LA Sonic Movie Being Delayed til 2020 is Good News

"Train wreck. Disaster. Abomination." Those are but a few of the words some would use to describe the live action Sonic the Hedgehog movie trailer. And anyone that did use those words were being generous because I can assure you, there are much harsher criticisms out there. Still, the overwhelmingly negative response was justified. The title character was Sonic in name and speed only. His design was so far removed from the designs he's had over the years that whomever was responsible for his movie design did more than "take liberties" with it. Sonic wasn't even wearing gloves and his hands looked like some freakish, mutated cat paws. Thankfully, the movie's director, Jeff Fowler heard the complaints loud and clear, stating that changes would be made. That was back in the beginning of May. Last week, he tweeted that the movie wouldn't release until February 2020, the 14th of that month to be precise.

The original release date for the movie was slated for November 2019 and I figured that would be ample time to overhaul LA Sonic's design. But the idea that the CGI workers would face mad crunch did cross my mind and crunch is the kind of work environment that no one should have to deal with. No doubt the delay to 2020 is to give the filmmakers more breathing room to work and as long as that leads to Sonic look a heckuva lot better than that thing we saw at the end of April, I'm OK with that.

Having said all of that, I still don't think LA Sonic will be a picture that will be a bright spot for our favorite spikey blue rodent. If I'm being honest, I'm looking forward to LA Sonic for all of the wrong reasons. I do want the movie to be better than Double Dragon, though.

Once again, I have to commend Jeff for being one of the better people when it comes to handling criticism. Recently, a trailer for the CW's newest Arrowverse show, Batwoman dropped on YouTube and it has far more dislikes than it does likes, which prompted the lovely members of the shill media to say that the trailer was "attacked" by fans simply because they didn't like it. Batwoman is a show I'll be passing on, but Jeff, you sir, have encouraged me to spend money on LA Sonic.

I wish Jeff Fowler and everyone else working on LA Sonic the best. Being able to take criticism goes a long way with others so it looks like Jeff and his team will be rewarded for it. At the very least, they've got my support. So again, this is another case of a Sonic game releasing on a holiday. (Sonic 3 released on Feb 2nd in 1994.) Since the movie is releasing on Feb 14th, how about instead of Valentine's Day, we call it Hedgehog Day?

Favorite Tunes #267: A Tale of Two Aladdins

Favorite Tunes and other blog activity was MIA because the last work week was a freaking nightmare. But enough about that mess. This week, I've got some club beats, some jazz and two reminders of one of the greatest wars to ever rock this world, the 16-bit console wars. 

Hit the Floor - Katana ZERO (NS, PC)

The indie scene continues to amaze me. Before it was even released, Katana ZERO sounded like it would be my kinda game and sure enough, I've been enjoying it greatly. Not only is the killing really good, but so is the soundtrack. They had me with the first song but the more I played, the more I wanted to hear.

Clip Joint Calamity - Cuphead (PC, XBO, NS)

I am still wowed by the fact that I've been able to play Cuphead on the Switch. Everything I've heard about the game is true, including the difficulty. I played Clip Joint Calamity more times than I can count and nearly stood up in my chair when I finally managed to pass it.

Time Attack - Final Fight CD (SCD)

For a long time, the best version of Final Fight was on  the Sega CD or the Mega CD for those of you that live in Japan or Europe. Haggar, Cody and Guy are all playable, every level is included and it looks very much like the arcade coin-op. Some bonuses were even included in this home release such as a killer arranged soundtrack by T's Music and a Time Attack mode.

The Cave of Wonders - Aladdin (SNES)

Another classic Disney animated film to get the live action treatment is Aladdin with Genie being played by Will Smith. I've been a fan of Will's work since the '90s but I've never been one foaming at the mouth for Disney to remake their old animated movies. Around the time the movie hit home video, there were not one, but two Aladdin games. The SNES version was made by Capcom, a company that had long since proven themselves with Disney IPs since the NES days.

Arabian Nights - Aladdin (GEN)

The second Aladdin game to release was, not too surprisingly, on the Genesis, a console that had a heated rivalry with the SNES. Developed by Virgin Interactive, Aladdin on the Genesis was a vastly different game than the SNES version. Aladdin on the SNES favored platforming above all else while Aladdin on the Genesis was more of an action game, even giving Al a sword.

Come Now, to the Front - Bangai-O (DC)

It has been quite a few years since I've heard the soundtrack to the Dreamcast version of Bangai-O. So I gave it a listen recently and it sounds even better than I remember. I don't think NON has ever turned in a bad game soundtrack. This Treasure gem needs a re-release pronto.

Favorite Tunes Database

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Stage Builder Recommendations - Part 1

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate released with 103 stages the day it launched and many of the stages are a blast to smash on. Then 3.0 update happened and brought back Stage Builder and it is better than ever, giving players tons upon tons of player created maps to battle on. With Nintendo letting players upload their custom made stages to share with the world, you'll never run out of smashing maps.

DK Battlefield

ID: 8XQV6X14
Creator: FireGhoul

"Battlefield? Why would I want to download a Battlefield stage when I can get that from any of the stages already available?" Well, none of them have a giant retro Donkey Kong in the center, which helps to set it apart from other Battlefield maps. And that's not all. DK raises and lowers the left and right ledges, giving this Battlefield a very unique layout. Be careful for the back of DK's hands when trying to recover. Touch them and you will take damage. Adding further to the retro vibe of the stage are the ladder and iron girder in the background.

Spark Man Stage

ID: 9JTS3XPM
Creator: Abby

What comes to mind when you think of Spark Man's level? I'll bet you're thinking of those platform sections with spikes on the ceiling and the blocks that raise you up to instant death. There are no such blocks in this custom stage, but the garbage chute is present and accounted for, complete with falling, compacted trash right over a bottomless pit, making for a great hazard to throw other players into. The right side of the stage is walk off territory so this stage forces you to pick your poison.

Mystic Cave

ID: RKJC5BXC
Creator: Antshield

Man, I wish the Mystic Cave Zone music was in this game because it would have gone great with this amazing-looking stages. The greenery, the rails, the moving blocks, it all matches the level from Sonic the Hedgehog 2 to a tee and is so much fun to battle on.

Fossil Falls

ID: QXP401L1
Creator: [c c] Jk49

There are tons of Fossil Falls custom stages, but this one really caught my eye. The level has no hazards and you can't fight on the Triceratops skeleton, non flat stage layout makes for a fun arena to battle on. A Simple idea with some great execution.

MARBLE ZONE 2

ID: M332SWKS
Creator: Triangles

If you want to go to a stage where you can have some shenanigans, MARBLE ZONE 2 has you covered. Fight it out topside in the ruins or go underground where things really heat up. Not only are there lava pits on the right side of the stage but the far left is home to lava fall, making it a great place to knock opponents that are at high percent. I guess I'm one of those weirdos that didn't mind Marble Zone in the first Sonic game and I'm happy to see so much TLC went into this stage design.

Crash Man Stage

ID: SY1Q6LQP
Creator: Leotsune

One thing I have always found cool about Crash Man's stage is all those curly pipes that make up the terrain. This stages goes ham on that cosmetic. It also has those moving platforms on rains that are can be ledge grabbed and if need be, you can tech off of them to save yourself. Ladders can be tricky business in custom stages so my hats off to Leostune for placing a platform over the top of each one to make getting off of them easier.

NSMB World 7

ID: 8RGPQFJG
Creator: Long

It has been a long while since I've played any of the New Super Mario Bros. games but this level feels like very Mario-esque. We've got a swaying mushroom platform, a cannon to give you air, a rotating block platform that you'll have to exercise caution when you're fighting on it and some walk off sections on both upper sides of the stage. This is a busy map but thankfully, the frame rate doesn't dip, even with four players.

Tick Tock Clock

ID: 7RCRGT45
Creator: GINGERSNAP

A plethora of Tick Tock Clock custom stages can be found in Shared Content and I should probably check out more of them. For the time being, however, GINGERSNAP has made one that isn't too complicated but is still crazy at the same time. The swinging pendulum is great for knocking opponents with high damage into and if someone doesn't recover at the right moment on the right side of the stage, they can say bye bye to a stock.

Favorite Tunes #266: (Mostly) Bad Games, Good Music

Here's a FT I've been wanting to do for a while now. What we have here are a selection of games that are not great. The music, however is far above the quality of everything else. There are a few good titles in this list, but the majority are stinkers.

Four Corners Zoo - Chester Cheetah: Too Cool to Fool (SNES)

I rented this game back when Blockbuster Video was a thing. During our three day rental period, the game crashed more than once. It was pretty rare for a game we played to crash back then but I suppose that could be chalked up to another reason that the game sucks. Thankfully, the same isn't true for the beats.

Viking Ship - Quackshot (GEN)

One of the few games on here that isn't poo poo. Well, I'm assuming it isn't since I've never played it, but it has been praised to high heaven whenever it comes up. I'll be sure to grab it if I see it. The music is some early Genesis goodness.

Madrid - Mario is Missing! (PC)

In the early 90s Nintendo would license their properties to other publishers. With results such as the Super Mario Bros. movie, the Zelda CD-i games and Mario is Missing, one doesn't have to think too hard as to why the Big N has a very watchful eye when others take hold of their IPs. Mario is Missing is one of those games that Nintendo likes to pretend doesn't exist but for a sub par educational game, it had some really good tunes with the SNES and PC versions. Madrid is a PC elusive track and is a remix of the Star Road theme from Super Mario World, making it a remix of a remix.

Briefing - Spider-Man and the X-Men in Arcade's Revenge (SNES)

Man, that is one mouthful of a title. Spidey and our favorite mutants are being treated much better in video games these days than they were in the early 1990s. Tim and Geoff Follin were often the fellows tasked with writing excellent music for crappy licensed games and Arcade's Revenge is no exception. The soundtrack for the SNES and Genesis versions are both worth a listen but if I had to choose one over the other, I'm going with the SNES version.

BGM [Level 1] - Silver Surfer (NES)

Ooof! From one bad licensed Marvel game to another. Silver Surfer is a game I imagine most of you are at least somewhat familiar with thanks to the Angry Video Game Nerd. As a great website once said "When the game sucks, the music is all you got." That definitely holds true to Silver Surfer. This one often gets overlooked when discussing great NES soundtracks.

Bad - Michael Jackson's Moonwalker (ARC)

The Genesis version of Moonwalker has some outstanding beats but the arcade version is certainly no slouch. Music from both versions of the games understandably don't have vocals but there are some tracks that have digitized voice samples from The King of Pop.

Favorite Tunes Database

Favorite Tunes #265: Time Bonus!

If you've played a certain polygonal racer from SEGA, congrats on getting the reference.

Zangief Stage CPSII - Street Fighter II: The New Challengers (ARC)

After Street Fighter II' Hyper Fighting, Capcom would cease using the CPSI arcade board for the remainder of SFII updates. The New Challengers, which introduced Cammy, Fei Long, T. Hawk and Dee Jay, ran on the CPSII hardware and there was a hugely noticeable difference with the audio. When it comes to the arcade soundtrack of SFII, I prefer some tracks in CPSI and others in CPSII. I can go either way for Zangief's theme.

Competition & Time Attack Menu - Sonic Mania (PS4, NS, XBO, PC)

"SONIC!" "TAILS!" "KNUCKLES!" "MIGHTY!" "RAY!" All said in the glorious voice of Takenobu Mitsuyoshi. This man's accent is just the best. In Time Attack I'll select the characters multiple times because he sounds that awesome. Oh, and the music gets you hyped to break some records.

Car Select - F-ZERO X (N64)

When F-ZERO made the jump to 3D with F-ZERO X, it brought with it some incredibly sick rock/metal tunes to go along with the intense racing. When the music that plays to select your car is this good, you know the rest of the soundtrack is gonna be fire.

Cloud Country - Stardew Valley (PC, PS4, XBO, NS)

My backlog is not decreasing anytime soon, so I have no idea when I'll get around to playing Stardew Valley. By the time I do start playing this game, I'll probably already be well familiar with the soundtrack, which is some of my favorite relaxing music to write to.

Save the World, Heroes - Find Me II (3DS)

The Find Mii stage was one of my favorites for Super Smash Bros. 3DS and I was happy to see it return in Ultimate. The stage is fare more chaotic playing on a game that runs at a higher frame rate. I never did start Find Mii II so the arrangements of Dark Lord and Save the World, Heroes! was my first time ever hearing these songs. Turns out the originals are just as good as the remixes.

Replay - SEGA AGES Virtua Racing (NS)

When I found out one of the games slated for the SEGA AGES line on the Switch was Virtua Racing, I had hoped the Replay theme from the 32X's Virtua Racing Deluxe would be included. Alas, it is not. However, a remix of the theme using the instruments from the Model 1 arcade hardware is the next best thing. It is almost every bit as much of a banger as the 32X version. Man, I cannot wait for this game to hit the eShop in America.

Favorite Tunes Database

LA Sonic 2019 Movie Design is Getting a Much Needed Fix

Art by Aaron Hammerstorm

On April 30th, the 2019 Sonic the Hedgehog LA movie trailer dropped. Reactions... were not pretty. Jokes fell flat, the plot looks like it deviates so heavily from the source material but the most glaring flaw about the trailer was the title character's design. Fans made it abundantly clear that they despised the look of LA Sonic with a seething passion. Much to our surprise, our complaints did not fall on deaf ears. Jeff Fowler, director of Sonic the Hedgehog made the following Tweet.

Thank you for the support . And the criticism. The message is loud and clear... you aren't happy with the design & you want changes. It's going to happen. Everyone at Paramount & Sega are fully committed to making this character the BEST he can be. #sonicmovie #gottafixfast

Huh. Now that is the kinda response to criticism you don't see in the movie or game industry every day. So many others would have rolled their eyes or went off on Twitter rants calling us "haters" and "not true fans of Sonic" but Mr. Fowler took what was said to heart and the team behind LA Sonic is making moves to fix him. I don't know anything about Jeff Fowler or any of the movies he has directed but this act alone has earned him my respect.

Just the other day, fans went to work on their own redesigns of LA Sonic, producing results that far outstripped the disaster we saw two days ago. I haven't the slightest idea how anyone could give the OK on LA Sonic's design. Even Sonic's original character designer, Naoto Oshima expressed his concerns on Sonic's design for this movie.

Sonic's design getting fixed is great news but the film is far from being out of the woods yet. We still don't know what kind of redesign LA Sonic is going to get but hopefully it will be more in line with Sonic's modern design that SEGA has used since 1998. The movie doesn't hit theaters until November, so Paramount has plenty of time to give Sonic a more favorable redesign. It is probably gonna suck for the CGI team to do even more work but if whoever is charge of LA Sonic's hideous design hadn't done what they did, we wouldn't be in such an uproar, now would we?

Even before news of LA Sonic's redesign hit, I was still looking forward to this movie. For all the wrong reasons, of course. I've seen some pretty horrific video game adaptations. Mortal Kombat: Annihilation being one of the worst along with Super Mario Bros. Then you've got Street Fighter, which is so hilariously bad that I can't help but love it. I don't think LA Sonic will be as bad as past video game adaptations (I could be wrong) but like I said a few days ago, I don't think it will be good either. I genuinely want to see how the movie plays out, for better or for worse. At the very least, we won't have to see that eyesore that we were originally going to see. (Pleasebeagoodredesignpleasebeagoodredesign!)