Let's All Play, Round 1: Sonic the Hedgehog (MegaDrive)

Had myself a quick go yesterday, playing through the Wii's Virtual Console. My own Moyles Point (as I'm now going to call it) is Labyrinth Zone. Good Lord, that place gets me riled up! The not-always-easy-to-manage pressure of needing to find air, coupled with Sonic's restricted movements, is a recipe for frustration. And the boss chase! I switched over to FFVI/III reet quick.

ZeroJones wrote:

Moyles Point

I really want to play Sonic 2 at some point now and see if the mechanics of the game change at all. I'll definitely be adding that to a poll some point further down the line. As for my Sonic 1 progress, I've started rage quitting hard. I made right to the very end of Marble Zone 3 and because I'd stupidly forgot to hit any checkpoints, my death sent me back to the beginning. Cue rage quit.

JayMoyles wrote:

I really want to play Sonic 2 at some point now and see if the mechanics of the game change at all.

Nah, not really at all. More of the same, but more of it.

Though I think Sonic 1 was eclipsed by a series of superior sequels, the franchise-starter's importance can't be ignored. I think it's unfortunate that people on here aren't fans, but each to their own!

Phillips wrote:

Though I think Sonic 1 was eclipsed by a series of superior sequels, the franchise-starter's importance can't be ignored. I think it's unfortunate that people on here aren't fans, but each to their own!

Please don't get me wrong, Mr. Phillips - despite growing up in the fierce SNES vs. Mega Drive days, I've grown to love the blue blur's early adventures since. Sonic 1 gets a lot of things right - for example, the Chaos Emerald bonus stages are such wonderful, hypnotic fun that I've never liked any of their replacements in later games - and I will play through to the end, it's just that Labyrinth Zone is so... naughty.

Phillips wrote:

I think it's unfortunate that people on here aren't fans, but each to their own!

Super Stu to the rescue!

So I beat this game today for what's probably the zillionth time. I'm most chuffed, though, that I managed to do it with all six Chaos Emeralds with only two failed bonus stage attempts. I haven't beaten it half as many times with all the Emeralds as I have without, so it's a result from me.

I still really enjoy this game, though I'm really surprised how I played it this time. I took it at a nice steady pace, collecting as many lives as possible, because I have to fight my own personal demon 2/3 of the way through the game. Namely: Labyrinth Zone Act 3.

Yep, I made it all the way to Labyrinth Zone Act 2 before I lost a life in a careless way. I carried on just fine until the bloody chase bit in Act 3. I lost eleven lives during that chase, but I wasn't worried because by this point I'd accrued five continues from the Special Zone. I really dislike Labyrinth Zone Act 3, and in fact I couldn't get past it as a bairn. Was surprised by how much easier I found Act 1 and 2 all these years later. I used to universally despise Labyrinth Zone.

Jay: collect fifty rings in the Special Zone to hear a jingle and bag a continue. You can thank me later.

After the horrors of Labyrinth Zone Act 3 were over it was all downhill as it always is for me. Star Light Zone is just plain fun (some bizarre fan physics aside), and it feels like the 'sequel' zone to Green Hill Zone, and Scrap Brain Zone is a cinch if - like the rest of the game - you keep your eyes peeled.

It's been about two years since I last beat this game, and I'd completely forgotten about the extra water bit at the end of Scrap Brain Zone. The bubbles flow lest often and the tension is higher, but it's still not as hard as Labyrinth Zone Act 3.

Final boss was an absolute cakewalk as it always had been. Full end credits sequence SEE, and it strill amuses me all these years later that the end credits medley occasionally matches the level being showcased, before abruptly drifting into the music of another zone not currently on screen.

In conclusion:

Still a great game, though I feel as I always have that Labyrinth Zone should've been at the end of the game. It's not that hard for the most part if you stop at every bubble, but those bit with harpoons and rotating spike balls have a tendency to drive a panicky player potty. The game still looks and sounds a treat to this day, and hearing/seeing the game running at 60hz instead of 50 is still bizarre to me. The music/gameplay is so fast!

In my opinion, it's still the finest of the original 2D Sonics, though I'm an oddball who doesn't care for Sonic 2 but instead loves Sonic and Sonic 3. If Sonic the Hedgehog had Sonic's spin dash, I don't think people would be able to criticise the game so much, the lack of momentum on occasion is really the only gripe I've ever had with this game. It's easily fixed and there's no major rush, but it is a bit annoying sometimes in Spring Yard Zone and Star Light Zone where there are lots of massive slopes and little run-up.

I can see why everyone loves Sonic 2 because of the way it expands on the speed concept, but in my opinion the sprites didn't have the same charm, the colours were a little too vivid, and the platforming purity of the original game was sacrificed somewhat. In fact, in many ways, every game that followed Sonic the Hedgehog lost a bit of the original Sonic spirit in each installment.

[/essay]

Stu_the_great wrote:

[If Sonic the Hedgehog had Sonic's spin dash, I don't think people would be able to criticise the game so much, the lack of momentum on occasion is really the only gripe I've evere had with this game. It's easily fixed and there's no major rush, but it is a bit annoying sometimes in Spring Yard Zone and Star Light Zone where there are lots of massive slopes and little run-up.

Did you, by chance, ever get to play Sonic Jam on Saturn?

I've never played Sonic Jam, sadly. I didn't pick a Saturn up 'til years after it was dead, and I only did so to play NiGHTS Into Dreams.

Sonic Jam contains a re-jigged version of the first Sonic, with the spin dash retrofitted. Might be worth a nosey.

Seems we have a new emoticon which seems perfect for this thread:

beemoh wrote:

Sonic Jam contains a re-jigged version of the first Sonic, with the spin dash retrofitted. Might be worth a nosey.

Might have to check that out at some point.

Anyone else been playing the game, then? Anyone?

*crickets*

Stu_the_great wrote:

beemoh wrote:

Sonic Jam contains a re-jigged version of the first Sonic, with the spin dash retrofitted. Might be worth a nosey.

Might have to check that out at some point.

Anyone else been playing the game, then? Anyone?

*crickets*

I sort of stopped in the Marble Zone, wasn't enjoying playing with a keyboard and I have a feeling that threads like this might be more fun if I was playing a game that was new to me.

Stu_the_great wrote:

beemoh wrote:

Sonic Jam contains a re-jigged version of the first Sonic, with the spin dash retrofitted. Might be worth a nosey.

Might have to check that out at some point.

Anyone else been playing the game, then? Anyone?

*crickets*

I played it and completed it. Still as good as I remember!

It might be time for a new game though. A few folk voted for Mega Man 2. That's out on the 3DS VC this week, don't you know...

I've still been playing the game intermittently, but I'm not finding myself driven to finish it.

We can open up suggestions for games for Round 2 in this thread if nobody is still playing Sonic.

If we can draw a line under Sonic, I second Phillips' Mega Man 2 suggestion.

Whoa! I wasn't recommending Mega Man II - I hate that game!

It should go to another vote, though next time I think we should play something that isn't a platformer nor on the Mega Drive. Mix it up a bit, y'know.

I'll make another poll thread then. So I'll include Mega Man 2, something that isn't a platformer, and maybe a couple of other surprises. Give me suggestions guys, otherwise I'll just make some obvious retro choices.

Chrono Trigger, a long one, but a beautiful one!

I've added to my list. Although, yours is the first suggestion on said list, so I don't think I can even call it a list yet.

i stopped playing after a day, and im the sega fanboyt here. i just played other mega drive games and would of sooner played sonic 2 to be honest

Little Sonic love here. *weeps*

I will submit my suggestion in the new thread.

Had another quick bash last night from the beginning. I got enraged this time when I fell onto spikes in the Green Hill Zone whilst shielded. Shield, rings, dead.

Twice.

This time I swapped out for Pilotwings before hitting up FFIII/VI again.

I managed to get myself killed by landing between two spikes and falling off the bottom of the world.

Blimey, everyone here sure does suck at Sonic the Hedgehog.

Stu_the_great wrote:

Blimey, everyone here sure does suck at Sonic the Hedgehog.

Thanks for that! I was just trying to get as many lives together as possible to assault that ruddy Labyrinth Zone again. I've beaten the game in the past, twice, but never with all the Chaos Emeralds. In fact, when I booted the game up to play for this, it was frozen at Robotnik throwing one Emerald around (unironically, the green one).

Only joking, Zero!

To be honest, the Special Zone is a weird one. The first level is a cinch, the second one is tough if you don't know what to look out for. As is the third, but then the last three become distinctly linear again and aren't that much faff. I think the hardest thing about this game is the knowledge that life is fragile, and that 1UPs aren't easy to obtain after Spring Yard Zone. Psychological!