|
Post by Arch on Aug 12, 2011 8:34:39 GMT
Sonic Chaos, 1993 - Master System/Game Gear A less divisive one, this one (because less people care, lawl). Chaos is another one of those I didn't get to play for a few years, but it wasn't hyped up at all - I'm not actually sure how I heard of it before going on a cousin's Master System. The game is a fairly enjoyable blast, but it still feels like Sonic 2 SMS, albeit a bit more cleaned up and refined now, going in the right direction. It's all very easy, though. If you just press down 'right', you'll usually get to the end of a level around the 30sec mark. The first level is a bit of a joke and it's just an excuse to get 100 Rings and zoom off to the Special Stage - which is another joke. These vary depending on which Emerald you're going for (I think), with the first being a very simple 'hold right', unless you go for some of the many Rings in the level that will keep you right for lives until the end. The second one is suddenly a tricky spring leap to several vertically-placed platforms, with precision jumping required or you'll end up back at the bottom. I don't think I've ever got the second Emerald... Back in the game, Gigalopolis is actually quite nice for a second level with some fast gameplay and smashable walls which extend the replayability at least slightly. Sleeping Egg is a rubbish rehash of the first level but at least you get the feeling of smashing loadsa walls with springs. Lots of pits, though. Mecha Green Hill is actually a fun idea and plays quite well until you get to the "rotating" walkways; it's taken me years to realise you need to talk these at full speed and I still just try and bypass them as much as possible. Aqua Planet (yes, it's in this game) is a fairly sub-par water level and Electric Egg is [censored]ing awful if you haven't memorised the layout (which is every time I turn off the game and don't play it for 2 years). Tails is a good addition and it's the first game he can fly. Hooray! You'll almost certainly be playing as Sonic, though. Why? It's only Sonic that can finish the game properly since Tails can't enter the Special Stages, so can't collect the Emeralds. He also doesn't get hold of funky power-ups like Rocket Boots or Spring Shoes, so his gameplay is just another platform game. His flying is pretty stilted, too, not reaching true control until the next game on this list. So he's pretty pointless unless you want a severely limited playthrough on an even easier difficulty. Chaos is a step-up from Sonic 2 SMS but it's still a far cry from the 8-bit series' beginnings; was it really so bad to stick with the formula from Sonic 1, not to mention the catchy music and vibrant models? Either way, "Sonic & Tails" is the precursor to a much better Game Gear game, so all is not lost for the handheld titles.
|
|
|
Post by madhair60 on Aug 12, 2011 10:01:33 GMT
Sonic 2 SMS > Chaos. I dislike Chaos because it has ludicrously small levels which are not as interesting or inventive as the Sonic 2 SMS ones. I like the fireball cheat though.
More like Sonic Gay-os. No, that's prejudiced. Ignore that.
|
|
|
Post by fanoftheblueone on Aug 12, 2011 12:33:36 GMT
I agree with most of what Nambot said about Sonic CD. It's not just rush through, you do need to either time travel or take care collecting rings and get the time stones to succeed (even though some sections of the zones and all of Stardust Speedway is designed for a rush-through).
Still, the time travel aspect, the special stages - and at back in 1993, the CD-quality soundtrack - make the game unique, enjoyable and decidedly one of my favourites. I still like it a lot better than Sonic 3D.
Sonic Chaos is unbelievably easy, once you memorise what to do in the special stages and know the trick in handling the final boss. Sonic looks sharper than in all the other 8-bit games in this one and we see him from all sides, like in Sonic CD.
Excuse me, boomer with the Rouge avatar. How do you pronounce your username and does that mean that YOU ACTUALLY GOT THE FIREBALL CHEAT TO WORK?
|
|
|
Post by Balls on Aug 12, 2011 12:58:22 GMT
It's pronounced "Doctor Buttlove."
|
|
|
Post by L. T. Dangerous on Aug 12, 2011 13:31:39 GMT
I like Chaos. It's not the greatest and it's not the most memorable, but it's inoffensive and simple. Some decent tracks in the soundtrack too.
Level design leaves an awful lot to be desired. The bosses are sort of okay, though not too taxing.
The special moves are cool, though Tails' flying is a shadow of what it would be in S3&K (though what do we expect?).
|
|
Kurai
Big Time Boomer
I got that DAMN fourth Chaos Emerald! So NYA!
Posts: 306
|
Post by Kurai on Aug 15, 2011 12:36:33 GMT
Excuse me, boomer with the Rouge avatar. How do you pronounce your username and does that mean that YOU ACTUALLY GOT THE FIREBALL CHEAT TO WORK? Su-tyu or Stu would be best.
|
|
|
Post by Arch on Aug 24, 2011 15:28:02 GMT
Huh, forgot I was doing this... Sonic the Hedgehog 3, 1994 - Mega Drive Why, yes, I am counting this as a separate game. Muahahaetc. That's because it is a complete game, much like Sonic 4: Episode 1 is a complete game. Only when combining it with Sonic & Knuckles do you get a 'complete' experience, but it's still effectively two games rolled seamlessly into one. I'll talk about S3&K another time. Sonic 3 is a remarkable step up from Sonic 2, despite it seeming much shorter. Just 6 double-acted levels this time around, but the variety seems that much more worth it. Ice levels finally make it to the main series, as well as a truly expansive base level, a green level that turns into an inferno halfway through and an exciting water level. There may be only six levels, but the experience of going through them all beats Sonic 2 (and its predecessor) hands down. The game follows straight on from the events of Sonic 2, with the Death Egg crashing down on the Floating Island, with Sonic and Tails coming straight down to investigate. In this time, Robotnik has already established a new base on the island, dispatching a whole new set of Badniks and, more importantly, convinced guardian Knuckles that Sonic is after the Chaos Emeralds. Already this plot is far more extensive than previous efforts and it's definitely welcome. Little setpieces that pepper the game, usually delivered by Knuckles pressing switches, break up the levels beautifully and give reasons for your passage throughout and between levels. Add to that actual transitions from Zone to Zone and you wonder how the older entries didn't do something this ingenious first. There's a ton of new goodies floating around every level. A big addition is 3 new shields, Fire, Water and Electric. Each gives Sonic new abilities, although it's a shame Tails doesn't get the same treatment. Each as their own big fans, mine in particular being the Water one (or Electric if I feel like smashing through a level or finding new secrets). There's even the Insta-Shield that criminally has hardly been in any more games. The most impressive thing is that you can now actually control Tails' flight (and better than in Chaos), giving every playable character much more to do than run right. Bosses are now added to each act, which can slow down the action, but some are memorable enough to not matter - Marble Garden's flight with Tails is a massive piece of Sonic history. Music for each boss is different and it's the stellar soundtrack that is enough reason why people call S3&K the best of the bunch. A bunch of new special features in this one, from the extremely popular special stages, the gumball machine Bonus Stage and a whole new competition mode, which I don't like as much as Sonic 2's but whatever. At least there's 5 new levels to blast through, with or without a friend. Of course, this game is nowhere near as good without S&K to extend it, but Sonic 3 has plenty of charms when playing it on its own (which you have to do with recent compilations, pfft). Most notable is the absence of Robotnik TVs in the extended edition, which is a real shame. Even so, Sonic 3 is a huge step up, and Sega weren't finished there. The next main game's even better...
|
|
|
Post by madhair60 on Aug 24, 2011 17:24:55 GMT
Great friggin' game. Not much to say about it. Well, I do, but we'd be here all night. And without Sonic and Knuckles it's like tits without nipples.
|
|
|
Post by ShayMay on Aug 24, 2011 17:35:54 GMT
Sonic 3 is braw through and through. An absolute masterpiece of graphics, sound, level design, and cinematics. The way the cutscenes are executed (by allowing you to move around, and giving the story in little chunks without saying a word) is absolutely marvelous.
Edit: Oh, and Hydrocity is quite possibly my favourite level in anything ever, Samface be damned. Actually, it could be Ice Cap. Or Launch Base. Wow, Sonic 3's great.
|
|
|
Post by Samface on Aug 24, 2011 19:24:48 GMT
Oh, and Hydrocity is quite possibly my favourite level in anything ever, Samface be damned. but it's rubbish I like every other level in the game though, so hey.
|
|
|
Post by Alex on Aug 24, 2011 19:28:19 GMT
Launch base, sans boss, is my least favourite level in the game. It's kind of annoying to play through and it has an ugly colour pallet.
|
|
|
Post by L. T. Dangerous on Aug 24, 2011 20:22:57 GMT
I don't think I can praise any part of S3&K enough to fully express how much I love it.
The game's music is incredible, the graphics are astounding and the gameplay is wonderful. And now for more specific Sonic 3 stuff:
-Angel Island flips the "green opening Zone" schtick on its head by SETTING IT ABLAZE half way through act one. Knuckles' run through this level is wonderfully designed. Great intro to the game. -HydroCity is a great speed level, which is weird considering it's also the water level. The background in act two is astonishing. Superb level design. -Marble can be a bit of a slog, it's very, very long. But it has some cool sections to it. Probably my least favourite Zone in the game, but the Robotnik fight is excellent. -Carnival Night is a brilliant gimmick level with loads of fun bouncing around. Then it suddenly becomes a water level- and it's still brilliant! Knuckles' act two is pathetic. -Ice Cap is brill, a very well designed level with lots of speed sections. Act two is particularly cool (har). -Launch Base feels like a proper base level for the first time, in contrast to Scrap Brain and Metropolis feeling like factory levels. The music helps create a sense of urgency too.
And as for that final fight, holy crap, three bosses? Amazing. Fair enough, the second one is poo but fighting the Squeeze Tag Machine (fornever Big Arm) for the first time with the music and the change in lighting was truly awesome.
|
|
|
Post by madhair60 on Aug 24, 2011 20:59:31 GMT
Oh, and Hydrocity is quite possibly my favourite level in anything ever, Samface be damned. but it's rubbish I like every other level in the game though, so hey. what the hell is wrong with you samface why would you say this ever
|
|
|
Post by Nam on Aug 24, 2011 22:04:41 GMT
I'm not actually all that found of Sonic 3. Don't get me wrong, great game, highly competent, full of neat little bits and pieces. Yet it's still sorta ... ehh, to me. Angel Island is nice, and visually lush, then they set it on fire and it loses a lot of it's prettiness, and becomes bland, Hydrocity is a good speedy water level (probably the best level in the game), but the Marble Garden is tedious, Carnival Night is actually grating (garish colours, awful music, tedious gimmicks, a real nightmare to slog through), Ice Cap is good, but nothing special, and Launch Base is probably the most interesting level, but still quite a chore to get through. None of it is special or overly memorable in the same way Sonic 2, or Sonic & Knuckles is.
Again, not awful, lots of good bits, great game, tight controls yadda yadda yadda, just really forgettable to me. =/
Also Tails should've fought Knuckles Marble Garden boss, Tails is an easy mode character everywhere else, and gets a right [censored] of a third level boss to compensate.
|
|
|
Post by Mambo's Here! Look Busy! on Aug 24, 2011 22:36:36 GMT
It's actually quite a neat idea to turn the first level into a burned wasteland, considering many of the game's predecessors started with a nice, green, shiny zone.
|
|
|
Post by ShayMay on Aug 25, 2011 6:58:27 GMT
Oh, also, the Insta-Shield is 20x more useful than the homing attack, at least in the 2D games. Master that thing and the game becomes your [censored].
In fact, I'm gonna play this game right now.
|
|
|
Post by Samface on Aug 25, 2011 10:04:36 GMT
what the hell is wrong with you samface why would you say this ever because it's rubbish Bosses are good, though.
|
|
|
Post by madhair60 on Aug 25, 2011 22:08:29 GMT
I'm not actually all that found of Sonic 3. Don't get me wrong, great game, highly competent, full of neat little bits and pieces. Yet it's still sorta ... ehh, to me. Angel Island is nice, and visually lush, then they set it on fire and it loses a lot of it's prettiness, and becomes bland, Hydrocity is a good speedy water level (probably the best level in the game), but the Marble Garden is tedious, Carnival Night is actually grating (garish colours, awful music, tedious gimmicks, a real nightmare to slog through), Ice Cap is good, but nothing special, and Launch Base is probably the most interesting level, but still quite a chore to get through. None of it is special or overly memorable in the same way Sonic 2, or Sonic & Knuckles is. Again, not awful, lots of good bits, great game, tight controls yadda yadda yadda, just really forgettable to me. =/ Also Tails should've fought Knuckles Marble Garden boss, Tails is an easy mode character everywhere else, and gets a right [censored] of a third level boss to compensate. >Says game is forgettable >Lists every level, including details Nam™ Actually I agree that Marble Garden is tedious. You're wrong on literally every other point, though, and insane.
|
|
|
Post by ShayMay on Aug 25, 2011 22:14:49 GMT
I like Marble Garden. Admittedly, it does require quite a lot of trap-maneuvering, and taking it slowly is a must, which is weird, but I love the music and the aesthetic, and the good level design in it far outweighs the bad. However, the end of Act II has one of the BIGGEST DICK MOVES IN GAMING. Basically, you're right before the boss, and you've kept all your rings throughout the level. You run up a hill, and BAM. 3 grasshoppers pop out of the grass. Unless you know they're there, you are going to get hit by them - which is horrible design, frankly. Still, it's one moment. Marble Garden's still great.
|
|
|
Post by madhair60 on Aug 25, 2011 22:21:50 GMT
That's why you spin dash up the hill. I thought everyone spin dashed up every hill.
|
|
|
Post by Alex on Aug 25, 2011 22:23:40 GMT
Yup.
|
|
|
Post by madhair60 on Aug 25, 2011 22:28:55 GMT
|
|
|
Post by ShayMay on Aug 25, 2011 22:55:18 GMT
You already have momentum but.
|
|
|
Post by Baron Canier on Aug 26, 2011 12:23:05 GMT
I haven't played S3&K in ages. Time to download both games of the XBLA, I think.
|
|
|
Post by Arch on Aug 26, 2011 19:38:26 GMT
Sonic Triple Trouble, 1994 - Game Gear A quick break from the S3&K juggernaut for now. Triple Trouble is somehow a great step-up from Chaos, but it still doesn't quite reach the complete feeling of the first handheld game. The action is largely the same as the first "Sonic & Tails", yet everything feels tighter and well thought out. It all starts out remarkably familiarly with a green level, although watery areas are a nice touch. Sunset Park really mixes it up, with minecarts and springs throwing you everywhere, before a ground-breaking running battle against a train (even if it goes on a bit). Meta Junglira gives us a glimpse of what Sonic 2's Wood Zone could have been like, throwing in Marble Garden's mud and Collision Chaos' bumpers. Robotnik Winter gives handheld players a chance with the snowboard, yet this is exactly more exciting than the original, albeit less visually appealing. Tidal Plant is a much-improved water level with conveyor belts and bubbles that you ride to the top of vertical shafts (um..). Shame Atomic Destroyer isn't as fun, although the bosses are great. There's great character cameos everywhere, too. Sonic and Tails return with their difficulty segregation, Knuckles brings in some of Sonic 3's setpieces, Robotnik is just as dastardly and even Metal Sonic joins the party. The real gem is Nack's debut, with the weasel at the end of some of the series' hardest Special Stages. They're fun, but a slight pain to get to. The animations showing Nack failing are a treat, too. Triple Trouble has so much packed into it, yet it never feels shoehorned in for the sake of it. Where Sonic 1 wins on playability, Triple Trouble makes up for it in variety and replayability. Shame, then, that it's the last really good Sonic Game Gear game.
|
|