Sonic Megathread

[Ikagura Ikagura]

and by Sonic 3 I just felt like the levels had got too big and full of stuff.

It's a bit weird to use that as a negative thing but I could understand that some levels are dragging a bit too long (especially Carnival Night 2 and perhaps Sandopolis 2 in & Knuckles).

On the other hand I'd also argue that Metropolis is also suffering from that issue.

Sonic 2 is great in its first half but I always felt like the general quality drastically fell down once you've reached Mystic Cave. It's explained by the fact that Sonic 2 was rushed and they probably didn't finish nor refine the late game.

I still love Emerald Hills to Hill Top.

Post automatically merged: Oct 27, 2025

On a side note I find Sonic 2's development to the most fascinating (next to the first Adventure game) simply because of how of a bigger scope it had:

Spoiler

Time travelling was planned for this entry but ultimately it was CD who had it. Still wish we got to see Wood Zone, Dust Hill and Cyber City.


Sega not hiring Whitehead to make a "definitive edition" for Sonic 2 (beyond Hidden Palace Zone in the mobile/Origins remaster) is a massive shame. Romhacks don't feel official enough imo.

 

[ThatOneLum ThatOneLum]

It's a bit weird to use that as a negative thing but I could understand that some levels are dragging a bit too long (especially Carnival Night 2 and perhaps Sandopolis 2 in & Knuckles).

On the other hand I'd also argue that Metropolis is also suffering from that issue.

Sonic 2 is great in its first half but I always felt like the general quality drastically fell down once you've reached Mystic Cave. It's explained by the fact that Sonic 2 was rushed and they probably didn't finish nor refine the late game.

I still love Emerald Hills to Hill Top.

I think it's a personal preference thing. I get enjoying that there's loads to do and see now, but for me when the design got to visually busy and crowded, it made the levels harder to really get into. It's sort of what makes the second half of 2 lower quality in many ways. The levels are visually busy and sort of crammed with "stuff" in every corner just to fill space, and that's why they go downhill IMO.

Mystic Cave gets a pass because of the music, but I agree that the quality has some problems post-caves. That said, I still sort of stand by Oil Ocean as a fun zone with a good theme and visual design.

That infinite death pit in Mystic Cave can go do one though. Honestly, the best version is the version where Christian Whitehead turned that into an entrance into Hidden Palace.

Stunning excecution. Turning one of the biggest "fuck yous" in the game into a previously cut zone was genius.

 

[waterxwraith]

I think it's a personal preference thing. I get enjoying that there's loads to do and see now, but for me when the design got to visually busy and crowded, it made the levels harder to really get into. It's sort of what makes the second half of 2 lower quality in many ways. The levels are visually busy and sort of crammed with "stuff" in every corner just to fill space, and that's why they go downhill IMO.

Mystic Cave gets a pass because of the music, but I agree that the quality has some problems post-caves. That said, I still sort of stand by Oil Ocean as a fun zone with a good theme and visual design.

That infinite death pit in Mystic Cave can go do one though. Honestly, the best version is the version where Christian Whitehead turned that into an entrance into Hidden Palace.

Stunning excecution. Turning one of the biggest "fuck yous" in the game into a previously cut zone was genius.

Happy for him where he's at, but I do wish Christian Whitehead got to direct future 2D Sonic games.

 

[Ikagura Ikagura]

I think it's a personal preference thing. I get enjoying that there's loads to do and see now, but for me when the design got to visually busy and crowded, it made the levels harder to really get into. It's sort of what makes the second half of 2 lower quality in many ways. The levels are visually busy and sort of crammed with "stuff" in every corner just to fill space, and that's why they go downhill IMO.

I think it was a way to make the game engaging when 3D was coming. Even Yoshi's Island had to offer a lot of things to make it stands out.

I'd also say that Mario Bros 3, being a late NES game, also had to justify staying on the ageing 8-bits.

Sonic 3&K still manages to offer a big adventure in 2D, something even modern Sonic games struggle to properly do.

Mystic Cave gets a pass because of the music, but I agree that the quality has some problems post-caves. That said, I still sort of stand by Oil Ocean as a fun zone with a good theme and visual design.

Oil Ocean was fine but below some of the levels from the first third imo. Mania vastly improved it.

That infinite death pit in Mystic Cave can go do one though. Honestly, the best version is the version where Christian Whitehead turned that into an entrance into Hidden Palace. Stunning execution. Turning one of the biggest "fuck yous" in the game into a previously cut zone was genius.

I could give the remake that but it doesn't fully excuse the pit though.

Happy for him where he's at, but I do wish Christian Whitehead got to direct future 2D Sonic games.

I'd even dare saying to direct the future of Sonic as a whole since Evening Star had made their debut game a 3D platformer.

Iizuka should step down from being a game director or at least only being a consultant. I'd also hope the next game won't make empty and boring looking Open Zones or overly rely on nostalgia with making yet another level with Generations' assets. Finally no need to have alternative gameplay styles, just making boost levels should suffice.

 

[Guinea]

Oh HELL NAW!!!

 

[Miles Miles]

Sonic 1 being better than CD is crazy, thats not a take I could agree with on my worst day.

It's not crazy. Sonic 1 is a great game! Sonic 2 and 3K are certainly way better than 1 though - they're the greatest platformers ever made!

 

[Ikagura Ikagura]

Sonic 1 is a great game!

I think it's a bit of a hyperbole to say "great". I think that Sonic 1 is the entry that has aged the less well.

 

[Miles Miles]

I think it's a bit of a hyperbole to say "great". I think that Sonic 1 is the entry that has aged the less well.

Just because it's not as great as its sequels, it doesn't make it not great, just less great than the sequels.

 

[PixelAnas2]

Does anyone else like it when Metal Sonic is more of an evil replica of Sonic, sharing his cocky attitude instead of the usual angry robot? (Like in the OVA, for example)

 

[ThunderBoy]

 

[JimNakajima]

Weighing in on the Sonic CD discussion, my relationship with the game is funny.

I love essentially everything about Sonic CD. The spectacular music, the introduction of Amy and Metal Sonic, the vibrant colors in the levels, the time travel mechanic encouraging exploration before 3&K would go on to do the same thing, the animated cutscenes, etc. CD is everything you'd want out of Sonic.

Notice how I didn't say Sonic game, and how I neglected to mention the gameplay in that mini spiel? For everything I love about CD, playing it is not one of those things. The levels send you up down and all around way too much. There isn't tight platforming like any of the other classic games, it's just a constant zig-zag, and then the level ends. Cool.

On one hand, I think the vastly different level design (in comparison to the other games) works to the game's strength... thematically. You're on a different planet (dare I say, a little one), so the geography being nothing like Sonic 1's makes sense. I would even say the wacky level design also gives the setting a natural feeling, rather than a gamey one. The levels contain so many twists and turns that have no rhyme or reason to them, much like how nature does in real life. When you let plants grow uninhibited, they go all over the place, and that's how the design philosophy for CD's levels feel. Unfortunately, in practice, it feels awkward to play.

Even with all its faults, though, CD is a cool game.

 

[Ikagura Ikagura]

Does anyone else like it when Metal Sonic is more of an evil replica of Sonic, sharing his cocky attitude instead of the usual angry robot? (Like in the OVA, for example)View attachment 123269View attachment 123270

I like Mecha Sonic from 3&K but I wish Sonic Adventure's Mecha Sonic Mk3 was used...

On the other hand I need to redo Sonic Time Twisted someday

 

[evercaptor]

so many images are not viewble in my region lol

Post automatically merged: Oct 31, 2025

Notice how I didn't say Sonic game, and how I neglected to mention the gameplay in that mini spiel? For everything I love about CD, playing it is not one of those things. The levels send you up down and all around way too much. There isn't tight platforming like any of the other classic games, it's just a constant zig-zag, and then the level ends. Cool.

On one hand, I think the vastly different level design (in comparison to the other games) works to the game's strength... thematically. You're on a different planet (dare I say, a little one), so the geography being nothing like Sonic 1's makes sense. I would even say the wacky level design also gives the setting a natural feeling, rather than a gamey one. The levels contain so many twists and turns that have no rhyme or reason to them, much like how nature does in real life. When you let plants grow uninhibited, they go all over the place, and that's how the design philosophy for CD's levels feel. Unfortunately, in practice, it feels awkward to play.

Even with all its faults, though, CD is a cool game.

Have you played the time trials to unlock the extras in Sonic CD? having beaten them (a few times now in various formats) I think I'd disagree with you about the level design being too zig-zagging. There are absolutely lines you can take that provide you with some very expedient paths to the end of a level, multiple per level in some cases, that have that smooth flow rewarding skill.

With regards to exploration, I really wouldn't look to praise 3&K too highly about this personally, because it falls very much into the "top path vs bottom path" mentality that Sonic 2 adopted. by the time you're in Hydrocity Act 2, Unless there's a path that i simply haven't taken in years becasue i'm so aquainted with the game and my own muscle memory, i don't think there even is a second path to take through the zone. It's just not that game's strength and it's also obviously not something they were targetting so you also can't fault them for it.

Does anyone else like it when Metal Sonic is more of an evil replica of Sonic, sharing his cocky attitude instead of the usual angry robot? (Like in the OVA, for example)

huge agree

 

[ThunderBoy]

so many images are not viewble in my region lol

Images from Imgur

 

[JimNakajima]

so many images are not viewble in my region lol

Post automatically merged: Oct 31, 2025

Have you played the time trials to unlock the extras in Sonic CD? having beaten them (a few times now in various formats) I think I'd disagree with you about the level design being too zig-zagging. There are absolutely lines you can take that provide you with some very expedient paths to the end of a level, multiple per level in some cases, that have that smooth flow rewarding skill.

With regards to exploration, I really wouldn't look to praise 3&K too highly about this personally, because it falls very much into the "top path vs bottom path" mentality that Sonic 2 adopted. by the time you're in Hydrocity Act 2, Unless there's a path that i simply haven't taken in years becasue i'm so aquainted with the game and my own muscle memory, i don't think there even is a second path to take through the zone. It's just not that game's strength and it's also obviously not something they were targetting so you also can't fault them for it.


huge agree

I haven't actually given the time trials a shot, but I'll make sure to check them out the next time I play the game! I've tried many times to appreciate the game on a deeper level because there's so much I deeply love about it. Again, playing it just isn't one of those things (yet). I'll definitely go in with a more open mind whenever I sit down and play the game again.

I do slightly agree with your point on 3&K, though. Don't get me wrong, I love the game, and its sprawling level design. However, the explorative aspect does definitely taper off the further you go, and the levels end up just being big more than anything else. Not sure if that makes sense. I do still find it fun to take different paths when I can, though, that's one of my favorite aspects of Sonic.

 

[Naltic]

Is it true that Sonic is not as popular in Japan as it is outside of it? I heard this was the case, but never questioned it —so is it true?

 

[Ikagura Ikagura]

Is it true that Sonic is not as popular in Japan as it is outside of it? I heard this was the case, but never questioned it —so is it true?

I see cases where it's true and cases where Sonic is still fairly popular like how people recognise him by his blue design.

Then again it may have changed between epoch.

 

[Mubashureta]

What yall think of the master system sonic 1 port and the other sonic master system games along side with the game gear games?

 

[Ikagura Ikagura]

What y'all think of the master system sonic 1 port and the other sonic master system games along side with the game gear games?

I think they have interesting ideas but I've always had a hard time with 8-bits Sonic simply because I feel like they're not Sonic games but with Sonic put into it.

 

[mrrgrrgrr]

What yall think of the master system sonic 1 port and the other sonic master system games along side with the game gear games?

I think they're fun games in their own right. I really like Sonic 1 on the Master System, and Sonic Triple Trouble is a great Game Gear game. Sonic Triple Trouble has a fan made Sega Master System port, for anyone interested.

But as much as I like them, I wouldn't play them over the 16-bit games. These days it feels like most people play the 8-bit Sonic games out of curiosity more than anything.

 

[Miles Miles]

Is it true that Sonic is not as popular in Japan as it is outside of it? I heard this was the case, but never questioned it —so is it true?

It's true. Sonic was never that popular in Japan.

 

[Ikagura Ikagura]

I think they're fun games in their own right. I really like Sonic 1 on the Master System, and Sonic Triple Trouble is a great Game Gear game. Sonic Triple Trouble has a fan made Sega Master System port, for anyone interested.

I'm glad GG2SMS exists since the screen crunch makes some harder to enjoy. I need to redo Ristar with that SMS port.

But as much as I like them, I wouldn't play them over the 16-bit games. These days it feels like most people play the 8-bit Sonic games out of curiosity more than anything.

Most of the time the 8-bits version of a 16-bits game was made for owners of the previous system that weren't rich enough to be able to purchase the next gen hardware. It's why Brazil got a ton of 8-bits version of games that never saw any other releases (such as Street Fighter II' on the SMS).

Sonic 1 8-bits is more or less following the same path as Sonic 16-bits (albeit with some changes and added levels like Bridge Zone) whereas Sonic 2 is its own thing. Sonic 3 (and & Knuckles) never got its own 8-bits adaption, probably because by 1994 the 8-bits were too old to warrant making a port.

I can understand why Sonic Chaos and Triple Troubles (Sonic & Tails 1&2 in Japan) are cult favourite because it has introduced Fang the Sniper among other elements.

Here's the full list of GG and SMS Sonic games:

 

[evercaptor]

I'm glad GG2SMS exists since the screen crunch makes some harder to enjoy. I need to redo Ristar with that SMS port.


Most of the time the 8-bits version of a 16-bits game was made for owners of the previous system that weren't rich enough to be able to purchase the next gen hardware. It's why Brazil got a ton of 8-bits version of games that never saw any other releases (such as Street Fighter II' on the SMS).

Sonic 1 8-bits is more or less following the same path as Sonic 16-bits (albeit with some changes and added levels like Bridge Zone) whereas Sonic 2 is its own thing. Sonic 3 (and & Knuckles) never got its own 8-bits adaption, probably because by 1994 the 8-bits were too old to warrant making a port.

I can understand why Sonic Chaos and Triple Troubles (Sonic & Tails 1&2 in Japan) are cult favourite because it has introduced Fang the Sniper among other elements.

Here's the full list of GG and SMS Sonic games:
View attachment 124721

i need to play the master system sonics at some point. i'd have done it sooner but it always seems to be the game gear ports on the compilations.

 

[JimNakajima]

Is it true that Sonic is not as popular in Japan as it is outside of it? I heard this was the case, but never questioned it —so is it true?

He was designed to appeal to the west iirc. So, yeah, not too popular in Japan. They're always trying to find ways to boost Sonic's popularity over there. In fact, I think Frontiers was the first time in a long while that Sonic actually made a significant splash in Japan.

 

[Ikagura Ikagura]

i need to play the master system sonics at some point. i'd have done it sooner but it always seems to be the game gear ports on the compilations.

I don't understand either, SA1 and Sonic Gems had these too.

Maybe to save up on disk space?