Growing up, I've had several video game systems including the Gameboy, NES, and Nintendo 64. However I would be remiss if I did not mention the Sega Genesis. The year was 199X (specific year I can't recall) and my brother and I made the jump from 8 bit to 16 bit. At the time this blew our minds. We played games such as Road Rash, Mortal Kombat, and several excellent licensed games based on Batman, Disney, ect. However I can clearly say that one of my favorite titles was Sonic the Hedgehog 2.
Compared to the more primitive 8 bit era and its immediate predecessor Sonic 2 possessed certain qualities which made it not only the most successful game on the console but one of my favorite of all time. Sonic 2 was bigger, faster, and better designed than Sonic 1. From Emerald Hill and Chemical Plant to Oil Ocean and Sky Fortress, the game had amazing variety and design and also giving Sonic his trademark SpinDash. (This excludes the death pit in the Mystic Cave level). Giving the ability to plays as Tails gave the game an entertaining but limited co-op mode. Many point to Sonic 3 & Knuckles as the definitive 2-D Sonic game and while I like Sonic 3, I feel that the Sonic & Knuckles part of the equation drags it down. None of the levels really stood out to me and I was not a fan of the pyramid level. Sonic 2 in my opinion is longer and better thatn Sonic 3 by itself.
Since the end of the 16 bit Era, Sonic has had a tough time transitioning into the 3-D Eras. While Super Mario 64 and Tomb Raider were big hits, a 3-D Sonic title eluded SEGA's Saturn entirely. It wasn't until the release of Sonic Adventure 1 and 2 on the ill fated Dreamcast that Sonic finally made the jump. While they had some good parts, the Sonics post 1999 were filled with too many characters loose controls, cheap deaths, and annoying fetch quests. Until the release of Sonic Colors and Sonic Generations, SEGA's mascot was seemingly a bad joke. While I think both titles are good games, they felt that at times like they played themselves (despite having 2-D sections). Recent titles such as Rayman Legends have shown what 2-D platform titles are capable of in the HD era. SEGA in addition to bringing back some of their older series should remember that sometimes certain things are better left alone. In my opinion Sonic would flourish more in a two dimensional environment.
Compared to the more primitive 8 bit era and its immediate predecessor Sonic 2 possessed certain qualities which made it not only the most successful game on the console but one of my favorite of all time. Sonic 2 was bigger, faster, and better designed than Sonic 1. From Emerald Hill and Chemical Plant to Oil Ocean and Sky Fortress, the game had amazing variety and design and also giving Sonic his trademark SpinDash. (This excludes the death pit in the Mystic Cave level). Giving the ability to plays as Tails gave the game an entertaining but limited co-op mode. Many point to Sonic 3 & Knuckles as the definitive 2-D Sonic game and while I like Sonic 3, I feel that the Sonic & Knuckles part of the equation drags it down. None of the levels really stood out to me and I was not a fan of the pyramid level. Sonic 2 in my opinion is longer and better thatn Sonic 3 by itself.
Since the end of the 16 bit Era, Sonic has had a tough time transitioning into the 3-D Eras. While Super Mario 64 and Tomb Raider were big hits, a 3-D Sonic title eluded SEGA's Saturn entirely. It wasn't until the release of Sonic Adventure 1 and 2 on the ill fated Dreamcast that Sonic finally made the jump. While they had some good parts, the Sonics post 1999 were filled with too many characters loose controls, cheap deaths, and annoying fetch quests. Until the release of Sonic Colors and Sonic Generations, SEGA's mascot was seemingly a bad joke. While I think both titles are good games, they felt that at times like they played themselves (despite having 2-D sections). Recent titles such as Rayman Legends have shown what 2-D platform titles are capable of in the HD era. SEGA in addition to bringing back some of their older series should remember that sometimes certain things are better left alone. In my opinion Sonic would flourish more in a two dimensional environment.
The Joy of sonic was rushing headlong into whatever comes next. You knew you were OK as long as you had money in your pocket (unless you ran offa cliff). Change to open world type games killed the franchise. Too bad sega couldn't do a smash bros. tYpe franchise. But oan, the dream cast was criminally underrated. Introduced the 2K franchise and the controller design clearly inspired Microsoft.
ReplyDeleteSega shoots itself in the foot too much. The Dreamcast was a great console that had some amazing titles and gaming capabilities like screens on controllers and online gaming. Unfortunately I don't think they had the finances to hang with Sony, Nintendo, or Microsoft anymore. Maybe they'll do a Sega smash bros. at some point and then have Mario as a secret character.
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