Sonic the Hedgehog Pocket Adventure
In August 1999, SNK announced that they were collaborating with Sega to develop a "Sonic the Hedgehog" game for their Neo Geo Pocket Color handheld system. The game was developed by SNK, with supervision from Yuji Naka and Sonic Team at Sega. This marked the first time Sega was directly involved in the development of a "Sonic" game for a non-Sega platform. The team planned for "Sonic Pocket Adventure" to be a return to the classic 2D gameplay style found in the "Sonic" games on the Sega Genesis. In particular, many game design and visual elements are borrowed from "Sonic 2". The game's background music tracks are also 8-bit renditions of music from "Sonic 3". "Sonic Pocket Adventure" was released first in North America on December 4, 1999. SNK released a system bundle with the game included for the holiday season. The game was released in Japan two weeks later, and in Europe in February 2000.
Sonic Gems Collection
"Sonic Gems Collection" is a compilation of obscure video games published by Sega for various consoles, such as the Sega CD, Sega Saturn, and Game Gear. It primarily focuses on "Sonic the Hedgehog" games, such as "Sonic CD" (1993) and "Sonic the Fighters" (1996). It also includes six of the twelve "Sonic" games released for the Game Gear. These games encompass various genres, such as platforming, fighting, pinball, and puzzle. Additionally, players can unlock several Sega Genesis games unrelated to "Sonic", including the two "Vectorman" games (1995 and 1996). Four games in the international version, "Bonanza Bros." (1990) and the "Streets of Rage" trilogy (1991—1994), are not included in the North American version. Each game is mostly identical to its initial release, but some were changed; for example, "Sonic R" runs at a higher frame rate.