Christian Whitehead Uploads Video Of S3&K HD Prototype
On this day in 1994, SEGA released Sonic & Knuckles worldwide for SEGA Genesis and Mega Drive. To mark the occasion, Christian “The Taxman” Whitehead and Stealth have uploaded video of a prototype version of Sonic 3 & Knuckles HD for mobile devices.
The following description was included with the video:
Hey ladies and gents! In celebration of Sonic 3k’s 20th anniversary, we thought we’d show you a prototype from our personal vaults that we developed early this year.
Please note that it was created independently, and is by no means official or indicative of an official SEGA release. This project can not be continued without legal and financial backing from SEGA
For more information about Sonic 3k and this project, read Simon’s in-depth write up here: http://hcstealth.tumblr.com/post/100311283757/sonic-3-knuckles-20th-anniversary
The Tumblr post linked in the video goes to a blog where Stealth goes into more detail about the prototype, including some things they experimented with the game, and some history of Sonic 3 & Knuckles‘ development. At the end they explain that, while they’ve done some work on it, the project is independent and entirely up to SEGA from here on out if the project is to continue:
To respond to the biggest question that I assume is on many people’s minds, the future of this project is uncertain. Three important facts that were already mentioned are that this project was created independently of SEGA and is in no way affiliated with them, that any release whatsoever would have to be licensed and approved by SEGA, and that this game is massive; what we have here is already the product of months of work, and that’s time that wasn’t spent directly working to make a living.
Enough of this project has been completed to prove a point. The only way that it can be continued is with both legal and financial backing from SEGA.Unti
Whether the game is ever revamped in high-definition or not one thing is for sure. The original has left a legacy on its own. From the elemental shields to the debut of Knuckles the Echidna. From the lock-on technology to the infamous relationship SEGA had with Michael Jackson for the game’s soundtrack. Happy birthday, Sonic & Knuckles!
This post was originally written by the author for TSSZ News.
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Make it happen, Sega.
It’ll happen, considering the last Proof of Concept video Taxman shared that involved a Sonic game on an iPhone. How could SEGA not want to cash in on this?
Now if only they could just port Sonic 1 and 2 HD onto consoles. I know it’s been years since their releases, but darn it I’m tired of dying due to the iPhone’s terrible touchscreen analogue simulator, I just can’t adjust to it well enough. If this project ever becomes real, I sure hope that they port this to consoles too, the Genesis era deserves some love!
Agreed!
Well, if this ever gets green lit, maybe the whole remastered trilogy will be released on consoles, which makes more sense than releasing them separately again for people to dismiss them as bad emulations and not full fledged remasters. That would be great, and a hell of a distraction for those like me who are not the least bit interested in the upcoming Sonic Boom.
The gents are my heroes. Sega, don’t be dumb, have some shred of sense and allow them to make the project
Halloweaster eggs =D well that myth got busted 😎
What makes this HD?
It’s not. Yet.
Remember that it hasn’t been finished.
Well, it’s not exactly HD. But it will run at native 1080p widescreen + 60fps like the other Christian Whitehead remasters.
…
Fucking SEGA,
I hope StealthTax are given the opportunity to work on 3&K. Would love to play it on my phone (a console version would be even better). I guess it all depends on whether the legal issues surrounding Sonic 3 can be resolved so that SEGA can stop denying that the game even exists.
Yo ITS ABOUT TIME………… What TOOK them so LONG?!!!????
It’s only a proof of concept. Essentially, this video also serves as a method of saying “Hey SEGA! See this cool thing we did? Give us the go-ahead and we’ll make you lots of money off of a game you don’t even have to make!” They still need SEGA to to greenlight the idea. I really think they will though, they know that Taxman and Stealth have been rather valuable trump cards in their digital campaign, so it would be crazy not to take advantage of probably one of the most demanded projects of the last 8 years. It’s fine to go looking for newer avenues with things like Sonic Boom, but you should still rely on things that your older fans would love to see, like HD re-releases.
The best Sonic game ever made and my favorite game ever.
Sega please, help this guy.
I’m begging for SEGA and Taxman to have this rereleased!
C’mon Sega, I need this (and the others) on my 3DS.
And my PS3. Seriously, CD is getting pretty lonely, give it some friends! T.T
One trick to getting Sega’s attention is liking and sharing this video, you know, making it a viral sensation. All we need to do is get to work so the ball starts rolling and everybody we know starts getting interested. If we just pull together as a community and start making a stir, Sega will seeing the dollar bills we’re waving and they’ll get the picture that this is worth the time and effort.
Just as a note of clarification to the editor: I believe they never said Taxman and company were doing an HD remark a la Sonic 2 HD, by redesigning the game resources. They appear to be only interested in doing an upscaling technique on the original game graphics whilst porting the game engine just like they did with the Sonic CD and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 remakes. That means there is still a lot of coding legwork to be done for what they need to do because they would need to recreate the game engine and all that entails. There’s the level mechanics, game physics and biggest challenge being the 3D sphere special level which would all need to be coded up from scratch.
One thing to add from my brief scanning of Sleath’s article: the 3D sphere appears to be somewhat operational.
*3D sphere stage
Much as i love this idea and want it to really happen, i almost think the Sonic 3 music could pose an issue in making a remake like this. Apparently the original Genesis tracks for Carnival Zone, ice Cap Zone, Launch base Zone and the credits are all Michael Jackson songs that SEGA doesn’t own. in the PC version, all these songs were cut and replaced with other music. Would they even want to remake the game if they couldn’t use the original Genesis tracks?
The PC version of S3&K did not have the tracks the Genesis version had, though this may have been due to a limitation of Sound Blaster Pro, the most popular sound card at the time. That said, none of the tracks are as memorable IMO, unless they do some serious overhalling and can turn out something catchy with what’s already there. I’d rather just have the original soundtrack on Genesis, but we’ll see(or we won’t).
I need that Angel Island remix it’s so good!
Common, guys! Show this on Sega’s twitter! I already did my part
Yea with this being teased itll be great to have the whole trilogy remastered on HD consoles like PS3/4 XBOX360/ONE & WII U.
Maybe theyll even have Sonic 4 and CD as a bonus? Then its pretty much all the 2D games on one disc
Tbh the best bonus they could do is KNUCKLES CHAOTIX : REMASTERED but prob not.
Wonder if they did remaster S3&K if theyll add extra stuff or levels etc even
Stealth DID say if they were able to do the project, they wanted to explore the possibility of one-act levels of the multiplayer zones.
I am not hyped because I know that this will not be for Wii U
I’m really hyped for this. Here’s hoping it happens, both on the expected IPhone and Android markets but also on consoles some day.
The only reason I’m not upset for these not being on consoles is that Stealth and Taxman are always kind enough to program the physical keyboard function for movement for their Sonic ports. Hell, most games on the Android market aren’t programed with a sliding keyboard in mind, meaning you are -forced- to use touchscreen controls. If this was the only way I could play Sonic on my phone, I’d be infuriated, but thankfully I can use W A S D and it feels just as good as a regular controller in my hands(until I have to switch phones, we’ll see how that goes).
The contract was not renewed? Sonic Boom is part of this?