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• Miles 'Tails' Prower
• Sonic 2 8 Bit Zones
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Sonic the Hedgehog 2: featuring Tails as Princess Peach!

• 1Unused Graphics
• 5Level Select

Unused Graphics

Also Known As: Sonic 2 (AU), Baramdori Sonic 2 (KO) Franchise: Sonic the Hedgehog; Game Trivia. This is the last game in the series to use the 'Act Complete' and 'Game Over' jingles from the Genesis version of Sonic 1. The 'Act Complete' jingle would return again in Sonic R for the Saturn, but faster than the original and the third and final. Like the 8-bit version of Sonic 1, Sonic 2 was first released on the Master System in Brazil and parts of Europe (the only remaining territories still supporting the console). The screenshots above are all from that version. About a month later, the game was released on Game Gear in Japan and the US.

Character Sprites

Monitors

Level Art

Gimmick Mountain Title Card

Originally, the level card for Gimmick Mountain Zone used its full name. Due to lack of space on the screen, however, 'Mountain' was shortened to 'Mt.'

Unused Text

A build date string can be found in the ROM at 0x000C0.

Unused Music

A peaceful, ethereal-sounding tune. What this song could have been used for is unknown, but it might have been an early theme for Crystal Egg due to the similar style. The song also has some resemblance to the present theme of Tidal Tempest in the Japanese/European soundtrack of Sonic CD. This song was removed from the Game Gear version, and was replaced by the sound effect that plays when Sonic (and Tails) look up at the stars at the end of the credits. Both of them use $92 as the song value.

Level Select

Miles 'Tails' Prower

Master System

While powering on the game, hold Left + 1 + 2 on Controller 2. When the intro sequence starts, release the buttons, then start the game as usual.

Game Gear

When the intro starts, hold Down + Left + 1 + 2 + Start. When the title screen appears, wait for a ring sound to play twice (Tails will wink three times). Release all the buttons and press Start.

Version Differences

The 8-bit versions of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 are mostly identical, but besides the resolution, there are some differences detailing the transition from Master System to Game Gear:

• The intro originally started with Tails already kidnapped. On handheld, it starts off with Tails running away as Robotnik's claw catches him. The sky in the intro also changed from a bright cyan to a very dark shade.
• The music during the Master System intro is the title screen music of the Game Gear version; the Master System title screen plays no music, and the Game Gear intro plays the Scrambled Egg Zone track.
• The boss music is different between versions, with the Game Gear version noticeably being mixed into the JP Metallic Madness from Sonic the Hedgehog CD. The Master System boss music was removed completely from the Game Gear version, however, the Game Gear boss music does not use the same sound value as the Master System version. The Master System boss music is $89, but the Game Gear boss music is $94. Attempting to play $89 on the Game Gear version crashes the game.
• Several small changes are present to level geometry and ring layouts across the game. A notable example is a set of rings in Green Hills Zone spelling the word 'END' (one of the level designers listed in the credits) was added. These changes are minor and don't appear to be done to make the stages easier to navigate with the restricted view as per the stage changes in the Game Gear version of Sonic the Hedgehog.
• The geometry of several boss fight areas were made smaller to accommodate the smaller fixed screen. For example, the Green Hills arena is much narrower, and Crystal Egg's boss makes the horizontal pipe exit on the left invisible.
• Several boss fights are more difficult. Under Ground's boss now has the rocks bounce at unpredictable heights, Aqua Lake's boss continually moves towards Sonic, forcing him to jump and be bounced away before the orange sphere attack, and Green Hills' boss will now sometimes combine a high leap with a low roll attack rather than just doing one or the other. Crystal Egg's boss is not necessarily harder, but it does not follow exactly the same attack pattern as the Master System version, i.e. if one attacks it during the optimal openings on each play, it will result in the battle playing out exactly the same every time, but those openings and thus exactly the same scenario differs for each version.
• In the Master System version of Aqua Lake Zone Act 2, the entire level is a murky green palette, and the waterline is invisible and at a fixed position near the top; on Game Gear, clean blue water visibly rises and floods the entire stage at the start.
• When Sonic drowns in the Master System version, he sinks with his mouth opening and closing, like the Master System version of the previous game; on Game Gear, he sinks with his mouth open, as in the console games.
• Power Sneakers exist as a one-off powerup in the Master System version, only appearing in Aqua Lake Zone Act 2. When this monitor is broken, a unique track is temporarily played, but it otherwise does not provide its usual speed-up effect. Likely because of this odd oversight, it is replaced by a Super Ring monitor in the Game Gear version. The song was also removed completely from the Game Gear version, and crashes if attempted to play.
• The sound effect when Sonic spins on the wheels and orb in Gimmick Mountain and Crystal Egg is different.
• On Game Gear, 'HIRO SSS' is credited in place of 'SEMIMARU' and 'TOSIYAN' is corrected to 'TOSHIYAN' for the Program, and there is an extra credit for 'RYU' under Thanks.
• The bad ending music is extended on Game Gear, while it cuts short on Master System.
• The good ending has its own, happy-sounding tune on Game Gear. This song does not exist at all on the Master System Version. This song's value on the Game Gear is $95.
• When Sonic (and Tails) look upon the stars at the end of the credits, a sound effect is now played. This sound replaces the unused track ($92) from the Master System version.
• When Sonic enters the tube that leads to Scrambled Egg's boss arena in the Game Gear version, the boss music starts playing immediately, where in the Master System version, it starts just as Sonic exits the tube.
• The end of act tally counts down points slower in the Game Gear version.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is a side-scrolling platform developed by Aspect Co and published by Sega for the Master System and Game Gear, released before the 16-bit version for the Mega Drive / Genesis. Jean-François was able to find a few beta-screens (Game Gear version) from an old magazine, in which we can notice some differences in the HUD and in an image with Pib Badnik: in the final it’s a boss in Gimmick Mountain Zone (one of the last levels) but it appears here in a sort of Green Hill-alike level (with differents palmtrees) and with Robotnik at the same time!

Thanks a lot to Jean-François for the contribution!

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Sonic 2 8 Bit Zones

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