The Hill Is Always Greener

Orphans Really Love Chili Dogs

Hello! ¡Hola! Willkommen! Bienvenue! Konnichiwa! Alooooha! How ya doin'? Yo! And in any language, welcome to The Hill Is Always Greener! In celebration of the recent release of the Lego Sonic the Hedgehog theme, the gang takes a look back at Sonic's guest appearance in the toys-to-life crossover Lego Dimensions, a subject that CyberLink knows all too well. Join us as we break down the Sonic level pack and its many references and callbacks brick-by-brick, and how it set the stage for more Lego Sonic on the screen and on toy shelves! It's the most comedic celebration of Sonic that you'll find in any dimension!
(0:00:00) Intro/Sonic Superstars initial thoughts(0:06:51) Main topic: Lego Dimensions(0:13:23) Sonic Dimensions(0:17:15) The (close-enough) music(0:22:56) Green Hill Zone(0:24:35) Special Stages(0:28:16) Emerald Coast Clash(0:31:30) Formidable Foe Fiasco(0:34:35) Metropolis Zone Mayhem(0:38:25) Marble Zone Meltdown(0:41:57) The Labyrinth(0:43:13) Death Egg Showdown(0:49:31) Adventure world(1:02:35) Character interactions(1:07:27) Other Sonic stuff(1:08:43) Lego ideas Sonic(1:10:30) Lego Sonic theme(1:13:10) Final thoughts(1:20:35) Outro
Amie Waters on Twitter
The Lego Dimensions Tracker co-authored by CyberLink
BricksToLife - List of Canceled Year 3 plans for Lego Dimensions
Lego Ideas - Sonic Mania
Lego Sonic the Hedgehog sets - Announce trailer

Canonball: A Sonic the Hedgehog Fanfiction

Brace yourselves, folks: you're in for a weird one. In the spirit of creativity, The Hill Is Always Greener have decided to stretch their writing muscles and craft their very own Sonic the Hedgehog fanfiction...by gamifying the process in the most absurd, ridiculous way possible. Filled with violent gamer rage, age-related injuries, taxes, body horror, and even the unexpected return of a much beloved abridged series, this is one episode that needs to be heard to be believed.
(0:00:00) Intro/Main topic: Let's write a Sonic fanfic!(0:02:13) Our history with Sonic fanfics(0:11:05) Excerpt: "Metal Mastermind" by Turrican23X(0:14:10) Setting our ground rules(0:18:31) Luke - Characters denigrate other video game franchises (Change!)(0:25:40) Jeremy - Sonic is unable to run for some reason(0:31:37) Chris - Character uses a curse word(0:37:56) Jake - Inexplicable crossover that doesn't compliment either universe(0:41:55) Jake - Christian rock music (It's On You!)(0:45:53) Luke - Karaoke(0:47:53) Jeremy - Drastic character change (Change!)(0:53:18) Chris - Truth or Dare(0:56:50) Chris - Tragic backstory out of nowhere (Put This In!)(0:58:46) Jake - Incongruous Intercourse(1:03:06) Luke - One of the main characters has to stop and do their taxes before continuing the story(1:05:44) Jeremy - Coffee Shop AU(1:09:23) Chris - Eggman wins(1:14:40) Jake - Reference an early 2000s Toonami show(1:18:53) Luke - Breaking the fourth wall in a bad attempt at humour(1:20:34) Chris - Breaking the fourth wall in a bad attempt at drama (It's On You!)(1:23:55) Jeremy - War is on the brink, and can only be stopped if 1 character can deliver something, but 2nd character is stopping them(1:27:36) Chris - Friend gets hurt(1:30:31) Chris - Character from another SEGA franchise appears(1:32:57) Jake - Heroic snack-rifice(1:35:11) Jake - Brand new Super form (Put This In!)(1:39:58) Luke - Romantic moment (Change!)(1:43:50) The full story recap(1:53:05) Outro
Amie Waters on Twitter
Marin Miller
"Whose Line Is It Anyway: Love Hina Edition" by JonJ
"Sonic: Chaos in the System" by Faulerro
"Trial and Error: Speedy Turnabout" by CyberLink420
"Metal Mastermind" by Turrican23X

The Studiopolis Iceberg (ft. Ginger Hail)

What happens when you take a team of talented creators with ties to the Sonic fanbase, and give them Sonic Team's blessing and guidance? You get one of the greatest Sonic games of all time, that's what! Special guest Ginger Hail joins the team to talk about the one and only Sonic Mania, a game with the most unlikely of origins that remains one of the blue blur's most lauded adventures. We dissect this game from top to bottom, from its snappy gameplay, to its many surprising additions and callbacks, to its incredible soundtrack, to...okay, let's be honest, this is just gonna be us gushing nonstop for two and a half hours, so if that sort of thing sounds up your alley, tune in!
(0:00:00) Intro(0:04:03) Main topic: Sonic Mania(0:19:55) The music!(0:34:20) Green Hill Zone(0:47:07) Special Stages (0:55:24) Chemical Plant Zone(0:59:43) Studiopolis Zone(1:10:06) Flying Battery Zone(1:16:01) Press Garden Zone(1:19:30) Stardust Speedway Zone(1:28:24) Hydrocity Zone(1:35:33) Mirage saloon Zone(1:44:49) Oil Ocean Zone(1:51:36) Lava Reef Zone(1:58:27) Metallic Madness Zone(2:06:27) Titanic Monarch Zone(2:16:24) Egg Reverie Zone(2:19:48) Other modes(2:23:54) Final thoughts(2:31:55) Outro
Amie Waters on Twitter
Ginger Hail on Twitter
carnivalnight.zone
Egg Reverie + Fist Bump Vocals
Studiopolis Zone (Act 1) Jazz Cover by insaneintherainmusic
Motobug the Badnik in Sonic the Hedgehog

Maybe She’s Born with It. Maybe It’s Master Emerald. (ft. FangGuu)

It's time to dip back into Sonic Adventure once again, but perhaps not in the way you expect. Special guest FangGuu joins the gang as they take a look at two VERY different and very controversial comic adaptations of Sonic's first real foray into 3D. First, Archie Comics desperately attempts to make the game's story work within its universe at the eleventh hour, with questionable results. Then, Sonic the Comic almost wholly abandons the source material in the name of attempting to give the comic a proper send-off for its final storyline. Shocking character death, backstories upon backstories, controversial endings, and so much more await, so tune in to see how that rough transition to 3D translated to the page.
(0:00:00) Intro(0:02:35) Archie Comics(1:18:17) Sonic the Comic(2:26:13) Final thoughts(2:29:38) Outro
Amie Waters on Twitter
FangGuu on Twitch
Sonic Adventure Fan Comic
Hazel - Sonic Adventure is Beautiful

Because N is Funnier Than Q (ft. Prismaeya)

Special guest Prismaeya joins the gang to look back at Sonic Advance, one of the blue blur's first appearances on a Nintendo system! What was it like seeing Sonic show up on "the competition" for the first time? How well does Amy adapt to the gameplay of a traditional Sonic sidescroller? And does Dimps' freshman outing with the Sonic series still hold up to this day? All this and more await, so grab your link cables and get ready to experience Life Advanced!
(0:00:00) Intro(0:03:12) Main topic: Sonic Advance(0:16:22) Music(0:20:36) Multiplayer(0:23:09) Tiny Chao Garden(0:25:43) Gameplay(0:31:40) SonicN(0:33:45) Amy is playable!(0:43:33) Special Stages(0:46:57) Neo Green Hill Zone(0:48:00) Secret Base Zone(0:56:37) Casino Paradise Zone/Ice Mountain Zone(1:00:00) Angel Island Zone(1:05:40) Egg Rocket Zone/Cosmic Angel Zone(1:12:08) X-Zone(1:16:57) Moon Zone(1:31:52) Sound Test(1:34:40) Final thoughts(1:39:28) Outro
Amie Waters on Twitter
prismaeya on Twitch
2D Illustration Shader mod for Sonic Frontiers
Sonic Adventure 2 (Dark Story + Final Story) | Real-Time Fandub Games

Cope, Seethe, Mald, Hedgehog (ft. JezMM)

Happy birthday Sonic! To celebrate the blue blur's 32nd anniversary, friend of the show JezMM joins us for a discussion all about the game that started it all, 1991's Sonic the Hedgehog for the Genesis/Mega Drive. Listen in as we reminisce over the catchy soundtrack, the (sometimes) high speeds, and our collective terror every time the Labyrinth looms before us.
(0:00:00) Intro(0:03:16) Main topic: Sonic the Hedgehog (1991)(0:11:29) Starting the game(0:16:31) Green Hill Zone(0:22:50) Special Stages(0:31:10) Marble Zone(0:40:25) Spring Yard Zone(0:48:09) Labyrinth Zone(0:57:14) Star Light Zone(1:04:27) Scrap Brain Zone(1:10:56) Final Zone/The music(1:17:54) The ending(1:22:45) The Master System version(1:30:18) Other ports(1:35:55) Final thoughts(1:43:22) Outro
Amie Waters on Twitter
JezMM on Twitter

Don’t Break Kayfabe!

Can ya smell what the Doc is cookin'?! Because the podcast has officially entered the squared circle to talk about one of the greatest wrestlers of our era, the inimitable El Gran Gordo! No one knows the true face beneath his crimson mask, but rest assured: He's here to lay a muy grande smackdown on anyone who stands in his way, be it Sonic the Hedgehog, Andes the Ginormous, or the sinister forces of that handsome devil Dr. Eggman! So join us as we look back at this legendary career of the best there is, was, and ever will be in the pages of the Sonic X comic series from Archie Comics. And that's the bottom line, because El Gran Gordo said so!
(0:00:00) Intro/Main topic: El Gran Gordo!(0:13:01) Issue 26: La Layenda del Gran Gordo!(0:34:00) Clip: Parallel training montage(0:42:51) Clip: Sonic defeats Eggman(0:46:37) Issue 27: Conquest is Like a Box of Chocolates(0:57:52) Clip: Emperor Bokkun(1:06:42) Clip: You fell for it!(1:09:16) Issue 31: The Return of El Gran Gordo(1:18:22) Clip: Forty cakes(1:34:57) Issue 32: Title Mismatch(1:44:40) Clip: Go badnik army!(1:55:20) Final thoughts(2:00:33) Outro
Amie Waters on Twitter
Liv Brown on Twitter
Woolie Versus
Exposed - Pro Wrestling's Greatest Secrets
The Real Eggman

The Most Evil Plan of All: Capitalism

There are people who say that any hero is only as good as their villain... So it's a good thing that sonic fans have one of the most recognizable and memorable villains in all video gaming. That's right, our first ever character deep dive is all about the one and only Dr. Eggman, as the gang takes a look back at his MANY incarnations. From his humble origins, to his wildly divergent takes in western media, to his more nuanced, characterization of the modern day, we dissect just what makes Eggman "Eggman" and ponder what the future may hold for this evil genius. It's a packed episode, so sit back, tune in, and get a load of this!
(0:00:00) Intro/Our recent Sonic-y stuff(0:07:26) Main topic: Dr. Eggman(0:10:25) Eggman's origins(0:15:56) AoStH Robotnik(0:23:40) SatAM Robotnik(0:26:20) Archie Robotnik(0:31:06) StC Robotnik(0:34:45) Modern Eggman(0:47:55) Boom Eggman(0:52:45) Movie Robotnik(1:01:45) Eggman's Family(1:10:39) Eggman's regime(1:22:35) The sliding scale of Modern Eggman(1:36:30) Eggman's many henchmen(1:42:00) Eggman and Sonic's dynamic(1:47:45) What's next for Eggman?(1:52:19) Eggman Nega(1:56:35) Final thoughts(1:59:25) Outro(2:03:45) Bonus: Eggman medley by Faulerro
Amie Waters on Twitter
Early Eggman concept art
Buckets of Blood

Ka-Ren the Echidna

It's time for another all-out brawl as Sonic and Knuckles go head to head in two specials from the early years of Archie! First, a clash between the blue blur and his friendly nemesis scales up considerably when Chaos Emeralds get involved in Super Sonic vs. Hyper Knuckles! Then Sonic is roboticized and forced under Robotnik's control, and the only one who can stop him is a newly roboticized echidna who's ready to throw down in Mecha Madness! Which one of the two will come out on top? And do the stories of these tussles between the two titans still hold up to this day? All that and more, plus some backup stories nobody cares about, on this all new episode!
(0:00:00) Intro/Main topic: Archie's Sonic vs. Knuckles specials(0:05:07) Super Sonic vs. Hyper Knuckles(0:34:28) Clip: Sonic and Knuckles transform(0:44:59) Backup strip(0:53:20) Mecha Madness(1:21:22) Clip: Mecha Knuckles' explosive finale(1:42:17) Backup strips(1:50:50) Final thoughts(1:55:47) Outro
Amie Waters on Twitter
Jonny Quest gets iced by Rattrap
The BBFC, and its war on the headbutt - Film Stories

The Stop Sign of Damocles

That's no moon...that's the subject of our new episode! In celebration of Revenge of the 5th, the gang takes a look at one of the most memorable recurring locations in the Sonic franchise, the Death Egg! While rooted in popular culture, this fully operational battle station has been a focus of many of the most iconic Sonic stories in games and comics. And we're going to take a long look back at its legacy, including its many imitations, the robots Eggman has used to defend it, and our lingering fears that it will one day doom us all. Help us, Sonic the Hedgehog. You're our only hope.
(0:00:00) Intro/Main Topic: The Death Egg(0:13:15) Sonic 2(0:18:25) Sonic 3(0:21:10) Sonic & Knuckles(0:28:37) Sonic Battle(0:29:48) Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing(0:32:00) Sonic Generations(0:35:00) Sonic Forces(0:37:14) Lego Dimensions(0:38:23) The Death Egg in comics(0:51:39) Other Death Egg-likes(1:04:47) Final thoughts: Is it more than just a Death Star ripoff?(1:15:19) Outro
Amie Waters on Twitter
Sonic The Hedgehog (Animated) Japanese Commercial
With apologies to STCTP for parroting their recurring jokes