Sonic Unleashed?

[Hulkshmash]

but I really don't think he'd have fired at Earth.

My point exactly, why didn't they realize that?

[Wooduck51]

I got the impression that Eggman would destroy key political cities if a surrender was not given, and that the moon shot was meant to prove that he could in fact do such a thing.

And no, it was not "too" dark.

[Crazy Penguin]

Blowing a chunk out of the moon was one of the best bits in Sonic Adventure 2. I love that kind of over the top super villainy.

[Oompa Star]

Now I'm curious, are there any hints in games past Sonic Adventure 2 that show that there is still half a moon?

[DackAttac]

Wasn't it all aimed and everything before Sonic fucked it up, zoom in, half-smile/thumbs up, roll credits?

PS -

Now I'm curious, are there any hints in games past Sonic Adventure 2 that show that there is still half a moon?

If you don't count the Advance Series, there's a pretty whole shot of the moon in the opening video of Shadow.

[WW]

And in the very last cinema scene of Sonic 06, Sonic is shown gazing up at a full moon.

[James McGeachie]

Sonic the Hedgehog 06 is virtually stricken from the timeline, even the development staff seem to agree on that.

[WW]

Does'nt mean that there was'nt a moon in the scene, and besides, it was at the very end where nothing in the game actually happened, which wasn't stricken from the timeline.

[K2J]

If you subscribe to Sonic's world not being our own, then you could easily say the planet has multiple satellites. Others have argued that the moon collapsed in the interim from SA2 to the other games, but I subscribe to the theory that the blast rotated the moon around before it returned to its normal orbit, where one side is always facing Earth.

Or, you know, it's just something you shouldn't worry about.

[Crazy Penguin]

There was a full moon in the castle levels of Sonic Heroes too. And the first Sonic Advance of course.

[Green Gibbon!]

I sure am glad there are no nerds here!

[Delphine]

I sure am glad there are no nerds here!

Says the man who's run a Sonic the Hedgehog fansite his entire adult life.

[hedgepig]

There is a full moon in the later stages of SA2 when Big The Cat bends over which is why they removed him in the GC version; to preserve the canon.

[Frieza2000]

They probably just wished it back with the Chaos Emeralds.

Amidst all the other speculation, one thing that's gone unacknowledged is that it looks like they've replaced tricks with rings as fuel for the boost attack. With the disappearance of the 50 ring requirement to enter the special stage and the lack of in-level Super Sonic (which will unquestionably return in this game), rings had been rendered largely impotent, more of a tradition than a meaningful element of play. Even in the ranking system of the 3d games, with the exception of 2k6, the score bonus that they netted was so insignificant that it wasn't worth going out of your way to gather them. I'm no fan of the rush games, but having an incentive to collect rings again is a great improvement.

But that's beside the point! This is the biggest development we've had on the subject of ring theory in years! I think the label on the gauge is the first time they've specifically stated that rings have energy, dispelling the heresy that they could just be magical golden hoops once and for all. Furthermore, if the gameplay works as I'd expect it to and you don't lose actual rings for using your ring energy it would strongly favor my "field effect" hypothosis, bringing the heretofore unique mechanics of the special moves from SA2 vs. mode into conformity with the acceptable canon and inspiring provocative new consideration of why 50 rings are required to transform if none of the rings are actually used up in the process and only one is required to maintain it.

[FlashTHD]

^ Is it wrong that my eyes were starting to spin by the end of that?

[Neo]

Depends, were they spinning clockwise or counterclockwise? Or a bit of both, like in Heroes?

[gr4yJ4Y]

...inspiring provocative new consideration of why 50 rings are required to transform if none of the rings are actually used up in the process and only one is required to maintain it.

Maybe, the chaos emeralds are more of mystic beings than objects and won't allow Sonic or whoever to transform unless they can sustain themselves for at least 50 seconds.

Or maybe the rings are used up initially when transformed, but the character can only stay super for the amount of energy gained by the rings. Touching additional rings while super uses up the ring, supplying more energy to the total initial.

[Frieza2000]

Or maybe the rings are used up initially when transformed, but the character can only stay super for the amount of energy gained by the rings. Touching additional rings while super uses up the ring, supplying more energy to the total initial.

A creative solution, but if you untransform early, like at the end of the a stage, you still have the rings that didn't get used up. There's also the boss of Sonic 3 that can knock you out of super form by making you drop all your rings.

[One Classy Bloke]

According to Sonic X, Eggman, feeling bad about blowing up half the moon, repaired it to it's typical form. Except it later turned out to be a plan to make money by causing an eternal eclipse of the sun and selling people lamps.

[Opa-Opa]

There's also the boss of Sonic 3 that can knock you out of super form by making you drop all your rings.

I don't remember that boss.

[DackAttac]

The only one I could think of is Ice Cap Act 2, maybe if you somehow manage to get frozen?

But I seem to recall SS just not getting frozen. Huh.

[Shadow Hog]

There are two places in Sonic 3 where Super Sonic can lose his rings.

One is in Ice Cap Zone Act 1, in Knuckles' path, with all the floating ice spikes. For some reason, it still registers as a hit, even as Super, so Sonic loses all his rings regardless.

The second is the final boss in Launch Base Zone Act 2 (the third of the three bosses there - the one that you don't get to fight in Sonic 3 & Kncukles, unless you're Knuckles). If his arms grab hold of you, he'll fly up off the screen and slam you into the ground - and upon contact with the platform, your rings will go flying no matter WHAT form you're in.

That informative enough?

[P.P.A.]

In the Sonic 3C 0408 prototype, Knuckles can also knock the rings out of Super Sonic.

Sonic 3C (Prototype 0408 - Apr 08, 1994, 17_043.gif

[Green Gibbon!]

Doesn't the dark desert race in Sonic Riders take place during a total solar eclipse?

[K2J]

Doesn't the dark desert race in Sonic Riders take place during a total solar eclipse?

Heh, I kinda forgot about it. But then again, I always thought the Riders series took place prior to SA1 for some reason.