This article has a talk page!This page details one or more prototype versions of Sonic Mega Collection.
General Differences#
Intro#
On startup, the game shows a "Licensed by Nintendo" screen. This screen was removed from the final release, instead opting to put this text below the game's copyright.
- When going from menu to menu, or a different game, the music stops once the screen goes black, instead of as soon as the player has made a decision.
Title Screen#
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Proto |
Final |
|---|---|
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While the logo wasn't really changed, everything else was. The title screen's design is a lot simpler and completely different.
- There's no animated film scroll or stars.
- The background uses a combination of blue and orange patterns instead of being a solid blue color.
- The pattern in the background isn't sunken in.
- The game's logo is placed up higher.
- "Press Start" is missing a white outline.
- The copyright simply reads "© SEGA CORPORATION", doesn't list any years and lacks the "Licensed by Nintendo" text.
A Japanese version of the early title screen is present in the final. It also plays the extended title music heard in the Demo FMV, which is absent here.
Menu#
- The button prompts are placed a few pixels lower.
- The bar on the bottom where the text scrolls is a bit thicker. Because of this, the scrolling text is also placed a bit higher.
- The joystick prompt appears different; two yellow arrows are present and the joystick is shown from a top view.
- Present in sonic/us is a small file titled
menu.tcs. This is a small text document used for managing the menu's background. Weirdly enough, it references .tm2 files, a file format that stores graphics commonly used by PlayStation 2 games. It isn't used whatsoever.
file 0 = menu\bg\menu_bg0.tm2
image 0 = 0, 0, CMPR
texture 0 = 0, x
file 1 = menu\bg\menu_bg1.tm2
image 1 = 1, 1, CMPR
texture 1 = 1, xOptions#
- "SAVE & EXIT" is written as "Game Log Recorded & Exit".
- The scrolling text for the Controller Configuration is assigned incorrectly to the Audio button.
Extras#
- "History of Sonic" was called "Sonic Secret File".
- Two entries are present for Sonic the Hedgehog: The Movie/the Sonic OVA, both being for part 1 and part 2 respectively (like how the original Japanese version was two parts). It's possible that space limitations and/or licensing issues prevented the film from being included, and no other references can be found on the disc. Their descriptions read:
Sonic OVA Part 1, which was created in Japan.
Sonic OVA Part 2, which was created in Japan.Visual Differences#
Comic Covers#
Path: sonic/us/comics
A bunch of comic covers depicting references to Marvel characters (as well as a crossover with Image) were censored in the final game to avoid potential lawsuits. However, three of the comic scans in this prototype were left uncensored.
c_h1_07.tpl |
c_hb_03.tpl |
c_ss_06.tpl |
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|---|---|---|---|
Proto |
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Final |
Game Differences#
ROMs#
- The version of Sonic Spinball used in this build is a scene release of a very late prototype, which included two Sonic 1 songs; the final version uses the final release with Howard Drossin's music since Sega doesn't own most of the Sonic 1 soundtrack and hadn't licensed the music for Spinball. This seems to suggest at least some of the ROMs may have been sourced online.
- The version of Sonic 2 included is bit-for-bit identical to REV01. The final version uses a slightly altered ROM to fix the 14 continues cheat bug, where an incorrect sound command ($3F instead of $BF) would continually play the Oil Ocean track until a reset.
Missing Games#
Both Flicky and Ristar are absent from the game selection.
Sonic CD#
As might already be obvious; Sonic the Hedgehog CD is displayed in the selection of games and was intended to be playable. The game has a fully written description and has its manual fully scanned and implemented, though it lacks a title screen. Selecting the game boots up Sonic the Hedgehog instead. As mentioned on this page, Yuji Naka told GameSpot in an interview that the game was cut due to "space constrains"1 with no other reasons given. However, the real reason involved issues with the Sega CD emulator and wanting to make use of the ADX audio format. Since there was no time to reprogram the emulator, Sonic CD's inclusion was scrapped2. Interestingly, it's possible this might've been one of the last prototypes that featured Sonic CD before the game ended up on the chopping block, as a hands-on preview from IGN posted on August 23rd revealed that Sonic CD would "absolutely not be making the cut" according to Sega3.
Selecting brings up an explanation like the other games, and you can view its European manual.
The picture is a placeholder image with crude Japanese writing with "ソニック CD" (Sonic CD) written on it. It remains in the final, unused. Loading the game just brings you to Sonic the Hedgehog. The description reads:
Bring freedom back to the Little |
Music Differences#
Only two tracks ended up getting slightly altered.
Text Differences#
Game Descriptions#
Game |
Proto |
Final |
|---|---|---|
Defeat enemies, rescue the helpless |
Defeat enemies, rescue the helpless |
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Collaborate with Tails in a new |
Collaborate with Tails in a new |
|
The Death Egg has crashed on |
The Death Egg has crashed on |
|
Destroy the Death Egg and retrieve the |
Destroy the Death Egg and retrieve the |
|
Blue Spheres |
Collect all the Blue Spheres! |
Remember! When you see the message |
Knuckles in Sonic the Hedgehog 2 |
Play as Knuckles and stop Dr. Eggman |
Play as Knuckles and stop Dr. Eggman |
Play as Knuckles and stop Dr. Eggman |
Play as Knuckles and stop Dr. Eggman |
|
Defeat the enemies and rescue |
Defeat the enemies and rescue |
|
Control Stick, + Control Pad : Move |
Control Stick, +Control Pad : Move |
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Stack and remove the beans! |
Stack and remove the beans! |
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Catch all the little birdies and lead |
Catch all the little birdies and lead |
|
Ristar will grab, hold, climb walls, |
Ristar will grab, hold, climb walls, |
Unused ROM#
Present in the root of the disc is an uncompressed ROM titled sonic3.bin. This is actually the Japanese version of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and is unused because all the ROMs are located in sonic\us\roms.
Unused Graphics#
12logo.tpl#
A very strange image of a blurry block with the Hiragana character あ (ah) There are also some dark yellow lines that appear to have been cropped from a much larger image.
