SegaSonic Popcorn Shop (セガソニック ポップコーンショップ SegaSonikku Poppukōn Shoppu?) is an arcade vending machine released in 1993, exclusively in Japan. Created by Sega AM1 and released by Sega on the System C2 board, hardware similar to the one on the Sega Mega Drive, it is a combination of a popcorn machine and a mini-game. The vending machine dispenses popcorn with one of three flavored toppings: butter, salt or chili.[3]
The small screen of the vending machine features a mini-game, starring Sonic and Tails, who assist in making popcorn while Dr. Robotnik tries to ruin the event. While the mini-game is being played, actual popcorn is being microwaved in a nearby compartment.
Gameplay[]
To play the mini-game on the vending machine, the player inserts a coin and chooses one of three popcorn flavors from the buttons—butter, salt or chili. The game includes two segments which the player can influence by moving the green crank on the vending machine.
For the first segment, Tails places a popcorn kettle on a Conveyor Belt which Sonic initiates, making it move right. Dr. Robotnik then appears and reverses the belt, so Sonic grabs the kettle and runs down the treadmill while the doctor chases after him with a sledgehammer to hit him with. The player can turn the green crank to make Sonic run faster while avoiding the villain. If Sonic gets too close to Dr. Robotnik, he jumps forward to dodge the sledgehammer.
For the second segment, Sonic slides down the treadmill to a burning stove which he launches the popcorn kettle into. The player now has to turn the green crank to help Sonic stir the popcorn inside the stove.[4] The cup will eventually leap, allowing Robotnik to snatch a single popcorn at a time and eat it. The real-life popcorn, however, is dispensed whether the crank is turned or not. The game ends when the popcorn is finished, upon where Tails walks off-screen to give the player a paper cup featuring Sonic and Tails, which is dispatched from the hatch of the vending machine.[1] Sonic then tells the user that the popcorn is hot as it is fresh from the oven, and that the user can come back at any time if they get hungry.
If a technical problem occurs at any point, the machine will display an error screen featuring Dr. Robotnik chasing Tails with a hammer as the factory explodes and the message "PLEASE ASK FOR ASSISTANCE" flashes on the screen. Sonic repeatedly appears, and says "Call for a shop assistant" in Japanese while chasing Robotnik.
Characters[]
Non-playable characters[]
Cast[]
Role | Voice actor |
---|---|
Sonic the Hedgehog | Takeshi Kusao |
Dr. Robotnik | Masaharu Satō |
Trivia[]
- In Sonic Mania, and its expansion Sonic Mania Plus, there is a popcorn machine-based gimmick in Studiopolis Zone that is a callback to this vending machine, being directly labeled as "SegaSonic Popcorn Shop".
- Arcade renditions of the title screen and the extra life jingles are taken from the original Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog 2, while the tune that plays during the error screen is a slower rendition of the music track featured during Robotnik's map screen sequence in SegaSonic the Hedgehog.
Video[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Museum History (1993). The Green Hill Zone. Retrieved on 26 October 2015.
- ↑ Flynn, Ian; Sega (8 December 2021). "SegaSonic Popcorn Shop". Sonic the Hedgehog Encyclo-speed-ia. Dark Horse Books. p. 19. ISBN 978-1506719276.
- ↑ SegaSonic Popcorn Shop flyer.
- ↑ Sonic Popcorn Shop. Sonic CulT. Retrieved on 26 October 2015.