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I don't know why, but SA1's running animation has such a charm for me, the way Sonic bops as he slowly accelerates to his top speed gives a nice flow to the game. Unleashed running animations are peak, tho.
One thing I don't see being mentioned is the footstep noises in Unleashed, and IMO it really pushes it into S-tier despite being subtle. I only wish the game had proper audio settings because the boost filter can be way too loud.
Sonic Adventure 1's running animations take the cake for me compared to Sonic Adventure 2's. I was always bothered with SA2's running animations because it just doesn't look like they were made for the intended speed it was meant to be played at. If you play SA2's top speed animation at a slower rate, they actually look quite fine in that context. But if you speed them up like they are in game, it looks very jittery and a lot of the smoothness is lost compared to SA1 where the animations are catered to the high speeds that Sonic can go. Much of this has to do with not only the level design, but also his head movement. SA1 gives him a lot of big space to be fast, and when you're at top speed in that game you'll notice that eventually his head doesn't bob as much, almost feeling like he's gliding which also in turn gives your eyes something to easily focus on. Also take for example the whale sequence in Emerald Coast where the camera is in front of you. Despite everything being destroyed behind you and so much chaos happening in the background, the animation of Sonic give you an easy focal point to look at since his eyes are dead center and easy to follow. If you were to replace that running sequence with SA2's animations, your eyes start to loose track of where supposed to be looking since his movements very jittery. New Frame Plus has a good segment of what I'm talking about. ua-cam.com/video/GxCcHOvSVJQ/v-deo.html
Good plug with the New Frame Plus video, that's one of my favorite videos that I revisit with some regularity. Though it did cause some mental pain with some of the animation principles that I learned from there being totally misrepresented in this video.
Running with your arms behind your back would make you go way faster because of reducing drag and a smaller profile, but you already have to be moving really fast to begin with...your friend wasn't wrong, everyone is just too slow.
This isn't true in the slightest. Not even a little! Trailing your arms behind you is a thing done in video games and anime by characters moving incredibly fast and having zero reason to use their arms, conserving the energy to focus on running. Someone started this rumor about reducing drag and giving you a smaller profile because it made some kind of logical sense but in practice, even Usain Bolt wouldn't run any faster doing it on purpose.
You forgot to mention that Sonic's top speed animation in Mania changes if you set Sonic to use the super pillout instead of the Drop Dash or the Insta-Shield
Sonic running animations are usually absolutely incredible. Unleashed, S3&K, and Gens have to some of my personal favorites and I really wish they would bring back the Unleashed type animations back to modern Sonic as I really dont like the current animation. Its ok but it could be better!
One thing I like about Sonic Mania's running animations is the single-frame transition animation between run and dash/top speed. It's a little difficult to notice until you're told it exists but it demonstrates the amount of detail and care that went into the game. Sonic X-treme's running animation is interesting. AFAIK it only has a walking phase and a running phase. The walking phase is based off the Megadrive games, pretty standard but at some angles it looks like he's beating his chest like a gorilla. The run animation has the classic blurry wheel effect, but he also pumps his arms while running. It's also not a perfect circle; it seems the animator tried to make it make more sense in 3D, so when his foot is near the upper part of the circle it gets thrown to the side more instead of brushing his head like in the Megadrive games.
Man, this really made me reflect on how important good animation is to make controlling a character feel right. Games where the animation doesn't fit the movement feel floaty and clunky, while games where the walking is more detailed feel more precise and satisfying. People meme on Adventure 1 for the goofy facial expressions but I always felt that in the game itself, Sonic looked fantastic in motion; they definitely put the attention where it was most important.
Fun fact putting your arms back does make you more aerodynamic but at the speeds humans can move the benefit is negligible However at the speeds sonic and or Naruto characters move it would actually provide a positive effect
I've always liked the unleashed style of sonic running. It's also been a fairly consistent running pose for him throughout the years. Was in the 90s cartoons, the CD intro, the OVA, Sonic X, then came to the games with Rush and then Secret Rings and then Unleashed.
Man, Sonic's animations is my favorite thing to research in the Sonic games, finding out how the animations were made and further perfecting my 3D animation skills. *Notes:* 26:03 There are actually *6* phases in Unleashed. And yes, there are so called "sub phases": -Walk -Walk fast (It appears VERY briefly when fully accelerating, but when you actually control your speed with the joystick, it is distinguishable with more vertical motion. This animation is also present in Sonic Generations, although it's completely unnoticable due to how the movement works. I don't think it's present in Colors) -Jog -Run -Dash (Leans in less and sways a bit more.) -Jet/Boost (Hedgehog engine games naming convention) 32:47 Fun fact, this is not an actual animation present in the game's files, it's just the boosting animation being blended into the dash animation. Speaking of, the Dash animation (or the sprint as refered in this video) is actually different from Forces. Sonic leans in less but looks lower and his hands are more open and are slightly higher. The base is still the same. I also wonder what are factors of how the running animations are made. Sometimes their choices look... Questionable.
26:17 well buddy, that’s like the whole point when he hits top speed. Like he’s gliding effortlessly, due to momentum. That’s why the top speed animation NEEDS to look like that, to emphasize that when he hits top speed, he doesn’t need to put as much effort forth to keep it.
I’m surprised you liked the forces/frontiers animations. I feel like it’s one of the stiffest set of animations for sonic. His legs look so weird because of how stiff his upper body is. It reminds me of when I was a kid and I’d rapidly swing my toy Sonic’s legs back and fourth.
Yeah, especially since the animation doesn’t change much between speeds, so you can be walking at a lower speed yet his animation looks like he’s supposed to be going faster, like he’s almost running in place.
And the worst one is his spikes. God those spikes are looking sooo bad dude like wtf happened to sonic.,the model is so bad. Why they just didnt go on with the unleashed model it was the best and the most suiting one for sonic
Sonic’s head bopping up and down more rapidly when he speeds up until he stabilizes at top speed in SA2 is so cool. Also the animations in the GBA games are unmatched and I won’t hear otherwise.
TimeStamps: Sonic 1, 2 and 3; 4:00 Sonic 2 Special Stage; 4:40 Sonic 3 Special Stage; 5:07 Sonic CD; 5:47 Sonic CD Special Stage; 6:18 8-Bit Sonic; 6:53 Sonic SpinBall; 7:15 Sonic Labyrinth; 7:46 Sonic Blast; 8:10 SegaSonic; 8:36 SegaSonic PopCorn Shop; 9:13 Sonic The Fighters; 9:28 Sonic's SchoolHouse; 10:05 Sonic 3D Blast; 10:40 Sonic 3D Blast Special Stage; 11:21 Sonic Jam; 11:50 Sonic R; 12:38 Sonic Jam (GameCom); 13:08 Sonic Adventure; 13:54 Sonic Pocket Adventure; 14:52 Sonic Shuffle; 15:32 Sonic Adventure 2; 16:06 Sonic Advance; 16:50 Sonic Advance 2; 17:40 --------------------------- To Be Continued
Actually, Sonic CD's slow run/walk animation does not show the vertical movement characteristic of jogging, whereas the others do, making them superior.
I think the thing with the Sonic Advance 1 animation's feet is that they're not fully circular in their smear, but rather an ellipse, making the run look squashed it's like an uncanny mix of the circle and figure 8, featuring the shape of the circle, but the dimensions of the figure 8
If anyone noticed this his run animation had that one moment where your going top speed but your going so fast he’s running he visually moving slow? It was on some animations and it rarely happened but when it does it’s a pretty epic moment
Great video! Not sure if you knew or not, but in Generations, modern sonic has another running stage when boosting. It’s not a big change, he basically only closes his fists, but it’s there. I learned this from a video by New Frame Plus called “The Animation of Sonic Games”. It’s a really good video that goes into depth talking about Sonic’s animations in most of his games. Anyway, keep up the awesome work!
I personally prefer when Sonic's top speed animation turns into a smoother glide than the build-up phases. Not only does it provide visual contrast from the other phases (it took effort to get up to top speed, but once he gets there, maintaining it is easy for him), but it also reduces the visual noise and gives extra readability to his animations. If he were to change his expression mid-run, then it'd be much easier to see on a smoother run (like Adventure 1's top speed) than on a rougher run (like Adventure 2's top speed).
I think Unleashed's running animations are really great except for those awkward moments (like the one you showed in Spagonia) where the camera swings to the side and something seems to mess up in the leg speed modifiers. If it wasn't for that, I think I'd give it the S tier. I've always found SA2 animations to be amazing but I think the top speed one needs like... a few more separate frames, it feels too... choppy?
6:11 Actually Sonic CD changed his jog. His sprite doesn’t go up and down simulating how at first your jogging makes you bounce higher, and as you go faster your bouncy motion gets more smooth
0:05 I was that kid in school (yes, elementary school) and I was comically slow to top it all 29:26 This game looks like the hybrid between 06’s running animation and the typical jog of any jack n’ daxter games
I like how he included the sega popcorn game and sonic jam gamecom but not sonic 4 Really shows that games staying power and memorability And literally nobody cares it’s hilarious
21:21 Oh my gosh I remember this game from my childhood. I found so many glitches in it. It is surprisingly easy to skip the giant robots if you move the right ways.
Lists sa2 in s rank because "sonic at top speed vibrates like a maniac" Lists secret rings in C for sonic vibrating when going too fast. Yep makes sense I see no bias here. (Also secret rings leans into the turns)
there may be some disparaging comments here but don't let that get you down, being interested in the intricate passion and artistry behind your favorite games is something the sonic community needs more of
My notes on your choices: - CD: While it DOES use the same animations that were used in 1-3, it slightly downgrades them where he's oddly stiff when you examine it closely despite giving us the Super Peel Out. - Popcorn Shop: To be fair, I think you only judged the "fail"/slow run, he DOES have a top speed run where it's the classic wheel feet blur, but that IS about the only thing that changes, he sort of only has 4 sprite bases for his run animation, 2 for his top half (either just walking or holding a thing of kernels) and 2 for his bottom (the run you show off and the feet blur). - 3D Blast/Flickies' Island: It's been a bit since I looked at footage but the guy behind the game DID release a "Director's Cut" mod of the game which MAY have added some extra run cycles? I don't think so but I don't remember. And I'm not sure if you would count it. - Sonic's Saturn model: Fun fact, this model was originally going to be used for Adventure 1 before they changed it, which can be seen in early showcase footage. - Adventure 1: Not gonna lie, I kind of wish he used his classic game's top speed pose with his tucked in arms for his Sprint animation (this point also extending to most of the games released after this). - Adventure 2: I'm not sure I agree. The run speed feels way to jittery for me, like sure it's more realistic, but the classic games established he knows how to handle his top speed without making him look like he's about to vibrate through the Speed Force that even Adventure 1 managed. - Advance 1, 2 (base game), 3 (base game), & Rush: Honestly I've always been bothered by the top speed run animations. It's mostly in how Sonic tilts his head down, makes me think he's making more air drag than he needs to. - Heroes: It having slippery controls I think is more due to how the characters just snap to a direction along with the ridiculous speed is what gave people the feeling of the controls being slippery. Basically, I think it was more the engine at fault than the animation, granted I'm not saying it probably at least wasn't a factor. - Colors DS: Yeah which it makes him look forward like how I'd like, it feels like he's about to trip over himself and skid across the ground with how far his torso's leaning forwards. So they fixed the head angle but left everything else as is. - Unleashed: You forgo to mention the Wii version was also used for the PS2 port. And while I'm not to bothered by how smooth it is, I feel like it SHOULD be that effortless with Sonic considering that's how the classic games established how well he has a handle on running. Granted I can see the point of wanting a tiny bit more of a bob to his run. But I do agree that it feels like his feet don't match his speed under top speed. Also you forgot the Java port, which is apparently basically another Rush game from what I've heard. - Generations (Console; Modern Sonic): I can understand the finger fanning thing, it maybe could have looked better if he had like, maybe stiffened his fingers to where they were squeezing together doing a more rigid pose? I don't know what it's called if it has a name but it's sort of like if you flattened and stiffened your hand out & treated it like a sword. (I hope those reading gets what I'm trying to describe because I don't know if ti came across or not XD). - Boom 3DS: I feel like it's still doing the issue in Colors DS I mentioned.
Good list! you are one of my favorite sonic youtubers because when need be you are critical instead of just hateful and plus I love your interest in the topics you talk about. If there’s even enough content for it, maybe you could cover shadow’s skating animations bc I think they are quite silly 😁💕
So glad that Sonic Advance 2 running animations are in S-tier. Having bought SA2 a few months, the running is great. Honestly, the fact that most Sonic fangame or animation uses SA2’s spirtes shows the high quality the spritework.
Please excuse my moment of pedantry, but I think Sonic 3's regular running animation should have been rated separately from 1&2. The character sprites in sonic 3 are a different style, and you ranked the special stage behind-the-back sprites separately! Anyway. Cool vid! Probably one of my favorite little details is the way sonic shifts his weight and leans to one side or another while turning, it's good stuff and kinda makes wish that tilt could be utilized to make rails less automated again someday
So there are actually a couple things to the loose arms run. Professional endurance runners often do something similar, as the act of pumping your arms like you would normally run is actually a waste of energy. The second being that there are really old japanese training methods that involve placing paper or hats on the chest, and then running. This forces you to run at a consistent speed using air resistance to keep it in place. However, your arms can knock this stuff out of the way or mess with this flow, so the arms are kept to the side.
I'm surprised Sonic 1 isn't a tier above the rest of the classic games. When he runs and sprint, he does these little hops. But when at top speed, his head is lowered and stays steady. Some details you won't see in other classic games
0:25 game theory did a video about this, apparently if you run at the speed of ninjas in naruto and sonic doing the naruto run helps, especially the sonic version since he leans further
Nice Video! I know its a bit nerdy but u forgot to mention the Boost animation for Secret Rings which makes his quills tighter and he is not bopping form left to right that much.
6:10 Sonic CD's walking/jogging sprites don't bob up and down like the ones in Sonic 1-3, leading it to look unnatural and robotic. Once you notice it, you can't unsee it, and it becomes distracting
You guys do you but I do like that little crab thing he does with his hands in the last 2 games and I like it more when their fanned out like he’s feeling the wind beneath his hands which is probably why I put 06 and boom in my top 10
I still love Sonic Adventure 2's running animation, and I still have such fond memories of that game, to this day. I do still enjoy the sense of speed you get from the Sonic Unleashed Daytime Levels, even if the animation isn't perfect. On another note, it would be cool to see a series of videos ranking the music in different Sonic games, if you're interested. And note that I suggest a series of videos, since that would be such a larger project. Also, you look so similar to your 10-year-old self, just as an adult. Not a bad thing, though.
I would argue that the Western boxart doesn't tell you he has a mohawk, but just illustrates what he looks like from the side just like his sprites do. It's Western cartoons like SatAM and AoSth that tell you he has a mohawk. But even Sonic Underground shows they have spines side by side.
teeny tiny note about Unleashed and Gens They actually have 2 different walk animations. A normal one and one where he leans forward before starting to jog. Unleashed also has 2 sprinting animations just like Generations. In the first one he's leaning forward a bit less and his arms are slightly more relaxed. They look veeery similar so no wonder people don't really tell them apart
12:38 - Sonic R and Sonic Jam *don't* share the same model, the Sonic R model is slightly more low poly than the Sonic Jam model and uses worse textures.
I remember how frustrated I was with Heroes, Shadow, and Rivals 1 and 2 when Sonic didn’t have his hands behind his back and was so excited when it came back in 06 and Secret Rings
Only bit I disagre with here is with Unleashed, as I feel like it should be at the S tier But overall, it's a very solid list and a great video, nice job!
My explanation for the Sonic run animation is to help him keep his balance. It would be harder to react to the different forces against you when running that fast, so the outstretched arms help him not fall over. This also justifies it in slower games such as Lost World where he clearly isn't fast enough for his arms to blow backwards in the wind
20:34 I believe that Sonic never ran at his full speed in Sonic Heroes because Tails and Knuckles wouldn't be able to keep up with him, so that's why he never appears with his arms behind his back
0:04 No, your not the only one who had that one kid in the class. We had a kid like that in my class and that kid was me. I thought it worked very much like the wings on a plane, making your run more aerodynamic. I had a really convincing pseudoscientific explanation. 12:38 Although very similar, I'm pretty sure that those are different models.
Hot take: TO ME the Adventure 1 animation just kind of OK. Don’t get me wrong, it’s objectively amazing and I totally see why it would be someone’s favorite running animation, but something about it just doesn’t click with me personally. I can’t quite put my finger on it. I’d still put it in S rank just because of how it hits all the right points for an objectively great sonic running animation, it’s just a personal preference thing. I personally prefer some thing like Unleashed. I also think his animation from rise of lyric is really underrated. Putting aside the quality of the game I think his maximum speed animation in the high speed sections looks really cool. Especially like how the hands are open as if to make it seem like he’s flowing through the wind rather than fighting it.
0:05 You're not the only one, I literally was that one kid who ran with their hands behind their back in Grade School I actually did run really fast in the school's track
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First reply.
@@Sonikku_Za_Hejjihoggu_1991 first reply to the first reply >:]
@@Temmy_12 First reply to the first reply's first reply
sonic jam was the best
Have you seen the video game animation study video on the sonic series
I don't know why, but SA1's running animation has such a charm for me, the way Sonic bops as he slowly accelerates to his top speed gives a nice flow to the game.
Unleashed running animations are peak, tho.
The sa1 animation is pretty good
I like how he settles and stops bobbing once hes in top speed for a while, really helps sell the feeling of speed
One thing I don't see being mentioned is the footstep noises in Unleashed, and IMO it really pushes it into S-tier despite being subtle. I only wish the game had proper audio settings because the boost filter can be way too loud.
How he looks around while running too
The sa1 running always felt responsive
petition to rename the “naruto run” to the “sonic run”
Or better yet the "peel-out".
Petition to shoot people "naruto running" with a water gun lol
I agree with the comment and the first 2 replies
From SA1 the airplane run style is the best suited to him.
Ninja's have done this in anime before both Naruto and Sonic tho, people really trying to act like Naruto didn't popularize it is dumb af 😂
Sonic Adventure 1's running animations take the cake for me compared to Sonic Adventure 2's. I was always bothered with SA2's running animations because it just doesn't look like they were made for the intended speed it was meant to be played at. If you play SA2's top speed animation at a slower rate, they actually look quite fine in that context. But if you speed them up like they are in game, it looks very jittery and a lot of the smoothness is lost compared to SA1 where the animations are catered to the high speeds that Sonic can go.
Much of this has to do with not only the level design, but also his head movement. SA1 gives him a lot of big space to be fast, and when you're at top speed in that game you'll notice that eventually his head doesn't bob as much, almost feeling like he's gliding which also in turn gives your eyes something to easily focus on. Also take for example the whale sequence in Emerald Coast where the camera is in front of you. Despite everything being destroyed behind you and so much chaos happening in the background, the animation of Sonic give you an easy focal point to look at since his eyes are dead center and easy to follow. If you were to replace that running sequence with SA2's animations, your eyes start to loose track of where supposed to be looking since his movements very jittery.
New Frame Plus has a good segment of what I'm talking about.
ua-cam.com/video/GxCcHOvSVJQ/v-deo.html
Realmente
Agreed
Good plug with the New Frame Plus video, that's one of my favorite videos that I revisit with some regularity. Though it did cause some mental pain with some of the animation principles that I learned from there being totally misrepresented in this video.
@@offbrandDavid like what
@@hayond656 The one that jumped out the most was calling the wiggling arms on Sonic Boom's run cycle "squash and stretch"
Sayonara Chaomix, he lost it
Bro lost his mind 💀
He's like my lil bro everyday 😂
LOL
Sayonara Chaomix the Human.
Lol
Running with your arms behind your back would make you go way faster because of reducing drag and a smaller profile, but you already have to be moving really fast to begin with...your friend wasn't wrong, everyone is just too slow.
I guess you could say it’s a… skill issue 🤨
@@chaomix It's a balancing issue, leaning forward makes you more prone to fall if you don't manage to get your legs infront quick enough.
ya dood makes u go supr fest, he sloe
This isn't true in the slightest. Not even a little! Trailing your arms behind you is a thing done in video games and anime by characters moving incredibly fast and having zero reason to use their arms, conserving the energy to focus on running. Someone started this rumor about reducing drag and giving you a smaller profile because it made some kind of logical sense but in practice, even Usain Bolt wouldn't run any faster doing it on purpose.
@@_LeafrinHumans cant run like that since we have bones and we are not cartoon characters. 💀💀💀
The reason why sonic booms arms and Fingers look like jelly is cause he’s going so fast that all the energy is making him wiggle a little
SA1 Run animation is peak
Damn right.
Nah, The jog Is Shit, run Is good tho
It’s charming
@@ZaneDaBoldstrong disagree. Jog looks beautiful.
Hi sonic hub
You forgot to mention that Sonic's top speed animation in Mania changes if you set Sonic to use the super pillout instead of the Drop Dash or the Insta-Shield
They also added another set of animations in between the jog and run which makes the transition between the two smoother
@@QualityGarbage Yeah it's like a forward leaning Run but not the Circle run
Peelout*
@@skittleproductions4794 TRUE
Super Pillout. The iconic narcotics overdose move
Its over, he sponsored Temu.
Sonic running animations are usually absolutely incredible. Unleashed, S3&K, and Gens have to some of my personal favorites and I really wish they would bring back the Unleashed type animations back to modern Sonic as I really dont like the current animation. Its ok but it could be better!
NEEDLE MOUSE?! AGAIN?! GOSH YOU REALLY ARE EVERYWHERE
YOU GUYS ARE EVERYWHERE!
@@energyzss wait really?
@@Susseton SF Productions streams
@@energyzss that's pretty much the only place I appear in.
I like the idea that Sonic’s arms are just flailing behind him because he’s physically incapable of alternating his arms at high speeds
I used to think his arms acted like a spoiler for some reason
I like to think that he just finds it kool to run like that:)
I am happy to see Sonic CD's running animation in A-Tier!
One thing I like about Sonic Mania's running animations is the single-frame transition animation between run and dash/top speed. It's a little difficult to notice until you're told it exists but it demonstrates the amount of detail and care that went into the game.
Sonic X-treme's running animation is interesting. AFAIK it only has a walking phase and a running phase. The walking phase is based off the Megadrive games, pretty standard but at some angles it looks like he's beating his chest like a gorilla. The run animation has the classic blurry wheel effect, but he also pumps his arms while running. It's also not a perfect circle; it seems the animator tried to make it make more sense in 3D, so when his foot is near the upper part of the circle it gets thrown to the side more instead of brushing his head like in the Megadrive games.
Man, this really made me reflect on how important good animation is to make controlling a character feel right. Games where the animation doesn't fit the movement feel floaty and clunky, while games where the walking is more detailed feel more precise and satisfying.
People meme on Adventure 1 for the goofy facial expressions but I always felt that in the game itself, Sonic looked fantastic in motion; they definitely put the attention where it was most important.
Fun fact putting your arms back does make you more aerodynamic but at the speeds humans can move the benefit is negligible
However at the speeds sonic and or Naruto characters move it would actually provide a positive effect
I've always liked the unleashed style of sonic running. It's also been a fairly consistent running pose for him throughout the years. Was in the 90s cartoons, the CD intro, the OVA, Sonic X, then came to the games with Rush and then Secret Rings and then Unleashed.
Man, Sonic's animations is my favorite thing to research in the Sonic games, finding out how the animations were made and further perfecting my 3D animation skills.
*Notes:*
26:03 There are actually *6* phases in Unleashed. And yes, there are so called "sub phases":
-Walk
-Walk fast (It appears VERY briefly when fully accelerating, but when you actually control your speed with the joystick, it is distinguishable with more vertical motion. This animation is also present in Sonic Generations, although it's completely unnoticable due to how the movement works. I don't think it's present in Colors)
-Jog
-Run
-Dash (Leans in less and sways a bit more.)
-Jet/Boost
(Hedgehog engine games naming convention)
32:47 Fun fact, this is not an actual animation present in the game's files, it's just the boosting animation being blended into the dash animation. Speaking of, the Dash animation (or the sprint as refered in this video) is actually different from Forces. Sonic leans in less but looks lower and his hands are more open and are slightly higher. The base is still the same.
I also wonder what are factors of how the running animations are made. Sometimes their choices look... Questionable.
26:17 well buddy, that’s like the whole point when he hits top speed. Like he’s gliding effortlessly, due to momentum. That’s why the top speed animation NEEDS to look like that, to emphasize that when he hits top speed, he doesn’t need to put as much effort forth to keep it.
I’m surprised you liked the forces/frontiers animations. I feel like it’s one of the stiffest set of animations for sonic. His legs look so weird because of how stiff his upper body is. It reminds me of when I was a kid and I’d rapidly swing my toy Sonic’s legs back and fourth.
Yeah, especially since the animation doesn’t change much between speeds, so you can be walking at a lower speed yet his animation looks like he’s supposed to be going faster, like he’s almost running in place.
Forces and frontiers animations doesn't transition well and it's arms look so unnatural.
Weird.
its defintely my least favorite animation it just looks stiff he doesnt even move while running
Fancy seeing you here! ☺️
And the worst one is his spikes. God those spikes are looking sooo bad dude like wtf happened to sonic.,the model is so bad. Why they just didnt go on with the unleashed model it was the best and the most suiting one for sonic
You know that kid who said that running with your arms behind your back makes you run faster? Yeah, that was literally me 😅😢
Me too 😅😅
Sonic’s head bopping up and down more rapidly when he speeds up until he stabilizes at top speed in SA2 is so cool.
Also the animations in the GBA games are unmatched and I won’t hear otherwise.
TimeStamps:
Sonic 1, 2 and 3; 4:00
Sonic 2 Special Stage; 4:40
Sonic 3 Special Stage; 5:07
Sonic CD; 5:47
Sonic CD Special Stage; 6:18
8-Bit Sonic; 6:53
Sonic SpinBall; 7:15
Sonic Labyrinth; 7:46
Sonic Blast; 8:10
SegaSonic; 8:36
SegaSonic PopCorn Shop; 9:13
Sonic The Fighters; 9:28
Sonic's SchoolHouse; 10:05
Sonic 3D Blast; 10:40
Sonic 3D Blast Special Stage; 11:21
Sonic Jam; 11:50
Sonic R; 12:38
Sonic Jam (GameCom); 13:08
Sonic Adventure; 13:54
Sonic Pocket Adventure; 14:52
Sonic Shuffle; 15:32
Sonic Adventure 2; 16:06
Sonic Advance; 16:50
Sonic Advance 2; 17:40
---------------------------
To Be Continued
Actually, Sonic CD's slow run/walk animation does not show the vertical movement characteristic of jogging, whereas the others do, making them superior.
Yea I’m surprised he didn’t mention that aspect because once you notice it you can’t unsee ir
🤓
@@Gobble640 perish
@@joshuajordan4080 this kid is telling me to d1e because I called them a nerd 😂
@@joshuajordan4080 🤓
I think the thing with the Sonic Advance 1 animation's feet is that they're not fully circular in their smear, but rather an ellipse, making the run look squashed
it's like an uncanny mix of the circle and figure 8, featuring the shape of the circle, but the dimensions of the figure 8
who knew running was such an important part of sonic
It's literally his whole purpose
@@Wat3r_M4londy123 r/whoosh
@@Wat3r_M4londy123 Dude the joke flew over your head higher than Miles Prower
If anyone noticed this his run animation had that one moment where your going top speed but your going so fast he’s running he visually moving slow? It was on some animations and it rarely happened but when it does it’s a pretty epic moment
Great video! Not sure if you knew or not, but in Generations, modern sonic has another running stage when boosting. It’s not a big change, he basically only closes his fists, but it’s there. I learned this from a video by New Frame Plus called “The Animation of Sonic Games”. It’s a really good video that goes into depth talking about Sonic’s animations in most of his games. Anyway, keep up the awesome work!
I've watched that exact video like a dozen times lol
I like how informative this video is but really disliked his smug "sonic sucks amirite" attitude.
I really like Boom Sonic's top speed. It's so effortless and smooth, like his cocky personality
23:09 Thank God P-06 actually fixed some of these issues with the animation. It looks now pretty fluid and more straight-up branch when Sonic runs.
Love your experimentation with the art style on your thumbnails, something SEGA never does nowadays 😂
I personally prefer when Sonic's top speed animation turns into a smoother glide than the build-up phases. Not only does it provide visual contrast from the other phases (it took effort to get up to top speed, but once he gets there, maintaining it is easy for him), but it also reduces the visual noise and gives extra readability to his animations. If he were to change his expression mid-run, then it'd be much easier to see on a smoother run (like Adventure 1's top speed) than on a rougher run (like Adventure 2's top speed).
Temu must pay good money if even you get sponsored
I think Unleashed's running animations are really great except for those awkward moments (like the one you showed in Spagonia) where the camera swings to the side and something seems to mess up in the leg speed modifiers. If it wasn't for that, I think I'd give it the S tier. I've always found SA2 animations to be amazing but I think the top speed one needs like... a few more separate frames, it feels too... choppy?
Temu is not the sponsor you want.
True
6:11 Actually Sonic CD changed his jog. His sprite doesn’t go up and down simulating how at first your jogging makes you bounce higher, and as you go faster your bouncy motion gets more smooth
I honestly think this is the best art you’ve ever made keep up the good work chao!
0:05 I was that kid in school (yes, elementary school) and I was comically slow to top it all
29:26 This game looks like the hybrid between 06’s running animation and the typical jog of any jack n’ daxter games
I like how he included the sega popcorn game and sonic jam gamecom but not sonic 4
Really shows that games staying power and memorability
And literally nobody cares it’s hilarious
"I like when Sonic looks like he's putting in effort"
Sonic Boom
"He's jogging a lot and exerting himself, I don't like it"
Explanation needed
21:21 Oh my gosh I remember this game from my childhood.
I found so many glitches in it. It is surprisingly easy to skip the giant robots if you move the right ways.
bruh sonic jam need to be in S tier BRO HES SO CUTE
“My god, this dudes running around like he’s got no kneecaps.” Is my favorite line now
I just love the unleashed animation, I like the lightweight feel it feels like I’m playing as “the blue blur”
Finally a tierlist asking the important questions
Huh. Never really paid attention to the actual running animations, but now i realize how cool they are!
17:01 the fact that you put smbz footage in this video for an example instantly put this already masterpiece video in the highest tiers.
I just watched a man rank a blue rat's running animations for half an hour. I really do know how to spend my time wisely.
Lists sa2 in s rank because "sonic at top speed vibrates like a maniac"
Lists secret rings in C for sonic vibrating when going too fast.
Yep makes sense I see no bias here. (Also secret rings leans into the turns)
there may be some disparaging comments here but don't let that get you down, being interested in the intricate passion and artistry behind your favorite games is something the sonic community needs more of
I still run like Sonic even as an adult. I ain’t afraid to admit it. It just feels fun. I don’t care if it makes me look like a mouth breather.
Wait, doesn’t Modern Sonic Generations have his hands balled up when he’s boosting? :0
Good list, and very happy (and unsurprised) to see the Adventure games topping the charts.
he's officially lost it fellas.
My notes on your choices:
- CD: While it DOES use the same animations that were used in 1-3, it slightly downgrades them where he's oddly stiff when you examine it closely despite giving us the Super Peel Out.
- Popcorn Shop: To be fair, I think you only judged the "fail"/slow run, he DOES have a top speed run where it's the classic wheel feet blur, but that IS about the only thing that changes, he sort of only has 4 sprite bases for his run animation, 2 for his top half (either just walking or holding a thing of kernels) and 2 for his bottom (the run you show off and the feet blur).
- 3D Blast/Flickies' Island: It's been a bit since I looked at footage but the guy behind the game DID release a "Director's Cut" mod of the game which MAY have added some extra run cycles? I don't think so but I don't remember. And I'm not sure if you would count it.
- Sonic's Saturn model: Fun fact, this model was originally going to be used for Adventure 1 before they changed it, which can be seen in early showcase footage.
- Adventure 1: Not gonna lie, I kind of wish he used his classic game's top speed pose with his tucked in arms for his Sprint animation (this point also extending to most of the games released after this).
- Adventure 2: I'm not sure I agree. The run speed feels way to jittery for me, like sure it's more realistic, but the classic games established he knows how to handle his top speed without making him look like he's about to vibrate through the Speed Force that even Adventure 1 managed.
- Advance 1, 2 (base game), 3 (base game), & Rush: Honestly I've always been bothered by the top speed run animations. It's mostly in how Sonic tilts his head down, makes me think he's making more air drag than he needs to.
- Heroes: It having slippery controls I think is more due to how the characters just snap to a direction along with the ridiculous speed is what gave people the feeling of the controls being slippery. Basically, I think it was more the engine at fault than the animation, granted I'm not saying it probably at least wasn't a factor.
- Colors DS: Yeah which it makes him look forward like how I'd like, it feels like he's about to trip over himself and skid across the ground with how far his torso's leaning forwards. So they fixed the head angle but left everything else as is.
- Unleashed: You forgo to mention the Wii version was also used for the PS2 port. And while I'm not to bothered by how smooth it is, I feel like it SHOULD be that effortless with Sonic considering that's how the classic games established how well he has a handle on running. Granted I can see the point of wanting a tiny bit more of a bob to his run. But I do agree that it feels like his feet don't match his speed under top speed. Also you forgot the Java port, which is apparently basically another Rush game from what I've heard.
- Generations (Console; Modern Sonic): I can understand the finger fanning thing, it maybe could have looked better if he had like, maybe stiffened his fingers to where they were squeezing together doing a more rigid pose? I don't know what it's called if it has a name but it's sort of like if you flattened and stiffened your hand out & treated it like a sword. (I hope those reading gets what I'm trying to describe because I don't know if ti came across or not XD).
- Boom 3DS: I feel like it's still doing the issue in Colors DS I mentioned.
Chaomix: the only UA-cam Channel I know of where a grown man talks about Sonic's design and puts them into a tier list
He was being held at gunpoint with that temp sponsor
Good list! you are one of my favorite sonic youtubers because when need be you are critical instead of just hateful and plus I love your interest in the topics you talk about. If there’s even enough content for it, maybe you could cover shadow’s skating animations bc I think they are quite silly 😁💕
So glad that Sonic Advance 2 running animations are in S-tier. Having bought SA2 a few months, the running is great.
Honestly, the fact that most Sonic fangame or animation uses SA2’s spirtes shows the high quality the spritework.
Please excuse my moment of pedantry, but I think Sonic 3's regular running animation should have been rated separately from 1&2. The character sprites in sonic 3 are a different style, and you ranked the special stage behind-the-back sprites separately!
Anyway. Cool vid! Probably one of my favorite little details is the way sonic shifts his weight and leans to one side or another while turning, it's good stuff and kinda makes wish that tilt could be utilized to make rails less automated again someday
You forgot Sonic’s running animation in Christmas NiGHTS into dreams.
Sometimes when im alone i do the SA1 Sonic Run 😭 it’s so addictive
This was a great video
I always respect that ChaoMix’s puts so much hard work in his videos, it’s just more interesting 😅
So there are actually a couple things to the loose arms run.
Professional endurance runners often do something similar, as the act of pumping your arms like you would normally run is actually a waste of energy.
The second being that there are really old japanese training methods that involve placing paper or hats on the chest, and then running. This forces you to run at a consistent speed using air resistance to keep it in place. However, your arms can knock this stuff out of the way or mess with this flow, so the arms are kept to the side.
Now THIS is something I can get behind. It's also educational from an animation perspective.
I'm surprised Sonic 1 isn't a tier above the rest of the classic games.
When he runs and sprint, he does these little hops.
But when at top speed, his head is lowered and stays steady.
Some details you won't see in other classic games
Oh yeah, I knew the kid who ran like Sonic in grade school. He was me. 💀💀
0:25 game theory did a video about this, apparently if you run at the speed of ninjas in naruto and sonic doing the naruto run helps, especially the sonic version since he leans further
Rise of Lyric Animation looked good for me lol
0:19 Zach and Cody lost brother
Nice Video! I know its a bit nerdy but u forgot to mention the Boost animation for Secret Rings which makes his quills tighter and he is not bopping form left to right that much.
Next tier list should be idle animations
6:10 Sonic CD's walking/jogging sprites don't bob up and down like the ones in Sonic 1-3, leading it to look unnatural and robotic. Once you notice it, you can't unsee it, and it becomes distracting
Goku was the pioneer.
He did it long before Sonic.
I hope you hit 100k Chaomix! Keep it up with these amazing Sonic videos!
Sa1's running animation at full speed is SOOOOO good.
Yeah let's get this straight, it's not the "Naruto run," Sonic brought it out in 93 with Sonic CD!
You guys do you but I do like that little crab thing he does with his hands in the last 2 games and I like it more when their fanned out like he’s feeling the wind beneath his hands which is probably why I put 06 and boom in my top 10
27:56 you lost ur mind
Truly. Balled up fist top
Not giving unleashed s tier is criminal
Seeing a reference to SMBZ is so heartwarming. I’m glad I’m not the only one who remembers Mark’s work fondly🥹🙏🏾
This is great as usual, keep up the good work man, your videos really inspire me on my UA-cam channel.
I love the new thumbnail art btw!
I still love Sonic Adventure 2's running animation, and I still have such fond memories of that game, to this day. I do still enjoy the sense of speed you get from the Sonic Unleashed Daytime Levels, even if the animation isn't perfect.
On another note, it would be cool to see a series of videos ranking the music in different Sonic games, if you're interested. And note that I suggest a series of videos, since that would be such a larger project.
Also, you look so similar to your 10-year-old self, just as an adult. Not a bad thing, though.
I would argue that the Western boxart doesn't tell you he has a mohawk, but just illustrates what he looks like from the side just like his sprites do. It's Western cartoons like SatAM and AoSth that tell you he has a mohawk. But even Sonic Underground shows they have spines side by side.
Sonic Advance 2's spritework is pure art
teeny tiny note about Unleashed and Gens
They actually have 2 different walk animations. A normal one and one where he leans forward before starting to jog.
Unleashed also has 2 sprinting animations just like Generations. In the first one he's leaning forward a bit less and his arms are slightly more relaxed. They look veeery similar so no wonder people don't really tell them apart
12:38 - Sonic R and Sonic Jam *don't* share the same model, the Sonic R model is slightly more low poly than the Sonic Jam model and uses worse textures.
ua-cam.com/video/HkMHgwT6nq4/v-deo.html - Proof
I remember how frustrated I was with Heroes, Shadow, and Rivals 1 and 2 when Sonic didn’t have his hands behind his back and was so excited when it came back in 06 and Secret Rings
Only bit I disagre with here is with Unleashed, as I feel like it should be at the S tier
But overall, it's a very solid list and a great video, nice job!
Eyyy, your art has gotten bettet, amazing video as always
I LOVE the SegaSonic sprites, it's maybe the most adorable Sonic has ever looked!
My explanation for the Sonic run animation is to help him keep his balance. It would be harder to react to the different forces against you when running that fast, so the outstretched arms help him not fall over. This also justifies it in slower games such as Lost World where he clearly isn't fast enough for his arms to blow backwards in the wind
20:34 I believe that Sonic never ran at his full speed in Sonic Heroes because Tails and Knuckles wouldn't be able to keep up with him, so that's why he never appears with his arms behind his back
I WAS THAT KID who ran like that 🤣
17:01 you are right, the sonic vs mario fight was the best sonic vs mario ever
0:04 No, your not the only one who had that one kid in the class. We had a kid like that in my class and that kid was me. I thought it worked very much like the wings on a plane, making your run more aerodynamic. I had a really convincing pseudoscientific explanation.
12:38 Although very similar, I'm pretty sure that those are different models.
Great video as always! For me, I would personally put the running animation for 1, 2 and 3 in the A tier because they just look so nice.
Hot take: TO ME the Adventure 1 animation just kind of OK.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s objectively amazing and I totally see why it would be someone’s favorite running animation, but something about it just doesn’t click with me personally. I can’t quite put my finger on it.
I’d still put it in S rank just because of how it hits all the right points for an objectively great sonic running animation, it’s just a personal preference thing. I personally prefer some thing like Unleashed.
I also think his animation from rise of lyric is really underrated. Putting aside the quality of the game I think his maximum speed animation in the high speed sections looks really cool. Especially like how the hands are open as if to make it seem like he’s flowing through the wind rather than fighting it.
0:05 You're not the only one, I literally was that one kid who ran with their hands behind their back in Grade School
I actually did run really fast in the school's track