Sean Aitchison Apr 7, 2022. 5 minute read
‘Sonic the Hedgehog 2’ Review: Bigger, Better, More Chili Dogs
This article contains spoilers for the film Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Being a Sonic fan and seeing every trailer for Sonic the Hedgehog 2 was an exciting series of events. Each new bit of footage (and killer posters) instilled further confidence that the sequel was going to be a Sonic…
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TV/FILM
Sean Aitchison Nov 23, 2021. 7 minute read
Turnabout Thinking: How Ace Attorney’s Logic Embraces Neurodiversity
Despite being certain his client is not guilty, defense attorney Phoenix Wright is quickly backed into a corner during the first trial in Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. Without proof a clock was three hours behind on the day of the crime, all hope seems lost. However, things turn around when…
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FEATURES
Sean Aitchison Jun 23, 2021. 12 minute read
15 Sonic Games That Changed the Series for the Better
Sonic games are a mixed bag. With camera problems, pacing issues, and game-breaking glitches, they have a poor reputation of being rough around the edges. But behind those flaws exist brilliant and creative ideas from Sega and the Sonic Team. Some are so bold that they’ve changed the franchise, or…
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FEATURES
Sean Aitchison Oct 9, 2020. 5 minute read
Why Superhero Video Games Need to Ditch “Realism”
Video game developer David Cage has stated that he thinks video games cannot tell emotional, meaningful stories and cannot otherwise be praiseworthy unless the characters have the highest number of polygons and look as close to reality as possible. Unfortunately, his views on realism are not unique, with other developers…
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FEATURES
Sean Aitchison Jul 7, 2020. 17 minute read
An Exhaustive List of Every Sonic The Hedgehog Food Product Ever Made
Okay look, I know I get a little crazy when it comes to delving deep into the history of Sonic the Hedgehog — I’ve gone through the history of Sonic’s American lore bible, I’ve attested to the weirdness of American Sonic cartoons, I’ve looked into Sonic’s long history with Chili…
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LISTS
Sean Aitchison Jun 12, 2020. 4 minute read
Looking Back at Cartoon Network’s Anime-Inspired MMORPG, FusionFall
At 2007’s San Diego Comic Con, Cartoon Network revealed an ambitious project to the world: an MMO called FusionFall based in a universe inhabited and shared by past and present Cartoon Network characters, which was threatened by an alien invasion that only the players and their customizable avatars could defeat. Infused with…
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FEATURES
Sean Aitchison Apr 28, 2020. 6 minute read
The Unsung Artist Who Defined the Look of Sonic the Hedgehog
It’s hard to overstate just how important the Sonic Adventure series was to the Sonic franchise and video games as a whole. Not only did these games take Sonic in a bold new narrative direction, they also introduced core 3D mechanics that are still alive and well in all modern…
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FEATURES
Sean Aitchison Mar 10, 2020. 7 minute read
Confronting the Possibility of a Disney Live-Action Dragon Ball Movie
Remember that part in Dragon Ball: Evolution when Justin Chatwin’s Goku Dukes-of-Hazzard-slid across the roof of a car using his absurdly strong hair? This moment is only one among the many poor decisions made in the making of the critical and commercial failure that was the live-action Western Dragon Ball film.…
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FEATURES
Sean Aitchison Feb 25, 2020. 7 minute read
The Cast of ‘My Hero Academia’ on the New ‘Heroes Rising’ Movie
Kohei Horikoshi’s My Hero Academia quickly took the world by storm following its 2016 release, and its 2018 English dub has since been praised for its strong cast and faithful translation. The hit anime series is set for its second big screen release later this month with My Hero Academia:…
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FEATURES
Sean Aitchison Feb 14, 2020. 4 minute read
‘Sonic the Hedgehog’ Review: Gotta Go, Fast
I love Sonic the hedgehog. I’ve basically built a reputation and career out of writing about him. So when his first big screen adventure was announced, I was beyond excited. Since then, the Sonic film has been through some trials and tribulations, and while I can’t say the final product…
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REVIEWS
Sean Aitchison Jan 30, 2020. 5 minute read
How Sonic the Hedgehog Became a Hero For Kids With ADHD
Long before the Blockbuster empire dwindled down to a single location in Bend, Oregon, my local store was a bustling weekly destination. Throughout early grade school I frequented the video palace for weird family movies and video games, but no tapes saw more frequent rental from me than those of…
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FEATURES
Sean Aitchison Jan 10, 2020. 6 minute read
Sonic Youth: The History and Impact of Crush 40
Sonic the Hedgehog has an interesting musical history: the original Genesis titles were vibrant and memorable, Sonic X’s English dub theme song originated the memetic “Gotta go fast” line, and one DiC Sonic cartoon even centered around Sonic and his siblings being in a band. However, there is one piece…
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FEATURES
Sean Aitchison Dec 11, 2019. 8 minute read
From Star Trek to Superwholock: A Brief History of Fanfiction
Throughout my high school years, I had my big anime awakening via Full Metal Panic!, and around the same time, I discovered and developed my love for the Ace Attorney game series. What do these two things have in common? They happened to be the two series I read the…
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FEATURES
Sean Aitchison Nov 14, 2019. 5 minute read
Pop Culture’s Most Kissable Robots
It is a truth self-evident that people want to kiss robots. There’s just something about their cold, metal lips that drives us wild. But which of pop culture’s many beloved robots, you might ask, are the most kissable? I am here to answer that question. But first, we need to establish…
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LISTS
Sean Aitchison Nov 6, 2019. 7 minute read
Why is Adult Animation in America All So Same-y?
During the presentation for the 2019 Academy Awards’ “Best Animated Feature” category, the presenters jumped through some strange hoops to justify giving such importance to “kids’” films, despite the film that won — Into the Spider-Verse — being one of the most creative, deep, and visually stunning films of the year.…
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FEATURES
Sean Aitchison Oct 1, 2019. 4 minute read
CROSSNIQ+ Review: An Endearing Arcade Puzzle Throwback
“The Tetris Effect” is a phenomenon that occurs when someone becomes so absorbed in a repetitive puzzle-based task that their thoughts and dreams begin to pattern themselves after the object of their focus. It’s not the only way to judge the quality of a puzzle game, but certainly any game that…
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REVIEWS
Sean Aitchison Sep 20, 2019. 6 minute read
What American Comics Can Learn From Manga
Superhero movies are huge: they shatter box office records, they sell tons of merchandise and they’ve made Disney even bigger and richer than they already were. And yet, the comics they’re based on have been in decline for years. Marvel has had trouble boosting sales, attempting to do so with…
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FEATURES
Sean Aitchison Aug 20, 2019. 7 minute read
Star Kid’s Nightmarish Take on Superheroes Was Ahead of Its Time
The year was 1998. Pokemon Red & Blue’s North American release was right around the corner, Apple was gearing up to unveil the first iMac, Titanic was on its way to becoming the highest grossing film of its time and Green Day and The Offspring ruled the radio waves. Before…
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FEATURES
Sean Aitchison Jul 17, 2019. 5 minute read
I Made Chili Dogs Using Sonic the Hedgehog’s Official Recipe
Not long ago, I chronicled every instance of chili dogs appearing throughout the various continuities of the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise. In sifting through the nine different chili dog entries on the Sonic Wiki, I stumbled upon an official Sonic the Hedgehog chili dog recipe that was featured in the first…
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FEATURES
Sean Aitchison Jul 4, 2019. 8 minute read
Reviewing All 9 Entries for Chili Dogs on the Sonic the Hedgehog Wiki
Sonic loves chili dogs. This is a fact, a truth so undeniable that it should be used as an expression to measure the truth of other statements: Do you want $100? “Does Sonic love chili dogs?” Do you think the new Sonic movie is gonna be insane? “Does Sonic love…
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FEATURES