The Hill Is Always Greener

Just a Guy Who Loves My Wife, Shadow the Hedgehog (ft Abby Denton)

It's Shadow the Hedgehog, baby! Special guest Abby Denton joins us as we go on another character deep dive, this time on everyone's favorite ultimate life form. In his almost 25 years, Shadow's easily become one of the series' biggest faces, but what exactly makes him who he am? Join us as we explore his past, ponder his future, and...spend a really long time talking about Gogurt for some reason.
(0:00:00) Intro(0:04:10) Main topic: Who is Shadow?(0:15:30) The "amnesia arc" (0:22:00) Sonic '06(0:38:58) TV and film(0:46:50) Archie(1:03:05) Sonic Boom(1:07:10) Sonic Forces (Episode Shadow)(1:12:10) Sonic 3 the movie(1:41:05) Who is Shadow to you?(2:08:00) Outro
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Gamer Mom: The Mom Who Games on Kickstarter

I Want a Little Dude in My Hand

Remember that sense of delight and wonder you'd get when you'd force your parents to stop off at a fast food restaurant, reach into a bag containing foods that would slowly come to destroy your body over the intervening decades, and pull out a tiny plastic symbol of the power mass consumerism held over the youth of a generation? Well we do, and we're excited to talk about it! That's right, The Hill Is Always Greener is looking back at the history of Sonic the Hedgehog fast food toys! From Sonic 3 the game to Sonic 3 the movie, and from windups to LCD games to "here's some cardboard, make it yourself", we cover the breadth of Sonic's kids meal collectables over the last 30 years! (Warning: this episode may present a choking hazard to children under 3 years of age.)
(0:00:00) Intro/Main topic: Sonic fast food toys(0:03:17) Burger King (1993, Sega Zip Strips)(0:07:53) McDonald's (1994, Sonic 3)(0:17:07) McDonald's (1994, Happy Train)(0:20:50) Carl's Jr. (1996, Sonic the Hedgehog and Pals Mini-Viewers)(0:25:50) Burger King (1998, Sonic R)(0:29:58) Jack in the Box (1999, Sega PC)(0:32:59) Burger King (1999, Sonic Adventure, cancelled)(0:36:57) Denny's (2000, Sonic Underground)(0:40:15) McDonald's (2003, Sonic Adventure DX LCD games)(0:43:05) McDonald's (2004, Sonic Heroes LCD games)(0:47:15) McDonald's (2006, Sonic X)(0:50:23) McDonald's (2007, Sonic X)(0:51:30) Red Rooster (2012)(0:53:24) Carl's Jr. (2015, Sonic Boom: Fire and Ice)(0:56:27) Subway (2018, combining gears)(0:59:21) Arby's (2019, Sonic Dash)(1:01:40) Kura Sushi (2020)(1:03:39) McDonald's (2022, Sonic 2 the movie)(1:06:39) Burger King (2023, Fidget toys)(1:08:40) McDonald's (2023, buildable Toys)(1:10:14) McDonald's (2024, Sonic 3 the movie)(1:14:06) Final thoughts(1:17:53) Outro
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Sonic McOrigins Plus

Load-Bearing Mustache

We're gonna be blunt: it is amazing we're here right now. If you had said this was even a possibility six years ago, we would have laughed in your face. But it's true: we now have a big-budget live action cinematic adaptation of Sonic Adventure 2, and it's GREAT. Join us as we do a deep dive on the third Sonic movie, which takes one of the series' most beloved stories and "Carreys" it in a bit of a different direction. Are we happy with all the changes they made? Does Keanu live up to our expectations, or is his characterization just a Shadow of the original? And how about those WILD Sonic 4 teases at the end? One thing's for sure: You're bound to live, learn, and laugh a lot as we give this movie its due!
(0:00:00) Intro/Main topic: Sonic 3 the movie(0:05:15) Non-spoiler discussion(0:26:37) Spoiler warning(2:44:14) Credits scenes and predictions(2:56:28) Final thoughts(3:03:27) Outro
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If You've Got It, I'll Put It in My Mouth

Order up! It's lunchtime, and we're looking to state our appetites with a discussion about all sorts of Sonic related foods! But we're not just stopping at chili dogs, oh no. We've prepared a full course meal, complete with a smorgasbord of savory dishes from both sides of the screen! From oversized sandwiches, scrumptious sundaes, and burgers of questionable quality in Sonic's world, to jammin' jams, cerulean curry, and pasta peripherals in ours, you're guaranteed to be full after this discussion. But make sure to leave room for dessert: our review of the official Sonic cookbook!
(0:00:00) Intro/Main topic: Sonic foods(0:04:00) Appetizers(0:08:29) Mobian Morsels(0:35:49) Real-Life Refreshments(1:13:45) Sonic the Hedgehog: The Official Cookbook(1:29:31) We Have Food At Home(1:52:16) Final thoughts(1:57:15) Outro
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Bonus content: GameBuddy makes Sonic Food!
Sandwich Zone (Sonic Generations mod)
An Exhaustive List of Every Sonic the Hedgehog Food Product
Franco American - Sonic the Hedgehog Pasta commercial
Sonic the Hedgehog Milk Ice with Shock Rocks commercial

Neolib Black Doom

Things have taken a dark turn for the second half of our “Genuary” discussion, as our favorite antihero emerges from the shadows once more. Shadow Generations put the dark hedgehog face-to-face with his past yet again, with levels and foes alike coming out of the woodwork to take another shot at him. Could this truly be the new defining take Shadow has been waiting for? Does it offer any new roads forward for the character, or just retread old ground? And does this trip through his memories truly live up to the hype, or would we rather spend our time trapped in the Doom Zone? Plus deep dives into the Dark Beginnings prequel shorts, and Gerald's Journal!
(0:00:00) Main topic: Shadow Generations(0:10:25) Dark Beginnings(0:19:41) Space Colony ARK(0:49:20) White Space(1:10:22) Rail Canyon(1:23:41) Challenge acts(1:32:33) Biolizard(1:41:35) Kingdom Valley(1:48:02) Sunset Heights(1:52:23) Metal Overlord(2:07:25) Chaos Island(2:15:38) Mephiles(2:33:27) Radical Highway(2:46:25) Devil Doom(3:01:06) Gerald's Journal(3:38:16) Final thoughts(3:46:45) [Extra] Tokyo(3:53:06) Outro
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Shadow Generations (Matt McMuscles) - YouTube

Santiago Only Speaks Scandinavian

Let's do the time warp again! It's the first half of our unofficial "Genuary" celebration, as we take a look back at Sonic Generations, one of the blue blur's most beloved adventures. A celebration of Sonic's first two decades, now back on store shelves with a shiny new remaster, is this trip down memory lane as good as we remember, or has time not been so kind? Plus, we'll be taking a look at its often neglected 3DS counterpart as well!
(0:00:00) Main topic: Sonic Generations(0:08:54) Classic Sonic(0:19:34) Green Hill(0:35:51) The story(0:49:57) Chemical Plant(0:52:56) Sky Sanctuary(1:07:03) Challenge stages(1:09:43) Metal Sonic(1:13:50) Death Egg Robot(1:18:27) Speed Highway(1:24:02) City Escape(1:32:14) Seaside Hill(1:37:25) Shadow(1:40:58) Perfect Chaos(1:44:40) Crisis City(1:49:25) Rooftop Run(1:55:28) Planet Wisp(2:00:58) Silver(2:04:00) Egg Dragoon(2:14:52) Time Eater(2:22:31) The 3DS version(2:44:48) Final thoughts(2:53:29) Outro
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Gerald Robotnik Live Leak

The promised time is upon us... That's right, we are FINALLY talking about the Sonic X anime! Friend of the show JezMM returns as we revisit the show's take on the events of Sonic Adventure 2. Does this version of the story live up to the original? Do its additions and changes actually improve the narrative? And could replacing characters from the original story with Chris Thorndyke...actually be to the show's benefit? A frightening concept, to be sure.
(0:00:38) Intro/Main topic: Sonic X - The Shadow Saga(0:24:38) Episode 33(0:53:30) Episode 34(1:24:22) Episode 35(1:39:48) Episode 36(2:00:20) Episode 37(2:26:33) Episode 38(3:09:18) Final thoughts(3:23:02) Outro
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Knuckles the Echidna has Passed Away

It's that time of year again, and the gang is getting into the spirit of the season with a new creative exercise: coming up with their very own Sonic holiday specials! From a tale of Tangle trying to find the perfect present for her BFF, to the Freedom Fighters looking to bring some festive flair to their little hole in the ground, plus Tails getting some gift-giving tips from old Saint Nick, and even a Sonic F twist on some holiday hijinks from the Archie archive, these four forays into festive fiction are sure to show you what this time of year is truly all about: acquiescing to corporate mandates.
(0:00:00) Intro/Main topic: Pitch Attention - Holiday Specials(0:09:45) Tangle's Not-So-Silent Night (Jeremy's pitch)(0:35:30) Sonic the Hedgehog's Big Festive Bash (Chris's pitch)(0:55:34) A Two-Tailed Christmas (Jake's pitch)(1:13:24) The Sonic F Ostensibly Nondenominational Holiday Spectacular (Luke's pitch)(1:40:26) Final thoughts/Outro
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OVA Juice

It's a dark and stormy night...the perfect time to revisit an all-time classic Sonic comic, IDW's Scrapnik Island! Sonic and Tails have crash landed on the island of misfit tech! Will old foes become old friends, or are some grudges just programmed in too deep? It's time for the gang to take a look back and find out!
(0:00:00) Intro/main topic: Scrapnik Island(0:17:22) Issue 1(0:43:42) Issue 2(0:59:08) Issue 3(1:10:46) Issue 4(1:30:57) Final thoughts(1:40:04) Outro
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Sonic's Rocky Transition into 4D

It's an adventure in time and space as The Hill Is Always Greener finally gets a chance to read the seminal classic novel, Sonic the Hedgehog in the Fourth Dimension. The second of the Martin Adams books, it sees Sonic and Tails sent back and forth through time on a quest to save planet Mobius, and perhaps the universe itself, from not only the machinations of Dr. Robotnik, but from forces outside of time and space as we know them. Does this chronicle of corrupted chronology stand up to the test of time, or is it best left in the past? It's time to activate our Mark-0 Gauss-Coyne prototypes and find out!
(0:00:00) Intro/Main topic: Sonic in the Fourth Dimension(0:15:26) The Sonic Story So Far/Prologue(0:17:55) Chapter 1: Baffled, Bothered, and Befuddled(0:35:49) Chapter 2: Yesterday Is Here Again(0:45:56) Chapter 3: Judgement Of The Science Dudes(0:52:47) Chapter 4: Arrival On - Where?(0:58:29) Chapter 5: Meister Blaster(1:05:05) Chapter 6: Everybody Needs A Mum(1:12:10) Chapter 7: Some Historical-Type Explaining(1:20:50) Chapter 8: When Are We Now?(1:25:03) Chapter 9: As Sure As Eggs Is Eggs(1:29:17) Chapter 10: Luck Of The Hedgehog(1:38:07) Chapter 11: Larceny Most Foul(1:44:10) Chapter 12: Infinity Is Nice, But I Wouldn't Want To Live There(1:53:35) Chapter 13: Sonics (Again)(2:16:30) Epilogue(2:20:00) Final thoughts(2:28:15) Outro
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Sonic the Comic the Podcast
STCTP interview with "Martin Adams"