--- By BKEmpire@aol.com --- Sonic 2 Theory --- Note: I sent this theory to the SOSTH site, but I don't know what happened to it. I can't get to it, so, I'm gonna sned it to you! I wrote a previous theory under my old name, BKEmpire@aol.com (it still exists as my parent's name, though) and in it, I mentioned something about the Hidden Palace Icon being found in the Sonic 3 Level Select. Allow me to further explain. When you do the Sonic 3 Level select that involves the Sonic 2 cart, you'll notice on the Level select screen, the different levels, and a little icon representing that level in the corner. Anyway, when you scroll through the certain levels, you'll eventually run across this pattern in the icons: Wing Fortress Icon, Hidden Palace Icon, Death Egg Icon. In my previous theory, I said something about that this means that HPZ was intended to be between WIng Fortress and Death Egg. It may have been, but for the reasons it was, it was cut from the game. "Now how does this guy get what he's getting?" you ask. Now, I'm not saying that this is the whole reason HPZ was cut, but anyway. If the zone sequence was: WFZ -> HPZ -> DEZ, that would seem a bit jumpy, right? (Maybe you were supposed to fall off of the Wing Fortress and end up in HPZ and then be BEAMED up to Death Egg.) However, for the end of the game, you kinda want to know why you are, where you are. That's why you see Sonic "chasing" (or more like tagging along with) Robotnik to his Death Egg Station thing. So putting this Hidden Zone here kinda messed up the order of things. That's why the Sonic Producers waited for...... Sonic 3 & Knuckles! In this game, the zones flowed much better, and HPZ actually played a significant role in the game, rather than being hidden. Think about this: WFZ -> HPZ -> DEZ is too jumpy, but how about... Flying Battery (WFZ) -> (Transitional Zone) Sandopolis -> Lava Reef/Hidden Palace (HPZ) -> (Transitional Zone) Sky Sanctuary -> Death Egg (DEZ) That makes more sense, right? On a side note, this next part has nothing to do with anything, but I felt like saying it anyway. In Sonic 2 Beta, in the HPZ, we've always heard the, now 2-Player MCZ as the music, but when you get 100 rings, the music changes to Death Egg Music. Now, get in the water (I recommend debug for this) and almost drown (wait for the countdown) now you're hearing Level Select music! Now get out of the water, and the music changes to Emerald Hill... Hmmmm.... Anyway, that's all I have for now... Don't expect much else from me. My brain only works once every three years.