Sonic Live! - An obscure arcade game featuring chao!

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Sonic Live! - An obscure arcade game featuring chao!

Post by Chao Professor »

Gosh, have I stumbled upon something interesting today. I was browsing ebay when I came across a new listing that immediately peaked my interest. It was an 'employees only' manual for a Japanese Sonic arcade game, titled Sonic Live! I'm sure you'll see why I was so hyped.
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Just take that in for a moment. I think my heart missed a beat or three. Sonic Retro dates this game as 2008 (which is rather late to be featuring chao, don't you think?). But apart from that, I really couldn't find too much on it. I did, however, manage to find the official Sonic Live! website. And my god, it's a goldmine of rare, unseen footage. Well, at least to me. I sure as hell haven't heard about this, in or out of CI. Just take a look: https://www.rodeo.ne.jp/catalog/sonic/

I so wish I could read what this site has to say. Any translators out there? Here's some shots I grabbed from around the site:

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Who is this panda? A mascot of some kind? He pops up quite a lot.
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I have no idea what's happening here. Did certain chao represent a number of points gained from the slot machine?
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Look at this gigantic pile of Sonic dolls, oml
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The clips show it was possible to interact with the chao in the garden, I believe through a control stick at the front of the machine. I have no idea how this ties in with the slot machine, though. I guess you'd raise the chao to enter the races, and perhaps progress to bigger prizes? You could win actual cash from this, which is cool.

Honestly I typed all this up in a rush and it's like 4 in the morning, but I just had to get it out here. Has anyone else heard of this, or have I just been totally oblivious these last 10 years?
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Re: Sonic Live! - An obscure arcade game featuring chao!

Post by azureprism »

This is definitely news to me. I'm trying to google the game right now, but all I'm able to find outside of their very small SNN and Sonic Retro pages is stuff about one of the Archie comic issues and some performance thing that used to take place back when the SegaWorld in Sydney was open nearly two decades ago.
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Re: Sonic Live! - An obscure arcade game featuring chao!

Post by Chao Professor »

It's a shame this is so undocumented outside of the official website. I probably would never have learned about it if not for that chance Ebay listing. The actual item description really didn't have much to say about it either, except that the machine was exclusive to Japanese games rooms. I should really contact the seller and ask how they managed to get ahold of something so obscure.
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Re: Sonic Live! - An obscure arcade game featuring chao!

Post by Ivogoji »

It looks so similar to SA2.

Would be sweet if it were possible to emulate this.
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Re: Sonic Live! - An obscure arcade game featuring chao!

Post by Chao Professor »

That would be amazing, I'd love a first hand in-depth look at this, even if I couldn't read it
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Re: Sonic Live! - An obscure arcade game featuring chao!

Post by Chao Professor »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cILrOAO8ZMo

I managed to find some footage of the game, including the chao garden! Looks like the only thing you can control are the slots. Interesting that they'd use SA1 music for a SA2 garden. I would've loved to play this.
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Re: Sonic Live! - An obscure arcade game featuring chao!

Post by immaterialgirl »

I never seen anything like that! good find! it looks very interesting

Also using my less than decent acknowledgment for japanese as well as the help with google.

I tried translating the second picture and so far this is what I got:
red chao says "familiar Cherry" according to google translate but i don't think that right
i searched more on the kanji it's using and I've come to the conclusion it says something like "cutting off Cherry"
the blue chao is called Suika aka Watermelon. again it says its getting cut off
the next three say "Chance announcement" so I'm guessing they were announcing new chao.
come to think of it, its now making sense. They are taking out chao to put new chao in. Ooh
by chance im guessing since its a slot machine game, its saying there's a chance to get 'em.
the panda one says "bonus" and im too lazy to find the kanji since I can't read the first one (too blurry)

Alright now for the first picture, im very tired so im going to translate some parts
on the very top of the two pages:
On the very top it says "chao garden" but even then it says so on the back (lol)
below the title, it says "chao mo 'coin' mo" something to do with coins esp. when it's about a slot machine game

On the middle top with the slot pictures showing:
below the first picture, it says "chao garden ai-iri" or "chao garden love-content". best way to explain what it means it that it collects love or care for your chao.
the first arrow going left where a picture of a seal is showing. on top it says "sonic gives a present to become..!?" and below the pic it says "presents give full experience"

Okay to fully explain this. basically, the animals are "presents" and when you give them to chao, they get experience. Very much like evolving your chao.

I skipped the next step but I'm pretty sure it's talking about how the chao grows and evolves (even though it doesn't look like it lol)

then the last step it says "race love-content on MB of chance-!?" so you can race your chao on the slot machine I'm guessing. or maybe you playing on the chao race setting.

finally on the bottom with the big chao on the green border, I only translated the top line saying "small and cute" so I'm guessing its just a description of what chao are
and here is the chart of chao growing up to become either sonic chao or shadow chao, etc.
then on the green border with animals the title is labeled "presents" and that's where the fact that the small animals are called presents in the game.

the last thing I'm gonna translate is the white big sentence on the bottom which says something like "When sonic gives presents to chao, they steadily grow more love!?"

Conclusion:
This slot machine game is about taking care of your chao by giving it presents (animals) and depending on the slots, you get that certain animal. the more presents, more love and experience aka grows up and becomes a tails, sonic or shadow chao.
also, panda is a bonus present


this took me awhile so, your welcome :)
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Re: Sonic Live! - An obscure arcade game featuring chao!

Post by Mooncow »

This is great! A Chao Island Wiki is in the works - will you be able to add this information to it when it comes up?
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Re: Sonic Live! - An obscure arcade game featuring chao!

Post by Chao Professor »

Oh wow, thank you very much for shedding some light on what's going on here! I'm sorry I didn't see your post sooner! I'm going to spend some time researching this further, but your translation has cleared up alot of mysteries.

Once we have the new wiki, I'd be more than happy to add this information (providing that's alright with you, Immaterialgirl).
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Re: Sonic Live! - An obscure arcade game featuring chao!

Post by immaterialgirl »

you're welcome, it's okay! I thought you had already seen it so it doesn't matter haha :sway: and yes, I'm alright with it :blink:
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Re: Sonic Live! - An obscure arcade game featuring chao!

Post by Chao Professor »

Awesome, I'm more excited than ever for the new update. I think a wiki is a really good idea!
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Re: Sonic Live! - An obscure arcade game featuring chao!

Post by Sable »

maybe attention should be brought to this on sonic retro - it's possible that the community could gather enough money to purchase a machine and get it dumped
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