opposed to sprites. These levels used shading, transparency, and lighting effects to showcase the Saturn's technical potential. The developers wanted to take Sonic into the modern era, while building on the series' successes. In 1996, Wallis said they planned to integrate familiar Sonic gameplay, plus new elements: "We're giving Sonic new moves, because Sonic is a hedgehog of the times, we're bringing him up to speed." In line with other Sonic games, X-treme emphasized speed and featured collectable rings. Additions included the abilities to throw rings at enemies, create a shield from rings, do spinning midair attacks, strike enemies below with a "Power Ball" attack, jump higher with less control than normal, and execute a "Sonic Boom" attack, in concert with the shield, that struck in 360 degrees. Surfing and bungee jumping were included as activities considered cool at the time. Former executive producer Michael Kosaka's design documents for the game envisioned six zones with three levels each. At least four stages were developed before cancellation: Jade Gully, Red Sands, Galaxy Fortress, and Crystal Frost. Lead designer Chris Senn said he modeled and textured four main characters and created designs for 50 enemies and an hour of music. Fang the Sniper and Metal Sonic were planned as bosses. The plot described in promotional materials involves a Tiara Boobowski, who was set to become a major character, and her father, Professor Gazebo Boobowski, calling on Sonic to help defend the six magical Rings of Order from Dr. Robotnik. Background The original Sonic the Hedgehog was developed by Sonic Team in Japan. Released in 1991, it greatly increased the popularity of the Sega Genesis in North America. After its release, developer Yuji Naka and other Japanese staff relocated to California to join Sega Technical Institute (STI), a development division led by Mark Cerny. Cerny aimed to establish an elite development studio combining the design philosophies of American and Japanese developers. In 1991, STI began developing several games, including Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (1992), which was released the following year. Though Sonic the Hedgehog 2 was successful, the language barrier and cultural differences created a rift between the Japanese and American developers. Once development ended, Cerny departed STI and was replaced by former Atari employee Roger Hector. The American staff developed Sonic Spinball (1993), while the Japanese staff developed Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (1994) and Sonic & Knuckles (1994). According to developer Takashi