SONIC CD - LOST LEVELS?

It's not just Sonic 2 that seems to have some levels missing. I believe that Sonic CD also has some levels that didn't make it into the final game. I can't run the CD on an emulator yet, nor do I have a Sega CD cheat cartridge, so I can't explore any of the missing levels. However, I have discovered some 'hangovers' that may be from preliminary versions of the levels...

NEW! More 'lost level' evidence and 'bug' explanations! Click here!

CASE 1: MISSING LEVEL NUMBERS

Look at the level select. Notice how 1-3D goes straight to3-1A without going through a 2 stage first. Could level number 2 be a level that was taken out?

In case you're baffled by the numbering system, the first digit is the zone number (1 - Palmtree Panic, 3 - Collision Chaos etc), the second digit is the Act number, and the final letter isthe time zone that the level is in (A - Present, B - Past, C -Good future, D - Bad future)

Also notice how the levels in the Sonic CD level select are slightly out of order. After 1-3D you get WARP, OPENING and COMMING before going onto 3-1A.

Selecting WARP plays the 'time warp' sequence with Sonic flying upwards past a green background.
OPENING plays the opening video sequence.
COMMING plays the Invincible music, while the words "COMIN' SOON" scroll across the screen.
Oh, and Sega, Coming is spelt with one 'M'.

CASE 2: MYSTERY POWER-UPS

If you do the debug on the Palmtree Panic zone, you can access three extra power-up monitors that aren't in the normal levels:

The 'clock' monitor, when you jump on it, freezes time! All the background animations and spinning rings stop, although you can still move Sonic around and the badniks still move.
The blue ring monitor, when you jump on it, makes a 'boing' sound like you've just passed the end panel, but apart from that I don't see what it does.
A. J. Freda says that on the PC version, the blue ring gives you 50 rings (although it doesn't actually appear in any levels). Not on the Sega CD version though.
The 'S' monitor acts rather like the Super Sonic monitor you can get in the Sonic 3 debug. When you jump on it, you become invincible and get speed shoes (although you don't turn yellow). These are time-limited, however, and they eventually run out, unlike Super Sonic.

CASE 3: ITEMS NOT IN THE GAME

In some levels, you can access special objects in the debug that have not been placed in the game. One example of this is in the Wacky Workbench act 1, bad future. If you go to this level(6-1D), enter the debug and press A 17 times, you will get a strange flickering orange jumble. If you place this, then move away, you will see a golden statue of Dr. Eggman! Turn back into Sonic and jump at the statue. The statue will blow up, but then loads of mines will drop down from the sky! A hint of something that was taken out at the last minute?

UPDATE: I have found that the Eggman statue DOES make anappearance in the game. In the past, there is an angel statue that gives you rings when you pass it. In the bad future, Eggman replaces it with a statue of himself, and the mine trap. The statue is at co-ordinates 0834, 0674 on the debug.

The angel statue, when you walk up to it, starts throwing out loads of rings!

In the bad future, Eggman replaces it with a statue of himself. When you jump at it, it explodes and mines rain down from the ceiling!

CASE 4: BONUS PICTURES

As you may or may not know, it is possible to access some Sonic artwork by going to the sound test (Down, Down, Down, Left, Right, A), selecting certain sounds and pressing START. I believe that these pictures were originally intended to be used in the game's ending sequence or something. On the other hand, they could just be 'easter eggs' hidden in the game intentionally by the programmers, like the secret special stage is.

Also notice how you can access COMMING in the level select, and how the words COMIN' SOON! scroll across the screen.

CASE 5: PROMOTION PICTURES

When Sonic CD was first shown over here on TV, (the first look outside Japan) they showed part of the opening sequence, a strange special stage that doesn't exist in the final version with an orange sky, and they also mentioned a Sonic Pinball sub-game. I haven't been able to find any sub-games in Sonic CD, though - unless they mean the boss of Collision Chaos... They also showed the Collision Chaos zone playing, but it had a different background and Wacky Workbench's music. Unfortunately, I didn't tape any of the promotional material or the ads; if I had I would post some pictures!

CASE 6: SONIC SPEECH

In the previews of Sonic CD that I saw in magazines, they said that it would have lots of new features such as time travel, FMV intros/cut scenes between levels, and Sonic actually speaking. However, the only bit of speech in the finished game is the "Yes!" when you get a life. In the Sound Test, you can access all sorts of other speech such as "Alright!" "I'm outta here!""Yeah!". Maybe these sound samples were intended to be used somewhere else in the game (possibly in one of the lost levels), but they never made it into the final game.

Michael Stearns has told me that "I'm Outta Here!"does make an appearance in the game. If you start the game and let Sonic stand still for 5 minutes without touching the controls, he'll get angry, say "I'm Outta Here!" and jump off the screen, ending the game!

CASE 7: CD tracks not used

If you play track 2 of the Sonic CD on a regular audio CD player, there is this strange metallic sound effect which sounds as if it could be from some kind of Eggman machine.

Also, I have found that on the CD, there are two tracks (26 & 27), which contain exactly the same Sonic CD title screen music. Why they are there (apart from to take up space) is beyond me.

The Chaos Emerald has told me that track 2 is the time travel track (when you travel through time that's what you hear). Also, tracks 26 and 27 are different... at least in the JAPANESE version.

On the European version of Sonic CD for the Sega-CD, when you time travel, you just get a PCM sound effect (although personally I think the one on track 2 sounds a lot better for time travel!)

Finally, the final two tracks of the CD contain audio versions of the intro and ending songs. However, the audio that plays along with the video is PCM audio, which is recorded in the video file. So why put audio track versions of the same songs on the CD?

CASE 8: Little Planet pictures
As you may (or may not) know, if you go to the time attack and get the overall time below a certain value, you can access a 'D.A. GARDEN' option on the title screen. If you go to it you will see the Little Planet. You can rotate, zoom and move it about using the joypad and buttons. Also, by pressing the A button, you can access all the game music.
What's interesting is that if you select a 'present' version of a game's music, you get a picture of the Little Planet as it looks in the present. Select a 'G' mix and you get how it looks in the Good Future! Select a 'B' mix and you get how it looks in the Bad Future!. What's also interesting is if you leave the controls alone, the colours gradually change to simulate a 'sunset' and 'sunrise'. This is also affected by whether you have selected Present, Good or Bad!

Also, if you look at the Little Planet in Present mode, you may notice an area of green plants and cacti at one side of it. Possibly a deleted desert level?

CASE 9: Missing sound effects
There are several FM sound effects (in the SegaCD version anyway) that I can't identify as being used anywhere in the game! If you want, you can download a WAV montage of these sound effects. Possibly some of them were from the deleted desert level, or used in bosses/endings which never made it into the final game...

Here's a guide to the sounds in the WAV montage:

1: I can't explain these, sounds almost like a synthetic violin noise! (plays twice)
2: A low rumbling - possibly when Robotnik's walker machine stomps, or when the egg-o-matic crashes?
3: Sounds like an engine revving up - maybe a machine or weapon charging?
4: Like the 'underwater' warning sound from Sonic 1, but much higher and faster!
5: A sort of siren sound effect that changes pitch and volume constantly. Reminds me of the 2-player 'finish' sound effect in Sonic 2.
6: Almost like a 'got bonus' sound effect, or could be a weapon charging up.
7: A mixture of the 'drowning' sound effect and a sort of 'electrical discharge' sound! Underwater electricity?
8: A very high-pitched sound effect, sounds ideal for something mechanical scraping along...
9: A 'ping' noise, like the very last bit of the 'score adding up' sound effect. But with vibrato at the end?
10: A higher-pitched version of the 'losing rings' sound effect!
11: Similar to 8
12: A faster version of 3
13-16: Variations of 11.

Also, I just noticed this recently:

This particular shot doesn't appear in Sonic Jam's version of the Sonic CD intro! I wonder why?