Thank you so much! I never thought my game would be an April fools prank, but I am proud that the art team and I made it look convincing enough to work! Really clever video, I'm glad our game means that much to you!

1996 was a great year. Dixie Kong got her own solo game without anyone else playable, and Sonic got one last 2D game on Genesis.

Taking April Fools as an excuse to talk about such an amazing fangame is genius.

No way! I don't believe this! Every part of this prank was executed flawlessly. Not only did he nail the look and feel of his early-2010's TGC videos, but he even configured the fan game's options to be Genesis and SoA accurate: 4:3 aspect ratio, 20 fps special stages, and "Nack" instead of "Fang." _And_ he showed gameplay running on a CRT? That's an automatic 6 out of 6 Chaos Emeralds for me, dawg.

I adore the detail at 14:10 of avoiding the "hydro-city" vs "hi-DROSS-ity" debate and going with "hi-DROH-city", very lowkey and tongue-in-cheek at the same time!

He made the video feel like it came out in 2014 in almost every single Way, and Im impressed.

I was halfway through this video already mad that Sonic Origins Plus didn’t include this ! I was already contemplating looking up an extremely overpriced cartridge on eBay …Josh you had me going through it bro. Well done. 10/10

For a while I thought this Genesis version of Triple Trouble was real, but then I realized that if it had come out in 1996 I probably would have known about it by now.

oh man this REALLY got me. at first when you were talking about how there was another sega genesis sonic game that no one ever talked about i was like "there's no way. i surely would have heard about it, right? this is april fools" but once i actually SAW the game, i was so convinced it was real. a genesis port of a lesser remembered game gear game is prime candidate for something no one would really talk about, and it looks so genuine and high quality. at that point i had essentially dropped all my suspicions and was just along for the ride. but the longer it went on, and the more impressed i was with how COOL it looked, the more suspicious i got. "okay, there's NO WAY i should have never heard about this game". and then, somewhere in the recesses of my mind, i remembered hearing about "sonic triple trouble 16 bit" through some posts on twitter a while ago. and at that point i FINALLY realized what was going on. but that wasnt until about 3/4ths of the way through the video. i was completely convinced it was real for the majority of watching. GG to you josh. happy april fools

This just blew mind lol. I was like “how have I never heard of this?” It was so convincing, well done 😂

this got me so good despite knowing about the fan game and recognizing it i scoured the internet just in case it turned out the fan game was just a pc port of a genesis title, then i remembered it was april first and it all hit me at once. your april fools videos are always some of my favourites and this is definitely one of them!

This is just such a wonderful video - the high context humor, the commitment to the bit, the evident love and passion for the Sonic series... As someone who played even a tiny, humble part in helping Noah and his team bring the game to reality, it's emotional to see it deeply understood, appreciated, and celebrated in such a perfect way. Thank you so much. (One of the marks of a great channel is when even their uploads at this particular time of year are excellent!)

Following up last years April Fool's joke with another seemingly real episode, even framing it as a lost episode, only to swerve into not actually being the game you expect while STILL being a real episode of the show? Man I love this channel.

Holy shit you actually got me. I thought this was a real-ass obscure sonic game that I never heard of before. Well played.

It’s surreal seeing early 2010s Josh holding the same kind of microphone that’s sitting on my desk. Wow xD

“Hi Geek Critique just discovered your channel. So happy to see someone covering the forgotten Genesis Sonic game. Have you ever thought about reviewing the Metroid games? I know the series is kinda dead right now (thanks a lot Retro Studios) but I think you might really like them.” -Hypothetical 2014 Dr Madd

Holy shit, I had an older cousin who had this game YEARS ago and I've never been able to figure out what it was! I remembered that he had an old 2D Sonic game where you could switch between characters at any time, but I thought it was Sonic 2 or 3 (and when I eventually played those games myself, they obviously didn't do that). I gaslit myself into thinking this game didn't exist. Thanks for vindicating my childhood, Josh!

Kid me would've loved this if it had come out during that time! I'm glad you were able to recover this, it really does feel like a 2014 Geek Critique video.

Man, you really had me thinking this was gonna be about Sonic 3D blast. Then, when you brought up Triple Trouble, I figured out the gimmick immediately.

Ok fhe idea of knuckles's story requiring you to plug the "genesis cartridge" into the sonic and knuckles cartridge is genius

Modern Josh is great and all, but I hope the Geek Critique hasn't decided to write off Classic Josh as just a nostalgia character. I've enjoyed how Modern Josh has taken us through the 2020's, (remember when he completely broke the mold and did a series of RPG reviews, a pretty legendary time to be a part of the TGC community!) but I feel like there was a style that was lost to time as TGC slowly phased out Classic Josh for Modern Josh. I mean, to be fair we didn't even think to call him Classic Josh or Modern Josh at the time, but slowly but surely that original design that drew me so much to the character was lost and eventually replaced with unnecessary ancillary details. The cutting of his hair from long to short, the growing a beard, the addition of a wife. But I think as I've gotten older, I've really managed to gain some perspective on the evolution of Classic Josh to Modern Josh. I remember during his Donkey Kong Country reviews, I initially bemoaned the DK Vine group as more of Josh's side character friends. And during the TGC Spotlight videos where we got glimpse of spin-off material focusing on a specific character that has very little seeming to do with the TGC-verse. But I now see all of these things really showing off a core strength to The Geek Critique. There's a surprisingly deep and solid arc we see Modern Josh go through as he becomes more confident, more sure of himself, culminating in a character well respected and highly regarded among his peers. I'll always love Classic Josh, but with time I've grown to learn that Modern Josh isn't a character betrayal, or a derailment, or some other terribly rude third thing fans of media will throw out without thinking of the damage that their words can have because of the inherent disconnect viewers feel there is between them, the art that they consume, and the people that make it. Modern Josh is an explosive character growth that reaches levels of potential I never imagine I would see Classic Josh reaching back in those humble original videos. I think if I could go and meet the one who originally created Classic Josh and was there as he slowly became Modern Josh, I would only have two words for them... APRIL FOOLS! Don't worry Josh I know you're a real person! No parasocial relationship is that powerful I hope! It's been so great having been subscribed to you for all this time and seeing your channel and writing grow! Hearing your "past" self gush about Classic Sonic, Triple Trouble fangame, and hearing you talk about fanbase reactions to things once again just filled me with an irresistible urge to try to throw something similar back at ya! Love hearing your perspectives and history with the things you review, even if I tried my hand at parodying them a little just now! Looking forward to whatever the future has for you and this channel!

This was a great review of one of the best forgotten Sonic classics! Sadly, the timing could be better- if I didn't know better, I might see the release date for this video and mistake this for a brilliant tribute to an extremely well-constructed fan-game or something.

I like to imagine that this isn't just an episode "from 2014" or so. Its also from an alternate timeline. Possibly one where you *were* a metroid fan a lot sooner. Especially the bit at the beginning where you play as super sonic and there's a hint of metroid there. Where it gives you super sonic at the beginning just to show you how powerful he *will* be later on.

phenomenal vid, at 1st I was fooled & thought you were gonna talk about sonic 3d blast, but as soon as I saw that cartridge my mind was blown, the "genuineness" of the vid, from the low quality camera to the game's history, to analyzing it as if it WAS the next main series sonic game after 3&K, even talking about sonic's "current" position at the end. Fantastic work Geek Critique!

Wow. This might be the only KZfaq April Fools joke I’ve fallen for. As someone who doesn’t actively follow Sonic history, I legit thought Triple Trouble Genesis was a real game, and the Classic Josh costume sold it. This is amazing. The game, and the video.

“Look at 2014 Josh, getting me all excited about a game I’d never heard of before, that clearly got a bad rap because this is undeniably awesome!” … is what I had been all ready to type out until I had the rug pulled out from under me at the last minute. I fully admit you suckered me in completely. I never even questioned it for a second. Great job at reviving your old style. Did you actually shave for this? That’s dedication. Part of me still wants to believe you filmed your wraparounds back then, even though you clearly said you didn’t! Great job, as always. 😊

This is perfect timing, I had just been rewatching the Geek Critique videos on Metroid and Donkey Kong lol. Keep up the great work!

It speaks volumes about the quality of your content that something from 2014 is just as good as your more recent stuff.

Triple Trouble was always one of my favorites on the Genesis -- I didn't own a Game Gear as a kid, but as a huge Sonic Fan, who didn't get into the 3D consoles until the Saturn/Dreamcast, I ended up being stuck playing the 2D Sonic games till Adventure a few years later. So for me, this game was a delightful experience and I didn't know this was a remake of a Game Gear game until I played DX on the Gamecube and unlocked the 8-bit original, so I never realized this game was so controversial as a kid as for me, this was just another Sonic game! I think I always preferred Sonic 3 and Knuckles, but Triple Trouble still holds a special place in my heart -- I know this video was made before Mania, so of course you wouldn't have had a chance to bring this up in the review, but I still find it strange that Triple Trouble didn't get any major representation in Mania (Other than having a Fang cameo!) but I really wish we'd have gotten a level theme from this seemingly forgotten, 16-bit Sonic game! I mean, it was completely _skipped_ in Origins, and now with the announcement of Origin's Plus, I really expected Triple Trouble (16-bit) to come along with the rest of the mainline Genesis games. But like always, we're just getting the 8-bit original, _again._ I don't know what happened to my original cartridge, it must have gotten lost years ago during one of my many cross-country moves. And now trying to find a used copy anywhere online has been fairly difficult, so I think I'll stick with emulating this game, but it'd be nice to be able to play on my Switch one day. (Please Sega? C'mon! Make it happen!) Anyway, awesome video as usual! I'm glad it wasn't lost forever in the end! If only it could have been uploaded a few years back, maybe this game would have been discussed more online, and gotten more attention before Mania's release -- But alas, it was never meant to be. Kinda strange that we didn't get an April Fools video this year, guess I'll have to see what you can do next year!

I can't believe I'm saying this but... Ya got me. That was an amazing review and I started out thinking it must be fake because I caught a glimpse of a comment reminding me it's April Fools. But here's the thing... The more I watched the more I thought, no wait this seems legit. This video was so good that I went in expecting an April Fool's prank and it LULLED ME INTO A FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY AND REALITY! Seriously, bravo, amazing job as usual.

This was SURREAL to watch. I've watched those early TGC Sonic videos so many times, and this fits in so perfectly. I've been wondering all these years what you thought about this version of Triple Trouble! Seriously, I have no idea how you made this. I have so many questions, but my god man you've managed to make me feel nostalgic for your old videos. You've somehow replicated that style so perfectly that I wasn't in on the bit for 6 whole minutes. I'm blown away and honestly, just... thank you for this, it was wonderful. And Copeland's Triple Trouble remake totally deserves a video like this because as far as I'm concerned this is Sonic 4. I'm blown away, I hope to rewatch this as many times as I have those old episodes. I've got some catching up to do! Since this is a repost of my comment on the Patreon video, how about those questions? How did you so perfectly capture your old style of video making and editing that it was convincing that this could have been from that era? Did that take a lot of time and fine-tuning? And how in the world did you shoot such convincing in-person shots that mimicked your old SA1 video? However you did it, this is one of the best April Fools videos I've ever seen. It's not just a joke, it's a fantastic review of a worthy game and surprisingly uncanny but cool fanservice for long time fans of the channel. Happy 10 year channel anniversary!

And to think, I was just wondering when you'd release another video! Such a quality channel that even its "9 year old lost media" is great.

"The lack of that third dimension" I'm getting cringe chills thinking about how games journalists used to write back in the 90s

My original comment from 2014 on your S3&K vid got deleted, so I'm back to say thanks for finally covering this hidden gem! I got my copy when my local KB toys closed around 2000 and they were clearing out stock; I found it right under one of the endcaps along with a Gundam Heavyarms action figure and a blind bag of Bionicle masks. Good times.

There's been some talk by former Sega employees (though I have to stress that these are just rumors) that the Genesis Triple Trouble was yet another victim of the problems between SoA and SoJ in this time period. A Japanese 8 bit title being remade into a 16 bit game by largely an American team apparently was very controversial internally, and that (among other reasons) more or less led it to have virtually no promotion upon release. It is cool that game's been reassessed in the last 10 years, but honestly the title might as well not have existed for how little advertising it got at the time.

I actually got gaslighted in having false memories of playing this game as a kid. I used to have dreams where there were tons of new Mario and Sonic games.

This isn’t a April fools video, it’s a video originating from an alternative timeline where Sega made a decent version of tripple trouble

I honest to God thought I had somehow warped to an alternate dimension and I was living in a universe where this was real. Well played.

Wow, you had me COMPLETELY fooled! The whole time I kept thinking "I don't remember any of that happening in the 90's" But I just chalked it to me growing up as a nintendo kid who wasn't paying attention to sega. I definitely have to check out this fan-game.

Man I cannot believe you got me with this. I was legit about to start searching for how expensive this cartridge was now that 2D gaming is popular again. Well played sir

Got me. The whole video I was like, what the heck?? How have I never even heard of this game before?? It looks awesome!

Josh lamenting that Sega sees classic Sonic only as a younger version of himself, while pretending to be a younger version of himself.

I don't know every Sonic game so u had me for so much longer than i want to admit 😂 noticing the high bitrate gameplay i thought " _oh he bulldozed over old footage for our benefit, how nice!_ " The low res camera had me, and showing off HD Josh at the start. Adore the commitment to the bit, well done mate! The absolute best type of April Fools.

Lets just get real: had this game been real, I'm sure there's no way on the planet that you would've not loved this game to bits like the other games.

Seeing this at 3am while half asleep and unaware what day it is really had me confused for a second, and I just played this fangame a few weeks ago for the first time. All jokes aside this is a MUST PLAY game if you love old 2D Sonic, I've never had or played the original game gear version to compare it to but all I can say is that the fangame's really at the peak of old Sonic gameplay. I wasn't a big fan of the final zone but everything else was a blast. Check out some mods too that add playable characters like Mighty and Ray and a few others if you wanna expand the gameplay further. Also, this was yet another amazing April Fools video, the amount of effort you put into these is great and I love them.

I was listening to this on a walk and was INCREDIBLY confused for a good 7 minutes

If I didn't know this fangame existed i would have no idea this is a prank. I would be confused af lol. You did a good job.

Josh: I wish they did more with Classic Sonic. SEGA: Wish granted.

Omg I love how the placement of this video in the Sonic playlist maintains kayfabe. Yes!

I’m gonna believe this is not an april fools video but something that escaped from a parallel universe

I came back to your channel after hearing about this new Sonic Origins Plus game, and you had me fooled for seven minutes without me looking at the upload date. during those seven minutes, I was scouring ebay for copies and checking wikipedia.

I watched this video two weeks after april fools so the thought that this is a prank never even crossed my mind, I was even ready to link this to my friend and ask him if he knew about this Sonic game I'd never heard about. You did an amazing job with this video

I knew this was fake going in, but it's amazing how convincing this video is at trying to make it feel real.

The Ending statement is going to age so bad.

as soon as i saw the cartridge i broke into laughter, well done as always

Well played josh, absolutely brilliant. That said, the fan game you ACTUALLY reviewed looks rad as hell and I kinda wanna try it out

I’m halfway through the video and honestly if it wasn’t for the comments I actually would’ve believed this was real. Like, I know so much about sonic but for a good moment you had me second thinking about a lost Genesis game

You had me scratching my head on this one. I was wondering how I missed this one in the official Genesis library.

What a pleasant midnight surprise!

This was great dude. You worked this old soul. Great video

17:10 Oh, you say that too? Lol, I don’t know how I completely missed this season of your Sonic series, but I’m glad I finally found it. I still need to check out this Triple Trouble. Thanks again, Josh!

That April fool's joke absolutely KILLED me I was just so confused with this video and I was like what the heck is he talking about there was never been a 16 bit release of sonic triple trouble

...Goddamn it, you actually got me with this one. Well played, Josh. (:

this is my favorite approach towards april fools, and yet another reason why you're my favorite youtuber :D

This is awesome dude holy shit! It's also an interesting critique of the fan interpretation that Triple Trouble SHOULD have been on Genesis and SHOULD have been the next main line game after 3K.

I honestly didn't know this was an April fools prank until the very end.

it's me i'm his 500th sub

yooooooooooooo this is such a cool idea for an episode! So glad you covered this game!

You made an incredible retrospective! Congrats!

Was recommended this video way after April Fools. I was shocked by the concept of never having heard of this game, both as a kid and as an adult who watches plenty of Sonic history on KZfaq. The game sounded so good I honestly contemplated heading to a game store after work to try and pickup an OG Genesis and a copy of this game since it had never been ported. Now the video is bittersweet. Like, the fact that a fan game exists is cool and I will check it out. But the idea that there was some renegade Sonic Team group putting this amazing 'last hurrah' to the 2D Sonic legacy just sounds so cool! Perfecting every aspect from boss fights, to character swapping, to future-looking lock-on technology. And Knuckles actually being Metal Sonic in disguise, clearing up one of my biggest gripes with Triple Trouble since its release!? I wanted to believe this story so bad!

Okay, all i gotta say, is you got me good LOL. I got very confused halfway through that nobody talked about this game, and then the end happened and I'm just genuinely impressed. You put a lot of work into this too dang, so good job lmfao.

Dude. I remember how amazing this game was back in the day. I had both the game gear and the Genesis. Also... Its December 11, and I fell for an April fools prank.

You actually got me with this one for a while, not gonna lie. I had a Genesis first and then a Super Nintendo later, which I basically fully transitioned over to after going through the Sonic games - I never owned another Sega system, and I HAD heard of Triple Trouble, so the idea that it got a port with the S3&K sprites seemed quite plausible for something I might have missed as I was going to the N64, especially considering that I did actually know about the Sonic drought between the Genesis and the Dreamcast. The idea that it had Lock-On functionality is really what gave it away for me, though. I actually had a tupperware container I'd once kept the Sonic games in, that I'd written with a marker on to label it the "Sonic Games That Go Together". The games themselves might have been sold off at a garage sale decades ago now, but I still had the tupperware container itself, and only finally completely colored over that writing like five or six years ago. THAT isn't something I would have missed, even with the N64 around, haha.

I know this is an April fools joke, but as someone going through your entire Sonic critique series for mostly the first time this flows REALLY well into the series. Your April fools videos are unmatched

Wait wait wait. Wait. This is so well done I really thought that Triple Trouble really had a port.

Hey man, just wanted to let you know you do great work! Some of the best on KZfaq.

I'm such a huge fan of Sonic Games that I already played this amazing fangame remake but still enjoyed the retro style alternate universe video.

WOW! I was ... WOW. You totally got me. Bro. Epic video, and epic prank. I was even thinking "Man, if 2014 dude only knew about Mania!"

Damn man. You should made more reviews of romhacks and fan games like this one. It ended up pretty convincing and "legit” for an an April fools joke. Also that detail about that is only been a decade since the Halo hype made me feel old fr.

Omg new young geek critique content? That's wild

You had me there for a bit, ngl. Also, that ending is... a bit meta lol

When I realized what this video was about I couldn't stop smiling through the whole thing. Badass work. Gonna go play the game again.

A trip back to the early days of TGC. I still remember being first exposed to the channel via the DK Vine forums.

i’m on a binge watch of all your critiques, and thought this was genuinely an old video you had. i kept wondering why there was 16-bit gameplay and halfway through i checked the video date

I forget you usually have some of the best April Fools Day jokes lmao

Damn. Sonic fan games have gotten so much better than I remember.

Okay, you really had me going. I was wondering why I had never heard of this before. Well done.

Wow, that plot twist at the end! It's not even April 1st yet, clearly I need to start being cautious now lol.

Always a treat to check out the latest installment in Josh’s endless quest to never get around to covering Sonic Unleashed. ;-)

I was hoping the whole time since you introduced the Genesis Triple Trouble that there was a real full fan game that I'd be able to play. It appears there is, which is great! It seem that almost no unofficial Sonic fan games are finished. This looks like it could be the best effort of the bunch!

Even though I figured this was an April Fool's video, I still felt like watching it all the way through anyway. Have a good one, Josh!

Thank you so much @GeekCritique for spotlighting this. You inspired me to record a Full Playthrough: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/pZeWd8Jitbewomw.html . I never knew any game in the Sonic and Knuckles continuity existed. . . and to have this AM2R-like fan remake at this caliber has literally made my day!

I'm watching this much after the release, I had no idea it was April fool's, you legit got me good

The Geek Critique's audio quality outperforming... pretty much everything (The Super Bowl, the olympics? most modern films, you name it) since 2014. Edit: Oh wait, apparently this is an April 1st thing? Regardless, your audio is something to be proud of! As sharp and smooth as cheddar cheese!

The worst April Fools jokes are the ones I don't watch until like a week after. Darn you Josh!

It's funny that most sonic fangames out there are actually pretty good especially with the reputation the fanbase has.

It's nice seeing a lost 2014 episode, feels cozy. I've gotten used to the new style, but it's still nice to see an episode in the style that made me a fan of TGC. Here's to more great videos! I just bought a Download a Missile shirt, so hope you enjoy the $20, Josh. Oh, and hope you don't mind, but I plan on stealing the style of your SMRPG video to talk about Dinosaur Planet, because even though I know you weren't that impressed by it it's a game that meant the world to me. It'll just be getting back into editing practice.

Wow. What! I am, by far, the biggest Sonic fan I know IRL. I have loads of the OG Archie comics, including the Endgame miniseries. I followed Cybershell *before* it was cool. I have the Sonic Mania physical manual. Have all the levels of S3&K memorized and fully completed to an obscene degree. I straight up didn't even know this was a thing. I knew Triple Trouble was a game gear game - and one of two Archie comics I always wanted but could never find (along with Mecha Madness) - and I never had a game gear, but not until I started watching this video 20 minutes ago did I know it got a Genesis port - at all, good or bad. And I was still running down physical genesis carts in the year 2010. This video has blown my mind. Unreal. Amazing. I'm going out on a limb and guessing the OST kinda sucks, since you didn't mention it, but, wow. Thank you for introducing me to this. It's difficult to articulate how wild this feels, learning about this now, in 2023. EDIT: oh my LORD you got me. *wow.* leaving the comment for posterity.

okay, i gotta hand it to you. burying the lede a quarter of the way into your video? genuine respect.

What an amazingly authentic video. Bravo.