Btw I find it really heartwarming how much Jim Cummings loved voicing Robotnik. He pulls the voice out a bunch on his podcast as one of his go to characters!
These cartoons were my childhood. It's really interesting to get your retrospective on them and how they look from a modern eye's perspective. Interestingly, as an adult, I look back on Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog the most because of it's sheer novelty and how unpredictable it is😄
AoSTH is just so great because it never takes itself too seriously and is just pure goofy. SatAM takes itself just the right amount of seriously for the story it wants to tell, and underground takes itself far too seriously for a cartoon with a musical number in every episode lol
Slight correction: Puyo Puyo wasn't created by Sega of Japan, but rather a third-party company called Compile who had a healthy relationship with Sega by developing lots of games for their Master System and Game Gear, but they weren't part of Sega, so you could also see their games on Nintendo consoles and PlayStation. They eventually went bankrupt and sold their IPs around the turn of the millenium, hence why the newest Puyo Puyo games come from Sonic Team. Also, Sega didn't pitch Sonic Underground, DiC came up with the concept because Sega asked them to make a new Sonic cartoon to hype everybody up for the upcoming Sega Dreamcast.
Ah, thanks for the corrections! Makes double sense why they didn't fully have beans resemble Puyos most of the time, and also how that Kirby SNES game also had the Puyo stacking gameplay. 😂 Will fix that error in the next vid! For the Sonic Underground one, that's legit an error on my part. Totally meant to say DiC. 😌
the bible for AoStH got on the net some years ago, and it actually says that it was intended as a prequel to Satam, that the show was meant to cover the time period when Robotnik was still in the process of taking over the world. With all the little nudges in the christmas special, I wonder if they were trying to lean into that aspect in particular
I heard about that, too! Both continuities...really don't fit together narratively imo, but it could very well have been what they were leaning towards so late in the shows life. 🤔
@@RobotnikHolmes I think it _might've_ worked in Season 1, but once Hurst wrote Blast to the Past, it became pretty much impossible no matter how you slice it.
Great video, Holmes! The bean-themed transitions starring you were particularly nice. I could never get into Mean Bean Machine, but I do have a lot of nostalgia for those cartoons, SatAM being my favourite. AoStH did have some really good and heart-warming episodes too though, like the episode where Sonic was trying to find a new home for Tails, or the one where he had to choose between winning a race and dooming Tails, or rescuing Tails and dooming hundreds of civilians. Underground is probably my least favourite of all the cartoons, but it had its moments. And as you said, some of the songs were bangers.
@@RobotnikHolmes I never thought the cartoon was cringe, was always happy watching it. Wasn't until the Internet post-2000 people started saying that it was.
Great video man! Always enjoy hearing your thoughts but the extra animations and styles you do for your character are awesome! Love looking it! Genuinely excellent work
@@RobotnikHolmes Hey dont sell yourself short, your blog inspired a lot of my archie opinions leading me to refine what I enjoyed about it. Keep up the good work
so good! never seen a review so deep in this game... rewatchd the cartoon for the 1st time since the 90's this year & find it fasinating how each character in this game is actually in the cartoon!
The Sonic cartoons were so wild and speaking on my own experience with them, I feel like I had one of the most awkward experiences with them. The funny thing is that my exposure to Sonic the hedgehog was through the Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog cartoon. I didn't have a Sega Genesis growing up and though I had seen a picture of Sonic before, I had no actual experience with the franchise until I watched the AOSTH show around 1996/1997 (I was born in 91 lol) when it aired on the Toon Disney channel and needless to say, I was hooked on it and my brother and I would try to wake up every morning to watch it. And even when I eventually learned about the actual game series shortly after, I still enjoyed AOSTH for what it was and I saw itas a nice little interpretation of the first 3 Sonic games with a nice sprinkling of Looney Toons style humor and it all just worked. The characters were fun (including the voice acting), the music was fitting, and the visuals even if "dated" by today, were appealing at the time. There was a lot to like about it at the time for 90s kids. Unfortunately for me, I totally missed out on Sonic SatAM as a child. I didn't even know it was a thing until much later in my life and even more sad, my next exposure was Sonic Underground lmao and even as a kid, I thought it was pretty lame though at the same time, it was sort of a comfort show though I think the reason why is because when I would ditch school when I was in middle school (yeah I know lol), when I would want to watch cartoons, Sonic Underground would be on and as lame as I thought it was, I wouldn't change the channel haha.I will agree that some of the music was pretty okay (personally aside from the intro, I also liked the song "We're the Sonic Underground", the guitar riff is pretty good). And the characters were okay(ish) but having Jaleel voice Sonia was such a dumb decision. He was fine as Sonic and Manic but they really should've just hired a woman to voice her because his Sonia voice sounded bad LOL Like they couldn't have got someone like Cheryl Chase or Elizabeth Daily? Just saying lol Anyway with Sonic SatAM, I learned of it when I was round 19-20 and I watched it here on TH-cam and I fell in love with it and was so pissed at young me for not knowing of it. It had a lot of heart in it and it really was a great successor of AOSTH. And it was such a shame that it got the axe only after 2 seasons and hearing about what more they had planned for the series, what a totally misserd opportunity there. It really does give a harsh reminder that as cool as the 90s was when it came to entermainment, it was pretty harsh and unforgiving in the animation world where a promising show could be cut short if ratings aren't there. That said, AOSTH was amazing and though it sucks that the show was never officially brought back, it's so cool how dedicated fans are trying to continue the series and after seeing that feature clip here of what it looks like, they totally nailed the style and hopefully they'll be able to finish the project. Best of luck to them. Anyway fun retrospective!
You think your first exposure to Sonic was bad? Mine was pretty much schizophremic. I started with either Sonic Underground _(which only got a dub in my country around _*_2007_*_ - what the hell?!)_ or a let's play of Sonic CD. I've never heard of the hedgehog before that. Still, I enjoyed the show and game despite the questionable quality of the former and too-high-to-allow-for-a-detailed-explaination speed of the latter. But then came the next piece of Sonic media I consumed: *Sonic 2006,* through a let's play, or "let's hate" rather. Not only was it a messy product to begin with, it was also the first time I met 90% of the cast, _including_ Tails since he wasn't in CD nor Underground. As one might expect, it was _extremely_ confusing, especially since the let's player also namedropped characters like Professor Gerald or Gamma, who I knew nothing about. On the plus side, my introduction to Shadow was pretty cool. 😅 A badass secret agent who fights for what is right. Oh, and I was at the age when my capability to understand even somewhat complex plots was quite limited _(case in point: I dropped out of watching a Mega Man Battle Network 3 let's play because I had no idea what was happening or why),_ so the plot was even more confusing than it already was, compounded by not underatanding English very well. Fantastic. /s But hey, at least I eventually got to where I am now: a huge fan of the blue blur, albeit one who doesn't really play his games _(I played Sonic 1 half a year ago; besides that it's just shorts bits of Sonic 1 GG and Sonic 2 Genesis)._ I even watched SatAM recently _(at a similar age to when you watched it, no less)_ and loved it. 😊 Side note: I actually don't mind Jaleal White voicing Sonia. For whatever reason it doesn't bother me that much. Maybe I just got used to it. 😅 Still not a good show, but my nostalgia allows me to enjoy watching it.
Been looking forward to this one. I like Mean Bean Machine, and while I have cooled a bit on AoStH, I loved catching it when I was a kid. Many memories of watching it before school, thank you Channel 27.
It's crazy how Sonic has had the most attempts at a TV cartoon compared to just about every other video game franchise (not counting anime because we all know Pokemon would sweep the floor here.)
Regular mean bean stage in the guide: This is ___, he focuses on ____. The best way to beat him is to focus on ____. Dr. Robotnick's Stage in the Guide: "Good luck" (not even kidding, thats all it said) Dr. Robotnik's Stage in Reality: - Pray to your God of choice. - Pray to every pantheon you've ever heard of. - If Odin, Zeus, Krishna, Quetzalcoatl, Papa Legba, the Hebrew God, Ra, and Chuck Norris team up, you have a 50/50 shot, good luck.
Excellent as always! I really enjoyed the format of this one. I’ve found it rare to see Underground discussed alongside Adventures and SatAM since it’s not remembered as fondly and doesn’t have the video game or comic tie-ins the same way. I’m looking forward to the Sonic Spinball video. Keep up the good work!
Many thanks, Skystar! 😁 That cartoon is indeed kind of a footnote in animated Sonic media, though its totally worth talking about! It might have been overshadowed by Sonic Adventure at the time. 😌
I didn’t grow up watching the shows, but I did watch AoStH and SatAM last year. I didn’t even know it was their 30th anniversary. Never the less, it brought back how goofy and nostalgic 90s cartoons were. Also, I really liked reading your Archie analyses on Tumblr.
Great video worth the wait ☺️ I love Adventures of....it had quirky humour but also more serious emotional moments (tail's new home though ha). Satam or whatever you call it was cool yeah not as good but cool to see Sally acorn in it who's also in the sonic novels (I did a video on those ha) & thanks for filling us in on underground that passed me by but looks cool
Great video Holmes. Nice touch including Mean Bean Machine. Always loved Sonic cartoons. Didn’t get to do much on Underground but SATAM always got me watching vigilantly from 6am to see when it was airing as they frequently moved the time slot on ABC. Also, King Nigel Acorn was a squirrel, not fox, right? Keep rising!
And thank you for enjoying it! 😁 King Nigel Acorn was a Mobian squirrel in the comics (Squirrel-chipmunk pre-reboot). I just went by what Ben Hurst reportedly said in an interview at SAGExpo 2006, where he was intended to be a fox. 🤭
I grew up with all of these shows and loved them, but I don’t remember jack from any of them besides random details, I watched these all a ton but just don’t remember almost anything vividly
Oh boy, there is quite a lot to read so I hope you have the patience to read all that. Sonic SatAM: Sonic SatAM made me a fan of stories of rebels' struggle against the evil empire and tyrants. The golden age (brought by Ian Flynn) of Archie Sonic and real-world injustice fuel that. I guess the fact that Sonic SatAM and pre-reboot Archie Sonic don't have a proper conclusion does give me a desire for a story of rebels vs tyrants and its evil empire with odds stacked against the rebels with good-written characters, basically like Sonic SatAM, just as good if not better and with a proper conclusion. Similar tragedy: There is the game called Wolfenstein New Order which basically at the beginning you storm the fortress to take out someone in hopes of turning the tide of war which they are about to lose. Things didn't go so well and our protagonist BJ Blazkovich was knocked out and put into a coma. He eventually woke up in a dystopian world where Germans had won the World War 2. He would search for rebels and be the main muscle to work towards winning back their world. At the end of the game, you do take out a very bad guy with Blazkovitch practically dying and so it ends with hopes that you made a difference with hope that one day the freedom fighters will win back the world. Wolfenstein New Order is a pretty good game with a good story and as badass as Blazkovich is, the odds are still very stacked against our heroes. However, my preferred way to end it is that in the end, you have won back the world. But there is such a thing as sequels. Unfortunately, they kinda fumbled with New Colossus both in story and gameplay and then fumbled even worse in Young Blood practically killing the reboot trilogy. The Success of the Past: There is Star Wars the original trilogy. It was and still is pretty good. And there is a rebel struggle vs an evil empire that rules the entire galaxy. Though it is pretty much a hero's journey. While the rebel's struggle vs an evil empire is there to me it kinda feels secondary. Before Wolfenstein New Order there was a game called Freedom Fighters. Basically, the plot is your country (or city) has been invaded by foreign powers (won't name what it is) and it's up to you and Freedom Fighters to win back their freedom by driving away those invaders. I like the music of this game and I do like how the odds are getting worse and missions become more dangerous as you progress through the game and it peaks at the final level. Some Cartoons: There is Avatar the Last Airbender. Basically, it takes in the world where the Avatar has disappeared for 100 years and the Fire Nation is close to their victory and you could say practically already won in book 3 until the Avatar and team Avatar turned things around. It's more of adventure rather than a rebel vs an evil empire but there is war and an evil empire. And yes, this show is pretty much a masterpiece. It's really good! There is also Samurai Jack where the Samurai have ventured to defeat the great evil the Aku only to be sent into the dystopian far future where Aku rules the world. For the entire show, the Samurai Jack would travel around the world in search of a means to travel back in time to undo all the evils of Aku, surviving the attack of robots, monsters, bounty hunters, and whatever Aku throws at our hero to destroy him while Samurai Jack also helping those in need. Tragically the show also would be canceled but a decade later a miracle would happen where the fifth and final season would air bringing his adventure to the end. While they kinda fumbled at the end, I'm happy they brought closure to his journey. Final Fantasy: If Final Fantasy 1,3, and 5 are Classic Sonic Games/AoStH (mostly Classic Sonic Games) then Final Fantasy 2,4, and 6 are Sonic SatAM. In Final Fantasy 1,3, and 5, you are going on a grand adventure through the entire world in search of the crystals, helping people, and in the end facing the ultimate evil of darkness that threatens to destroy the entire world. Meanwhile, Final Fantasy 2,4, and 6 would have a stronger narrative than its predecessor with the story of your party and the rebel's struggle against an evil empire. More so in 2 and 6 as in 4, it's more of an evil kingdom ruled by an evil king. (at first) While I haven't played or watched the playthrough of Final Fantasy 6, I can say the story of FF6 is very good. There is also Final Fantasy 7 where there is an evil corporation exploiting the planet's energy and is going to drain it dry in the name of money and it's up to the Avalanche to put a stop to this. Though later the president gets killed by the other villain and becomes the main focus of the story and would be the final boss at the end of the game. Though Evil Corporation may now feel secondary, (for me at least) they are still more or less a problem, you will see their effect on the rest of the world, and eventually, that evil corporation will get the comeuppance they deserve. Something I Noticed: I did notice some similarities between Final Fantasy's 2 plots in the last 3 dungeons and the plot of Sonic SatAM and what Sonic SatAM could have been. In Final Fantasy 2, there is a Cyclone that threatens to destroy Fynn and end the rebellion so our heroes ride on Wyvern to Cyclone where they face the gauntlet of monsters and empire soldiers till they face the Emperor himself in which they have slayed the Emperor and so the heroes and rebels celebrate their victory only to learn that the Dark Knight, the Emperors right-hand man takes over the Empire. Basically how the final episode of Sonic SatAM went. So our heroes storm the castle, the belly of the beast where they would confront the Dark Knight. As they were about to fight, suddenly the Emperor returned and took over as the main bad guy (like Naugus would have Sonic SatAM continued) and so our heroes but Ricard escaped. Dark Knight would join the rebels like Snively would join the Freedom Fighters but unlike Snively, Dark Knight would stick to the end and so the heroes would go through Jade Passage and Pandaemonium, yes I know that counts as two dungeons but you have to go through both of them to reach the final boss. And I imagine this is something Sonic and the Freedom Fighters had to go through to defeat Naugus (and Robotnik too) for good. As a matter of fact, the aesthetics of Pandaemonium and the void do look similar. And just in case, I have pretty much dismissed those similarities as nothing more than a coincidence. I guess geniuses think alike. Some Extra Things: There is X-Com 2 which takes place in a world where the bad ending of the previous game is canon. And it's up to you commander to manage the new X-Com and its rebels to fight back those aliens that rule your world and work your way towards discovering and taking the fight to the Alien Overlords to win back your world. There is Chained Echoes, another pretty good game. There is a point where the tyrant rules the continent and eventually, it's up to you to put a stop to it. There is way more than that but I don't want to spoil it. And there is Megaman Zero who is playing as Zero trying to help reploids who are practically rebels trying to survive in the hostile world that wants them destroyed. And in the end, you face the tyrant and defeat him. And that was just in Megaman Zero 1. The story continues in 2 and 3 and ends in 4. Personally, I consider Megaman Zero 4 to be the end not just for the Zero series but for the entire Megaman series as a whole. Oh boy, that was such a long comment. If you read all that, thank you.
I agree that FF5 and AoStH have similar vibes. 😋 Never would have connected all these properties to Sonic cartoons until now, so thank you for the interesting trivia!
@@RobotnikHolmes Thank you for your patience in reading all that. I tried to make it more fun reading. It would be unfun to read all that if it was in one huge text. I want to make an addendum to Final Fantasy 4. I'm sorry for the slight spoilers. Anyway, I did point out that at first, you do fight the evil king and his kingdom. However, once you infiltrate the castle and learn that the arch-fiend is pretending to be king, it quickly turns into an adventure to find the crystals to stop the bad guys and later you find out about the great evil that masterminded the whole thing and is threatening to destroy the world like in Final Fantasy 1,3, and 5. So yeah, the whole fight against the evil empire doesn't really fit the Final Fantasy 4 compared to FF2 and 6. But what makes it fit into the Final Fantasy 2,4, and 6 family (or at least something in common) is that it has a better narrative than the previous Final Fantasy game and there is some nod to Star Wars like FF2, and 6. In the case of FF4, it's Golbez who is practically Darth Vader.
4:57 -- I remember sitting down for breakfast before school one morning. I was flipping channels and i got to the Sci-Fi Channel, and there it was, Sonic Underground. I hated it. No Tails? No Sally? No Bunny? No Rotor? No irritating French Guy? Absurd! And not 1 but 3 characters voiced by Urkel? NOPE, NOPE, NOPE!!! No thanks!
Yeah! I suppose it's one of his kinda famous roles, and still remembered by a lot of Sonic fans, to the point where they wanted him to voice Classic Sonic in Sonic Generations. 😂 I did indeed sneak Final Fantasy XIV music in there, heh. 😉
I wonder if that Carbuncle ever eats itself. Anyway! I very much enjoyed both SatAM and AoStH. Funnily enough I liked the former better as a kid but came to prefer the latter as I got older. As for Sonic Underground, I once found a DVD with a few episodes of it at Walgreens of all places. I was able to watch one, maybe two episodes and then just... couldn't. Somehow I just could not, pfff. But maybe I'll give it another shot someday.
I suppose a lot of peep's experiences with Sonic Underground were indifference or a repulsion to watch more than a couple of episodes. 😂 SatAM and AoStH certainly aged better!
@@RobotnikHolmes While I got you here, I’ve never seen anyone talk about Mean Bean in such lengths when I see retrospective vids on the DIC Sonic cartoons, so props for going that extra mile 😊 Oddly enough, just about to play Mean Bean on Mega Collection in a few mins 😁
I'll fully admit, I was there for the Genesis games, I've seen AoStH, Underground, I played Sonic 2 on GG (cry for me), I bought like 2 comics, and I'll be honest... I can't stand the Sonic spinoffs. These things have so little to do with the source material that it almost feels like a mockery. When I watch SatAM, I don't see an epic Sonic cartoon. I see someone who desperately wanted to make an epic with what little he was stuck with. Even today, I can count the adaptations that have been faithful on one hand. Sonic Prime, Sonic X, IDW, Sonic movies. Quality may differ, but at least in those, you can actually see Sonic pull a Spin Attack and plow through a base with reckless abandon, not be held back with plans, dragging the cast, and forced to use literally any other weapon.
Everyone is intitled to their own opinions as long as it doesn't cause harm. 😊 Spin-offs are just that, optional side-stuff that often doesn't need to be engaged with if you enjoy the mainline vibes. Except me, I'll be covering just about every Sonic game on this channel, main or spinoff. 🤭
You know. I legit kinda wonder something.... Considering this game is unlockable in the Japanese versions of Sonic games where you can play it. I wonder what the Japanese thought of both this game, and the Sonic cartoons? I've always been curious about the Japanese's thoughts on Western adaptations.
Same! I wish we could just ask Japanese fans about their thoughts on the western media, but most of fans on either side seem to stay in their own cormers of the internet.
Sonic Cartoon are weird It weird How they were based on the sonic games and yet is so different from the games I Could go on and on about how sonic satam is basically the 1993 super mario bros the movies but It was made with passion and care intro it To be fair I Like the concept of the 1993 super mario bros the movies the idea of bowser trying to take over the worlds by De-evolution the human race sounds like the cool idea but I Feel like sonic satam have the same idea ( robotnik trying to taking over mobius and turn animal intro robot slaves) but with passion and care intro it And to be honest im not the fan of stories of rebels' struggle against the evil empire and tyrants that really not my cup of tea And I Would have love to see the crossover between sonic satam and 1993 super mario bros the movies
Sonic cartoons are awesome. There's a little bit of something for everyone. :) You want an anime adaptation? Sonic X. You want ridiculous slapstick? AoSTH. You want a self-aware comedy? Boom. You want plot? SatAM and Prime got you covered. You want something low quality to laugh at? Underground exists _(I'm sorry, childhood buddy, I love you but I can't deny that you absolutely suck)._
@@RobotnikHolmes Well, not to brag, but I _did_ review SatAM a few months ago when I watched it myself for the first time (link in the channel description).😅 But in general, I usually stick to reading and watching other peoples's reviews. By the way, I'm 30-something minutes into your video and I'm lovin' it so far. The animated transitions between shows/games are a nice, high-quality touch.
I never liked the "Mobius is earth" thing. Ruins the escapism, and is the least original thought ever had. No disrespect to Ben, man was otherwise brilliant and he is missed.
I think he also went a little bit too hard on Nicole's backstory, though I assume it was in order to not contradict anything (Robotnik not recognizing nor wanting her, how he'd lose her, etc.). Still it's too complicated for my taste. Not a fan of the whole "mind control satellite" aspect. I do think his heart was at the right place, even if the execution wasn't always the best.
Btw I find it really heartwarming how much Jim Cummings loved voicing Robotnik. He pulls the voice out a bunch on his podcast as one of his go to characters!
That's honestly so awesome to know! The last time I heard him do the voice was during the Rally4Sally hangtag. 🤭
These cartoons were my childhood. It's really interesting to get your retrospective on them and how they look from a modern eye's perspective. Interestingly, as an adult, I look back on Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog the most because of it's sheer novelty and how unpredictable it is😄
And thank you for checking this vid out! 😁 I agree AoStH has the most memorability, just above SatAM for me. 😂
AoSTH is just so great because it never takes itself too seriously and is just pure goofy. SatAM takes itself just the right amount of seriously for the story it wants to tell, and underground takes itself far too seriously for a cartoon with a musical number in every episode lol
Slight correction: Puyo Puyo wasn't created by Sega of Japan, but rather a third-party company called Compile who had a healthy relationship with Sega by developing lots of games for their Master System and Game Gear, but they weren't part of Sega, so you could also see their games on Nintendo consoles and PlayStation. They eventually went bankrupt and sold their IPs around the turn of the millenium, hence why the newest Puyo Puyo games come from Sonic Team.
Also, Sega didn't pitch Sonic Underground, DiC came up with the concept because Sega asked them to make a new Sonic cartoon to hype everybody up for the upcoming Sega Dreamcast.
Ah, thanks for the corrections! Makes double sense why they didn't fully have beans resemble Puyos most of the time, and also how that Kirby SNES game also had the Puyo stacking gameplay. 😂 Will fix that error in the next vid!
For the Sonic Underground one, that's legit an error on my part. Totally meant to say DiC. 😌
how does this video not have 1M views? you did such a great job at capturing and retelling this radically different moment in Sonic history.
Bless, thank you for the kind comment. 😁 More peeps need to be aware of this funky era of Sonic shows!
Is it just me, or does Robotnik feel like the actual protagonist of AoSth? I swear he gets more screentime than Sonic. Not that I’m complaining
After rewatching them, I am inclined to agree! 😂 He does get a lot of focus by the art team, but what's a good show without a good villain cast? 🤭
He's definitely the protagonist according to the YTP community :P
More in the same vane as Dick Dastardly from "Wacky Races."
I swear I remember a single episode of Adventures where Tails did actually call Robotnik "Eggman".
Indeed, he did! In the episode "Lifestyles of the Sick and Twisted".
the bible for AoStH got on the net some years ago, and it actually says that it was intended as a prequel to Satam, that the show was meant to cover the time period when Robotnik was still in the process of taking over the world. With all the little nudges in the christmas special, I wonder if they were trying to lean into that aspect in particular
I heard about that, too! Both continuities...really don't fit together narratively imo, but it could very well have been what they were leaning towards so late in the shows life. 🤔
@@RobotnikHolmes I think it _might've_ worked in Season 1, but once Hurst wrote Blast to the Past, it became pretty much impossible no matter how you slice it.
Wow I didn't know that
Crazy that DiC became Wildbrain and as a result that means Sonic Prime is still a DiC cartoon! XD
Holy crap, that's wild. 😂
*starts having an existential crisis
@@RobotnikHolmes you mean “that’s WildBrain!”
Great video, Holmes! The bean-themed transitions starring you were particularly nice. I could never get into Mean Bean Machine, but I do have a lot of nostalgia for those cartoons, SatAM being my favourite. AoStH did have some really good and heart-warming episodes too though, like the episode where Sonic was trying to find a new home for Tails, or the one where he had to choose between winning a race and dooming Tails, or rescuing Tails and dooming hundreds of civilians. Underground is probably my least favourite of all the cartoons, but it had its moments. And as you said, some of the songs were bangers.
Thanks a lot, Scruffy! I loved the endearing episodes of AoStH too, I ought to have mentioned those. 😂
Always happy seeing your comments, buddy!
I’m glad we can all remember the iconicness of these shows for better or worse
Adventures of Sonic is actually underrated genius. It does deserve more respect and praise.
It truly does! The age of cringe for 90s cartoons is over. 😂
@@RobotnikHolmes I never thought the cartoon was cringe, was always happy watching it. Wasn't until the Internet post-2000 people started saying that it was.
Great video man! Always enjoy hearing your thoughts but the extra animations and styles you do for your character are awesome! Love looking it! Genuinely excellent work
Thanks a lot! 😁 Coming from you, it's an honour to hear!
@@RobotnikHolmes Hey dont sell yourself short, your blog inspired a lot of my archie opinions leading me to refine what I enjoyed about it. Keep up the good work
Great video like usual, love it! can not wait for the next spin ball 🎉
Thanks a lot! Hope you continue to enjoy them. 💖
so good! never seen a review so deep in this game... rewatchd the cartoon for the 1st time since the 90's this year & find it fasinating how each character in this game is actually in the cartoon!
The Sonic cartoons were so wild and speaking on my own experience with them, I feel like I had one of the most awkward experiences with them. The funny thing is that my exposure to Sonic the hedgehog was through the Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog cartoon. I didn't have a Sega Genesis growing up and though I had seen a picture of Sonic before, I had no actual experience with the franchise until I watched the AOSTH show around 1996/1997 (I was born in 91 lol) when it aired on the Toon Disney channel and needless to say, I was hooked on it and my brother and I would try to wake up every morning to watch it. And even when I eventually learned about the actual game series shortly after, I still enjoyed AOSTH for what it was and I saw itas a nice little interpretation of the first 3 Sonic games with a nice sprinkling of Looney Toons style humor and it all just worked. The characters were fun (including the voice acting), the music was fitting, and the visuals even if "dated" by today, were appealing at the time. There was a lot to like about it at the time for 90s kids.
Unfortunately for me, I totally missed out on Sonic SatAM as a child. I didn't even know it was a thing until much later in my life and even more sad, my next exposure was Sonic Underground lmao and even as a kid, I thought it was pretty lame though at the same time, it was sort of a comfort show though I think the reason why is because when I would ditch school when I was in middle school (yeah I know lol), when I would want to watch cartoons, Sonic Underground would be on and as lame as I thought it was, I wouldn't change the channel haha.I will agree that some of the music was pretty okay (personally aside from the intro, I also liked the song "We're the Sonic Underground", the guitar riff is pretty good). And the characters were okay(ish) but having Jaleel voice Sonia was such a dumb decision. He was fine as Sonic and Manic but they really should've just hired a woman to voice her because his Sonia voice sounded bad LOL Like they couldn't have got someone like Cheryl Chase or Elizabeth Daily? Just saying lol
Anyway with Sonic SatAM, I learned of it when I was round 19-20 and I watched it here on TH-cam and I fell in love with it and was so pissed at young me for not knowing of it. It had a lot of heart in it and it really was a great successor of AOSTH. And it was such a shame that it got the axe only after 2 seasons and hearing about what more they had planned for the series, what a totally misserd opportunity there. It really does give a harsh reminder that as cool as the 90s was when it came to entermainment, it was pretty harsh and unforgiving in the animation world where a promising show could be cut short if ratings aren't there. That said, AOSTH was amazing and though it sucks that the show was never officially brought back, it's so cool how dedicated fans are trying to continue the series and after seeing that feature clip here of what it looks like, they totally nailed the style and hopefully they'll be able to finish the project. Best of luck to them.
Anyway fun retrospective!
You think your first exposure to Sonic was bad? Mine was pretty much schizophremic. I started with either Sonic Underground _(which only got a dub in my country around _*_2007_*_ - what the hell?!)_ or a let's play of Sonic CD. I've never heard of the hedgehog before that. Still, I enjoyed the show and game despite the questionable quality of the former and too-high-to-allow-for-a-detailed-explaination speed of the latter.
But then came the next piece of Sonic media I consumed: *Sonic 2006,* through a let's play, or "let's hate" rather. Not only was it a messy product to begin with, it was also the first time I met 90% of the cast, _including_ Tails since he wasn't in CD nor Underground. As one might expect, it was _extremely_ confusing, especially since the let's player also namedropped characters like Professor Gerald or Gamma, who I knew nothing about. On the plus side, my introduction to Shadow was pretty cool. 😅 A badass secret agent who fights for what is right.
Oh, and I was at the age when my capability to understand even somewhat complex plots was quite limited _(case in point: I dropped out of watching a Mega Man Battle Network 3 let's play because I had no idea what was happening or why),_ so the plot was even more confusing than it already was, compounded by not underatanding English very well. Fantastic. /s
But hey, at least I eventually got to where I am now: a huge fan of the blue blur, albeit one who doesn't really play his games _(I played Sonic 1 half a year ago; besides that it's just shorts bits of Sonic 1 GG and Sonic 2 Genesis)._ I even watched SatAM recently _(at a similar age to when you watched it, no less)_ and loved it. 😊 Side note: I actually don't mind Jaleal White voicing Sonia. For whatever reason it doesn't bother me that much. Maybe I just got used to it. 😅 Still not a good show, but my nostalgia allows me to enjoy watching it.
Been looking forward to this one. I like Mean Bean Machine, and while I have cooled a bit on AoStH, I loved catching it when I was a kid. Many memories of watching it before school, thank you Channel 27.
Happy to know that they were important to your childhood! 😁
It's crazy how Sonic has had the most attempts at a TV cartoon compared to just about every other video game franchise (not counting anime because we all know Pokemon would sweep the floor here.)
Oh absolutely. And the same can be said for its comic, or hell, all the books in general! 😂
Excited to listen later while I grade! Looking forward to it, Holmes 🎉
Thank you very much! 😊💖
Regular mean bean stage in the guide:
This is ___, he focuses on ____. The best way to beat him is to focus on ____.
Dr. Robotnick's Stage in the Guide:
"Good luck" (not even kidding, thats all it said)
Dr. Robotnik's Stage in Reality:
- Pray to your God of choice.
- Pray to every pantheon you've ever heard of.
- If Odin, Zeus, Krishna, Quetzalcoatl, Papa Legba, the Hebrew God, Ra, and Chuck Norris team up, you have a 50/50 shot, good luck.
Excellent as always! I really enjoyed the format of this one. I’ve found it rare to see Underground discussed alongside Adventures and SatAM since it’s not remembered as fondly and doesn’t have the video game or comic tie-ins the same way. I’m looking forward to the Sonic Spinball video. Keep up the good work!
Many thanks, Skystar! 😁 That cartoon is indeed kind of a footnote in animated Sonic media, though its totally worth talking about!
It might have been overshadowed by Sonic Adventure at the time. 😌
I didn’t grow up watching the shows, but I did watch AoStH and SatAM last year. I didn’t even know it was their 30th anniversary. Never the less, it brought back how goofy and nostalgic 90s cartoons were.
Also, I really liked reading your Archie analyses on Tumblr.
Happy to have you aboard! 😊
I'm so happy you showed up in my recommended! I think I knew you back in the day on tumblr where I went by TheGuardianKnux!
Ohmygosh, hi TheGuardianKnux! Nice to see you again. 😁 Hope you are doing well!
@@RobotnikHolmes totally am dude!
7:00
He's Carbuncle, former pet of Satan himself. His dark powers are beyond human and Mobian understanding...
I’m gonna be devil’s advocate, I think Underground’s story should continue on Archie online, a convergence of universes to make one continuity.
Great video worth the wait ☺️ I love Adventures of....it had quirky humour but also more serious emotional moments (tail's new home though ha). Satam or whatever you call it was cool yeah not as good but cool to see Sally acorn in it who's also in the sonic novels (I did a video on those ha) & thanks for filling us in on underground that passed me by but looks cool
I loved thar Tails episode!! And thanks a lot. 😁
Great video Holmes.
Nice touch including Mean Bean Machine.
Always loved Sonic cartoons. Didn’t get to do much on Underground but SATAM always got me watching vigilantly from 6am to see when it was airing as they frequently moved the time slot on ABC.
Also, King Nigel Acorn was a squirrel, not fox, right?
Keep rising!
And thank you for enjoying it! 😁
King Nigel Acorn was a Mobian squirrel in the comics (Squirrel-chipmunk pre-reboot). I just went by what Ben Hurst reportedly said in an interview at SAGExpo 2006, where he was intended to be a fox. 🤭
I played Mean Bean Machine and flicky in the mega collection I think more than I played the more main line games... Ah those were the days
Sonic Mega Collection was the BEST. 😊
Great vid. Looking forward to Spinball. I've heard the freedom fighters are in it, but I didn't get past the first level so I couldn't check lol.
My thanks! Oh yes, they do indeed appear in some form. 🤭
I grew up with all of these shows and loved them, but I don’t remember jack from any of them besides random details, I watched these all a ton but just don’t remember almost anything vividly
Happy to help remind you of them. 😁 Thank you for checking it out!
We 90s kids were constantly being inappropriately hugged after climbing into clothes driers. It was *no* good!
@36:30 - I more imagine that Nagaus' voice is like a very asthmatic Raziel (from the Soul Reaver games).
Oh boy, there is quite a lot to read so I hope you have the patience to read all that.
Sonic SatAM:
Sonic SatAM made me a fan of stories of rebels' struggle against the evil empire and tyrants. The golden age (brought by Ian Flynn) of Archie Sonic and real-world injustice fuel that. I guess the fact that Sonic SatAM and pre-reboot Archie Sonic don't have a proper conclusion does give me a desire for a story of rebels vs tyrants and its evil empire with odds stacked against the rebels with good-written characters, basically like Sonic SatAM, just as good if not better and with a proper conclusion.
Similar tragedy:
There is the game called Wolfenstein New Order which basically at the beginning you storm the fortress to take out someone in hopes of turning the tide of war which they are about to lose. Things didn't go so well and our protagonist BJ Blazkovich was knocked out and put into a coma. He eventually woke up in a dystopian world where Germans had won the World War 2. He would search for rebels and be the main muscle to work towards winning back their world. At the end of the game, you do take out a very bad guy with Blazkovitch practically dying and so it ends with hopes that you made a difference with hope that one day the freedom fighters will win back the world.
Wolfenstein New Order is a pretty good game with a good story and as badass as Blazkovich is, the odds are still very stacked against our heroes. However, my preferred way to end it is that in the end, you have won back the world. But there is such a thing as sequels. Unfortunately, they kinda fumbled with New Colossus both in story and gameplay and then fumbled even worse in Young Blood practically killing the reboot trilogy.
The Success of the Past:
There is Star Wars the original trilogy. It was and still is pretty good. And there is a rebel struggle vs an evil empire that rules the entire galaxy. Though it is pretty much a hero's journey. While the rebel's struggle vs an evil empire is there to me it kinda feels secondary.
Before Wolfenstein New Order there was a game called Freedom Fighters. Basically, the plot is your country (or city) has been invaded by foreign powers (won't name what it is) and it's up to you and Freedom Fighters to win back their freedom by driving away those invaders. I like the music of this game and I do like how the odds are getting worse and missions become more dangerous as you progress through the game and it peaks at the final level.
Some Cartoons:
There is Avatar the Last Airbender. Basically, it takes in the world where the Avatar has disappeared for 100 years and the Fire Nation is close to their victory and you could say practically already won in book 3 until the Avatar and team Avatar turned things around. It's more of adventure rather than a rebel vs an evil empire but there is war and an evil empire. And yes, this show is pretty much a masterpiece. It's really good!
There is also Samurai Jack where the Samurai have ventured to defeat the great evil the Aku only to be sent into the dystopian far future where Aku rules the world. For the entire show, the Samurai Jack would travel around the world in search of a means to travel back in time to undo all the evils of Aku, surviving the attack of robots, monsters, bounty hunters, and whatever Aku throws at our hero to destroy him while Samurai Jack also helping those in need.
Tragically the show also would be canceled but a decade later a miracle would happen where the fifth and final season would air bringing his adventure to the end. While they kinda fumbled at the end, I'm happy they brought closure to his journey.
Final Fantasy:
If Final Fantasy 1,3, and 5 are Classic Sonic Games/AoStH (mostly Classic Sonic Games) then Final Fantasy 2,4, and 6 are Sonic SatAM.
In Final Fantasy 1,3, and 5, you are going on a grand adventure through the entire world in search of the crystals, helping people, and in the end facing the ultimate evil of darkness that threatens to destroy the entire world.
Meanwhile, Final Fantasy 2,4, and 6 would have a stronger narrative than its predecessor with the story of your party and the rebel's struggle against an evil empire. More so in 2 and 6 as in 4, it's more of an evil kingdom ruled by an evil king. (at first)
While I haven't played or watched the playthrough of Final Fantasy 6, I can say the story of FF6 is very good.
There is also Final Fantasy 7 where there is an evil corporation exploiting the planet's energy and is going to drain it dry in the name of money and it's up to the Avalanche to put a stop to this. Though later the president gets killed by the other villain and becomes the main focus of the story and would be the final boss at the end of the game. Though Evil Corporation may now feel secondary, (for me at least) they are still more or less a problem, you will see their effect on the rest of the world, and eventually, that evil corporation will get the comeuppance they deserve.
Something I Noticed:
I did notice some similarities between Final Fantasy's 2 plots in the last 3 dungeons and the plot of Sonic SatAM and what Sonic SatAM could have been.
In Final Fantasy 2, there is a Cyclone that threatens to destroy Fynn and end the rebellion so our heroes ride on Wyvern to Cyclone where they face the gauntlet of monsters and empire soldiers till they face the Emperor himself in which they have slayed the Emperor and so the heroes and rebels celebrate their victory only to learn that the Dark Knight, the Emperors right-hand man takes over the Empire. Basically how the final episode of Sonic SatAM went.
So our heroes storm the castle, the belly of the beast where they would confront the Dark Knight. As they were about to fight, suddenly the Emperor returned and took over as the main bad guy (like Naugus would have Sonic SatAM continued) and so our heroes but Ricard escaped. Dark Knight would join the rebels like Snively would join the Freedom Fighters but unlike Snively, Dark Knight would stick to the end and so the heroes would go through Jade Passage and Pandaemonium, yes I know that counts as two dungeons but you have to go through both of them to reach the final boss. And I imagine this is something Sonic and the Freedom Fighters had to go through to defeat Naugus (and Robotnik too) for good.
As a matter of fact, the aesthetics of Pandaemonium and the void do look similar. And just in case, I have pretty much dismissed those similarities as nothing more than a coincidence. I guess geniuses think alike.
Some Extra Things:
There is X-Com 2 which takes place in a world where the bad ending of the previous game is canon. And it's up to you commander to manage the new X-Com and its rebels to fight back those aliens that rule your world and work your way towards discovering and taking the fight to the Alien Overlords to win back your world.
There is Chained Echoes, another pretty good game. There is a point where the tyrant rules the continent and eventually, it's up to you to put a stop to it. There is way more than that but I don't want to spoil it.
And there is Megaman Zero who is playing as Zero trying to help reploids who are practically rebels trying to survive in the hostile world that wants them destroyed. And in the end, you face the tyrant and defeat him. And that was just in Megaman Zero 1. The story continues in 2 and 3 and ends in 4. Personally, I consider Megaman Zero 4 to be the end not just for the Zero series but for the entire Megaman series as a whole.
Oh boy, that was such a long comment. If you read all that, thank you.
I agree that FF5 and AoStH have similar vibes. 😋
Never would have connected all these properties to Sonic cartoons until now, so thank you for the interesting trivia!
@@RobotnikHolmes Thank you for your patience in reading all that. I tried to make it more fun reading. It would be unfun to read all that if it was in one huge text.
I want to make an addendum to Final Fantasy 4. I'm sorry for the slight spoilers. Anyway, I did point out that at first, you do fight the evil king and his kingdom. However, once you infiltrate the castle and learn that the arch-fiend is pretending to be king, it quickly turns into an adventure to find the crystals to stop the bad guys and later you find out about the great evil that masterminded the whole thing and is threatening to destroy the world like in Final Fantasy 1,3, and 5.
So yeah, the whole fight against the evil empire doesn't really fit the Final Fantasy 4 compared to FF2 and 6. But what makes it fit into the Final Fantasy 2,4, and 6 family (or at least something in common) is that it has a better narrative than the previous Final Fantasy game and there is some nod to Star Wars like FF2, and 6. In the case of FF4, it's Golbez who is practically Darth Vader.
4:57 -- I remember sitting down for breakfast before school one morning. I was flipping channels and i got to the Sci-Fi Channel, and there it was, Sonic Underground. I hated it. No Tails? No Sally? No Bunny? No Rotor? No irritating French Guy? Absurd! And not 1 but 3 characters voiced by Urkel? NOPE, NOPE, NOPE!!! No thanks!
So nice to hear someone echo my exact thoughts on these.
Good to know I'm not alone! 😊
25:18
Imagine if sega brings her back!
Yooo, I didnt know Steve Urkel voice acted as Sonic :o Also do I hear ff14 music? Great video Robotnik!
Yeah! I suppose it's one of his kinda famous roles, and still remembered by a lot of Sonic fans, to the point where they wanted him to voice Classic Sonic in Sonic Generations. 😂
I did indeed sneak Final Fantasy XIV music in there, heh. 😉
I really like Jim Cummings doctor eggman he was really awesome and badass in my opinion
I wonder if that Carbuncle ever eats itself.
Anyway! I very much enjoyed both SatAM and AoStH. Funnily enough I liked the former better as a kid but came to prefer the latter as I got older. As for Sonic Underground, I once found a DVD with a few episodes of it at Walgreens of all places. I was able to watch one, maybe two episodes and then just... couldn't. Somehow I just could not, pfff. But maybe I'll give it another shot someday.
I suppose a lot of peep's experiences with Sonic Underground were indifference or a repulsion to watch more than a couple of episodes. 😂 SatAM and AoStH certainly aged better!
Sonic and Sally are cute i love it
They are indeed a cute couple! I don't often have opinions on shipping and whatnot, but I know a pair when I see one. 🤭
*ears perk up*
is that... the Fester Blatz theme from Space Quest III?
A fan remixed one, yeah! Love that series. 😁
@@RobotnikHolmes Me too! Not used to hearing music cues from relatively obscure old Sierra games in a video like this... @_@
14:00 You mean the MEAN-U? 🤣🤣🤣
The pun game is REAL! 😤😁
@@RobotnikHolmes While I got you here, I’ve never seen anyone talk about Mean Bean in such lengths when I see retrospective vids on the DIC Sonic cartoons, so props for going that extra mile 😊
Oddly enough, just about to play Mean Bean on Mega Collection in a few mins 😁
I'll fully admit, I was there for the Genesis games, I've seen AoStH, Underground, I played Sonic 2 on GG (cry for me), I bought like 2 comics, and I'll be honest... I can't stand the Sonic spinoffs.
These things have so little to do with the source material that it almost feels like a mockery. When I watch SatAM, I don't see an epic Sonic cartoon. I see someone who desperately wanted to make an epic with what little he was stuck with. Even today, I can count the adaptations that have been faithful on one hand. Sonic Prime, Sonic X, IDW, Sonic movies. Quality may differ, but at least in those, you can actually see Sonic pull a Spin Attack and plow through a base with reckless abandon, not be held back with plans, dragging the cast, and forced to use literally any other weapon.
Fair enough. I understand your take. I personally don't mind these spinoffs, but I can totally see someone being turned off by them for these reasons.
Everyone is intitled to their own opinions as long as it doesn't cause harm. 😊 Spin-offs are just that, optional side-stuff that often doesn't need to be engaged with if you enjoy the mainline vibes.
Except me, I'll be covering just about every Sonic game on this channel, main or spinoff. 🤭
You know. I legit kinda wonder something.... Considering this game is unlockable in the Japanese versions of Sonic games where you can play it.
I wonder what the Japanese thought of both this game, and the Sonic cartoons? I've always been curious about the Japanese's thoughts on Western adaptations.
I believe they only had the pilot and 1st episode to work off of, but the art team certainly worked hard on emulating the style. 😁
Same! I wish we could just ask Japanese fans about their thoughts on the western media, but most of fans on either side seem to stay in their own cormers of the internet.
This video is amazing fr man! God bless ya and Jesus loves ya :D
👍
Young sniffly
Sniff youngly
I'm making a reboot of Sonic Underground.
Good luck! 🎸
Sonic Cartoon are weird It weird How they were based on the sonic games and yet is so different from the games I Could go on and on about how sonic satam is basically the 1993 super mario bros the movies but It was made with passion and care intro it To be fair I Like the concept of the 1993 super mario bros the movies the idea of bowser trying to take over the worlds by De-evolution the human race sounds like the cool idea but I Feel like sonic satam have the same idea ( robotnik trying to taking over mobius and turn animal intro robot slaves) but with passion and care intro it And to be honest im not the fan of stories of rebels' struggle against the evil empire and tyrants that really not my cup of tea And I Would have love to see the crossover between sonic satam and 1993 super mario bros the movies
Sonic cartoons are awesome. There's a little bit of something for everyone. :) You want an anime adaptation? Sonic X. You want ridiculous slapstick? AoSTH. You want a self-aware comedy? Boom. You want plot? SatAM and Prime got you covered. You want something low quality to laugh at? Underground exists _(I'm sorry, childhood buddy, I love you but I can't deny that you absolutely suck)._
Thats...a good way of putting it, honestly! Are you sure you're not a reviewer too? 😂
@@RobotnikHolmes Well, not to brag, but I _did_ review SatAM a few months ago when I watched it myself for the first time (link in the channel description).😅 But in general, I usually stick to reading and watching other peoples's reviews.
By the way, I'm 30-something minutes into your video and I'm lovin' it so far. The animated transitions between shows/games are a nice, high-quality touch.
What about the OVA and the live-action stuff from Paramount (Knuckles included)?
After seeing SatAM, I found myself unable to return to The Adventures Of Sonic series; it felt...too cringey afterward.
Fair enough! Maybe my respect for it comes with age. 😂
For sime reason the O in the sonic font you use triggers me. 😂
Anyway live your videos
😂 Had this font style for a while...and thank you!
24:39
A FAMILY PICTURE 😂
I never liked the "Mobius is earth" thing. Ruins the escapism, and is the least original thought ever had. No disrespect to Ben, man was otherwise brilliant and he is missed.
I think he also went a little bit too hard on Nicole's backstory, though I assume it was in order to not contradict anything (Robotnik not recognizing nor wanting her, how he'd lose her, etc.). Still it's too complicated for my taste. Not a fan of the whole "mind control satellite" aspect.
I do think his heart was at the right place, even if the execution wasn't always the best.