I genuinely do not understand how we are here. This went from “oh cool, we get to play as Shadow in a few missions” to “HOLY SHIT THEY MADE SIDE B TO GENERATIONS”. Year of Shadow is one of the greatest marketing strategies and i’m here for it!
the best thing that dark beginnings did was reinforce just how tragic marias death truly was. we get to see just why maria was so beloved by all who knew her because she was so genuinely kind and caring towards everyone despite her condition. she was just an innocent child caught in the crossfire.
We really are living through Sonic renaissance right now. Imagine someone from the dark ages of secret rings and 06 would react if they saw what we were getting now
@@GamesCage Before: - Shadow The Hedgehog, Sonic The Hedgehog (GBA), 2006, Secret Rings, Free Riders, Lost World, Rise of Lyric, Forces. - 2019 trailer. - His balloon stopped appearing at the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade. - 15th place on the list of best franchises, according to Guinness (2008). - It was the mockery of IGN, SEGA, fans and other media for a long time. Now: - 2 successful movies, a third on the way, a Knuckles series spinoff. - An original series for Netflix (Prime), which despite it's mistakes, worked to attract new fans. Now they will bring two games to the platforms. - It became another of the best-selling video game franchises in history, with 1.6 million units (2023). - A successful world tour with the symphony. - 4th place on the list of the most iconic videogame character, according to BAFTA (2024). - Two successful campaigns. - Colors Ultimate, Origins, Frontiers, The Murder of Sonic The Hedgehog, Superstars, Dream Team, Shadow Generations, Rumble. - Have a A-list celebrity in one of their games (Keanu Reeves). - New content like Tailstube, Sonic & Friends and Amy Rose's Fortune Card Deck, etc. - Collaborate with big name franchises such as DC, Angry Birds, Last Cloudia, Fortress Saga, Minecraft, Roblox, etc. - Appears in important events such as Moto GP, WWE, Formula 1, Premier League, SuperBowl, etc. - Frontiers won the TGS Japan Awards twice, whose award is important in that country (2022, 2023). - He started having his own fast food chain (Sonic Speed Cafe). - The current ambassador of the franchise is a famous Vtuber from Japan (Korone). - His balloon reappeared in the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade (2021). - IGN regretted all the mockery it made of the series in a video. - His success prompted SEGA to bring back other of it's beloved franchises. Absolutely insane, bro.
the true dark ages were during the 2010s (after and I guess during Generations) when the writing just took a nosedive. there was no soul or sauce left. if you told someone before Generations about what we were getting now, they’d be stoked that they’d be getting a much more put together game, and while they’d be hype about the story as well, they wouldn’t be surprised about the seriousness of it. that’s how the stories generally were at the time, after all. if you told someone who was living through the “baldy mcnosehair” era, however… 💀
Man that final scene was perfect. Shadow alone with his thoughts as he heads towards the place where his existence began, and his best friend's ended while a song plays that's about how hard it is to live without her and how he wishes he could go back and save her is heavy af. We really just got a rare first hand look into Shadow's psychology and what he's dealt with mentally for all these years. What a time to be alive 😭
Definitely what we needed indeed. The way this series just straight up got Shadow's character back on track and just how much previous lore is being ackmowledged and RESPECTED is very encouraging. And not only Shadow, but it revitilized characters like Commander Tower and of course Maria. This is the best look at her character we have gotten and now we fully understand just how much Shadow loved her and why her loss still haunts him. THEY COOKED!
I spent a long time of my life thinking I wasn't a Sonic fan. I played the games growing up on both Genesis and Gamecube, but as I grew up they never really stuck with me the same way Mario and other franchises did, and eventually I just stopped buying the games and stopped really interacting with the franchise. Only now do I realize it's actually because the 2000s era was really rough for Sonic, and then the 2010s were full of the irony poisoning that came from Western audiences getting really loud about Sonic to the point where it was affecting the game development over in Japan, sabotaging the games in a desperate attempt to appeal to us. The era of "Sonic's friends are STUPID you only wanna play as Sonic, Sonic being a shonen anime is CRINGE you don't want cool power-ups and dramatic setpieces you just want the Genesis games over and over again", making the franchise as a whole safe and boring because they're so scared of having another Sonic 06. Now that Sega has gotten over that and they've embraced Sonic as a whole again, and the idea of Sonic having a narrative again, this franchise actually kicks ass and always had, and I'm locked in even harder than I was as a kid.
How can there be a shadow when the light in the darkness goes out? Because the absence of hope, makes the shadow of trauma greater. Especially when that new light is something stronger than hope, determination to relight it. He is the shadow of a tragedy, walking through the past, to the light of a hopeful future. Deep down, he yearns for that. Even if he has trouble expressing it. But if you cross him, he’s the shadow of vengeance that the light of tragedy casts. This is why we need a series this deep and good looking as an anime.
This is the best characterization Maria has ever gotten in anything, and man, we needed it. It made her more than a meme, and strengthened Shadow's characterization even further. Also, seeing Sonic characters with good fight choreography was magical. So glad we got this animation! 👏
I cannot overstate the importance of having banger animations like these readily available on RUclips, you can just share these with people no matter their investment into Sonic and demonstrate why characters like Shadow or Knuckles are so beloved by many. Dark Beginnings I think has to be my favorite animated work in all of Sonic - seeing in action what Maria's character and relationship with Shadow and getting better perceptive on how her death affects Shadow to this day was such an emotional experience, seeing the character development of the GUN commander, Omega's classic humorous one-liners, and the pristinely animated action of Team Dark wreaking havoc together all comes together for something truly beautiful that I want to share with everyone possible! It's getting me foaming at the mouth for what awaits in the actual game, very much serving its purpose lol We need more content like this, hopefully in long-form like a full movie or anime series!
everything was so well put together with these 3 eps. I love how they gave Maria a personality, Being this kind girl was as given such bad luck with a illness that may never be cured, but still pushed through affecting every one around her to the point of her death leaves thoses around her hurt. It made me feel more for as a character other than a develoment tool to shadow. I want to know that with the last trailer we got for the game will shadow get to meet Maria and Gerald again and proper talk with them and one last tackle hug from Maria. Just giving him some real closure allows him to move on to a new chapter of his life. Also give Casey lee William more songs in this franchise. I want to be running around in a level and her voice in the back round or even in a boss fight. Personally I would love for her to do some character themes. Her style for yang could fit Knuckles so well, a soft but energetic theme for Amy. She could also make an amazing theme about moving on for Shadow. The list can go on.
Bro the scene with omega's gun smacking against the floor before going guns blazing, changed me as a person. That shit was SO GOOD IT GOT ME GOING CRAZY
So happy they started leaning back into the anime aspect with Sonic in Frontiers, as well as continuing with that. Not surprised they did though. Definitely excited for SXSG
I’ve said it many times before but Dark Beginnings as a whole is literally the perfect promo animation for a game done for Sonic so far. The other promo animations were high quality yes but this one I felt up the budget 10 fold. They really are taking Shadow seriously which I love so much, they aren’t afraid to make it serious. In the 2010s at most you’d get jokes referencing Maria but here they lay out Shadow’s past completely straight. It’s so cool seeing this new era of Sonic where they aren’t afraid to take themselves seriously, I for one truly missed that
All the Shadow fans are incredibly happy this year. Shadow is the main reason why I’m coming back into the fandom, and I’m thinking I’m not the only one. Sonic franchise was suffering for awhile… The Hollywood movies and Shadow’s return really changes things around, that and Ian Flynn’s writing.
The story, animation, voice work, music just all came together so well that made this mini series so incredible. I was hyped for Shadow Gens before, but this series just made me want the game even more.
I can only hope that this resurgence in the Sonic series goes on for years to come. This series and its characters are amazing and it’s finally starting to get the correct treatment. Hyped for the 22nd 🙌🙌
I really love the fact that mania plus, team sonic racing, colors ultimate and now dark beginnings each have their own animation style🤩it makes each one stand out
The Sonic series, and animation always go well together. But Dark Beginnings, is a gift, a long time coming. I also hope everyone that worked on this, has an opportunity to create even more stories soon. Absolutely love this
we seriously need these year long course corrections for more characters man can you imagine how much better characters like silver and blaze would be if they got this treatment
I remember not having many expectations out of this game but they’ve since been blown away during their reveals and I can’t wait. I’m still going in with a grain of salt tho, since it’s SEGA and Sonic Team after all.
Loved the interactions with Maria in this, but I wish we got more of Shadow's interactions with Gerald too. He literally called Shadow his son last time we saw him.
Since this was animated in a 3D program, they can literally export the animation data and import it into Shadow Gens over that games models and environments n cutscenes. Doubt they would ever do it but they could if they wanted too. Then we would have two different versions of dark beginnings!
Imma be honest, after the prologue animations, Jason has the weakest Shadow voice. Like if we compare their “MARIA!”, like people say, Jason’s sounds like she fell of a bike, while Kirk’s sounds like he’s living through a nightmare, not able to do anything.
The fact that the prequel animation for Shadow Generations made me have the waterworks, snotty ugly crying and all, tells me that the game will be nothing short of life changing. Even just thinking about that whole final scene, seeing Shadow on the verge of a breakdown and sobbing just breaks my heart. It's peak writing, and I'm so emotionally invested. They've really brought back Shadow, this is his year. And I cannot be anymore grateful.
At first, my expectations were very very low. I figured we would just have a few levels with little to no story, on the same quality as a handful of mods. Just an excuse to resell an older game. I actually felt a little offended that "they think they can cheat us out of our money like this? No thanks." But now... I have *_NEVER_* been this hyped for a Sonic game before! Shadow quickly became my favorite character when SA2 came out, and I was sorely disappointed with how his character has been handled ever since his amnesia, with very few exceptions such as Sonic '06. This game could, no.. already did, change everything! This is shaping up to be EXACTLY what I have been hoping for storywise for nearly two decades! They are already possibly fulfilling one of my biggest hopes that, about a week before part one, I flat out said was "wishful thinking", in that this could be an opportunity to give Shadow that wide-eyed realization of "I remember everything!" dropping that amnesia thing once and for all. And then part one of this series comes out with that shattered image of Maria yelling out _"Shadow, remember!"_ CHILLS! Those two words alone is what convinced me to preorder this game! It has been nothing but uphill since. I mean, part 3 got me teary eyed! A piece of Sonic media got me teary eyed! I'm thinking, "Is this real?!" Sega is putting in all the chips on this one, and I have a feeling it's going to pay off this time!
8:03 i never realised how perfectly the ending of ep 1 leads into ep 2. my jaw dropped when it was presented immediately after eachother. even little things like this show how much attention was paid in this series and im so glad it exists. potentially my favourite piece of sonic media as of now, maybe recency bias, but im in love with it
I know everyone been talking about this shorts being turned into a full animated Shadow animated movie but I’m hear asking for a full animated Team Dark movie
@@GamesCage Think about it an action movie set in the Sonic universe it doesn’t have to connected with any of the events from any of the main line Sonic games and it follows Team Dark Shadow, Rouge, and Omega perhaps the team’s been separated for a while but now they’re being called back into action by G.U.N to help with this very serious mission and they suit up, arm up and head into the mission and along the way they all realise how important they all are together and why they won’t to pursue bringing Team Dark back
I loved the tone the episodes had, sonic franchise strongest point is that you can tell story with heavy themes like this and stories with a more light hearted mood, and most important, characters finally have more than one mood? I'm here for this! I hope they continue like this
Another detail i adore the more i think about it is when shadow was breaking through eggman’s base he was smashing through mechs from sonic colours, i like to imagine eggman sent a good portion of them down their to protect his base during his time in colours considering this seems to take place RIGHT before generations
It sure is… those episodes were pretty perfect to me apart from 1 or 2 nitpicks. So much love in the animation, voice acting and writing. If I had a pound for every time I heard people say they want a sonic anime especially after this series… I’m drowning in money… and it’s no wonder. This short prologue meant to much to me as a Shadow fan, can’t wait for the story to continue. 🖤❤️
7:40 I actually think that this is the real Black Doom and is not the Time Eater bringing back characters from Shadow's past. The reason why I think this is because the last episode of Dark Beginnings ends with Shadow going up to The Ark and when people were playing the demo of Sonic X Shadow Generations, we hear Shadow talking about how he was tracking someone or something on The Ark, meaning that this could be the first level of the game, which makes it seem like this is before the Time Eater pulls everyone into White Space. Which means that this is the real Black Doom and he has returned even after Shadow defeated him. How has he come back to life? I guess we'll get the answer when the game comes out.
Well Black Doom has a hive mind over the Black Arms, and episode 2 established that there was a larvae on the ark. So I’m guessing when Shadow beat him he moved his consciousness into the larvae aboard the ark and has been growing his strength until now. The new bonus scene seems to support it being the case. I feel like there’d be more evidence if the Time Eater had done anything.
I'm sorry but this is the most excited ive ever been for a sonic related game since Sonic adventure 2 and shadow the Hedgehog.. Shadow is bar none my favorite character and most of the really interesting stuff in lore stems from things related to him. Shadow needs to be a mainstay and I dont just mean playable I mean the character is popular enough to hold his own spin off series as long as he is given good direction. I really hope we can get a "Shadow Team" style developer just for making team dark stuff.
i know his standalone game has its issues but it was honestly one of the most unique Sonic games out there and genuinely tried new things that unfortunately just didnt work out.
It genuinely feels so good to be a Sonic fan these past 2 years and ESPECIALLY 2024 literally after the og Generations 2011 it was nothing but dissapointment (except Mania and the racing games) And after Forces I stopped being a Sonic fan but you abbd Frontiers was what Reignited my love for Sonic Anyways back on topic yeah the Franchise definitely needed this and I'm so glad so many characters have been done justice especially Shadow and Abraham Tower and Maria The only character I think still needs to be better written is Amy but yeah Dark Beginnings was awesome! and I hope the sonic franchise continues to get better and better
I can't believe the current timeline we're in. Predicting this prior to 2022 would be impossible. Sonic Frontiers and the movies lit a fire under Sega's ass to lock the fuck in and embrace what made the Sonic franchise loved by fans in the 2000's. This type of storytelling, characterization and world building IS modern Sonic. Not the Pontaff 2010's where there was so much catering to casuals that didn't care about Sonic and classic fanboys which were then old enough to have a voice to say they didn't like the 2000's. Well guess what? It's our turn now and I hope we continue down this line of deep lore and storytelling because this stuff matters, it doesn't matter how the characters look because they make them look and sound so fucking cool.
It feels unreal as someone who follows the series for almost 15 years by now. Like, 10 years ago, Shadow would've been an edgy joke character. These kinda stuffs only happened with fan works. Super happy that Sega / Sonic Team finally lock the fuck in.
The Knuckles short was brilliant and it'd be great if they had this stuff in the games, but after literally decades of people complaining about "Sonic's stupid friends" Sega are now incredibly reluctant to properly utilise these characters to their full potential.
If we keep getting series with both great characterization and peak animation like shadow generations or night of the werehog we’ll continue living in the best timeline for Sonic shows
I know everyone is going on about how much they want a full TV show in this animation style. And that would be cool. But like, could you imagine a game with this style?
If Sonic gets a new game like a fighting one, Shadow should at least be in it, including with his doom powers. Cause we all seen how incredibly strong the Sonic characters are.
Please Sega!!! Make a Shadow The Hedgehog Animated Show! That would be a dream come true with all that RAWW stylish action moments. Plus, it would help Sega get more popularity!
As a Shadow fan, this series was the greatest thing we could receive. Who would've thought that after over a decade, we'd receive a series of this spectacular quality? Year of Shadow is going strong!
If SXSG becomes a big success and overall, the year of Shadow being successful (which it is) honestly, I can see Sega continuing to make more Shadow focused that includes his own game series, animation, comics. Shadow can branch off into his own series and do his own thing because he is a big character to carry on his own without Sonic.
A sonic antholgy made by this team would make me bust. It would let every character shine an episode about sonic and tails an episode about the eggman empire an episode of the sol dimension an episode about angel island an episode about Silver
Rouge sounded painfully bad in dream team but in dark beginnings they made her sound amazing and very close to her sa2 actor. Even shadows actor sounded closer to his sa2 actor. Imo theyre doing fantastic with the voice work now.
Glad we all enjoyed these 3 episodes of this but wish it didn’t end shortly to me it felt like a cliffhanger ending like afterwards you guess on what’s gonna happen or predict what’s gonna happen in the next episode ya know so yeah
MAN this was nice. I really hope they keep doing this and honestly Sonic X imo did a great job establishing Maria and Shadow's relationship But in this short its like they nailed it after what...10 plus years since sonic X lol. They really nailed it and I cant say enough the last part and the images with her hair flowing and her tucking shadow in. All that there hits me in the heart so hard because (Like in sonic X) The effect and love he had for his friend is runs deep and how he feels is REAL and relatable. The team did a great job.
Only real ones remember Night Of The Werehog. That was legit Pixar quality.
THAT WAS FIRE
Faxs
Nigga that shit was childhood
But the story was basically "Sonic meets a bunch of Casper the Friendly Ghost rejects!"
Don't forget the Sequel animation to it as well
I genuinely do not understand how we are here. This went from “oh cool, we get to play as Shadow in a few missions” to “HOLY SHIT THEY MADE SIDE B TO GENERATIONS”. Year of Shadow is one of the greatest marketing strategies and i’m here for it!
the best thing that dark beginnings did was reinforce just how tragic marias death truly was. we get to see just why maria was so beloved by all who knew her because she was so genuinely kind and caring towards everyone despite her condition. she was just an innocent child caught in the crossfire.
Her death no longer feels like a meme, like saying she's the "Uncle Ben" of the Sonic universe
It's gonna be hard to cheer for her death in Sonic Symphonies after these.
We really are living through Sonic renaissance right now. Imagine someone from the dark ages of secret rings and 06 would react if they saw what we were getting now
Right??? INSANE
No, no, imagine showing this to Sonic fans of 2014-2016 when Lost World and Boom were released
That would break their minds
Hop off Peakret Rings.
@@GamesCage
Before:
- Shadow The Hedgehog, Sonic The Hedgehog (GBA), 2006, Secret Rings, Free Riders, Lost World, Rise of Lyric, Forces.
- 2019 trailer.
- His balloon stopped appearing at the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade.
- 15th place on the list of best franchises, according to Guinness (2008).
- It was the mockery of IGN, SEGA, fans and other media for a long time.
Now:
- 2 successful movies, a third on the way, a Knuckles series spinoff.
- An original series for Netflix (Prime), which despite it's mistakes, worked to attract new fans. Now they will bring two games to the platforms.
- It became another of the best-selling video game franchises in history, with 1.6 million units (2023).
- A successful world tour with the symphony.
- 4th place on the list of the most iconic videogame character, according to BAFTA (2024).
- Two successful campaigns.
- Colors Ultimate, Origins, Frontiers, The Murder of Sonic The Hedgehog, Superstars, Dream Team, Shadow Generations, Rumble.
- Have a A-list celebrity in one of their games (Keanu Reeves).
- New content like Tailstube, Sonic & Friends and Amy Rose's Fortune Card Deck, etc.
- Collaborate with big name franchises such as DC, Angry Birds, Last Cloudia, Fortress Saga, Minecraft, Roblox, etc.
- Appears in important events such as Moto GP, WWE, Formula 1, Premier League, SuperBowl, etc.
- Frontiers won the TGS Japan Awards twice, whose award is important in that country (2022, 2023).
- He started having his own fast food chain (Sonic Speed Cafe).
- The current ambassador of the franchise is a famous Vtuber from Japan (Korone).
- His balloon reappeared in the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade (2021).
- IGN regretted all the mockery it made of the series in a video.
- His success prompted SEGA to bring back other of it's beloved franchises.
Absolutely insane, bro.
the true dark ages were during the 2010s (after and I guess during Generations) when the writing just took a nosedive. there was no soul or sauce left.
if you told someone before Generations about what we were getting now, they’d be stoked that they’d be getting a much more put together game, and while they’d be hype about the story as well, they wouldn’t be surprised about the seriousness of it. that’s how the stories generally were at the time, after all.
if you told someone who was living through the “baldy mcnosehair” era, however… 💀
Man that final scene was perfect. Shadow alone with his thoughts as he heads towards the place where his existence began, and his best friend's ended while a song plays that's about how hard it is to live without her and how he wishes he could go back and save her is heavy af. We really just got a rare first hand look into Shadow's psychology and what he's dealt with mentally for all these years. What a time to be alive 😭
😭😭😭
Definitely what we needed indeed. The way this series just straight up got Shadow's character back on track and just how much previous lore is being ackmowledged and RESPECTED is very encouraging.
And not only Shadow, but it revitilized characters like Commander Tower and of course Maria. This is the best look at her character we have gotten and now we fully understand just how much Shadow loved her and why her loss still haunts him.
THEY COOKED!
@@AngelPerez-tu1nk cook COOKED
I spent a long time of my life thinking I wasn't a Sonic fan. I played the games growing up on both Genesis and Gamecube, but as I grew up they never really stuck with me the same way Mario and other franchises did, and eventually I just stopped buying the games and stopped really interacting with the franchise.
Only now do I realize it's actually because the 2000s era was really rough for Sonic, and then the 2010s were full of the irony poisoning that came from Western audiences getting really loud about Sonic to the point where it was affecting the game development over in Japan, sabotaging the games in a desperate attempt to appeal to us. The era of "Sonic's friends are STUPID you only wanna play as Sonic, Sonic being a shonen anime is CRINGE you don't want cool power-ups and dramatic setpieces you just want the Genesis games over and over again", making the franchise as a whole safe and boring because they're so scared of having another Sonic 06. Now that Sega has gotten over that and they've embraced Sonic as a whole again, and the idea of Sonic having a narrative again, this franchise actually kicks ass and always had, and I'm locked in even harder than I was as a kid.
IM SO HAPPY UR IN
This series is by far my favorite promotional Sonic animation.
Frontiers Divergence was fantastic but this series managed to surpass that short.
SO GOOOOOD
Crazy how far the series has taken itself seriously/resurged since Forces
YESSSSIR
How can there be a shadow when the light in the darkness goes out? Because the absence of hope, makes the shadow of trauma greater. Especially when that new light is something stronger than hope, determination to relight it. He is the shadow of a tragedy, walking through the past, to the light of a hopeful future. Deep down, he yearns for that. Even if he has trouble expressing it. But if you cross him, he’s the shadow of vengeance that the light of tragedy casts. This is why we need a series this deep and good looking as an anime.
MMMMMM DEEP
really well said. perfect analogies.
This is the best characterization Maria has ever gotten in anything, and man, we needed it. It made her more than a meme, and strengthened Shadow's characterization even further. Also, seeing Sonic characters with good fight choreography was magical. So glad we got this animation! 👏
Thinking about the year of Shadow reminded me of the year of Luigi and the night and day reception between the to is crazy
🤣🤣
That scene…. Will forever replay in my mind…. If you know you know.
@@ScriforceForce yea…
I cannot overstate the importance of having banger animations like these readily available on RUclips, you can just share these with people no matter their investment into Sonic and demonstrate why characters like Shadow or Knuckles are so beloved by many.
Dark Beginnings I think has to be my favorite animated work in all of Sonic - seeing in action what Maria's character and relationship with Shadow and getting better perceptive on how her death affects Shadow to this day was such an emotional experience, seeing the character development of the GUN commander, Omega's classic humorous one-liners, and the pristinely animated action of Team Dark wreaking havoc together all comes together for something truly beautiful that I want to share with everyone possible! It's getting me foaming at the mouth for what awaits in the actual game, very much serving its purpose lol
We need more content like this, hopefully in long-form like a full movie or anime series!
Well said, couldn’t agree more!!
everything was so well put together with these 3 eps. I love how they gave Maria a personality, Being this kind girl was as given such bad luck with a illness that may never be cured, but still pushed through affecting every one around her to the point of her death leaves thoses around her hurt. It made me feel more for as a character other than a develoment tool to shadow. I want to know that with the last trailer we got for the game will shadow get to meet Maria and Gerald again and proper talk with them and one last tackle hug from Maria. Just giving him some real closure allows him to move on to a new chapter of his life.
Also give Casey lee William more songs in this franchise. I want to be running around in a level and her voice in the back round or even in a boss fight. Personally I would love for her to do some character themes. Her style for yang could fit Knuckles so well, a soft but energetic theme for Amy. She could also make an amazing theme about moving on for Shadow. The list can go on.
If this all ends with Abe introducing Shadow to his granddaughter, a girl with silver hair called Maria, the timeline will be complete.
Bro the scene with omega's gun smacking against the floor before going guns blazing, changed me as a person. That shit was SO GOOD IT GOT ME GOING CRAZY
I’m so glad Sega is embracing the edge and deep lore that came from the 2000s. 2020s has been the age of Sonic Renaissance and I’m all for it.
So happy they started leaning back into the anime aspect with Sonic in Frontiers, as well as continuing with that. Not surprised they did though. Definitely excited for SXSG
THESE INTROS BRO
ONGOD
@@GamesCageMore like... ACTUALLY NOT HAPPENING! 🤣😂😈☠️
Shadow was looking like he went through vitanam war with the last scene. He’s been through alot
Our poor boy
I’ve said it many times before but Dark Beginnings as a whole is literally the perfect promo animation for a game done for Sonic so far. The other promo animations were high quality yes but this one I felt up the budget 10 fold. They really are taking Shadow seriously which I love so much, they aren’t afraid to make it serious. In the 2010s at most you’d get jokes referencing Maria but here they lay out Shadow’s past completely straight. It’s so cool seeing this new era of Sonic where they aren’t afraid to take themselves seriously, I for one truly missed that
All the Shadow fans are incredibly happy this year. Shadow is the main reason why I’m coming back into the fandom, and I’m thinking I’m not the only one. Sonic franchise was suffering for awhile… The Hollywood movies and Shadow’s return really changes things around, that and Ian Flynn’s writing.
The story, animation, voice work, music just all came together so well that made this mini series so incredible. I was hyped for Shadow Gens before, but this series just made me want the game even more.
I can only hope that this resurgence in the Sonic series goes on for years to come. This series and its characters are amazing and it’s finally starting to get the correct treatment. Hyped for the 22nd 🙌🙌
I really love the fact that mania plus, team sonic racing, colors ultimate and now dark beginnings each have their own animation style🤩it makes each one stand out
shadow carries his own series and carries sonic prime series too
YEP
The Sonic series, and animation always go well together. But Dark Beginnings, is a gift, a long time coming. I also hope everyone that worked on this, has an opportunity to create even more stories soon. Absolutely love this
HELL YEA
I believe Dark Beginnings is a great way to bring the old and new fans together. Especially the movie fans who are trying to catch up on the lore.
we seriously need these year long course corrections for more characters man can you imagine how much better characters like silver and blaze would be if they got this treatment
THEY MADE ME CRY WITH A LITTLE BLACK HEDGEHOG IN A SPACE SHIP!!! 🙌🙌🖤🦔🚀🖤
Man
😭Bruhhh...
For REAL! You tell anyone who isn’t the Sonic/Shadow fan and they’d give the “wtf” 🤨🤨🤨
😂😂😂
13 MORE DAYS WE CAN MAKE IT THROUGH YALL
YESSSIRRR
SO BREAK THROUGH IT AAAAAALL
@@Bestmotion2389AND DON'T LOOK DOWN
OR 10 IF YOU BOUGHT THE DELUXE EDITION!
OR NOW IF YOUR A REBEL
Nothing is cooler than when Shadow locks in, in this series. God I loved this mini-series
I remember not having many expectations out of this game but they’ve since been blown away during their reveals and I can’t wait. I’m still going in with a grain of salt tho, since it’s SEGA and Sonic Team after all.
Yes LMAOOO
Loved the interactions with Maria in this, but I wish we got more of Shadow's interactions with Gerald too. He literally called Shadow his son last time we saw him.
Agreed 😭
Hopefully the game gives us something
THAT I'LL SEE YOU AGAIN
AND THAT I'LL SAVE YOU
FROM ALL THE THINGS I FAILED TO
NOW I'M WITHOUT YOU
Since this was animated in a 3D program, they can literally export the animation data and import it into Shadow Gens over that games models and environments n cutscenes. Doubt they would ever do it but they could if they wanted too. Then we would have two different versions of dark beginnings!
Imma be honest, after the prologue animations, Jason has the weakest Shadow voice. Like if we compare their “MARIA!”, like people say, Jason’s sounds like she fell of a bike, while Kirk’s sounds like he’s living through a nightmare, not able to do anything.
The fact that the prequel animation for Shadow Generations made me have the waterworks, snotty ugly crying and all, tells me that the game will be nothing short of life changing. Even just thinking about that whole final scene, seeing Shadow on the verge of a breakdown and sobbing just breaks my heart. It's peak writing, and I'm so emotionally invested.
They've really brought back Shadow, this is his year. And I cannot be anymore grateful.
We NEED the full ver. of Without you from the end of episode 3
It’s probably a credits song for Shadow Generations
Rouge voice is growing on me and is actually better here. It was horrible in dream team but here it's actually good
Yep LMAO
At first, my expectations were very very low. I figured we would just have a few levels with little to no story, on the same quality as a handful of mods. Just an excuse to resell an older game. I actually felt a little offended that "they think they can cheat us out of our money like this? No thanks."
But now... I have *_NEVER_* been this hyped for a Sonic game before!
Shadow quickly became my favorite character when SA2 came out, and I was sorely disappointed with how his character has been handled ever since his amnesia, with very few exceptions such as Sonic '06. This game could, no.. already did, change everything!
This is shaping up to be EXACTLY what I have been hoping for storywise for nearly two decades!
They are already possibly fulfilling one of my biggest hopes that, about a week before part one, I flat out said was "wishful thinking", in that this could be an opportunity to give Shadow that wide-eyed realization of "I remember everything!" dropping that amnesia thing once and for all.
And then part one of this series comes out with that shattered image of Maria yelling out _"Shadow, remember!"_
CHILLS!
Those two words alone is what convinced me to preorder this game!
It has been nothing but uphill since. I mean, part 3 got me teary eyed! A piece of Sonic media got me teary eyed! I'm thinking, "Is this real?!"
Sega is putting in all the chips on this one, and I have a feeling it's going to pay off this time!
8:03 i never realised how perfectly the ending of ep 1 leads into ep 2. my jaw dropped when it was presented immediately after eachother. even little things like this show how much attention was paid in this series and im so glad it exists. potentially my favourite piece of sonic media as of now, maybe recency bias, but im in love with it
I know everyone been talking about this shorts being turned into a full animated Shadow animated movie but I’m hear asking for a full animated Team Dark movie
MHMMMMM
@@GamesCage Think about it an action movie set in the Sonic universe it doesn’t have to connected with any of the events from any of the main line Sonic games and it follows Team Dark Shadow, Rouge, and Omega perhaps the team’s been separated for a while but now they’re being called back into action by G.U.N to help with this very serious mission and they suit up, arm up and head into the mission and along the way they all realise how important they all are together and why they won’t to pursue bringing Team Dark back
00:01 Games Cage it's either this sonic x shadow is giving you ectremely high blood pressure at this point.....
You can't wait for da game huh
I loved the tone the episodes had, sonic franchise strongest point is that you can tell story with heavy themes like this and stories with a more light hearted mood, and most important, characters finally have more than one mood? I'm here for this! I hope they continue like this
We won…
Nice to have something Sonic related that feels like it's above the bare minimum quality wise
(In my opinion at least.)
Another detail i adore the more i think about it is when shadow was breaking through eggman’s base he was smashing through mechs from sonic colours, i like to imagine eggman sent a good portion of them down their to protect his base during his time in colours considering this seems to take place RIGHT before generations
This short promo series just nonchalantly sits up there with the greats of the Unleashed, CD, and Riders opening
It sure is… those episodes were pretty perfect to me apart from 1 or 2 nitpicks. So much love in the animation, voice acting and writing. If I had a pound for every time I heard people say they want a sonic anime especially after this series… I’m drowning in money… and it’s no wonder. This short prologue meant to much to me as a Shadow fan, can’t wait for the story to continue. 🖤❤️
HELL YEA
7:40
I actually think that this is the real Black Doom and is not the Time Eater bringing back characters from Shadow's past. The reason why I think this is because the last episode of Dark Beginnings ends with Shadow going up to The Ark and when people were playing the demo of Sonic X Shadow Generations, we hear Shadow talking about how he was tracking someone or something on The Ark, meaning that this could be the first level of the game, which makes it seem like this is before the Time Eater pulls everyone into White Space. Which means that this is the real Black Doom and he has returned even after Shadow defeated him. How has he come back to life? I guess we'll get the answer when the game comes out.
Well Black Doom has a hive mind over the Black Arms, and episode 2 established that there was a larvae on the ark. So I’m guessing when Shadow beat him he moved his consciousness into the larvae aboard the ark and has been growing his strength until now. The new bonus scene seems to support it being the case.
I feel like there’d be more evidence if the Time Eater had done anything.
I'm sorry but this is the most excited ive ever been for a sonic related game since Sonic adventure 2 and shadow the Hedgehog.. Shadow is bar none my favorite character and most of the really interesting stuff in lore stems from things related to him. Shadow needs to be a mainstay and I dont just mean playable I mean the character is popular enough to hold his own spin off series as long as he is given good direction. I really hope we can get a "Shadow Team" style developer just for making team dark stuff.
i know his standalone game has its issues but it was honestly one of the most unique Sonic games out there and genuinely tried new things that unfortunately just didnt work out.
I truly cannot wait for Shadow Generations with a Sonic Gens remaster coming out in a week
YEAAAAHHHH
It genuinely feels so good to be a Sonic fan these past 2 years and ESPECIALLY 2024
literally after the og Generations 2011 it was nothing but dissapointment (except Mania and the racing games)
And after Forces I stopped being a Sonic fan but you abbd Frontiers was what Reignited my love for Sonic
Anyways back on topic yeah the Franchise definitely needed this and I'm so glad so many characters have been done justice especially Shadow and Abraham Tower and Maria The only character I think still needs to be better written is Amy
but yeah Dark Beginnings was awesome! and I hope the sonic franchise continues to get better and better
I can't believe the current timeline we're in. Predicting this prior to 2022 would be impossible. Sonic Frontiers and the movies lit a fire under Sega's ass to lock the fuck in and embrace what made the Sonic franchise loved by fans in the 2000's. This type of storytelling, characterization and world building IS modern Sonic. Not the Pontaff 2010's where there was so much catering to casuals that didn't care about Sonic and classic fanboys which were then old enough to have a voice to say they didn't like the 2000's. Well guess what? It's our turn now and I hope we continue down this line of deep lore and storytelling because this stuff matters, it doesn't matter how the characters look because they make them look and sound so fucking cool.
It feels unreal as someone who follows the series for almost 15 years by now.
Like, 10 years ago, Shadow would've been an edgy joke character.
These kinda stuffs only happened with fan works.
Super happy that Sega / Sonic Team finally lock the fuck in.
HELL YEA
I need that journal, so I got a physical copy, but this stuff and getting closer just makes me really want that early access....
This series was perfect; just perfect; to the absolute minute detail. Perfect!
The Knuckles short was brilliant and it'd be great if they had this stuff in the games, but after literally decades of people complaining about "Sonic's stupid friends" Sega are now incredibly reluctant to properly utilise these characters to their full potential.
My only notes are:
1. Too short
2. Rouge needs a new VA
Sega let this team animate a movie and let Ian Flynn be on the writing team 😭🙏🏾
TES PLZ
That intro made me take psychic and physical damage.
Honestly, i prefer us not knowing anything about Rouge. I think her being so mysterious is part of the appeal
It's better that we get a short series with PEAK content rather than a long show that drags on unnecessarily.
If not Studio Giggex, I want a Studio Trigger Sonic anime
If we keep getting series with both great characterization and peak animation like shadow generations or night of the werehog we’ll continue living in the best timeline for Sonic shows
Fadel if you didn’t know Sega just released all the parts together in one full episode and at the end there’s a little after credits teaser
I SAW AAAA
I really do like the new voice direction for all the cast even rouge sounds better now
MHMMM
this was so good we need a full sonic anime
Shadow was really in the Thick of It in Dark Beginnings
NOT THE THICK OF it
@@GamesCage I'M IN THE THICK OF IT EVERYWHERE I GO 🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Sonic Riders opening animation was peak! Maybe you could rank all the animations?
Fadel’s intro to this video was the true Dark Beginnings 😂
0:01 yooooo? WHAT WERE YOU ABOUT TO SAY?????????
Sega has to make more anime prologues similar to frontiers and shadow generations dark beginnings
YES PLZ
How did shadow learn to throw hands so well
I know everyone is going on about how much they want a full TV show in this animation style. And that would be cool.
But like, could you imagine a game with this style?
If Sonic gets a new game like a fighting one, Shadow should at least be in it, including with his doom powers. Cause we all seen how incredibly strong the Sonic characters are.
Please Sega!!! Make a Shadow The Hedgehog Animated Show! That would be a dream come true with all that RAWW stylish action moments. Plus, it would help Sega get more popularity!
Leave it to shadow to pull me back in into the series 🔥
As a Shadow fan, this series was the greatest thing we could receive. Who would've thought that after over a decade, we'd receive a series of this spectacular quality? Year of Shadow is going strong!
RIGHT?
Now…we just need the game to follow through!
YEP
The fucking intro 😂😂😂
its not even a gamble to do a sonic series just like this. its an easy win for sega that could make them STUPID money.
Please god do Year of Silver next or expand on Metal Sonic's story I'll take either one man. They gotta keep cooking
MHM
this makes me wish that Ian Flynn had taken charge way earlier for Sonic Forces.
MHMM
what is this man's intros bro, he is tweakin
LMAO
6:10 Dude same, I can’t do it anymore. To outsiders it sounds insane that it was ever funny.
This animation was so great man
Sonic X Shadow Gens
Got me way too hyped
Gimmme the game NOWWWWWWW
last time i was this early shadow's theme was throw it all away
NHMMMMM
If SXSG becomes a big success and overall, the year of Shadow being successful (which it is) honestly, I can see Sega continuing to make more Shadow focused that includes his own game series, animation, comics. Shadow can branch off into his own series and do his own thing because he is a big character to carry on his own without Sonic.
We NEED to get a full anime in this style, it looks sooooooo goodddd
A sonic antholgy made by this team would make me bust. It would let every character shine
an episode about sonic and tails
an episode about the eggman empire
an episode of the sol dimension
an episode about angel island
an episode about Silver
MADE IN BLENDER??? THATS INSANE!!!
I can’t wait for sonic movie 3 🔥🔥 this little series was so good please make a tv show….. 🖤🖤
MHMMMM
Rouge sounded painfully bad in dream team but in dark beginnings they made her sound amazing and very close to her sa2 actor. Even shadows actor sounded closer to his sa2 actor. Imo theyre doing fantastic with the voice work now.
IKR???
I can't wait anymore, what should i do.... ahhhhhh
Glad we all enjoyed these 3 episodes of this but wish it didn’t end shortly to me it felt like a cliffhanger ending like afterwards you guess on what’s gonna happen or predict what’s gonna happen in the next episode ya know so yeah
It needed to be a cliffhanger ending cause you need to play the game to see what happens next.
MAN this was nice. I really hope they keep doing this and honestly Sonic X imo did a great job establishing Maria and Shadow's relationship But in this short its like they nailed it after what...10 plus years since sonic X lol. They really nailed it and I cant say enough the last part and the images with her hair flowing and her tucking shadow in. All that there hits me in the heart so hard because (Like in sonic X) The effect and love he had for his friend is runs deep and how he feels is REAL and relatable. The team did a great job.
HELL YEA
It honestly feels unreal seeing so many people hyped for a new Sonic game and for it to be one starring Shadow of all people!
The hype for Sonic has always been there since Frontiers
@@TruelyAsternWhen it came out it did, but before that, everyone was worried with the IGN gameplay.
That intro tho💀
@studioGIGGEX has it's own official RUclips channel although it's not active right now.
OOOO