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Post by Samface on Aug 26, 2011 20:19:29 GMT
Got hideously stuck on Tidal Plant act 2, never completed it. Good little game up to that point, I like the way they really tried to mix up the typical Sonic level list.
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Post by madhair60 on Aug 26, 2011 20:31:48 GMT
It would be great if it was on the SMS, with a bigger field of view. As it stands, it's just alright. I always preferred 1 and 2.
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Post by Alex on Aug 26, 2011 20:42:10 GMT
Never really understood why these games weren't Master System games. I guess it's 'cos the GameGear was actually heard of outside of Europe? Either way, it's kind of annoying. Would have been great to have all these games back in the days of being a Master System owner.
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Post by ShayMay on Aug 26, 2011 22:38:05 GMT
Can I just interject and mention how [censored]ing awesome all the Zone names in this game are? Meta Junglira is going into a script right [censored]ing now, I'm not even joking.
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Post by Juliett. Bravo. Alfa. on Aug 26, 2011 22:51:14 GMT
Triple Trouble is pretty much the Game Gear's own Sonic CD.
Love Triple Trouble. And that train chase should have been in Generations. But then again, never played it on the GG.
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Post by Samface on Aug 27, 2011 8:57:29 GMT
Never really understood why these games weren't Master System games. 'Cos by that time Europe and Brazil were literally the only places where the Master System was still slogging on. I think a couple of later GG games - Sonic Blast/G Sonic and possibly Spinball - got MS ports in Brazil.
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Post by madhair60 on Aug 27, 2011 12:23:40 GMT
Triple Trouble is pretty much the Game Gear's own Sonic CD. whatCan I just interject and mention how [censored]ing awesome all the Zone names in this game are? Meta Junglira is going into a script right [censored]ing now, I'm not even joking. You snooze you lose Shay. Edit: I DISCUSSED THIS WITH YOU ON SKYPE EVEN.
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Post by Juliett. Bravo. Alfa. on Aug 27, 2011 12:40:21 GMT
Triple Trouble is pretty much the Game Gear's own Sonic CD. whatTo me, it felt the level design was more based on exploration rather than outright speed. Minus time travel, of course. I cant be the only one to see it.
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Post by ShayMay on Aug 27, 2011 12:44:04 GMT
You snooze you lose Shay. Edit: I DISCUSSED THIS WITH YOU ON SKYPE EVEN. You did? I may have been high. 'S all good if you've got dibs, it wouldn't have worked out for me.
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Post by Arch on Aug 28, 2011 18:35:06 GMT
Sonic & Knuckles, 1994 - Mega Drive It's come to this. The cream of the crop, the pièce de résistance, the dog's [censored]. Sonic & Knuckles is a mushroom cloud of a cartridge that, whilst great on its own, also spawns three other giants and a near-infinite (well, as many Mega Drive games as you own) bonus stages. Sonic & Knuckles carries straight on from Sonic 3 (if you're playing as Sonic), although Tails oddly decided to go home by this point in his solo career. He's replaced by Knuckles, whose adventure takes place at some point after Sonic's. The "story" setpieces get even more exciting, from the Flying Battery flying over Mushroom Hill, to the rise of the Sandopolis pyramid, Knuckles pushing that boulder on you, the climax in Hidden Palace and the destruction of Sky Sanctuary. Everything that STC made into a great adaptation started here, and it's such a thrill every time. The level list isn't quite as expansive here as in Sonic 3, with a complete lack of water, but they make do with what they give. Mushroom Hill is a sometimes quite tedious first level, but the seasonal change is almost seamless and the variety of different mushrooms to bounce off, fall from and defeat is great. Flying Battery is a tough second zone, with crushers and different routes not being everyone's cup of tea. Sandopolis has a fairly dull first, before kicking in with the challenging pyramid and those ghosts. Lava Reef is quite frankly the best level in Sonic history, made even better when the music and background changes to be more serene, before returning in full force with a chase down a lava fall. Hell yeah. Hidden Palace is short but incredibly immersive somehow, with the story coming to a real head and the first Sonic/Knuckles showdown. Sky Sanctuary's a bit of an odd follow-up, but it's fun to fight the old bosses and the occasional Eggrobo. Death Egg's long and challenging but it doesn't get old. Then there's the 4-boss showdown of epic proportions. Seriously, although the first bit's a tad slow, the fight against the Robotnik mecha is legendary. Then there's Doomsday, which is a fantastic reward for getting all the Emeralds, and not yet bested. Already babbled on, here. Bonus Stages are better than in Sonic 3 (particularly the Slot Machine one, for some reason), music is better, everything's better. Just a shame about the lack of save space (which I can get over) and Tails. Which leads us to... Sonic 3 & Knuckles, most people's favourite. I'll leave you to endlessly debate its (dis)advantages, but three playable characters, 14 levels, 14 Emeralds to collect and 5 Super Transformations leads to one heck of a playthrough. Getting that "CLEAR" picture with all three characters in the emblem for the first time was amazing. Then there's Sonic 2 & Knuckles, which is nice, but clearly inferior to Sonic 2. While it's nice to go through the levels as a Sonic 3 sprite, the game wasn't designed to cater for him and he really suffers. Blue Sphere is the one I keep going back to. Because the Special Stages are so good, it feels right to keep going back for more, to see how far I can get this time. I think it was STC that told me how to get past the "NO WAY NO WAY" sign, so cheers and stuff. Some say this was the end of Sonic, the last game in which he truly excelled. They may be right, but there's been some corkers since, just none on the same scale as S3&K. No new character has had quite the same impact as Knuckles and likely never will.
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Post by dgn00ren33 on Aug 28, 2011 19:29:48 GMT
Sonic & Knuckles is nothing but an over-priced expansion pack.
Avoid at all costs.
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Post by Mark on Aug 28, 2011 20:13:04 GMT
I think everyone's about 17 years too late for this.
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Post by ShayMay on Aug 28, 2011 20:28:28 GMT
An absolute gem. I don't consider it better than Sonic 3, though. I don't consider it worse - even taking these as separate games, it really does feel like... well, an expansion pack to Sonic 3. Sonic 3+, if you will. That is in no way a criticism: 6 new Zones (well, 8 if you include Hidden Palace and Doomsday), all as expertly-designed as can be. Even ignoring the fact that you can get it for a [censored]ing pittance nowadays, back when it was £50 it was still larger than Sonic 3. So it's not just an over-priced expansion pack, especially with the Sonic 2 add-on content.
And Lava Reef is the best thing in existence. [censored] Jedis, Lava Reef should have its own religion.
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Post by Nam on Aug 28, 2011 21:24:39 GMT
Sonic and Knuckles is easily the best of any of the Sonic games ever made. The levels are awesome, in particular Flying Battery, Death Egg, and Lava Reef, there are some fantastic bosses, especially the ending and all of Sky Sanctuaries bosses (both as Sonic and Knuckles).
I can't say too much bad about this game, I agree it does so much so well, creates so many memorable moments, and I'd still argue executes the ending of it's story absolutely flawlessly.
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Post by L. T. Dangerous on Aug 28, 2011 21:43:59 GMT
Sonic & Knuckles is nothing but an over-priced expansion pack. Avoid at all costs. I was just about to go a bit mental before I noticed your username. 100/10. Amazing game. Just amazing. Mushroom Hill has fantastic music and beautiful graphics, the green bits in particular are lovely though it's once again turned on its head with the seasonal changes. Flying Battery is super cool to explore and the act one boss is a favourite of mine for his design alone. Sandopolis act one is fun but act two is [censored]ing horrible, least favourite act by far in the whole experience. Those [censored]ing ghosts. Almost unplayable as Knuckles. Lava Reef is wonderful, can't praise the design choices enough. The fact act two is so completely different to act one is fabulous. Hidden Palace is, obviously, short and sweet, but it's the character element that matters here. In Sonic's play through, anyway. Sky Sanctuary is one of my favourite levels in the game, it's so well designed and the retro bosses are a blast (and the Metropolis boss is much less of a [censored]). The Mecha Sonic fight is awesome, even though it's almost identical to the Silver Sonic fight. Death Egg is super lengthy and I'm always pushed for time at the end. Those warping rings do not help. BLEEBLEEBLEEBLEEBLEEBLEEBLEEBLEEBLEEBLEEBLEEBLEEBLEEBLEEBLEEBLEE. The final bosses, holy crap, just amazing. Doomsday is fairly straightforward after all that but it's still an epic (literally) way of concluding the S3&K story. My favourite game of all time, probably the best Mega Drive game and quite possibly Sega's finest hour.
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Post by madhair60 on Aug 28, 2011 21:45:37 GMT
S3K is the best, but I don't consider Sonic and Knuckles as a standalone game to be all that much cop, for some reason. I think the way the levels are paced doesn't work as well as when they're in that big game.
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Post by Mambo's Here! Look Busy! on Aug 28, 2011 22:17:07 GMT
I actually played Sonic and Knuckles before Sonic 3, for some reason... and I think I preferred it for not having a water level! I loved the sheer amount of detail that went into it, for example the ground in Mushroom Hill releasing little spores when you jump, the expressions they gave the sprites, the little "scenes" between each level. I just thought it was brilliant. <3
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Post by Alex on Aug 29, 2011 12:34:09 GMT
I actually never got to play Sonic 3 for a long time, since I never managed to get given it and my mate never had it to borrow. Sonic and Knuckles, then, was the only game of that set I got to play at all for ages. I enjoyed it quite a lot as a stand-alone title, really. When I finally got the opportunity to play the full S3&K, though, it was like playing a totally different game.
I definitely feel that Sonic and Knuckles is stronger alone than Sonic 3, though. A combination of bigger, better levels and, of course, getting to play as Knuckles and effectively get a second full game as a result.
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Post by madhair60 on Aug 29, 2011 14:38:34 GMT
I don't like S&K as a stand-alone because, post S3K, the level progression makes no sense. To stand on its own it's fine I guess, but Sandopolis is a big black mark in the middle of it, and then you get the S3K endgame, which works in the context of its intended place, but not so much as a second half of a very short game. Sonic 3 takes you from a lush forest, to an underwater city, to an overgrown ruin, to a garish carnival, to a frozen ice land, and to a complicated launch facility, while Sonic and Knuckles seems to take you to a forest, two battleships, and several different types of cave (blatantly ignoring Sky Sanctuary, since it doesn't service my already wobbly argument). Point is like Sonic 3's variation better.
tl;dr Sandopolis [censored]s everything up, again.
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Post by Alex on Aug 29, 2011 15:12:14 GMT
Truefax: My TV died playing Sandopolis Zone. It literally killed my TV.
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Post by madhair60 on Aug 29, 2011 15:17:29 GMT
It's that bad.
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Post by ShayMay on Aug 29, 2011 15:20:34 GMT
I find that Sandopolis would be 10x better if it was half the size. It seems to get about halfway through and then just starts recycling things. Plus, 7 minutes minimum for me completing Act II is ridiculous.
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Post by Beeth on Aug 29, 2011 17:42:56 GMT
Those Death Egg warp ring noises ruined my brain. After I played it I ended up involuntarily doing the "WIPWIPWIPWIPWIPWIPWIPWIP" noise at random moments for two weeks. Bear in mind I was about 6 or 7 at the time. Still wasn't good for me, like. You play for as long as I'd been playing to finally get that far at that age, games start doing funny things to you.
Nonetheless, I quite enjoyed S&K back in the day. Would be many years later before I finally got to play 3, funnily enough. Death Egg still gives me a headache to this day like, with its heavy colour scheme (esp. first act), gravity switches, constant flinging about and brain-boring noises. No wonder it made me a bit mental as a child.
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Post by L. T. Dangerous on Aug 29, 2011 19:09:31 GMT
By the way, even with years of experience in the game, I still almost always fail as Knuckles in Sandopolis act two because of THAT switch timing/wall-climb/glide-jump puzzle. Minutes at a time on that one puzzle. Dreadful.
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Post by Mambo's Here! Look Busy! on Aug 29, 2011 19:54:53 GMT
I would always fail miserably a few times as Sonic in his rising sand puzzle room. Knuckles' room I found pretty easy to get through. Hidden Palace for Knuckles is ridiculously pointless, I wish they could have done more with that level. Perhaps he could have fended off a bunch of Eggrobos as a boss? Meh.
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