Poorly. The reason the later games have different scenery is because the older games take place on South Island and the new games take place on West island (or Vice-versa, I can't recall at the moment.)

Nice try though, sonny. Unfortunately, Mobius doesn't exist, nor has it ever existed in the Japanese continuity. Mobius is, and always has been, a figment of Sega of America, and as such has been retconned out of continuity as SEGA tries to bring the American games to more closely resemble the japanese ones. i.e., Calling Robotnik 'Eggman' exclusively.

The only game (i think) that doesnt take place on Earth is Sonic CD which took place on the Little Planet.

Sonic X doesnt count because it just doesn't.

I will say that i prefer the whole On a far away planet called Mobius there was a blue hedgehog called Sonic and he fought a man called Robotnik was called Eggman by Sonic etc. etc. and the realistic look of Sonic Adventure 1, 2 and Shadow looks wrong compared to the Classics and Heroes its just not to be.

Anyway Sonic Riders does seem to be some middle ground in Fantasy Earth and Realistic Earth so thats nice.

Nicely done, an 'A' for effort and dedication, but Sonic and co appearances have all changed and 'story' points have changed without explanation - such as the Emeralds no longer being kept in Hidden Palace and the Chaotix not knowing Eggman nor, seemingly, Knuckles (these can be explained away if you try, but the truth that we all admittedly know is that Sonic Team just don't give much of a crap about continuity between classic and modern Sonic). Thus I don't think it's unfair to assume the planet itself has simply undergone a facelift just for the sake of it.
You'd think we'd hear Sonic and co at least once speak of travelling between worlds, as well (though to be fair, the special stages seem to be in another dimension, and we never hear them talk about that).

I doubt the background designer for the classic games could be bothered mapping the planet's continents just to have an 'earth (or, if you prefer, planet) from space' background.

"Though there are some definite consistencies between some levels, you never see some of the level designs in the older games. There are now sprawling cities, space stations, and other such Earthly places (Metropolis, Death Egg, etc, are all made by Ivo, so it still fits with my theory)."

What about the Star Light and Casino Night Zones? They have cityscape backgrounds. I wouldn't be surprised if humans inhabited them. It could be argued that we don't see humans bar Eggman in the classic games because we don't need to. It's just running from one point to another (like the GBA platformers, which also don't feature humans at all).

"Some trademark places have undergone drastic changes. Angel Island is nothing more than a hill now. You can blame it on 2D-3D transition, if you wish, but that's a pretty HUGE change. Every level before Hidden Palace took place on Angel Island in Sonic 3 and Knuckles."

So what are you saying? That 'Earth' has its own version of Angel Island? If a gravity-defying island can exist on Earth, what's the point in trying to prove that there's two separate worlds (a more realistic 'Earth' human world, and a less realitic 'Mobius' world where a floating islands and tiny timeless planets aren't out-of-place)?
Additionally, the small island containing the altar in SA1 is only a part of the full Angel Island (an island within an island). I can't be bothered explaining this as I've done it to many times elsewhere, but if you don't know what I mean, I'm sure someone else can explain.

That said, I'm not saying your theory is wrong. I haven't done anything to disprove it. However, for now I guess it still comes down to what each person prefers to believe.
Personally, I just like to say that the earlier games took place mostly in areas that humans don't choose to inhabit, and thus they're less 'realistic' (but then, we do have wacky places like this in the new games too, and classic style loop-de-loops are everywhere, even in the 'human cities'). This way [if you want to], you can accept the games all taking place on the same planet, and that all those lovely classic areas still exist out there in the world - we just haven't gone back there yet (we have visited some similar places though).
Anyway, nice work none the less

"Chaos Control is quite capable of sending beings to alternate realities. (Special stages and the like)"

I like that you said this, I'd been thinking about this myself, because it's kind of showing Chaos Control when you collect the Emerald in the classic games Special Stages - hit the Emerald and it warps you out of the 'Special Zone' (which seems to be a weird dimension of floating objects and structures). Sonic 'used' Chaos Control long before his capsule escape in SA2

Not to mention space limitations. You ever consider space limitations? They can't go and design a complex background to map out a planet all the time, ya know; these games DO have their limits.

Other than that, why does it matter? Nothing really exists to prove that they did in fact travel from one planet to another without your either A) blindly sticking to alternate continuities or highly inaccurate western manuals (CD's REALLY doesn't count; it calls Amy "Princess Sally", for heaven's sake!) for sources of information, or B) reading too dang hard into everything and coming up with stuff that really isn't there. I'm guessing it's a little of both.

This reminds me of the time people tried to order the Sonic games with a coherent timeline. And while to somebody like me, who writes fanfics based almost exclusively on the SEGA universe, it makes sense, even I know that...

*drum roll*

They're just bloody games!

And Sega of whatever is primarily concerned with making games, not writing full-length novels. The story is generally contained within one game, rather than turning it into a soap opera. In fact, they only started to genuinely carry over stories in Sonic Heroes. You can tell this by the absense of exploded moon in SH, ShadtH and Sonic Battle. It's perfectly possible, now that Shadow's past has been resolved, that it won't happen again.

What we could use now is something explaining why the hell Knuckles isn't guarding the Master Emerald, and why the hell nobody's stealing it while he's away.

What we could use now is something explaining why the hell Knuckles isn't guarding the Master Emerald, and why the hell nobody's stealing it while he's away.

Riders mentions that Knux will return to his ME duty once the races are over. That's the closest thing to an explanation we've got since SA2 was over, and probably the closest we will ever get.

Or maybe they'll give Knux amnesia, say that was the cause, and give him a spinoff game where at the end he discards his duty forever.

>_>

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Sonic X doesnt count because it just doesn't.

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Heck, Sonic's world in Sonic X isn't even called Mobius. It's supposed to be a parallel version of Earth.

And wouldn't Sonic Heroes take place on 'Mobius' since it has a more fantasy-like atmosphere in the vein of the Genny games?

Not that I actually believe in this theory. =P

I don't think I have ever posted here, but have visited many times to research and basically steal from your wonderful melons.

And in this case I came to find an answer to this exact topic!

I am one of them Mobius theorists, and would like to think that Sonic X has gone and given me some kind of help in sorting the pieces.

I was kinda disapointed when they threw a load of Humans into Sonic Adventure, and have sine been trying to figure out if indeed there were two worlds.

Personally my response is similar to that of the first poster (sorry, forget name).
The Megadrive/Genesis games were all set on Mobius. And then with some kind of Chaos Control or whatever Sonic and crew (and the Floating Island it would seem) ended up on some kind of futuristic Earth!

It aint no argument on my part, not trying to prov anything, but hopeflly you guys can clear it up for me!

(Edit: point taken Wonderbat)

Um, Mean?
You may want to edit that post and remove the check from the little box that reads "include custom signature". One of the pictures contained within is worth a warning. Guess which one. GO ON, GUESS!

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but hopeflly you guys can clear it up for me!

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Since this board is about the games and Sonic X--there is no Mobius in either. Also the only time Mobius was mentioned was Sonic Spinball and the US Sonic CD manuals which both tried to tie in to Sonic SatAM for merchandise purposes, probably.

"I was kinda disappointed when they threw a load of Humans into Sonic Adventure, and have since been trying to figure out if indeed there were two worlds."

Yeah, see this is the main reason (or at least one of the very top reasons) I believe there is the whole division between people who accept there's been no planet change, and those who task themselves with trying to figure things out to fit with a 'two planets' theory. So they don't have to accept humans as canonical in a kinda retcon sense for the earlier games. I personally liked the inclusion of humans.
I like the thought of humans and Sonic coexisting - perhaps it comes down to the little daydreams I'd have when I was younger about seeing Sonic dashing along the road whilst we were travelling to our vacation spot, or pretending the giant light-up fibreglass jewel on the jeweller's store sign was a Chaos Emerald - whatever, I welcomed the inclusion of humans (most of my very fave shows and comics involve extraordinary things occurring to normal people in real-life settings. I'm a dreamer, like to imagine myself in those situations).

I'm assuming that many of the 'two planet' theorists don't like the inclusion of humans, preferring to consider Sonic's world as one inhabited entirely by furry creatures bar one rotund humanoid. I can understand that viewpoint - in many cases we tend to prefer what we're most used to - and perhaps more comfortable with, and outside of Eggman the closest we ever came to any sign of the existance of humans was cityscape stage backgrounds (which could have been inhabited by zillions of anthros anyway). I was pretty surprised when normal humans debuted in SA1 myself.

I didn't like the inclusion of aliens and alternate dimensions with character counterparts, but I've since learned to accept it. *Shrug* That's life.

guess what i say? here i go: BRING BACK MOBIUS!!!

Well it all comes down to which continuity you follow!

Sonic in the UK was always laying down the idea that it was all set on Mobius. They even ran the Sonic Adventure 1 story with Chaos, only they replaced the Humans with animals.

In the US I think it was all about Archie and the corrosponding TV show to try and create their own Mobius.

As for Japan I guess they always ran with the idea it was Earth, and thats what the intention was from day 1!

I think Sonic X is an attempt to try and bring all the continuities into the mainstream Japanese view!

This damned continuity makes my head bleed! It's SoA's Fault for making up this Mobius in the first place! They are so Going to hell, and I'm driving them there!

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They are so Going to hell

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Which circle?

guess what i say? here i go: BRING BACK MOBIUS!!!

OH NO YOU DIDN'T jk lol

{2nd part edited out} it was useless. 😮

The reason for the addition of humans with the release of Sonic Adventure is clear: it was Sonic Team's way of @#%$-slapping all other continuities and universe's that were spawned from the dark recesses of SoA and SoE. 🙂

You do know that Mobius is Latin for Earth? Therefore Mobius is Earth but in another time, OR they are, and always have been the same...

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You do know that Mobius is Latin for Earth?

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What? No it's not. Terra is Latin for Earth.

Mobius comes from August Ferdinard Mobius, the mathmetician who invented the mobius strip.

Anyone got any idea how the mobius strip actually relates to Sonic?

mobius strip maybe its a world intertwined with our own....or maybe mobius is a our world but the instead of Humans everyone is represented as animals. (yip animals deffenetly descripe my race all animals)

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Anyone got any idea how the mobius strip actually relates to Sonic?

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I heard it a result of a translation error from an interview describing the mobius-like loops in Sonic 2. But that can't be right since the Mobius term predates Sonic 2 in the Francis Mao comic. So it could be just SoA making it all up for the heck of it.

We need Mobius strip loops. That would really make them interesting. And you could jump off at multiple points to choose your path. I remember reading about them being in Sonic 2 and wondering how it would work.

And you can't make a Mobius theory that makes sense because it's just a marketing word. To say that any games besides Sonic Spinball or Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine or Sonic Underground or any games designed to tie in to a cartoon were designed to take place on a SoA marketing planet is factually untrue. You can come up with convoluted explanations but it's like saying that Shakespeare wrote Hamlet with Mel Gibson in mind.

Blah blah blah Sonic 1 = South Island, Sonic 2 = Westside Island, Sonic 3 = Angel Island, Chaotix = Carnival Isle, etc etc etc

Your guess is as good as anyone's what planet the games all take place on. The only time the planet was ever explicitly referred to was in SA2's english soundtrack by Eggman as "Earth".

While there are a hundred complaints about the theory that others have already come up with, I feel it should also be pointed out there there is NO REASON to believe Sonic and friends teleported anywhere. Why would they be thrown into a completely new dimension and never refer to it? It just wouldn't make sense. The simplest explanation is usually the best, and here, it is that Sonic and have always been on Earth.

And I still don't see the problems with Human. Sure they weren't featured in the earlier games, but it never said there weren't any on the planet. You could just as easily say Sonic 2 was a different dimension, since there were no Kitsune in Sonic 1.

Chaotix = Carnival Isle

Newtrogic High Zone.

Angel Island is not just a hill. The cut scene in adventure of it falling shows forests and everything. I'd like to say that "Mystic Ruins" is almost all angel island, including the ice cap cave, and Big's entire place with the ancient temple. Or something. But to see that huge island fall, then walk on a little hill in the game would be...disappointing.