Charles W. Whittlesey and Sonic R: Difference between pages

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{{Infobox CVG| title = Sonic R

'''Charles White Whittlesey''' ''([[January 20]], [[1884]]-[[November 26]], [[1921]])'' was a [[Medal of Honor]] recipient who is notable for leading the [[Lost Battalion]] in the [[Argonne Forest]] during [[World War I]].

|image = [[Image:SonicR.jpg|200px|box cover]]

|developer = [[Traveller's Tales]]

|publisher = [[Sega]]

|designer =

|engine =

|released = [[1997]], [[1999]]

|genre = [[Racing game|Racing]]

|modes = [[Single player]], [[multiplayer]]

|ratings = [[Entertainment Software Rating Board|ESRB]]:Kids to Adults(K-A)

|platforms = [[Personal computer|PC]], [[Sega Saturn|Saturn]]

|media =

|requirements =

|input =

}}[[Image:Super_Sonic_Racing.jpg|200px|thumb|right|A screenshot of the [[Personal computer|PC]] version of ''Sonic R''.]]

'''''Sonic R''''' (the R stands for racing) is a [[racing game]] developed by [[Traveller's Tales]] and [[Sonic Team]] for the [[Sega Saturn]] and [[Personal computer|PC]], the latter version being ported to the [[Nintendo GameCube|GameCube]] and [[PlayStation 2]] in ''[[Sonic Gems Collection]]''. It features characters from the ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' series. The game is characterized by the same sense of environmental openness in the Sonic [[platform game|platformers]]. It contains colorful [[3D computer graphics|3D]] [[computer graphics|graphics]] combined with a strong soundtrack by [[Richard Jacques]] (including songs performed by [[Great Britain|British]] [[singer]] [[T. J. Davis]]). The Saturn version has a severe case of graphical pop-up while the PC version is generally much cleaner (although it sometimes has issues installing/running on [[Windows XP]] and later).

Whittlesey was born in [[Florence, Wisconsin]]. He was an undergraduate at [[Williams College]] before attending [[Harvard]] Law School where he graduated in 1908. After school he opened a law firm with his classmate J. Bayard Pruyn in [[New York CIty]].

==Gameplay==

During [[World War I]], Lieutenant Colonel Whittlesey commanded a batallion of 700 soldiers. On October 3, 1918, he attacked a German position in the Argonne Forest, but soon found his battalion surrounded.

There are several collectable rings across each of the five racetracks. Each ring regenerates after a short period of time. These rings can serve one of three purposes.

* Stepping on a speed boost will consume all of a player's rings, to a maximum of 50, and boost the player ahead along a preset path. The boost is at a speed approximately three times the normal maximum speed of a character and lasts for a duration [[Proportionality (mathematics)|proportional to]] the number of rings deducted.

On October 7, the Germans sent forward a blindfolded messenger carrying a white flag. Whittlesey recalled the message as saying, "We have heard the cries of your wounded. It is impossible for you to escape. Why do you not surrender in the name of humanity?" Whittlesey's reply was "You go to hell!" Shortly after, help arrived and the Germans retreated.

* Special doors on the tracks can open if a player reaches them with twenty or fifty rings (depending on the door). Twenty-ring doors frequently hide tokens, shortcuts, or both. Fifty-ring doors frequently hide Chaos Emeralds, shortcuts, or both. After being opened, the doors remain open for all players for the duration of the game.

* Some characters can perform an attack for 10 rings (see below).

There are also inexhaustible emblem bonuses. Touching an emblem gives the racer one of multiple possible rewards, including a random number of rings and the bubble and lightning shields that appeared in ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog 3]]''. The bubble shield allows the racer to walk on water once, after which it disappears. The lightning shield attracts rings to itself, but is eliminated upon touching water (or after having it for a long enough time).

He returned to the United States as a war hero. He eventually worked as an attorney at the Wall Street firm of White and Case.

There are five racers in each race. The four racers selected depend on what character the player chooses. If the player chooses a secret character, he'll face the other secret characters that have been unlocked. If the player chooses a starting character, he races against the other starting characters. For the purposes of selecting the racers, Dr. Robotnik is treated as a starting character.

In November 1921, he was a passenger aboard the ''Toloa,'' a [[United Fruit]] ship making its way from New York to [[Havana]]. After leaving the smoking room in good spirits on the night of November 26, 1921, he disappeared. He is presumed to have jumped overboard, committing suicide. Before leaving New York, he prepared a will leaving his property to his mother. He also left a series of letters in his cabin addressed to relatives and friends. He left the famous German letter asking for surrender to George McMurtry who had been his second command during the battle in the Argonne.

Racers can run on water for a limited period of time, and can "swim" in it indefinetely, at greatly reduced speed. In addition, each of the ten playable characters has a different speed and a unique set of abilities. Unlike most racing games, these abilities are designed such that certain characters, even among characters that are initially playable, have a clear edge over others.

In 2001, U.S. television channel [[A&E]] made a television movie called ''[[The Lost Battalion (film)|The Lost Battalion]]'' based on accounts of the battle. In that portrayal Major Whittlesey was played by [[Rick Schroder]].

==External=Main Linkscharacters===

The following are the characters that are initially playable:

[http://www.worldwar1.com/dbc/whitt.htm Charles Whittlesey, Commander of the Lost Battalion]

* [[Sonic]] is the fastest of the characters that are initially playable. He can double jump.

[http://www.homeofheroes.com/moh/citations_1918_wwi/whittlesey.html Whittlesey's Medal of Honor citation]

* [[Tails]] can fly at a fixed level for an unlimited period of time.

* [[Knuckles]] can glide for an unlimited period of time, gradually losing height. However, he cannot latch onto or climb walls as in all other games in which he has appeared.

* [[Amy Rose]] drives a car and can hover over water. She also has the ability to use a speed boost, although she can't turn very well while doing so. She is extremely slow.

===Secret characters===

[http://www.homestead.com/prosites-johnrcotter/major_whittlesey.html Whittlesey biography]

The secret characters, with the exception of [[Super Sonic]], can be unlocked by collecting all five coins on a racetrack and finish first, second, or third. Upon doing so, the player will be challenged by one of the following characters, depending on the racetrack:

* [[Dr. Robotnik]] ([[Doctor Eggman|Dr. Eggman]] in the [[Japan]]ese version), who races in his personal [[hi-tech]] [[aircraft]], can do a short-range [[heat-seeking]] attack at a cost of 10 rings. The attack will eliminate the target's shield if it has one and slow it down if it does not. He is particularly slow.

==References==

* [[Metal Sonic]] is an improved version of its counterpart. It has a very high single jump and doesn't fall into water if it constantly jumps.

* ''SOUGHT WHITTLESEY HALF DAY IN MIDSEA,'' New York Times Nov 30, 1921. p. 5

* [[Tails Doll]] can hover on water. Additionally, it can hover indefinetely a certain distance above the ground or water. Some say he can come out of the TV and "get" people, but that is not true

* [[Metal Knuckles]] is an improved version of its counterpart. It has a much better glide than Knuckles. It is notably fast. Also, it is one of the more difficult secret characters to obtain.

* [[Eggrobo]] is a [[humanoid]] [[robot]] whose head and body are shaped like an egg. Its abilities are similar to those of Robotnik, but it is slow compared to the other secret characters.

===Super Sonic===

[[Super Sonic]] is the fastest racer, and also the hardest to unlock. He can double jump and can run on the surface of water, provided that he does not slow down. To unlock him, the player must collect all seven [[Chaos Emerald]]s scoured throughout the five racetracks. When a player collects one, he must finish in first place to keep it.

When playing as Super Sonic in the Radiant Emerald stage, the music is different; it plays the Sonic R theme song (''Super Sonic Racing'') instead of ''Diamond in the Sky''.

{{US-bio-stub}}

{{mil-bio-stub}}

===Other modes===

Aside from the main game, there are three special gameplay modes accessible from Time Attack mode: reverse, in which racing occurs facing the opposite direction, break five balloons, and tag four players.

==Versions==

For the PC version the graphics were somewhat modified. For example races occur in random weather conditions, either normal, rainy, or snowy, unless the default settings are altered. Snowy weather freezes the water so that racers can run across it without sinking.

The version of the game in ''Sonic Gems Collection'' is similar to the PC version. Minor differences include that there is no Network option on the main menu and that the Options menu is slightly different.

{{SonicGames}}

[[Category:PC games]]

[[Category:Sega Saturn games]]

[[Category:Sonic the Hedgehog games]]

[[Category:Racing computer games]]

[[Category: 1997 computer and video games]]

[[Category: 1998 computer and video games]]

[[fr:Sonic R]]