<s>
also	O
known	O
as	O
Sonic	B-Application
Championship	I-Application
on	O
arcade	O
versions	O
outside	O
Japan	O
,	O
is	O
a	O
fighting	O
game	O
developed	O
by	O
Sega	O
AM2	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
First	O
released	O
in	O
1996	O
in	O
arcades	O
on	O
Sega	O
's	O
Model	O
2	O
arcade	O
system	O
,	O
Sonic	B-Application
the	I-Application
Fighters	I-Application
pits	O
players	O
in	O
one-on-one	O
battles	O
with	O
a	O
roster	O
of	O
characters	O
from	O
the	O
Sonic	B-Application
the	I-Application
Hedgehog	I-Application
series	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sonic	B-Application
the	I-Application
Fighters	I-Application
was	O
built	O
using	O
the	O
3D	O
fighting	O
engine	O
for	O
Fighting	B-Application
Vipers	I-Application
(	O
1996	O
)	O
,	O
another	O
game	O
by	O
Sega	O
AM2	O
,	O
and	O
it	O
was	O
the	O
first	O
3D	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
Sonic	B-Application
series	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
idea	O
for	O
a	O
Sonic	B-Application
fighting	O
game	O
was	O
conceived	O
when	O
a	O
Sega	O
AM2	O
programmer	O
experimented	O
with	O
a	O
3D	O
Sonic	B-Application
the	I-Application
Hedgehog	I-Application
model	O
in	O
Fighting	B-Application
Vipers	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
smoothness	O
of	O
the	O
character	O
animations	O
convinced	O
Sonic	B-Application
Team	O
to	O
approve	O
the	O
project	O
and	O
supervise	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
home	O
console	O
port	O
for	O
the	O
Sega	B-Device
Saturn	I-Device
was	O
announced	O
,	O
but	O
ultimately	O
canceled	O
,	O
resulting	O
in	O
the	O
game	O
staying	O
an	O
arcade	O
exclusive	O
until	O
2005	O
with	O
the	O
compilation	O
Sonic	B-Application
Gems	I-Application
Collection	I-Application
for	O
GameCube	B-Application
and	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
rereleased	O
again	O
in	O
2012	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
and	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
,	O
featuring	O
new	O
playable	O
characters	O
and	O
an	O
online	O
versus	O
mode	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sonic	B-Application
the	I-Application
Fighters	I-Application
received	O
mixed	O
reviews	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
ultimately	O
regarded	O
as	O
disappointing	O
for	O
fans	O
of	O
the	O
fighting	O
game	O
genre	O
but	O
an	O
obscure	O
novelty	O
for	O
Sonic	B-Application
fans	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sonic	B-Application
the	I-Application
Fighters	I-Application
is	O
a	O
3D	O
fighting	O
game	O
in	O
which	O
players	O
compete	O
in	O
one-on-one	O
battles	O
with	O
characters	O
from	O
the	O
Sonic	B-Application
the	I-Application
Hedgehog	I-Application
franchise	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
scenario	O
,	O
Sonic	B-Application
the	I-Application
Hedgehog	I-Application
and	O
his	O
friends	O
each	O
own	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
Chaos	O
Emeralds	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
are	O
holding	O
a	O
fighting	O
tournament	O
to	O
determine	O
who	O
will	O
take	O
the	O
emeralds	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
power	O
a	O
spaceship	O
and	O
stop	O
series	O
antagonists	O
Doctor	O
Robotnik	O
and	O
Metal	O
Sonic	B-Application
from	O
building	O
an	O
evil	O
fortress	O
in	O
space	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
original	O
arcade	O
and	O
2005	O
release	O
included	O
eight	O
playable	O
characters	O
:	O
Sonic	B-Application
the	I-Application
Hedgehog	I-Application
,	O
Miles	O
"	O
Tails	O
"	O
Prower	O
,	O
Knuckles	O
the	O
Echidna	O
,	O
Amy	O
Rose	O
,	O
Espio	O
the	O
Chameleon	O
,	O
Fang	O
the	O
Sniper	O
,	O
Bean	O
the	O
Dynamite	O
,	O
and	O
Bark	O
the	O
Polar	O
Bear	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
2012	O
re-release	O
added	O
Metal	O
Sonic	B-Application
,	O
Doctor	O
Robotnik	O
,	O
and	O
Honey	B-Application
the	I-Application
Cat	I-Application
as	O
playable	O
characters	O
,	O
all	O
previously	O
only	O
accessible	O
through	O
hacking	O
into	O
the	O
original	O
arcade	O
version	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Honey	O
is	O
based	O
on	O
a	O
character	O
with	O
the	O
same	O
name	O
from	O
Fighting	B-Application
Vipers	I-Application
(	O
1996	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sonic	B-Application
the	I-Application
Fighters	I-Application
was	O
developed	O
by	O
Sega	O
AM2	O
,	O
Sega	O
's	O
arcade	O
game	O
development	O
team	O
behind	O
the	O
Virtua	B-Application
Fighter	I-Application
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
idea	O
for	O
a	O
Sonic	B-Application
the	I-Application
Hedgehog	I-Application
fighting	O
game	O
was	O
conceived	O
by	O
AM2	O
lead	O
developer	O
Yu	O
Suzuki	O
who	O
saw	O
one	O
of	O
his	O
programmers	O
dabbling	O
with	O
a	O
Sonic	B-Application
the	I-Application
Hedgehog	I-Application
model	O
in	O
AM2	O
's	O
Fighting	B-Application
Vipers	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Suzuki	O
pitched	O
the	O
idea	O
for	O
a	O
Sonic	B-Application
fighting	O
game	O
to	O
Hiroshi	O
Kataoka	O
,	O
another	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
heads	O
of	O
AM2	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
Sonic	B-Application
Team	O
was	O
in	O
charge	O
of	O
licensing	O
the	O
Sonic	B-Application
characters	O
,	O
Kataoka	O
had	O
to	O
present	O
the	O
idea	O
to	O
the	O
head	O
of	O
Sonic	B-Application
Team	O
,	O
Yuji	O
Naka	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kataoka	O
was	O
worried	O
Naka	O
would	O
not	O
like	O
the	O
concept	O
of	O
Sonic	B-Application
characters	O
fighting	O
each	O
other	O
,	O
but	O
Naka	O
was	O
receptive	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
first	O
Naka	O
was	O
concerned	O
that	O
Sonic	B-Application
would	O
be	O
unable	O
to	O
fight	O
considering	O
his	O
large	O
head	O
and	O
short	O
arms	O
,	O
but	O
he	O
was	O
delighted	O
after	O
seeing	O
the	O
smooth	O
animation	O
accomplished	O
by	O
Suzuki	O
's	O
team	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Original	O
Sonic	B-Application
character	O
designer	O
Naoto	O
Ohshima	O
was	O
also	O
pleased	O
with	O
Sonic	B-Application
's	O
animations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sega	O
AM2	O
began	O
development	O
with	O
Sonic	B-Application
Team	O
supervising	O
over	O
the	O
implementation	O
of	O
the	O
characters	O
and	O
setting	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
developed	O
for	O
the	O
Sega	O
Model	O
2	O
arcade	O
board	O
using	O
the	O
Fighting	B-Application
Vipers	I-Application
engine	O
as	O
a	O
foundation	O
to	O
build	O
from	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
this	O
was	O
the	O
first	O
time	O
Sonic	B-Application
was	O
being	O
rendered	O
with	O
3D	O
graphics	O
,	O
Naka	O
gave	O
Kataoka	O
a	O
Sonic	B-Application
figurine	O
to	O
help	O
his	O
team	O
model	O
the	O
character	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
early	O
prototypes	O
demonstrated	O
for	O
the	O
press	O
,	O
only	O
Sonic	B-Application
and	O
Tails	O
were	O
shown	O
fighting	O
on	O
an	O
early	O
stage	O
based	O
on	O
Green	O
Hill	O
Zone	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
characters	O
were	O
added	O
later	O
,	O
and	O
Naka	O
personally	O
asked	O
AM2	O
to	O
create	O
new	O
characters	O
for	O
the	O
Sonic	B-Application
universe	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Suzuki	O
jokingly	O
said	O
that	O
anyone	O
who	O
attempted	O
a	O
Sonic	B-Application
game	O
had	O
the	O
duty	O
to	O
create	O
new	O
characters	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bean	O
's	O
design	O
was	O
inspired	O
by	O
the	O
lead	O
character	O
in	O
the	O
Sega	O
arcade	O
game	O
Dynamite	B-Application
Düx	I-Application
(	O
1989	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
later	O
years	O
,	O
hackers	O
found	O
Honey	O
from	O
Fighting	B-Application
Vipers	I-Application
was	O
hidden	O
in	O
Sonic	B-Application
the	I-Application
Fighters	I-Application
as	O
a	O
playable	O
character	O
,	O
and	O
modeled	O
as	O
an	O
anthropomorphic	O
cat	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sonic	B-Application
the	I-Application
Fighters	I-Application
was	O
first	O
released	O
in	O
Japanese	O
arcades	O
in	O
June	O
1996	O
followed	O
by	O
a	O
limited	O
release	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
in	O
July	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
August	O
2005	O
,	O
it	O
received	O
its	O
first	O
home	O
console	O
release	O
through	O
Sonic	B-Application
Gems	I-Application
Collection	I-Application
,	O
a	O
Sonic	B-Application
games	O
compilation	O
for	O
the	O
GameCube	B-Application
and	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
collection	O
also	O
included	O
Sonic	B-Application
CD	I-Application
,	O
Sonic	B-Application
R	I-Application
,	O
and	O
several	O
Sonic	B-Application
Game	O
Gear	O
titles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
November	O
2012	O
,	O
Sonic	B-Application
the	I-Application
Fighters	I-Application
was	O
released	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
and	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
via	O
each	O
consoles	O
 '	O
respective	O
online	O
marketplace	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
version	O
added	O
Metal	O
Sonic	B-Application
,	O
Doctor	O
Robotnik	O
,	O
and	O
Honey	B-Application
the	I-Application
Cat	I-Application
as	O
playable	O
characters	O
and	O
featured	O
new	O
online	O
versus	O
modes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sonic	B-Application
the	I-Application
Fighters	I-Application
is	O
playable	O
at	O
the	O
in-game	O
arcades	O
in	O
Lost	B-Application
Judgment	I-Application
(	O
2021	O
)	O
,	O
added	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
Sonic	B-Application
series	I-Application
 '	O
30th	O
anniversary	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kataoka	O
stated	O
in	O
2006	O
that	O
Sonic	B-Application
the	I-Application
Fighters	I-Application
was	O
the	O
game	O
he	O
was	O
most	O
proud	O
of	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
early	O
stages	O
of	O
development	O
,	O
Sega	O
was	O
planning	O
to	O
port	O
Sonic	B-Application
the	I-Application
Fighters	I-Application
to	O
the	O
Sega	B-Device
Saturn	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
E3	O
1996	O
video	O
game	O
convention	O
,	O
a	O
SquareSoft	O
representative	O
was	O
given	O
a	O
private	O
demonstration	O
of	O
new	O
Sega	B-Device
Saturn	I-Device
development	O
software	O
,	O
and	O
reported	O
to	O
the	O
press	O
later	O
that	O
a	O
Saturn	B-Device
version	O
of	O
Sonic	B-Application
the	I-Application
Fighters	I-Application
was	O
shown	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1997	O
,	O
Computer	O
and	O
Video	O
Games	O
reported	O
a	O
rumor	O
that	O
Sonic	B-Application
the	I-Application
Fighters	I-Application
would	O
release	O
for	O
the	O
Saturn	B-Device
in	O
Japan	O
mid-year	O
and	O
North	O
America	O
a	O
couple	O
months	O
later	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ultimately	O
,	O
a	O
Saturn	B-Device
port	O
was	O
never	O
released	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Yojiro	O
Ogawa	O
of	O
Sonic	B-Application
Team	O
said	O
in	O
retrospect	O
that	O
Sonic	B-Application
the	I-Application
Fighters	I-Application
was	O
not	O
ported	O
to	O
the	O
Saturn	B-Device
because	O
it	O
was	O
difficult	O
to	O
reproduce	O
a	O
similar	O
experience	O
to	O
the	O
arcade	O
version	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
July	O
1996	O
,	O
Game	O
Machine	O
listed	O
Sonic	B-Application
the	I-Application
Fighters	I-Application
as	O
being	O
the	O
thirteenth	O
most	O
popular	O
arcade	O
game	O
in	O
Japan	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
seeing	O
it	O
demoed	O
at	O
a	O
Japanese	O
arcade	O
expo	O
,	O
GamePro	O
shared	O
their	O
admiration	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
cartoon-like	O
animation	O
,	O
comparing	O
it	O
to	O
Looney	B-Application
Tunes	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
concluded	O
by	O
giving	O
the	O
game	O
3	O
out	O
of	O
5	O
stars	O
,	O
calling	O
it	O
a	O
fun	O
game	O
that	O
"	O
exploits	O
Sonic	B-Application
milieu	O
without	O
feeling	O
too	O
aggressive.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Critics	O
shared	O
mixed	O
thoughts	O
for	O
its	O
2005	O
re-release	O
on	O
Sonic	B-Application
Gems	I-Application
Collection	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Both	O
IGN	O
and	O
GameSpy	O
called	O
it	O
a	O
stripped-down	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
original	O
Virtua	B-Application
Fighter	I-Application
,	O
and	O
GameSpot	O
believed	O
it	O
was	O
a	O
simplified	O
version	O
of	O
Virtua	B-Application
Fighter	I-Application
2	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
critics	O
recommended	O
the	O
game	O
to	O
fans	O
of	O
the	O
Sonic	B-Application
series	I-Application
for	O
the	O
novelty	O
of	O
seeing	O
a	O
sizable	O
roster	O
of	O
Sonic	B-Application
characters	O
fighting	O
with	O
cartoon-like	O
moves	O
,	O
and	O
because	O
this	O
release	O
was	O
the	O
only	O
way	O
to	O
play	O
the	O
game	O
at	O
home	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Official	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
Magazine	O
called	O
it	O
an	O
interesting	O
and	O
obscure	O
release	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
fascinating	O
part	O
of	O
Sega	O
's	O
history	O
,	O
but	O
concluded	O
that	O
it	O
loses	O
traction	O
because	O
of	O
its	O
lack	O
of	O
seriousness	O
as	O
a	O
fighting	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
