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Post by Arch on Jul 27, 2011 18:35:19 GMT
Sonic the Hedgehog, 1991 - Master System/Game Gear [/center] OK, I lied. THIS was the first Sonic game I played. Heck, it was the first game I played! Built into my Master System, it was this 8-bit adventure that really kicked off my interests in the series and I'm still a raving lunatic now. As it's been mentioned, the Master System version of the Mega Drive classic has enough in its inventory to trump its superior. What it lacks in graphical power it more than makes up in sheer atmosphere. My former gripe about lack of variety and has a certain dullness is replaced here by three lush green zones at the start. That might just sound like the same problem but in reverse, yet there's another variation in these starter levels that it's not all that noticeable. And by 'starter', I mean a fair challenge in certain areas... The whole game starts pretty disappointingly, really. Act 1 of the Green Hill Zone is ridiculously flat and boring, and can be almost completely bypassed in the handheld version. Thankfully, Act 2 brings a complete change by delving underground through spiky tunnels, waterfalls and a 'complex' maze for first-time players. The whole 'Chaos Emerald in level' thing is quite novel for the time as well, with the locations being pretty intuitive (Sky Base be damned). To top it off, the boss of the first level is pretty darn simple, too. A nice breather for the coming levels. Bridge Zone seems like another nice saunter at first, until Act 2 throws you into a Mario-esque scrolling level. Not exactly sure if that works, but hey, it's different! The boss just kicks you in the teeth sometimes, his projectiles being alarmingly hard to avoid when you don't know what you're doing. The fun don't stop, Jungle Zone's next with its quirky music (following on from the serene Bridge's tunes), lush background and vine-hopping gameplay. Running on logs is a fun diversion, and it's Act 2 again that adds to the excitement, this time a vertical chase up a waterfall – make sure you don't fall off! Game Gear tones the difficulty down somewhat, Your Mileage May Vary on whether it's welcome. Not much to say about the next two levels; Labyrinth is a fairly decent adaptation with a lacklustre boss, Scrap Brain is much more fun to play than the original with a mazy set of corridors, better music, teleporters – everything you need. Just not a big fan of final level Sky Base – the annoying lightning contraptions make a return in Sonic CD's Wacky Workbench and they're not welcome there, either. Wow, this review's longer. Sonic 1 SMS/GG just gives me so much more to gush about, from the overall atmosphere to the wonderful 8-bit music. Hopefully it isn't just the nostalgia filter kicking in, but this is absolutely the best handheld game in the older series (although there's one that comes close later) and one of my overall favourites from the early Sonic franchise.
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Post by Tom J on Jul 27, 2011 18:43:00 GMT
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Post by patches on Jul 27, 2011 18:54:03 GMT
Did anyone ever play Tails' Adventure on the GG? I loved that game... I remember it was very frustrating, but I still loved it. I remember it being pretty difficult towads the end (I got stuck for ages trying to unlock the final level... can't actually remember how I managed it) but it had lots of cool gadgets, like Tails' jetboat (that hadn't been invented as an extreme sport back then!!), and... er... alien ducks!!! Ahhh the memories!!! Think that might be my all time favourite sonic franchise game (even though I don't think Sonic appears in it). I remember it playing a bit like an RPG game with map sections and stuff, and it is much slower paced... I've never much been a fan of very fast Sonic games, as I used to love exploring levels rather than dashing through them ( I used to time out frequently!). I suspect many shall disagree...
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Post by madhair60 on Jul 27, 2011 18:59:11 GMT
I didn't manage to finish it, but I got a couple of hours in. It's alright. Very stilted.
Tom J is a genius sometimes. Other times he's crap, but the above is genius.
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Post by patches on Jul 27, 2011 19:04:13 GMT
Hahahahahahahaha! I only just properly looked at that... brilliant! Tom J, I salute you!
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Post by ShayMay on Jul 27, 2011 19:04:48 GMT
Tails Adventure was alright. It's not a Sonic game, really. What ruins it for me is the crazy amount of moments that basically require a guide. I remember trying to get the fire bomb (or w/e), and looked up how to get it - you had to bomb one bit of wall in an earlier level that looked exactly the same as all the other walls.
I never got into the Master System/Game Gear games, to be honest. I probably should do at some point.
And Tom J is brilliant. All the time.
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Post by Alex on Jul 27, 2011 19:35:37 GMT
You can skip the whole of the first level of Green Hill Zone on the Master System version too. I get extremely disappointed any time I don't manage it.
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Post by patches on Jul 27, 2011 19:42:27 GMT
Ahhh, you see... I think the reason I liked Tails Adventure is because it isn't really a traditional Sonic game... I have a soft spot for puzzle and RPG games, and the maddening walking in circles part trying to work out what on earth to do next is what I find so fab about it. I also love Sonic and the Dark Brotherhood (or whatever it was called) for the DS... it's much along the same lines: puzzles, exploring, maps, melodrama! None of this needless tearing around all the time... slow down young man!
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Post by ShayMay on Jul 27, 2011 19:46:23 GMT
None of this needless tearing around all the time... slow down young man! I KNOW SOMEONE ELSE WHO COMPLAINED ABOUT THE TEARING BECAUSE I DIDN'T SLOW DOWN ARGH HARGH
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Post by patches on Jul 27, 2011 19:55:32 GMT
*sighs* Oh dear, my poor boy... *refuses to drag the conversation any lower* ... did your latest driving test not quite go according to plan then?
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Post by ShayMay on Jul 27, 2011 20:00:17 GMT
No, if you turn too quickly in Batman: Arkham Asylum, there are some screen-tearing issues, which my friend complained about whilst I was playing. Why are you talking about cars?
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Post by Nam on Jul 27, 2011 20:08:17 GMT
Bridge Zone's tune is a brilliant tune, as is the Boss theme. unlike most the other songs, that sound terrible and really tinny out of the Game Gear speakers, those two play to it's strengths and sound not like an eight bit chipset trying to sound like a tune, but like an actual tune. Nice, but the graph suggests an upswing at some point in time. 2006 perhaps? If only because the games can't get worse.
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Post by patches on Jul 27, 2011 20:13:21 GMT
No, if you turn too quickly in Batman: Arkham Asylum, there are some screen-tearing issues, which my friend complained about whilst I was playing. Why are you talking about cars? Because I not as much of a computer game geek as you and have missed the point somewhat!!! Sorry ShayMay... P.S. Have you passed yet?
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Post by ShayMay on Jul 27, 2011 20:21:31 GMT
P.S. Have you passed yet? No I failed like a numpty.
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Post by patches on Jul 27, 2011 20:52:01 GMT
No I failed like a numpty. This is how I look at it: All the best drivers pass second time around I passed on my fourth attempt So that makes me a [best driver] 2 *realises she isn't talking about sonic games* Can this type of... *coughs*.... mathematics be applied to Sonic games? Is Sonic 2 the square root of Sonic and Knuckles? (I assume S+K is treated as the fourth game in the franchise?) I accept if this makes no sense to anyone else but me...
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Post by Beeth on Jul 28, 2011 9:28:08 GMT
MSGG Sonic 1 was a decent little game. Green Hill is a decent, if fairly basic feeling, start. Bridge and Jungle Zones were quite good, though the act 2 gimmicks felt a bit out of place, very clearly they were attempting to ape a couple of platforming tropes with this one. Jungle's vertical climb was fairly fun, though it really could have done without the rising "bottomless pit" death line. Bridge Zone's auto-scrolling second act was a poor job. I generally don't like auto-scrolling sections in most platformers (particularly if they have a death redline at the back of them), but to put one in a Sonic game is pushing it a bit, if you'll excuse the pun.
Labyrinth Zone was probably my single favourite zone in the game, however. Loved the designs of the two acts, and the music was so much better than the one used on the Mega Drive version. Boss was a good challenge as well, though a bit of suspension of disbelief was required to get round the whole "act 3 being entirely underwater" thing. In short, MSGG Labyrinth Zone kicks MD Labyrinth Zone's bottom any day of the week.
Scrap Brain was alright, though the puzzle element of Act 3 was slightly jarring. Sky Base slowed things to a crawl, what with having to stop-start for the lightning all the time. Act 2 was just confusing, and the final boss was disappointingly easy. Not the best final area I've played in a game, it was a bit of a letdown to what I think is a good smaller-system counterpart.
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Post by madhair60 on Jul 28, 2011 21:24:35 GMT
I prefer SMS Sonic 1 and 2 to their MD equivalents. I might do a LP sometime.
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Post by Arch on Jul 29, 2011 10:37:08 GMT
Sonic the Hedgehog 2, 1992 - Mega Drive In another 'first', Sonic 2 is the first Mega Drive game I played (though I'll probably tell you otherwise later). What an experience it was, too! I always thought it would be my most favouritest ever, but that's changed recently when I grew common sense. On the face of it, this game is huge compared to its daddy; 11 multi-part levels AND seven special stages. Look deeper and there's only a total of 20 acts, which is effectively just one more than Sonic 1 had to offer. Still more though, right? The majority of Sonic 2's levels have multiple routes to explore, but half of the time you'll probably be shooting down the same route; Emerald Hill tends to take you along the top, players usually try and stay in the top half of Aquatic Ruin unless they fall in the water, Hill Top has a fairly difficult time of keeping you at the top. Even if people disagree, the whole thing feels a mighty lot more linear than most other games in the series. Fortunately, the levels themselves have a great variety in themes, even if some of them are recycled from the first game. Chemical Plant is a blast to play, particularly with the faux-random route-generating tubes giving you a different route each time (unless you influence it, I believe). Casino Night introduces the slot machines which are a surprisingly addictive introduction, making you jump in just one more time for that Jackpot, hoping you don't get 3 Robotniks. Later stages are hit-and-miss; once you've got through the difficult, tedious Metropolis, you're treated to serene (if not somewhat slow) Sky Chase before plunged into drama mode with Wing Fortress. Things always get tense in the Death Egg, the “no Ring” situation finally proving as tough as the 8-bit bosses. All in all, plenty of new Zone structures to warrant a sequel. Tails! There's not too much to say about Sonic's new sidekick in this game as he IS Sonic, albeit recoloured, given an extra tail and, well, turned into a fox. It's a shame that he's shown to fly into the level but can't be made to fly at will, it's a missed opportunity and odd that should be rectified in Sonic Chaos, albeit wrongly. As You Know, it can be great fun to watch him fall foul to Badniks and bottomless pits, but that's only fun for a while. He's a real pain in the (fantastic) special stages and the novelty of playing as him in 1-player wears off real quickly. 2-player is much more fun than the fake “2-player” in story mode, although there should be more levels. It doesn't matter too much; playing against those who haven't played Sonic 2 is an embarrassing experience (for them, muhaha). Sonic 2 definitely isn't the best of the “classics” but it was at the time. Without it, we wouldn't have Tails, multiplayer mode or space station levels. Next Issue Time: I belittle one of Stu's favourite Sonic games but secretly admire his viewpoints!
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Post by Beeth on Jul 29, 2011 11:04:20 GMT
It's alright. Little anecdote that I somehow remember: When I first got this game for Christmas, the cartridge didn't work at all. It would come up with that bit of text you get when you switch it on, then nothing would happen. I ended up waiting about three months until it was finally taken back and exchanged for a working copy.
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Post by ShayMay on Jul 29, 2011 11:31:01 GMT
Sonic 2's a great game, it's just entirely overshadowed by others in the Sonic series. Not least S3K.
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Post by Alex on Jul 29, 2011 11:47:23 GMT
Been over this before many a time, so I won't go into it completely again, but I still prefer Sonic 2 over any other Sonic game - and possibly any other video game ever. S3&K goes bigger in scope, but Sonic 2 is just a more completely perfect game from start to finish.
Just, y'know, don't try doing the special stages in single player with Tails...
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Post by Nam on Jul 29, 2011 13:28:59 GMT
Does anyone actually know how to manipulate the tubes for Chemical Plant Zone? In years of playing, I have never known there to be any trick to truly decide where you go. It always just seems random to me.
And you're right, despite the multiple routes, there are always routes that are just almost alays taken due to being prefered. It always pays to be on the top of Hill Top (as hard as it is to be there) as you won't have to deal with Lava or crushing caves. Similar is true in Chemical Plant, Oil Ocean and Aquatic Ruin. Thing is, this is true of any level that's semi flooded, or has bottomless pits, just because it's safer to be above something else when you fall than be above something deadly. But it does seem to be worst here, as a lot of levels give you something at the bottom to be wary of.
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Post by Arch on Jul 29, 2011 14:09:12 GMT
Does anyone actually know how to manipulate the tubes for Chemical Plant Zone? In years of playing, I have never known there to be any trick to truly decide where you go. It always just seems random to me. I don't know. There's always one particular point in Act 1 (though I can't describe it) where I always hold up, because I'd rather go that way, and more often than not it works. Might just be pure chance or that route's programmed to be more successful, I'm probably just making it all up.
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Post by Tom J on Jul 29, 2011 14:33:24 GMT
I think I read somewhere that the direction you go in is decided based on whether the current second in the timer is even or odd...
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Post by madhair60 on Jul 29, 2011 18:33:07 GMT
S3&K goes bigger in scope, but Sonic 2 is just a more completely perfect game from start to finish. Is it [censored]. It's objectively worse. Don't do this to me Waylon. Edit: THE PIPES IN CHEMICAL PLANT HAVE MORE THAN ONE DESTINATION!?!?!?!?!?!?
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