Sonic X-Treme (found build of unreleased SEGA Saturn platformer; 1996): Difference between revisions

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{{InfoboxLost
{{InfoboxFound
|title=<center>Sonic X-treme</center>
|title=<center>Sonic X-Treme</center>
|image=Sonic_X-treme_Coverart.png
|image=Sonic_X-treme_Coverart.png
|imagecaption=Mockup Cover Art for the game
|imagecaption=Mock-up cover art for the game.
|status=<span style="color:red;">'''Lost/Cancelled'''</span>
|status=<span style="color:green;">'''Found'''</span>
|datefound=04 Nov 2014
|foundby=[https://web.archive.org/web/20150603205320/http://www.senntient.com/forums/viewtopic.php?id=2173&p=1 andrew75]
}}
}}
'''''Sonic X-Treme''''' was a game set to be released on the Sega Saturn in 1996. One of the many lost video games dedicated to the legendary Sega mascot, Sonic the Hedgehog, its legacy is second only to that of ''Sonic the Hedgehog 2'' on the Sega Genesis. Over the years, many video game enthusiasts have sought out various pieces of information to rebuild and learn more of the game's legacy.
'''''Sonic X-Treme''''' was an upcoming game set to be released on the Sega Saturn in 1996. ''Sonic X-Treme'' was one of the many long lost video games dedicated to the legendary Sega mascot, Sonic the Hedgehog. Its legacy is second only to that of ''Sonic the Hedgehog 2'' on the Sega Genesis and became an enigma for many people on the internet. Over the years, many video game enthusiasts and Sonic fans have sought out various pieces of information and leaks to rebuild and learn more about what the game might've been like if it was completed.


Throughout its development, X-Treme would start out as a Genesis title before being shifted to the ill-fated Sega 32X, and then being made for a short-lived [http://www.sonic-cult.org/dispart.php?catid=6&gameid=10&subid=2&artid=2 Sega system based on Nvidia technology] predating the Saturn, before finally settling on the latter. Before the game became what it was, it was known as "Sonic Mars," which would have been set in the popular Saturday Morning (SatAM) ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' universe, involving Sonic's team, the Knothole Freedom Fighters (footage of that game only showed Princess Sally Acorn as a playable character). However, due to the ever-shifting focus of then-next generation systems, this game would be abandoned in favor of Sonic X-Treme.
==Development History==
[[File:Sonic xtreme promo 1.png|thumb|300px|A screenshot from the E3 1996 Sonic X-Treme promo.]]


According to interviews with the game's creators, the game would have involved Sonic battling his arch-foe Dr Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik to rescue Professor Gazebo and protect six items known as the "Rings of Order," which is said to be how the Rings Sonic and his friends collect are made. Sonic is aided by a new female character named Tiara (though her last name is heavily disputed, the common one is "Boobowski"), a female wildcat who would have aided Sonic with the use of a wand, perhaps mimicking how fellow female hedgehog Amy Rose used a hammer. Confirmed bosses in the game beyond Robotnik included Nack the Weasel and a new version of Metal Sonic.
Throughout the course of its development, ''X-Treme'' suffered from numerous delays and shifting between different systems. Which resulted in it being stuck in development hell. The game originally started out as a Genesis title called ''Sonic Mars'' (which would've been set in the popular Saturday Morning (SatAM) ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' universe involving Sonic's team and ''Princess Sally Acorn'', one of the Knothole Freedom Fighters) before being completely scrapped and shifted to the ill-fated ''Sega 32X'' and then moved to a short-lived Sega system based on Nvidia technology predating the Saturn, before finally settling on the latter.<ref name="interview">[https://web.archive.org/web/20160408053117/http://www.sonic-cult.org/dispart.php?catid=6&gameid=10&subid=2&artid=2 An archived interview with the producer of ''Sonic X-Treme'' that mentions the short-lived Sega system.] Retrieved 02 Mar '19</ref>


The game was quite infamous for its executive meddling and troubled production: the game was meant to have two types of gameplay, one for its main stages and one for its bosses. However, when some of Sega of Japan's executives had come in to check up on progress, they were dismayed by the supposed lack of progress for the main stage engine (which was actually an earlier prototype), but absolutely loved the boss engine and asked to use that engine for the entire game, forcing developers to rebuild the entire game from scratch. Realizing that their game engine was almost similar to another Sega-developed Saturn game being worked simultaneously, ''NiGHTS into Dreams...'', the team requested access to that game's engine as a starting point to minimize development time. The request was granted, then swiftly confiscated after Yuji Naka, the main programmer, and producer of ''NiGHTS'' and, ironically, co-creator of Sonic, threatened to quit.
According to numerous interviews with the game's creators, ''Sonic X-Treme'' would have involved Sonic battling his arch-foe Dr. Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik to rescue Professor Gazebo and protect six items known as the "Rings of Order," which is said to be how the Rings Sonic and his friends collect are made. Sonic is aided by a new female character named Tiara (though her last name is heavily disputed, the common one is "Boobowski"), a female wildcat who would have aided Sonic with the use of a wand, perhaps mimicking how fellow female hedgehog Amy Rose used a hammer. Confirmed bosses in the game included Nack the Weasel and a new version of Metal Sonic.<ref name="interview"/>


Ultimately, the game was forced to be shelved - internal politics and one of the spearheaders nearly driving to the point of only having months to live lead to them realizing there was no hope in having it done. The game was shelved and a Sega Saturn port of ''Sonic 3D Blast'' was created in its stead.
The game was quite infamous for its executive meddling and troubled production. The original concept was meant to have two types of gameplay: one for its main stages and one for its bosses. However, when some of Sega of Japan's executives had come in to check up on progress, they were dismayed by the supposed lack of progress for the main stage engine (which was actually an earlier prototype), but absolutely loved the boss engine and asked to use that engine for the entire game. Afterward, the developers were forced to rebuild the entire game from scratch. Realizing that their game engine was almost similar to another Sega-developed Saturn game that was being worked simultaneously, called ''NiGHTS into Dreams'', the team requested access to that game's engine as a starting point to minimize development time. The request was granted, but was swiftly confiscated after Yuji Naka (the main programmer and producer of ''NiGHTS'' and ironically, the co-creator of ''Sonic'') threatened to quit.


In 2005, a playable test engine demo for the Saturn was sold to an anonymous collector for $2500. An animated GIF of gameplay was released to the public, and the full demo was leaked July 17th, 2007. In the demo, the player can control Sonic and move around the terrain of the level. There are no enemies, and gameplay is terminated after five minutes.
Unfortunately, the game was indefinitely shelved - internal politics made things a living nightmare for the developers and one of the spearheads of Sega was nearly driven to the point of only having mere months to live, which lead to the cancellation of ''Sonic X-Treme''. The developers instead created a Sega Saturn port of ''Sonic 3D Blast''.


On November 4, 2014, a final build of the game was found by andrew75<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20150603205320/http://www.senntient.com/forums/viewtopic.php?id=2173&p=1 senntient.com forum that a final build was found.] Retrieved 08 Sep '15.</ref>.
==Demo Build Leaks==
[[File:Sonic xtreme logo.png|300px|thumb|Early version of the Sonic ''X-Treme'' logo from the 718 demo build.<ref name="tcrf" />]]


Over the years, many pieces of information have been gathered about the game, its characters and the gameplay and have been compiled across the Internet, especially websites dedicated to the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise.
In 2005, a disc containing a playable demo version of the test engine for the Saturn was sold to an anonymous collector for $2500 USD. Two years later, an animated gif of the gameplay was released to the public and the full demo was leaked on July 17th, 2007. In this demo, the player can control and move Sonic around the terrain of the level. There are no enemies in sight, and gameplay stops after five minutes.<ref name="tcrf">[https://tcrf.net/Sonic_X-treme The Cutting Room Floor page on ''Sonic X-Treme''.] Retrieved 17 Sept '19</ref>


<br/>
On November 4th, 2014, the final build for Sonic X-Treme was found by andrew75. They were only playable on Windows 95 computers and the Nvidia NV1 video card. The following year, Sonic Retro user Jollyroger acquired the POV file assets from another user named Tichua and made the build compatible with OpenGL. Alongside with this, Jollyroger discovered and decompiled numerous level editors related to different builds. This includes the binary code for v53's level editor.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20150603205320/http://www.senntient.com/forums/viewtopic.php?id=2173&p=1 Archived forum thread where the final build was found.] Retrieved 08 Sept '15</ref><ref>[https://forums.sonicretro.org/index.php?threads/never-before-seen-build-of-sonic-x-treme-leaked.34255/ Andrew75's ''Sonic X-Treme'' thread on the Sonic Retro forums.] Retrieved 17 Sept '19</ref><ref name="tcrf"/>


==Videos==
===Builds===
{| class="wikitable" style="margin: auto;"
There are currently six builds that were discovered. Most of them being development builds and two being demo builds.
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
| {{#ev:youtube|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue-jo2qWiFA|320x240|center|E3 1996 promo video.}}
| {{#ev:youtube|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftNgzZ3Ovig|320x240|center|E3 1996 trailer (no sound).}}
|}


{| class="wikitable" style="margin: auto;"
[[File:Xtreme v32 1.png|300px|thumb|An in-game screenshot from one of v37's levels.]]
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
| {{#ev:youtube|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VW_Pd-PTAtM|320x240|center|Video of the leaked test engine demo engine from 2007.}}
| {{#ev:youtube|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeoX6M50iCM|320x240|center|Jade Gully Zone.}}
|}


{| class="wikitable" style="margin: auto;"
v001 is the earliest known build (dating November 28th, 1995). Founded in the POV archive, this features a ''very'' basic version of the engine that can run on any operating system. The only functionality is the ability to use the mouse to move around the room. v37 and its editor date back to roughly around the E3 1996 trailer for ''Sonic X-Treme''. The initial release of the build showcased only one level entitled Jade Gully, which was the level showcased in the trailer. v40 was both the PC and Saturn version. It was around the time when the game was being rewritten for the Saturn.<ref name="tcrf" />
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
| {{#ev:youtube|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzvS_beXtXk|320x240|center|Crystal Frost Zone.}}
| {{#ev:youtube|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zq_iPxQsbm0|320x240|center|Death Egg Zone.}}
|}


{| class="wikitable" style="margin: auto;"
The 714 and 718 demo builds feature more coherent gameplay including a title screen, pause screen, game over screen, and the previously mentioned Jade Gully level. It also uses ''Sonic CD'' music and SFX as placeholders. The level editor for v53 was also found. Unfortunately, the source code could not be found or decompiled. So the program is stuck being only usable in Windows 98.<ref name="tcrf" />
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
| {{#ev:youtube|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZb7LE6G5Gg|320x240|center|Red Sands Zone.}}
| {{#ev:youtube|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmaDfHU303E|320x240|center|A piece of conceptual music titled "Space Queens" by Chris Senn.}}
|}


{| class="wikitable" style="margin: auto;"
===Released Sprites===
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
In 2017, ''Sonic X-Treme’s'' Lead Artist ''Ross Harris'' published numerous sprite work and original models from the game. These include a fully animated Sonic sprite and sprite work for ''Amy Rose'', ''Tridril'', ''T-Rex'', ''Orca'', and many more.<ref>[https://rharris347.wixsite.com/rhdp/sonicxtreme Ross Harris's site which has some sprites from ''Sonic X-Treme''.] Retrieved 17 Sept '19</ref>
| {{#ev:youtube|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rn0veaksa7A|320x240|center|A piece of conceptual music titled "Egyptian" by Chris Senn; intended to be used for the Red Sands boss.}}
| {{#ev:youtube|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aS9nAuyp_o|320x240|center}}
|}
 
{| class="wikitable" style="margin: auto;"
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
| {{#ev:youtube|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNCeVNOhdIM|320x240|center}}
| {{#ev:youtube|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9EUDlC6vsI|320x240|center}}
|}


It is currently unknown if Ross Harris still has the other sprites he made.


<gallery mode=packed heights=175px>
Sonic xtreme running.gif|Animated sprites of Sonic's movement.
Sonic xtreme model.png|A full 3D model of Sonic.
Sonic xtreme amy model.png|A full 3D model of Amy Rose.
Tridrill model.png|A full 3D model of Trildril.
Trex model.png|A full 3D model of T-Rex.
Orca model.png|A full 3D model of the Orca.
</gallery>
==Videos==
{{Video|perrow  =4
  |service1    =youtube
  |id1          =ue-jo2qWiFA
  |description1 =E3 1996 promo video.
  |service2    =youtube
  |id2          =ftNgzZ3Ovig
  |description2 =E3: 1996 trailer (no sound).
  |service3    =youtube
  |id3          =VW_Pd-PTAtM
  |description3 =Video of the leaked test engine from 2007.
  |service4    =youtube
  |id4          =oeoX6M50iCM
  |description4 =Jade Gully Zone.
}}
{{Video|perrow  =4
  |service1    =youtube
  |id1          =wzvS_beXtXk
  |description1 =Cyrstal Frost Zone.
  |service2    =youtube
  |id2          =zq_iPxQsbm0
  |description2 =Death Egg Zone.
  |service3    =youtube
  |id3          =aZb7LE6G5Gg
  |description3 =Red Sands Zone.
  |service4    =youtube
  |id4          =OmaDfHU303E
  |description4 =A piece of conceptual music titled "Space Queens" by Chris Senn.
}}
{{Video|perrow  =4
  |service1    =youtube
  |id1          =Rn0veaksa7A
  |description1 =A piece of conceptual music titled "Egyptian" by Chris Sebb; intended to be used for the Red Sands boss.
  |service2    =youtube
  |id2          =9aS9nAuyp_o
  |description2 =E3: 1996 Japanese footage.
  |service3    =youtube
  |id3          =JNCeVNOhdIM
  |description3 =''Sonic X-Treme'' running on a SSF Sega Saturn emulator.
  |service4    =youtube
  |id4          =f9EUDlC6vsI 
  |description4 =''Sonic X-Treme'' OpenGL port, first preview.
}}
==References==
==References==
<references/>
{{reflist}}


[[Category: Found media]]
[[Category:Found media]]
[[Category: Historic]]
[[Category:Historic]]

Revision as of 17:47, 19 April 2020

Sonic X-treme Coverart.png

Mock-up cover art for the game.

Status: Found

Date found: 04 Nov 2014

Found by: andrew75

Sonic X-Treme was an upcoming game set to be released on the Sega Saturn in 1996. Sonic X-Treme was one of the many long lost video games dedicated to the legendary Sega mascot, Sonic the Hedgehog. Its legacy is second only to that of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 on the Sega Genesis and became an enigma for many people on the internet. Over the years, many video game enthusiasts and Sonic fans have sought out various pieces of information and leaks to rebuild and learn more about what the game might've been like if it was completed.

Development History

A screenshot from the E3 1996 Sonic X-Treme promo.

Throughout the course of its development, X-Treme suffered from numerous delays and shifting between different systems. Which resulted in it being stuck in development hell. The game originally started out as a Genesis title called Sonic Mars (which would've been set in the popular Saturday Morning (SatAM) Sonic the Hedgehog universe involving Sonic's team and Princess Sally Acorn, one of the Knothole Freedom Fighters) before being completely scrapped and shifted to the ill-fated Sega 32X and then moved to a short-lived Sega system based on Nvidia technology predating the Saturn, before finally settling on the latter.[1]

According to numerous interviews with the game's creators, Sonic X-Treme would have involved Sonic battling his arch-foe Dr. Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik to rescue Professor Gazebo and protect six items known as the "Rings of Order," which is said to be how the Rings Sonic and his friends collect are made. Sonic is aided by a new female character named Tiara (though her last name is heavily disputed, the common one is "Boobowski"), a female wildcat who would have aided Sonic with the use of a wand, perhaps mimicking how fellow female hedgehog Amy Rose used a hammer. Confirmed bosses in the game included Nack the Weasel and a new version of Metal Sonic.[1]

The game was quite infamous for its executive meddling and troubled production. The original concept was meant to have two types of gameplay: one for its main stages and one for its bosses. However, when some of Sega of Japan's executives had come in to check up on progress, they were dismayed by the supposed lack of progress for the main stage engine (which was actually an earlier prototype), but absolutely loved the boss engine and asked to use that engine for the entire game. Afterward, the developers were forced to rebuild the entire game from scratch. Realizing that their game engine was almost similar to another Sega-developed Saturn game that was being worked simultaneously, called NiGHTS into Dreams, the team requested access to that game's engine as a starting point to minimize development time. The request was granted, but was swiftly confiscated after Yuji Naka (the main programmer and producer of NiGHTS and ironically, the co-creator of Sonic) threatened to quit.

Unfortunately, the game was indefinitely shelved - internal politics made things a living nightmare for the developers and one of the spearheads of Sega was nearly driven to the point of only having mere months to live, which lead to the cancellation of Sonic X-Treme. The developers instead created a Sega Saturn port of Sonic 3D Blast.

Demo Build Leaks

Early version of the Sonic X-Treme logo from the 718 demo build.[2]

In 2005, a disc containing a playable demo version of the test engine for the Saturn was sold to an anonymous collector for $2500 USD. Two years later, an animated gif of the gameplay was released to the public and the full demo was leaked on July 17th, 2007. In this demo, the player can control and move Sonic around the terrain of the level. There are no enemies in sight, and gameplay stops after five minutes.[2]

On November 4th, 2014, the final build for Sonic X-Treme was found by andrew75. They were only playable on Windows 95 computers and the Nvidia NV1 video card. The following year, Sonic Retro user Jollyroger acquired the POV file assets from another user named Tichua and made the build compatible with OpenGL. Alongside with this, Jollyroger discovered and decompiled numerous level editors related to different builds. This includes the binary code for v53's level editor.[3][4][2]

Builds

There are currently six builds that were discovered. Most of them being development builds and two being demo builds.

An in-game screenshot from one of v37's levels.

v001 is the earliest known build (dating November 28th, 1995). Founded in the POV archive, this features a very basic version of the engine that can run on any operating system. The only functionality is the ability to use the mouse to move around the room. v37 and its editor date back to roughly around the E3 1996 trailer for Sonic X-Treme. The initial release of the build showcased only one level entitled Jade Gully, which was the level showcased in the trailer. v40 was both the PC and Saturn version. It was around the time when the game was being rewritten for the Saturn.[2]

The 714 and 718 demo builds feature more coherent gameplay including a title screen, pause screen, game over screen, and the previously mentioned Jade Gully level. It also uses Sonic CD music and SFX as placeholders. The level editor for v53 was also found. Unfortunately, the source code could not be found or decompiled. So the program is stuck being only usable in Windows 98.[2]

Released Sprites

In 2017, Sonic X-Treme’s Lead Artist Ross Harris published numerous sprite work and original models from the game. These include a fully animated Sonic sprite and sprite work for Amy Rose, Tridril, T-Rex, Orca, and many more.[5]

It is currently unknown if Ross Harris still has the other sprites he made.

Videos

E3 1996 promo video.

E3: 1996 trailer (no sound).

Video of the leaked test engine from 2007.

Jade Gully Zone.

Cyrstal Frost Zone.

Death Egg Zone.

Red Sands Zone.

A piece of conceptual music titled "Space Queens" by Chris Senn.

A piece of conceptual music titled "Egyptian" by Chris Sebb; intended to be used for the Red Sands boss.

E3: 1996 Japanese footage.

Sonic X-Treme running on a SSF Sega Saturn emulator.

Sonic X-Treme OpenGL port, first preview.

References