Ranking (most of) the Sonic Openings

if there's anything that separates Sonic from Mario it has to be the openings whenever you start a Mario game it's all like Yahoo let's go play the game Mamma Mia select your save file here we go but when you start a Sonic game cue The Rock [Music] Sonic games let you know what's in store even if it's false advertising these openings always stick with me and it's something that I've come to look forward to every time a new game releases and to continue to be disappointed by when the game doesn't have one so instead of wallowing and discontent and existential dread I thought wouldn't it be fun to rank all the Sonic openings from every game that has one it would so welcome one and all to my rankings of the Sonic openings but before we start we have to answer the very important question what counts as an opening well foremost it must play before the player has any control of the character and it must be comprised of at least different elements than just gameplay like CGI footage or vocal themes this does mean a few opening cutscenes will be included assuming they are CGI and not in game and by what measure am I judging this by well first of all the visuals how does everything flow together the direction the animation Etc second the music how well does it fit and how much it rocks on its own and thirdly my Bia to the capital S that'll rain Above All Else and only Mainline games with a few exceptions so let's get started shall we [Music] starting off on a high note Sonic CD supersonic tier do I need to explain why the first in the Pinnacle of Sonic openings animated by toei animation who subcontracted Studio Juno to help also featuring not one but two different songs accompanying it and the result is beautiful except on the original system where it's got some crunch to it listen up 2D Sonic openings are Peak and that will never change the direction here is spectacular as you watch Sonic fly across the screen interacting with the environment in so many ways jumping between rocks skipping on water running up walls into some really creative shots here where the camera is pulled far away as you just see Sonic's Shadow against the mountains passing by in an instant before he zooms across leaving behind a trail of dust and rainbows shooting out of the water the anticipation the snappiness of opposing an action if I'm gonna describe this opening in one word it would be dynamic from the storyboard to the animation the way this opening makes you feel like Sonic whizzing around the world has been what Sonic fans have been dreaming a game would be for years now absolutely iconic but the important question is which song do I prefer Sonic Boom from the USA soundtrack or you can do anything from the Japan and pal one both is good I honestly can't choose between them they're both so good I may give the edge to you can do anything as I feel like it has a bit more energy than Sonic Boom but I cannot imagine this opening without hearing Sonic Boom song [Music] what a great way to start and to immediately go downhill from that's right say goodbye to 2D it's time to upgrade go back go back go back go back go back 3D animation is my passion that Sonic is thrown into the Z Dimension which has the unusual side effect of causing him not to Blink a single time and being useful on a slow news day I know it's early 3D animation it's not gonna be Pixar levels of quality but that's not going to stop me from making fun of it a little crude at least the music's decent this is the easiest decision I made all day oh but we can't forget about the Genesis version now can we please I'm at a loss for words I mean it all like guys I'm impressed that this is even running on the Genesis in the first place but that's the most praised his opening is going to get correction this is the easiest decision I've made all day now bring me the real 3D Sonic opening other than giving me slight aquaphobia as a kid the Sonic Adventure opening is Stellar the Calm before the storm with the twinkling noises and blue sky at the beginning before the city erupts with water gushing out of the sewers flying the streets causing complete and Untold pandemonium before energy this opening fills me with as open your heart starts glaring in the background as it cuts through all the Sonic characters in this one shot of Eggman on the egg carrier is just wrong Masterpiece this was Sonic's big jump into the third dimension and while looking a bit dated today it does its job by letting you know that Sonic is a back supersonic tier though the main reason it surpasses all others I didn't say it had to be a fair reason okay moving on to the sequel that didn't initially have an opening not until Sonic Adventure 2 battle on the GameCube did we get a proper opening and it's all right don't get me wrong I love the flashing light Sonic and Shadow paralleling each other in front of the Moon and hearing a sliver of live and learn I like that it's just that it's a little too short and it uses the in-game model so it doesn't look as good as other openings well you know what they say what goes up must come down Sonic Heroes has the most nonsense lyrics I've ever heard from a Sonic song and that's saying a lot like listen to this [Music] this makes absolutely no sense I love it shouldn't work but it somehow does of course you got the [Music] good thing because I was starting to forget what this game was called and wait a minute is this song Just A diss at Eggman behind you can find you defying your rain oh my goodness it totally is this whole song is just like telling his enemies no matter where you go I will be there to mess you up because we're Sonic Heroes and there goes five minutes of my lifespan my only problem is visually there's Meyer slow down at one part it reuses cutscenes from the game and I'm sorry but I think Sonic Hero CG cutscenes don't look the best a tier shoot time to bring the edge the first thing you see is Shadow reloading a gun that just tells you everything just like Sonic Heroes this shouldn't work but it does the one word I can use to describe this opening is egg the music the visuals all flow to the central theme and it's hilarious it's Saving Grace other than being ironically good is that it looks super good the opening in CG cutscenes for the game was outsourced to blur Studios our favorite CG song company was also home to everyone's favorite Sonic movie director they always did an amazing job when it came to CGI cutscenes and Shadow the Hedgehog was the first taste of what they had in store for us and its second race is the music All of Me is so edgy but so good at the same time I will rock out to it any chance I get high a tier damn it don't give me that now for a brief intermission to include the coolest Sonic spin-off to ever exist Sonic Riders Sonic on hoverboards this is literally perfect for the character and again 2D animated Sonic openings are Perfection outsourced to the animation studio production IG this opening just oozes style and gets me excited to play the Sonic racing spin-off that doesn't exist anymore please bring it back Sega it's so much better than cars I can elaborate further it's just cool putting it in Super Sonic tier because I love the animation and that supersonic speed intermission over where were we son of a Sonic 06 blur Studios makes a return to do their unfortunately last Saw Game cut scenes with this game they would later go on to help make the movies good for them the animation is smooth bouncy and crisp with great lying in effects although this one shot is forever ruined to me one shut up this opening is really good in fact it's too good it promises so much that it becomes a detriment because of how the rest of the game turned out it's a good opening cutscene but looks alone can only bring it so far [Music] time to take a page out of the storybook series despite having a lower budget both games received full CG openings as anima Inc would take over for the two games after blur Studios and they did a decent job starting with Secret Rings as the stage is set in the world of the Arabian Nights Sonic approaches the palace where Razer generates summoning his dark Forces as it rises into the sky with 7 rings in hands blasting in the background facing a horde of enemies undeterred Sonic grabs the flame on his chest and then starts running in oh that's it that's it that is indeed it all this time spent building up to my own disappointment guess that's life don't get me wrong it looks great I love the ideas it has but it spends way too much time building up to just end so abruptly just before it was getting started 30 seconds spent watching a palace rise into the sky and I barely get to hear seven rings in hand what a rip-off and black knight doesn't fare much better now it's an interesting case because it technically has two openings the intro before the menu and the actual opening cut scene on the one hand the intro plays like a trailer for the game with how it's edited and it cuts off just before it was getting to the good part of the song Come On the opening cutscene on the other hand looks as good as always and I'll never get tired of seeing Sonic face play onto the ground and when he throws the chili dog up in the air to take care of the enemies and catches it right after so cool despite the opening cutscene being good I would have still preferred an actual opening with night of the window blaring in the background compared to the two halves of what we got ladies and gentlemen the storybook series conveniently in the same tier back to the main line in the Pinnacle of 3D Sonic animation that has not been taught taking place in Space the psych Unleashed opening is gorgeous with amazing action exaggerated animation and just selling you on Sonic the Hedgehog as he takes down eggman's pawns with style in blur Studio's Place Mars animation plan would rise up and deliver the intro is a joy to watch especially when Super Sonic appears it just begins to tear through eggman's Fleet an Unstoppable force that makes Eggman beg for mercy I wouldn't have to break all your toys gotcha the tone shifts from a Saturday morning cartoon to the closest the song Series has ever gone to body horror at least in the games with the haunting transformation into the Werehog intercut with scenes of Dark Gaia rising from the Earth's core I have nothing but praise for the direction and visuals give credit where credit is due Eggman did it he won he defeated Sonic and sent him hurdling back to earth a perfect setup with amazing production value asked here oh not supersonic don't get me wrong I love this intro but that's what is an intro six whole minutes of something I'll only see a few times and won't have a rocking song to fall back on when it comes to openings I prefer if they were openings not intro cut scenes though this is definitely the best of that type to put into perspective I wish it was something more like like yeah exactly this is more like it Supersonic and yes bias Reach for the Stars hit every note of what I want from a Sonic opening great music great visuals great everything Reach for the Stars fits the game to a T and just capture Sonic's character so well [Music] how many money it's obvious that this opening means a lot to me in just the way it flows showcasing all the Wisp powers in the game and ending off on this quiet note this is my favorite 3D Sonic opening with my favorite main song however that's not the only version of Reach for the Stars to exist turn back time to the Sonic Symphony where Reach for the Stars received one of the best remixes I've ever heard infusing synth with more rock exceeded the original for me I could not wait to hear it again in game but of course Sega happens I didn't buy the game but at least I could still watch the opening on YouTube [Music] wait this this isn't the same song okay you lost me trust me there are two versions of Reach for the Stars recolor the first was the 30th Anniversary version that played at the symphony I have it on Apple music it's real I'm not going mad I love this version to death which makes it even more disappointing and confusing when it changed for the remaster ultimates reach for the stars is mixed differently the vocals sound muffled under the loud beats of the drums some instruments sound different or are pan to a different side entirely and the poor guitar part gets it the worse [Music] foreign [Music] all this resulting in the mix that feels flat and muffled but why though that's the million dollar question why on Earth would you make a perfect version of the song and then decide okay now how do we make this worse well it could be a few reasons this is just speculation but the ultimate mix of reach for the stars is possibly older than the anniversary mix also the instruments used could be slightly different and the fact that these mixes were probably made by different people under different circumstances is a reason I can't be too harsh on it but why didn't they just put the better remix into the game well the game was coming out in two months and like all things Sonic related they probably didn't have enough time to do that or they thought the mix they had was good enough it's still pretty good I just prefer the anniversary mix way more a tier it's still reached for the Stars it's still pretty good but my sensitive ears are not having it I'm sorry the last thing I needed was another reason to dislike this remaster I think I went through all the stages of grief with the song ah next up Sonic Generations you have two songs to work with so that means double the disappointment it's not terrible but actually you know what yeah it is terrible for an anniversary title I expected a lot more than just two Sonics running for 30 seconds in gray space this should have been an opening that celebrates the entire series but instead sea tier Sonic Lost World meh it looks good however it's lost world moving on Sonic forces why do I even bother yeah this has really dragged me down can I get a pick-me-up oh oh I said pick me up not throw me over the moon the Sonic Mania opening magical back to 2D back to Classic back with Stellar music and two versions at that directed by Tyson Hess who kills it with this animation that is so expressive and Alive the euphoric feeling of seeing that elevator climb with close-ups of all the main casts together until it reaches Mania seeing the doors open hearing the music kick in it's Sonic Mania baby this intro never fails to leave a smile on my face it perfectly represents what Sonic Mania is a love letter to what psych is was and will always be to many you already know what tier it's going in 2D Sonic intros are three four three and finally Sonic Frontiers doesn't have one seriously you have all the CGI in the marketing but not even for an opening man and those are the cold hard Sonic facts I give to you that the FIV Sonic openings ranking and probably one of the only ones to exist so therefore is the best and most correct one but no matter what I say someone's gonna get mad at me over something like how I forgot Sonic Origins there now it's perfect I've got nothing else to say here except Kishimoto if you're listening please let there be an opening in the next Sonic game 2D 3D I don't care which just have one please I'm tired of menus [Music]

Channel: Honcho

Views: 359,342

Keywords: sonic, sonic the hedgehog, sonic openings, sonic colors, sonic unleashed, sonic adventure, sonic frontiers, sonic mania, sega, music, title screen, unleashed cutscene

Id: xoUtuPfSSmk

Length: 18min 43sec (1123 seconds)

Published: Sat Apr 22 2023