We've gone Bak 2 School for another new Sonic 101 episode! With Jake out on assignment (i.e. kidnapped by Metal Sonic), Jeff Bakalar of Giant Bomb fills the rotating guest chair this week, ready to learn all about McDonald's happy meal toys, outrunning the Big Bang, children's media featuring GWAR, Sonic's secret Jersey upbringing, bloodthirsty unicorn wizards, and all sorts of other nonsense. But the student also becomes the teacher, as Jeff offers up his perspective as the parent of a young Sonic fan, giving us old farts a rare inside look at how the youth of today actually engage with the Blue Blur and his fast furry friends.

(0:00:00) Intro/Main topic: Sonic Newbie Education 101

Amie Waters on Linktree

Giant Bomb

What Lies Below the Lilies

Sonic McOrigins Plus

Windii's translations

John Batiste - Green Hill Zone

Grab your Heelys, your Blockbuster membership card, and your iPod Nano with the complete Good Charlotte discography on it, because we're embracing the mid-2000s to properly look back at the original Sonic Riders! Team Sonic's inaugural clash with the Babylon Rogues is remembered for its slick aesthetic, its bumpin' tunes, and its gameplay that rides the fine line between deeply nuanced and utterly incomprehensible. Does this high-speed hoverboarder soar through the sky like a bird on the wind, or does it explode on its way to the finish line? Join us as we trick our way through the streets of Metal City to find out! Just make sure your air tank is full...

(0:00:00) Intro/Main topic: Sonic Riders

Amie Waters on Linktree

How to Play Sonic Riders

Japanese Heroes Story (Translated)

Japanese Babylon Story (Translated)

Sonic Riders GBA - Lost Media Wiki

It's quadruple trouble in this episode! We're taking another look at Sonic on the Master System and Game Gear, but this time joined by returning guest and 8-bit Sonic aficionado JezMM! Not only are we revisiting Sonic 1 and 2 with Jez's more expert insight, but we're also diving deep on Sonic Chaos and Sonic Triple Trouble, two surprisingly full-featured games for these classic systems! So slip off your rocket shoes and dig yourself a nice little hole to relax in as we take another blast to the past! (But not, like, a Sonic Blast; no one wants to take one of those.)

(0:00:00) Intro/Main topic: 8-bit Sonic revisited

Amie Waters on Linktree

Sonic 1 and 2 SMS Remake

AS2R: Another Sonic 2 Remake

Sonic Chaos: Turquoise Hill demo

Sonic Triple Trouble 16-Bit

Sonic Triple Trouble SMS

The one and only LittleKuriboh joins us as we craft our latest fanfic masterpiece! When Wave the Swallow gets upstaged by Dr. Eggm-I mean El Gran Gordo, and his new Tails Doll AI assistant, she decides to take matters into her own hands and sabotage the project. Will she put a damper on the wrestling roboticist's plans, or are things about to get crazy on this freakiest of Fridays? Featuring Kiryu from the Like a Dragon series!

(0:00:00) Intro/Martin's history with Sonic

Amie Waters on Linktree

Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it... But what if Sega refuses to let us forget? In today's episode, Ape of the Hour joins us as we take a look at the curious case of Classic Sonic in the current day. Originally the ONLY Sonic, this little guy found himself shoved to the side when the 2000s rolled around in favor of his new look, only to experience a sudden resurgence in the 2010s. But has he overstayed his welcome at this point? Why does Sega seem so insistent upon a divide between the two eras? And does looking back truly represent the way forward?

(0:00:00) Intro/Ape's history with Sonic

Amie Waters on Linktree

For many years, humanity has wondered, "What would a stage musical based on Sonic the Hedgehog look like?" This...is so much weirder an answer than anyone could have come up with. Today, we travel back in time 30 years to the land down under, back when the Sega World amusement park was a thing that existed, to check out Sonic in Sydney the live musical. It's a strange tale of Sonic, Tails, and Sally teaming up to prevent Robotnik's Aussie assault, one with so many absurd twists and turns that some might consider it a harbor bridge too far. Listen along as we react in real time to the studio recording, then stick around for the extended versions of the songs, and a never-before-heard totally-real we're-not-just-making-this-up-for-a-really-funny-bit recording of the lost puppet show version!

(0:00:00) Intro/Main topic: Sonic in Sydney

Amie Waters on Linktree

Sonic in Sydney (live show, version 2, dry run) [TOTALLY REAL FOR SRS]

Featuring:

We're getting multicultural on this episode as we do a deep dive on the different ways Sonic has been portrayed between Japan and the West. We all know how Sega of America started making changes right from the jump, with their Robotniks and their Mobiuses and their Hardly, Nebraskas...OK, maybe not so much that last one. But the 30+ years that followed have seen a strange back-and-forth of each side borrowing from one another and slowly reintegrating Sonic into one cohesive vision...unless you're an annoying person on social media, in which case the two portrayals couldn't be further from one another, even to this day. Are Japanese and western Sonic really so separate? Did any of the changes end up being to the franchise's benefit in the long run? Or are they forever destined to be two different worlds? Not like the "two worlds" thing that briefly described the setting, but like, as in...you know what, just listen to the episode, you'll get what we mean.

(0:00:00) Intro/Main topic: Japanese Sonic vs. Western Sonic

Amie Waters on Linktree

Windii on YouTube

We're off the starting line at high speed as we prepare for the release of Sonic's newest racer by taking a look back at some of his earliest! First up, we pop some fresh batteries in our Game Gears to check out the Sonic Drift duology, a flawed but unique attempt to bring the fun of kart racing on the go. Then we stay on track and don’t look back as we continue on to Sonic R, the equally beloved and maligned on-foot racer with a legacy all its own. So join us as we feel the sunshine, dodged some lightning strikes, and hopefully answer the question once and for all... Why the hell is he in a car?

0:00:00 Intro/Our recent Sonic-y stuff

Amie Waters on Linktree

Sonic R Updater

Sonic R Improvement Mod

ARK in Radiant Emerald

It takes two to tango, but it takes 12 for an all out brawl! The gang looks back at Treasure Team Tango, the Sonic Universe arc that gave Blaze and Cream their first real spotlights in the original Archie continuity! When the princess of the Sol Dimension comes looking for a missing emerald, she's going to have to team up with a couple of female freedom fighters to find it, especially when three other teams all have their eyes on the same prize. It's the ultimate game of keep away in this madcap adventure, and we're here to dig back into it page by page!

(0:00:00) Intro/Main topic: Treasure Team Tango

Amie Waters on Linktree