Sonic CD Unlockables Guide ("EXTRAS" menu, etc)

[zeociko]

Since these are not exactly trophy related (in fact, you can get all the trophies and not have all of the unlocks), I will create a separate thread. Here are the methods on how to unlock all of the...unlockables in Sonic CD.

The PlayStation Network version of Sonic CD is not technically a "port", but the classic revamped using Christian "The Taxman" Whitehead's (of SonicRetro.org and creator of several popular Sonic fan games such as Retro Sonic) "Retro Engine", with tweaks, optimization for 1080p, redone menu system and added features to name a few, as you'll read below.
If you have any additions or edits to make, please post. This is as far as I know every unlock in the game.

Playable Character - TAILS

Unlock criteria: Clear the game via "START GAME" option once as Sonic. At the ending you'll get a "SEE YOU NEXT GAME" screen with Tails on it, unlocking the new feature.

Description: Play as Sonic's friend, Miles "Tails" Prower in Sonic CD by going to START GAME and starting a fresh save file, then select TAILS. This is a newly added feature that was not in the original Sonic CD. Tails can fly by pressing the jump button in mid-air. Repeatedly press while flying to go higher. While underwater in Tidal Tempest Zone, Tails can swim up. The controls are the same as flying. Tails plays and controls the same as he did in Sonic 3 & Knuckles.
NOTE: Tails disables trophies



TIME ATTACK - Special Zones

Unlock criteria: Clear normal Time Attack mode with a combined total of 25 minutes or under
Description: Go to this new menu by pressing up or down on the normal TIME ATTACK menu screen. Now you can freely play any of the special stages in the game that you normally would have had to go through the main game, get 50 rings in a zone and jump through the big ring at the goal signpost. Getting an accumulated total time of 5 and 4 minutes will unlock other new things that are detailed further below.

NOTE: Unlike the normal main game, jumping in the water now does NOT decrease your timer




EXTRAS Menu - D.A. GARDEN

Unlock criteria: Clear Time Attack mode with a combined total of 25 minutes or under OR Clear main game with all 7 Time Stones (needs confirmation)
Description: D.A. Garden is an interactive sound test, a visualizer of sorts. Tails, Flickies, Metal Sonic, stars, UFOs, and Robotnik will fly by randomly. The background will change also.
You can also control some things here.
Controls:
- Bring up song select / select song [any face button can select song while in song select]
/ - Move Little Planet left and right / Move between songs (in song select)
/ - Move Little Planet up and down
- Toggle grow/shrink Little Planet (press) / Grow/shrink Little Planet (hold)
- Toggle grow/shrink Little Planet (press) / Grow/shrink Little Planet (hold)
- Toggle left/right Little Planet spin (press) / Fast spin (hold)
- Exit

NOTE: D.A. Garden only has themes for present, good future and bad future for each Zone as well as pretty much every other song. To hear "past" themes and more, you need to unlock SOUND TEST.
NOTE2: To hear the US and JP versions of the songs, go back to the main menu and select which you want to hear under SOUNDTRACK.

DID YOU KNOW?!: The theme FINAL FEVER, which is the final boss music, was also going to be used at least as a name, for an additional end/boss sequence that The Taxman would put in. He also was planning on putting in the famously unreleased Dust Hill Zone:

Retro Sonic: Dust Hill Zone 3 - YouTube

Retro Sonic: Dust Hill Zone 3 - YouTube

(a nod to the old teased Sonic 2 pre-release zone shown in magazines, which he recreated in his fan game Retro Sonic, and uses JP Quartz Quadrant (Present) as the song). This was more than likely going to be put in as "Desert Dazzle Zone". But SEGA declined due to both time constraints and keeping the product as close to it's original form as possible.
More info:
http://www.sonicstadium.org/2011/12/...sonic-cd-port/
http://www.tssznews.com/2011/12/14/d...cd-re-release/


EXTRAS Menu - VISUAL MODE

Unlock criteria: Clear Time Attack mode with a combined total of 25 minutes or under
Description: Watch the various cutscenes from the game without having to play through again.

• OPENING - The Sonic CD opening scene as viewed when starting a new main game.
• PENCIL TEST - The Sonic CD opening original artist's pencil test. See the first bits of animating the basics of the cutscene from during the original Mega/SEGA CD game's development.
• GOOD ENDING - The ending you get when completing the main game with all 7 Time Stones OR destroying all Robot Teleporters/Metal Sonic holograms in one playthrough.
• BAD ENDING - The ending you get when completing the main game with 6 or less Time Stones.

NOTE: To hear the Japanese and US versions of the background songs during these cutscenes, return to the main menu and toggle under the SOUNDTRACK option.



EXTRAS Menu - STAGE SELECT
Unlock criteria: Clear Special Zone Time Attack with a combined total of under 5 minutes
Description: Play any stage at your leisure as if you were playing them in the main game. The stages are as they are in the main game, unlike Time Attack which removes Past/Future signposts.
You can even select from the Past, Present, Good Future and Bad Future versions of the Zones.


EXTRAS Menu - SOUND TEST
Unlock criteria: Clear Special Zone Time Attack with a combined total of under 4 minutes
Description: Listen to all the songs in the game at your leisure, including present, past, good and bad future themes (unlike D.A. Garden which only has present/good future/bad future).
NOTE: To hear the Japanese and US versions of the songs, return to the main menu and toggle under the SOUNDTRACK option.

DEBUG MODE

(screen from secret Special Stage unlocked via Sound Test code, one of various Debug Mode codes)
Unlock criteria: Unlock Sound Test (see above), then input various selection orders to unlock misc. tweaks and features
Description: Go to http://www.gamefaqs.com/xbox360/640857-sonic-cd/cheats for the codes. Linked due to text character-per post limit on this site.

SOUNDTRACK (Soundtrack Toggle)

Unlock criteria: Unlocked from start
Description: Switch between the default Japanese soundtrack and US soundtrack. This is located under "LEADERBOARDS" on the main menu, it's out of the default view.



SETTINGS - VIDEO FILTER

Unlock criteria: Unlocked from start
Description: This version of Sonic CD contains three different video filters.

• SHARP - Similar to the "Eagle" filter used in some emulators. It removes the natural pixel look and turns it into a more "gradient" look. Not my personal favorite but not the worst use of this type of filter I've seen. It can ruin the detail of the natural sprites/pixels.
• SMOOTH [DEFAULT] - A smoothing filter. But in my opinion it blurs instead of doing it's intended job.
• NOSTALGIA - This is the best filter in my opinion and many others therefore recommended. If you have an HDTV, this mode will become even better, with pixel-by-pixel natural image perfection. The scaling in the special stages look especially nice.

SETTINGS - SPINDASH MODE
Unlock criteria: Unlocked from start
Description: This version of Sonic CD has two different physic/spindash modes to choose from.

• Sonic 2 (Mega Drive/Genesis) mode [DEFAULT] - These physics are much like Sonic the Hedgehog 2's. The spindash is different in that the timing is different from the original as well as the speed.
• Original Sonic CD mode - These are the original physics with a different spindash animation/timing than the Mega Drive/Genesis style.

NOTE: Both spindash types have the ability to use "Super Peel Out", Sonic CD's "alternate" spindash. This is done by pressing up and and holding jump button, then releasing. For more info on these go to the HOW TO PLAY option under HELP & OPTIONS.



HELP & OPTIONS - HOW TO PLAY

Unlock criteria: Unlocked from start
Description: Many PSN games you will completely ignore the "how to play" entry, but I encourage you to do so this time. It has character bios, story, artwork, insight into the special moves and features of the game.

[amplifiedAnt]

Great thread, probably deserves stickying.

Just one thing - the option to toggle between the Japanese/US soundtrack is available as soon as you boot the game, no action required to unlock it. Well, it was there for me anyway.

[zeociko]

Originally Posted by amplifiedAnt

Just one thing - the option to toggle between the Japanese/US soundtrack is available as soon as you boot the game, no action required to unlock it. Well, it was there for me anyway.

Ah, I just tested it on a different profile and you're right, it's there from the start. Instead of removing the info about it, I will create a second section of this guide detailing that and the misc. options/features that people may not notice.

[zeociko]

Alright, updated with screenshots that I took and completed all the information for the unlocks.
If anyone has anything to add or fix, then please post. I'm thinking to maybe to an easter egg section, but those or more or less in trophy form already (angel statue, Metal Sonic holograms, etc).

[Sobol14]

Oh, thanks. I wasn't sure how to unlock those two ??? in the Extras menu.

[mjc0961]

Originally Posted by zeociko

The PlayStation Network version of Sonic CD is not technically a "port", but the classic revamped using Christian "The Taxman" Whitehead's (of SonicRetro.org and creator of several popular Sonic fan games such as Retro Sonic) "Retro Engine", with tweaks, optimization for 1080p, redone menu system and added features to name a few, as you'll read below.

Ah, now I get it. I was surprised that SEGA didn't screw up for once. About time they realized all of their people are shit and got some help from someone who isn't shit.

[BN1_Soldier]

Originally Posted by mjc0961

Ah, now I get it. I was surprised that SEGA didn't screw up for once. About time they realized all of their people are shit and got some help from someone who isn't shit.

Haha, so true...

[Flames]

Originally Posted by mjc0961

Ah, now I get it. I was surprised that SEGA didn't screw up for once. About time they realized all of their people are shit and got some help from someone who isn't shit.

Yeah i think that too

1st time i saw Sonic CD running on my ps3 i was
Its ar really well done Port/Remastered version, best Sonic for PS3 no doubt about it
My fav is still Sonic 3 & Knuckles but theres no ps3 version of it

[King_Ubu]

I think we should all calm down with the Sega bashing a little.

Sega didn't make the 'Vintage collection' titles, they're not had much of a hand in any of them, Backbone Entertainment however did make them. They're the ones responsible for the overal quality of those games, Sega itself didn't have any development hand involved.

Usually if Sega are making a 'collection' or a re-release of an old title, they do try to go the extra mile for it, remember Sonic Mega Collection Plus? That's one collection that Sega did more or less make on their own, for people interested in Sonic it's a brilliant title for all the unlockable content on their own.

However last summer it turned out that they was going to include the original Sonic 1 beta on it as an unlockable bonus... the problem? It seems to be lost somewhere in storage.

Whilst 'The Taxman' is the main face on this build, he wasn't alone working on it, Sega did have a huge hand in this one which is one reason why it's as big as it was, even Sonic Team must have had some kind of involement at one point given what we now know about the decision to cancel the inclusion of Desert Dazzle and Final Fever.

[El_MoscardoPT]

Originally Posted by Flames

Yeah i think that too

1st time i saw Sonic CD running on my ps3 i was
Its ar really well done Port/Remastered version, best Sonic for PS3 no doubt about it
My fav is still Sonic 3 & Knuckles but theres no ps3 version of it

For now. xD