We've all been there. We've all got that one thing that we're super deep into, but one of our friends doesn't really get it. Maybe it passed them by, maybe it's just not their thing, who knows? Whatever the reason, perhaps being on the outside looking in has left them with plenty of questions that they've never quite been able to get the answers to. Well, this is something that we at The Hill Is Always Greener are aiming to change with our new series of "newbie education" episodes, where we bring on a guest who is NOT a Sonic fan and attempt to better explain what draws us to the franchise, as well as answer any of those burning questions they might have. And for this first episode, friend of the show Derek returns to ask all about environmentalism, getting into the comics, the lack of new RPGs, and much more. Plus, he'll have to answer a few devious questions of our own... (0:00:00) Intro(0:04:49) What is it about Sonic that has made you stick with it?(0:13:17) Is the Sonic Cycle still relevant?(0:18:51) Quiz game: A.B.C.D. Station(0:41:32) Was Murder of Sonic a deliberate attempt to experiment with putting Sonic in a different genre?(0:45:59) Did Sonic Chronicles really poison the well for Sonic RPGs?(0:51:03) How do I get into the comics?(0:58:42) Quiz game: Animal Abstraction(1:21:38) Derek's trivia question(1:23:54) Why did they gate the best endings behind special stages?(1:28:30) Does Sonic still have environmentalist themes?(1:33:34) Quiz game: Know More Music (1:57:29) What was so bad about Sonic 4?(1:59:45) Do you think things have gotten better or worse since Yuji Naka left?(2:07:40) If you had to recommend one Sonic game to a newcomer, what would it be?(2:17:29) Outro Amie Waters on Linktree Derek's Twitch Sonic Free Riders No Kinect Patch Dick Kicker (Giant Bomb Remix) Dreamcast: Where It Went Wrong with Sega's Mark Subotnick - The Retro Hour