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+ <title>The Twenty-Six Year Old Fangame</title>
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+ content="SRB2 first came out when I was five. I've been playing it since I was 12. It still rules."
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+ <div class="title-block">
+ <h3 class="blog-title">The Twenty-Seven Year Old Fangame</h3>
+ <h3 class="datestamp">20/02/2025</h3>
+ </div>
+ <div class="content">
+ <p>
+ I'm transgender, I'm autistic, and I was born in the early 90s.
+ Naturally, this means I have formed a lifelong attachment to
+ Sonic the Hedgehog.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ It started with Sonic 2 on the Mega Drive, which I played
+ basically all the time. My dad had written down the cheat codes
+ for level select, debug and all emeralds in the back of the
+ manual, and I spent tens if not hundreds of hours messing with
+ the object placement mode. My first experience getting in the
+ guts of a computer, even if it was in a relatively safe way.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ I was lucky enough to get a Gamecube at launch in May 2002, with
+ Sonic Adventure 2. You could probably really pinpoint that as
+ the end for me. Sonic Adventure 2 was so <i>cool.</i> It still
+ <i>is</i> cool, despite being (in the cold, modern light of day)
+ really only about 1/5th good game and 4/5ths shite.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ But it's a game that feels cohesive. It builds up a strange
+ world through the action stages, the Chao garden, the
+ multiplayer stages... it feels like a whole. It's unsurprising
+ that it too sucked me in, as it did many many others.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ I continued playing different Sonic games throughout my
+ childhood and, still, into adulthood. One of my fave games of
+ last year was Shadow Generations, for god's sake. It's the most
+ uneven series I still stick with, but it's hard to quit Sonic.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ Sometime in my teenage years, around when I was 12 or 13, I
+ started digging into Sonic fangames. I played the demo of the
+ very first version of the Retro Engine, which would eventually
+ by used by its creator, Christian Whitehead (among others) to
+ make Sonic Mania. I fooled around with romhacks a lot. I spent a
+ lot of time browsing Sonic Retro and Sonic Cult (deep cut!),
+ digging through all sorts of info about sonic betas, And also
+ learning what the words 'hentai doujinshi' meant. Some of my
+ first porn was Sonic art. Probably explains Why I'm Like This.
+ <a
+ href="https://web.archive.org/web/20071205021426/http://www.sonic-cult.org/siteparts/hentai/doujinshi.html"
+ >That page is on the internat archive, if you're curious.</a
+ >
+ Relive my sexual awakening with me. The warnings for Furry Bomb
+ said to only download if I promised I wasn't a minor, which I
+ dutifully ignored. Wonder if I can get a copy of one of these
+ from Mandarake one day.
+ <a href="https://imhentai.xxx/gallery/4195/">#5</a> was my
+ favourite.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ ANYWAY, I DIGRESS. What were we talking about? Fangames, right?
+ OK so yeah, Sonic has had a fantastic fangame scene basically
+ from its inception, right to the present day. I look forward to
+ SAGE every year, an event that started in humble sonic hack
+ beginnings and is now a celebration of hacks, fangames and
+ original indie titles inspired by Sonic. I usually tweet about
+ some of the games I sample, so look out for that in June.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ But when it comes to fangames, there's one that really stands
+ out, above all others. It's older than most of them. It's
+ definitely been in development longest.
+ </p>
+ <p>It's Sonic Robo Blast 2.</p>
+ <a href="../img/entries/srb2.png">
+ <img
+ class="blog-img-lrg"
+ src="../img/entries/srb2.png"
+ alt="A screenshot of the SRB2 title screen, featuring Sonic, Tails and Knuckles in an emblem, against a Sega Blue Sky background."
+ />
+ </a>
+ <p>
+ SRB2 is, flatly, bananas. It's a 3D Sonic game that
+ <i>predates</i> Sonic Adventure. (Technically. SRB2 started off
+ as a 2D fangame in early 1998, then moved to 3D engine in 1999.
+ So it didn't beat Sonic Adventure to the 3D punch really, but it
+ was damn close.) It's built on a fork of the Doom engine, with
+ slopes and room-over-room (something that is still rare in
+ modern doom source ports!) as well as more conventional
+ platformer mechanics. It has its own interpretation of how Sonic
+ should feel in 3D, heavily inspired by the physics and
+ momentum-based structure of the 2D games. The cornerstones of
+ how SRB2 feels to play have gone on to influence countless other
+ 3D Sonic fangames.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ I started playing it in the 'Final Demo' era, which despite the
+ name was not in fact the final demo before its full release. In
+ fact, SRB2 is still not finished. it's now at version 2.2, with
+ 6/8 zones done. Which I guess sounds like it's taking forever,
+ but it should be noted that SRB2 isn't just an ordinary
+ singleplayer fangame. It's actually chock full of an insane
+ amount of features. At current blush:
+ </p>
+ <ul>
+ <li>
+ Singleplayer campaign with 6 complete zones, one incomplete
+ zone, and one final boss zone.
+ </li>
+ <li>6 playable characters, each with unique movesets.</li>
+ <li>5 Bonus single-act zones.</li>
+ <li>
+ 8 singleplayer Special Stages - implemented as a full
+ recreation of NiGHTS into Dreams (!)
+ </li>
+ <li>7 multiplayer blue-sphere-esque Special Stages</li>
+ <li>4 NiGHTS bonus stages</li>
+ <li>
+ <i>An entire Doom-inspired FPS multiplayer mode</i> with CTF,
+ and Deathmatch gamemodes, with 37 maps.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ 1 bonus level that utilises a special 'Mario Mode,' that
+ emulates Mario-style gameplay.
+ </li>
+ <li>
+ 1 special legacy zone that serves as a playable museum of the
+ 'final demo' version of the game.
+ </li>
+ </ul>
+ <p>That's a lot of game for the low low price of free!</p>
+ <p>
+ Playing this game on and off for years, it's amazing to see both
+ how the game's grown, but also how it feels so similar to the
+ game I played at 13 or whatever. I have no doubt since the
+ 'final demo' that the physics have been tweaked and rewritten
+ multiple times, but the coolest thing about SRB2 is playing it
+ now, it feels how I remember, unlike, say, Sonic Adventure. The
+ hazy, rose-tinted specs of youth make you forgive a lot of sins
+ in games, so it's really neat that SRB2 manages to feel great
+ while not betraying how you remember it being.
+ </p>
+ <h3>BUT THAT'S NOT ALL!</h3>
+ <p>
+ Because SRB2 is built on Doom, it itself is extremely moddable.
+ And, like Sonic, the community around SRB2 has been extremely
+ active since day 1. There's a veritable bonanza of custom maps
+ and characters, with bespoke art and movesets and even brand new
+ mechanics to support them. As a kid I dove deep into this,
+ having fun with tens of weird different characters from all
+ across the Sonic canon and beyond. Now I'm revisiting, I've only
+ touched one (a fantastic Modern Sonic implementation) but god,
+ what depth.
+ </p>
+ <h3>BUT THAT'S STILL NOT ALL!</h3>
+ <p>
+ SRB2 has itself spawned some fabulous total conversion mods, the
+ most well-known of which is SRB2 Kart, and its sequel, DR.
+ ROBOTNIK'S RING RACERS!
+ </p>
+ <a href="../img/entries/drrobotniksringracers.webp">
+ <img
+ class="blog-img"
+ src="../img/entries/drrobotniksringracers.webp"
+ alt="Cover art for Dr Robotnik's Ring Racers, featuring Tails and Robotnik and a racing track."
+ />
+ </a>
+ <p>
+ That's right baby, I bamboozled you again! This entire blog post
+ was here to advertise DR ROBOTNIK'S RING RACERS to you! Ring
+ Racers is a highly technical kart racer, that (in my humble
+ opinion) unseats Mario, the king of karts, with absolute ease.
+ Over 230 tracks! 63 characters! 22 power ups! A Smash Bros style
+ unlock wall (fantastic to see this mechanic outside of a Sakurai
+ game!) Battle mode! Boss battles!?
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ Ring Racers really feels like it took the precedent set for
+ exceeding expectation by SRB2, looked at it, and went "yeah,
+ that's small fry. Here's how you actually do it."
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ And fuckin' fair play to 'em! I <i>love</i> Ring Racers, I think
+ it's fantastic. Driving is a joy in it, the drifting is absolute
+ perfection and the ring management mechanic is sublime.
+ Basically you collect rings on the track, up to a maximum of 20.
+ Getting hit loses rings, like in a regular Sonic game, but you
+ can also use them one-by-one to get a momentary boost of speed.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ Driving is momentum-based - it's hard to build speed, and the
+ whole aim of the game is maintaining it. And that's pretty damn
+ tricky! And with that in mind, maybe you hold on to your rings
+ while you're ahead in case you scupper a corner and need to
+ spend them to bring yourself back up to pace later!
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ This turns every race into a fine balancing act. It pushes you
+ to learn the track layouts and learn them well, evaluating where
+ you can use rings, when you're gonna get more, whether you
+ should diverge from the main route to go down a side road and
+ grab a powerful item. Each track has multiple routes through it,
+ like a classic 2D Sonic level (and SRB2's levels too, of
+ course). Some are faster, some are slower, some are only
+ accessible with certain items. Every lap ends up different as a
+ result as you experiment. It's <i>joyous.</i>
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ Then there's the trick system. The tutorial teaches you about
+ it, and then the game proceeds not to use it for around 8 cups.
+ But it's another element of this really elegant puzzle. Tricks
+ can only be done on specific ramps and stage elements, and if
+ performed correctly give a momentum boost in a specific
+ direction. This can lead to new routes, to boost pads, to
+ special secrets!
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ It's a game that is packed to the gills with <i>stuff,</i> and
+ it's bloody lovely.
+ </p>
+ <p>
+ So yeah. Play Ring Racers. It's available on all PC platforms,
+ with full controller support. The tutorial is famously long
+ (around 40 minutes NO IT'S OK COME BACK) but it's worth
+ persevering through, I promise. PLAY IT I LOVE IT!!
+ </p>
+ </div>
+ </div>
+ </div>
+ </div>
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+ <iframe class="embed-footer" src="../shared/footer.html"> </iframe>
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<item>
- <title>The Return of the KFC Double Down</title>
- <description>OK this is a silly post but my friends asked me for a full
- review of the new kfc zinger double down. So here it is.</description>
- <pubDate>Wed, 19 Feb 2025 18:52:42 GMT</pubDate>
- <link>https://athene.gay/entries/thereturnofthekfcdoubledown.html</link>
- <guid isPermaLink="true">https://athene.gay/entries/thereturnofthekfcdoubledown.html</guid>
+ <title>The Twenty-Six Year Old Fangame</title>
+ <description>SRB2 first came out when I was five. I've been playing it since I was 12. It still rules.</description>
+ <pubDate>Thu, 20 Feb 2025 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
+ <link>https://athene.gay/entries/srb2.html</link>
+ <guid isPermaLink="true">https://athene.gay/entries/srb2.html</guid>
</item>
<item>
- <title>It's 2025 and I am playing a D&D Game...</title>
- <description>... and it's not Baldurs Gate 3; it is, however, equally 7/10.</description>
- <pubDate>Thu, 06 Feb 2025 16:18:40 GMT</pubDate>
- <link>https://athene.gay/entries/danddgames.html</link>
- <guid isPermaLink="true">https://athene.gay/entries/danddgames.html</guid>
+ <title>Youbeat</title>
+ <description>A while ago, I wanted to adapt arcade game Jubeat for home play,
+ using a device called a launchpad.</description>
+ <pubDate>Tue, 28 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
+ <link>https://athene.gay/projects/youbeat.html</link>
+ <guid isPermaLink="true">https://athene.gay/projects/youbeat.html</guid>
</item>
<item>
<title>Athene.Gay</title>
<description>It's the website you're looking at right now, baby!!</description>
- <pubDate>Wed, 29 Jan 2025 10:02:13 GMT</pubDate>
+ <pubDate>Thu, 30 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
<link>https://athene.gay/projects/thiswebsite.html</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">https://athene.gay/projects/thiswebsite.html</guid>
</item>
<item>
- <title>Youbeat</title>
- <description>A while ago, I wanted to adapt arcade game Jubeat for home play,
- using a device called a launchpad.</description>
- <pubDate>Sun, 26 Jan 2025 18:30:27 GMT</pubDate>
- <link>https://athene.gay/projects/youbeat.html</link>
- <guid isPermaLink="true">https://athene.gay/projects/youbeat.html</guid>
+ <title>FFXIV Plugins</title>
+ <description>I currently maintain two silly little plugins for Final Fantasy
+ XIV.</description>
+ <pubDate>Tue, 28 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
+ <link>https://athene.gay/projects/dalamudplugins.html</link>
+ <guid isPermaLink="true">https://athene.gay/projects/dalamudplugins.html</guid>
+ </item>
+ <item>
+ <title>The Return of the KFC Double Down</title>
+ <description>OK this is a silly post but my friends asked me for a full
+ review of the new kfc zinger double down. So here it is.</description>
+ <pubDate>Wed, 12 Feb 2025 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
+ <link>https://athene.gay/entries/thereturnofthekfcdoubledown.html</link>
+ <guid isPermaLink="true">https://athene.gay/entries/thereturnofthekfcdoubledown.html</guid>
</item>
<item>
<title>Miku Expo</title>
<description>I've been thinking again about Miku Expo recently.</description>
- <pubDate>Sun, 26 Jan 2025 18:30:03 GMT</pubDate>
+ <pubDate>Sun, 26 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
<link>https://athene.gay/entries/miku.html</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">https://athene.gay/entries/miku.html</guid>
</item>
<item>
- <title>FFXIV Plugins</title>
- <description>I currently maintain two silly little plugins for Final Fantasy
- XIV.</description>
- <pubDate>Sat, 25 Jan 2025 21:47:06 GMT</pubDate>
- <link>https://athene.gay/projects/dalamudplugins.html</link>
- <guid isPermaLink="true">https://athene.gay/projects/dalamudplugins.html</guid>
+ <title>It's 2025 and I am playing a D&D Game...</title>
+ <description>... and it's not Baldurs Gate 3; it is, however, equally 7/10.</description>
+ <pubDate>Sat, 01 Feb 2025 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
+ <link>https://athene.gay/entries/danddgames.html</link>
+ <guid isPermaLink="true">https://athene.gay/entries/danddgames.html</guid>
</item>
<item>
<title>Bringing Static Websites Back</title>
<description>Look I'm hardly the first to do this but I think we all know the
internet is shit now.</description>
- <pubDate>Sat, 25 Jan 2025 21:47:06 GMT</pubDate>
+ <pubDate>Sat, 25 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
<link>https://athene.gay/entries/1.html</link>
<guid isPermaLink="true">https://athene.gay/entries/1.html</guid>
</item>
projects / gnargle.github.io.git / commitdiff
