Cyber City Zone (InstanceTopic, 23)

From Compile Worlds

Genocide City Zone was a zone in the Simon Wai version of Sonic 2 Beta. The zone was scrapped later in development, along with Wood Zone and Hidden Palace Zone. However, unlike it's sister zones, there was no zone layout or music slated for the level. In fact, there weren't even any graphics. The zone consists of an empty space with a garbage tiled background. Sonic and Tails simply fall to their dooms if the level is somehow entered. It shares this trait with the beta Death Egg Zone, though unlike this zone, Death Egg was actually developed later on.

Theme

It is unknown what this zones theme might have been like, since SEGA was a bunch of assholes and chopped it before they even implemented graphics or music. The name, however, and the palette of the garbled background suggest a dark, yet industrial type setting. There is also a possibility it was going to use a Ghost theme long before the likes of Haunted Ship Zone and Hang Castle.

Etymology

Genocide is mass murder, so a "Genocide City" might be a morbid place where many deaths occurred.

Reasons for scrapping

Aside from SEGA's tenancy to be douchebags and cut the good stuff from the game before it gets a chance, it is hard to pinpoint why the zone was scrapped, as it only existed in the room as a blank room serving as a placeholder for the space reserved for the actual zone. Some say that it was cut for reasons likely concerning the morbid nature of the zone's name and possible theme. Further evidencing these claims is a Sonic-shaped skull sprite found in the depths of the final ROM.