Difference between revisions of "Myst's SatAM: The Complete Series Review"

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[[Image:Sonicsatamdvd.JPG|thumb|350px|right|Sonic the Hedgehog: The Complete Series coverart.]]
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wtf is this shit
[[Image:princesssally.JPG|thumb|350px|right|Princess Sally.]]
 
[[Image:jaleel.JPG|thumb|350px|right|Jaleel White, voice of Sonic.]]
 
 
 
 
 
'''Sonic the Hedgehog: The Complete Series Review<br>'''
 
'''By:''' [[Myst]]
 
<br>
 
<br>
 
''
 
"He's the fastest thing ali-iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiive!"
 
''
 
<br>
 
<br>
 
Back in the days of my childhood, i'd eagerly await Saturday Mornings, when i'd flock to my TV set at 8 in the morning,<br>
 
to catch what in my eyes was the greatest cartoon ever concieved, Sonic the Hedgehog. I had played the games since '91,<br>
 
and now he was not only a videogame character, but a cartoon character as well. The theme song was undeniably cheesy, but<br>
 
perfect for a Saturday morning cartoon show. I loved the way Sonic just blasted onto the screen at the beginning of the intro,<br>
 
as Robotnik's giant airship loomed over Sonic's land, cutting away to his dark and dreary labs. It seemed to capture the<br>
 
videogames I adored so perfectly.
 
<br>
 
<br>
 
Emphasis on "seemed" As cool as the intro was, and as much as it reminded me of such fun levels as "Wing Fortress Zone"<br>
 
and "Scrap Brain Zone" the show itself seemed to stray from the high-speed action, and giant robots the videogames were<br>
 
known for, and relied more on convoluted backstories of the new characters created specially for the show, most notably,<br>
 
newcomer Princess Sally Acorn, as she tries to free her dad, "the King of Acorns" from the Zone of Silence and restore her<br>
 
old home from Dr Robotnik, who has seemingly taken over the world.
 
<br>
 
<br>
 
The show itself was leaps and bounds above it's sydnicated counterpart, Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, in terms of<br>
 
animation quality. The backgrounds were lush and detailed, but by today's standards, you probably couldn't tell, as animation<br>
 
is always getting better and better. It's not as pretty, and nicely detailed as the recent anime series, Sonic X, but for its<br>
 
time, it was almost feature quality.
 
<br>
 
<br>
 
I ate this show up as a kid, as I did with anything containing Sonic's blue mug on it. But I never realized just how much<br>
 
of an annoying twit he was in this show until now. He says the word "mondo" in almost every sentence, along with other<br>
 
'ultra-cool' buzzwords, like bogus! and totally! And let's not forget his two classic catch phrases from the series:<br>
 
''"Gotta Juice!"'' and ''"Way Past Cool!"'' also, there's ''"Let's do it to it!"'' Man, that guy had a lot of catch-phrases.<br>
 
<br>
 
The problem with the show is that almost all the things you've come to know and love from the videogames are nonexistent,<br>
 
save for rings, and a cameo by Buzzbombers in one episode.<br>
 
<br>
 
You want Chaos Emeralds? Sorry.
 
<br>
 
<br>
 
Super Sonic? Nuh-uh..
 
<br>
 
<br>
 
Metal Sonic? No sir.
 
<br>
 
<br>
 
Knuckles? Knuckles didn't come around until a few months after the series. The episode with The Floating Island did sort<br>
 
of tease at a possible inclusion of Knuckles, but nope. Not here.<br>
 
<br>
 
Another problem with the show is, this is a kids cartoon with talking animals. Yet they act, and are treated as humans,<br>
 
something writer Ben Hurst admits in an interview on the DVD. All of the drama surrounding these Disney rejects, and the<br>
 
complex love triangles they have is just bizarre for talking cartoon animals, and fits a Soap Opera, or some sci-fi show,<br>
 
like Stargate SG-1, or something, better.
 
<br>
 
<br>
 
Regardless of how dramatic the series gets, there are some occasional episodes that are genuinally entertaining, such as "The<br>
 
Odd Couple" when Sonic moves in with french stereotype, Antoine, and drives him nuts. Other standout episodes like Sonic & The<br>
 
Secret Scrolls and Sonic Boom, are a good watch..
 
<br>
 
<br>
 
The DVD menus are very nice, and while I don't have a giant surround speaker system, to properly judge the audio, it sounds<br>
 
pretty good on my Philips Stereo TV.
 
<br>
 
<br>
 
The artwork on the box is hit-and-miss. The coverart is average, and captures the feel of the series well. The two slipcases<br>
 
for discs 1-4 are littered with Sonic fanart, which ranges from grade-school scribbles on notebook paper, to really good<br>
 
pieces of all the characters. One I liked in particular is a drawing of a stained-glass window, with Sonic holding up a ring as<br> Robotnik ominiously looks on. I was hoping for a little booklet, like The Simpsons Season sets got, but only a little fold-out<br>
 
poster of all of Shout! Factory's products.
 
<br>
 
<br>
 
As far as special features go, this set includes two featurettes, storyboards, and a printable script.
 
<br>
 
<br>
 
The Ben Hurst featurette was interesting, and told a lot about how the series began, and why it was canned. Apparently,<br>
 
my beloved Power Rangers were the reason this show got the axe. Cue frowny emoticon.<br>
 
<br>
 
I expected to really enjoy the interview with Jaleel "Did-I-Do-thaaaat?" White, voice of Sonic, but it really bored me.<br>
 
Not much info on the series, or Jaleel's opinons on Sonic as a character, just him talking about how he got the job, and<br>
 
what he did in the recording booth, snore. I would've liked to see some old ABC Promos for the show, but this set is done<br>
 
by Shout! Factory, not Disney or ABC, so it's understandable that they are missing.
 
<br>
 
<br>
 
'''Pros:'''
 
<br>
 
-Very cool intro, accompained by a cheesy, yet very catchy, theme song.<br>
 
-Very nice and detailed animation<br>
 
-Menus are exceptionally done<br>
 
<br>
 
'''Cons:'''<br>
 
-Deveates too much from the videogames they are based on, and lacks their charm<br>
 
-Coverart is hit-and-miss<br>
 
-The show gets a little too "serious" for a Saturday Morning Cartoon about talking animals<br>
 
<br>
 
'''Too Many:'''<br>
 
-Star Wars references
 
<br>
 
<br>
 
'''Overall:''' 6.9
 
<br>
 
<br>
 

Latest revision as of 12:19, 3 May 2009

wtf is this shit