168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Sonic Superstars features the reintroduction of longtime fan favourite character — and fairly obscure trivia question answer — Fang the Hunter. Or, is that Fang the Sniper? Or... Nac💃k the Weasel? You could very easily be forgiven for getting a bit jumbled up, since this foe has gone by numerous aliases over the years, being called different things in assorted games across varying markets.

W✤ith the launch of Superstars (and its accompanying prequel comic), Sega hoped to put a cap on the confusion by retroactively characterising these differing names as intentional misdirection. A creative approach, to be sure, but it still helps to have an understanding of who Fang is, where he🗹 came from, and how he got to the identity crisis he relishes today.

How Was Fang Created?

Fang's story begins in the oft-forgotten Game Gear title, 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Sonic the Hedgehog: Triple Trouble. During development, char🤪acter designer Shinichi Higashi conceived him as a jerboa, which is a breed of desert rodent found in much of Asia and Africa.

The first seeds of confusion were sown when Sega of Japan took one look at Fang's design, decided he resembled a wolf more than a jerboa, and designated him as such to the gaming public. Eventually, the two parties would compromise, and Fang officially became half-wolf, half-jerboa.

His name, too, was a point of contention out of the gate. In the early design stages, he was known as 'Nack', until it became apparent the Japanese pronunciation of that word was too homophonic with that of Knuckles'. To avoid any mix-ups, a contest was held to give the villain a new name. Since he carried around a pop-gun, 'Fang the Sniper' was ultimately the winner.

How Did Fang End Up With Two Names?

So, if you're keeping track, we now have differing ideas on Fang's species and at least two names running around. Exacerbating matters was a decision Sega of Europe and America took when localising Triple Trouble. They weren't too keen on the idea of a character in a children's game being called a 'Sniper'; and besides, there's no issue telling the difference between 'Nack' and 'Knuckles' with an English accent.

Hence, they opted to retain Fang's original moniker for the PAL and NTSC versions of the game. They also decided he resembled neither a wolf nor a jerboa, and altered his species to a weasel, tossing yet another variable into the pool.

If that weren't enough, promotional materials for Triple Trouble gave the poor jerboa's name as 'Jet'. Nowhere else does this alias appear — and it's not to be confused with Jet the Hawk, an entirely different (and significantly more feathery) Sonic character — so it's unclear what lines got crossed.

In this way, an entire generation of Western players grew up recognising the purple, fedora-tipping foe as 'Nack the Weasel'; unbeknownst to them, across the seas, Japanese children were getting to know 'Fang the Sniper.' It's enough to make one's spiny head spin.

What Other Appearances Has Fang Made?

After the initial turbulence of his creation died down, Fang would go on (ironically) to make very few appearances in subsequent Sonic titles.

For all the effort that went into him, he fell by the wayside throughout much of the '90s — he would next pop up in arcade brawler Sonic: The Fighters, where he's joined by newcomers Bark the Polar Bear and Bean the Dynamite in rounding out the villain roster.

He's also playable in Sonic Drift 2, the sequel to the little-known handheld raﷺcing title, 🐠where he zips across the track in his Marvelous Queen hovercraft.

Beyond these two roles, Fang was relegated to cameo status by the turn of the millennium. In Sonic Generations, he pops up on a 'Wanted' poster, which pokes fun at his dual identity by listing both 'Nack' and 'Fang' as possible names.

Likewise, 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:in Sonic Mania, he's one of the illusory forms that the Magician — one of Eggman's 'Hard-Boiled Heavies' — can take. Indeed, it seemed highly unlikely that the Sniper-Hunter-Weasel would resurface in a meaningful capacity anytime soon, and queries to this effect were routinely shrugged off by Sega.

What Role Did Fang Have In The Comics?

In contrast to the video game portion of the Sonicverse, Fang has had a far more illustrious career in the series' comic book empire. In the Archie series, he's once again known as 'Nack the Weasel' and forms one part of 'Team Hooligan,' a recurring band of rogues who caused trouble for Sonic and co. on multiple occasions.

After the comic's 'Super Genesis Wave' (an exodus of all characters even tangentially related to Ken Penders, an infamously sue-happy former artist), Nack continued his antagonistic role, but settled into slightly lesser schemes than global chaos. He was content to pilfer some treasure every now and then,🦩 and was used ever more infrequently as the A🌼rchie run drew to a close.

In the IDW comics, he pops up sometimes for a bit of fan service (as 'Fang' again), and most notably featured as one of the principal villains in the 30th anniversary bumper special. In this story, he races 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Classic Sonic and the gang to the Chaos E💎meralds, along with a returning Bean and 🧔Bark. For many modern fans, this was their introduction to Fang proper.

How Are Fang's Aliases Explained?

The 2D co-op adventure Sonic Superstars represents Fang's revival in a full-on mainline entry. He bands together with Dr. Eggman and Trip the Sungazer to uncover the secret behind a legendary sleeping Black Dragon in the Northstar Isles.

Eggman, naturally, fancies his chances at world domination — evidently forgetting every time he's tried to wake such a beast prior to this, it's backfired horribly. Chaos, Dark Gaia, Biolizard, Solaris, Time Eater, Infinite, and The End all say 'hi.'

A prequel comic to Superstars, entitled 'Fang's Big Break', shows the cultivation of the relationship between Fang and Eggman. Notably, he's now going by 'Fang the Hunter', which quite neatly solves the is๊sue of thꦰe depiction of firearms.

A running gag in the strip entails Eggman consistently misnaming Fang; first as 'Nack the Weasel', then as 'Jet' and 'Fang the Sniper'. 'Fang the Jerboa' is even floated at one point.

It's Sega's cheeky little way of acknowledging Fang's tumultuous past — but, ultimately, he clarifies these were all aliases. Why? "A good cr✃iminal knows how to cover his tracks.🐈"

What Does Fang Do In Sonic Superstars?

Fang rears his head throughout the course of Sonic Superstars, causing inconveniences both minor and major for Sonic and his pals. He's first encountered in Speed Jungle, where you must outrun him in a thrilling grinding section on vines, dodging missiles all the way.

You'll then fight him in Golden Capital, a tedious battle which sadly is the absolute nadir of the campaign – a six-minute autoscroller is very few gamers' idea of fun.

The jerboa plays a greater part in Trip's story, which you unlock after beating Sonic's. Trip decides she's had enough of being pushed around by the baddies, and turns to the light; so Fang is none too happy.

He appears in interstitial scenes, berating Trip and occasionally falling for her MacGyver-esque traps. More determined than ever to succeed, he delivers even tougher versions of his prior fights. His final boss is a pure grindfest, designed to weed out the non-committed; and though it may be miserable, it puts Fang's face back on the map in a big, bold way.

In the end, Fang is soundly defeated by both Sonic and Trip, and is last seen buried beneath the smouldering wreckage of his mech. He doesn't appear during the final showdown against The Black Dragon, but it's fairly likely he's not out for the count. One thing is certain: you'll certainly not forget him anytime soon – if you can just remember his real name!

Next: 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:The Best Sonic Characters