dinosaurgerms, 9 months ago

SegaSonic the Hedgehog is Japan-only arcade game starring Sonic, as well as two lesser-known (but fan-favorite!) characters: Ray the Flying Squirrel and Mighty the Armadillo. Everything takes place from an isometric perspective, and gameplay has a time-attack-meets-obstacle-course quality that's really visually impressive.

#RetroGaming #Arcade #Sega #Sonic #SonicTheHedgehog
#DinoRetroGaming

dinosaurgerms, 9 months ago

Unfortunately, I've never actually played SegaSonic the Hedgehog- between its Japan-only release and its (I assume) rarity, I've never actually seen a cabinet in the wild. In fact, I'm having difficulty just locating a photo of a cabinet online. I assume they came in Japanese "Candy" Cabs, although I found a photo of a (custom?) cabinet that seems more US-centric in design (photo from SEGAbits birdsite acct).

#RetroGaming #Arcade #Sega #Sonic #SonicTheHedgehog
#DinoRetroGaming

dinosaurgerms, 9 months ago

Anyway, what makes the game unusual in the Sonic franchise is that it uses trackballs to control Sonic and friends! Kinda like Marble Madness. Looking at footage of some of the later stages, I cannot imagine the strain those trackballs were put under, since you have to go FAST and have very little margin for error as the game goes on.

#RetroGaming #Arcade #Sega #Sonic #SonicTheHedgehog #Trackball
#DinoRetroGaming

A gif from the attract mode of SegaSonic the Hedgehog, describing how to use the trackball controls (in Japanese).

schizanon, 9 months ago

@dinosaurgerms we need a good Bluetooth/USB arcade ball peripheral to play these games.

dinosaurgerms, 9 months ago

@schizanon Yeah, it blows my mind that you could just purchase trackball controllers back in the day like any other controller (like the Atari 5200 behemoth pictured below lol)