Howdy ladies and gentlemen of the internet, today I am here to share my review for Sonic the Hedgehog via my podcast Film Focus.
On episode 100 of Film Focus, I get to talk about a film I’ve been so cautiously optimistic about for a while now; Sonic the Hedgehog. Now, this film has had an interesting journey to the big screen with a few delays to the reveal of Sonic’s questionable initial design to the better redesign and so on. So with Detective Pikachu being a pretty solid video game film from last year, does Sonic continue that upward trend or not? Well, check out this spoiler-free review to find out.
So have you seen Sonic the Hedgehog and if so what did you think of it? Did it meet or exceed your expectations? And did you think it was better or worse than Detective Pikachu. Drop your thoughts in the comments section below and I’ll see ya in the next review, laters! 😀
Good day to you ladies and gentlemen, it’s a new year so once again its time for my preview of this year’s films that I believe are worth viewing entitled: Films to look out for in 2020! In PART 1 I’ll be covering films released from now until April, and while these aren’t necessarily the best films that’ll be coming out during this period, I do believe there’s merit to all of the films on this list.
Now before we begin I have one thing I need to specify:
Obviously, a lot of films come out, so if they’re not on my list it’s either because I don’t know about them or I don’t care…
Okay then, let’s start 😀
Bad Boys for Life
Release Date: January 17th (USA)
Trailer:
I’ve never been the biggest fan of the Bad Boys films, but I’ve definitely enjoyed them more than most of Micahel Bay’s filmography. And for what they are, just fun action films with moments fo humour, there’s fun to be found in them (though I really like the first as opposed to the sequel). I’m interested in this film for a couple reasons: 1) This film has been talked about for YEARS and for it to finally be happening feels so surreal. And 2) I want to see what a Bay Boys film looks like in the modern era of Michael Bay post Transformers, Pain and Gain and so on. Will it have the better elements of his filmmaking or the worse stuff? Here’s hoping for the former.
The Last Full Measure
Release Date: January 24th (USA)
Trailer:
I only found this film was in existence recently. I think this looks like a pretty compelling film with a story that gets more complicated as it progresses. I enjoy films that involve cover-ups and deception on a large scale and an individual who has to uncover the truth against tough odds. Plus I love that Sebastian Stan is the leading role alongside other actors I like including Christopher Plummer, William Hurt, Ed Harris and Samuel L. Jackson.
The Rhythm Section
Release Date: January 31st (USA & UK)
Trailer:
Oh my gosh, this was one of the films I put on my list this time last year! Then I remembered seeing the trailer for this in the cinema a good few months ago and was like, “Oh, is that Blake Lively? Interesting.” While this kind of thriller has been before, the premise seems intriguing enough that if handled well it good be a good time. I’ve never big into Lively but this looks like it could be a good/different role for her, plus I like Jude Law and Sterling K. Brown.
Sonic the Hedgehog
Release Date: February 14th (USA & UK)
Trailer:
Look, I know this film probably won’t be very but damn it I have to know how bad it’ll be. After all media buzz surrounding the film with its first trailer and Sonic’s initial design which was atrocious to the redesign and second trailer which people liked a lot more, I just need to see what kind of madness these filmmakers have crafted. I mean I hope that it’ll be good, that’s all I can hope for (says every Sonic fan about any new material especially when it comes to the video games).
Fantasy Island
Release Date: February 14th (USA & UK)
Trailer:
I never saw the TV show, though I am aware of its existence and some of the parodies that have come over the years, but I am always down for a new reboot if it looks good enough, and this film looks like it could be fun. Now granted it has a lot of the tropes of modern horror films which I do make me want to roll my eyes, but the premise of going to an island, having fun and fulfilling your desires with a dark twist seems like it could be fun. Here’s hoping it is at least entertaining.
Wendy
Release Date: February 28th (USA & UK)
Trailer:
Well, this certainly looks interesting. At first, I thought I was watching some sort of variation on Lord of the Flies, but as the trailer continues I’m like “Is this like a different take on The Lost Boys from Peter Pan?” Now I’m intrigued. I’ve never been the biggest fan of Peter Pan in many of the adaptations that exist besides Hook, but there are several aspects of the world and characters that’s always stuck with me and this new twist on that world might be what I’ve been looking for.
The Way Back
Release Date: March 6th (USA), March 13th (UK)
Trailer:
This has one of the most emotionally effective trailers I’ve seen for a while and that’s due to not only the brilliant choice of song, but also because of Ben Affleck’s character and how much it relates to what was happening recently in real life. Seeing Affleck playing an alcoholic trying to make his life better but struggling with his demons, fuck man it just hit me in a certain way. And sure we’ve seen films like these before and probably know how it’ll play out, but I like Affleck as an actor plus Gavin O’Connor did a great job with Warrior and The Accountant so I believe this film will be another win.
Bloodshot
Release Date: March 13th (USA), February 21st (UK)
Trailer:
I think this film has the potential to be fun, the premise is pretty unique and it looks like it could be a good role for Vin Desiel to play around with. The action and visual effects looks solid, I just hope it’s not too predictable and generic with the story material.
A Quiet Place: Part II
Release Date: March 20th (USA & UK)
Trailer:
A Quiet Place was one of my favourite films of 2018 because of the unique story, great acting, sparse dialogue and the brilliant utilisation of sound and the lack of it. So when I heard there was a sequel, while I didn’t think it’d be necessary, I was also down for it regardless. And after seeing that new trailer I’m in. This definitely looks more expansive than the last film with more action, but I hope the tension and scares remain intact and I can’t wait to see what Cillian Murphy brings to the sequel.
The New Mutants
Release Date: April 3rd (USA) April 8th (UK)
Trailer:
Feels crazy that this film is actually coming out after so much talk online from various parties talking about whether the film would be released or shelved or changed because of some background details going on with the Disney acquisition of Fox. But it was just announced recently that the film will come out in April and the newest trailer definitely looks like fun with these characters who all have different abilities and troubled histories. And I hope the story, horror and suspense are solid.
No Time To Die
Release Date: April 10h (USA) April 2nd (UK)
Trailer:
Now I’m not gonna lie I haven’t been too hyped for this upcoming Bond film. Spectre left a bad taste in my mouth and I wasn’t sure that, despite the assembling of a solid cast and the great director in the form of Cary Fukunaga, that they would be able to entice me to watch another adventure. But this new film does look like fun, I’m feeling the mystery and intrigue and some of the action sequences look pretty cool. Plus I want t see what Rami Malek brings to this film because I like that guy.
Antlers
Release Date: April 17th (USA & UK)
Trailer:
I didn’t know this film even existed until today and I have to say it’s piqued my interest very much. I’m not big into horror, but I do like creepy stuff with a supernatural twist. Plus I like Kerri Russell and Jesse Plemons and the fact that 1) Guillermo del Toro is producing is cool. But more importantly 2) Scott Cooper is directing, a name I didn’t recognise, but when I looked up his filmography I’ve enjoyed almost all of his films besides Hostiles which I haven’t seen ey. So I’m curious to see how he’ll handle his first horror film.
Promising Young Woman
Release Date: April 17th (USA & UK)
Trailer:
I didn’t know this film existed until today and now that I’ve seen the trailer I’m actually stupidly excited to see it. The concept seems so intriguing and scary to me. You have Carey Mulligan running around as a crafty lady on a mission to fuck some dudes up in a strategic and possibly/probably painful manner. Good god, I’m so interested not only because it looks like it’ll touch upon current issues surrounding sexual misconduct between men and women that’s become more notable in recent years, but also because o the different kind of character Mulligan is playing. And finally, I can’t deny how much I love that sexy version of Brintey Spears’ “Toxic“, man it just intensifies the unsettling nature of this film. I’m all in.
Antebellum
Release Date: April 24th (USA & UK)
Trailer:
And here we have another film I didn’t know about until day and you know what I’m all in again. You had me when you said Janelle Monáe was gonna be in it. But beyond that, it looks creepy, unsettling and confusing and I love it. Such a short trailer with a serious of clips arranged in such a way that you can’t help but be intrigued and want to know what’s going on. Someone in the Youtube comments section described it as a black person’s nightmare and yeah I can definitely get those vibes from the trailer. I hope that it’s good.
Alrighty then, that’s PART 1 done. Thanks a lot for reading. Are any of the films listed on your personal list of films to watch? Whatever your thoughts are, drop them in the comments section below and I’ll see you soon for PART 2! Laters 😀
Howdy ladies and gents, time for another review and today I’ll be giving you a convention review as I attended Summer of Sonic in London yesterday and I thought I’d give you my thoughts on what could be described as a very memorable day.
So for those not away, I’m a stupidly big Sonic the Hedgehog fan, have been since the 90’s with Mega Drive and the characters are the reason I’m an illustrator too, and regardless of how questionable/crappy the current games are, I still show love for the hedgehog because I’m loyal. So you have to understand, going to this convention was mandatory, especially considering that its been going since 2008 and I’ve missed each one because of a lack of funds, university or bad timing with clashing events. Luckily I threw my money at the Kickstarter for SoS not too long after it went online, and then months down the line its August and I was so hyped to finally be going to the convention, and while I was late on my first train and my second got delayed by around 30-40 mins, I finally got to the venue and that’s when the magic started.
It sounds kind of silly/lame, but there was a certain joyful/magical energy about being in the convention hall where everything’s Sonic, from the games new and old to the merchandise to the cosplayers and so on. Plus it was just nice to be surrounded by other people who share your same passion for the blue hedgehog, most times I’ve been to MCM London Expo or London Film & Comic-Con you’ll only meet a handful of fans, and the rest will just be haters and question while you still support the franchise. But yesterday it was all love and positivity, whether you mentioned Sonic 06 and Shadow the Hedgehog, standing in long queues or could hear Sonic R music playing in the background, it was all good vibes and that’s something I appreciated.
When it came to what I did personally I did a lot and not too much at the same time, but I’ll try to highlight some stuff below:
Watching the cosplayers: As soon as I got in there was the official person in a Sonic costume taking pictures with fans and I had to be mine done obviously. But then there was all the nice little moments like seeing this awesome Perfect Chaos costume or ladies dressed as Amy Rose or Rouge the Bat. But my favourite moments was when Sonic and Chaos were having a dance off and when the guy cosplaying as Eggman picked a fight with Sonic.
Playing Sonic Mania: No way in hell did I expect this game to be at this event considering how recently it was shown off to the world, but I stand from a distance and knew I had to line up. And so I queued up for what felt like an eternity as the first line was a line to get into the official line for the game! 😛 But after around an hour of waiting and extreme leg pains, I got to play Sonic Mania and it was just as wonderful as I’d hoped. While I really wanted to try out Green Hill Zone for the chances made to the layout and use of elemental shields, but I had to go with Studiopolis Zone because that’s the new stuff. Mania was very pretty, the animation was super smooth, the art direction was great and most importantly the gameplay was accurate, this was classic Sonic and after messing around with my usual tricks I can say that this game is the good stuff and I can’t wait to play it in full next year. 😀
Talking to fans: While waiting in lines or playing games, it was just cool to be able to talk about Sonic stuff the maximum level of nerdiness. Whether we were sharing gaming experiences, expectations for new games or talking about our favourite games or characters, it was just fun, plus I got to meet these two really awesome dudes who I got to hang out with and share some cool experiences with. 🙂
Meeting Duncan Gutteridge: For me growing up in the 90’s, there were a few different art style for Sonic, but none of them were as popular or notable as Duncan Gutteridge’s work. His art style made Sonic look striking, dynamic and super detailed, and he’s almost the whole reason I started drawing because I wanted to draw just like him. So getting to meet him, shake his hand, show my appreciation and buy some of his artwork was a big deal for me.
Jun Senoue & Crush 40 Live Music: Firstly, it was so cool to get to hear Jun Senoue jam away to some of my favourite tunes from Sonic Adventure 1 & 2 especially when it came to Emerald Coast, Prison Island, Pyramid Cave and Metal Harbour, but the sing along to “Escape from the City” was the best. But nothing could prepare me for Crush 40, no word of a lie, I have been waiting to see these guys live since 2003. I’ve been in love with their music since I played SA 2 and SA1:DX on Gamecube, and seeing Johnny Gioeli and Jun Senoue performing together on-stage was so surreal and beautiful. If I had time to cry I probably would have. But all I was doing his shouting my head off, waving my arms and bouncing around while I heard some of my favourite Crush 40 songs. The highlights was definitely “Open Your Heart“, “His World“, “I Am… All of Me“, “Live & Learn“, “Knight of the Wind” and of course “What I’m Made Of“. It was such an incredibly interactive, beautiful and badass session! 😀 😀
Meeting Mike Pollock & Takashi Izuka: I’ve watched, heard and read interviews with Mike Pollock and he’s always come across as a nice guy, but I didn’t expect to meet him in person, get my copy of Sonic Colours signed and get a picture taken with him too. The dude was SO nice, funny, modest, charming and delightful, definitely one of my favourite moments ever. And just as the convention was ending Takashi Izuka was walking amongst the fans and I was luckily enough to shake his hand and get a picture with him too, su ch a cool way to finish the convention. 😀
In conclusion Summer of Sonic was a lot of fun, it was great to just be around all of the fans, play some games, and check out some cool live music among other things. I was glad to have gone and while I didn’t get around to doing everything I wanted to, overall it was a great session and I really hope this is isn’t the last time this convention goes down in the UK.
Well that’s my review done, so did you go to Summer of Sonic and if so what did you think of it? Also was it your first time or are you veteran of this convention? Whatever your thoughts be sure to comment below and I’ll see ya on the next review, laters! 😀
Howdy ladies and gents how’s it going? So I woke up this morning looking forward to what information had come out of San Diego Comic-Con from yesterday, but then I see in my YouTube subscription feed “Sonic Mania” and “Sonic 2017 – Reveal Discussion” and I’m like, “What’s this madness?” And then remembered that yesterday was meant to be the day that Sega revealed the new Sonic game, and yo, what was revealed was not what I expected, but we’ll talk about that in a minute.
Firstly let’s talk about Sonic in Lego Dimensions.
This trailer was pretty fun as it looked like the developers included a lot of the basic/key elements of Sonic’s gameplay along the standard Lego formula. It was just nice to see Sonic’s homing attack, the Tornado, and Green Hill Zone all in this trailer. Oh and frigging Super Sonic at the end, clearly Lego Dimensions are trying to entice me to buy their game, and normally I would, but Dimensions is such an expensive investment that I just don’t feel like getting all that stuff just to play as Sonic. The only thing that pissed me off about this trailer was the music or should I say the use of it. “Event: Let’s Make It!” is one of my all-time favourite tunes from Sonic Adventure 2 and the fact that it was horribly cut and looped I think around 3 times before playing the whole way through was incredibly annoying. They should have found a better way to play the song in its entirety or just replaced the song altogether.
But now let’s move on the major surprise, Sonic Mania!
This game, I mean what the hell? This game out of nowhere. It’s like someone out there heard the cries and pleas of the Sonic fan community and got something that done. To have a new Sonic game, that looks and plays like the Mega Drive/Genesis era of games developed by Christian Whitehead? Damn, you have me, give me the game now. I just love the way this game looks with solid/familiar gameplay, incredible sprite-based graphics that remind me of Sonic 2/Knuckles Chaotix and the ability to play as Sonic, Tails and Knuckles? It feels like a bizarre dream that this is an official game being endorsed by Sega, but hey I’m not complaining. Though, one has to wonder how much of this game will be new in terms of gameplay, level design, stages and so on, because if the end product is just a decent collection of remixed classic Sonic material then there’s plenty of fan games that exist that can do that already just with less polish in the graphical department. I just hope that the level design, secrets and longevity is on-point because this game looks really awesome!
And finally there’s the Sonic 2017.
This trailer didn’t give us any gameplay, but there was a least a few details that could give us some possible details as to what the story and gameplay. When the trailer started and I saw that the tone felt a little more serious and dark, I immediately got flashbacks to Sonic 06 and I was a little troubled, but then I saw Sonic running around displaying all of his skills from the Unleashed/Colours/Generations series of games and then frigging Classic Sonic showed and I’m like “What? So these two are together again? Okay, cool.” And afterward I thought regardless of what name this game gets, it’ll be looked as a Generations sequel for sure. I found it interesting that there were some giant robots lumbering around looking similar to the Death Egg Robot from Sonic 2, and the way they look and the fiery setting, I got some X-Men: Days of Future Past vibes from sure, like these robots are Sentinels chasing after Sonic and company. I’m curious if both Sonics will be the only playable characters as the “Join the resistance” line suggests that there will be more characters will be involved, if not in a gameplay capacity then at least in a story capacity, though I feel like it’s be a missed opportunity to not get some of the other main characters involved. Either way I’m interested in this game for sure, I just hope the gameplay is solid, and if it is the gameplay from Generations again except better, I’ll be fine with that too.
In conclusion overall this info has me happy, especially with Sonic Mania, but until I see more gameplay I won’t get too hyped. So have seen the trailers for the new Sonic games and if so what did you think of it? Comment below and I’ll see ya on the next blog post, laters! 😀
Howdy ladies and gents of the internet, as some of you may have seen, not too long ago I started a film podcast entitled Film Focus! This week’s episode is out on a Friday, again as opposed to the regular Wednesday upload, but as I mentioned last week I’d be gone for a few days the latest episode and I only got home yesterday. But regardless it was a delightful few days off and now I’m back with another interesting opinion-based episode. 🙂
Anyway here’s the 9th episode:
So as you can see above I’m talking about Sonic the Hedgehog, and it only took me 9 episodes before I started talking about the video game character that I’m so closely associated with haha. But seriously, since I haven’t been able to go to the cinema, filling the podcast with different and interesting topics of conversation has been a little tough, though I’ve found a way to get something done close to the day of release. 😛 And even though most people have talked about the live-action/GCI hybrid film showing up in 2018 (me included), I feel like there’s a little more to say and with Sonic’s recent 25th birthday I thought it’d be interesting to throw my thoughts on the podcast and see what the world thinks, regardless of whether they hate me or not haha.
As I said before in each episode I’ll cover a different topic and since I don’t have much in the way of listeners or promotion, I’m here to spread the word about my podcast. 🙂
So if you have some spare time on your hands and would like to listen to the ramblings of a passionate/strange man then please check it out, and share it with your friends if you can. Also you have any feedback or if you’d be interested in joining on future episodes be sure to let me know, until next time, laters! 😀
Howdy ladies and gents and welcome to another blog post from your online friend, the Hypersonic55! Today I wish to talk about something that’s been on my mind for a few days now and that is the importance of the solo video game experience.
Now in recent times my sister has started playing Kingdom Hearts again (Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix to be exact) and it’s fun to watch her play and I would like to join in but I know I can’t because it is her game. KH is her game series and while I’ve helped on occasions, this has been HER thing and I know if I jumped in to progress the game she’d be pissed. Much like I would be if she impeded on my Zelda gaming. The thing about us is that since video games were introduced into our household my sister and I shared our games. Sure there were certain games that were exclusive to each of us, but a lot of games we shared like Streets of Rage, Super Mario Sunshine, Sonic Adventure 2: Battle and the Super Smash Bros. series among others. But what has become apparent is when I went to university, people asked me about the games I’ve played and I told which ones I’d played, but when we talked about certain games and specific things like completion, I realised that I hadn’t finished these games or experienced them for myself properly because I’d only played part of the adventure and my sister or friend had done the rest.
Now don’t misunderstand me, I LOVE playing video games with not only my sister, but my friends and people I don’t know in general. These days there’s barely any games that exist without a multiplayer component, especially when it comes to online gaming. That being said, there are those who still appreciate a solid solo gaming experience with a good main campaign, and I am one of those people.
The reason I like playing games on my own is because you get to experience the game in its fullest capacity. You get to take in the story, check out every inch of the gameplay, find out the secrets and see if what the replay value is like. With platforming games like the Sonic the Hedgehog, Super Mario or Mega Man series, it is fine to play the whole way through or just come back to in short bursts. The rules apply to racing and fighting games. But when it comes to game genres like adventure and RPG with story elements, that’s when it becomes a different kind of experience to other genres. The Legend of Zelda series is one that really requires just one gamer because most games don’t have multiplayer elements incorporated. Sharing my early years of Wind Waker with my sister was fun for sure, but these days I feel like I missed out on so much by taking it in turns to play the game. That’s why I had so much fun playing games like The Minish Cap, A Link Between Worlds and more recently Skyward Sword. RPGs especially are all about story and solo gaming and none of those games would be a complete experience if you switched between you and another player. RPGs require strategy, concentration and determination to solve puzzles, fight bosses, use items effectively and find secrets, etc. Playing games like Final Fantasy IV, Golden Sun, Fire Emblem: Awakening or the various generations of Pokemon would not be the same if I gave the games to someone else to play with me. Even some of the 3D Sonic the Hedgehog games would not have the same level of satisfaction if I had shared it with other people, playing through Sonic 4: Episode 1, Adventure 2: Battle, Colours and Generations on my own was great experiences.
When you share a solo-based game with someone else, some of the game’s experiences aren’t your own and while it may not matter to some; playing games to completion on your own is a big deal and some consider your game experiences hampered by playing it with other people. There is just something super satisfying with playing games on your own and experiencing everything that game has to offer for yourself without the aid or the distraction of others. These days I take my solo gaming quite seriously and try to take on most games when I can.
So going back to the Kingdom Hearts series, seeing my sister go through Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix has been fun, but at the same time has been very saddening as I would love to have played it all myself, but I can’t, because this is her game series, it is her experience and all I can do is occasionally level grind, and that sucks. I adore this game series, I love the gameplay, characters, replay value and story (though it is complicated and messy as hell), however, I’ve barely played any of the games myself. I’ve played good portions of KH1 & 2, but I still have tried the Birth By Sleep, Chain of Memories, Coded or Dream Drop Distance. The only game in the series I’ve played is 358/2 Days, the game that’s regarded as the worst in the series and I only got to play this because it was exclusive to the Nintendo DS. Most people despise that DS entry, but I quite liked it, 358/2 Days felt like a simplified version of the first game with a different kind of progression and levelling up system. Some of the portable games I should be able to play for myself, however I fear that when Kingdom Hearts 3 comes out I’ll probably not get to play that to the degree that I want unless I get a copy for myself or create a separate save file.
Anyway to conclude I just wanted to point out that gaming, as fun as it is to play with others, I still value the solo gaming experience and would like to make sure that I get around to playing as many solo games as possible without having to share some of these experience with my sister.
So what do you think of this post? Do you agree that solo games should just be experienced by one person or could those games be shared with other people and still be a rewarding experience? I would love to read your thoughts below. Until next time, laters! 🙂
Good day to you ladies and gents and welcome to the 7th edition of How I Feel In Pictures. In these posts I’ll upload a piece of art that I’ve drawn that basically represents how I feel at that current point in time. I hope you’ve had a great and productive Christmas, today is Boxing Day, I’m bored, so I’m here to give you a blog post of happiness haha. This time we have a few that I’ve bunched together.
Check out my set of pictures below:
So here we have some of the art I’ve been working on from October to December.
As you can see above, there are for pictures. from left to right, the first is of Goku in Super Saiyan 3 form from Dragon Ball Z, then there’s Princess Rosalina from Super Mario Galaxy, on the bottom left we have Kirby of Nintendo dressed up as Ichigo Kurosaki from Bleach and finally we have Sonic and Tails from the Sonic the Hedgehog series. If you go from bottom to top you can see that the amount of detail has improved somewhat and while it is looking good so far, I know that my Photoshop skills can get better, that they can improved and become super powerful. All of these pictures I did on my computer, but they’re all based on pen and pencil sketches which you can see below:
As you can see above, these are the original pieces of art, some look prettier than others and they were all drawn at different times, on from 2006/7, another from 2010 and two from 2014. I drew all of these with the intention of making them better, more finished-looking pieces of work and now this year I feel like I’ve done it. I have many more sketches that I want to upgrade into digital work which you’ll probably see in near future so kee your eyes peeled.
Thanks for reading and checking out my artwork yo. If you wish to see more of my artwork be sure to head to thehypersonic55.deviantart.com to see more. Until the next time, laters! 😀
Good day to you ladies and gents and welcome to the 6th edition of How I Feel In Pictures. In these posts I’ll upload a piece of art that I’ve drawn that basically represents how I feel at that current point in time. These days I’m in a strange point in my life where I’m totally excited for the future in terms of my dream career, however, I’m not in the best of places in my life either, so I’m glad that I have my art to help keep me together in times of crisis.
Check out my latest picture below:
“You’re Too Slow!” That quote never gets old.
As you can see above, I’ve drawn another Sonic picture. I’m a massive Sonic fan and since this video game character is the main reason I draw, I always end up coming back to him as a source for my drawing. I’ve been doing a lot of work on Adobe Photoshop since the summer and I’ve been trying to find ways to make my pictures better by experimenting with colour and lighting, and I feel like I’m finally making some progress in that department. Getting the right colours for Sonic has been a very important element of the colouring process and I feel like this is my most complete digital piece of art so far. While I’m still not too sure about the lighting and shadows, for a first time effort I do think it’s half bad.
And like my picture back in How I Feel In Pictures #4, this current picture is based on an old sketch. Have a look below:
As you can see, the main line work from the original to the new version is pretty much the same with a few variations here and there. The old sketch on the right is one I did back in 2007 and after seeing the picture in an old sketchbook I thought I’d upgrade it.
All in all I think it is a success and I’m looking forward to making more technical stuff in Photoshop in the near future. Thanks for reading yo 😀
Good day to you ladies and gents and welcome to the 3rd edition of How I Feel In Pictures. In these posts I’ll upload a piece of art that I’ve drawn that basically represents how I feel at that current point in time. Its been bloody ages since the last time I did one of these posts, but I have had a lot of stuff to do and not much time to draw. But today I had a moment of inspiration and I got sketching.
So here’s my latest picture:
So yeah for those uninformed, this is Mario, Mega Man, Sonic and Pac-Man of the video game franchises Super Mario, Mega Man, Sonic the Hedgehog and Pac-Man.
Recently Nintendo did something amazing during this year’s E3 and revealed that gaming icon, Pac-Man, would be joining Super Smash Bros. on Wii U and 3DS. Loads of people hoped it would happen, many said it would happen and there were rumours aplenty suggesting he would eventually make it into the game, but to see it obviously confirmed from Nintendo just sent the gaming community into a frenzy. Smash Bros. was already gonna be one of the biggest games of the year and those people at Nintendo just keep finding ways to make the game better. For me it is just insane to see these four titans of gaming in one place, never would I have thought this would have happened when I saw a kid in the 90’s. Seems like Nintendo knows its fan base and knows how to treat these 3rd party characters better than the companies that own them. 😛
Anyways I knew once this became news I had to draw something. While the picture doesn’t look as badass as I had pictured it in my head, at the same time it looks better than I expected. I’ve never drawn Pac-Man or Mega Man before, so I’m happy with the way they turned out, especially Mega Man. Drawing this was actually pretty hard as I ended up redrawing the poses for Mario, Sonic and Mega Man a few types over, especially Mega Man, he was bloody hard to do properly.
In conclusion I’m in a good place right now, Smash Bros. has me in a good groove and I like the feeling haha. This will hopefully be the start of several picture dedicated to these icons because I’m in too good a mood about Pac-Man’s inclusion in Smash Bros. 4 to not draw more.
Good day to you ladies and gents, its time to talk film news and in the midst of all my E3 hype, I saw this little news story that dropped online on my phone that man, Sonic the Hedgehog, was going to be adapted to the big screen in a feature film.
Now I was confused and thought it was a joke, but then saw it was official when the story came from superherohype, one of my most trusted sources of news. And I thought to myself, “Okay. It’s a Sonic film, probably gonna be CGI. I’m not overly fond of the idea, but I’m down.” But then I read the official article… And my heart just sank.
Check it out below:
Sony Pictures Entertainment and Marza Animation Planet, a CG animation film production company of the SEGA SAMMY Group, today announced a partnership to develop a film based on the acclaimed Sonic the Hedgehog video game series. A hybrid CG-animated/live-action feature, the movie will be written by Evan Susser and Van Robichaux and produced by Neal H. Moritz through his Original Film banner, along with Marza’s Takeshi Ito and Mie Onishi. Toby Ascher will serve as an executive producer.
The film will look to capture Sonic’s irreverent tone and spirit, reuniting him with some of the most revered and infamous characters of the franchise, including the evil Dr. Eggman. Playful, mischievous, and quick on his feet in more ways than one, the world’s fastest hedgehog is known for his ability to move at supersonic speed to protect his friends from their enemies. For more than two decades, Sonic has been one of the world’s biggest gaming icons and a $1 billion franchise with more than 140 million games sold.
Commenting on the announcement, Hannah Minghella, Columbia Pictures’ president of Production said, “There are limitless stories to tell with a character like Sonic the Hedgehog, and a built-in international fan base. Along with our wonderful creative partners at Marza, we’re looking to capture everything that generations of fans know and love about Sonic while also growing his audience wider than ever before.”
Marza Animation Planet CEO Masanao Maeda added, “Sonic has had dozens of adventures on the console and the small screen, and we’re thrilled that he’s now coming to the big screen. Sony Pictures has had great success with hybrid animated and live-action features, and we’re confident that this collaboration will bring a fresh take to Sonic, while still capturing everything that the fans love about him.”
Marza is a leading CG animation production company with the vision to create films to the global market from Japan, by combining global storytelling and Japanese creativity. It plans to release one feature-length film each year.
Hannah Minghella and Andrea Giannetti will oversee for Sony Pictures Entertainment.
Why in the holy mother of hell would you want to do a CGI/live-action hybrid for a character as iconic as Sonic the frigging Hedgehog? Sony’s track record with animated films is sketchy at best, while Hotel Transylvania was alright and I’ve heard decent things about the Cloud With A Chance of Meatballs films, Sony are also the people behind The Surfs films… Let that sink in for a second. I don’t know about you, but when I think of the adaptation of cartoon characters in a CGI/live-action form, they normally have to interact with humans and I see The Smurfs, Garfield and Alvin and the Chipmunks… And look how great those films turned out to be, woo. I do not want my Sonic to fall into that trap too!
But what’s even worse is that Sonic’s been in this kind of jam before with a little series known as Sonic X. while it was just an anime, this show attempted to put Sonic characters in a real world setting and make them interact with humans and it was one of the most boring, painful and horrible things I had ever watched. If humans become a big part of this film and they suck too, my poor Sonic’s reputation will be ruined forever.
I don’t want to relive this is live-action, NOT AGAIN! Don’t make it like this Sony, don’t you dare.
Anyone who knows me, knows that I am one of the biggest fans of Sonic EVER! I’ve been playing the games since the 90’s, he’s the reason I draw, I know the source material backwards and forwards, this is my world of understanding. So to see that Sega would even give the rights to Sony and let them do something so potentially dangerous to one of my favourite properties just scares the living daylights out of me and angers me to no end…
Now, that being said, maybe Sony know something I don’t, maybe they will make a good film and make me eat my words in a hardy sandwich. But considering CGI/live-action films in the past and Sonic’s past interactions with humans, I can only fear for the worst.
OKAY MINI RANT OVER.
So what do you think of this news? Are you jumping for joy at the chance to see Sonic on the big screen or are you worried as hell like I am? Be sure to leave your comments below.
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