Sonic The Hedgehog Spinball SEGA Genesis Complete in Box

Condition: Played
Console: SEGA Genesis

Region: NTSC-A

Studio: SEGA 

Contains: Complete in Box With Manual

Generation Status: Retro

Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball, also known as Sonic Spinball, is a 1993 pinball video game developed by Sega Technical Institute and published by Sega for the Sega Genesis. The game is a spinoff of the Sonic the Hedgehog series, featuring Sonic the Hedgehog as the main character. It was developed by the American staff of Sega Technical Institute while the Japanese staff was occupied with developing Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic & Knuckles. The game was released for the Sega Genesis in November 1993 and later for the Game Gear and Master System in 1994.

The game’s premise revolves around Sonic the Hedgehog’s mission to stop Dr. Robotnik from enslaving the population in a giant pinball-like mechanism. Players control Sonic, who navigates through various pinball machine-like environments, acting as the pinball. The game’s development was rushed, taking only nine months to complete, as Sega management realized that Sonic 3 would not be ready in time for the 1993 holiday shopping season.

Sonic Spinball combines elements from the Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog cartoons, making it unique within the Sonic franchise. The game features a mix of pinball mechanics and platforming elements, with Sonic performing moves like the spin dash. The game’s graphics are praised for matching those of later Sonic games on the Genesis, and the minigames are considered visually distinct and well-done. However, the game received mixed reviews, with critics praising the novelty and graphics but criticizing the controls.

The game’s soundtrack was composed by Howard Drossin, who had to create a new theme song due to copyright issues with the original Sonic theme tune. The music in Sonic Spinball is known for its unique feel, different from most pinball games, and it has been praised for its flashy visuals and catchy tunes. The game’s soundtrack includes several tracks, such as “Theme,” “Options,” “Intro,” “Toxic Caves,” “Emerald Collected,” “All Emeralds Collected,” “Boss,” “Bonus,” “Lava Powerhouse,” “The Machine,” “Showdown,” “Game Over,” and more. Some beta versions of the game also included alternative versions of certain songs.

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