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Sonic the Hedgehog Encyclo-speed-ia (Deluxe Edition): 30 Years of Sonic the Hedgehog
£58.60£72.20 (-19%)
Celebrate Sonic the Hedgehog’s 30th anniversary with a full-color hardcover historical retrospective that explores nearly every one of the blue speedster’s video game appearances] Dive deep into the extensive lore and exhaustive detail of each game in Sonic’s ever-expanding universe – from the beloved SEGA Genesis to the most bleeding-edge video game consoles. This tome leaves no stone unturned, showcasing in-depth looks at the characters, settings, and stories from each exciting installment] This special deluxe edition includes: An exclusive mosaic cover, a slipcase featuring gold foil ‘Ring’ treatment, a folio housing two archival gallery prints of Sonic and Dr. Eggman. Dark Horse Books and SEGA present the Sonic the Hedgehog Encyclo-Speed-ia – a must-have volume for any fan of Sonic, young or old]
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Additional information
| Publisher | Dark Horse, Deluxe edition (13 Jan. 2022) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Hardcover | 256 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 150672017X |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1506720173 |
| Dimensions | 27.94 x 5.59 x 37.34 cm |
by Amazon Customer
Incredible book. History of the video game franchise. One review on here only gave it 2 stars because it does not have all the sonic history from cartoons to comics etc. Just read the description! Sonic is about the video games and this is perfect.
by liam murray
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a fan of all aspects of the blue rat. From the Pixel-Perfect Mega Drive games, The radical and grand tales of the Dreamcast era, The edgy dark era and even the comical 2010’s era; I’ve loved this series through and through.
This book provides a complete and comprehensive history of Sonic from all aspects. From the iconic games like Sonic 3 & Knuckles, Sonic Heroes and Sonic Mania to the obscure games like Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, Waku-Waku Sonic Patrol Car and even Sonic Schoolhouse; This book provides it all with detailed tips for all existing Sonic related games, comprehensive retelling’s of the games plots and descriptive bios on all the characters as they are introduced to the franchise.
The book is a MUST BY for Sonic Fans. But is also the perfect gateway for a youngster who yearns to be introduced to the series like I was 10 years ago or even someone unfamiliar with Sonic and interested in learning about the legacy of the series.
Frankly, its written by the mania, for the mania.
by james poole
A must for sonic fans
by james poole
Excellent book it’s heavy sturdy & has info on every Sonic game including the mobile games. The artwork is incredible not sure whether to hang them on the wall or keep them in the folder.
by stephen
Godson loves it great gift for any sonic fan. Only problem is that it list every sonic game ever released god help me ????
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by Mr Nicholas AJ Parmenter
Dream of a sonic product!! Took me back to my childhood- good as a coffee book table and to just drop in and out of
by greasey
I really liked this book, but was disappointed that it is only about every Sonic game ever made. I thought there should be a section on the comics he was in, the cartoon’s on TV in the 90s and noughties and film from 2020. It’s also overpriced too. It’s 65 pounds price tag is not worth buying the book for. Overall 4 stars.
by D. Richards
If your reading this review your either a massive Sonic fan, or are considering buying it for someone who is as this is not a book for the casual fan. With this in mind, It’s almost incomprehensible why this book has as many mistakes in it as it does. In any case, this is a simple encyclopaedia of game content only and not a complete encyclopaedia of the franchise. As such comics, cartoons, merchandise, and development history IS NOT included in the book.
Deluxe edition presentation – 5/5
Firstly in terms of presentation, this book is superb. The mosaic cover of the book itself depicts a nice range of screenshots from different sonic games over the years, and the gold ring slipcase with gloved hand on the front, red boot on the back really does look superb. As soon as you receive and open the book you can’t help but be impressed. The two “archival” prints also included with this edition (Sonic and Eggman, see product images) are also very well presented in large A4 format and are printed in a “pulp magazine” style art form which looks superb and manages to capture both a retro and modern look at the same time.
Book quality 4.5 / 5
The book is solidly made with a tight and secure spine, and the pages are thick and glossy meaning they are not likely to rip with ease and the large format of the book means its easy to read the text presented, which strikes a nice balance of small but not too small. The book has 286 pages and does weigh a fair amount, so is not the best for casual armchair reading. I personally found that reading it on a coffee table / table / other seat on the sofa was the most comfortable way to read it. The pages also have a different Sonic icon on the bottom right hand corner of each page, and flicking through them quickly presents Sonic as walking / running / spinning / waiting which is a very nice touch.
Content 2 / 5
This book is NOT a history of the Sonic The Hedgehog franchise. There was one was released for the 20th Anniversary back in 2011 (https://www.amazon.co.uk/History-Sonic-Hedgehog-William-Audureau/dp/1926778561 ) and as such the content is exactly what it says it is – an encyclopaedia of Sonic game content. Cartoons, Comics etc. are NOT covered, and in my view I am very happy with this as you could write an entire encyclopaedia on each such has been the range of them over the years.
Each game from 1991, on all formats, to 2021 is covered in this book with the exception of Sonic Pocket Adventure which has been left out for copyright reasons. Each game in the book gets a brief story overview, an introduction to characters introduced in each game, a rundown of all the enemies in the game, a full set of zone lists, boss fights, Game box cover art and screenshots.
It’s in this aspect that the book really lets itself down with many basic errors which should have been picked up in quality control. These errors are not grammatical ones but factual errors regarding the games or aspects of the games themselves. A few examples off the top of my head include the author claiming that 20 rings are needed to enter the Special Stage in Sonic 2 (Mega Drive) when I 100% know it was / is 50 rings. Another is the claim that Amy Rose had a toy hammer in Sonic CD. Again, I know 100% she does not. The biggest and most obvious mistake that comes to my mind is in the Sonic 3 section where 3 of the 5 screenshots presented are from other games! (two from Sonic 1 and one from Sonic & Knuckles respectively). Also, not all the different game box arts are presented with many of the UK/ EU / PAL box arts missing. There are also many more mistakes presented throughout the book, but these are the top three which come to my mind when reviewing.
While these mistakes may not sound like a total deal breaker, as I said at the start of this review your either a huge sonic fan or buying this for someone who is. As such, they will notice these mistakes and be frustrated / annoyed by them. These mistakes take away from the enjoyment of reading this book and I cannot understand how / why they they have not been corrected before this book went to print.
Overall 2 / 5
This book is a bit like the Sonic franchise itself – some elements of it are absolutely brilliant and very well presented and clearly shows some love and effort went in to producing it (such as Sonic 3 & Knuckles). However, some elements of the book seem rushed / unfinished / or just wrong and there really is no reason or excuse why there should be many in what should be a stunning celebratory product of the franchise (such as Sonic 06).
In conclusion, and after some consideration I would certainly NOT recommend buying this at its RRP of £65 and even at the current price of around £45 I would still not really recommend it due to the many errors that are present in the book. If you can get this Deluxe edition for around the £25 mark then I WOULD recommended it – simply for the presentation of the edition alone. However, you don’t just buy a book for how it looks, and the content really lets this book down – hence the final 2.5 star score. A wasted opportunity.