I guess they were thinking that they were going hard on selling Robotnik’s characterization as an evil overlord, LOL. I mean, the whole plot of the game was that he was genociding all the animals by turning them into cyborg slaves, after all.
I feel like it might’ve been a translation issue. Had the level actually made it into the game, someone probably would’ve realized that the name was a bit much for a video game about a blue hedgehog taking on an egg themed villain.
Hmm… maybe it’s my 2025 perspective talking, but as someone who played Sonic games as a kid I think they should’ve gone for it. As a name for a level conceived as a mix of Metropolis Zone and The Machine from Sonic Spinball, the name seems entirely descriptive and appropriate.
The word “Genocide” has been watered down a lot lately and that’s not a good thing. Calling everything genocide has an effect of normalizing it. Using it in a video game played by children, after those children grow up they hear the word and have the vibe of a video game level and don’t feel like genocide is anything important.
Maybe it would have been interesting if it did happen… But even if SoJ really had intended for that to be the name and STI didn’t simply mistranslate it when they picked up the project – The name would have never made it to the western version of Sonic 2 either way. It’d be changed.
Sega was dragged out in front of US Congress because they published a game where goofy-ass FMV goons stalk some ladies trying to use syringes on them. Imagine if the actual word “GENOCIDE” appeared in their flagship game for that same year. Video games in the early nineties were very much seen as being for kids and only kids.
The pearl clutching would have reached such a level that I’m fairly sure video games would still be illegal in the US of A almost 40 years on.
The one between the koreas is fairly interesting
Still not as bad as some of the zones that got cut from the game.
We do not talk about
what the fuck was sega thinking
Genocide City Zone
I guess they were thinking that they were going hard on selling Robotnik’s characterization as an evil overlord, LOL. I mean, the whole plot of the game was that he was genociding all the animals by turning them into cyborg slaves, after all.
“Sega does what Nintendon’t,” indeed!
I feel like it might’ve been a translation issue. Had the level actually made it into the game, someone probably would’ve realized that the name was a bit much for a video game about a blue hedgehog taking on an egg themed villain.
Hmm… maybe it’s my 2025 perspective talking, but as someone who played Sonic games as a kid I think they should’ve gone for it. As a name for a level conceived as a mix of Metropolis Zone and The Machine from Sonic Spinball, the name seems entirely descriptive and appropriate.
The word “Genocide” has been watered down a lot lately and that’s not a good thing. Calling everything genocide has an effect of normalizing it. Using it in a video game played by children, after those children grow up they hear the word and have the vibe of a video game level and don’t feel like genocide is anything important.
Maybe it would have been interesting if it did happen… But even if SoJ really had intended for that to be the name and STI didn’t simply mistranslate it when they picked up the project – The name would have never made it to the western version of Sonic 2 either way. It’d be changed.
Sega was dragged out in front of US Congress because they published a game where goofy-ass FMV goons stalk some ladies trying to use syringes on them. Imagine if the actual word “GENOCIDE” appeared in their flagship game for that same year. Video games in the early nineties were very much seen as being for kids and only kids.
The pearl clutching would have reached such a level that I’m fairly sure video games would still be illegal in the US of A almost 40 years on.
Sovl.
What