Sonic The Hedgehog Games

[Vyse Inglebard]

I have to admit, this one has grown on me quite a bit in this latest playthrough. There's a certain "flow" in this game that no other Sonic game has come close to before or since. It actually encourages you to get better at it with each consecutive playthrough. For example, I found Metropolis Zone to actually be pretty comfortable because I actually was able to anticipate the enemies' attacks/patterns. Also the Death Egg robot? Not as hard as people make it out to be after figuring out its patterns. Also is it me or are the Special Stages easier than I remember?

 

[The Lawgiver]

View attachment 8498606
I have to admit, this one has grown on me quite a bit in this latest playthrough. There's a certain "flow" in this game that no other Sonic game has come close to before or since. It actually encourages you to get better at it with each consecutive playthrough. For example, I found Metropolis Zone to actually be pretty comfortable because I actually was able to anticipate the enemies' attacks/patterns. Also the Death Egg robot? Not as hard as people make it out to be after figuring out its patterns. Also is it me or are the Special Stages easier than I remember?

sonic 2's big fucking thing is pattern recognition whether it be the stages, bosses, or special stages.
IIRC special stages are the easiest in the series unless you're in 2 player mode.

They're the most hype of special stage IMO

 

[Newcomer 42]

I have trouble reading these issues. I can enjoy a stupid comic if it’s fun to read. But IDW Sonic so far is dull and bland. I’d rather read Pender’s issues since he can make an interesting comic, even if it’s for the wrong reasons.

Don't worry, IDW will get there too! With blatant shock value moments that exist for the sake of it, as well as trying to be "mature" in a comic meant for children, and failing at that as it tries to be both things at once. Or women talking, what a book for boys would totally have (and not particularly interesting girl talk to boot).
Oh, and the they/them/xir genderspecial snowflake from the latest issue that was obviously cut at the last second, since presumably someone from SEGA noticed the writer was pushing too much woke drivel.

 

[analrapist]

I have to admit, this one has grown on me quite a bit in this latest playthrough. There's a certain "flow" in this game that no other Sonic game has come close to before or since. It actually encourages you to get better at it with each consecutive playthrough. For example, I found Metropolis Zone to actually be pretty comfortable because I actually was able to anticipate the enemies' attacks/patterns. Also the Death Egg robot? Not as hard as people make it out to be after figuring out its patterns. Also is it me or are the Special Stages easier than I remember?

S2 and S3+K are my two favorite Sonic games, and it's hard for me to pick my favorite from them because of reasons like you explain. S3's design became more "labyrinthine", more multiple paths. S2's tends to have a "right" path(s) and then some opportunities for exploration. Some of the "labyrinthine" design started with S2, but I agree with you about the "flow".

It is hard for me to evaluate the special stages because I have them all memorized and can't make myself forget.

 

[Book Thief]

For example, I found Metropolis Zone to actually be pretty comfortable because I actually was able to anticipate the enemies' attacks/patterns.

I always dread going through Metropolis Zone because it feels very cheap and unrefined. In one instance, they placed a Slicer right at the top of a series of bounce pads purely so that you can get a near-guaranteed hit on your way up. And the Shellcracker? That son-of-a-bitch's claw has a hitbox that covers half of its body when retracted. You pretty much have to hit it on the far side to not take damage from it.

 

[Vyse Inglebard]

I used to rank S3&K above S2 for the longest time, basically for being much better than CD at balancing exploration and high speed platforming. However, I now have a newfound appreciation for Sonic 2, so I'd say....both are equally good for different reasons, and it really comes down to personal preference. If you want a more "pure" Sonic experience, just blasting through the game, Sonic 2 is your game. If you want to take your time and explore while platforming, S3&K will keep you more than satisfied.

 

[starborn427614]

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I used to rank S3&K above S2 for the longest time, basically for being much better than CD at balancing exploration and high speed platforming. However, I now have a newfound appreciation for Sonic 2, so I'd say....both are equally good for different reasons, and it really comes down to personal preference. If you want a more "pure" Sonic experience, just blasting through the game, Sonic 2 is your game. If you want to take your time and explore while platforming, S3&K will keep you more than satisfied.

It's 3+K all the way for me, Sonic 2's a bit too tricky in the later stages in ways that don't really feel fun (mostly Metropolis let's be honest). Not to mention the lack of rings in the final boss.

 

[Celebrate Nite]

Not to mention the lack of rings in the final boss.

That stage is pure hell when playing as Knuckles. Mecha Sonic isn't so bad, but unless you're a pixel god and can hit the black underbelly, you have to wait until the boss bends down after landing to hit his middle, and even then you HAVE to do it with a glide because there's a glitch that sends knuckles passing THROUGH the boss towards your death if you just jump at him normally.

 

[KingofSomething]

I have to admit, this one has grown on me quite a bit in this latest playthrough. There's a certain "flow" in this game that no other Sonic game has come close to before or since. It actually encourages you to get better at it with each consecutive playthrough. For example, I found Metropolis Zone to actually be pretty comfortable because I actually was able to anticipate the enemies' attacks/patterns.

This is why it's my favorite Sonic game. None of the other installments have been able to match the sense of speed combined with exploration that Sonic 2 exudes for me. All the good 2D Sonic games have a "right" path to go through, but this one feels the most rewarding for figuring it out. There isn't a Zone I actually dread going to, even the infamous Metropolis Zone. Slicers being able to activate off screen is slightly annoying though

Also the Death Egg robot? Not as hard as people make it out to be after figuring out its patterns. Also is it me or are the Special Stages easier than I remember?

The difficulty from Death Egg robot comes with the lack of rings. You can take your time and defeat it pretty safely, but the fact that your constantly one mistake from instant death does make things tense. As for the Special Stages, a lot of things get easier with age. Also they all follow a pattern, so once you know it, you can't fuck it up unless your reflexes are shot.

That stage is pure hell when playing as Knuckles. Mecha Sonic isn't so bad, but unless you're a pixel god and can hit the black underbelly, you have to wait until the boss bends down after landing to hit his middle, and even then you HAVE to do it with a glide because there's a glitch that sends knuckles passing THROUGH the boss towards your death if you just jump at him normally.

The final boss has a weird hitbox in general. I've died plenty of times as Sonic since sometimes he decided to phase through the body instead of bouncing off it.

I always dread going through Metropolis Zone because it feels very cheap and unrefined. In one instance, they placed a Slicer right at the top of a series of bounce pads purely so that you can get a near-guaranteed hit on your way up. And the Shellcracker? That son-of-a-bitch's claw has a hitbox that covers half of its body when retracted. You pretty much have to hit it on the far side to not take damage from it.

It's the final main Zone so I get it, but yeah it has some very aggressive enemy placement. Every one is a problem if you don't respect how they work. Don't forget about the Asterons Tails can set off sometimes because he has a seizure at the end of the giant nut instead of staying in the center.

 

[The Lawgiver]

This is a really weird edit of the normal sonic 3 box art because you can tell sonic tails and knuckles are more recent mania-ish art plastered into the older background.


Keeping knuckles's spot where he's lifting up the bush leaves to peer out but editing out his eyes looks so fucking bad to me.

It's interesting how the american art for the sonic games kept kinda using the sonic 1 sonic's design but slightly changing the pose for each game. I think i rambled about that before.

 

[Book Thief]

Don't forget about the Asterons Tails can set off sometimes because he has a seizure at the end of the giant nut instead of staying in the center.

I always make sure Tails is locked onto the nuts because having him run in tandem with Sonic makes the nut spin faster, so I usually have less problems with that.

 

[analrapist]

Metropolis Zone suffers from trying to make Sonic mechanically challenging. Sonic is not a mechanically challenging game. You have to bugger the controls up (ie. Sonic 1) and compromise "rings protect you" logic (S2 final boss, pits, i-frame ignoring spikes in S1, crushing, drowning) to actually create difficulty. The "industrial machine shop" tileset is, visually, one of my least favorite themes in the game.

The final boss has a weird hitbox in general. I've died plenty of times as Sonic since sometimes he decided to phase through the body instead of bouncing off it.

The "always works" strategy I used as a kid was that every time he lands, he bends over. You get one good clean hit per bend-over. Keep him on the right hand side of the arena then you can run left and avoid any attacks pretty easily.

The fact that Sonic&Tails-Tails screws stuff up all the time amused me and made me think it was somewhat intentional for the sake of challenge. There's a good lesson there about helpers having the potential to hinder.

 

[Zenos Yae Viator]

View attachment 8498606
I have to admit, this one has grown on me quite a bit in this latest playthrough. There's a certain "flow" in this game that no other Sonic game has come close to before or since. It actually encourages you to get better at it with each consecutive playthrough. For example, I found Metropolis Zone to actually be pretty comfortable because I actually was able to anticipate the enemies' attacks/patterns. Also the Death Egg robot? Not as hard as people make it out to be after figuring out its patterns. Also is it me or are the Special Stages easier than I remember?

Sonic Mania successfully apes it quite well.

 

[Plumber's Crack]

View attachment 8498606
I have to admit, this one has grown on me quite a bit in this latest playthrough. There's a certain "flow" in this game that no other Sonic game has come close to before or since. It actually encourages you to get better at it with each consecutive playthrough. For example, I found Metropolis Zone to actually be pretty comfortable because I actually was able to anticipate the enemies' attacks/patterns. Also the Death Egg robot? Not as hard as people make it out to be after figuring out its patterns. Also is it me or are the Special Stages easier than I remember?

sonic 2's big fucking thing is pattern recognition whether it be the stages, bosses, or special stages.
IIRC special stages are the easiest in the series unless you're in 2 player mode.

They're the most hype of special stage IMO
https://youtube.com/watch?v=RCTtkA8Z1L8

This is why it's my favorite Sonic game. None of the other installments have been able to match the sense of speed combined with exploration that Sonic 2 exudes for me. All the good 2D Sonic games have a "right" path to go through, but this one feels the most rewarding for figuring it out.

I'm really glad that im not the only one who sees the magic in Sonic 2. Of all the Genesis games, i feel like it best embodies the design of replaying them endlessly to get faster times and optimizing the best routes. The other games understand the lesson, but they don't execute it as well as this game does.

Sonic Mania successfully apes it quite well.

I can't wait to replay Mania whenever i get around to it. It's unashamedly driven by nostalgiafaggotry, but it also contains Chemical Plant, Hydrocity, Stardust Speedway and Press Garden all in one game, so i can't bring myself to even see it as a flaw.

 

[starborn427614]

Mania is class, but if I'm going to play a classic era style game I'll typically go for 3+K. It's got the better selection of levels and story of all things for me.

 

[Retarded Weeb]

I was trying out Sonic Racing Crossworlds, and I see that they're keeping up their track record for Sonic games having banger desert level music.

 

[The Lawgiver]

I was trying out Sonic Racing Crossworlds, and I see that they're keeping up their track record for Sonic games having banger desert level music.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=8MSfl_gmO5shttps://youtube.com/watch?v=rrYj0aVVTmo

Damn sand road is a funky redo of the tails snowboarding level from sonic adventure.

 

[KingofSomething]

I always make sure Tails is locked onto the nuts because having him run in tandem with Sonic makes the nut spin faster, so I usually have less problems with that.

Yeah it's simple enough to deal with, just kinda annoying when it happens.

The "always works" strategy I used as a kid was that every time he lands, he bends over. You get one good clean hit per bend-over. Keep him on the right hand side of the arena then you can run left and avoid any attacks pretty easily.

The fact that Sonic&Tails-Tails screws stuff up all the time amused me and made me think it was somewhat intentional for the sake of challenge. There's a good lesson there about helpers having the potential to hinder.

That sounds right. It's been a minute since I've played it, but I think the kill zone I kept falling into was as the Death Egg Robot was standing back up after he bends over which I guess messed with the hitbox if you attacked then. I think Tails messing up was just an unintended consequence of the delay input feature since they wanted Tails to mimic and not just fly through the level and his AI shits the bed if you don't give him time to react properly as it tries to reset back to you

I was trying out Sonic Racing Crossworlds, and I see that they're keeping up their track record for Sonic games having banger desert level music.

If this franchise is good for anything, it's putting out some banger music

 

[StMaryPiper]

Sonic Racing Crossworlds is a disappointment according to the bean counters at Sega. Game sold 1+ million so they fucked up the budget in some way. Either the VAs costed too much or 3rd parties did.

 

[analrapist]

Sonic Racing Crossworlds is a disappointment according to the bean counters at Sega.

The timing was horrible. Mario Kart 8 was mature. Nickelodeon and DreamWorks kart racers were available for like $5 on bundle sites. Mario Kart World was the big Switch 2 launch title, and even the sequel to obscure GC quasi-racer Kirby Air Ride was part of the S2 launch. Plus, Sega is milking the DLC hard and that sours people. It's a good game, but the market and timing were beyond poor.