  set that money aside for the newest Sonic! In the Gaming Media, reviews that  came down the line were very positive. In Japan, Beep Mega Drive was the go to source  for Sega info. Across multiple issues in 1994,   Sonic & Knuckles was discussed in depth, with  details about how Lock-On Technology™ works,   and what it can do. Beep  issued a score of 32 out of  

36 (Base 9 fans where you at?) in December ’94.   In the U.S., GamePro magazine gave a perfect  score in its November issue, saying that Lock-On   Technology™ was a “revolutionary element.”  The review also went into detail about how   to access areas in Sonic 3 and Sonic 2 that were  never before seen, until you play as Knuckles. DieHard GameFan scored the game with an  average of 91% in November. Referring  

to the game as “Sonic 4,” the reviewers  remarked that Lock-On™ gives you “a lot   of value for your money.” The Review speculated  on future games that could adopt the feature,   imagining a world where the interface would apply   to Phantasy Star games. Well.. one can dream… (In retrospect DHFG is really annoying with   all of its stupid takes, most of  which were done to garner cred.) In the U.K., CVG Magazine issued  a score of 91 in its November  

’94 issue. The review admits openly  that coming so quickly after Sonic 3,   “a scrappy game” was expected, but it wasn’t!  The review praises the “imaginative hazards   sprinkled throughout each level,” and  called Sonic “an affable character!” In Brazil, Açao Games Magazine gave a perfect  score in October! The article explains much of   the gameplay mechanics and gives a few tricks and  tips like other publications, while commenting   that the Lock-On™ “format is innovative” and the  game is “an excellent addition to the series.” There were dozens of reviews just like these  around the world, but the hype of the “16-Bit   Wars” meant that Sonic & Knuckles would live or  die in its comparisons to Donkey Kong Country.

Electronic Gaming Monthly was, without a doubt,  the most respected American gaming publication in   the ‘90s, with their review scores often  used as a barometer for public opinion. In December, EGM gave Sonic & Knuckles a score  of 37 out of 40! The same score was given to   Donkey Kong Country in November! Oddly enough  the games were reviewed in opposite order of   which they were released. Both won Platinum  Awards and Game of the Month! An interesting   contemporary side by side comparison, where  Sega vs. Nintendo had no clear winner! The Review Crew said that Sonic  & Knuckles “looks like every  other Sonic game out there” but encouraged  readers to “sit down, play for a while, and  let the differences show themselves.”  And that “Knuckles adds a new dimension”  

wrapping things up by declaring Sonic &  Knuckles as “The ultimate Sega game!!” Sonic & Knuckles continued to rack up sales  in 1995 and beyond, eventually reaching 1.2   million units sold in the U.S. alone. Often  the sales data is combined with Sonic 3,   as they are two parts of the same game,  for a worldwide total of over 4 million.

This might be done to spin  the numbers in the face of   Donkey Kong Country which became  the best selling game of 1994. To compare hardware sales mentioned  in press releases at the time,   The Sega Genesis sold 4 million units in 1994,  raising total lifetime sales to 17.5 million.   The Super NES sold 3.7 million units in 1994,  with 15 million systems total in U.S. homes. Despite modern-day opinions of the 32X,  the device sold out everywhere in 1994!   Not to mention a few games to go with  each one! With over 500,000 units sold,   that number that beats the sales of  the 3DO, Jaguar and CD-i combined! In dollar amount, Sega of America posted revenues  of $3.4 Billion, only a slight decrease from the  

year before. Nintendo never announced its American  internals, but revised its worldwide financial   forecasts downward for 1994 and 95, citing a  strong Yen and tough competition in the industry. Sega took these numbers and ran to the goal line,  declaring victory once again! Proudly announcing   everywhere that the Sega Genesis outsold  the Super NES for the 4th year in a row.   The Genesis had a 57% market share. And Sega was  the most profitable American video game company!

Going into 1995, Sega continued to ride  the success of the Genesis and all of   its Sonic games, keeping sales high as  the Sega readied itself for the coming   transition to 32-Bit! Sonic 3 and Sonic &  Knuckles became pack-in games in different   regions at different times during the  final years of the Genesis and Mega   Drive. The price was often less that $99 in  those later years, offering a great value!! There was talk of a complete Sonic  3 & Knuckles game in one cartridge,   without Lock-On Technology™,  but the idea never came to pass. In the years after the 16-Bit Era, the complete  game has been released a few times. Starting   with a Windows PC version in 1997, and more  recently as part of Sonic Origins in 2022. 

Modern re-releases of Sonic 1  and 2 also feature Knuckles,   though these days the entire game is digital  download, with nothing to Lock-On™ to. However nothing re-released has been exactly the  same as the original two cartridges. Many Sega   compilations omit either of the two games.  The few times where everything is complete,  

some music tracks are not the same. Some graphical  and gameplay changes have been made as well. For   many what the original separate games were  has been blurred, confused or forgotten. Truly the only way to play Sonic 3 & Knuckles  the way it was originally designed is to get   the original Genesis cartridges. But no matter  how you play it, Sonic & Knuckles stands as one   of the best 16-Bit experiences ever made, and  worth keeping and playing forever! We’ve made it to the end! Thanks for sticking  around, for the entire GTV Sonic Saga. Reflecting  

on things, 1994 really feels like the last  great chapter in the Golden Age Sega had   built in the early ‘90s. It was far from the  end, but when looking back at certain events,   such as the release of the bit 32-Bit machines  in Japan right on the heels of Sonic & Knuckles,   you can’t help but feel like 16-bit was  swept out the door, killed off too early.  Sure, the jump to 32-bit was amazing! Though  only a few can claim to be there from day   one. Probably most of us weren’t there until  Year Two. ’94 and ’95 showed us the future,   but what was not expected - a current-gen system  still managing to impress, five or six years into   its life cycle - made it feel like the future  had already arrived, and that the Genesis could   live … almost forever! That’s exactly what  1994 felt like. And it was even more special   when you had trusted, classic characters  that had been there for the entire ride.  That’s the other side of the coin. Sega managed  too only overtake Nintendo but continued that  

initial wave that started in 1991. Four Sonic  games in four years! Not to mention CD, the   Game Gear games and side games like Spinball. Add  in all the other games and the spot-on marketing,   that was always on TV, everywhere you looked.  It was all an impressive effort, un-precedented,   and most importantly, successful! It all  proved that the Big N could be taken on,   and taken down, which sealed Sega’s  own fate not much later by Sony,   in part because they proved it could be done! Even if Sega’s mid-'90s decline hadn’t happened,   time would have still moved on— we all grew up.  All things must end. You can't go back. It’s   hard to put into words, it just felt special to be  part of something exciting happening in the here   and now, even if it was just a game. That’s the  feeling I relieve whenever I fire up the Genesis   to play Sonic & Knuckles or any  of the classics from 1994.  

And honestly, that’s more than enough for  me. I still play these games today with   the same excitement - as if they  were brand new, and I always will.

2024-10-26 10:13

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