I'm slowly but surely getting back into playing games on PC. My first stop today is a rather iconic classic. BACKGROUND:
Sonic is a character that needs no introduction. The blue blur has been an icon since the '90s, and his franchise is still going strong today. Dude even got his own movie. My personal experience with Sonic games is limited. The Sega consoles were a little after my time, and I never really got into any of the Sonic games that were released post-Dreamcast (not even now; most of what I know of Sonic is based on what gameplay I've seen online). I did eventually emulate a couple of the older games, but I only really remember the first one, and I don't think I played Sonic 3. I can't say for certain if I have played Sonic 2 before, but either way, I'm coming in with a fresh perspective. PLOT: Dr. Eggman/Robotnik is once again gearing up for world domination by putting together a robot army, building a space station, and attempting to steal the Chaos Emeralds. Sonic, now joined by his sidekick Tails, is on a mission to stop the bastard. Pretty basic stuff, so not much to say here. PRESENTATION: This was a Genesis game, and thus has 16-bit graphics. Like most games from this era, I would say this game aged very well, with awesome-looking sprites, a cheery art style, and decent variety in terms of level design. The animations are solid as well, and the characters are rather expressive to boot. The music in this game is excellent, with many of the tracks having an upbeat vibe. A couple of tracks are incredibly catchy as well; Casino Night Zone is a particular standout to me. GAMEPLAY: Sonic 2 is a 2D platformer. Run, jump, avoid danger, get to the end. You know the drill. At the start, you can choose whether to play as Sonic, Tails, or both (you control Sonic while Tails is also present, controlled by the CPU). They play pretty similarly in this game, so just pick your favorite. Regardless of who you choose, the basics are the same: keep running in the same direction to build speed, and jump into enemies as a ball to hurt them. This game also adds a Spin Dash, where you curl into a ball, charge in place, then zoom forward in a burst of speed. It's nothing complex, but if you're not a seasoned player of platformers, adjusting to the speed and maintaining momentum may prove challenging. There are 11 stages (called Zones) in total. The first seven have two levels, Metropolis Zone (level 8) has three, and the last three are singular levels. Each zone has a unique aesthetic, as well as mechanics exclusive to the level. Some of these zones are rather inspired, like Casino Night Zone (whose layouts are heavily inspired by pinball machines) and Wing Fortress Zone (which has you navigate an airship). Levels tend to have a lot of branching paths, and while there are nooks and crannies to find secrets in, they're all generally linear in structure. That said, one may find a few levels a bit frustrating to navigate, whether due to the path forward being unclear, or a few finicky mechanics that stifle progress (like bouncy surfaces that knock you away from where you need to go, or inclines that require a lot of speed to get over). Your main collectibles are the rings, which not only work like coins in Mario (getting 100 gives you an extra life), but also acts as an extra hit. If you have rings, getting hit by spikes or enemies won't kill you, but you'll lose all your rings. Get hit again without having rings on you, and you lose a life. I've always thought that this was an interesting way to handle damage; it makes getting rings actually useful (unlike in older Mario games). In addition, you can find a small assortment of power-ups to aid you on your quest, like the Speed Shoes (makes you go faster; imagine that), a shield that allows you to take a free hit, and temporary invincibility. These will often be found in tiny monitors that you can break. Of course, it's not a Sonic game without the Chaos Emeralds. If you go to a checkpoint with 50 rings on your person, a portal will open that takes you to a mini-game. In this mini-game, you're thrown into this pseudo-3D half-pipe where Sonic and/or Tails run forward automatically. Your objective here is to collect the specified number of rings by moving left or right on the course. Successfully doing this three times will award you the Chaos Emerald. This mini-game is more challenging than it looks, as not only is there a finite amount of rings to get (making the margin of error pretty slim), you also have to avoid bombs on the course that take away 10 rings if you hit them. Getting all seven Chaos Emeralds gives Sonic the ability to transform into Super Sonic. He'll automatically transform once you collect 50 rings, at which point your ring count will serve as a timer. Once it hits zero, you'll revert to normal Sonic (and you won't have any rings), but it can be extended by collecting more rings. As Super Sonic, you move significantly faster, and you're completely invulnerable to anything that isn't a bottomless pit. It's a lot of fun, but it becomes more of a hindrance when you get to sections that require some precise platforming, as the fucker moves way too fast for you to get any proper footing anywhere. Each zone (except Sky Chase Zone) ends in a boss fight where you beat the shit out of Dr. Eggman's latest robotic abomination. Most of these fights are pretty simple, with only a couple of patterns to watch out for, and the opening for attack being rather clear. If you got to the fight with rings, you'll probably be fine. In general, most regular enemies are not so much deadly as they are annoying. Unless you're really unlucky, they'll rarely ever kill you (since you'll most likely have rings on you, and they're generally easy to avoid), but a lot of them are placed in tricky spots where it's hard to avoid them. Some of them also have sweetspots, or have spikes that you shouldn't jump into. The only real completion bonus you get for collecting all the Chaos Emeralds (other than the ability to go Super Sonic) is an alternate victory screen, so if you can't be bothered to get them all, it's perfectly fine. VERDICT: Sonic 2 is a classic for a reason, as it features the iconic hedgehog at his very best. Though much simpler in terms of gameplay compared to modern offerings, the game is still fun; the speed is satisfying, the levels give you a bit of room to find your own path, and Super Sonic is an exhilarating power boost. Aside from the gameplay, Sonic 2 has visuals that still look good in 2020, and insanely catchy music tracks to complement the lovely level designs. Despite a few imperfections, I still think this is a fantastic experience that defines the Sega Genesis. This is another one of those classic games that I would label as an "essential"; go play it, even just once. Also great for two-player, if you have a friend you can pass a controller to. Here's the game on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/71163/Sonic_The_Hedgehog_2/ I played Sonic 2 via the Sega Mega Drive and Genesis Classics collection, which can be found on Steam here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/34270/SEGA_Mega_Drive_and_Genesis_Classics/ - end -
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June 2024
Derryck
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