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Conventions

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Sonic Stuff Research Group Reunion Coming To Retro World Expo This August

If you’ve been around the Sonic Internet scene, more than likely you’ve heard of the Sonic Stuff Research Group. Affectionally known as SSRG, it has been a hub for discussing and researching the inner workings of the classic Sonic the Hedgehog games, and the techniques in modding Sonic both old and new.

What you may not know is that the SSRG has, in one form or another, existed since 1996. Initially a small subsection on Andy Wolan’s gaming-themed website EmulationZone, it grew to house a number of Sonic websites dedicated to uncovering the history of the franchise, the lost content that sparked the imagination of an entire generation. Sonic the Hedgehog Area 51, Tom’s Hacking Station, Simon Wai’s Sonic 2 Beta Page – separately, they told snippets of a hedgehog’s history. Together? They became the foundation of what would come.

When Andy stepped away from the project in 2003, it was truly the end of an era.

Twenty years later, Andy Wolan, along with three charter members of the SSRG community, are coming together for the Sonic Stuff Research Group Reunion panel. Taking place at the Retro World Expo in Hartford, CT this will be the first time that these four individuals have ever been in the same room together, telling the story of what once was, and how it informs where we are now. Who knows what stories they have to tell? Or what wild things could happen live and in person?

Who are the others joining Andy on this trip down memory lane?

The expo will take place on August 26th and 27th of this year. A schedule has yet to be set, but the OG crew will be hosting two panels, “one for a general talk and historical reflection on SSRG and it’s impact, and another focusing on the technical challenges we faced as we attempted to tear into the classic games for the first time ever to figure out how they worked.”

If you plan on being in the area, be sure to check it out. For more information and future updates, be sure to keep an eye on the panel’s dedicated thread on the forums.

Community, Site News

SEGAbits & Sonic Retro to host Too Many Games 2015 “The Sonic X-treme Files” panel on Saturday, June 27th in Oaks, PA

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We’re excited to announce that SEGAbits and Sonic Retro will be returning to Too Many Games to host a panel on Saturday, June 27th at 4:50pm in Oaks, PA! Last year we uncovered the secrets of Sonic the Hedgehog 2‘s Hidden Palace Zone, and this year we return to the topic of Sonic mysteries with “The Sonic X-treme Files”. The panel is to feature Sonic Retro admin and writer David the Lurker and SEGAbits admin and writer Barry the Nomad as they embark on a chronological behind-the-scenes look back at the never released SEGA Saturn game Sonic X-treme!
Also appearing at the panel is creator of the YouTube series “Hit Reset” Adam aka Gunstar with the premiere of his latest Hit Reset episode which shines the spotlight on Wild Woody for the SEGA CD. The video is to feature special guests including Wild Woody composer Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal and Woody voice actor Joe Kerska!
We’ll also be giving away some rare SEGA prizes at the end to ensure that you don’t walk out at the halfway point!
Register today at TooManyGames.com and we hope to see you there!

Community, Site News

TooManyGames 2014: “Surviving the Dreamcast Apocalypse” & “The Secret History of the Hidden Palace Zone”


SEGAbits and Sonic Retro made our very first convention appearance together this year at TooManyGames in Oaks, PA. In addition to walking the convention floor, Barry the Nomad, Patrick aka Kori-Maru (Website of the Dead), Sonic Retro’s own David the Lurker and A.J. Rosa (My Life with SEGA) held a panel discussing the life and death of SEGA’s swan song, the Dreamcast. The same panel also included a presentation from Retro, covering the history of Sonic the Hedgehog 2‘s Hidden Palace Zone – with rarely seen footage of Sonic 2‘s release and early efforts to remake the lost zone. We also met with several fellow SEGA fans, gave away a pile of rare SEGA swag, and did we mention the panel was standing room only? SEGAbits (and Sonic Retro) Does.
Also featured in this video is a convention walkthrough with the crew, and a one-on-one bout between Patrick and A.J.
Like this video? Subscribe to the SEGAbits YouTube channel!

Site News

Shameless Promotion: Sonic Retro @ TooManyGames

SBTMG
It’s almost here.
If you are an avid reader of our sister site SEGAbits (and if you aren’t, shame on you), you more than likely read a news article from last month announcing the “Surviving the Dreamcast Apocalypse: SEGA Fans in the 21st Century” panel that will be part of the TooManyGames convention. That’s right, three days of video game insanity at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, PA, and right smack dab in the middle? A panel by SEGA fans, for SEGA fans. On June 28th, at the stroke of noon, all eyes will turn on SEGAbits Admin/Writer Barry the Nomad, “My Life With SEGA” creator A.J. Rosa, and The Website of the Dead owner Kori-Maru. There will be all sorts of SEGA discussion, reflecting on the moment where the company that ruled our childhoods forever changed, plus never before seen clips from A.J. that’ll be sure to dazzle. But how can you have a panel about SEGA and not touch on Sonic at some point?
Sonic Retro’s own David The Lurker (oh wait, that’s me) will also be there spooling a tale that is both familiar and strange. If you have the entire wiki memorized, you won’t be shocked by anything I have to say, but featured therein will be THE SECRET HISTORY OF THE HIDDEN PALACE ZONE, a trip down memory lane as we reflect on the one level that has captivated the minds of hardcore fans since it was teased in magazines way back in 1992. Missing from the final product, it inspired a legion of fans to create a Sonic Internet community that would have been vastly different had Craig Stitt’s baby made it into the final version. There’s a reason that “Master Emerald” still hides out in our logo.
So if you’re in the Greater Philadelphia area, or have the urge to travel, you can still register to get in. Be it one day or all three, I promise it’ll be a wild and crazy time. And if not…well, the Angry Video Game Nerd will be at the same convention. You can always go bother him afterwards.
For more information:
SEGAbits Original Announcement
Too Many Games Official Site
Too Many Games Attendee Registration