In an interview composed with Brad Buxer back in May, Brad Buxer confirms that the majority of the music composed for Sonic the Hedgehog 3 was actually done by him and not Michael Jackson.
Buxer confirms that Michael Jackson had signed on to compose music for the soundtrack, but the actual writing duties fell to Buxer as he was Jackson’s main songwriting collaborator at the time. Buxer confirms he wrote 41 audio cues for Sonic 3 and Jackson only had input on one of them. He does not specify which song Jackson had input on and he does not specify which of the 41 audio cues ended up in the final game. We know for a fact that Ice Cap Zone was written by Brad Buxer because the melodies line-up with Buxer’s own song Hard Times that he recorded with the band The Jetzons.
Buxer also confirms that writing for the song Stranger in Moscow also came from the same sessions that produced the 41 audio cues for Sonic 3. Stranger in Moscow is often compared to the Sonic 3 credits theme as the songs share a similar chord progression. As this song was written separately from the Sonic 3 audio cues, it is more likely a coincidence that the songs sound similar.
5 other composers are credited for Sonic 3’s music: Bobby Brooks, Darryl Ross, Geoff Grace, Doug Grigsby III and C. Cirocco Jones. This means it is highly unlikely that all of Buxer’s 41 audio cues were used in the final game. You can watch an isolated segment of Brad Buxer’s May 2022 interview with Abbey Road Institute Paris below:
It’s been very quiet on the Sonic Origins front. We haven’t heard anything since the game’s initial reveal back in May 2021, but something is definitely happening soon because the game has been rated in South Korea and some key art has been leaked via the back door of the PlayStation Network. You can see the key art in the header for this this article.
Sonic Origins is a new collection of Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Sonic & Knuckles and Sonic the Hedgehog CD. Sonic 3 & Knuckles will also be available to play in their full combined glory, and it has been promised that all games will be displayed in a widescreen resolution. This has led many to believe these ports are being based on Christian Whitehead’s mobile versions of Sonic 1, 2 and CD.
Sonic Origins is scheduled to release at some point in 2022 for “the latest platforms“. Here’s hoping more news on Sonic Origins is coming soon!
The Sonic the Hedgehog 2 movie isn’t even out yet, but Paramount Pictures are obviously very happy with the performance of the first Sonic movie because they’ve just revealed that a 3rd Sonic movie is now in development alongside a Knuckles spin-off TV series that will air in 2023 on Paramount Plus. Idris Elba is also set to return to voice our favourite echidna in this upcoming TV series.
The first Sonic the Hedgehog movie was a huge success for Paramount, grossing $319.7 million against a budget of $90 million. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 releases on April 8th 2022 and sees the return of Jim Carrey as Dr. Robotnik, Ben Schwartz as Sonic the Hedgehog and introduces Idris Elba as Knuckles the Echidna and Colleen O’Shaughnessey as Miles “Tails” Prower. Jeff Fowler returns to direct.
For the final week of Hidden Palace’s Sonic month, the prototype archivists have released something very special. The team have dumped a November 1993 prototype of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 which features different music and sprites which are based on those from Sonic 2.
This prototype comes from a time when Sonic 3 was supposed to contain all the stages from Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles, and while Sonic 3’s stages are mostly complete, the Sonic & Knuckles stages are often incomplete, showcasing an early insight into that game’s development. Screenshots from this prototype made their way into the Sonic 3: Exclusive Story of the Year! preview supplement which we also have archived in our merchandise section.
The real discovery comes with the game’s soundtrack. Sonic fans will know that the PC version of Sonic 3 features different tunes for Ice Cap, Launch Base and Carnival Night Zone. Well it appears that these tunes actually pre-date the versions that were eventually included in the final release of Sonic 3, as they make an appearance in this prototype. This is the first time anyone has heard these tunes powered by the Mega Drive’s YM2612 sound chip and it makes for some truly fascinating listening.
We also have a Sonic & Shadow in Team Sonic Racing t-shirt which is currently being bundled together with a Team Sonic Racing logo pin badge. Click here to be taken to the listing on the UK SEGA Shop. This item is currently priced at £20.
Numskull designs have revealed a brand new Sonic the Hedgehog knitted Christmas jumper for 2018. The new design features Sonic, Tails and Knuckles snowboarding/skiing in an environment not too dissimilar to Ice Cap from Sonic 3.
The jumper is available to pre-order now from Geek Store and is priced at £39.99. The jumper will ship nearer the end of November 2018.
More details have emerged in regards to Michael Jackson’s involvement in the Sonic 3 soundtrack and it’s coming from an unlikely source. Brad Buxer who used to play keyboards in The Jetzons was working with Jackson on the soundtrack to the game but in a previous interview he wasn’t aware of what songs made it into the final release.
A staff member over at Sonic Retro has discovered an amazing similarity with a Jetzons song called ‘Hard Times’. Check out the song below and you might be surprised as to how similar it is to a song that features on the Sonic 3 soundtrack:
Yep, that melody is unmistakably Ice Cap! What an amazing find!
Our latest video on the SEGADriven YouTube channel once again takes a look at our updated Mega Drive collection. We also take questions from our Facebook and Twitter followers. Check it out below:
Like the video? Why not subscribe to the SEGADriven YouTube Channel by clicking here.
Sonic Retro user Deef has discovered (in August 2010 no doubt! Thanks TimmiT) that if you leave Sonic 3 idling on the save select screen the music changes after a whopping 47 minutes. You can see an example of this below:
Pretty amazing that people are still finding secrets in 19 year old games!
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