Back in 2012, we followed the progress made on Sonic 2 HD — a fan project to remake Sega's classic platformer — with great interest. However, for personal reasons development work ground to a halt and we never heard anything more about the project. That is until now.
The team's Facebook page was recently updated to let classic Sonic fans know that the project is to be revived as a new talented programmer has come on board. New contributors are also welcomed, especially to help with animation and graphics in the unofficial HD remake.
Here's the latest post from the talented team:
Hello everyone!
The only thing more surprising than seeing an official post from us here is our announcing that S2HD is no longer dead.
You read that correctly: work has once again begun on Sonic 2 HD! That said, we'd like to give you all a brief tie-in for recent events leading to the project's reboot.
As many of you know, the leading reason behind the project's cancellation was due to the programming element being removed with no possibility of return in its existing form. As of last year, this changed. Before anyone raises the question, no, the former programmer and the S2HD team members have not had a reunion; instead, a fan of the project independently created and submitted his own engine to Vincent, the project leader, for evaluation. After integrating the art assets from the alpha release and successfully testing it, Vincent began to let the rest of the prior team members know, and we've picked up where we left off sans those who are unavailable due to real life obligations. Two other talented programmers have since offered their skills to recreate the game's physics to match the original, and to port the game to the Mac OS platform (the latter of which is still in the earliest possible stage, and we have no estimate on when it will be playable, so stay tuned!).
In response to some of the questions we have seen, the Alpha Release build is officially discontinued and will not get any form of support as we do not have the source code. The next release will be entirely new programming from the ground up.
We'll provide more details in how you can help us out in the next few days. It's good to be back!
Are you excited about the possibility of this unofficial HD remake of Sonic the Hedgehog 2, or are you more satisfied with SEGA's 2014 Sonic Boom? Perhaps you're the opposite, and see this as the perfect tonic to Sonic Boom's radical design changes? Let us know with a comment below.
[source facebook.com]
Comments 59
This looks pretty interesting, I'd love to try out when they finish it.
sorry loves but the iOS-like HD polish doesn't do it for me x
Sonic 2 HD looks great, but really, you're going to say that's some sort of worthy replacement to a big whopping project like Sonic Boom? Shame.
I prefer the original pixel art vs. the smooth HD.
I hope this comes out for consoles and/or gaming handhelds. Also does anyone know if it includes the new level in the phone version?
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 for the Mega Drive is the best game of the blue hedgehog in my humble opinion. Still, I don't fancy these HD upgrades, the original is still a thing of beauty, why bother?
Meh, I've already got like, five copies of the game. And I prefer the pixel art of old, anyway.
Sonic 2 is the worst classic Sonic game (I exclude spinball and 3d blast). Its too easy and it breaks lots of the mechanics. (The special stages are good though).
Pixel art over hd. Sorry.
@TheSonicdude97 I don't blame them since we don't know whether Boom is the real sonic or not. I'd rather see the modern sonic characters than the ones on boom.
Looks far better as pixels.
Wouldn't mind a 3D Classics version though, SEGA and M2...
This needs to come to Wii U, after Sega pull the plug on Sonic 4, we really need some 2D Sonic love for Wii U.
@unrandomsam WTF Sonic 2 is the best Sonic game ever made, what mechanics are you talking about? The game had an equal amount of platforming and speed through plus the different variety of levels that makes it a classic. Also the game is too easy? Ha as a kid it took me months to beat the game. I say Sonic 3 is the worst considering you really need the S&K lock-on in able to actually save the game and play the full version.
@unrandomsam I wouldn't call sonic 2 easy as the Death Egg Zone has to be the hardest stage in any sonic stage.
@retro_player_22 I am pretty sure you could save the game on sonic 3.
While I'm happy to see this project brought back from the grave, I'd be happier if Sega and M2 announced a 3D Sonic the Hedgehog 2. It's more because my PC isn't very good for games.
News of the year!
If the game is good enough, do you guys think Sega will pull a Capcom and try to pass it off as their own work?
I've never even played through a Sonic game, although I just started playing through Sonic 3 and Kuckles on my new Genesis.
Wow my Sega Genesis roots are strong because even though i have this game the HD remake gets me excited…i dont know what to really expect out of Sonic Boom but at least i could always play the classics whenever i want and remember the times when our Blue Hedgehog gave Mario a run for his money…even if Sonic Boom is a disappointment im still hopeful Sonic will come back to his full glory
@SilentHunter382 Yes but you can't save in Sonic and Knuckles which is the other half of Sonic 3. You need both lock-on to actually get the full game as well as saving.
Why do some people don't realise this is a fan project, and has no official support or consent from Sega whatsoever!? This game is only playable on PC platforms, and won't likely be ported to consoles.
Sonic CD was better imo hope we one day get a 3D classics of the game.
Kinda ironic, but also amazing, to see a fanmade project saved by a fan of the fans' work.
I'm not interest in their work, but with so much dedication I can only wish them the best for their project ^o^
Add Sticks lol
More into Sonic Boom actually. It looks really cool and I'm glad to be able to play as Knuckles, Tails and Amy. I already have Sonic 2 since I have the Sonic Classic Collection for the DS.
You guys have to see it in order to truly appreciate it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QA5XqON9OcI
Not sure what's with the Sonic Boom comparison, though, as this game and that game are very, VERY different games.
That article title is horrible. I grow up with sonic. Sure sonic has not had the same level of success Mario got but he still has quality games. A crappy fan remake means nothing. I have too much respect for sega to care even if some think sega does not care.
@retro_player_22 Change to the speed so you don't need to spin to get up to pace for example. There is loads of other small things they didn't do right. (That were spot on in the original).
@SilentHunter382 I played it within the last year. (Android version with a controller on a tablet) and there was nothing difficult about it. Sonic CD is much harder (At least trying to get the good ending). Or the original. (Presuming M2's version is not broken somehow that I never noticed).
@Artwark Uhm, they already said several times that Sonic Boom IS NOT part of the main series. Sorry but I'm getting fed up with the people who don't bother to find this out and just act like it's changing the main series when it ISN'T.
On topic, I really don't like the visual style used on this, it looks like Sonic 4 which I also really don't like. Sorry but pixels beat this... illustrated style? every time. However, not one to judge a book by its cover or, in the case of games, a game by its graphics, I'll wait and see how this turns out before moaning it's rubbish.
Wow, this is what I've been waiting for a long time now. Sonic Boom annoys me, and from what I've seen so far by playthroughs it will be pretty boring.
@unrandomsam What's wrong with the speed though, even if you don't use the spin dash, you could still use the spring to push you forward and in the Genesis days Sonic is all about speed so I don't know why you're disappointed. The game had some amazing level design (not like today where if you're not careful you'll hit rock bottom), some very nice bonus levels, memorable boss battles, cool hidden features (like Super Sonic, the debug level editor, and stage select code) and some of the greatest soundtrack ever in a Genesis game. What makes this also great is if you lock it onto Sonic and Knuckles you can play as Knuckles in the game which makes the game more challenging especially the final boss.
While i'm very happy this project is back on track, I hope it gets released for Wii U. I don't own a computer or cell phone, so it might be years before I can play this.
This is cool to hear. I hope everything goes good this time! ^o^
Actually, the reason it was canned was because the lead programmer put a keylogger into the game, and when it was discovered, he left the project and took the source code with him.
Now if only M2 can bring the rest of the Sonic classics to the 3DS....
No offence, but Sonic & Knuckles is the only classic sonic I like. The best music, stages and you can play as Knuckles and Sonic. Yeaaa, that game is awesome. Remake that and we'll talk.
Sonic Lost World is better than Sonic 2 anyway... It's just a shame that you Mariophiles don't have the skills to fully appreciate it
Um.....SEGA is ok with this???
Speaking of SEGA it's puzzling to me why they have yet to start bombing the wii u vc with tons of their own classics?!? I think they are missing out on a lot of $$$$!! C'mon SEGA!!!
Though Sonic 2 was definitely my favorite of all the 2D Sonic games,I have played it to death and would rather play a new one. I want to try Sonic Lost World but after the decidely mixed reception I am hesitant to plop down the cash. Hopefully Sonic Boom will be a worthy purchase, but we will have to wait and see.
HD is overrated if the game is just going to be Sonic 2 that everyone has played a million times over what's the point.
The original games graphics were great for their time and the HD coat of paint doesn't really excite me it looks the same except the higher resolution
@Sonicfan11589 It won't. It's a fan project of a SEGA IP, so unless SEGA decides to publish it themselves (not likely), it'll be a PC exclusive.
It doesn't grab my interest, as good as their team might be, they're not as good and don't have the tools of the guy that did the official Sonic CD port, and it's not going to look much different, not as good as various filters you can already apply.
I'd buy this.
Sonic 2 HD levels can already be found within Sonic Generations 3DS. Sonic Boom will have that whole "CRYSTAL-indigo-glow" power moves (think kingdom hearts dream drop distance effects) which i haven't seen in a sonic haNd held yet so it will be glorious in 3D !
Sonic Classic Collection DS is the way to go for this vibe ! Not only does it play on your new 3dsxl/3ds or pink 2ds but you can also be Knuckles,tails and discover hidden gems just like in Sonic Boom ! The Amy and that "new/marnie" look alike should be fun to be aswell. It will be nice to be able to play as AMY in a sonic game since Sonic Brawl or London 2012 Oly. games!
No way Sega is going to allow this, unless they are willing to take over the project.
@MAB That Sonic parkour is pretty cool.
@Rensch They've allowed it for 6 years, not sure why they'd stop now.
Sonic lost world is the best 3d sonic i have played. Looking forward to Sonic Boom.
@Rensch i would not allow this game either if i were sega.
@siavm i also do not understand all the hatred against the recent sonic games. All sonic titles after sonic unleashed were aweaome.
So now it looks like a cheap iPhone game? Wouldn't that be a demake?
hm. I'll have to look into this for more details
Guys you need to see the actual gameplay in order to judge this. Everything about this game is flawless; the music, animation, and engine (Better than any iphone app I've seen). I hope when they bring back the game from the grave they will stay true to the original design.
Honestly, the team needs to stuck together, unlike last time this was in development. The fans and the devs were arguing constantly over the dumbest things in the forums, like grass textures and if they were a FEW PIXELS OFF. If this stays on track, however, I'll definitely grab myself a copy.
Weird how this just happened now, because I read about how it was cancelled a few days ago. I think it looks beautiful in-motion.
Sonic 2 is a classic, and Sonic Lost World is also fun.
Wasn't this the project that had a large backlash due to DRM?
@Artwark They've explained multiple times that Boom and the normal Sonic are two separate universes. They're continuing the normal Modern Sonic universe on its own and bringing it back to its pre-Sonic Colors roots, story-wise.
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