Thank you for your support on this video! Reminder that if you want to support me, your likes and comments go a long way, but also I take donations on ko-fi, where you can also get access to some bonus content and early video releases and all that jazz. Thanks! ko-fi.com/wusstunes ALSO if you want to know why I changed the thumbnail it was to spite you, specifically!
Where do I even begin? This is the video that the Sonic the Fighters community deserves, and I just want to thank you for all the extra time and effort you put into shining a light on the game and everyone who contributed to the scene! When I first began hosting tournaments, I never thought we’d make it as far as we have. Over the years, we’ve formed a close bond as a community and I truly believe that Sonic the Fighters has a bright future as a competitive game! Fantastic video. - Polymath
The wait was worth it! Thanks for having me and thanks for putting so much work into this. Much of what I learned about the community through this would probably be lost to time without resources like this. Great stuff!!
Many fighting games have a video showcasing a story about some legendary low tier hero who flips everything everyone thought they knew about the game. The game, Sonic the Fighters, itself, is it's own low-tier hero. A spectacle of a game with so many secrets and some of the most kindhearted badasses a community can ask for. Especially a Sonic community.
The whole "critics hated the game" debacle is why I hate when journalists that don't know jack about fighting games review fighting games. It's like asking someone that doesn't know and it's not interested in driving/racing to review a racing simulation game, of course they're not going to like the game because they're not understanding 10% of the mechanics behind it, plus STF has one-button combos which enables button mashers to just carpal tunnel their way through arcade mode and then think it's the game's fault. Same reason why MK receives a ton of outstanding reviews, because there's lots of eye-candy for non-fighting game players there, thus they forget to review the game in a more technical way. Anyways, really great video, it itched me to try and convince people to play this game again over here lol
I've kinda just stopped giving a shit about reviews almost entirely when I realized that a lot of my favourite games (various Mega Man games, NEO TWEWY and the fighting game genre as a whole) are things that more casual players (so most of the reviewers I've seen) can't for the life of them seem to be able to actually review the games and not spread misinformation on the depth of those games due to just not knowing shit about them. Especially since I'm more into the technical side of said games and hearing nobody but like maybe one or two people actually talking about the technical side and saying the games aren't as mechanically deep as they actually are just angers me
I played Sonic the Fighters as part of Sonic Gems Collection, the game I got with my Gamecube! I had no idea there was a scene, you can only imagine the excitement I felt when I saw that you’re uploading one of your masterclass videos on it.
I mean hey, just like Melee, Sonic the Fighters managed to find a competitive scene against the odds. This video tying in to Melee not just once was a cherry on top. There is so much more Melee/Sonic the Fighters left to play and both still remain far from solved games. This was a behemoth of a project, and I'm glad I watched it!
The fact this game is repeatedly forgotten by sega annoys me to no end... here's to hoping this is one of the games they're working on either a remake or sequel right now since they're working on bringing back alot of classic ips of theirs
@@rinnnnnnnnnnrinRinOnishiI would even take just a port of the 2012 remaster at this point. The closest we have is the Xbox 360 version on Xbox One and tecnicly the version included in Lost Judgement and Like A Dragon Gaiden.
Me and some friends love messing around with random fighting games like this, and about 5 or 6 years ago we dedicated a night to Sonic the Fighters. We didn't know anything about the competitive community, so it basically just felt like a 6 hour session of us going into uncharted waters of undiscovered tech and weird mechanics, and it's one of my best memories of playing competitive fighters. Just a nonstop night of "WAIT that's how that works??" and "YOU CAN DO THAT? That's so sick!" I really love that this video exists. After that night with friends, I found myself as a believer in this games potential, but never really dug into it beyond that. Which is my bad. But it's amazing to see it gets the highlight it deserves with more info and history than I would've ever expected.
Hi wuss! As a fellow "culturally Sonic" kid I really appreciate your style and I follow every video as they come out. This documentary is fantastic and you should pride yourself on all the hard work you clearly put in researching, interviewing, writing, and editing. It's astonishing how every minute of this movie-length work feels purposeful and pondered over. I really really hope this video catches the algorithm or takes off on word of mouth or whatever needs to happen for you to be properly rewarded for crafting it. All the best.
Sonic The Fighters is both one of the first Sonic games and one of the first fighting games I ever played. It is a game I have a lot of nostalgia for and I always enjoyed it. Seeing a project like this is extremely cool, I have always had a slight interest in the competitive side of the game and I never thought it would get coverage to this degree. This is awesome to see.
I’ve never understood why there is so much dislike for this game, I always thought it looked really cool. I’ve always been curious on how competitive this game could get, and now I feel vindicated
I think, like Sonic R, it was caught during the era when Sonic couldn't do ANYTHING without drawing mockery. Couldn't pick up a sword without people acting like it was the second coming of 06. And when there wasn't content to mock, they turned their heads to the past, and laughed at games they did not understand
@@kylerook Right. Like literally only 06, Secret Rings, Shadow, and that one RPG could truly be called "Bad", and even then it's not equal. I'd sooner play Shadow over the RPG or 06, and I mainly blame Secret Rings for 06 being that bad
@@kylerook Secret Rings gets better, and Shadow has good moments too, but Chronicles is a bit *too* flawed IMO, especially compared to the other RPGs on the DS (or Elite Beat Agents)
Such a great introduction to a scene I didn't know existed! I'm admittedly a sonic and fighting game fan who dismissed the game as a spam fest, but I won't be looking at it the same way anymore. I didn't fully finish the video, but if it wasn't already mentioned, I believe that StF cabinet at momocon was from Save Point. If you're in Maryland, they usually have it up at their store in Union Bridge. You'll want to call them first to make sure it's still out if you're coming from a long way, but otherwise I'm sure they would appreciate people coming out to play it!
I'm so happy my earliest memories and most fond one of this game is my friends and I at our small town pizza joint eating and playing on the cabinet of this game together for hours. What a time.
I frickin love how every single aspect of Sonic, every game, every comic, every show, every aspect of this fandom has its own collection of dedicated fans who make it so much more than just a game or a comic or a show.
How did you manag to make a two hours long video about competitive fighting games captivating from minute to minute like that? Especially loved how characters were introduced throughout the videos with their traits, strengths and weaknesses, makes it so much easier to follow a game you're not that familiar with to help visualize the dynamics between the characters. Good job!
very deliberately lmao this video took a long time to make and i was basically learning about the game as i made it so i tried my best to show my work !
Tf do you mean there are 2 hours worth of Sonic the Fighters Competitive history? EDIT: Just finished the video. That was the most engaged I was in a fighting game story since...forever.
we had one of these for many years in our local chuck e cheese. never knew it was rare. always liked the art style, and thought the little gun guy was cool and unique for a sonic game.
I love how this documentary gives every character a moment in the spotlight. Like it wasn’t just the story of top players piloting top tiers to victory, it felt like there was a pivotal moment in the scene and something interesting to explore with every character in the game, and it really makes me want to try everyone out and see what they can do.
I can't believe you made me root for this Noodle just to introduce a Knowledge and then telling me that they're duking it out and that Knowledge won. I don't think I've ever smiled as much watching a fighting game match as I did when two Barks were bopping each other over the head. Rooting for both sides of the match in equal amounts is such a weird feeling.
Goddamn this is a good documentary. I’m not finished yet but there’s a lot of good moments so far. It’s really cool seeing the start of online tournaments and it’s interesting how the absence of crossplay can lead to different metas.
This was such a great ride! I was one of the rare few that got to play Sonic the Fighters as a kid on an arcade cabinet and seeing so many people sharing that live for this game is amazing!
I discovered Sonic The Fighters in a small hotel in Pennsylvania during a trip to Hershey Park that my family took us to when I was about 10 years old (nearly 20 years ago.) We got the gems collections a little while after
I remember seeing the Sonic fighting game at an arcade. It was a Kahunaville in the Galleria Mall in Buffalo, New York. It was so bewildering to see Sonic shifting and morphing to beat the snot out of Amy and Knuckles.
This was super cool. I just played it on emulator for the first time in years and had a feeling like "This game actually has a lot more going on than I think it was ever given credit for...", an then this video appears!
Really fun watch, love to see competitive scenes for old underappreciated fighting games. If I was to start playing online, I'd probably play Amy, she looks hilarious with the item drops.
What a wild rode. Been watching this in parts for the past few days and I'm floored. I remember playing a few hours of StF off the Gems Collection during Covid and thought it was a dumb baby game. Well low and behold, apparently I was the dumb baby all along. Hell, the Mystic Noodle vs KoS finale section (in part due to the amazing choice in music) ended up being one of the hypest things I've seen out of fighting game content in years. Maybe I should install a PS3 emulator on my steamdeck...
What can I say, except, this was amazing. You clearly put in a whole lot of effort, and despite me knowing basically nothing about this game I was hooked all the way through. I especially love how each character has their little spotlight through different players and commentary, and I was able to understand basic principles of the game thanks to your explanations. I'm also intrigued by the fact the game seems really well balanced, as evidenced by low tiers Amy and Bark putting in strong showings. That's pretty crazy considering the game's legacy as a knock-off "kiddie" fighting game. I think videos like this are a reminder that so long as you have a passionate community, however small, a fanbase is never truly "dead". Nowadays people glance over player counts and make assumptions, but I think if you love a game and can find other people to play against, that's all that matters. Maybe there could be a follow up video in the future if events continue? On a similar note, I'm heavily invested in the game Keyforge, a card game with physical decks that can also be uploaded to a fan site and played online. Despite its reputation as a "dead" game, the current NKFL (Nordic Keyforge League) has over 200 players competing, plus a whole bunch of other online tournaments, the recent Worlds event and store championships building up starting in March alongside the release of the next set, Grim Reminders. (Of which I am thoroughly hyped.) Yes, other card games have way more players: Magic, Hearthstone, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh, Flesh and Blood, Marvel Snap, Legends of Runeterra and even the recent Lorcana making some waves. But those player counts don't mean anything next to the fact that Keyforge is the most fun I've ever had with a card game and continues to both excite and surprise me. And that's what gaming is all about. :)
Growing up I had Sonic Gems collection me and lil bro would play on the gamecube and fight all the time. Damn I cant believe that it got such bad press. I was so lucky to have a Dad and a Grandma who cared about my interests in games, they would always get me the next Sonic releases.
a 2 hour doc about my favorite arcade game in the 90s at sharpstown mall in houston tx is much appreciated beating that game finally at age like 6 or 7 was the best
The only time I’ve seen anyone play this game was YEARS ago through Smosh games. Glad to know it’s more interesting than people let on! I’ve seen more animations over the course of one fight than I’ve seen in videos over the course of about 10 years lol
wow this documentary is a masterpiece, thank you. I've loved this game since I was a kid and often think about how underappreciated it is, truly a gem. My favorite part was definitely the mystic noodle segment, his meta developments and the TAS videos were mind blowing
Used to play this all the time as a kid. Been wanting to get into the competitive scene for months now Just don't have a ps3 or PC to play the game on. Didn't even know they had tournaments and stuff for this game... God I'm missing out 😭
I've spent most of today (christmas) by myself in a mental health spiral. This video has really lifted my spirits and is a really beautiful and brilliant project. I discovered your channel from a niche melee video, and I am really happy that you are now finding the success you deserve. You are a very brilliant creator and you have touched a lot people
I used to play this game a lot back in highschool and really only played with a couple of friends that ended up not liking it, I kinda wanna learn it now knowing there's a whole community
This is such an awesome video. I don't know much about Fighters but despite being such a long video, it was very informative and fun to watch, and the game itself seems really cool. The music choices are great too, Sonic R's menu music in particular. The text on 1:19:58 seems to last longer than it should but it's a small issue, the rest of the video is edited really well.
As a Sonic fan who grew up with Sonic Mega Collection and Sonic Gems Collection, I used to play StF with my neighbours, then my sisters when they were old enough. I never knew there was so much depth to the game. Thanks for this video, it means a lot to me as some random nerd who always loved the game, but always stunk at traditional fighting games!
Incredible work on this documentary, Wuss - it is almost certainly your best project so far. It is truly remarkable how much depth has been packed into a game with an audience to the tune of dozens, thank you for sharing and documenting this community!
My local roller skate rink had a sonic the fighters cabinet. Me and my older brother used to go back and forth. I remember my brother always using Fang.
One good Guile quote I couldn't get into this video is...even if it's a watered down virtua fighter how is that a bad thing? It's a more approachable version of one of the most technical and difficult to learn fighting games.
@@wusstunes As someone who really liked Virtua Fighter when I first played it back like a decade ago I never really thought "You know what Virtua Fighter needs? Less depth and technical aspects". People who played Virtua Fighter would generally just be happy playing Virtua Fighter, and this seemed like a "beginner's game". Now that a wealth of information has come out about it over the internet years, I can see why people would enjoy it even if they already play fighting games.
I would absolutely love to see a fan-made patch of this game to balance some things and possibly make Metal Sonic and Eggman tournament legal, sort of like a Sonic Riders DX except for Sonic the Fighters
i feel like the community of this game and the server where the mobius cup is hosted is really friendly and dare i say one of the few instances where someone who isnt into fighting games, got into sonic the fighters, mystic noodles, polymath, the whole community was really wholesome while i was there and i couldnt be more grateful to have one of my childhood games have such a loving and strong community who push the game to its limits
An engaging 2 hour doc on an incredibly small but dedicated scene is always a treat. It's not often that you get to see something like this. I hope the game gets more players and that local events start popping up, this game is so fun to watch. Great storytelling chief, as well as great interviews and editing. Wusstunes don't miss.
Fantastic job. This game really needed a huge feature length video like this documenting its appeal, rise, and history in depth. A deeper look at this games history will surely breathe new life into its relatively small and obscure scene. Truly an undertaking Sonic the Fighters deserves. Really tremendous work.
Big Thanks again for including me bro, this vid is one giant trip down memory lane and it was really cool hearing everyone else's story on how they got into this fun little game.
I'm so suprised that sonic the fighters community never got into hosting side brackets at majors like evo and combo breaker, you mainly just have to tell the TOs that you have setups available, or just get the space in BYOC/casual areas
i'm surprised that this game's competitive scene hasn't made changes on the game to expand it's gameplay, like balancing characters or increasing HP/Time on rounds
Modifying the ps3 version has been a really hard thing to crack, but just recently people have started making progress there. Ultimately the game is pretty well balanced but we're looking into changing ketchup and adding a training mode potentially.
Havent finished the video yet, but I already really love the approach of researching three eras of the game's lifespan, since docs like this sometimes make the assumption that if it was unpopular, surely nobody's touched it til now.
I love Trukuu’s accent so much lol it sounds like I’m listening to an old country farmer rocking in his chair on his porch as he surveys his land and recounts the intricacies and history of his favorite fighting game like he’s spinning a Paul Bunyan-esque tale, it’s great
I remember there being a cabinet for this game at an arcade in vegas, when i was younger my brother and i used to play the fuck out of it! The game has such a charming aesthetic to it, and discovering that theres a healthy competitive scene popping up for the game has me interested in checking the game out again.
This is an incredible video dude. Ever since I played on the Gems collection as a kid I always wondered if there was a community around this game. Seeing people pull off insane combos is just so entertaining! And I think that’s the biggest appeal of Fighters: that it’s cartoony and fast. It just makes it so much fun to spectate or play!
Thank you for your support on this video! Reminder that if you want to support me, your likes and comments go a long way, but also I take donations on ko-fi, where you can also get access to some bonus content and early video releases and all that jazz. Thanks!
ko-fi.com/wusstunes
ALSO if you want to know why I changed the thumbnail it was to spite you, specifically!
😅😅😅😅😅😅
😅😅😅😅😅i😅i😅
Amazing documentary
Before the video: "Why are some people so obsessed with Bark the Polar Bear?"
After the video: "I get it now..."
KOS's "that matchup sucked" comment after winning the entire tournament was hilarious
Love the aesthetic of this game, the bright colors, reduced shading, simple models. Everyone just looks so charming, especially tails and amy
i think its probably to date the best 3d model of tails
@@wusstunes Keep spitting yo fax
@@wusstunesthought that said you would date that 3d model of tails 😭
i love the limited 3d graphics in this game, it’s so charming
"He remembered what his PS3 ancestors taught him, input a safe land and mash punch"
Great video
Where do I even begin? This is the video that the Sonic the Fighters community deserves, and I just want to thank you for all the extra time and effort you put into shining a light on the game and everyone who contributed to the scene! When I first began hosting tournaments, I never thought we’d make it as far as we have. Over the years, we’ve formed a close bond as a community and I truly believe that Sonic the Fighters has a bright future as a competitive game! Fantastic video. - Polymath
ima fight you one day.
Correct
Thanks for keeping the scene alive all these years poly -Gabriel (the guy who made that bean guide)
You deserve a video?
The sonic community already got chris-chan. Don't be greedy now
The wait was worth it! Thanks for having me and thanks for putting so much work into this. Much of what I learned about the community through this would probably be lost to time without resources like this. Great stuff!!
i immediately knew you were part of this as soon as i saw the title. Good stuff guys
I like that he credited you as "fighting game appreciator."
Well researched video
Many fighting games have a video showcasing a story about some legendary low tier hero who flips everything everyone thought they knew about the game.
The game, Sonic the Fighters, itself, is it's own low-tier hero. A spectacle of a game with so many secrets and some of the most kindhearted badasses a community can ask for. Especially a Sonic community.
The whole "critics hated the game" debacle is why I hate when journalists that don't know jack about fighting games review fighting games. It's like asking someone that doesn't know and it's not interested in driving/racing to review a racing simulation game, of course they're not going to like the game because they're not understanding 10% of the mechanics behind it, plus STF has one-button combos which enables button mashers to just carpal tunnel their way through arcade mode and then think it's the game's fault. Same reason why MK receives a ton of outstanding reviews, because there's lots of eye-candy for non-fighting game players there, thus they forget to review the game in a more technical way.
Anyways, really great video, it itched me to try and convince people to play this game again over here lol
MK?
@@agentblackbird9435 literally what other fighting game has the initials mk?
@@rinnnnnnnnnnrinRinOnishi
Oh my god I'm so fucking stupid
I've kinda just stopped giving a shit about reviews almost entirely when I realized that a lot of my favourite games (various Mega Man games, NEO TWEWY and the fighting game genre as a whole) are things that more casual players (so most of the reviewers I've seen) can't for the life of them seem to be able to actually review the games and not spread misinformation on the depth of those games due to just not knowing shit about them. Especially since I'm more into the technical side of said games and hearing nobody but like maybe one or two people actually talking about the technical side and saying the games aren't as mechanically deep as they actually are just angers me
@@rinnnnnnnnnnrinRinOnishiMario Kart
I played Sonic the Fighters as part of Sonic Gems Collection, the game I got with my Gamecube!
I had no idea there was a scene, you can only imagine the excitement I felt when I saw that you’re uploading one of your masterclass videos on it.
🔥 puff!
this guy invented the nair-rest, ykno
At 52:00 I was the commentator for the PS3 games! It's really cool seeing this resurface lol I was teddy bears 111
I mean hey, just like Melee, Sonic the Fighters managed to find a competitive scene against the odds. This video tying in to Melee not just once was a cherry on top. There is so much more Melee/Sonic the Fighters left to play and both still remain far from solved games. This was a behemoth of a project, and I'm glad I watched it!
you know it's a good video when you bump into emmbeesea in the comments
Well it's Sonic so it's a different beast. I wouldn't be surprised if people are playing Sonic Drink competetive
@@drifter402Drift*
Wish they'd put this on Steam with mod support... I'd love for it to be more accessible with potential for new characters and stuff.
The fact this game is repeatedly forgotten by sega annoys me to no end... here's to hoping this is one of the games they're working on either a remake or sequel right now since they're working on bringing back alot of classic ips of theirs
@@rinnnnnnnnnnrinRinOnishiI would even take just a port of the 2012 remaster at this point. The closest we have is the Xbox 360 version on Xbox One and tecnicly the version included in Lost Judgement and Like A Dragon Gaiden.
The mugen community make a 2d Sonic the fighters game called Sonic the fightera blitz.
Honestly a modding scene for this game would be great. I wanna see someone give Rocket Metal a full moveset ngl.
Me and some friends love messing around with random fighting games like this, and about 5 or 6 years ago we dedicated a night to Sonic the Fighters. We didn't know anything about the competitive community, so it basically just felt like a 6 hour session of us going into uncharted waters of undiscovered tech and weird mechanics, and it's one of my best memories of playing competitive fighters. Just a nonstop night of "WAIT that's how that works??" and "YOU CAN DO THAT? That's so sick!"
I really love that this video exists. After that night with friends, I found myself as a believer in this games potential, but never really dug into it beyond that. Which is my bad. But it's amazing to see it gets the highlight it deserves with more info and history than I would've ever expected.
Glad to help! Thanks for having me, fantastic video.
Thank you for kickstarting a whole online community of StF fans!
Hi wuss! As a fellow "culturally Sonic" kid I really appreciate your style and I follow every video as they come out. This documentary is fantastic and you should pride yourself on all the hard work you clearly put in researching, interviewing, writing, and editing. It's astonishing how every minute of this movie-length work feels purposeful and pondered over. I really really hope this video catches the algorithm or takes off on word of mouth or whatever needs to happen for you to be properly rewarded for crafting it. All the best.
Culturally Sonic is such a wild but valid phrase omg
This is going to be the Sonic Fighters version of the Smash Documentary for Melee, can see a lot of people getting interested in the scene after this
Yeah
Sonic The Fighters is both one of the first Sonic games and one of the first fighting games I ever played. It is a game I have a lot of nostalgia for and I always enjoyed it. Seeing a project like this is extremely cool, I have always had a slight interest in the competitive side of the game and I never thought it would get coverage to this degree. This is awesome to see.
It is amazing to see that even older games can get a competitive scene when passionate players come together
the DK connection reveal to link your videos was so HYPE
This doc among many other reasons has forced me to download sonic the fighters and re-enter my childhood. Thanks for this vid
I’ve never understood why there is so much dislike for this game, I always thought it looked really cool. I’ve always been curious on how competitive this game could get, and now I feel vindicated
I think, like Sonic R, it was caught during the era when Sonic couldn't do ANYTHING without drawing mockery. Couldn't pick up a sword without people acting like it was the second coming of 06. And when there wasn't content to mock, they turned their heads to the past, and laughed at games they did not understand
@@borby4584 a good chunk of sonic games where good or above average, but tons of the fans
just hated change or different.
@@kylerook Right. Like literally only 06, Secret Rings, Shadow, and that one RPG could truly be called "Bad", and even then it's not equal. I'd sooner play Shadow over the RPG or 06, and I mainly blame Secret Rings for 06 being that bad
@borby4584 even then save for 06 they where all serviceable and fun.
Like if I where to play any of those games I would have a grand time.
@@kylerook Secret Rings gets better, and Shadow has good moments too, but Chronicles is a bit *too* flawed IMO, especially compared to the other RPGs on the DS (or Elite Beat Agents)
I'm so glad people have started appreciating this game it was a favorite as a kid
Such a great introduction to a scene I didn't know existed! I'm admittedly a sonic and fighting game fan who dismissed the game as a spam fest, but I won't be looking at it the same way anymore.
I didn't fully finish the video, but if it wasn't already mentioned, I believe that StF cabinet at momocon was from Save Point. If you're in Maryland, they usually have it up at their store in Union Bridge. You'll want to call them first to make sure it's still out if you're coming from a long way, but otherwise I'm sure they would appreciate people coming out to play it!
I'm so happy my earliest memories and most fond one of this game is my friends and I at our small town pizza joint eating and playing on the cabinet of this game together for hours. What a time.
I frickin love how every single aspect of Sonic, every game, every comic, every show, every aspect of this fandom has its own collection of dedicated fans who make it so much more than just a game or a comic or a show.
this was so interesting. I literally knew nothing about sonic the fighters before watching it.
How did you manag to make a two hours long video about competitive fighting games captivating from minute to minute like that? Especially loved how characters were introduced throughout the videos with their traits, strengths and weaknesses, makes it so much easier to follow a game you're not that familiar with to help visualize the dynamics between the characters. Good job!
very deliberately lmao this video took a long time to make and i was basically learning about the game as i made it so i tried my best to show my work !
And is a obsecure game even
Tf do you mean there are 2 hours worth of Sonic the Fighters Competitive history?
EDIT: Just finished the video. That was the most engaged I was in a fighting game story since...forever.
we had one of these for many years in our local chuck e cheese. never knew it was rare. always liked the art style, and thought the little gun guy was cool and unique for a sonic game.
I love how this documentary gives every character a moment in the spotlight. Like it wasn’t just the story of top players piloting top tiers to victory, it felt like there was a pivotal moment in the scene and something interesting to explore with every character in the game, and it really makes me want to try everyone out and see what they can do.
I can't believe you made me root for this Noodle just to introduce a Knowledge and then telling me that they're duking it out and that Knowledge won. I don't think I've ever smiled as much watching a fighting game match as I did when two Barks were bopping each other over the head. Rooting for both sides of the match in equal amounts is such a weird feeling.
I just started playing the game yesterday. I absolutely love it. Its the only 3d fighter i truly enjoy. Thanks for the vid
Thank for showing love to the community
Goddamn this is a good documentary. I’m not finished yet but there’s a lot of good moments so far. It’s really cool seeing the start of online tournaments and it’s interesting how the absence of crossplay can lead to different metas.
This was such a great ride! I was one of the rare few that got to play Sonic the Fighters as a kid on an arcade cabinet and seeing so many people sharing that live for this game is amazing!
I loved this video as a melee head. Cool to see how a scene smaller than ours keep a game alive. Very fun 2 hours
A super interesting and well laid out timeline to this small but dedicated community! Keep up the amazing work, and have a lovely day.
Thank you! You too!
Kind of insane that I actually did see a cabinet of this game in a random bar in Wisconsin when I was a kid, given how rare it is over here.
I discovered Sonic The Fighters in a small hotel in Pennsylvania during a trip to Hershey Park that my family took us to when I was about 10 years old (nearly 20 years ago.) We got the gems collections a little while after
as someone who for some reason played the hell out of this game while growing up this is the most hyped ive been to watch a video in a while
I remember seeing the Sonic fighting game at an arcade. It was a Kahunaville in the Galleria Mall in Buffalo, New York. It was so bewildering to see Sonic shifting and morphing to beat the snot out of Amy and Knuckles.
Can't wait for the resurgence that StF has now that this video is out
Bark's nigh ceaseless presence in this video almost belies his low tier status.
This was super cool.
I just played it on emulator for the first time in years and had a feeling like "This game actually has a lot more going on than I think it was ever given credit for...", an then this video appears!
Knuckles: This is a boxing ring, not a race track! Now put em up!
not to be political but this game's competitive scene out lasted the confederacy which is a W in my book
Really fun watch, love to see competitive scenes for old underappreciated fighting games.
If I was to start playing online, I'd probably play Amy, she looks hilarious with the item drops.
What a wild rode. Been watching this in parts for the past few days and I'm floored. I remember playing a few hours of StF off the Gems Collection during Covid and thought it was a dumb baby game. Well low and behold, apparently I was the dumb baby all along. Hell, the Mystic Noodle vs KoS finale section (in part due to the amazing choice in music) ended up being one of the hypest things I've seen out of fighting game content in years.
Maybe I should install a PS3 emulator on my steamdeck...
What can I say, except, this was amazing. You clearly put in a whole lot of effort, and despite me knowing basically nothing about this game I was hooked all the way through. I especially love how each character has their little spotlight through different players and commentary, and I was able to understand basic principles of the game thanks to your explanations. I'm also intrigued by the fact the game seems really well balanced, as evidenced by low tiers Amy and Bark putting in strong showings. That's pretty crazy considering the game's legacy as a knock-off "kiddie" fighting game.
I think videos like this are a reminder that so long as you have a passionate community, however small, a fanbase is never truly "dead". Nowadays people glance over player counts and make assumptions, but I think if you love a game and can find other people to play against, that's all that matters. Maybe there could be a follow up video in the future if events continue?
On a similar note, I'm heavily invested in the game Keyforge, a card game with physical decks that can also be uploaded to a fan site and played online. Despite its reputation as a "dead" game, the current NKFL (Nordic Keyforge League) has over 200 players competing, plus a whole bunch of other online tournaments, the recent Worlds event and store championships building up starting in March alongside the release of the next set, Grim Reminders. (Of which I am thoroughly hyped.)
Yes, other card games have way more players: Magic, Hearthstone, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh, Flesh and Blood, Marvel Snap, Legends of Runeterra and even the recent Lorcana making some waves. But those player counts don't mean anything next to the fact that Keyforge is the most fun I've ever had with a card game and continues to both excite and surprise me. And that's what gaming is all about. :)
You forgot Pvz heroes into the card games
Glad I found this vid.
As an omega casual StF player, this is beyond impressive. I have no words besides... Thank you for putting this together.
Growing up I had Sonic Gems collection me and lil bro would play on the gamecube and fight all the time. Damn I cant believe that it got such bad press. I was so lucky to have a Dad and a Grandma who cared about my interests in games, they would always get me the next Sonic releases.
a 2 hour doc about my favorite arcade game in the 90s at sharpstown mall in houston tx is much appreciated beating that game finally at age like 6 or 7 was the best
The only time I’ve seen anyone play this game was YEARS ago through Smosh games. Glad to know it’s more interesting than people let on! I’ve seen more animations over the course of one fight than I’ve seen in videos over the course of about 10 years lol
wow this documentary is a masterpiece, thank you. I've loved this game since I was a kid and often think about how underappreciated it is, truly a gem. My favorite part was definitely the mystic noodle segment, his meta developments and the TAS videos were mind blowing
Do check out his TAS videos. They're actually really funny!
Agreed
I remember that I believed the game from what someone told me. Happy to see that disproven by miles.
Used to play this all the time as a kid. Been wanting to get into the competitive scene for months now
Just don't have a ps3 or PC to play the game on. Didn't even know they had tournaments and stuff for this game... God I'm missing out 😭
I've spent most of today (christmas) by myself in a mental health spiral. This video has really lifted my spirits and is a really beautiful and brilliant project. I discovered your channel from a niche melee video, and I am really happy that you are now finding the success you deserve. You are a very brilliant creator and you have touched a lot people
I’M SO HYPED i wanna join the community and learn the game!
I gotta dig out my ps3 and start playing again
Justice for Sonic the Fighters, now and forever
Yo, Blaze hedgehog!
I used to play this game a lot back in highschool and really only played with a couple of friends that ended up not liking it, I kinda wanna learn it now knowing there's a whole community
Was NOT prepared for Look A Like, that was VERY well played
I LOVE WATCHING TWO HOUR VIDEOS ABOUT GAMES I DIDNT EVEN KNOW HAD A COMPETITIVE SCENE!!!
Is that sarcasm? I hope not
So glad i saw this in my recommended! Loved playing Sonic the Fighters thru Sonic Gems Collection
This is such an awesome video. I don't know much about Fighters but despite being such a long video, it was very informative and fun to watch, and the game itself seems really cool. The music choices are great too, Sonic R's menu music in particular. The text on 1:19:58 seems to last longer than it should but it's a small issue, the rest of the video is edited really well.
My brother and I would play sonic the fighters on gamecube. The knuckles slap fights still haunt us to this day.
As a Sonic fan who grew up with Sonic Mega Collection and Sonic Gems Collection, I used to play StF with my neighbours, then my sisters when they were old enough. I never knew there was so much depth to the game. Thanks for this video, it means a lot to me as some random nerd who always loved the game, but always stunk at traditional fighting games!
Your user name killed me
Incredible work on this documentary, Wuss - it is almost certainly your best project so far. It is truly remarkable how much depth has been packed into a game with an audience to the tune of dozens, thank you for sharing and documenting this community!
If shrek superslam gained a competetive scene sonic the fighters definitely can.
My local roller skate rink had a sonic the fighters cabinet. Me and my older brother used to go back and forth. I remember my brother always using Fang.
Knuckles is top tier in a fighting game, and all is well in the world.
Funny enough, I know someone who owns one of those rare Sonic Championship cabs. Still blows my mind.
I always wrote this off as a virtua fighter clone but 2 hour documentary later and this is hype as hell.
One good Guile quote I couldn't get into this video is...even if it's a watered down virtua fighter how is that a bad thing? It's a more approachable version of one of the most technical and difficult to learn fighting games.
@@wusstunes As someone who really liked Virtua Fighter when I first played it back like a decade ago I never really thought "You know what Virtua Fighter needs? Less depth and technical aspects". People who played Virtua Fighter would generally just be happy playing Virtua Fighter, and this seemed like a "beginner's game". Now that a wealth of information has come out about it over the internet years, I can see why people would enjoy it even if they already play fighting games.
Excellent video. Glad to see such passion for a niche game like this.
Man. Watching these old videos really proved to me that everyone in the late 2000s was really annoying. This includes me. I was there
I would absolutely love to see a fan-made patch of this game to balance some things and possibly make Metal Sonic and Eggman tournament legal, sort of like a Sonic Riders DX except for Sonic the Fighters
i feel like the community of this game and the server where the mobius cup is hosted is really friendly and dare i say one of the few instances where someone who isnt into fighting games, got into sonic the fighters, mystic noodles, polymath, the whole community was really wholesome while i was there and i couldnt be more grateful to have one of my childhood games have such a loving and strong community who push the game to its limits
If any game could deserve this much respect and balance, it's this one.
Agreed
Incredible video. Who knew this game had so much depth
I was blessed by having a arcade machine near where I lived.
It's the only game I've actually finished on an arcade machine
I'm so glad sonic the fighters is getting love espio has always been my favorite sonic character anytime I get to play as him I'm super excited
An engaging 2 hour doc on an incredibly small but dedicated scene is always a treat. It's not often that you get to see something like this. I hope the game gets more players and that local events start popping up, this game is so fun to watch. Great storytelling chief, as well as great interviews and editing. Wusstunes don't miss.
Fantastic job. This game really needed a huge feature length video like this documenting its appeal, rise, and history in depth. A deeper look at this games history will surely breathe new life into its relatively small and obscure scene. Truly an undertaking Sonic the Fighters deserves. Really tremendous work.
this video is a masterpiece. def gonna look into the competitive scene more, this game looks sick
Big Thanks again for including me bro, this vid is one giant trip down memory lane and it was really cool hearing everyone else's story on how they got into this fun little game.
I was weirdly obsessed with this game when i was 12-13 when I found it on the xbox live arcade. Thought the secret characters were really cool.
this video has gotten me to try this out. as a big melee fan i've been looking for another.. unorthodox fighting game, hopefully i have fun
I learned so much after watching this documentary. Great stuff!
Same man
I'm so suprised that sonic the fighters community never got into hosting side brackets at majors like evo and combo breaker, you mainly just have to tell the TOs that you have setups available, or just get the space in BYOC/casual areas
stay tuned
i'm surprised that this game's competitive scene hasn't made changes on the game to expand it's gameplay, like balancing characters or increasing HP/Time on rounds
Modifying the ps3 version has been a really hard thing to crack, but just recently people have started making progress there. Ultimately the game is pretty well balanced but we're looking into changing ketchup and adding a training mode potentially.
@@wusstunes oh damn, incredible
Glad to hear the community is getting together on that!
Havent finished the video yet, but I already really love the approach of researching three eras of the game's lifespan, since docs like this sometimes make the assumption that if it was unpopular, surely nobody's touched it til now.
Wonderful video on a super fun game with a community I didn't know anything about!
I LOVED THIS VIDEO, I HOPE THEY START EMULATOR TOURNAMENTS SO I CAN BEGIN TO LEARN IT
There have been like 3 in the last 3 days. Now is definitely the time to get involved if you're interested.
I love Trukuu’s accent so much lol it sounds like I’m listening to an old country farmer rocking in his chair on his porch as he surveys his land and recounts the intricacies and history of his favorite fighting game like he’s spinning a Paul Bunyan-esque tale, it’s great
Came here to say the same thing. Could be the next Benoit Blanc.
I remember there being a cabinet for this game at an arcade in vegas, when i was younger my brother and i used to play the fuck out of it! The game has such a charming aesthetic to it, and discovering that theres a healthy competitive scene popping up for the game has me interested in checking the game out again.
good video!
played this game at MAGfest on a free arcade setup like 12 years ago, was shocked with how great it felt, and its movement/graphics had a charm to it
This is an incredible video dude. Ever since I played on the Gems collection as a kid I always wondered if there was a community around this game. Seeing people pull off insane combos is just so entertaining! And I think that’s the biggest appeal of Fighters: that it’s cartoony and fast. It just makes it so much fun to spectate or play!
awesome video! i love sonic AND small fighting game communities, glad this was recommended to me :)) i used to love this game as a kid
Absolutely amazing video! You've definitely done a good job with it because now I'm tempted to give competitive Sonic the Fighters a try lol