The Hill Is Always Greener

It's our second anniversary, and we're ready for another year of talking about everyone's favorite hedgehog! So why don't we kick off year three by talking about...well, Sonic himself? That's right, all of...er, MOST of the gang are diving deep today into what really drives Sonic as a character. What are his the core aspects of his personality? How about his greatest flaws? Why do so many people believe Black Knight is "peak" as the kids call it? And at the heart of it all, they try to answer the big question: is there really one TRUE Sonic characterization...or does there even need to be? (0:00:00) Intro (0:03:00) Main topic: Who is Sonic the Hedgehog? (0:10:49) Real quick recent Sonic-y stuff (0:13:30) Who is Sonic "objectively"? (0:27:36) Sonic's pre-Adventure "essence" (0:39:50) Older Sonic media that "gets it wrong" (0:44:30) Perfect examples of what makes Sonic "Sonic" (1:07:06) Black Knight and Unleashed (1:44:15) Sonic's flaws (2:10:17) What should Sonic NEVER do? (2:21:34) Our Sonic headcanons (2:37:46) Who is Sonic to us specifically? (2:51:40) Outro Amie Waters on Linktree The Animation of Sonic Frontiers Hot Coffee by Adam Bryce Thomas

Hoo boy, folks. Our journey through Sonic Prime has finally come to an end, as heroes and villains from across the Shatterverse come together for one final showdown against an emotionally compromised child and his robot army. Is it the grand finale we were all hoping for? Or would this ending have been better left banished to the darkest corners of the void? Tune in to find out! (0:00:00) Intro (0:05:10) Year of Shadow, baby! (0:11:19) Main Topic: Sonic Prime "Season" 3 (0:14:00) Grim Tidings (0:30:20) Dome Sweet Dome (0:35:30) No Escape-The Devil is in the Tails (1:05:40) From the Top (1:28:57) Final thoughts (1:50:40) Outro Amie Waters on Linktree Police Story reference

Get ready... GO! It's time for a new episode of The Wood Village is Always Greener, as we hop in our cars, hovercrafts, and planes, traveling back to the late '90s so we can reminisce on a beloved classic kart racer, Diddy Kong Racing. We take a DEEP dive looking back at everything this game has to offer, from its colorful cast, to its many scenic circuits, to all the attempted follow-ups that never quite left the starting line. (0:00:00) Intro/Main topic: Diddy Kong Racing (0:07:25) Development history (0:11:09) The characters (0:40:18) Gameplay (0:47:27) Battle mode (0:49:16) Adventure mode (0:59:07) Dino Domain (1:01:48) Snowflake Mountain (1:05:20) Sherbet Island (1:09:29) Dragon Forest (1:15:39) Wizpig's First Strike (1:21:14) Future Fun Land (1:24:31) Wizpig Strikes Back and other features (1:29:10) Diddy Kong Racing DS (1:44:48) The almost-sequels (1:56:23) Other media and merch (2:04:20) N64 vs. DS listening party (2:20:59) Final thoughts (2:22:41) Outro Amie Waters on Linktree Diddy Kong Racing's Krunch -- Designing For Frustration Donkey Kong Racing trailer Diddy Kong Pilot prototypes Diddy Kong Racing Adventure The Fast and the Furriest Mickey's Speedway USA beta maps Rare Racers pins at Fangamer DKR64.com

After much teasing, the gang is finally beginning their journey through the UK Sonic novels written by Martin Adams, who is totally a real person that exists, we swear. First up is Sonic in Robotnik's Laboratory, as Sonic and Tails race to rescue their friends from Robotnik's FAROUT machine, a device that is anything but. It's a tale filled romance, betrayal, fast food, rats, toasters, obscure localizations, bad-taste jokes about public figures, incomprehensible cockney rhyming, and a bunch of other stuff someone saw in a video once...what more could anyone ask for? (0:00:00) Intro/our recent Sonic-y stuff (0:06:01) Main Topic: Sonic the Hedgehog in Robotnik's Laboratory (0:20:21) Story recap (2:09:56) Final thoughts (2:16:16) Outro Amie Waters on Linktree Sonic the Comic the Podcast STCTP interview with "Martin Adams" Sonic the Hedgehog in Robotnik's Laboratory

People don't always say what they mean, and things are not always what they seem. For example, we could say "the Sonic Underground episode 'Friend or Foe', Knuckles' first appearance in a western Sonic cartoon, is terrible and nobody should watch it." But what we actually mean is "we and special guest Green Bones Dommy watched this terrible episode, and had a blast laughing at its ridiculous animation, its often nonsensical plotting, and the Sonic franchise's all-time wolf-face power couple." So grab a plate of Krupnik and join us for our first ever look back at Sonic Underground...for better and for worse. (0:00:00) Intro/Main topic: Sonic Underground - "Friend or Foe?" (0:12:15) The history (and OUR history) of Sonic Underground (0:30:50) The cast and thoughts on some other episodes (0:48:43) Theme song (0:53:13) "Friend or Foe?" episode discussion (1:37:56) Final thoughts (1:42:57) Outro Amie Waters on Linktree Sonic Underground - Friend or Foe Ben Hurst interviews - Saturday Morning Sonic Sonic Underground: The Greatest Hits Sonic Underground commercial "The Best of Anime II" commercial

We've locked on and locked in for the second half of our Sonic 3 & Knuckles retrospective! And this week, it's all about the "& Knuckles" part, as Sonic continues to clash with Robotic and his new red-dreaded rival across mushrooms, deserts, lava, and even space, in the conclusion to this epic Mega Drive duology. (0:00:00) Intro/Main topic: Sonic & Knuckles (0:03:07) Mushroom Hill Zone (0:17:08) Flying Battery Zone (0:26:12) Sandopolis Zone (0:37:15) Lava Reef Zone/Hidden Palace Zone (0:56:00) Sky Sanctuary Zone (1:10:26) Death Egg Zone (1:27:49) The Doomsday Zone/Ending (1:38:40) Other bits and bobs (1:48:09) Final thoughts (1:57:09) Outro Amie Waters on Linktree

Happy anniversary to us! To celebrate 50 episodes of The Hill Is Always Greener, we're taking a look back at a game currently celebrating its own milestone anniversary, Sonic the Hedgehog 3! The capstone to the original trilogy provides for endless discussion, including how a whole separate game was made because of McDonald's, the *multiple* renditions of many music tracks, and the ongoing debate as to just what color Knuckles actually is. In fact, this episode ended up being so huge that, much like Sonic 3 itself, we had to split it in two! Tune in next week for our second half, all about Sonic & Knuckles! (0:00:00) Intro/Main topic: Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (& Knuckles) (0:08:45) The box art (0:11:38) The split/"lock-on technology" (0:21:58) Competition mode (0:24:55) Knock knock, it's Knuckles (0:28:20) Other changes and new features (0:36:32) The story (0:40:19) Our various versions (0:46:47) Angel Island (and Blue Spheres) (1:04:25) Hydro City (1:11:36) Marble Garden (1:17:32) Carnival Night (1:23:30) Ice Cap (1:30:03) Launch Base Amie Waters on Linktree The Sonic 3 and Laputa Connection Retronauts Episode 524: Sonic 3 & Knuckles, Part 1 Retronauts Episode 542: Sonic 3 & Knuckles, Part 2

I've heard of killing a franchise, but this is ridiculous! Sonic has been found dead, and everyone is under suspicion! To figure out just whodunit, it's going to take our crack team of podcast detectives, joined by special guest and visual novel creator Gospel, to find all the clues, interrogate all the suspects, and discover the truth behind what makes this free game from the Sega social media team such a delightful labor of love. And make sure you keep an eye out in the coming weeks for a full playthrough of the game by the cast of Sonic F! (0:00:00) Intro (0:05:23) Main topic: The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog (0:18:45) Tutorial (0:30:57) Think! (0:42:09) Saloon car (0:51:00) Library car (0:55:40) Casino car (1:05:50) Lounge car (1:09:27) Conductor car (1:19:26) The finale (1:28:19) Final thoughts (1:45:00) Outro Amie Waters on Linktree The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog The Making Of The Sonic Murder Game That Took The Internet By Storm - Kotaku How Sega Murdered Sonic The Hedgehog - Game Informer SHINRAI - Broken Beyond Despair

We've once again reached that strange point where we have to talk about a new game released post-podcast, and this time, Sega is playing the classics once again with Sonic Superstars. Multiple playable characters, giant levels, Emerald powers... It's a whole lot, but the real question is: is it good? Well, that's what we're hopefully going to find out in today's exciting episode. (0:00:00) Intro/Main topic: Sonic Superstars (0:03:10) Development history (0:26:09) The game itself (0:41:43) Level layouts (0:53:32) Special stages and Emerald powers (1:09:42) Easter eggs! (1:13:00) Bosses (1:22:15) The second story mode (1:36:11) Trip's characterization (1:41:50) The true final boss (1:56:03) Multiplayer (2:03:27) The music (2:16:25) Final thoughts (2:27:57) Outro Amie Waters on Linktree "Stupid liberal lizard" How to beat THAT boss Windii's translations

We're heading back to South Island and Westside Island to take in the local sounds! Special guest CyberneticPinkeye joins us to look back at the soundtracks for the first two Sonic the Hedgehog games, along with the original demos for each track by composer Masato Nakamura. Listen in as we try to get more insight on two collections of music that really made our dreams come true. (0:00:00) Intro (0:04:28) Main topic: Sonic 1 and 2 soundtracks (0:07:32) Shared jingles and incidentals (0:27:30) Sonic 1 incidentals (0:35:05) Green Hill Zone (0:40:36) Marble Zone (0:45:52) Spring Yard Zone (0:49:38) Labyrinth Zone (0:52:57) Star Light Zone (0:56:14) Scrap Brain Zone (1:00:44) Final Zone and ending (1:06:28) Sonic 2 incidentals (1:15:39) Multiplayer stages (1:24:54) Emerald Hill Zone (1:28:27) Chemical Plant Zone (1:32:46) Aquatic Ruin Zone (1:36:40) Casino Night Zone (1:42:37) Hill Top Zone (1:46:20) Mystic Cave Zone (1:49:19) Oil Ocean Zone (1:52:40) Metropolis Zone (1:57:16) Sky Chase Zone (2:01:18) Wing Fortress Zone (2:04:14) Death Egg Zone (2:08:13) Final boss (2:11:05) Ending (Sweet Sweet Sweet/Sweet Dreams) (2:22:42) Unused song ("Hidden Palace") (2:25:06) Final Thoughts (2:29:23) Outro Amie Waters on Linktree Nightmare City MegaDriver - Chemical Plant (MetalHog) Video Game History Foundation - Sonic 2 Lost Stages Revealed

'Tis the season for nostalgia, fa-la-la-la-la, la-la la la! As a special holiday treat, we're getting a little more personal and going back 15 years to look at "How Metal Sonic Stole Christmas", a fan radio play written by GameBuddy that most of us participated in. This was the first project that we and much of the Sonic F cast worked on together, so in the spirit of the season, we'd like to share something that meant quite a bit to us with all of you. Happy holidays, everyone, and thank you for continuing to support the show. (Note: if you want to hear the original radio play without any of our dumb commentary, it'll also be available in the podcast feed the same day this goes up, so make sure you download that as well.) (0:00:00) Intro (0:03:28) Main topic: How Metal Sonic Stole Christmas (0:18:00) The cast (0:42:38) Commentary begins (1:01:42) Post-commentary discussion (1:16:52) Outro Amie Waters on Linktree

This is the unabridged How Metal Sonic Stole Christmas radio play, written and produced by GameBuddy in 2008. It is fully unaltered from its original presentation, save for the removal of one piece of copyrighted music. If you want to hear our commentary, please listen to episode 46 of The Hill Is Always Greener. Thank you so much, and happy holidays. (00:00) How Metal Sonic Stole Christmas (18:18) Credits (20:43) Blooper reel

We've equipped all our best skill cards and are ready for a new episode all about one of Sonic's more unique spinoffs, Sonic Battle! This GBA fighting game starring an adorable robot OC had a surprisingly extensive single-player campaign that gave a lot of characters some much-needed time in the spotlight...though for one character, that's not really a good thing. Does the story still hold up? Is there more depth to the combat than at first glance? And why haven't we seen a new Sonic fighting game since? Well, it's time to head back into the blocky 3D arena and find out! (0:00:00) Intro (0:02:25) Main topic: Sonic Battle (0:21:43) Emerl (0:27:35) Sonic's story (1:00:54) Tails' story (1:05:09) Rouge's story (1:12:19) Amy's story (1:25:05) Knuckles' story (1:31:22) Cream's story (1:35:52) Shadow's story (1:43:06) Emerl's story (2:00:27) Minigames and adaptations (2:03:48) Final thoughts (2:14:09) Outro Amie Waters on Linktree Sonic Battle - Game Script Prof. Gerald's Journal

It's still thinking, and 25 years later, we still wanna talk about it! To commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Japanese Dreamcast launch, we're joined by former game journalist Ryan MacDonald to talk about our memories of Sega's final home console, including Ryan's time covering it on the press side for GameSpot. Join us as we revisit the highs of its launch, the lows of its discontinuation, and all the weird, wonderful games that made Sega's last hurrah so special for so many people. (0:00:00) Intro (0:19:57) Main topic: Sega Dreamcast (0:37:55) Retro consoles and collecting (0:53:33) The games (1:28:07) What went wrong? (1:44:02) Aftermarket and legacy (2:00:21) Outro Amie Waters on Linktree Ryan’s YouTube channel Sega CD CES demo General Chaos The Getaway: High Speed 2 Hidekazu Yukawa Commercial Compilation "It's Thinking" Commercial Compilation Mario 64 grading scandal Sega Heat.net E3 1995 - "$299" VM2 on IndieGogo

How do you follow up a game that changed gaming and created an entertainment icon? ...I dunno, but they did it. The gang is joined by VTuber Boomba to reminisce on the 1992 classic, Sonic the Hedgehog 2! Sonic Team's sophomore outing changed things up significantly from the original, not least of which through its introduction of a little two-tailed pal for our fast-footed hero! Does this speedy sequel stand up to the test of time? And just how much of the game got left in the dust in its mad dash to make the holiday season? Well, toss your younger sibling the second controller and listen in to find out! (0:00:00) Intro (0:09:26) Main topic: Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (0:18:10) The spin dash (0:23:51) Tails! (0:36:23) 2P versus (0:37:40) Super Sonic (0:40:33) Title screen (0:41:33) Emerald Hill Zone (0:45:54) Special stages (0:57:52) Chemical Plant Zone (1:03:59) Aquatic Ruin Zone (1:09:35) Casino Night Zone (1:18:04) Hill Top Zone (1:26:31) Mystic Cave Zone (1:34:07) Oil Ocean Zone (1:43:04) Metropolis Zone (1:50:01) Sky Chase Zone/Wing Fortress Zone (1:59:27) Death Egg Zone (2:05:58) Ending (2:09:00) Hidden Palace Zone (2:15:55) Other cut zones (2:22:15) Other versions (2:31:55) Final thoughts (2:37:04) Outro Amie Waters on Linktree Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog 116 - Tails' New Home A Day to Remember - You Be Tails, I'll Be Sonic TailsTube #1 (feat. Sonic) Tee Lopes - Hill Top Zone Real Life Smash Bros Brawl Trailer! + Real Life Super Smash Bros. Brawl Trailer (Less-Potato Quality) Sonic 2 Special Edition - Let's Play!

Don't. Turn. Around. On this most frightening of nights, The Hill Is Always Greener looks back at the bizarre phenomenon that is the Tails Doll. From its seemingly innocent origins to its horrifying legacy birthed by the Sonic fandom, we peer deep into the soul of this little ball of fluff until we too can...feel...the...sunshine... (0:00:00) Intro/Main topic: The Tails Doll (0:04:02) The origin (0:07:03) The fan stuff (0:18:49) Comic appearances (0:25:30) Other cameos (0:28:46) Final thoughts (0:36:19) Outro Amie Waters on Linktree "Prophecy" by Asher Tye "Who REALLY Started the Story of the Tails Doll Curse?" by TheMentok Ted the Caver Candle Cove NES Godzilla Creepypasta Sonic Shorts playlist Comickpro Karl Bollers talks about Tails Doll

We're ready for primetime once again as we take a look at the second batch of episodes for Sonic Prime! With all the shatterverses now introduced, worlds start to collide as the Chaos Council spreads their influence and Sonic attempts to recover all of the missing shards, but new enemies and old friends both stand in his way. Has our opinion on the show changed with this new batch? How do we think the whole series will conclude? And seriously, what is it going to take to get rid of that freaking baby forever? (0:00:00) Intro/Main topic: Sonic Prime "Season" 2 (0:04:14) Avoid the Void (0:27:24) Battle in the Boscage (0:34:21) Second Wind/No Way Out (0:49:20) A Madness to Their Methods (0:56:35) Double Trouble (1:03:29) Cracking Down (1:09:44) Ghost of a Chance (1:22:56) Final thoughts (1:32:00) Series finale speculation (1:40:30) Outro Amie Waters on Linktree "Avoid the Void" on YouTube "Battle in the Boscage" on YouTube Tweet from Dejimon11 that is 100% correct Tweet from animator Junni Enriquez showing some easter eggs snuck into Sonic Prime

Oh boy. This is going to be a rough one. Were going back in time to the, uh..."birth(?)" of the Classic Sonic renaissance with Sonic The Hedgehog 4: Episode I. Released in 2010, this downloadable title sought to recreate the feel of the original Sonic games, with...questionable results. Does it feel any better to go back to today? What about the weird soundtrack? And does this game really have any sort of lasting legacy all its own? (0:00:00) Intro/Main topic: Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I (0:18:20) The music (0:24:50) How we played the game (0:33:15) The title screen (0:36:04) Splash Hill (0:49:25) Special stages (0:56:18) Casino Street (1:02:26) Lost Labyrinth (1:16:23) Mad Gear (1:23:30) E.G.G. Station (1:25:58) Ending (1:29:10) Episode II...and III? (1:32:48) What is the legacy of Sonic 4 Episode I? (1:40:24) Super Sonic (1:43:18) Outro Amie Waters on Linktree CVG report on the delay of Sonic 4 Episode I

We've all been there. We've all got that one thing that we're super deep into, but one of our friends doesn't really get it. Maybe it passed them by, maybe it's just not their thing, who knows? Whatever the reason, perhaps being on the outside looking in has left them with plenty of questions that they've never quite been able to get the answers to. Well, this is something that we at The Hill Is Always Greener are aiming to change with our new series of "newbie education" episodes, where we bring on a guest who is NOT a Sonic fan and attempt to better explain what draws us to the franchise, as well as answer any of those burning questions they might have. And for this first episode, friend of the show Derek returns to ask all about environmentalism, getting into the comics, the lack of new RPGs, and much more. Plus, he'll have to answer a few devious questions of our own... (0:00:00) Intro (0:04:49) What is it about Sonic that has made you stick with it? (0:13:17) Is the Sonic Cycle still relevant? (0:18:51) Quiz game: A.B.C.D. Station (0:41:32) Was Murder of Sonic a deliberate attempt to experiment with putting Sonic in a different genre? (0:45:59) Did Sonic Chronicles really poison the well for Sonic RPGs? (0:51:03) How do I get into the comics? (0:58:42) Quiz game: Animal Abstraction (1:21:38) Derek's trivia question (1:23:54) Why did they gate the best endings behind special stages? (1:28:30) Does Sonic still have environmentalist themes? (1:33:34) Quiz game: Know More Music (1:57:29) What was so bad about Sonic 4? (1:59:45) Do you think things have gotten better or worse since Yuji Naka left? (2:07:40) If you had to recommend one Sonic game to a newcomer, what would it be? (2:17:29) Outro Amie Waters on Linktree Derek's Twitch Sonic Free Riders No Kinect Patch Dick Kicker (Giant Bomb Remix) Dreamcast: Where It Went Wrong with Sega's Mark Subotnick - The Retro Hour

Hello! ¡Hola! Willkommen! Bienvenue! Konnichiwa! Alooooha! How ya doin'? Yo! And in any language, welcome to The Hill Is Always Greener! In celebration of the recent release of the Lego Sonic the Hedgehog theme, the gang takes a look back at Sonic's guest appearance in the toys-to-life crossover Lego Dimensions, a subject that CyberLink knows all too well. Join us as we break down the Sonic level pack and its many references and callbacks brick-by-brick, and how it set the stage for more Lego Sonic on the screen and on toy shelves! It's the most comedic celebration of Sonic that you'll find in any dimension! (0:00:00) Intro/Sonic Superstars initial thoughts (0:06:51) Main topic: Lego Dimensions (0:13:23) Sonic Dimensions (0:17:15) The (close-enough) music (0:22:56) Green Hill Zone (0:24:35) Special Stages (0:28:16) Emerald Coast Clash (0:31:30) Formidable Foe Fiasco (0:34:35) Metropolis Zone Mayhem (0:38:25) Marble Zone Meltdown (0:41:57) The Labyrinth (0:43:13) Death Egg Showdown (0:49:31) Adventure world (1:02:35) Character interactions (1:07:27) Other Sonic stuff (1:08:43) Lego ideas Sonic (1:10:30) Lego Sonic theme (1:13:10) Final thoughts (1:20:35) Outro Amie Waters on Twitter The Lego Dimensions Tracker co-authored by CyberLink BricksToLife - List of Canceled Year 3 plans for Lego Dimensions Lego Ideas - Sonic Mania Lego Sonic the Hedgehog sets - Announce trailer