Sonic the Hedgehog: Spinball (Genesis)

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Description

The evil doctor Robotnik has a new plan to take over the world. He has built a new weapon, the Veg-O-Fortress on Mount Mobius and with it, he is transforming all creatures into robots. Sonic sneaks into the fortress and tries to stop Robotnik.

Use Sonic as a pinball in 4 dangerous levels. Score points, get rings, collect Chaos Emeralds and destroy the boss at the end of each level.

Screenshots

Promo Images

Alternate Titles

• "STH Pinball" -- Informal title
• "Sonic Spinball" -- Japanese title
• "ソニック・スピンボール" -- Japanese spelling

Part of the Following Groups

• Animals: Hedgehogs
• Console Generation Exclusive: Sega Genesis
• Sonic the Hedgehog universe

User Reviews

A tacky cash-in on Genesis' greatest platform game series.

Gary Smith (65)

Critic Reviews

Electronic Games	Jan, 1994	93 out of 100	93
ASM (Aktueller Software Markt)	Feb, 1994	11 out of 12	92
Play Time	Dec, 1993	85 out of 100	85
Mega Fun	Nov, 1993	85 out of 100	85
Retro Archives	Aug 28, 2018	16 out of 20	80
Computer and Video Games (CVG)	Dec, 1993	73 out of 100	73
The Game Hoard	Aug 29, 2020	5 out of 7	71
Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM)	Dec, 1993	28 out of 40	70
Entertainment Weekly	Feb 11, 1994	C	50
Retro Game Reviews	Feb 22, 2016		40

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Trivia

Development

This was the first (and thus far, only) Sonic game to be developed entirely in the USA.

On the final day of Spinball's development, the team was throwing their 'end-of-project' party when the Japanese group working on Sonic the Hedgehog 3 dropped in to see how things turned out. Among the group was Hirokazu Yasuhara, who, upon seeing the start-up sequence, wondered how the Spinball team talked Sega into paying for the rights to the original Sonic theme song. It turns out that the Spinball team was completely unaware that the rights for the original Sonic music belonged to Dreams Come True, who had become quite famous since the music was composed two years prior. Their asking price was more than Sega was willing to pay, so at the very last minute composer Howard Drossin whipped up a new opening jingle which became Spinball's theme.

References

The animals you free in the bonus games at the end of Toxic Caves and The Machine include Tails, as well as the supporting cast of Sonic the Hedgehog and the Archie comic book: Princess Sally, Boomer/Rotor, Bunnie, and Muttski. The Cluck bots that invade Toxic Caves and Lava Powerhouse are based on Robotnik's mechanical pet, also from the same show. Finally, the chicken bots circling the capsule in The March bonus are based on Scratch, one of Robotnik's incompetent cronies from The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog.